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About Poland’s Infatuation With Speedway Racing

By
SM
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Photo by Zak Chapman

Sunday speedway races were state-sponsored events held in massive stadiums built for the purpose during the Soviet era. One of the causes of the sport’s enormous success in Poland was that Poles had access to higher calibre facilities than anybody else.In the Speedway community, there is a place for everyone, be it as a spectator, volunteer, or competitor or just for recreational riding. It’s time to go on a motorcycle, find someone online in Poland who is interested in the same things you are, make friends for life, and enjoy the ride. Take off on a motorcycle adventure right now!

Regarding Speedway racing 

With a rich and lengthy history, it is well-liked in Poland. The sport became well-liked in Poland at the beginning of the 20th century and swiftly became the most popular pastime there. Stadiums host speedway racing, which draws enormous, ardent audiences. The sport’s popularity is increased by radio and television broadcasts as well.

In Poland, motor speedways are favoured. When lockdown regulations meant there was nowhere for them to go in the stadium, intrepid supporters of their club ascended to the sky in cherry pickers to watch. Motor Lublin supporter Michal Kwiatkowski tells about the thrill of witnessing his team from above. The Polish squad has three victories(2009, 2010,2011) in international speedway racing. This is so impressive.

Poland’s Speedway History 

The Polish had a handful of international superstars after being initially exposed to the sport in the 1930s. People like Rune Holta, Andrzej Huszcza, and Tomasz Gollob are well-known in the Speedway. There are several Polish leagues; the most well-known, attracting international talent, is the Ekstraliga. The “richest and most popular speedway league in the world” is another title bestowed upon it. The Polish supporters also like it, regularly drawing sizable live audiences who enthusiastically support both teams and players.

Poland’s Speedway Grand Prix 

2023 Poland’s Orlen FIM Speedway Grand Prix Warsaw Heat 21: Speedway Grand Prix of Poland, May 13, 2023. This motor race is a part of the Speedway Grand Prix World Championship. Because of the sport’s popularity, there are currently three rounds. There were four events in 2022. They situate at Warsaw, Gorzów, Wrocław, and Toruń. Other host cities include Lublin and Bydgoszcz.

The two Polish internet racers with the online in Poland wins are brothers who compete in speedway racing. There have been nine wins for Bartosz Zmarzlik in this tournament. In addition, Zmarzlik holds individual titles as the World Champion four times, the World Under-21 Champion, the Polish Champion, and the winner of the GP Challenge. In 2020, Zmarkzlik became the second speedway racer to earn the Polish Sports Personality of the Year title.

Tomasz Gollob participated in every series from 1995 to 2013 and won the Speedway Grand Prix of Poland eight times. In addition, he won four World Cups. Many Polish Speedway Grand Prix spectators like going to a reputable casino following the day’s racing. Naturally, this will depend on the location of the Grand Prix, but Warsaw or Krakow will have the best odds.

MotoGP expands content agreement with Facebook Watch 

Furthermore, Eleven Poland has an agreement that expires in 2022 to broadcast Formula One in the nation. One of the most famous sports in Poland is speedway racing, with the top-level Polish Ekstraliga having the largest average attendance of any national sport. 

Eleven Poland’s chief operations officer, Patryk Mirosławski, stated, “Top-level Speedway is very popular in Poland. And the Swedish league will be an important reinforcement of our programming offer.”When paired with PGE Ekstraliga, we can provide Speedway to our fans three evenings per week throughout the regular season.” There is a two-season run agreement. EventFoto: Lejonen Speedway/MA.

Motorbike racetrack 

The west of Poland is a hotspot for this unusual auto activity. The taste of shale in their mouths is so addicting that cities like Zielona Gora and Gorzów Wielkopolski depend on it (the stuff goes everywhere during the race!). You may try your hand at a genuine race; the Polish Motor Speedway League is among the finest in Europe when the teams representing Zielona Gora (Falubas) and Gorzów Wielkopolski (also known as Stalowka) are playing against one another. Their competition is already well-known. And they manage to get under each other’s skin in unusual ways. For instance, in 2011, following their victory in the Polish championship, Falubas supporters adorned the statue of Jesus Christ in Swiebodzin, which stands 36 metres tall, with a 40-metre-long hand-knit scarf in their colours.

Last Words on Polish Motorsport

Motorsport events in Poland have great popularity. The nation’s passion for thrilling sports is evident.  However, the thrill doesn’t end at the finish line. After the race, many Polish racing enthusiasts like to visit an online sportsbook or casino to continue the party. There is no denying that the nation truly adores excitement.

Hamlin holds off Larson in the Würth 400 NASCAR Cup Series race for second Monster Mile win

By
Official Release
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Denny Hamlin won his second career Monster Trophy when he dominated the final stage on his way to a victory in the Würth 400 NASCAR Cup Series race at Dover Motor Speedway on Sunday.

Driving the No. 11 Toyota for Joe Gibbs Racing, Hamlin notched his third win of the year and 54th of his career, tying him on NASCAR’s all-time wins list with NASCAR Hall of Famer Lee Petty.

“This whole Joe Gibbs Racing team – thank you to them,” said Hamlin after waving the checkered flag on the frontstretch. “It certainly feels good to win here at Dover.

“I couldn’t hold Lee Petty’s helmet. I’ve been blessed with a great team. I’m the lucky one who gets to drive it.”

Kyle Larson finished second, while defending race winner Martin Truex Jr. was third, pole winner Kyle Busch was fourth and Chase Elliott placed fifth.

Truex won Stage One but lost the lead midway through the second stage and then suffered slight front-end damage.

“They all pounced on us and we lost control of the race,” said Truex, who led 69 laps. “Then I got the nose damage. Feel like we let one get away today. You can’t lose control of these races mid-stage like that. The track changes, you get behind. Overall, a good day. Just keep working on it.”

Larson closed to within two-tenths of a second in the final 10 laps but couldn’t get even with the race winner.

“This car was really good on short runs,” said Larson, who led 39 laps. “I could pace it and get closer to him. It’s so easy as the leader at a place like this to shut the air off behind you. Nothing could generate enough speed to get close enough to do anything.

“Still a great day. Got another stage win. Good points day. We would have loved to get a win. We’ll try to get better.”

Hamlin was sixth after Stage One and third after Stage Two but won the battle off pit road from there. All of Hamlin’s race-high 136 laps led came in the final stage.

“I felt like my car was so much better on the short runs,” Hamlin said. “[Kyle] certainly made it much more interesting than I wanted. Kyle Larson is a hard guy to beat.

“We’re in the groove right now for sure. You feel like you want to celebrate these because you just never know if it’s your last or anything like that. I’m just so focused this season on getting a lot of wins, trying to move that tally up as high as I can.”

Among other notables, defending NASCAR Cup Series champion Ryan Blaney was seventh, past Dover winner Alex Bowman was eighth, and 11-time Dover champion Jimmie Johnson finished 28th, five laps down.

Hamlin averaged 119.433 mph around the high-banked, one-mile oval, completing the 400 laps/miles in 3 hours, 20 minutes, 57 seconds. Five caution periods consumed 42 laps, with nine drivers leading at least one lap and 17 finishing on the lead lap.

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NASCAR Top-10 Power Rankings: Dover

By
Jeffrey Boswell
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Photo by Mike Biskupski for SpeedwayMedia.com.

Note: The quotes in this article are fictional.

1. Denny Hamlin: Hamlin led 136 laps and held off Kyle Larson down the stretch to win the Wurth 400, his third victory of the season.

“As I like to say after a win,'” Hamlin said, “‘I just beat your favorite driver.’ I don’t know who your favorite driver is, but I’m pretty sure it’s not me.”

2. Kyle Larson: Larson won Stage 2 at Dover and chased Denny Hamlin for the lead late, to no avail. Larson settled for the runner-up spot and still leads the Cup points standings.

“I plan to run the Indy 500-Coca-Cola 600 double on May 26th,” Larson said. “Tony Stewart is the only driver to successfully complete all 1,100 miles, and I believe he lost the equivalent of my body weight in doing so.”

3. Chase Elliott: Elliott finished fifth at Dover.

“Things have been quiet at the Dawsonville Pool Room since I won at Texas,” Elliott said. “When I won there a few weeks ago, it snapped a 42-race winless streak. That siren at the Pool Room hasn’t gone off a lot lately, so when it does, it’s pretty alarming.”

4. William Byron: Byron was strong early at Dover, but his day was derailed when his car fell off the jack on a lap 182 pit stop. The 24-second stop dropped Byron well back in the field and he finished 33rd.

“That’s what you call a real ‘drop off’ in performance,” Byron said. “And that wasn’t the end of my bad luck. I was collected in an accident on Lap 329 that ended my day. At that point, our chances of winning were basically done. And if anyone knows what it’s like to be on the outside looking in, it’s Jerry Falwell Jr.”

5. Martin Truex Jr.: Truex won Stage 1 at Dover and finished third.

“Unlike some races this season,” Truex said, “this was an exciting race. This race had everything one would expect from a NASCAR race: exciting racing, lead changes, crucial accidents, and Jimmie Johnson finishing at least one lap down. It also had something you wouldn’t expect, which is both a Family Dollar and a Dollar Tree car in the same race.”

6. Tyler Reddick: Reddick came home 11th at Dover.

“‘Miles The Monster’ is one of the most iconic trophies in motorsports racing,” Reddick said. “It’s also taller than me.”

7. Ty Gibbs: Gibbs finished 10th at Dover as Joe Gibbs Racing placed three cars in the top 10 as Denny Hamlin took the win.

“Toyota has won five races this season,” Gibbs said. “Chevrolet has won six. And Ford? They like to think they’re zeroing in on a win.”

8. Alex Bowman: Bowman finished eighth in the Wurth 400.

“Corey Heim drove the No. 43 Toyota for the injured Erik Jones,” Bowman said. “He’s not to be confused with Corey Haim, because he’s dead.”

9. Ryan Blaney: Blaney finished seventh in the Wurth 400, earning his fifth top 10 of the season.

“Ford is still looking for its first win this season,” Blaney said. “Currently, ‘Ford’ stands for ‘Feeling Ourselves Really Desperate.'”

10. Ross Chastain: Chastain finished 12th at Dover.

“I’ve realized that Indy Car is a lot like NASCAR,” Chastain said. “If you get caught cheating in Indy Car, you do the same thing you would do in NASCAR, and that’s deny you even knew you were cheating.”

NHRA AT CHARLOTTE 1: Team Chevy Post Race Recap NHRA Four-Wide Nationals

By
Official Release
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CHEVROLET IN NHRA
2024 NHRA FOUR-WIDE NATIONALS
zMAX DRAGWAY
CONCORD, NORTH CAROLINA
TEAM CHEVY POST RACE RECAP
APRIL 26-28, 2024

JOHN FORCE TAKES CHEVROLET TO NHRA FOUR-WIDE NATIONALS FINAL ROUND AT zMAX DRAGWAY

Notes:

  • John Force took his Peak HendrickCars.com Chevrolet Camaro SS Funnyt Car to the final round at Charlotte after scoring runner-up in Round 1 with a run of 3.916 seconds E.T/330.72 mph. He won the semi-final quad with a run of 3.914 second E.T./330.82 mph. In the final, J. Force was unable to get off the line.
  • Today was the 268th final round appearance for the 16-time NHRA Funny Car World Champion in his 858 races.
  • Despite falling in Round 1, Austin Prock, driver of the Cornwell Tools Chevrolet Camaro SS Funny Car for John Force Racing, remains the Funny Car points leader.
  • Brittany Force, driving the HendrickCars.com Chevrolet Top Fuel dragster for John Force Racing, moved out of Round 1 Eliminations with a runner-up time of 3.734 seconds E.T/335.32 mph.
  • Despite a run of 3.729 seconds E.T,/336.57 mph, she was unable to transfer from Round 2.
  • After securing the No. 1 qualifier spot, Greg Anderson raced to his 105th NHRA Pro Stock win behind the wheel of his HendrickCars.com Chevrolet Camaro SS Pro Stock machine.
  • The win gives Anderson back-to-back wins at his home track of zMAX Dragway.
  • J. Force, qualified No. 1 for the fourth time at Charlotte’s NHRA Four-Wide Nationals, with his record-setting run of 3.820-seconds E.T. at 330.96 mph. Additionally, his No. 1 at zMAX Dragway is the 167th in his career.
  • Force powered to the provisional No. 1 qualifier with his Q2 run of 3.820-seconds E.T. at 330.96 mph. In doing so, Force set the track’s elapsed time record, as well as achieved a career-best, in addition to setting the 10th-fastest elapsed time in NHRA history.
  • Anderson captured his 125th career No. 1 qualifier at zMAX Dragway, with his Friday run enough to maintain his leading position after four rounds of qualifying.
  • Anderson also set fastest pace in qualifying Friday evening, running 6.500-seconds E.T. at 210.90 mph to claim the provisional No. 1 qualifier.

Quotes:

BRITTANY FORCE, DRIVER OF THE HENDRICKCARS.COM CHEVROLET TOP FUEL DRAGSTER:

ON FALLING SHORT WITH SEMIFINAL LOSS: “I’m staying very positive. We had a good race day. We struggled during qualifying and we turned things around today.

“I’ve made a little bit of progress in reaction time. You could see it in qualifying and you saw it on race day. That last run (Round 2), it was a long tree and you’re waiting for three other people and it’s a long time to be sitting there staring at that Christmas tree and I double-stepped.

“I’m not holding my head about it. I know what I did wrong and I’m focusingon the improvement and not the negative, and I’m moving forward to Chicago with that.”

SHE THOUGHT SHE WAS GOING TO WIN TODAY: “I honestly thought it was going to happen today. I feel like we’re definitely making a lot of big moves and moving in the right direction. I could taste the win today. I felt like we were going to get there, but unfortunately it was an early day for us.”

ON SPONSORSHIP WITH HENDRICKCARS.COM: “I’m excited to move forward with them,” Brittany Force said of the relationship with HendrickCars.com. “They seem very happy and excited on their end and we want to make them proud. We want to go rounds and we want to land them in the winner’s circle.

“We’re proud to be teamed up with them. Hendrick is such a huge name and a legend in motorsports and we’re glad to have them in the Top Fuel category.”

AUSTIN PROCK, DRIVER OF THE CORNWELL TOOLS CHEVROLET CAMARO SS FUNNY CAR:

“This car really hasn’t struggled much at all this year. We struggled on Friday and got it turned around on Saturday and made some really nice runs. Like my dad told me as a kid, you’re going to lose a lot more than you’re going to win.

“We haven’t lost much this year but it definitely sting, but we have 15 more shots at this year. We’re looking forward to Chicago. I think we’ll pick up right where we we’ve been and we’ll be just fine.

“Still a good outing for John Force Racing. We’ve got three really good JFR race cars right now and we’re going to be tough all year. We’ve been in the final round as a team every race this year so far, so it’s something to be proud about and we’ll chalk this one up and go to the next one.”

ON MAINTAINING POINTS LEAD:

“I don’t think I’ve ever held the points lead this long, so that’s something to be proud about. This team is just doing a great job. When we falter, we just come back and attack and everything seems to work out.

“You’re only as good as your last run and we go back and prove that. It’s been a great year. You can’t hang your head too hard going out first round. That’s drag racing, you never know what’s going to happen. Today wasn’t our day but maybe next race will.”

JOHN FORCE, DRIVER OF THE PEAK CHEVROLET CAMARO SS FUNNY CAR:

“It was a good week, it was good to take the track record,” Force said. “We were able to go rounds, but I couldn’t close it at the end.

“I had the car to win with, in my opinion, and I just didn’t get the job done.”

Up Next:

The NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series next heads to Route 66 Raceway near Chicago for the Gerber Collision & Glass NHRA Route 66 Nationals presented by PEAK Performance, May 17-19, 2024. Friday airs at 7 p.m. ET, with Saturday’s qualifying sessions airing Sunday at 1 p.m. ET. Sunday’s eliminations broadcast at 10 p.m. ET. All sessions from Route 66 Raceway air with NHRA on FOX on FOX Sports 1 (FS1). Coverage streams live throughout the weekend on NHRA.tv, and is available via AppleTV, Android TV, and Roku devices.

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.

Hagan Earns 50th Career Funny Car Win;​​​​​​​ Ashley Gets First NHRA 4-Wide Nationals Wally

By
Official Release
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Matt Hagan (Funny Car), Gaige Herrera (Pro Stock Motorcycle), Justin Ashley (Top Fuel) and Greg Anderson (Pro Stock Motorcycle) celebrate NHRA 4-Wide Nationals wins Sunday at zMAX Dragway. (CMS/HHP photo)
  • Greg Anderson goes back-to-back and Gaige Herrera continues undefeated streak at the Bellagio of drag strips with wins on Sunday
  • The NHRA’s best return with championship battles in full swing at the NHRA Carolina Nationals, Sept. 20-22; tickets are available at www.charlottemotorspeedway.com

CONCORD, NC (April 28, 2024) – As the NHRA 4-Wide Nationals roared to a thundering conclusion at the Bellagio of drag strips Sunday afternoon, four drivers – Justin Ashley (Top Fuel), Matt Hagan (Funny Car), Greg Anderson (Pro Stock) and Gaige Herrera (Pro Stock Motorcycle) reigned triumphant and lifted the coveted Wally trophy, capping a dramatic weekend of white-knuckled racing.

Hagan Earns 50th Carrer Win at Home Track

Four-time Funny Car World Champion Matt Hagan ended a 10-year zMAX Dragway drought with his first win of the 2024 season and 50th of his career. His blistering 332.34 mph in 3.926 run topped first-time 4-Wide finalist Daniel Wilkerson and propelled him to victory.

Some of Hagan’s biggest milestones have come in Charlotte, including the first-ever sub-four second Funny Car run in 2011.

“zMAX has always been special to me,” said Hagan of reaching the 50-win milestone at his home track. “It’s pretty cool when you’re here and you see so many Matt Hagan t-shirts. Great people make the difference between winning and losing, and just being out here winning championships – we might not be the fastest out there, but we just gotta keep doing what we’re doing.”

Ashley Captures First Four-Wide Win

Top Fuel points leader and Mission #2Fast2Tasty winner Justin Ashley blitzed the pavement with a 3.710-second, 328.06 mph run — enough to edge runner-up Clay Millican by 0.012 seconds and claim his first four-wide win. Despite struggles with the unique format in the past, Ashley and his team are confident in their ability to keep their momentum going.

“We’ve had a lot of success, but we struggle a bit when we go four-wide racing,” Ashley said. “When you come out here and you race four-wide, the quads are so good. It really doesn’t matter who you’re racing, especially with the depth of the Top Fuel field this year. Our team is working so hard – we’ve seen the results really start to come together over the last few races.”

Anderson Goes Back to Back

Following his 2023 win at zMAX Dragway’s Carolina Nationals, five-time NHRA World Champion Greg Anderson and his KB Titan Racing team picked up where they left off last year with a scorching 6.502 at 210.77 mph run to take back-to-back wins in Charlotte.

Anderson spoke highly of his competitors after a victory in his own backyard.

“To win one of these races anymore is so tough – it’s so hard. There’s so much talent in this class right now,” said Anderson. “Anybody can win on any given Sunday. We went out and took it, went out and won it, and it feels good tonight to be out here at zMAX, at my home track.”

Herrera Keeps Undefeated Streak Alive

The chapter changed but the story remained the same as reigning Pro Stock Motorcycle Champion Gaige Herrera held off John Hall with a 6.684 at 202.73 mph run to hoist the Wally trophy and secure his 13th national event win, remaining undefeated in Charlotte.

The win marked Herrera’s third straight victory at zMAX Dragway, and seventh consecutive in the category. He’s now one win away from tying six-time World Champion Dave Schultz’s all-time record.

“My dad grew up watching Dave Schultz and John Myers, all those guys,” Herrera said of what breaking the record would mean to him. “For me to even have my name in the same zip code – it’s an amazing feeling to even get close to him.”

Highlights from the three-day nitro-fueled weekend include:

  • The Funny Car final saw three drivers with 21 combined world championships (John Force with 16, Matt Hagan with four and JR Todd with one) race against Daniel Wilkerson, who is in his first full season in the category. Despite running the lowest ET of the round, Wilkerson came up on the losing end of a Hagan holeshot.
  • The house that speed built saw a trio of track records fall over the course of the three-day weekend. Sixteen-time Funny Car champion John Force started things off Friday with a record ET run of 3.820 seconds, while Bob Tasca III made the fastest Funny Car pass ever at zMAX Dragway at 338.34 mph on Saturday. Gaige Herrera reset his own ET record, posting a 6.671-second run on Saturday.
  • For the first time in zMAX Dragway history, all four lanes were occupied by one family as David, Cristian, Fernando Cuadra Jr., and Fernando Cuadra Sr. took to the starting line in the second round of qualifying on Friday.

TICKETS:

When the temperatures cool down, the excitement heats up at the Bellagio of drag strips! Fans can purchase tickets to the September 20-22 NHRA Carolina Nationals online at charlottemotorspeedway.com or by calling 1-800-455-FANS (3267). Every ticket is a pit pass, giving fans unmatched access to the drivers and crews who power the NHRA’s thunderous, 11,000-horsepower machines to their limits!

KEEP TRACK:

Stay on pace with what’s happening at Charlotte Motor Speedway by following on X and Instagram or becoming a Facebook fan. Keep up with all the latest news and information with the Charlotte Motor Speedway mobile app.

Stewart-Haas Racing: Würth 400 from Dover

By
Official Release
-

STEWART-HAAS RACING
Würth 400

Date: April 28, 2024
Event: Würth 400 (Round 11 of 36)
Series: NASCAR Cup Series
Location: Dover (Del.) Motor Speedway (1-mile, concrete oval)
Format: 400 laps, broken into three stages (120 laps/130 laps/150 laps)
Race Winner: Denny Hamlin of Joe Gibbs Racing (Toyota)
Stage 1 Winner: Martin Truex Jr., of Joe Gibbs Racing (Toyota)
Stage 2 Winner: Kyle Larson of Hendrick Motorsports (Chevrolet)

SHR Finish:

● Noah Gragson (Started 5th, Finished 6th / Running, completed 400 of 400 laps)
● Josh Berry (Started 12th, Finished 14th / Running, completed 400 of 400 laps)
● Chase Briscoe (Started 7th, Finished 19th / Running, completed 399 of 400 laps)
● Ryan Preece (Started 28th, Finished 37th / Safety, completed 66 of 400 laps)

SHR Points:

● Chase Briscoe (12th with 274 points, 136 out of first)
● Noah Gragson (21st with 185 points, 225 out of first)
● Josh Berry (24th with 174 points, 236 out of first)
● Ryan Preece (28th with 163 points, 247 out of first)

SHR Notes:

● The Würth 400 marked Gragson’s milestone 50th career NASCAR Cup Series start.
● Gragson earned his fourth top-10 of the season and his first top-10 in two career NASCAR Cup Series starts at Dover.
● This was Gragson’s second straight top-10. He finished a career-best third last Sunday at Talladega (Ala.) Superspeedway.
● Gragson’s sixth-place result bettered his previous best finish at Dover – 34th, earned last year.
● Berry earned his third top-15 of the season and his second top-15 in three career NASCAR Cup Series starts at Dover.
● Berry was the highest finishing rookie.
● This was Briscoe’s eighth consecutive top-20.

Race Notes:

● Denny Hamlin won the Würth 400 to score his 54th career NASCAR Cup Series victory, his third of the season and his second at Dover. His margin of victory over second-place Kyle Larson was .256 of a second.

● There were five caution periods for a total of 42 laps.

● Only 17 of the 37 drivers in the race finished on the lead lap.

● Larson remains the championship leader after Dover with a 15-point advantage over second-place Martin Truex Jr.

Sound Bites:

“The MillerTech Mustang was good once we got track position, it just took a little bit. But things fell our way and we were able to come home with a top-10 finish in sixth. It wasn’t looking pretty there in the middle of the race, but I’m thankful things went our way and we were able to get that track position at the end after a couple of cautions. We set goals throughout the week on where we wanted to run and we were hoping to qualify in the top-15 and run top-16 today. So, to come home sixth today feels really good. Big thanks to (crew chief) Drew Blickensderfer, Andy Houston our spotter, everyone else on this 10 team, they’ve been doing a great job with me and I’m excited for the future.” – Noah Gragson, driver of the No. 10 MillerTech Ford Mustang Dark Horse

“It was solid. We had a good car, really, all day, and were solid. We just needed more track position. We kept chipping away at it and just couldn’t quite get up into the top-10, but I thought we were going to be really close to having a top-10 effort. But we definitely had top-10 speed. So we just need to keep chipping away at it and doing the same thing and the results will come.” – Josh Berry, driver of the No. 4 Overstock.com Ford Mustang Dark Horse

“It was weird. We started off pretty good. We just had one really bad run where we went from fifth to 25th. The balance wasn’t really where we needed it to be. It would be one way, and then the next run it would be another way. It seemed like we were always chasing our tails. Kind of burned by that caution and finished 19th. Definitely this place has been trouble for us, for whatever reason. We just need to do our homework a little bit more and see what we can find.” – Chase Briscoe, driver of the No. 14 Mahindra Tractors Ford Mustang Dark Horse

“I felt like I was on fire and I went the first 70 laps just trying to push through and then it got so bad that I couldn’t put my hands on the wheel. I was worried that an oil line or something would melt and then the whole car gets engulfed in fire and I don’t want to be trapped in there having that happen, so I pulled off.” – Ryan Preece, driver of the No. 41 Morton Buildings Ford Mustang Dark Horse

Next Up:

The next event on the NASCAR Cup Series schedule is the AdventHealth 400 on Sunday, May 5 at Kansas Speedway in Kansas City. The race begins at 3 p.m. EDT with live coverage provided by FS1 and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.

Hamlin fends off Larson for third Cup victory of 2024 at Dover

By
Andrew Kim
-
Photo by Mike Biskupski for SpeedwayMedia.com.

Denny Hamlin earned a monstrous NASCAR Cup Series victory in the Würth 400 at Dover Motor Speedway on Sunday, April 28, after fending off Kyle Larson during a 62-lap dash to the finish while dominating the final stage period. 

The three-time Daytona 500 champion from Chesterfield, Virginia, led twice for a race-high 136 of 400-scheduled laps in an event where he started sixth and ran up front throughout the event.

Hamlin accumulated a handful of stage points during the first two stage periods before leading for the first time before the start of the third stage after squeezing his way past Larson and Alex Bowman on pit road during the second stage break period and pit cycle. 

Despite being beaten off of pit road by Larson during a cycle of green flag pit stops with nearly 80 laps remaining, Hamlin quickly reassumed the lead from Larson during a late-race restart period with 72 laps remaining before he had to fend off Larson again during another restart period with 62 laps remaining.

Despite having an advantage that stretched as high as one second evaporate in the closing laps while mired within a bevy of lapped traffic, which enabled Larson to gain ground, Hamlin managed to fend off Larson’s late-race charge during the final 62-lap run to claim his third Cup Series victory of the 2024 season as he won by two-tenths of a second over Larson.

With on-track qualifying that determined the starting lineup on Saturday, April 27, Kyle Busch secured his first Cup pole position of the 2024 season and the 34th of his career after posting a pole-winning lap at 162.191 mph in 22.196 seconds. Joining him on the front row was Ryan Blaney, who clocked in the second-fastest qualifying lap at 161.951 mph in 22.229 seconds. 

Before the event, Christopher Bell and Zane Smith dropped to the rear of the field due to unapproved adjustments made to their respective entries. Kaz Grala also dropped to the rear of the field in a backup car due to wrecking his primary car during Saturday’s practice session.

When the green flag waved and the event commenced, Kyle Busch launched his No. 8 FICO Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 ahead from the outside lane as he led the field through the first two turns and the backstretch. As the field behind fanned out and battled for early spots, Busch led the first lap ahead of Ryan Blaney and Tyler Reddick while Denny Hamlin and William Byron battled for fourth place in front of Noah Gragson. 

Through the first five scheduled laps, Busch was leading by half a second over Blaney as Reddick, Byron and Hamlin followed suit in the top five while Gragson, Michael McDowell, AJ Allmendinger, Chase Briscoe and Alex Bowman battled in the top 10. Amid the early on-track battles, Busch retained the lead by six-tenths of a second over Blaney by the Lap 10 mark. 

At the Lap 25 mark, Busch continued to lead Blaney by three-tenths of a second, with Reddick, Byron and Hamlin battling behind in the top five. Gragson, McDowell, Allmendinger, Briscoe and Bowman continued to run in the top 10 as Busch stabilized his lead to nearly three-tenths of a second over Blaney by the Lap 30 mark. 

On Lap 34, Blaney made his move beneath Busch through Turns 3 and 4 as he assumed the lead in his No. 12 Würth Ford Mustang Dark Horse. Nearing the Lap 40 mark, however, the event’s first caution period flew after Todd Gilliland slid up the track beneath Austin Dillon through Turns 3 and 4 before spinning his No. 38 A&W Ford Mustang Dark Horse towards the frontstretch’s inside wall.  

During the event’s first caution period, the lead lap field led by Blaney pitted for service. Following the pit stops, Blaney retained the lead after exiting pit road first followed by Byron, Hamlin, Reddick, Busch, McDowell, Gragson, Martin Truex Jr., Chase Briscoe and Ricky Stenhouse Jr.. Amid the pit stops, Reddick made contact with newcomer Corey Heim while trying to exit his pit box and Bell had to reverse his No. 20 Yahoo! Toyota Camry XSE to have a wheel tightened. In addition, Michael McDowell was penalized for speeding. 

When the event restarted under green on Lap 47, Blaney muscled ahead from the inside lane as he retained the lead through the first two turns. Meanwhile, Byron was being challenged by Reddick for the runner-up spot. Through Turns 3 and 4, Hamlin went up the track through Turns 3 and 4, which cost him a handful of spots and dropped him to seventh by the Lap 50 mark, where he was racing behind Kyle Busch, Briscoe, Gragson and Martin Truex Jr. By then, Blaney was leading by nearly three-tenths of a second over Byron. 

At the Lap 70 mark, Blaney extended his advantage to nearly a second over Byron while Reddick, Busch and Truex were scored in the top five ahead of Larson, Hamlin, Bowman, Stenhouse and Gragson. Meanwhile, Ryan Preece, who had smoke brewing inside of his No. 41 Morton Buildings Ford Mustang Dark Horse and who pitted early, took his car to the garage and eventually became the first retiree of the event. 

Nine laps later, Byron implemented a crossover move on Blaney through the backstretch to muscle his No. 24 Liberty University Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 ahead as he assumed the lead for the first time of the day. Behind, Reddick retained third place ahead of a hard-charging Truex while Busch was in fifth ahead of Larson and Hamlin. 

By Lap 100, Byron was leading by a second over Reddick, who claimed the runner-up spot from Blaney a few laps earlier, while Truex battled Blaney for third place. Behind, Busch retained fifth ahead of Larson, Hamlin, Bowman, Elliott and Stenhouse while Allmendinger, Gragson, Brad Keselowski, Bubba Wallace and Chris Buescher trailed in the top 15. Meanwhile, Ross Chastain was back in 16th as Ty Gibbs, Austin Cindric, rookie Josh Berry and Christopher Bell occupied the top 20. 

Fourteen laps later and with the leaders mired in lapped traffic, Truex, who zipped past Reddick’s No. 45 McDonald’s Toyota Camry XSE a lap earlier, muscled his No. 19 Bass Pro Shops Toyota Camry XSE into the lead as Byron was having issues trying to navigate past the lapped competitor of Daniel Suarez. Truex would proceed to drive away from Byron as Reddick attempted to battle Byron for the runner-up spot. 

Then with three laps remaining in the first stage period, the caution flew after Brad Keselowski, who was battling Gragson in the top 15, spun from the middle to the apron of the track in Turn 2 as he emerged with a flat right-rear tire to his No. 6 BuildSubmarines.com Ford Mustang Dark Horse. Keselowski’s incident was enough for the first stage period scheduled to conclude on Lap 120 to conclude under caution as Truex claimed his second Cup stage victory of the 2024 season. Byron settled in second followed by Reddick, Blaney and Larson while Hamlin, Busch, Bowman, Elliott and Ricky Stenhouse Jr. were scored in the top 10. 

Under the stage break, the lead lap field led by Truex pitted for service. Following the pit stops, Truex retained the lead after exiting pit road first just ahead of Byron as Blaney, Reddick, Hamlin, Larson, Busch, Bowman, Elliott and Allmendinger exited suit in the top 10. 

The second stage period started on Lap 129 as Truex and Byron occupied the front row. At the start, Truex and Byron battled dead even for the lead through the first two turns before Truex muscled ahead from the outside lane through the backstretch. As Truex led the field back to the frontstretch during the proceeding lap, Byron, Reddick and Blaney followed suit from second to fourth, respectively, while Hamlin and Larson battled dead even for fifth place in front of Bowman, Busch and Elliott. 

Just past the Lap 140 mark, Truex was leading by six-tenths of a second over Byron while Reddick, Blaney and Larson were racing in the top five ahead of Hamlin, Bowman, Busch, Elliott and AJ Allmendinger. Stenhouse, Bubba Wallace, Chris Buescher, Austin Cindric and Ty Gibbs followed suit in the top 15 as Truex extended his advantage to a second over Byron by the Lap 150 mark. 

Through the first 165 scheduled laps, Truex continued to lead by more than a second over Byron followed by Reddick, Blaney and Larson, all of whom continued to race in the top five, as Hamlin, Bowman, Busch, Elliott and Allmendinger also continued to run in the top 10. Behind, Stenhouse, Wallace, Busch, Gibbs and Cindric were scored in the top 15 ahead of Berry, Chastain, Gragson, Bell and Logano while Carson Hocevar, Daniel Hemric, Briscoe, John Hunter Nemechek and Corey LaJoie were mired in the top 25. Meanwhile, Corey Heim, who was making his Cup Series debut while substituting for the injured Erik Jones in the No. 43 Dollar Tree/Petty 75th Toyota Camry XSE, was in 26th ahead of Daniel Suarez, McDowell, Justin Haley and Keselowski. 

Fifteen laps later, Truex extended his advantage to more than two seconds over Byron while Larson was up to third place as Reddick and Blaney followed suit in the top five. Behind, Bowman, Hamlin, Busch, Elliott and Stenhouse continued to run in the top 10 while Wallace moved up to 11th as he was ahead of Buescher, Gibbs, Berry and Chastain. 

Another three laps later, green flag pit stops commenced as Bell, Allmendinger and Cindric pitted before Byron and Larson pitted during the following lap. The leader Truex would pit under green on Lap 184 along with Bowman, Hamlin, Elliott and Reddick while more names including Blaney and Busch pitted by Lap 186. With more of the leaders making pit stops, Corey LaJoie, who has yet to pit, was leading in his No. 7 Gainbridge Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 while Larson, who managed to exit pit road ahead of Truex, was running in third place. LaJoie would continue to lead the race and remain on the track by the Lap 190 mark as Larson trailed LaJoie by 19 seconds. 

At the halfway mark on Lap 200, LaJoie, who continued to run on the track on old tires and fuel, was leading by more than 13 seconds over Larson while Truex, Reddick and Bowman occupied the top five ahead of Hamlin, Busch, Elliott, Blaney and Stenhouse. Meanwhile, Wallace, Gibbs, Buescher and Allmendinger rounded out the top 14 competitors who were scored on the lead lap while Bell was the first competitor scored a lap down in 15th place. 

Eighteen laps later, Larson tracked and overtook LaJoie, who had led 33 laps, to assume the race lead. With LaJoie pitting under green just past the Lap 220 mark, teammate Bowman moved his No. 48 Ally Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 into the runner-up spot while Hamlin, Truex, Busch, Elliott, Reddick, Blaney, Stenhouse and Wallace were running in the top 10.  

By Lap 235, Larson retained the lead by two-tenths of a second over teammate Bowman while Hamlin trailed in third place by eight-tenths of a second. Meanwhile, Truex trailed the lead by a second in fourth place followed by Elliott, who trailed the lead by two seconds, as Busch, Reddick, Blaney, Stenhouse and Wallace continued to race in the top 10 ahead of Gibbs, Allmendinger, Bell, Buescher and Berry. Meanwhile, Keselowski, who scraped the outside wall 15 laps earlier, was mired in 34th place and scored multiple laps down after pitting to address a flat tire to his entry.  

When the second stage period concluded on Lap 250, Larson, who was mired in lapped traffic, captured his sixth Cup stage victory of the 2024 season. Teammate Bowman settled in second followed by Hamlin, Truex and Elliott while Busch, Reddick, Blaney, Stenhouse and Wallace were scored in the top 10. By then, 21 of 37 starters were scored on the lead lap while Daniel Hemric managed to fend off Corey Heim to be the first competitor scored a lap down and the recipient of the free pass. 

During the stage break, the lead lap field led by Larson returned to pit road for service. Following the pit stops, Hamlin, who was in a tight three-wide squeeze against Bowman and Larson to exit pit road first, managed to fend off both to exit first as Larson and Bowman followed suit in second and third, respectively. Busch and Truex exited in the top five as Elliott, Blaney, Reddick, Wallace and Gibbs all exited pit road in top-10 spots. 

With 142 laps remaining, the final stage commenced as Hamlin and Larson occupied the front row. At the start, Hamlin rocketed his No. 11 Mavis, Brakes, Tires Toyota Camry XSE ahead from the outside lane as he led the field through the first two turns and the backstretch while Larson retained second ahead of teammate Bowman and Busch. Truex was mired back in fifth ahead of Blaney, Elliott, Gibbs, Reddick, Stenhouse, Wallace, Bell and Berry, as Hamlin retained the lead with 140 laps remaining. 

With 130 laps remaining, Hamlin extended his advantage to three seconds over Larson as Bowman, Busch and Truex trailed in the top five by five seconds. Hamlin would stabilize his advantage to three seconds over Larson with 120 laps remaining before the advantage slightly decreased to two seconds with 110 laps remaining. Behind, Bowman, Busch and Truex continued to run in the top five. 

Down to the final 100 laps of the event, Hamlin was leading by two seconds over Larson followed by Busch, Truex and Bowman while Blaney, Elliott, Gibbs, Reddick and Wallace were running in the top 10. Behind, Stenhouse, Berry, Allmendinger, Chastain and Bell were in the top 15 ahead of Buescher, Briscoe, Byron, Gragson and Logano while Cindric, Hemric, LaJoie, Corey Heim and Nemechek were trailing in the top 25. 

Then with nearly 80 laps remaining, another cycle of green flag pit stops commenced as Truex pitted before a bevy of names led by the leader Hamlin peeled off the track to pit a lap after. Then as the cycle of green flag pit stops continued, the caution flew with 79 laps remaining after Stenhouse, who was running in the top 10 earlier and trying to merge back onto the track following his green flag pit stop, made contact with Berry that sent Stenhouse’s No. 47 Hungry Jack Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 spinning towards the inside wall in Turn 2.

At the moment of caution, Hemric, who had yet to pit, was leading while Larson, Hamlin, Busch and Truex followed suit in the top five. During the caution period, however, Hemric pitted along with Bowman and Busch, which enabled Larson to cycle back as the leader. 

During the following restart period with 72 laps remaining, Larson and Hamlin battled dead even for the lead through the first two turns until Hamlin started to muscle ahead through the backstretch. The caution, however, quickly returned after rookie Zane Smith made contact with Bubba Wallace through the first two turns.

It resulted in Wallace spinning his No. 23 Xfinity/U.S. Air Force Toyota Camry XSE towards the bottom of the backstretch as he was then hit on the right side by Byron, who had collided into Bell as Bell hit the inside wall head-on before Wallace and resulted with all three eliminated from contention with wrecked cars. The incident marked Bell’s second wreck of the weekend after he crashed during Saturday’s qualifying session.

As the event restarted under green with 62 laps remaining, Hamlin fended off Larson and teammate Truex to retain the lead through the first two turns. Hamlin proceded to lead the following lap ahead of Larson and Truex while Gragson and Elliott battled for fourth place in front of Busch, Blaney and Hemric, with Bowman and Chastain racing in the top 10.  

With 50 laps remaining, Hamlin extended his advantage to more than a second over Larson as Truex, Gragson and Elliott were scored in the top five ahead of Busch, Blaney, Hemric, Bowman and Chastain. Behind, Gibbs, Reddick, Berry, Allmendinger and Cindric occupied the top 15 as Cindric, Logano, Buescher, Briscoe and Nemechek were in the top 20. 

Fifteen laps later, Hamlin stabilized his advantage to more than a second over Larson while Truex, Gragson and Busch trailed under five seconds in the top five. Behind, sixth-place Elliott trailed by more than five seconds as Blaney, Hemric, Bowman and Chastain continued to run in the top 10. 

Down to the final 20 laps of the event, Hamlin, who was mired in lapped traffic, continued to lead by six-tenths of a second over a hard-charging Larson, who was slowing clipping away Hamlin’s advantage in his No. 5 HendrickCars.com Chevrolet Camaro ZL1, as third-place Truex trailed by two seconds. Behind, Gragson and Kyle Busch continued to run in the top five ahead of Elliott, Blaney, Hemric, Bowman and Chastain while Gibbs, Reddick, Berry, Allmendinger and Cindric were in the top 15. 

Five laps later, Hamlin’s advantage decreased to within four-tenths and half a second as Larson continued to gain ground on him for the top spot. Larson would trail the leader Hamlin by two-tenths of a second with 10 laps remaining as both were mired within lapped traffic and with Larson trying to steer across different sections of the circuit to gain more ground on Hamlin. 

Down to the final five laps of the event and with the leaders mired in more lapped traffic, Hamlin was leading by a tenth of a second over Larson. Despite Larson making continuous efforts around the turns and the straightaways to narrow the gap between himself and Hamlin, Hamlin managed to maintain both his ground and lane as he also started to blend within Larson’s advantageous line to move in front of Larson, stall his momentum with the dirty air retain the top spot. 

When the white flag waved and the final lap started, Hamlin remained as the leader by two-tenths of a second over a hard-charging Larson. Despite Larson’s final lap effort to go up the track to gain a draft for two final corners, Hamlin managed to keep himself in front of Larson for a final circuit and navigated back to the frontstretch victorious for his third checkered flag of the 2024 Cup Series season. 

With the victory, Hamlin scored career win No. 54 in NASCAR’s premier series, which placed him in a tie with Lee Petty for 12th place on the all-time Cup Series wins list. Hamlin also racked up his second victory at Dover along with the fourth of the season and the fifth for Toyota through the first 11 events on the 2024 Cup schedule. The 2024 season marks Hamlin’s eighth season of notching at least three victories in a Cup Series season. 

“Just a great team,” Hamlin said on FS1. “This whole Mavis, Tires, Brakes team just did a great job. All the guys on the wall right here, they’re the ones that make it happen. Thank you to them. [Crew chief] Chris Gabehart, [spotter Chris] Lambert, the whole team, for just giving me a great car. Man, I love winning. Kyle [Larson] did a great job executing on that green flag pit cycle. We were able to get the lead there on that restart, which allowed us, with the caution, to control the restarts. That was the key moment for us. Man, it certainly feels good winning here at Dover.” 

Larson, who led 39 laps compared to Hamlin’s race-high 136 and won the second stage period, settled in the runner-up spot for the second time this season. The result, however, was enough for the 2021 Cup Series champion to maintain the lead in the regular-season standings. 

“I could pace [the car] and get closer to [Hamlin] at the end of the runs, but it’s just so easy to air block,” Larson said. “Not that he was doing anything dirty or anything like that. It’s just so easy as the leader, especially at a place like this, to shut off the air on the guys behind you. I knew when I got within three car lengths, he was gonna start moving around. I just couldn’t really do anything. I was trying all sorts of different angles and speeds, all that, and nothing could generate enough speed to get close enough to do anything. That was a bummer.” 

Martin Truex Jr., who led 69 laps and won the first stage period, settled in third place for his third top-five result of the season while pole-sitter Kyle Busch, who led 34 laps, and Chase Elliott finished in the top five. 

Noah Gragson, Ryan Blaney, Alex Bowman, Daniel Hemric and Ty Gibbs ended up in the top 10 in the final running order. 

Notably, Tyler Reddick, winner of last weekend’s Cup event at Talladega Superspeedway, ended up 11th ahead of Ross Chastain, AJ Allmendinger, rookie Josh Berry and Austin Cindric. In addition, Joey Logano ended up 16th ahead of Chris Buescher and Daniel Suarez, Corey LaJoie came home 21st despite leading 33 laps, Corey Heim settled in 22nd place in his Cup Series debut while substituting for the injured Erik Jones and Jimmie Johnson ended up 28th behind Austin Dillon in his third Cup start of the 2024 season.  

There were 12 lead changes for nine different leaders. The race featured five cautions for 42 laps. In addition, 17 of 37 starters finished on the lead lap. 

Following the 11th event of the 2024 Cup Series season, Kyle Larson leads the regular-season standings by 15 points over Martin Truex Jr., 33 over Chase Elliott, 49 over Denny Hamlin, 56 over Tyler Reddick, 62 over William Byron and 68 over Ryan Blaney. 

Results. 

1. Denny Hamlin, 136 laps led 

2. Kyle Larson, 39 laps led, Stage 2 winner 

3. Martin Truex Jr., 69 laps led, Stage 1 winner 

4. Kyle Busch, 34 laps led 

5. Chase Elliott 

6. Noah Gragson 

7. Ryan Blaney, 47 laps led 

8. Alex Bowman 

9. Daniel Hemric, five laps led 

10. Ty Gibbs 

11. Tyler Reddick 

12. Ross Chastain 

13. AJ Allmendinger 

14. Josh Berry 

15. Austin Cindric 

16. Joey Logano 

17. Chris Buescher 

18. Daniel Suarez, one lap down 

19. Chase Briscoe, one lap down 

20. John Hunter Nemechek, two laps down 

21. Corey LaJoie, two laps down, 33 laps led 

22. Carson Hocevar, three laps down 

23. Justin Haley, three laps down 

24. Zane Smith, three laps down 

25. Corey Heim, three laps down 

26. Harrison Burton, three laps down 

27. Austin Dillon, four laps down 

28. Jimmie Johnson, five laps down 

29. Kaz Grala, six laps down 

30. Brad Keselowski, 17 laps down 

31. Todd Gilliland, 21 laps down 

32. Bubba Wallace – OUT, Accident, one lap led 

33. William Byron – OUT, Accident, 36 laps led 

34. Christopher Bell – OUT, Accident 

35. Ricky Stenhouse Jr. – OUT, Accident 

36. Michael McDowell – OUT, Hub 

37. Ryan Preece – OUT, Safety 

Next on the 2024 NASCAR Cup Series schedule is the AdventHealth 400 at Kansas Speedway in Kansas City, Kansas. The event is scheduled to occur next Sunday, May 5, and air at 3 p.m. ET on FS1. 

RCR NCS Race Recap: Dover Motor Speedway

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Official Release
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Austin Dillon and the No. 3 BREZTRI AEROSPHERE® (budesonide, glycopyrrolate, and formoterol fumarate) Chevrolet team Show Persistence Despite Adversity at Dover Motor Speedway

Finish: 27th
Start: 23rd
Points: 31st

“We fought hard today, but it was a rough day for us on the No. 3 BREZTRI AEROSPHERE® (budesonide, glycopyrrolate, and formoterol fumarate) Chevrolet team at Dover Motor Speedway. I had a tire that felt like it was going down in the first stage, and we got two laps down and could never recover from it. We’ll look at what our teammate did – Kyle Busch and the No. 8 team were obviously really good. We’ll try and work off of that and come back stronger. It was a tough day, but we’ve got to go to Kansas Speedway and fight.” -Austin Dillon

Strong Run For Kyle Busch and the No. 8 FICO Chevrolet Team at Dover Motor Speedway

Finish: 4th
Start: 1st
Points: 11th

“It was a good day for the FICO Chevrolet and everyone on the No. 8 team. We had a good, solid points day. We had a third-place car today. On the final run, it was tough having to come from eighth to fourth. It was all we had. I feel like coming off pit road on the last stop with a clean racetrack would give us the best shot of being able to just charge forward to try and catch the leaders. Overall, it was a good day and it felt good to have a ‘normal’ day with no issues. We would definitely love to get to the point where we have more races like today.” -Kyle Busch

Kaulig Racing – Race Recap | Würth 400

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Official Release
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DANIEL HEMRIC
No. 31 Poppy Bank Camaro ZL1

  • Daniel Hemric qualified 14th for the Würth 400 at Dover Motor Speedway.
  • Reporting that the No. 31 Poppy Bank Chevy was too-loose in, Hemric had fallen to 26th place when the first caution of the day came out on lap 39. He pitted under caution for tires, fuel and an adjustment to tighten up the No. 31 Chevy. He restarted 25th on lap 47, making up three spots on the restart. A caution came out with three laps remaining, ending the stage under yellow. Hemric was scored 21st.
  • Hemric radioed that the No. 31 Chevy needed to snugged up a bit more, before pitting for tires, fuel and another adjustment during the stage break. He started the second stage in 21st. As the green-flag pit stops began, Hemric made it as high as fourth, before radioing that the No. 31 was tight on throttle on lap 183. He pitted for tires and fuel one lap later. The remainder of the second stage stayed green, and Hemric slipped a lap down to the leader just before the stage end, before crossing the line 22nd.
  • Hemric was in the free pass position, giving him the lap back. He pitted for tires, fuel and more adjustments, as the No. 31 Chevy was still tight handling. He started the final stage from 22nd place. Gambling and running long before pitting, Hemric took over the lead just before a caution came out, paying off for the No. 31 team. He pitted under caution for tires, fuel and an adjustment for rear security, before restarting fifth on lap 328. A caution came out immediately on the restart for a wreck behind Hemric. Following the next restart, the race stayed green for the remainder of the day, as Hemric crossed the line ninth, earning his second top-10 finish in a row.
  •  
  • “It was a long day. We gave up a lot of track position early. Just probably got us too loose, in general, in practice going into the race with not really knowing what to expect out of this car. We fell back and were kind of stuck back there. The team made a great call to just keep us in the game. We stayed out a little longer there on that last green-flag cycle stop – it was kind of like an early Christmas present to us. It got us back on the lead lap.

It was just really rewarding for all of us on the No. 31 Poppy Banky Chevy team to put us inside the top-10 and be able to run there. We know our pace was there, it’s just a matter of getting track position. That’s the name of the game here. Overall, I’m proud of everyone on the No. 31 Poppy Bank Chevy team.” – Daniel Hemric  

AJ ALLMENDINGER
No. 16 Action Industries Camaro ZL1

  • AJ Allmendinger qualified 10th for the Würth 400 at Dover Motor Speedway.
  • Durning the first lap, Allmendinger had taken over eighth place. On lap 27, he reported his No. 16 Action Industries Chevy was starting to build free. The caution came out on lap 39 and Allmendinger told crew chief, Travis Mack, he was happy with the ride quality and how the car turned, but the rear of the car went away the last 10 laps of the run. The team came to pit road for four tires, fuel and an air pressure adjustment. Allmendinger restarted in 12th and went on to finish the opening stage under caution in 11th place.
  • During the stage break, Allmendinger told the team he was happy with the last change. The No. 16 restarted in 10th place for stage two. Allmendinger reported he was freer on entry this run and asked the team to make a big adjustment on the next stop. Under green on lap 181, Allmendinger came to pit road for four tires, fuel and adjustments. When the caution came out at the end of stage two, Allmendinger was in 12th place.
  • Allmendinger came to pit road during the stage break and restarted in 14th place on lap 259. On lap 303, Allmendinger reported his No. 16 was a tick tight in the rear, but it was way more comfortable to drive. The team made a scheduled green-flag pit stop on lap 319, and the caution came out on lap 329, before green flag stops cycled through. Allmendinger took the wave around to get back on the lead lap and restarted in 15th on lap 329. The caution came back out on lap 330; Allmendinger was running 13th. Following the restart, the race ran green the remainder of the race and Allmendinger finished 13th.

“We had a really solid day; the No. 16 Action Industries Camaro ZL1 was really consistent, and the pit crew did a great job of keeping our track position. We battled handling all day, and track position was key. All in all, running inside the top 15 all day and having top-10 speed is great. Our day, along with Daniel’s [Hemric] top-10 finish, is great for the organization and our momentum.” – AJ Allmendinger  
 
About Kaulig Racing

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

Toyota Gazoo Racing North America NHRA Charlotte Post-Race Report – 04.28.24

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Official Release
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ASHLEY CAPTURES SECOND VICTORY OF 2024 AT CHARLOTTE FOUR-WIDE NATIONALS
Toyota extends Top Fuel winning streak to six

CONCORD, N.C. (April 28, 2024) – In a fierce final round Sunday afternoon at zMAX Dragway near Charlotte, Justin Ashley was victorious in the NHRA Four-Wide Nationals for his 13th career win and second of the season. This was also Ashley’s first win at zMAX Dragway and his first in a Four-Wide Nationals. The New York native started the day No. 3 overall, winning each of his quads on the way to the Wally Trophy. His Toyota Top Fuel teammates, Doug Kalitta and Antron Brown, also reached the final round on Sunday.

Ashley’s win marks six consecutive wins for Toyota in Top Fuel, including all five of the races so far in 2024 – with Ashley’s two victories (Pomona and Charlotte), Shawn Langdon’s two wins (Gainesville and Phoenix), along with Doug Kalitta’s at Las Vegas.

In Funny Car, J.R. Todd came home third in a stacked final round. Todd won his first quad on Sunday and advanced through round two but fell short of another Wally Trophy to couple his Gainesville triumph. Other GR Supra Funny Car drivers Alexis DeJoria and Ron Capps were defeated earlier in Sunday’s eliminations, with DeJoria reaching the second round and Capps bowing out in round one.

With the final round appearances in both Top Fuel and Funny Car, Toyota has now reached the finals in 28 consecutive NHRA events.

Toyota Post-Race Recap
NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series
NHRA Four-Wide Nationals
zMAX Dragway
Race 5 of 20

TOYOTA TOP FUEL FINISHING POSITIONS 

NameCarFinal ResultRound-by-Round
Justin AshleySCAG Power Equipment Toyota Top Fuel DragsterWinnerW. (3.763) v. T. Stewart (3.762), D. Mercier (3.831) & D. Foley (3.730) W. (3.711) v. A. Brown (3.728), B. Force (3.729) & T. Stewart (5.779) W (3.710) v. C. Millican (3.722), D. Kalitta (3.725) & A. Brown (4.780)
Doug KalittaMac Tools Toyota Top Fuel DragsterFinalistAdv. (3.729) v. J. Salinas (3.700), S. Reed (3.757) & C. Krohn (3.790) Adv. (3.760) v. C. Millican (3.710), B. Torrence (4.544) & J. Salinas (4.695) L (3.725) v. J. Ashley (3.710), C. Millican (3.722) & A. Brown (4.780)
Antron BrownMatco Tools Toyota Top Fuel DragsterFinalistW. (3.718) v. B. Force (3.743 – holeshot), S. Torrence (3.729) & S. Langdon (4.129) Adv. (3.728) v. J. Ashley (3.711), B. Force (3.729) & T. Stewart (5.779) L (4.780) v. J. Ashley (3.710) C. Millican (3.722) & D. Kalitta (3.725)
Billy TorrenceCAPCO Contractors Toyota Top Fuel DragsterSecond RoundAdv. (3.725) v. C. Millican (3.705), T. Schumacher (3.770) & J. Hart (3.790) L (4.544) v. C. Millican (3.710), D. Kalitta (3.760) & J. Salinas (4.695)
Steve TorrenceCAPCO Contractors Toyota Top Fuel DragsterFirst RoundL (3.729) v. A. Brown (3.718) v. B. Force (3.743 – holeshot) & S. Langdon (4.129)
Shawn LangdonAutodesk Toyota Top Fuel DragsterFirst RoundL (4.129) v. A. Brown (3.718) v. B. Force (3.743 – holeshot) & S. Torrence (3.729)

TOYOTA FUNNY CAR FINISHING POSITIONS 

NameCarFinal ResultRound-by-Round
J.R. ToddDHL Toyota GR Supra Funny CarFinalistW. (3.918) v. A. DeJoria (5.444), B. Hull (5.414) & R. Capps (16.244) Adv. (3.933 – holeshot) v. J. Force (3.713), C. Pedregon (3.931) & A. DeJoria (9.999) L (3.978) v. M. Hagan (3.946 – holeshot), D. Wilkerson (3.928) & J. Force (3.960)
Alexis DeJoriaBandero Tequila Toyota GR Supra Funny CarSecond RoundAdv. (5.444) v. J. Todd (3.918), B. Hull (5.414) & R. Capps (16.244) L (9.999) v. J. Force (3.713), J. Todd (3.933) & C. Pedregon (3.931)
Ron CappsNAPA Auto Care Toyota GR Supra Funny CarFirst RoundL (16.244) v. J. Todd (3.918), A. DeJoria (5.444) & B. Hull (5.414)

*= Non-Toyota driver

TOYOTA QUOTES

JUSTIN ASHLEY, SCAG Power Equipment Toyota Top Fuel Dragster, SCAG Racing

TF Final Result: Winner

Another win for you. What would it take to derail the momentum you have right now?

“Well, I think the only thing that could derail us is ourselves. If we get out of focus. It’s not about focusing on the competition, even though you want to know where you are and relevant to everyone else, but our focus is on being the best version of ourselves that we can be. As long as we keep that internal focus, I think we’ll have a lot of success. Mike Green (crew chief), Tommy DeLago (co-crew chief), Dustin Davis (team owner), the whole SCAG Power Equipment Toyota Philips Connect team work so hard day in and day out. They’re the ones who deserve to hold this Wally Trophy. It says zMAX on it, but it should say SCAG Power Equipment and the names of everybody on our team on it. So proud to represent SCAG Power Equipment and all of SCAG nation, all the wonderful dealers, users, owners out there. Man, these things are tough to win, so I get a little bit emotional sometimes. Couldn’t be prouder nor more grateful for this opportunity.”

J.R. TODD, DHL Toyota GR Supra Funny Car, Kalitta Motorsports

FC Final Result: Finalist

Can you describe your day?

“We made a good rebound from qualifying. It’s always good to get to the later rounds, the final round in a Four-Wide Nationals. We dropped the cylinder really early in the run, which stinks. I think we had a good shot at winning that thing if it ran on all eight. That shows that we’re making good strides with this DHL GR Supra – just need to keep picking at it. We didn’t have lane choice all day, and I don’t think it’s a big factor in regards to Four-Wides. I don’t think qualifying is a big factor when it comes to Four-Wides, either. That’s not the reason we put a hole out. We’ve been battling, dropping cylinders all weekend. Now, we have a couple weeks off so we’ll go back home and give the guys some rest, regroup and get ready for Chicago.”

About Toyota 

Toyota (NYSE:TM), creator of the Prius hybrid and the Mirai fuel cell vehicle, is committed to building vehicles for the way people live through our Toyota and Lexus brands, and directly employs more than 63,000 people in North America (more than 49,000 in the U.S.).

Over the past 65 years, Toyota has assembled nearly 45 million cars and trucks in North America at the company’s 13 manufacturing plants. By 2025, the company’s 14th plant in North Carolina will begin to manufacture automotive batteries for electrified vehicles.

Through our more than 1,800 North American dealerships (nearly 1,500 in the U.S.), Toyota sold more than 2.4 million cars and trucks (more than 2.1 million in the U.S.) in 2022, of which, nearly one quarter were electrified vehicles (full battery, hybrid, plug-in hybrid and fuel cell).

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