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Outside pole for ABEL Motorsports at Detroit

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Official Release
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  • INDY NXT by Firestone points leader Jacob Abel will start Sunday’s Grand Prix of Detroit on the outside of the front row in the series 500th race
  • Teammate Yuven Sundaramoorthy earns a season-high qualifying position of ninth

DETROIT (1 June 2024) – INDY NXT by Firestone points leader Jacob Abel scored his fifth straight front row start on Saturday, while teammate Yuven Sundaramoorthy earned his season’s best starting position for Sunday’s Grand Prix of Detroit on the streets of the Motor City.

This weekend, Abel carries a color scheme on his No. 51 Dallara that represents the new BlueOval SK pair of facilities: a six square mile auto production complex in Tennessee and a pair of plants in Kentucky that will manufacture the next generation of electric vehicle batteries. The BlueOval SK Battery Park in Glendale, Ky., ABEL Construction Company’s largest project to date, will create 5,000 new jobs when it reaches capacity.

Drivers Jacob Abel (Louisville, Ky.) and Yuven Sundaramoorthy (Oconomowoc, Wis.) came into the weekend determined to post top finishes in the INDY NXT series’ 500th race. Teams had a total of 90 minutes of practice time between Friday afternoon and Saturday morning sessions to dial in the pair of Dallaras. With Abel and Sundaramoorthy each working on finding the balance between speed and consistency on the bumpy streets of Detroit, their combined practice times put them in fourth and 18th, respectively.

With the series splitting the 21-car field into two groups for qualifying, Abel started in group one – which turned out to be the unfavorable draw, as the IMSA sports car warm up had deposited a different kind of rubber on the racetrack just before the session. Undeterred, Abel immediately went to the top of the time sheets, holding P1 as the field decreased their times with each lap. But with six minutes remaining, a car in the turn 1 tires brought out a red flag. The session went green again with just enough time for Abel to post one timed lap but not enough time to get the tires up to temperature, as he took the checkered flag in P1 by half a second over James Roe, guaranteed a front row start.

“Our car was strong from the start of the weekend,” said Abel. “There was way more in it – being in the first group with the IMSA rubber down put us behind, so we knew it was going to be tough to get pole. Then the red flag made it pretty much impossible. But we’ll definitely take the front row start, especially given how tough the circuit is. It’s tight, and traffic is always a problem, but we were able to put it together in qualifying, we were just in the wrong group. We know how tricky turn 1 is here so we’ll watch the starts from last year to see what the best course of action might be.”

In group two, Sundaramoorthy was determined to move up the timing sheet, pushing hard early – hard enough to glance off both the turn 6 and turn 7 walls, bending the toe links and setting the steering wheel askew. But Sundaramoorthy refused to relent, continuing the charge and posting a lap just over a tenth back of Abel’s before a late red stopped the action. With only one timed lap possible when the green came back out – and knowing from the previous session that the tires would not come up to temperature – Sundaramoorthy returned to pit lane to conserve his tires, having put himself into a season-high ninth place on the grid.

“I guess I would have been P2 in the first session!” said Sundaramoorthy. “I messed up on lap two and hit the wall, I think we had much more in it, but I got a decent lap and worked on bringing it home. Both toes were off, but I still think we could have gone faster. A long race tomorrow to make some moves.”

ABEL Motorsports thanks partners ABEL Construction Company, Advance Ready Mix, Boyd Cat®, S Team Motorsports and OMP for their continued support.

The INDY NXT by Firestone Detroit Grand Prix takes the green flag Sunday, June 2 at 10:20 a.m. ET. The race will be streamed live in the U.S. on Peacock, while international viewers can watch via INDYCARLIVE, with INDYCAR Radio available at indycar.com and on Sirius XM.

About BlueOval SK
BlueOval SK is the joint venture between Ford Motor Company and SK On to produce batteries for future Ford and Lincoln electric vehicles. SK On is a subsidiary of SK Innovation and has deep expertise in battery production. BlueOval SK will operate twin battery manufacturing facilities in Glendale, Kentucky and one battery plant in Stanton, Tennessee starting in 2025. BlueOval SK will electrify the future of mobility with innovative technology.

About Abel Construction Company: ABEL Construction is one of the largest general contractors in Kentucky, holding licenses in thirteen states. The company has offices in Lexington, Kentucky and Indianapolis, Indiana, with the corporate office in Louisville. Their expertise spans many areas, including general contracting, construction management, design-build, Integrated Project Delivery (IPD), and facilities maintenance.

Abel Construction has helped build some of the region’s most recognizable landmarks. Their projects cover diverse sectors, including automotive, healthcare, post-secondary education, commercial, food/beverage, tech, and industrial/manufacturing. They prioritize client satisfaction, focusing on efficient project delivery regardless of size or cost. The company’s skilled professionals utilize cutting-edge technology and software to ensure successful outcomes. abelconstruct.com/.

About ABEL Motorsports: Team principal Bill Abel began racing motocross in 1972, earning numerous championship titles as he continued the family racing tradition. In 2015, ABEL Motorsports was launched, starting in the USF2000 series and building up the junior open wheel ladder. The team captured the inaugural Formula Regional Americas Championship with driver Kyle Kirkwood in 2018.

ABEL Motorsports currently competes in the INDY NXT by Firestone series, the official development series for the NTT INDYCAR SERIES, led by third-generation driver Jacob Abel. The team made its INDYCAR debut in 2023 with driver RC Enerson in the Indianapolis 500. For more information visit the official team website at abelmotorsports.com.

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CHEVROLET INDYCAR AT DETROIT: Team Chevy Qualifying Report

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Official Release
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CHEVROLET IN NTT INDYCAR SERIES
CHEVROLET DETROIT GRAND PRIX
DETROIT, MICHIGAN
TEAM CHEVY QUALIFYING REPORT

JUNE 1, 2024

TEAM PENSKE’S JOSEF NEWGARDEN AND SCOTT MCLAUGHLIN REPRESENT TEAM CHEVY IN THE SECOND ROW AT DETROIT

  • Team Penske’s Josef Newgarden, driver of the No. 2 Chevrolet (third), and Scott McLaughlin, driver of the No. 3 Chevrolet (fourth), represented Team Chevy in the Firestone Fast Six and will start in the second row of Sunday’s Chevrolet Detroit Grand Prix in downtown Detroit, Michigan.
  • Théo Pourchaire, driver of the No. 7 Arrow McLaren Chevrolet, qualified seventh and narrowly missed the Firestone Fast Six in what is his highest NTT INDYCAR SERIES career qualifying effort so far.
  • Rounding out the top-10 in qualifying, Team Penske’ s Will Power will start Sunday’s 100-lap event eighth, with AJ Foyt Racing’s Santino Ferrucci starting 10th.
  • Representing the Bowtie brand, Team Penske’s McLaughlin and Newgarden transferred to the Firestone Fast Six from the second round.
  • Arrow McLaren’s Pato O’Ward transferred to the second round representing Chevrolet from Group 2.
  • Group 1 of qualifying saw Arrow McLaren’s Pourchaire (first in the group), Team Penske’s McLaughlin (second in the group), Newgarden (third in the group), Power (fifth in the group), and AJ Foyt Racing’s Ferrucci (six in the group) transfer to the second round.
  • Race day on the streets of Detroit kicks off with warm-up at 9:30 a.m. ET. The 100-lap, 164.5-mile Chevrolet Detroit Grand Prix takes the green flag live on USA Network at 12 p.m. ET. Additional coverage can be found on Peacock, as well as INDYCAR Radio Network and SiriusXM Channel 218.

TEAM CHEVY FIRESTONE FAST SIX QUALIFYING RESULT:
Pos. Driver
3rd Josef Newgarden (1:00.9607)
4th Scott McLaughlin (1:01.3344)
7th Théo Pourchaire (1:00.7342)
8th Will Power (1:00.7612)
10th Santino Ferrucci (1:01.0351)

WHAT THEY’RE SAYING (QUOTES):

Santino Ferrucci, No. 14 AJ Foyt Racing Chevrolet:

“First off, I just want to say sorry for what I said, and how I acted to Kyle (Kirkwood) and towards Colton (Herta). They’re great competitors. I was definitely hot out of the car, and I love racing. It’s good now, but this is where I kind of feel the 14 Sexton Properties Chevrolet should be. I feel like we’re a top-10 car. I kind of missed it on the lap a little bit to move it a little further forward. It’s real tight. Looking forward to a good race tomorrow. Obviously, I actually had no idea it was (Romain Grosjean). I thought it was Will (Power) because that’s the last car that I passed and Larry (Foyt) just reading off gaps and trying to do a cool down and push. It’s tight here, man. It’s tough. If INDYCAR’s not calling it, it’s really not a big deal. He honestly didn’t look that close to me when checking the mirrors. It’s just a small track, short track racing on a street course.”

Sting Ray Robb, No. 41 AJ Foyt Racing Chevrolet:

“A little disappointed with the result in qualifying. I thought we had a better car than that yet again, but good to see Santino (Ferrucci) do well. I think we had a good idea of where we need to be. Little changes here and there make a big difference around this place. We’re in the window and we weren’t too far off. A little bit here and there with the Goodheart Chevy, and we’ll be back at it tomorrow.”

Pato O’Ward, No. 5 Arrow McLaren Chevrolet:

“I was just trying to get out of the way. Honestly, we shouldn’t have even transferred into Q2 just because I was in Felix’s (Rosenqvist) gearbox, and everybody is trying to lap. There’s cars on fliers that come out before the sequence I guess, and you can’t back up because then you’re going to mess up their lap. You also can’t speed up because you’ll ruin your own chance to get a lap in. (Kyle) Kirkwood was coming behind me, and I knew there was still going to be stack up later on after turn five. So I decided to give him room here because that was probably the best area to kind of give him a chance and not get a penalty. Sadly, these cars don’t have rear-wheel steering. I couldn’t get the radius down and then I stalled the car whenever I tried to get it back into neutral. It’s a new week, a new race weekend. I think we had an opportunity get into the Fast Six. It’s just, it’s so tight. You can’t be playing around with gaps. You either have to give up with an extra laps and just get three clean laps, or you’re going to end up like me or (Will) Power.”

Christian Rasmussen, No. 20 Ed Carpenter Racing Chevrolet:

“That’s what this place is all about, just hustling it through! Just so close! I felt pretty maximized on my lap in terms of what we were able to do. In past qualifiyings, I always come in and say “Ok, there’s a little more to gain here” or “a bit more to gain there,” today; I felt like we got everything out of it and I am happy about that! But to miss advancing by that little, you just want it that much more!”

Rinus VeeKay, No. 21 Ed Carpenter Racing Chevrolet:

“That was a tough qualifying. We struggled much of Practice 2 to get tire temperature up, so we made the choice to go out on greens and stay on greens for the full session. I am pretty happy with my lap, I pushed as hard as I could. Our strategy just did not work out with the track’s evolution. It was worth a try! A lot of stuff can happen tomorrow and I am looking forward to the race to see what we can do. A tough one for us, but good job by Christian!”

Romain Grosjean, No. 77 Juncos Hollinger Racing Chevrolet:

“They need to do a better job of not blocking people; not crashing people. Just being aware of who is around them. He screwed me in qualifying. I don’t know what he slowed on his lap. I was seven tenths down on my lap, he was three tenths down and I lost four tenths behind. I called out INDYCAR race control. If that’s not blocking, I don’t know what is. I’m really…I know we’ve had a tough weekend, but I think the car came alive during qualifying. I just couldn’t get my lap. Too many mistakes on our end. Pressure just not right, and we’ve been suffering from lack of top speed. But that one is not on us.”

Agustin Canapino, No. 78 Juncos Hollinger Racing Chevrolet:

“Every time we have the same issue. Every time we are good in practice, we are not good in qualifying. It is what it is. Last time I started 18th I think and finished ninth, so it isn’t such a bad of position, of course in the middle of the war. I am going to try to survive and do the best I can.”

Will Power, No. 12 Team Penske Chevrolet:

“Some frustration because if you are the last one across the line in that situation, the track is just better. The first part of my lap is just slippery, then it was a very good last sector. I’m not just frustrated because I didn’t make it. It’s a tough field man. And I just needed the littlest bit. If you went out last, you would have had a better shot, but it is what it is. It’s fine. I’ve been good. I just know when it is that close, where you go really matters. We could have controlled that, but again, you can get caught out by a yellow as well when you are the last one to cross the line. It’s one of those things. It’s tough.”

About Chevrolet

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

Foster Smashes Track Record To Win INDY NXT Pole at Detroit

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Official Release
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DETROIT (Saturday, June 1, 2024) – Louis Foster obliterated the INDY NXT by Firestone track record Saturday to win the pole for the Detroit Grand Prix.

Foster earned his first pole of the season and fifth of his career in the INDYCAR development series with a top lap of 1 minute, 5.1079 seconds in the No. 26 Copart/Novara Technologies car fielded by Andretti Autosport.

English driver Foster, who has led all three on-track sessions this weekend, broke the track record of 1:06.8374 he set last year in the debut of this nine-turn, 1.645-mile temporary street circuit in downtown Detroit. He also enters this event with the momentum of his first win of the season, at the most-recent event May 11 on the Indianapolis Motor Speedway road course.

“It’s about time, really,” Foster said. “We’ve had a lot of pace. It’s nice to get the monkey off the back, so to speak. Tomorrow we can have a good race.

“We’ve been fast all season. Just haven’t had the best of luck and a few mistakes by me. Happy to get a pole, and hopefully we can get a win.”

Live coverage of the 45-lap race starts at 10:20 a.m. ET Sunday on Peacock and the INDYCAR Radio Network.

The starting grid was determined after the field was split into two qualifying groups. Championship leader Jacob Abel will start second after leading the first qualifying group at 1:06.0048 in the No. 51 Abel Construction car fielded by Abel Motorsports.

Rookie Caio Collet will start third in the No. 18 HMD Motorsports machine after his best lap of 1:05.4952 in the second group. Jamie Chadwick will join him in the second row after her best lap of 1:06.5050 in the No. 28 VEXT car of Andretti Global. That was a career-best start for second-year driver Chadwick, whose previous best was fifth earlier this season at Barber Motorsports Park.

Rookie Michael d’Orlando qualified fifth at 1:05.6157 in the No. 3 Flat Rock Motorsports Park/Rising Stars machine fielded by Andretti Cape INDY NXT. Callum Hedge was the third rookie to qualify in the top three rows, as he will start sixth after a best lap of 1:06.7954 in the No. 17 HMD Motorsports car.

Another rookie, Myles Rowe, suffered a tough break late in the session. Rowe was quick enough to secure the No. 3 starting spot late in the second group when he crashed the No. 99 HMD Motorsports with Force Indy car in Turn 9, triggering a red flag and losin

MCDOWELL SETS TRACK RECORD IN EARNING NASCAR CUP SERIES POLE FOR ENJOY ILLINOIS 300

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Official Release
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Michael McDowell of Front Row Motorsports wins the Busch Light Pole Award during Saturday’s qualifying for the NASCAR Cup Series Enjoy Illinois 300 at World Wide Technology Raceway. Photo credit: World Wide Technology Raceway.
  • Michael McDowell of Front Row Motorsports breaks the World Wide Technology Raceway track qualifying record for his third pole of the season.
  • Enjoy Illinois 300 will be televised Sunday on FS1, beginning at 2:30 p.m. CT.

MADISON, Ill. (June 1, 2024) – Front Row Motorsports driver Michael McDowell broke the NASCAR Cup Series track qualifying mark en route to collecting the pole position during Saturday’s qualifying session for the Enjoy Illinois 300 at World Wide Technology Raceway.

McDowell recorded a pole-winning lap of 138.598 miles per hour (32.468 seconds) in his No. 34 Ford to break the previous record of 138.274 mph established by Chase Briscoe in the inaugural 2022 race. The pole was the third of the season for McDowell and gave him a share of the Cup Series lead with Kyle Larson of Hendrick Motorsports.

McDowell will lead the 36-car field to the green flag for the 240-lap Enjoy Illinois 300 at 2:30 p.m. Sunday (TV: FS1, Radio: MRN, SiriusXM, WNOI 103.9 FM).

“Today we executed well and did everything we needed to do,” said McDowell, who is looking for his first win of the season. “If we do that tomorrow, we’ll have a shot at winning the race. But to win a Cup race you have to be perfect.

“We know what we have to do. We’ve been in this spot before as far as needing a win to get in the playoffs and having speed. We have to rise to the occasion, and I think we will.”

McDowell, whose previous best start at World Wide Technology Raceway was 17th in 2022, was followed by the Team Penske duo of Austin Cindric and Ryan Blaney.

Cindric (138.134 mph / 32.577 secs.) will start on the front row beside McDowell while Blaney will start third (137.982/32.613). Both have earned top-10 starting positions in all three Cup Series races at World Wide Technology Raceway.

Rounding out the top five were Joe Gibbs Racing driver Christopher Bell (137.669/32.687) and 23XI Racing’s Tyler Reddick (137.585 / 32.707), respectively. Defending Enjoy Illinois 300 winner Kyle Busch will start 10th (137.02 / 32.842).

For more information on the NASCAR race weekend, please visit www.wwtraceway.com.

Ford Sweeps Top-Three Qualifying Spots Behind McDowell’s Pole

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Official Release
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Ford Performance Notes and Quotes
NASCAR Cup Series
Enjoy Illinois 300 Qualifying | Saturday, June 1, 2024

Ford Performance Results:
1st – Michael McDowell
2nd – Austin Cindric
3rd – Ryan Blaney
7th – Brad Keselowski
12th – Joey Logano
21st – Justin Haley
23rd – Chase Briscoe
27th – Noah Gragson
29th – Josh Berry
30th – Harrison Burton
32nd – Ryan Preece
34th – Cody Ware
35th – Todd Gilliland

MICHAEL MCDOWELL, No. 34 Siteman Cancer Center Ford Mustang Dark Horse

“I had a bit of a moment there in Turn 3 and got a little loose and had to catch it but luckily I was able to recover quickly and get back in the throttle. I am so proud of everybody at Front Row Motorsports. I know this is our third pole of the year, but to do it at a short track, a flat track, not a superspeedway, I am really proud of everybody. We have Siteman Cancer Center on the car this weekend, the first time for them. I am excited to start from the pole tomorrow. I am really proud of everybody. It is a team effort here.”

HOW IMPORTANT IT THIS FOR YOU GUYS TO HAVE THE NUMBER ONE PIT SPOT TOMORROW? “It is huge here. They widened pit road here a few feet but we have seen it where it is just really critical to get off pit road here. It is tight, especially when these guys do two tires or four tires. Having that first stall and being able to launch from your box and have a clean shot at it will be a big deal tomorrow. But right now we are going to celebrate today. We will worry about tomorrow, tomorrow morning. It is a great effort by everyone and all of our partners. We have great partners and this is a great race team. Big news for Front Row getting a third charter this week. There is a lot of momentum happening. We need a win. We need a win to get into the playoffs and we are going to fight hard for it.”

AUSTIN CINDRIC, No. 2 Freightliner Ford Mustang Dark Horse

“I got really good exits which made watching that really frustrating because you know they are all going to pass you on entry. It was just whether or not you got enough. The 34 guys did a great job. Michael (McDowell) had two really great laps. I felt like I got it all on our end after leaving a little bit on the table the first round. The Freightliner Ford Mustang is fast. It is great to be on the front row for tomorrow.”

RYAN BLANEY, No. 12 Menards Ford Mustang Dark Horse

“It is a good day for Ford taking the top three spots. We had a lot of speed in those Mustangs today. I was happy with the speed in our car throughout the day and in qualifying. It is a pretty good day. I wish we would have been closer to the pole, but overall a very solid day and I feel good about being able to put together a good day tomorrow as wel.”

MICHAEL MCDOWELL POLE WINNING PRESS CONFERENCE

CONGRATULATIONS ON WINNING THE POLE. OBVIOUSLY A GOOD LAP TODAY: “Yeah, it was great. I’m so thankful that we got practice and qualifying in. When we looked last night and this morning, we were like, ah, not sure if this is going to happen. But really, this practice went really smooth. We unloaded pretty close. Had to work a little bit on the balance, but with this type of practice and qualifying, you just have to be close when you unload. And Travis Peterson and Griff and all the guys did a great job of bringing us a fast Ford Mustang again. The second round isn’t new to us this year but I feel like we’ve got into the second round several times and then not made that next jump in that next round where we might be third, fourth or fifth that first round and then end up eighth, ninth or tenth in that second round so I’m just thankful that we were able to you know make all the right adjustments and give ourselves a great shot at getting the pole. I mean obviously we had tremendous speed and so that was a lot of fun. There’s a couple Ford Mustangs up front so that’s good and tomorrow with track position and pit stall selection and all the things that are super important here. This is a great start of the weekend for us. We just have to maximize the opportunity. We got to capitalize and we have to execute. We need to win desperately to get into the playoffs. We know that and we know that the next four to five weeks are great opportunities for us. We’re kicking it off right.”

YOU AND CINDRIC WERE THE ONLY TWO GUYS TO GO TO THIRD GEAR IN THE LAST TWO CORNERS. HOW DID YOU FIGURE THAT OUT? “Oh, I don’t want to answer that. A study in preparation and execution. Well, I’ll run you through it okay, because everybody’s gonna look anyway. So last year we were third or fourth in practice. Had a really fast car. We were on the 10 lap average. Everything was really good, top-five car. I thought with the speed that you’d pick up in qualifying and the extra grip that you had that extra downshift would probably overslow it and would hurt you. My plan last year was to run run fourth in three and four, and I did. I lost a tenth and a half in that corner compared to all the guys that downshifted and so studying that, looking at it and highlighting it I just knew that that’s what I needed to do. Then the flip side of it the only one that made the second round before I went out that downshifts was Austin Cindric and everybody else ran fourth in turn three and so then you’re scratching your head as you’re sitting in the car. All that studying and all that planning, what do you do? The thing that I’ve learned with this car and maybe it’s with experience but I feel like in particular with this car when it comes to qualifying you just have to execute your plan, and I planned all week to do that and I’m just going to execute my plan right, wrong, or indifferent. So I just committed to it and fortunately we’re on the right side of it because it could easily have gone the other way. That’s what’s tough about this car is you’re really splitting hairs trying to find that extra tenth, right? And that’s what the difference was. It was a tenth between had I downshifted last year versus not and you don’t want to leave anything on the table and so just really had a plan, executed the plan and it turned out to be the right one.”

AND SECOND JUST HOW BIG A SOURCE OF PRIDE IS IT TO DO THIS ON A 1.25 MILE QUIRKY SPEEDWAY RATHER THAN THE SUPER SPEEDWAY? “Yeah, Talladega and Atlanta were special. They are. Getting the pole there was special because it always is every weekend such a team effort. We all know that you can’t go fast without fast race cars, but in particular at Talladega in Atlanta, the driver’s not a big part of whether or not you’re going to qualify well. You still have to execute. You still have to get through the gears. And so I don’t want to take anything away from, from that standpoint but it really is a matter of how fast of a race car your team brought you right? It’s still the same today it really is like even today the poll today is because I had a really fast race car. I had more pressure to execute my part at a flat track like this where you’re up shifting twice, down shifting twice each corner, heavy brake zones, all those things. So it’s more rewarding from that standpoint to go out there and execute and do it. And the biggest thing is over the years I haven’t had a lot of opportunities at this to qualify on the pole or have a shot at the front row and things like that. As crazy as this sounds, I just had to remember to 15 years ago, 16 years ago when I sat on like 10 ARCA poles, and I just didn’t overthink it. I just went out there and did my deal. If your car’s fast enough, you get the pole, right? And so I just went into that second round thinking like that. Like, you don’t have to do anything special. You don’t have to overthink it. You just have to go execute what you know you have to do and not overdo it. So I’m glad it worked out because there have been times this year where I felt like we’ve had shots at the pole, maybe not quite as fast as we were today, but third, fourth place car, and like I said we ended up sixth or seventh and you kind of leave bummed. Today we did everything right and the car was really close from the time we unloaded and made all the right adjustments and so I’m proud of the total team effort that we have and you know there are a lot of good things that are happening at Front Row right now and you know with the news this week of expanding to three charters and the growth that we’re seeing and the performance that we’re seeing is awesome. To back that up this week with a poll on a legit hard racetrack to go get a poll I feel like is validating for everything that they’re doing.”

HOW PROUD ARE YOU IN YOUR ABILITY AND YOUR TEAM’S ABILITY TO CONTINUE TO PERFORM AT THIS HIGH LEVEL CONSIDERING YOUR STATUS FOR NEXT YEAR AND THE WHOLE LAME-DUCK THING? “Yeah, I mean obviously we’re not a lame duck. I don’t really know where the terminology originates from. You probably could tell me because you’re pretty good with words. You’re a wordsmith I feel like. But I hate lame duck. It’s so lame. It’s a lame term. I am as motivated as I’ve ever been to make sure that we win and make the playoffs. And for so many reasons, right? But more than ever, because I am making a change and I want to finish what we started and I want to do what I know we can do. We have a group of people right now that we can win races and I just have to do my part. To me, it’s more of not letting those guys down. Also to me, it’s Bob Jenkins has taken me from a guy that was running 30th every weekend to winning the Daytona 500 and winning Indianapolis and sitting on three poles this year. I’m going to give them everything I have because that’s what you do when somebody has changed your life, right? And so it’s the only way that I know that we can do it.”

IS THERE ANY ANIMOSITY AT ALL KNOWING THAT YOU’RE KIND OF GETTING TRADED IN FOR A NEW MODEL? I KNOW YOU’RE GOING TO GIVE 110% BECAUSE YOU’RE A RACER AND YOU DON’T KNOW ANY DIFFERENT THAN THAT. BUT I ASKED JERRY WHAT THE OPTIONS ARE AND HE SAID, WELL, I WANT TO FIND SOMEBODY LIKE MICHAEL MCDOWELL, THAT I CAN MOLD INTO MICHAEL MCDOWELL. AND IT’S LIKE, WELL, IF YOU HAVE THE ORIGINAL, WHY WOULD YOU SCREW AROUND WITH THAT? I’M JUST KIND OF CURIOUS, YOU KNOW, DOES IT CHAP YOU A LITTLE BIT THAT YOU JUST COULDN’T FINISH OUT YOUR CAREER THERE? “That’s a great question. It’s an honest question and I appreciate it. I think that the first week or two as I was navigating what was in front of us, maybe a little bit, but not now. And the reason not now is because it always works out. I know in my heart what I was supposed to do. I think Bob knew in his heart what he was supposed to do, even though it doesn’t always make sense. It doesn’t always make sense, but there are so many moving parts behind the scenes that not everybody knows. I don’t mean like gossip, that’s not what I mean, but probably the best thing for Front Row Motorsports and for Bob Jenkins is for me not to be in that 34 car, as crazy as that sounds. Because of what it’s going to allow him to do and what it’s going to allow him to build his race team into. And yes, I’m disappointed about that sometimes a little bit, but I also know for me that I have a great opportunity in front of me and I have a long future in front of me and obviously I’m not done yet, right? So I feel great about my decision and I think Bob feels good about his decision as well and there’s no animosity. There are no hurt feelings. Sometimes it’s just the way it works out and I feel that this is how it’s supposed to work out.”

TO WIN TOMORROW, WHAT’S IT GOING TO TAKE AND WHAT HAVE YOU LEARNED ABOUT THIS TRACK? “Well, it’s going to take track position, which we start out with and we have, and so we got to execute that. I’ve seen it be really powerful here before. In 2022 I believe, we stayed out and took the lead and led like 50 or 60m I don’t know but a decent amount of laps. That was really eye opening of like, hey, we just got to get out in front and we’re going to be okay. And last year we had a top 10 car here as well. I’m not super shocked by our speed. I think it was exceptional today in qualifying for sure. Tomorrow it’s just about executing that initial start and pit stops. There are so many variables. There are so many things that happen. When you’re the leader or if you are still leading different strategies that people take. Two tires here is an option and staying out and different things have been an option here. So you’re going to have to be versatile. You’re going to have to be able to keep the lead and then if you do lose track position because of altering strategies you have to be able to get through traffic. So much happens on a race day. I always say this and this is not just because I’m sitting here right now but Saturday is a race of its own and today we won the race and tomorrow we’ll focus on winning that race but today we executed well and did everything we needed to do and if we do that tomorrow we’ll have a shot at winning the race. But to win a Cup race you have to be perfect and we’ve seen it. It’s tough, right? You have past champions that haven’t won a race in a long time. We’ve seen really, really good guys and really good teams that have the speed and are so close, but everything has to go perfectly. So we know what we have to do. We’ve been in this spot before as far as needing to win to get into playoffs and having speed. We have to rise to the occasion. I think we will.”

DO YOU FEEL LIKE YOU HAVE TO WIN TO MAKE THE PLAYOFFS AS FAR OUT AS YOU ARE? “I think I do. If we run like this every weekend and can score 20 stage points each week, then no, but the way that it looks right now I think that we have to win. And honestly, that’s the approach. That’s always been the approach for us. Even last year when we were close to pointing our way in, which we would have pointed our way in, even without the win, we knew that we were going to Sonoma, and we were going to Indy, and we were going to Chicago Road Course, and we were going to those places to win the race and our strategy was to win the race. It’ll be the same this time. We’re not trying to score points to point our way into the playoffs. If we happen to do that because we are that fast and we are executing that well, then great but I’m not counting on that. I’m counting on going and winning in the next two or three weeks and not having to worry about it.”

ARE YOU SURPRISED THAT LARSON HASN’T GOTTEN A WAIVER YET? DO YOU HAVE ANY OPINION ON WHETHER HE SHOULD GET A WAIVER FOR NOT MAKING IT TO THE START? “I don’t see the other side of this point at all. I think if it was me and I did it and I think that’s a different situation and I hate to say it like that, but Kyle Larson is going to win five or six or seven races this year. To sit here and say that he’s not going to get a waiver because he tried to do the double and brought a tremendous amount of eyeballs on our sport and a tremendous amount of eyeballs on IndyCar and just helped motorsports all together is crazy. So I know that there’s arguments to that, but I mean, come on, we’re talking about the best driver that’s ever sat in a stock car and we’re not going to give him a pass? That’s crazy.”

HOW DID YOUR CAR HANDLE IN TRAFFIC DURING PRACTICE? I KNOW CONDITIONS WILL BE DIFFERENT TOMORROW FOR THE RACE, BUT IT IS SUCH A CRITICAL THING, TRACK POSITION IN THIS RACE. “One of the things that was fun about today’s practice was it wasn’t split, right? All of us out there at once, so like it or not, you were going to be in traffic. There was no clean racetrack, which kind of reminded me of the old days of happy hour, right? You’d roll out for happy hour and there’d be 43 of you and you’d be nose to the tail and you’d roll out and give yourself two or three car lengths gap and hammer down. We didn’t run a whole lot in clean air. I was always catching somebody or attempting to catch somebody or passing somebody. I think that I got a good feel for what we need for tomorrow. But when it’s 8 a.m. or whenever we rolled out, right, 8:30, it’s cool, overcast, slightly misty, that’s not going to be tomorrow. I really separate the two days. Today’s all about one lap or two laps. It’s about qualifying and tomorrow we know what we need to do. We’ve raced here before, we have a good notebook, but practice is not an indication of what you’re gonna have tomorrow. It’s just not. We just have to make the right adjustments overnight, knowing that it’s going to be warmer and sunnier. The track’s gonna lose a tremendous amount of grip compared to what we had and it’s gonna take a lot of rubber and you’re gonna move around and you’re gonna be up in that third lane on both ends. You gotta have a good notebook that you can lean into. And like I said, I feel good about that just based on the fact that we had a top 10 car here last year.”

KALITTA, PROCK AND ENDERS RACE TO PROVISIONAL NO. 1 SPOTS AT NHRA NEW ENGLAND NATIONALS

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EPPING, N.H. (May 31, 2024) – Reigning Top Fuel world champion Doug Kalitta made the quickest run of both sessions on Friday at New England Dragway, taking the provisional No. 1 spot at the 11th annual NHRA New England Nationals.

Austin Prock (Funny Car) and Erica Enders (Pro Stock) are also the provisional No. 1 qualifiers at the seventh of 20 races during the 2024 NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series season.

Kalitta went 3.700-seconds at 332.84 mph under the lights in his 11,000-horsepower Mac Tools dragster as part of a thrilling side-by-side run with Steve Torrence, maintaining his No. 1 spot from earlier in the day. It puts the veteran in position for his third No. 1 qualifier of the season and 56th in his career. New England Dragway is also the only track on the NHRA tour where Kalitta hasn’t won, which is something the 53-time event winner would love to change this weekend.

“I was really confident and real hopeful,” Kalitta said. “The car left good and smooth and really happy once I figured we got the quick time. This track is on my radar [as the last one] to get to a final and finally get a win.

“This is last on the list and the history here is incredible and the area around this place is fantastic. Hats off to Alan Johnson and Mac Savage and all the guys working on this thing. The Toyota guys have been helping us with the track and I can’t thank them enough. All our cars ran well that session.”

Torrence took the second spot with a strong 3.702 at 335.23 and Brittany Force, who did not qualify at the most recent event in Chicago, jumped to third with a 3.715 at a track-record 335.57.

In Funny Car, Austin Prock continued to impress in qualifying on Friday, delivering a standout run of 3.837 at 336.23 in his 11,000-horsepower AAA Chevrolet Camaro SS. It puts Prock, who is second in points, on track for an impressive fifth No. 1 qualifier in the first seven races of the season as the former NHRA Rookie of the Year continues to show his talents in a new category. Prock has adjusted well in his first year in the loaded Funny Car ranks and made a pair of solid runs on Friday as he attempts to pick up his first career victory at New England Dragway.

“It’s surreal just holding on to the wheel,” Prock said. “Kudos to my dad [Jimmy] and brother [Thomas]. They’re making really smart decisions, and it’s really impressive watching them work. They’ve been in the right spot at right time and we’re getting the job done.

“I got a little John Force in me. I never know where I’m at. On the first run, I didn’t have it staged shallow and it cost me the top spot. I had to walk back to the trailer with my tail between legs. It was so bad, my dad could see it. As soon as I crossed the finish line I apologized on the radio but on the second run they bailed me out with a 3.83 with a really good mph.”

Prock’s boss, legendary Funny Car racer John Force, is in second with a run of 3.865 at 333.16 and J.R. Todd is in third after the first two qualifying sessions, going 3.865 at 327.74.

A two-time Pro Stock winner at New England Dragway, defending world champ Erica Enders enjoyed a terrific start to her weekend, going a blistering 6.488 at 211.79 in her Johnson’s Horsepowered Garage/Melling Performance/Scag Power Equipment car. Should that hold, Enders would pick up her third top spot of 2024, as Enders was the only driver to reach the 6.40s on Friday. The biggest thing for Enders is picking up her 50th career national event victory, something she’s been chasing for a handful of events now. After Friday’s terrific start, it could happen this weekend for Enders.

“Well, my guys have really been studying up and have been working hard this past week and put their heads together,” Enders said. “We’re running our race car just a little bit differently. Earlier in that session, the starting line wasn’t there but the air was. We thought we could go .49 then with the sun down and cooler track temps, we thought we could get after it a little bit more and we threw a .48 on the board. I love racing up here in Epping and I’m just really grateful and I’m having fun again.

“When I let go of clutch the wheels were up and that makes you think you’re on a run. Then you’ve just got to keep it in groove and hit all your shifts, and I was able to do that. I could tell it was good when my guys were excited on the radio.”

Troy Coughlin Jr. is currently second thanks to a run of 6.510 at 211.46 and points leader Dallas Glenn is third after going 6.529 at 210.57.

Qualifying continues at 12 p.m. on Saturday at the NHRA New England Nationals at New England Dragway.

EPPING, N.H. — Friday’s results after the first two of four rounds of qualifying for the 11th annual NHRA New England Nationals at New England Dragway, seventh of 20 events in the NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series. Qualifying will continue Saturday for Sunday’s final eliminations.

Top Fuel — 1. Doug Kalitta, 3.700 seconds, 332.84 mph; 2. Steve Torrence, 3.702, 335.23; 3. Brittany Force, 3.715, 335.57; 4. Shawn Langdon, 3.722, 330.23; 5. Billy Torrence, 3.744, 332.43; 6. Justin Ashley, 3.754, 328.22; 7. Clay Millican, 3.759, 332.43; 8. Tony Stewart, 3.762, 323.12; 9. Antron Brown, 3.766, 330.80; 10. Dan Mercier, 3.777, 328.38; 11. Josh Hart, 3.795, 327.98; 12. Jasmine Salinas, 3.812, 320.20; 13. Shawn Reed, 3.820, 324.20; 14. Smax Smith, 5.286, 127.45; 15. Tony Schumacher, 5.679, 114.41.

Funny Car — 1. Austin Prock, Chevy Camaro, 3.837, 336.23; 2. John Force, Camaro, 3.865, 333.16; 3. J.R. Todd, Toyota GR Supra, 3.865, 327.74; 4. Daniel Wilkerson, Ford Mustang, 3.899, 329.91; 5. Matt Hagan, Dodge Charger, 3.910, 322.96; 6. Bob Tasca III, Mustang, 3.923, 333.41; 7. Blake Alexander, Mustang, 3.945, 319.22; 8. Alexis DeJoria, GR Supra, 3.956, 325.53; 9. Terry Haddock, Mustang, 3.958, 315.64; 10. Cruz Pedregon, Charger, 3.965, 323.27; 11. Chad Green, Mustang, 3.990, 322.11; 12. Dave Richards, Toyota Camry, 5.567, 135.85; 13. Ron Capps, GR Supra, 6.288, 114.94; 14. Buddy Hull,

Charger, 7.443, 89.82; 15. Cory Lee, Mustang, 7.628, 83.56.

Pro Stock — 1. Erica Enders, Chevy Camaro, 6.488, 211.79; 2. Troy Coughlin Jr., Camaro, 6.510, 211.46; 3. Dallas Glenn, Camaro, 6.529, 210.57; 4. Matt Hartford, Camaro, 6.530, 211.59; 5. Jerry Tucker, Camaro, 6.530, 210.28; 6. Kenny Delco, Camaro, 6.534, 210.67; 7. Eric Latino, Camaro, 6.540, 210.93; 8. Deric Kramer, Camaro, 6.541, 209.92; 9. Aaron Stanfield, Camaro, 6.543, 209.82; 10. Jeg Coughlin, Camaro, 6.546, 209.95; 11. Mason McGaha, Camaro, 6.549, 210.77; 12. Chris McGaha, Camaro, 6.558, 209.30; 13. Greg Anderson, Camaro, 6.564, 210.64; 14. Brandon Foster, Camaro, 6.582, 209.82; 15. Brandon Miller, Dodge Dart, 6.606, 208.39; 16. Fernando Cuadra Jr., Camaro, 6.962, 160.48.

Not Qualified: 17. Val Smeland, 7.758, 130.32.

MAJESKI WINS NASCAR CRAFTSMAN TRUCK SERIES TOYOTA 200 POLE FOR SECOND SEASON IN A ROW

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Ty Majeski of ThorSport Racing wins the NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series pole during Friday’s qualifying for the Toyota 200 at World Wide Technology Raceway. Photo credit: World Wide Technology Raceway.
  • ThorSport Racing’s Ty Majeski becomes the first NCTS driver in World Wide Technology Raceway history to win consecutive poles.
  • Toyota 200 is set for 12:30 p.m. CT Saturday and will be televised live on FOX.

MADISON, Ill. (May 31, 2024) – Ty Majeski of ThorSport Racing became the first NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series driver in World Wide Technology Raceway history to win back-to-back poles when he captured the top spot during Friday’s qualifying for the Toyota 200.

Majeski posted a lap of 138.568 miles per hour (32.475 seconds) on the 1.25-mile oval in his No. 98 Ford to capture his series-leading third pole of the season and eighth of his career. His other two this season came at Daytona and Martinsville.

With his second career pole at World Wide Technology Raceway, Majeski joins Greg Biffle (1998, 2000) and Ted Musgrave (2001, ’05) as the only multiple pole winners at the venue.

Majeski will lead the 32-truck field to the green flag at 12:30 p.m. CT Saturday for the 160-lap Toyota 200 (TV: FOX, Radio: MRN, SiriusXM, WNOI 103.9 FM locally).

“Hit it good today,” said Majeski, who is fourth in the NCTS points standings but still looking for his first win of the season. “Had a pretty good history qualifying here. I think we sat on the pole here last year as well. Similar setup. Hopefully, we can close the weekend off this year.

“We had a good team meeting this morning. Try to collectively get everybody moving in the right direction. The speed is there. That is not a concern. We just have to make better decisions when it counts. These races will come together. When you have speed like that it’s inevitable.”

McAnally Hilgemann Racing’s Christian Eckes, the series points leader, was 0.124 of a second off Majeski’s pace to earn the other front-row spot with a lap of 138.041 mph/32.599 seconds. It will be his seventh top-10 starting position in as many races at World Wide Technology Raceway.

Rev Racing’s Nick Sanchez (137.994 mph/32.610) will start third, TRICON Garage’s Dean Thompson (137.961/32.618) fourth and teammate Tanner Gray (137.489/32.730) rounds out the top five. The top four drivers were separated by .143 and the top 23 drivers by less than a second (0.976).

World Wide Technology Raceway will serve as the second leg of the three-race CRAFTSMAN Truck Series’ Triple Truck Challenge. Sanchez won the first leg last week at Charlotte Motor Speedway.

Eligible drivers who have elected to earn series championship points will receive a $50,000 bonus for one win. If a driver wins two out of the three races, they will be awarded $150,000. If a driver wins all three Triple Truck Challenge races, a $500,000 prize will be awarded.

In addition to the Toyota 200, the NASCAR Cup Series will be on track Saturday with opening practice and qualifying. Practice will run from 8:30-9:15 a.m. and be immediately followed by pole qualifying. The two-round format will be single-vehicle, one-lap qualifying runs.

For more information on the NASCAR race weekend, please visit www.wwtraceway.com.

CORVETTE RACING AT DETROIT: Corvettes Qualify 1-2… Again!

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Garcia puts No. 3 Z06 GT3.R on class pole with Milner second in shadow of GM RenCen

DETROIT (May 31, 2024) – Corvette Racing by Pratt Miller Motorsports will roll off 1-2 in class for the hometown race for the team and Chevrolet after Friday’s 15-minute qualifying session for the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship’s Chevrolet Detroit Sports Car Classic.

Antonio Garcia captured pole position in the GTD PRO class in the No. 3 Chevrolet Corvette Z06 GT3.R with a lap of 1:09.092 (85.711 mph) around the 1.654-mile, nine-turn street circuit in downtown Detroit. He was 0.336 seconds clear of teammate Tommy Milner in the No. 4 Corvette.

It’s the second consecutive pole position in IMSA competition for the Z06 GT3.R following a pole for Nicky Catsburg – Milner’s teammate – earlier this month at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca. The pair of yellow GTD PRO Corvettes also started first and second at Laguna Seca with Milner and Catsburg going on to finish third in class for the Corvette Z06 GT3.R’s first podium.

“Congratulations to Antonio Garcia on his pole-winning lap in GTD PRO with the No. 3 Chevrolet Corvette Z06 GT3.R on the streets of Detroit – the second consecutive pole position for our new Corvette GT3 entry in the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship,” said Scott Bell, Vice President, Global Chevrolet. “Corvette Racing by Pratt Miller Motorsports continues to show the performance capabilities of the Z06 GT3.R, which is a testament to the work of the team, and our Chevrolet and GM engineering groups.”

Pre-race work at Chevrolet’s Driver-in-the-Loop simulator paid immediate dividends in each of Friday’s two practice sessions. Corvette Racing by Pratt Miller Motorsports engineers leaned on the learnings of Chevrolet’s NTT INDYCAR program to help establish a baseline for a handful of sessions on Chevy’s Driver in the Loop simulator.

That helped with the results in pre-qualifying running. Alexander Sims, who shares the No. 3 Corvette with Garcia, went fastest in GTD PRO during the opening 90-minute session. Milner paced the two-hour afternoon practice in the field’s final track time before qualifying.

The Chevrolet Detroit Sports Car Classic is scheduled for 3:10 p.m. ET on Saturday, June 1. The race will air live on USA Network with full streaming coverage also on Peacock. IMSA Radio will air the race at IMSA.com along XM 206, SiriusXM Online 996.

CORVETTE RACING BY PRATT MILLER MOTORSPORTS QUALIFYING DRIVER QUOTES

ANTONIO GARCIA, NO. 3 CHEVROLET CORVETTE Z06 GT3.R – GTD PRO POLE-WINNER: “I think it’s great. That’s the first goal we had – to get as soon as possible up front. So having another Corvette one-two really helps with that. It’s nice to have two yellow Corvettes up front around these buildings. It means the whole team is running really, really good. We just need to keep everything together. Let’s hope it’s not like Laguna where we went from up there to somewhere else. So we just need to be cautious and we need to stay on track, for sure. There’s probably going to be some yellows, too. We just need to be smart. That’s it.”

Controlling the race from up front: “In a place like this, where it’s almost impossible to pass, it’s really good to have track position, for sure. But now we get to the point where maybe a ton of people roll the dice and maybe the whole thing changes. We’ve seen these things at these kinds of race tracks many, many times. The fastest race car doesn’t always win. We just need to play smart and that’s all we can do. If everything falls as it should, I think it would be great to have a Corvette one-two around the RenCen.”

TOMMY MILNER, NO. 4 CHEVROLET CORVETTE Z06 GT3.R – QUALIFIED SECOND IN GTD PRO: “I’m definitely happy. I would like to have been P1, but I just didn’t put the laps together. I’m curious to see what the best sectors would have been. I don’t think I had quite enough for pole with Antonio going fast again on his last lap. But overall I’m happy. It’s great to be here in Detroit, in the shadow of the RenCen and having both Corvettes on the front row it’s great. That’s the first part of the job done. The second part is to go win this thing tomorrow. We have two really great cars. The guys are working really hard and well right now. As long as we do our job tomorrow we should be in a good position.”

Race outlook: “It will be a challenge, no question about it. With the Lexus and the Porsche behind us, both those cars and guys are quick, obviously. Some are more aggressive than others. Passing is hard here so we’ll have to be prepared for how they normally race and be prepared to race as hard as they normally do.”

Team Chevy high-resolution racing photos are available for editorial use.

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

WTRAndretti Acura ARX-06 GTP Teams Earn Top Five Starting Positions for Detroit Grand Prix

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DETROIT, Michigan (May 31, 2024) — The Wayne Taylor Racing with Andretti (WTRAndretti) Acura ARX-06 GTP teams battled through the streets of downtown Detroit in an effort to set the grid for Saturday’s Detroit Grand Prix. With a split strategy amongst the ten GTP entrants, both WTRAndretti Acura ARX-06s elected to stay out on track for the entirety of the 15-minute qualifying session. Wheeling around the bumpy, 1.645-mile street circuit, Filipe Albuquerque displayed impressive lap times, contending the top three positions before a red flag for a car stopped in the middle of the track with under five minutes remaining placed the No. 10 Konica Minolta Acura ARX-06 fourth on the starting grid. Much of the same was for Jordan Taylor and the No. 40 DEX Imaging Acura ARX-06 crew as they competed alongside their No. 10 teammates for the top qualifying spots and encountered the same late session red flag track blockage to earn a fifth place starting position.

The IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship GTP teams will see the green flag fly for the 100-minute sprint race from the downtown streets of Detroit at 3:10 p.m. ET on Saturday, June 1. USA Network will serve host to the Detroit Grand Prix with the broadcast beginning at 3 p.m. ET.

TOP FIVE GTP STARTING GRID

  1. No. 6 Porsche Penske Motorsports (Porsche 963) N. Tandy, M. Jaminet (90.564 mph)
  2. No. 7 Porsche Penske Motorsports (Porsche 963) D. Cameron, F. Nasr (90.392 mph)
  3. No. 01 Cadillac Racing (Cadillac V-Series.R) R. van der Zande, S. Bourdais (90.052 mph)
  4. No. 10 Konica Minolta Acura ARX-06 (Acura ARX-06) R. Taylor, F. Albuquerque (90.045 mph)
  5. No. 40 DEX Imaging Acura ARX-06 (Acura ARX-06) J. Taylor, L. Delétraz (89.725 mph)

Filipe Albuquerque, No. 10 Konica Minolta Acura ARX-06: “It’s always fun to qualify on a street course; going close to the walls, taking so much risk, one little mistake will cause a red which in the end can happen. The No. 10 Konica Minolta Acura ARX-06 car was okay, I think we were running consistently improved laps in the top three. Unfortunately, my last lap was P2 and the lap after that was improving, but then we got the red flag and I couldn’t finish that lap. I thought I was P2, but they improved because they were able to finish their lap and I dropped down to P4. It’s a bit frustrating, but it is what it is. Everyone is so good, and the field is so competitive. We are still lining up in the second row; it’s decent, obviously I wanted more – especially when we were so close. Tomorrow it’s a different day. I think tomorrow is going to be wild in GTs and overtaking GTs. They go fast and when they are battling, there is no place for three cars here. It’s going to be curious to see the race, so just stay put, because even we are looking forward to how it going to happen. As you can see if a car spins, no one can pass, so it’ll be interesting.”

Jordan Taylor, No. 40 DEX Imaging Acura ARX-06: “We made some ground from practice, we were a little bit off I think and made some good changes to the car. I think we’re in the hunt and in the battle for the race with the No. 40 DEX Imaging Acura ARX-06. It’s going to be a difficult track to pass on, so obviously the higher up you start, the better. But it’s going to be about execution in the pits with it being a one-stop race. We will work on our driver change a little, it could come down to a fast driver change, but I think we have good team around us in WTRAndretti to execute in the pits. If we need to jump a couple spots, that may be the place to do it. Starting where we are, that’s better than we expected coming out of practice.”

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

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

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

WTRAndretti’s long term partnerships include Acura, Honda Racing Corporation US (HRC), Konica Minolta Business Solutions USA, DEX Imaging, Harrison Contracting Company and Gainbridge.

Cadillac Racing at Detroit: Second-row start

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Bourdais puts the No. 01 Cadillac V-Series.R in third position for 100-minute race

DETROIT (May 31, 2024) – Sebastien Bourdais recorded a lap of 1 minute, 05.762 seconds in the No. 01 Cadillac V-Series.R on the 1.654-mile, nine-turn temporary street circuit to qualify third for the Chevrolet Detroit Grand Prix presented by Lear.

Bourdais, who co-drove with Renger van der Zande to victory in the other IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship street course race this season, will aim to best the Grand Touring Prototype (GTP) competition in the 100-minute race Saturday in the shadow of GM’s world headquarters.

Reigning GTP champion Pipo Derani, who had qualified on the pole in three of the four races, was running fifth in the 15-minute session when the No. 31 Whelen Cadillac V-Series.R make right-rear contact with the concrete barrier in Turn 5, slid across the track and made light nose assembly contact with the barrier to cause a red flag with 2:30 left in the session.

Derani lost his two fastest laps and will start 10th. A 20-minute practice session precedes the 3 p.m. ET green flag. The No. 6 Porsche 963 earned the pole with a lap of 1:05.390.

Cadillac won four of the five races and placed second in the other in 2017-2022 at Detroit (the 2.3-mile street circuit on nearby Belle Isle) since joining IMSA prototype competition in 2017. There was no race in 2020 because of the pandemic and the GTP did not compete at Detroit in 2023. Van der Zande co-drove to victory in 2022 and 2021 with Cadillac Racing.

USA will telecast the race and Peacock will provide flag-to-flag streaming of the race in the U.S. while IMSA.TV will have coverage outside the U.S. IMSA Radio (IMSA.com), RadioLeMans.com will broadcast every session. SiriusXM live race coverage will be available at XM 206, SiriusXM Web/App 996.

What they’re saying

No. 01 Cadillac V-Series.R

Sebastien Bourdais: “It’s not bad at all; just missing a little bit to put everything together. I’m pretty happy. You’re never completely satisfied with P3 but given the circumstances for this weekend I think it’s not bad. We’re in a raceable situation and it’s all pretty tight behind us. We have something we want to try in the (race day) practice because we’re not where we want to be. We might have gone a bit too conservative because of the nature of what seemed to be a very bumpy track. It is, but it really isn’t at the same time. There are bit bumps, but I feel like your still need a car that gives you enough ride height and downforce to really challenge the tires and get them going, particularly tomorrow when it’s going to be overcast.”

No. 31 Whelen Cadillac V-Series.R

Pipo Derani: “We’ve been struggling a bit through the weekend with set-up, so I went in there and I knew it was only three laps to go and I just tried a bit too much. Unfortunately, I spun and hit the wall. I don’t think we had the pace we wanted to be fighting for the front and I didn’t feel like I had much more in the pocket. Then I tried to be a bit of a superman and put a lap in. We have enough time to recover tomorrow.”

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