Home Blog Page 1117

Scott Dixon: The Drive for 67 Race Victories

By
Andrew Kim
-
Photo by James Black (Penske Entertainment).

With his first NTT INDYCAR SERIES victory of the 2024 season in the 49th running of the Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach in Long Beach, California, on Sunday, April 21, Scott Dixon is within reasonable distance of achieving another major accomplishment to his racing resume.

Currently sitting at 57 career victories in IndyCar competition, Dixon, who is in second place in the all-time IndyCar wins list, is 10 victories away from tying AJ Foyt for the most series wins at 67.

The six-time champion from Brisbane, Queensland, Australia, left little to doubt with his impeccable run during Sunday’s Grand Prix at Long Beach, where he rallied from starting in eighth place by leading twice for a race-high 42 of 85 laps and executing his pit strategies to perfection by having enough fuel to lead the final 34 laps and fend off late challenges from Josef Newgarden and Colton Herta to win the Grand Prix at Long Beach for the second time in his career.

Dixon’s victory also extended the current streak of most consecutive IndyCar seasons with a victory at 20, with the champion left relieved in Victory Lane as he celebrated his first IndyCar victory of the 2024 season and his first since winning the 2023 season-finale event at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca last September.

“That was tough, that was real tough,” Dixon, who was the championship runner-up in 2023, said on USA Network. “Honestly, I didn’t think we were gonna make it. [The team] kept giving me a number and it just wasn’t…I was close, but not enough. Luckily, we were on the safe side there. Huge credit to everybody on the PNC Bank No. 9 [Honda]. Today was really fun driving my Honda. Hopefully, we can keep doing this this year, but it was huge.”

Even as Dixon managed to steer his No. 9 PNC Bank Dallara-Honda smoothly around the 11-turn circuit around the Streets of Long Beach through the final 34 laps on a low tank of fuel with the lead, he was intimated by the reigning Indianapolis 500 Josef Newgarden during the stretch, who went from a three-second deficit with 20 laps remaining to narrow it down by getting as close to Dixon’s rear wing during the proceeding laps.

Dixon then caught a break with nine laps remaining after Newgarden, who nearly got to Dixon’s rear bumper in Turn 11, was hit from behind by a hard-charging Colton Herta. The contact stalled Newgarden’s momentum and allowed both Herta and the reigning IndyCar champion/Dixon’s teammate Alex Palou to overtake Newgarden for second and third, respectively. With his advantage back up to a second, Dixon then had to fend off Herta for the final nine laps through his low tank of fuel, which he was able to as he beat Herta’s Honda entry by nine-tenths of a second across the finish line to claim the checkered flag first.

“Josef [Newgarden] was coming strong and I was kind of unsure how he was gonna be once he got behind us,” Dixon added. “I also knew that he’d be burning the tires off, too. [Team owner] Chip [Ganassi] came on [the radio]. He’s like, ‘Just go for it, man.’ And I was like, ‘I’m gonna try.'”

Dixon’s victory was one that received high praise from team owner Chip Ganassi, whose team Chip Ganassi Racing and Honda notched their first IndyCar points-paying victory of the 2024 season. They previously won the non-points $1 Million Challenge at California’s The Thermal Club in late March with Alex Palou.

“I don’t know if it was the most improbable [win for Dixon], but [it was] certainly a hard-fought win,” Ganassi added. “We were managing [the fuel] to the finish. We kept telling [Dixon] the fuel number he had to get, but to stay in front of those guys. He was not getting the fuel number we had to get, so we had to keep making that up. That’s tough to do. It was relief at the end. It was relief more than anything. It was relief more than joy.”

During his victory celebrations, Dixon dedicated the victory to Sir Colin Giltrap, a New Zealand philanthropist and businessman who was involved in the motor vehicle industry and served as a big influence on Dixon.

Herta and Palou made it a Honda podium sweep by finishing second and third behind Dixon while Newgarden, who led 19 laps in his Penske Chevrolet and is coming off a season-opening victory at the Streets of St. Petersburg, ended up in fourth place in his 200th IndyCar career start. Marcus Ericsson, the 2022 Indianapolis 500 champion, came home in fifth place in an event where 18 of 27 starters finished on the lead lap.

With the victory, Dixon trails Newgarden in the current driver’s standings by 12 points with 15 points-paying events remaining on the schedule.

In addition to trailing AJ Foyt for the most IndyCar victories at 67, Dixon also strives to tie Foyt for the most INDYCAR championships at seven in 2024, with Dixon’s sixth and latest title occurring in 2020. He also strives to win his second Indianapolis 500 event since winning his first in 2008, though he has also tallied a total of five Indy 500 poles.

Dixon’s continued quest for 67 victories continues next Sunday, April 28, at Barber Motorsports Park for the Children’s of Alabama Indy Grand Prix in Birmingham, Alabama. The event’s broadcast time is set to air at 1 p.m. ET on NBC.

Toyota Racing – NCS Talladega Post-Race Report – 04.21.24

By
Official Release
-

REDDICK DELIVERS FIRST SUPERSPEEDWAY WIN FOR TOYOTA CAMRY XSE
Scores Cup Series Victory at Talladega

TALLADEGA, Ala. (April 21, 2024) – Tyler Reddick won the first superspeedway race for the Toyota Camry XSE race car in Sunday’s NASCAR Cup Series race at Talladega Superspeedway. Reddick led 13 laps, including the final six laps, in the 23XI No. 45 Jordan Brand Toyota Camry en route to his first Cup Series victory at the 2.66-mile Alabama superspeedway.

Martin Truex Jr. (11th) and Ty Gibbs (22nd) worked together with Reddick down the stretch after an incident earlier in the final stage collected the majority of the Camry competitors.

Toyota Post-Race Recap
NASCAR Cup Series (NCS)
Talladega Superspeedway
Race 9 of 36 – 500.8 miles, 188 laps

TOYOTA FINISHING POSITIONS
1st, TYLER REDDICK
2nd, Brad Keselowski*
3rd, Noah Gragson*
4th, Ricky Stenhouse Jr.*
5th, Alex Bowman*
11th, MARTIN TRUEX JR.
22nd, TY GIBBS
33rd, JOHN HUNTER NEMECHEK
35th, ERIK JONES
36th, BUBBA WALLACE
37th, DENNY HAMLIN
38th, CHRISTOPHER BELL
*non-Toyota driver

TOYOTA QUOTES

TYLER REDDICK, No. 45 Jordan Brand Toyota Camry XSE, 23XI Racing

Finishing Position: 1st

What does it mean to get the first superspeedway win for Toyota with this new Camry XSE?

“Man, it’s incredible. Everyone on this 45 Jordan Brand Toyota Camry worked really hard today. Didn’t really work out in that third stage for us, but we were able to fight and defend our track position. Was that crazy, fans? Chaos. That’s Talladega for you.”

Can you take us through the final lap?

“Yeah, just got to give a lot of credit to Ty Gibbs and Martin Truex Jr. It was just us Toyota’s left and they pushed me with everything they had so a huge credit to Martin and Ty. Without those pushes we don’t win this race.”

What were those final laps like out there?

“It was chaos. When you come to Talladega that’s what you expect. That’s for sure. So cool to get my second win here. First in the Cup car. Man, what a day.”

What were you thinking as you had to go to battle by yourself?

“I wasn’t alone. I had Martin Truex Jr. and Ty Gibbs. Man, the Toyota guys – this is what we do. We’re a family. We work together. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn’t unfortunately like we saw earlier. Man, just appreciate all of the help there at the end.”

MICHAEL JORDAN, 23XI Racing

What does it mean to be here at Talladega for Ty Reddick’s win today?

“Denny (Hamlin) keeps saying I was bad luck when I come to the track and today, we proved him wrong. I mean, look, actually he did a good job of wrecking so we could get upfront. That was actually pretty good. I think Tyler (Reddick) did a good job, unfortunately Bubba (Wallace) couldn’t finish but the whole team did a good job. Look, I’m very happy to be here to see it. Everybody tells me when we win, we have a big celebration, but this is the first time I’ve been here. To my wife and kids and everybody, ‘Yeah, we did it. Sorry I left you home.’”

What does this say about the 23XI team?

“Well, as you know, this is NBA Playoffs right now so this to me is like an NBA Playoff game. I am so ecstatic obviously for the fans who support the sport itself. We’ve been working hard trying to get ourselves to compete with the top guys in the sport. We’ve done a heck of a job just to be where we are. For us to win and to win a big race like this, it means so much to me and for the effort the team has done. Look, I’m all in. I’m all in. I love it. It replaces a lot of the competitiveness that I had in basketball. This is even worse because I have no control. If I was playing basketball, I have total control, but I have no control, so I live vicariously through these guys and all of the team and everybody. I’m very happy for everybody at 23XI.”

ERIK JONES, No. 43 Family Dollar Toyota Camry XSE, LEGACY MOTOR CLUB

Finishing Position: 35th

Are you physically okay and what happened on the track?

“Yeah, I’m a little sore but I’ll be alright. I don’t know – the 23 (Bubba Wallace) was pushing us there. Obviously, we were pushing and shoving and trying to make time with our strategy and I got pretty sideways getting into (turn) 3 and tried to gather it up and then ended up really hard into the wall. It’s unfortunate. I hate it for my team and my guys. Obviously, we wanted to have a good run but I’m alright. It’s a good thing. It was a hard hit and at the end of the day I guess if you’re going to be dumb you’ve got to be tough, so we’ll keep rolling.”

BUBBA WALLACE, No. 23 Leidos Toyota Camry XSE, 23XI Racing

Finishing Position: 36th

What took place in the incident from your perspective?

“Just we were all pushing really hard to keep our line going. We had a plan and just didn’t execute it as well as we should. I hate it for our Leidos team. I look forward to running these places and then you just get trapped in somebody else’s mess. I hate it. It doesn’t make us look good at all. But all in all, we’ll just reset and go to Dover. We’ve got a long way to go.”

DENNY HAMLIN, No. 11 FedEx Ultimate Fan Contes Toyota Camry XSE, Joe Gibbs Racing

Finishing Position: 37th

Could you have done something different to avoid that wreck?

“I’m not sure. I was in the back of it, so I didn’t see what got the 43 (Erik Jones) turned. Obviously, we were trying to run a good lap time there and I thought we were really good on pace and then we just crashed. I’m really not sure honestly. I didn’t see it.”

CHRISTOPHER BELL, No. 20 Mobil 1 Toyota Camry XSE, Joe Gibbs Racing

Finishing Position: 38th

What happened that took you out of the race early?

“I’ve got no idea. It just saw a replay and it just looked like a stack up in the middle lane and unfortunately, I was in the wrong spot. I was in ride it out mode and got hit.”

About Toyota

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

Toyota directly employs more than 63,000 people in North America who have contributed to the design, engineering, and assembly of nearly 45 million cars and trucks at our 13 manufacturing plants. By 2025, Toyota’s 14th plant in North Carolina will begin to manufacture automotive batteries for electrified vehicles. With more electrified vehicles on the road than any other automaker, Toyota currently offers 26 electrified options.

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

Kaulig Racing Race Recap | GEICO 500

By
Official Release
-

DANIEL HEMRIC
No. 31 Cirkul Camaro ZL1

  • Daniel Hemric qualified 19th for the Geico 500 at Talladega Superspeedway.
  • By lap seven, Hemric had made his way to the front of the pack, leading a total of six laps, before being told to conserve fuel. He stayed in the top 10 for a majority of the stage, before pitting on lap 41 for fuel only. He went on to finish 19th in a caution-free opening stage.
  • Hemric radioed that the No. 31 Cirkul Camaro ZL1 was a little tight throughout the bottom and middle on exit the last 15 laps of the opening stage. He pitted during the first stage break for four tires and fuel and started the second stage from 18th. Hemric stayed just outside the top 10 before dropping back to play it safe. The race remained caution-free, and Hemric pitted on lap 104 with teammate, van Gisbergen, for two seconds of fuel. He went on to finish stage two in 20th.
  • Hemric started the final stage in 20th and made it to 11th, before the first caution of the day came out on lap 134. The No. 31 Cirkul Chevy pitted to top off with fuel and restarted third on lap 139. Hemric led another lap before being told to save fuel. As some cars pitted, Hemric was running fifth when a caution came out on lap 156. Hemric pitted under caution for fuel only before restating 12th with 28 laps to go. As cars in front of him wrecked at the checkered, Hemric made it through unscathed and finished the race in ninth, earning his first top-10 finish of the season.

“I’m really proud of how far we’ve come with this No. 31 Cirkul Chevrolet from Daytona, as far as speed goes. It’s hard to make gains there with everyone being so close. We qualified right at about 30th in Daytona, and then we came here and qualified inside the top 20, which is a big deal as we saw today with fuel saving. You have to have a faster racecar that lets you save more fuel. I’m proud of this team and to have had a clean race. ” – Daniel Hemric  

SHANE van GISBERGEN
No. 16 Wendy’s Camaro ZL1

Shane van Gisbergen qualified 17th the for Geico 500 at Talladega Superspeedway.

  • Van Gisbergen and his Wendy’s Ride or Fry team started the 188-lap event from 17th. Content to learn his way around the 2.66-mile Superspeedway, Van Gisbergen sat 33rd on lap 10. Getting more comfortable as the laps clicked away, SVG worked his way to 20th by lap 35 and was scored in first when the Wendy’s team made its first green flag pit stop on lap 44. Following the stop, Van Gisbergen cycled to 27th on lap 46 and ended the stage in 23rd on lap 60.
  • Following a pit stop for four tires and fuel under the stage one break, SVG restarted stage two in 17th on lap 67 and was scored as the leader of the field on lap 69. He dropped to ninth on lap 70, continuing to battle two-by-two in the draft. Van Gisbergen was a mainstay inside the top-10 from laps 90-100, working his way to fifth by lap 97 and advancing to leading lap 98. The Wendy’s team made a green flag pit stop for fuel only on lap 103 from eighth. Following the stop, SVG rejoined the field in 28th on lap 105. Content on riding out the rest of the stage, Van Gisbergen took the green/white/checkered flag in 25th on lap 120.
  • Van Gisbergen and his Wendy’s team started the final stage 29th. The first caution flag of stage three waved on lap 134 with SVG scored in 14th. The Wendy’s team hit pit road under the caution for fuel only and restarted in fourth on lap 140. Another caution flag waved on lap 157, with SVG scored in 15th. Following varying strategies on pit road, the Wendy’s team restarted in 29th with 28 laps remaining. Van Gisbergen and the Wendy’s team finished 28th following a wild, last-lap caution at the finish.

“It was an interesting day for this No. 16 Wendy’s team. Very different from the Xfinity race, as far as the way the car drives. We got to run up front for a couple of laps, so that was fun. All-in-all a good day for this Wendy’s group. I had a lot fun.” – Shane van Gisbergen

About Kaulig Racing

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

Dixon Makes Magic To Pull Off Improbable Long Beach Win

By
Official Release
-

LONG BEACH, Calif. (Sunday, April 21, 2024) – Scott Dixon proved yet again Sunday that almost nothing is impossible for him behind the wheel of a race car, winning the Acura Long Beach Grand Prix with a dramatic blend of patience and aggression over the closing laps.

Nobody in the NTT INDYCAR SERIES saves fuel better than Dixon, and he drove the last 34 laps of the 85-lap street race on one tank of Shell 100% Renewable Race Fuel in the No. 9 PNC Bank Chip Ganassi Racing Honda to hold off a hard-charging Colton Herta – who was on a more conventional, less risky fuel strategy – by .9798 of a second.

“That was tough; that was really tough,” Dixon said. “Honestly, I didn’t think we were going to make it, and they kept giving me a (fuel) number, and it just wasn’t getting … I was close but not enough. Luckily, we were on the safe side there.”

Dixon, who started eighth, even had enough fuel left in his Honda engine to perform a celebratory burnout after claiming his first victory of the season and the 57th win of his legendary career. It was his second victory on the 11-turn, 1.968-mile Long Beach temporary street circuit, joining his triumph in 2015.

Reigning series champion Alex Palou finished third in the No. 10 DHL Chip Ganassi Racing Honda. Series points leader Josef Newgarden placed a disappointing fourth in the No. 2 Hitachi Team Penske Chevrolet after looking to be Dixon’s biggest threat until Herta’s No. 26 Gainbridge Honda fielded by Andretti Global made contact with him late in the race.

Marcus Ericsson rounded out the top five in the No. 28 Delaware Life Honda fielded by Andretti Global, as that team and Chip Ganassi Racing each claimed two of the top five finishing positions.

The 27-car field splintered into two groups of differing strategies on Lap 15 when the only caution period of the race was triggered by Christian Rasmussen’s spin and wall contact in Turn 4 in the No. 20 GuyCare Chevrolet fielded by Ed Carpenter Racing.

Then race leader Will Power and Dixon led a group of drivers that dove into the pits during that caution, with Kyle Kirkwood, Marcus Armstrong, Graham Rahal and Linus Lundqvist among the other leading lights adopting that tactic.

That strategy play handed the lead to Newgarden on Lap 17, and he kept the top spot when green-flag racing resumed on Lap 19.

For the next 45 laps, the early-stopping drivers used every tactic in their bag of skills to save fuel, lifting the throttle early in corners and babying it on acceleration. Every engineer’s calculation on the pit wall showed the margin to make it to the finish on just one more stop would be razor-thin without another caution period.

Meanwhile, the rest of the contenders entered the pits between Laps 30 and 33 for their first stops, with Herta going the longest to Lap 33. The fuel-sipping group then pitted for the final time on Laps 52-53.

The differing strategies then exploded into a crescendo of drama after the second group pitted for the final time between Laps 58-62.

Newgarden emerged in second, about three seconds behind Dixon, after every contender finished their final stops. Newgarden’s tires were seven laps fresher than Dixon’s, and he didn’t have to worry about saving fuel.

Nearly everyone in the sold-out reserved seat grandstands figured it would only be a matter of time before Newgarden passed Dixon for the lead and perhaps an unbeaten start to the season, as he won the season-opening Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg presented by RP Funding on March 10.

Everyone but Dixon, that is.

Dixon masterfully balanced saving fuel with short bursts of push-to-pass to parry Newgarden over the closing laps. Still, Newgarden drove to within a half-second of Dixon on Lap 71 and appeared to be biding his time.

Newgarden then pulled close to Dixon’s gearbox entering the hairpin leading to the long front straightaway on Shoreline Drive on Lap 77 and appeared to be setting him up for a passing attempt on the straight. But that never happened, as Herta nudged Newgarden from behind entering the hairpin. The impact lifted Newgarden’s rear wheels off the ground and engaged his anti-stall function, letting Herta and Palou pass him and dropping him to fourth.

“It seemed pretty obvious,” Newgarden said. “He just misjudged it and ran into me.

“I’m not saying we were going to get Dixon. It was very, very difficult for me to get the run I needed to. I think traffic was going to provide me an opportunity, so that run right there, I was really excited about it. I think that was going to be my last chance. Never know if I would have pulled it off or not.”

Said Herta: “I think he (Newgarden) set up pretty wide and was cutting back in and was a little slower at apex, but ultimately it’s up to me to carry the right speed into the corner and not run into the back of people, and I just misjudged it.”

That incident gave Dixon breathing room from behind as he navigated lapped traffic ahead. Herta pulled to within .328 of a second with three laps remaining, but Dixon was given clearance on the last lap to use all the fuel-gulping push-to-pass he had left and pulled away for the win.

It was yet another chapter in Dixon’s saga of pulling victory from nowhere with fuel saving and pit wall strategy. Just last season, he earned unlikely wins on the Indianapolis Motor Speedway road course and World Wide Technology Raceway in August with similar tactics.

“It was way up there,” Dixon said when asked where this win ranked among his strategic victories. “The stress level was high. Those guys were coming fast and strong. I think we were off by a lap or two of making it easy. Other fuel races I’ve done I’ve had it under control for the full stint.”

Reigning FIA Formula 2 champion Theo Pourchaire finished 11th in his NTT INDYCAR SERIES debut in the No. 6 Arrow McLaren Chevrolet, the top rookie in the race. Frenchman Pourchaire is substituting for David Malukas, continuing to recover from surgery to repair left wrist injuries suffered in a preseason mountain biking accident.

There’s just one week until the next race, the Children’s of Alabama Indy Grand Prix powered by AmFirst on Sunday, April 28 at Barber Motorsports Park in Birmingham, Alabama. Live coverage starts at 1 p.m. ET on NBC, Peacock, INDYCAR LIVE and the INDYCAR Radio Network.

Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach Results

LONG BEACH, Calif. – Results Sunday of the Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach NTT INDYCAR SERIES event on the 1.968 mile Streets of Long Beach, with order of finish, starting position in parentheses, driver, engine, laps completed and reason out (if any):

  1. (8) Scott Dixon, Honda, 85, Running
  2. (4) Colton Herta, Honda, 85, Running
  3. (6) Alex Palou, Honda, 85, Running
  4. (3) Josef Newgarden, Chevrolet, 85, Running
  5. (5) Marcus Ericsson, Honda, 85, Running
  6. (2) Will Power, Chevrolet, 85, Running
  7. (10) Kyle Kirkwood, Honda, 85, Running
  8. (16) Romain Grosjean, Chevrolet, 85, Running
  9. (1) Felix Rosenqvist, Honda, 85, Running
  10. (13) Alexander Rossi, Chevrolet, 85, Running
  11. (22) Theo Pourchaire, Chevrolet, 85, Running
  12. (9) Marcus Armstrong, Honda, 85, Running
  13. (17) Linus Lundqvist, Honda, 85, Running
  14. (18) Rinus VeeKay, Chevrolet, 85, Running
  15. (20) Agustin Canapino, Chevrolet, 85, Running
  16. (14) Pato O’Ward, Chevrolet, 85, Running
  17. (12) Graham Rahal, Honda, 85, Running
  18. (25) Sting Ray Robb, Chevrolet, 85, Running
  19. (26) Kyffin Simpson, Honda, 84, Running
  20. (27) Nolan Siegel, Honda, 84, Running
  21. (24) Santino Ferrucci, Chevrolet, 84, Running
  22. (15) Tom Blomqvist, Honda, 84, Running
  23. (7) Christian Lundgaard, Honda, 84, Running
  24. (19) Pietro Fittipaldi, Honda, 84, Running
  25. (23) Jack Harvey, Honda, 83, Running
  26. (11) Scott McLaughlin, Chevrolet, 71, Running
  27. (21) Christian Rasmussen, Chevrolet, 14, Contact

Race Statistics
Winner’s average speed: 98.350 mph
Time of Race: 01:42:03.1416
Margin of victory: 0.9798 of a second
Cautions: 1 for 4 laps
Lead changes: 8 among 6 drivers

Lap Leaders:
Rosenqvist, Felix 1
Power, Will 2-16
Newgarden, Josef 17-29
Herta, Colton 30-32
Dixon, Scott 33-50
Kirkwood, Kyle 51
Newgarden, Josef 52-57
Herta, Colton 58-61
Dixon, Scott 62-85

NTT INDYCAR SERIES Point Standings: Newgarden 87, Dixon 75, Herta 72, Palou 63, Power 61, O’Ward 54, Rosenqvist 50, Kirkwood 45, Rossi 44, McLaughlin 40, VeeKay 36, Ericsson 35, Grosjean 30, Ferrucci 28, Canapino 27, Rahal 27, Simpson 27, Lundqvist 24, Armstrong 23, Blomqvist 21, Fittipaldi 21, Pourchaire 19, Lundgaard 18, Robb 17, Callum Ilott 17, Harvey 16, Rasmussen 14, Siegel 10, Colin Braun 8.

Ford Performance Notes and Quotes – Geico 500 Post-Race Quotes

By
Official Release
-

Ford Performance Notes and Quotes
NASCAR Cup Series at Talladega Superspeedway
Geico 500 | Sunday, April 21, 2024

FORD PERFORMANCE UNOFFICIAL RESULTS
2nd – Brad Keselowski
3rd – Noah Gragson
8th – Todd Gilliland
10th – Harrison Burton
12th – Chase Briscoe
14th – Ryan Preece
16th – Josh Berry
19th – Joey Logano
20th – Ryan Blaney
23rd – Austin Cindric
24th – Cody Ware
25th – Chris Buescher
31st – Michael McDowell
34th – Justin Haley

MICHAEL MCDOWELL, No. 34 Love’s Travel Stops Ford Mustang Dark Horse – DESCRIBE THE LAST LAP. WHAT HAPPENED AT THE FRONT? “It’s hard. I need to see a replay to tell you everything perfectly, but we did a good job getting out front and controlling the race and putting ourselves in position. Brad is so good at this place and he drug back and I drug back as quick as I could and was able to block that first run that he made, but then when I came down for the second one he was just to my bumper. I mean barely, barely got me so it’s unfortunate. I hate it for him and I hate it for everybody that was behind that. It’s the last lap at Talladega. We’re all going for it, but we really needed to get a Ford Mustang Dark Horse in Victory Lane and we had a shot at doing it there. Unfortunately, I just made a bad move there to put us in that spot.”

DO YOU WALK AWAY MOTIVATED OR FRUSTRATED? “I’m frustrated right now. I’m motivated by our ability to run up there and manage the lanes and do all the things that we did. Our car drove really well and took a push well and had a lot of speed, so those are good things, but it’s wadded up in a pile of rubble right now. It’s just unfortunate. It’s been a tough stretch here, but we’ve had speed and we’ve run up front and if we keep doing that, we’ll win a race.”

BRAD KESELOWSKI, No. 6 Catrol Edge Ford Mustang Dark Horse – “The Fords were really working well together. We cleared the Toyotas on the bottom lane and it was pretty clear it was gonna come down to the three of us. I backed up. Noah gave me a great push and I went to make a move on Michael and he covered it, and I went back the other way and got another push from Noah and there was nowhere to go when Michael came back down. I hate that for him. He’s a good guy. I hope he’s alright. That’s just kind of the way this stuff goes, but, all in all it was a really solid day for us, for Ford and Castrol. It’s another second. It’s a solid day, but not the win we wanted.”

HOW IMPORTANT IS IT TO BE RUNNING WELL AND GET FINISHES LIKE THIS? “Good finishes are important, but we want wins. I could really taste it today, but it just didn’t happen.”

CAN YOU TELL US ABOUT YOUR DAY? “We just ran a really solid race, really good execution, strategy, put ourselves in position and ran up front at the end when it mattered. I just wish we could have got the win. It was kind of a wild finish there. I got a great push from Noah Gragson and had a chance to make a move on Michael and in all the swerves back and forth all three of us ran into each other and Michael got the worst end of it. Unfortunately, we weren’t able to get the win, but still a really solid day and something to be proud of.”

NOAH GRAGSON, No. 10 Overstock Ford Mustang Dark Horse – “We were definitely working together as Fords on the bottom. McDowell, Brad Keselowski and myself. All the Fords worked great all race. It’s coming to the end and the 6 and the 34 were blocking coming to the checkers and unfortunately the 45 squeaked by. I really wanted to see a Ford in Victory Lane, but the Overstock team at Stewart-Haas did a great job all day. We had clean pit stops, fast pit stops, a lot of horsepower under the hood. The Mustang Dark Horses and racing with these other Ford guys has been a lot of fun. I haven’t been up here very much in the Cup Series on these superspeedways, but I’m extremely grateful. It’s a privilege to race with guys like Keselowski and McDowell. I mean, they’ve won really big races on speedways, so, overall, I’m really thankful for everyone at Stewart-Haas and this Overstock team and we’ll keep the momentum going.”

HARRISON BURTON, No. 21 Motorcraft/Quick Lane Ford Mustang Dark Horse – “It was kind of an up and down day. We did a really good job on the first pit cycle to get us out front and we did a great job of managing the track position versus saving. The second stage didn’t quite go our way and the caution fell at a weird time for us. We came down and topped off and just didn’t end up getting track position until the last lap when everyone wrecked. It’s good to be up front, good to help the 2 get a stage win there. Obviously, I’d like to win one of these, but 10th is good, especially for how our year has been so far.”

JOSH BERRY, No. 4 Overstock Ford Mustang Dark Horse – IT LOOKED LIKE YOU HIT PRETTY HARD. “So far, so good. Thankfully, everybody knocked me across the finish line so I was able to finish the race because that’s what’s most important in these deals. We just ride around and save gas and then wreck at the end and thankfully we finished. That’s a positive.”

CHASE BRISCOE, No. 14 Mahindra Tractors Ford Mustang Dark Horse – “I’m definitely not surprised. The whole last lap you just know it’s coming if we got that far, so, overall, it just was not a very good day for us. We went a lap down early because of flat spotting the tires. It seemed like we honestly just rode around 30th all day. I don’t know where we ended up. Someone said 12th somehow, so I guess that’s better than where we should have finished with how the day went, so we’ll just go on to Dover next week and try to just continue running good.”

CODY WARE, No. 15 Jacob Construction Ford Mustang Dark Horse – “I think our 15 Jacob Companies Ford Mustang was a super fast car. I think we showed our speed multiple times throughout the race. I just wanted to play it smart and be there at the end, which is what we did. Unfortunately, the last 20-25 laps we didn’t have a whole lot of help behind us to get a pack going towards the front, but I’ll take the wins with the losses. I’m still happy for our first race back. I’ll take the positives from it and know that we’ve got good, fast cars here at the superspeedways and looking forward to Daytona, Atlanta and the second Talladega later on in the year.”

TODD GILLILAND, No. 38 gener8tor Ford Mustang Dark Horse – “I think we had a really fast Generator Skills Ford Mustang. It’s just part of the racing. I didn’t do a great job on the last pit stop. It’s always really hectic and the 17 was kind of coming around me and I waited just a split second and we lost a bunch of spots there, but that’s part of it. We got in that big wreck and were able to stay straight and keep going. Hat’s off to Ford, to Front Row Motorsports for bringing us two cars that were really capable of winning today.”

RYAN PREECE, No. 41 United Rentals Ford Mustang Dark Horse – “Ultimately, we put ourselves in that position. I was trying to help Ryan and work with my other Ford teammates, but it’s tough when everybody isn’t on the same page. When you lose track position like that it is what it is, but moving forward I’d like to talk to Blaney and figure ou

CHEVROLET NCS AT TALLADEGA 1: Post-Race Report

By
Official Release
-

NASCAR CUP SERIES
TALLADEGA SUPERSPEEDWAY
GEICO 500
TEAM CHEVY POST-RACE REPORT
APRIL 21, 2024

Stenhouse Jr. Leads Chevrolet to Five Top-10 Finishes at Talladega Superspeedway

  • Ricky Stenhouse Jr. and the No. 47 Boost/Thomas’/Philadelphia Camaro ZL1 team collected their first top-five finish of the 2024 season at Talladega Superspeedway– leading Chevrolet to the finish with a fourth-place result in the NASCAR Cup Series GEICO 500.
  • For the second consecutive race, Chevrolet earned five top-10 finishes in the final running order – recorded by drivers from four different Chevrolet organizations including JTG Daugherty Racing’s Stenhouse Jr. in fourth; Hendrick Motorsports’ Alex Bowman in fifth and William Byron in seventh; Beard Motorsports’ Anthony Alfredo in sixth; and Kaulig Racing’s Daniel Hemric in ninth.
  • Kyle Larson and the No. 5 HENDRICKCARS.COM Camaro ZL1 team continues to lead the NASCAR Cup Series’ driver points standings – leaving Talladega Superspeedway with a 15-point lead over second-place Martin Truex Jr.
  • The 2024 NASCAR Cup Series season continues at Dover Motor Speedway with the Würth 400 on Sunday, April 28, at 2 p.m. ET. Live coverage can be found on FS1, PRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Channel 90.

 TEAM CHEVY UNOFFICIAL TOP-10:
POS. DRIVER
4th Ricky Stenhouse Jr., No. 47 Boost/Thomas’/Philadelphia Camaro ZL1
5th Alex Bowman, No. 48 Ally Camaro ZL1
6th Anthony Alfredo, No. 62 Dude Wipes Camaro ZL1
7th William Byron, No. 24 Liberty University Camaro ZL1
9th Daniel Hemric, No. 31 Cirkul Camaro ZL1

 TEAM CHEVY POST-RACE QUOTES:

Ricky Stenhouse Jr., No. 47 Boost/Thomas’/Philadelphia Camaro ZL1

Finished: 4th

“Not a bad day, but it was somewhat frustrating every now and then just kind of being gridlocked there but you know our team we came in with a plan. We stuck to our plan and glad that it all worked out. I feel like we’ve been close all year with different things and you know just nothing seems to work out so for it all to come together for the Thomas Bagels and Philadelphia Cream Cheese Camaro feels really good and we’ve got a really good month of racing coming up for us at really good racetracks that we enjoy and run well at so hopefully this will be a boost to our season and and kind of a Kickstart to get us going and just see what happens.”

Stenhouse Jr. on his first top-five finish of the season:

“It feels really good. I feel like we’ve been better as of lately than where we’ve finished. A lot of things have contributed to some bad finishes, so it feels really good to come out of here with a top-five finish. We did a lot of preparation this week of strategy, and I felt like we played everything perfectly. We saved the most fuel just about all day long. Our No. 47 Boost/Thomas’/Philadelphia Camaro was really good. I wanted to be up there battling for the win, but at this point, a top-five finish is nice.”

Alex Bowman, No. 48 Ally Camaro ZL1

Finished: 5th

How did your day go here at Talladega Superspeedway?

“Not amazing, honestly. Not that we didn’t have a good No. 48 Ally Camaro or good strategy, just kind of didn’t have the openings I needed at times. There was so much riding around saving fuel. And then when we finally all would go run around wide-open, there weren’t really many moves to make, and we were buried and stuck on the bottom. We just never had a hole to get up or do anything.

We ended up with a top-five finish. That’s great – obviously that’s great for the team. It wasn’t our best speedway race, but still a solid top-five.”

Anthony Alfredo, No. 62 Dude Wipes Camaro ZL1

Finished: 6th

“We had an awesome No. 62 Dude Wipes Chevrolet Camaro today. I’m really proud of Beard Motorsports and everyone on this team. They work really hard to come to a couple races a year, and when they do it, they do it right and they know they have a shot to win. So I take a lot of pride in being the one behind the wheel. I hope I can do a lot more with them.

We had an awesome Chevy today. We drove to the front and led some laps. At the end there, we were just kind of boxed-in. I couldn’t really do a whole lot, especially when that third lane formed. I wanted to join that party earlier, but I was just trapped on the bottom. I pushed as hard as I could. In typical Talladega superspeedway racing fashion, it got a little crazy coming to the line. I just yanked it hard left, flew through the grass and somehow opened my eyes and I crossed the line in sixth.”

William Byron, No. 24 Liberty University Camaro ZL1

Finished: 7th

“Today was just a lot of strategy, so I felt like we were just constantly trying to play the fuel-savings. My No. 24 Liberty University Chevy team did a really good job getting us out front for the stage finishes to give us a shot at the stage wins. In Stage Two, we just botched that a little bit, and in the final stage, we just got caught up by the caution and we didn’t have the track position at the end.

Still happy to come home with a seventh-place finish. We’ll go to Dover (Motor Speedway) and have a really good Chevy there.”

Daniel Hemric, No. 31 Cirkul Camaro ZL1

Finished: 9th

“I’m really proud of how far we’ve come with this No. 31 Cirkul Chevrolet from Daytona, as far as speed goes. It’s hard to make gains there with everyone being so close. We qualified right at about 30th in Daytona, and then we came here and qualified inside the top 20, which is a big deal as we saw today with fuel saving. You have to have a faster racecar that lets you save more fuel. I’m proud of this team and to have had a clean race.”

Ross Chastain, No. 1 Jockey Outdoors by Luke Byran Camaro ZL1

Finished: 13th

“Everything lined up OK there at the end. I wanted to be one more spot further forward – obviously one of those front couple of lanes on the bottom. We all just checked-up there. For me, I only know what happened from my seat, and I over-corrected big in the tri-oval. Hate that – we could have gotten across the line there in the top-five, but we had a shot. We’ll move onto Dover (Motor Speedway).”

Daniel Suarez, No. 99 Tootsies Orchid Lounge Camaro ZL1

Finished: 27th

“Just disappointing. I thought we were in a good position in the end pushing Ross there at the end but I’m not sure what happened and we were spun. We battled through some issues today and we were pretty good in the end. I can’t wait to get to Dover.”

 
 
 

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.

CHEVROLET INDYCAR AT LONG BEACH: Team Chevy Race Report

By
Official Release
-

CHEVROLET IN NTT INDYCAR SERIES
ACURA GRAND PRIX OF LONG BEACH
STREETS OF LONG BEACH
LONG BEACH, CALIFORNIA
TEAM CHEVY RACE REPORT
APRIL 21, 2024

CHEVROLET FINISHES THE ACURA GRAND PRIX OF LONG BEACH WITH FIVE IN THE TOP-11

  • Josef Newgarden, driver of the No. 2 Hitachi Team Penske Chevrolet, led Team Chevy at the checkered flag in a tough Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach, finishing fourth his 200th career NTT INDYCAR SERIES event and 149th with Chevrolet. The two-time series champion and defending Indianapolis 500 winner led for 19 of the 85-lap race.
  • Will Power, Team Penske teammate to Newgarden and driver of the No. 12 Verizon Chevrolet, finished sixth, after showing strength and pace all weekend. He started the race in second position, on the Streets of Long Beach. The former champion and Indianapolis 500 winner took the lead in the first corner and led the race for 15 laps.
  • Rounding out the top-11 and representing Chevrolet, Romain Grosjean, driver of the No. 77 Juncos Hollinger Racing Chevrolet, finished eight, and Alexander Rossi, driver of the No. 7 Arrow McLaren Chevrolet finished 10th. Additionally, Théo Pourchaire, driving the No. 6 Arrow McLaren Chevrolet, finished 11th in his first NTT INDYCAR SERIES race after starting 22nd.
  • Pourchaire, the French rookie who was tapped to drive to fill in for injured David Malukas, had to opportunity to learn and prepare for Long Beach by spending a session in the Chevrolet simulator at the General Motors Tech Center in Charlotte.
  • Josef Newgarden paced the morning warm-up session for Team Chevy, finishing the 30-minute practice third with his fastest lap of 01:07.1814 seconds.

TEAM CHEVY TOP-10 RACE RESULTS:
4th Josef Newgarden
6th Will Power
8th Romain Grosjean
10th Alexander Rossi

WHAT THEY’RE SAYING:

Josef Newgarden, No. 2 Team Penske Chevrolet:

“It was just unfortunate to finish back. I was thinking we were going to get a run on (Scott) Dixon there. Just couldn’t quite get him. The Hitachi Chevrolet team did a great job. I can’t be more proud of the work we did. Fast car, great pit stops. They were aces all around. It was a good team effort. Top-five, we’ll have to take that today.”

On the incident with Colton Herta…

“That seems pretty black and white to me, but I’d ask the question to everybody else. If it were in the reverse, I’d expect to be penalized.”

A win and a pole are still pretty good so far. How do you feel on the progress so far this season?

“Yes, great. The team did amazing. Just amazing.”

Scott McLaughlin, No. 3 Team Penske Chevrolet:

“Obviously very disappointing to DNF with an Odyssey Battery Chevy that was so fast. I got us off on the wrong foot by missing a key corner in qualifying, losing a couple of tenths a second. We were much better than an 11th-place car in qualifying. Then you look at the race and we were on the same strategy as (Scott) Dixon and looked to be in a good spot for a solid day. The gearbox issue that ended our day was just the final straw. Again, disappointing to say the least but we head to Barber next looking for a second win there.”

Will Power, No. 12 Team Penske Chevrolet:

“Rough. We had an incredibly fast Verizon Chevy. Had a choice to take the yellow and take tires and have massive fuel save and go hard, but we made the most of what we had there. We didn’t have any green tires to run in those fuel save stints, so we didn’t have any defense against (Scott) Dixon. Otherwise, it would have been fine to do exactly what he did. Disappointing with how far we started up, but still a top-six. All you can do is maximize each day and move on to the next one.”

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

“First, I’m sorry to the Arrow McLaren team. I limited our ability to push for strong results today – at least for two cars. I take full responsibility for a rough race, but it will be a quick turn to Barber where we’ll re-group and look to bounce back.”

Théo Pourchaire, No. 6 Arrow McLaren Chevrolet:

“It was a crazy, crazy race. I enjoyed it. My first INDYCAR weekend is done now. We had a strong performance, so I’m super happy. I have to thank the onsemi Arrow McLaren Chevy team for the car. The car was awesome today. I was the biggest mover of the race, which is amazing from 22nd to 11th. Super happy with that. I have to thank the whole INDYCAR organization. The championship is amazing. The racing is here. Long Beach is a crazy good place, and I hope to be back in the future there. I learned much more in the race, it’s crazy. Every five laps in a row, many pit stops, out laps, in laps, saving fuel, overtaking cars, and I enjoyed it. The performance was great. It’s pure racing in INDYCAR. Physically, it’s tough. I’m quite tired right now, but it was a dream come true to do an INDYCAR race for me, with McLaren. Such a legendary brand and racing team. I’m quite emotional, but it’s amazing. I don’t realize it yet, but I’m super happy.”

Alexander Rossi, No. 7 Arrow McLaren Chevrolet:

“We had a tough weekend dealing with some unique situations. We made some good steps overnight, into the warm-up and into the race. There will always be a check-up when you start that far back and, unfortunately, Pato (O’Ward) didn’t have anywhere to go. It was just one of those accordion moments. We shifted into recovery mode from there and the team did a good job to hang in and get us into the top 10.”

Christian Rasmussen, No. 20 Ed Carpenter Racing Chevrolet:

“Yeah, it was tricky. I feel like we’ve had a good weekend so far. We’ve got up to speed quick in our practices. Not the qualifying we wanted, but the race was unfortunate. Tapped the wall out of (turn) 11. Thought the car was fine. My steering wheel was a little bit off, but I thought it was a bent toe link, but then when I went into (turn) four, I think it just completely snapped and it went around. Not how I wanted to end the day. I’m sorry to the boys, and it’s going to be a quick turnaround to Barber, but we’ll come back stronger.”

Rinus VeeKay, No. 21 Ed Carpenter Racing Chevrolet:

“That was a tough race. We chose to start on the greens, and I hoped I could pass some guys. Then, I felt like the pace was pretty good on greens. Unfortunately, lost a bit of time on that first pit sequence. Then, couldn’t really hold on all the way throughout that second stint on greens, but still pretty good I’d say. Then, at the end, there were some guys where everybody was on different strategy. Hoped to make up some more ground, but I really struggled on the blacks. It was just pretty hard to drive at that point. Still moved up, but wished I could’ve made it into the top-12 in the No. 21 Chevy.

Santino Ferrucci, No. 14 AJ Foyt Racing Chevrolet:

“The race was what it was. We took a gamble with the pit stops. Everyone can always Monday quarterback, but we kind of figured we either end up in the top-10 or 21st. We ended up 21st. The Sexton Properties Chevrolet is in one piece, and we move on to Barber.”

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

“We have concluded the Long Beach Grand Prix on somewhat of a high note. Really proud of the Sexton Properties Chevrolet team. We had some really good pit stops that were clean. We made up a few spots along the way on strategy and made up some spots in the end based off of that early racing stint and avoiding the attrition. Super proud of the team and super proud of the progress we made through the weekend. We needed a clean day, and today was that clean day. Now we can build momentum heading into Barber. I want to thank the Pray.com crew. We’re here pretty much on the front porch here in California, having them here with their support and cheers. We’re looking forward to the next one.”

Romain Grosjean, No. 77 Juncos Hollinger Racing Chevrolet:

“P16 to P8, it was a great Long Beach Grand Prix for us. Agustin (Canapino) had a great race as well. It was a great race for us as a team. We can be proud of that. We improved a lot from St. Pete, and I’m happy that we were able to show such a strong outing on the track. Can’t wait for next weekend in Barber.”

Agustin Canapino, No. 78 Juncos Hollinger Racing Chevrolet:

“Another 15th for us. We are really happy. The execution was really, really good. Unfortunately, the strategy wasn’t the best at the end. We had bad luck, honestly, with the strategy. The execution as perfect. Thanks to the whole team for the excellent pit stops. The pace was incredible. We finished 15th in a really difficult race. Very high level for everybody. Top-15, more points, and we are really happy. Hope for more in the next race.”

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.

Meyer Shank Racing Continues Early Momentum with Ninth-Place Run in Long Beach

By
Official Release
-

LONG BEACH, Calif., (21 April 2024) – Meyer Shank Racing (MSR) continued building on one of the early success stories of the 2024 NTT INDYCAR SERIES season as MSR newcomer Felix Rosenqvist started from pole and finished ninth in Sunday’s Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach. Teammate Tom Blomqvist experienced early damage to his front wing and played catch up to cross the line 22nd.

The weekend started with Rosenqvist’s No. 60 AutoNation / SiriusXM Honda atop the qualifying results as MSR earned its first series pole. On Sunday, the team set another team standard, as the ninth-place result added to MSR’s 25 career top ten finishes.

After leading one lap, Rosenqvist dropped off the lead, but stayed in the top five through the first half of the race as he managed an issue with his brakes. He stayed out with the lead group when a Lap 17 caution split the field in half from a fuel strategy standpoint, but ran with the leaders through the 85 trips around the 1.968-mile Long Beach street course.

The Swedish-born driver started the day’s final stint from 12th place, rejoining the fray after a stop on Lap 60. He fought his way towards the top five over the last 25 laps of the day before settling for a hard-fought ninth-place result.

His teammate Blomqvist (No. 66 AutoNation / Arctic Wolf Honda) had another afternoon of education in his rookie year of INDYCAR racing. The former IMSA Champion took the green flag from a career-best 15th on the grid. A typical Long Beach traffic jam caused Blomqvist to make contact, damaging the front wing. A Lap 17 caution period saw the team service the car to refuel and change tires as well as ascertain the damage ahead of making a nose change.

As the race went green, Blomqvist returned to the track in clean air as the team worked to optimize the fuel strategy as the race ran green all the way to the finish, with Blomqvist crossing the line 22nd.

Rosenqvist’s finish kept him in seventh in the provisional season standings after two championship events. His 50 points has him just 11 markers out of a spot in the top five.

MSR will trade the concrete canyons of Long Beach for the relatively open spaces of Barber Motorsports Park outside of Birmingham, Alabama as the series heads to the 2.3-mile permanent road course next week for the Children’s Grand Prix of Alabama.

Meyer Shank Racing Driver Quotes:

Felix Rosenqvist: “The opening segment is where we essentially lost the race. We had some issues with the brakes: they were running really hot, so I was really off on my bias and had to chase it. We really lacked braking performance, which meant I kept getting passed in turn one, inside and outside. Without braking confidence, you can’t protect and you can’t go forward. But the team did well despite that, we kept our heads cool – even though it sucked to go plummeting down the field. We are looking at the big picture and a top ten result for the team is still really great for us. Of course we would have liked to translate the pole into a win, but this is good momentum for everyone.”

Tom Blomqvist: “It was not a great day for us. It all went wrong at the start: we got stuck in a traffic jam at the fountain which did some damage to the wing. That messed things up a bit. It’s just one of those days in motorsport where you have to learn a lot so you don’t repeat those mistakes. We changed the wing, but we probably did it at the wrong time and that put us a lap down and our race was over. Though we’re obviously frustrated with how the weekend’s gone, we’ve got to take the small positives from it.”

CORVETTE RACING AT IMOLA: Points for Both TF Sport Corvettes

By
Official Release
-

Weather main factor in seventh-, eighth-place finishes in wild Six Hours of Imola

IMOLA, Italy (April 21, 2024) – TF Sport’s two Chevrolet Corvette Z06 GT3.Rs finished in points-paying positions Sunday with seventh- and eighth-place LMTGT3 finishes in the FIA World Endurance Championship’s Six Hours of Imola.

It marked the second race in the FIA WEC for the first-year Corvette GT3 car and first trip to Imola for the Corvette program. In the end, the results were positive: TF Sport was one of two teams in the class to have both its cars finish in the top-10, and Chevrolet was one of two manufacturers to have multiple entries finish eighth or better.

Charlie Eastwood, Tom Van Rompuy and Rui Andrade led the way for TF Sport with a seventh-place finish in the No. 81 Corvette Z06 GT3.R, one spot ahead of the No. 82 Corvette of Daniel Juncadella, Hiro Koizumi and Sebastien Baud.

The race featured seven full-course yellow periods – including two in the opening 40 minutes – and two safety car periods. There was chaos at the start with Van Rompuy getting the better of it by gaining four spots in his first two laps. He and Koizumi, who ran as high as ninth after starting 13th, drove nearly two hours at the start to firmly put both Corvettes inside the top-10 and eligible for points.

Andrade and Baud were up next, although they had the worst of changing weather conditions just past the halfway point. Both kept their Z06 GT3.Rs on track throughout their stints in the challenging conditions – other teams weren’t as fortunate – before TF Sport elected to be the first LMGT3 team to opt for wet-weather tires. The team made the switch with two hours to go as Eastwood and Juncadella got in their respective Corvettes. Unfortunately the high level of grip in the track meant laptimes didn’t significantly differ between those cars that changed to wet tires and those who stayed on warm slick tires.

The two Corvettes switched back to dry tires just outside the final hour but race traffic and a still-wet surface made challenging for the top-five too much to overcome.

TF Sport’s next race in the FIA WEC is the Six Hours of Spa on Saturday, May 11.

CHARLIE EASTWOOD, NO. 81 TF SPORT CHEVROLET CORVETTE Z06 GT3.R: “It was a very interesting race. Weather played a massive role in it. The TF guys did a great job in making the right calls. The track has such high grip that even when the guys were on slicks, they were still able to generate a lot of grip and temperature when we were on the wets. It balanced out basically the same although I probably had a nicer experience than they did. All in all, P7 in the end. Not what we want but it was a pretty solid race on our side. We know what we need to get closer to the front.”

TOM VAN ROMPUY, NO. 81 TF SPORT CHEVROLET CORVETTE Z06 GT3.R: “It was quite a hectic start of the race. A couple of GTs touched each other but I managed to surf through all the dangers and pick up three positions on the first lap. On the second lap, I think I found another position. We had a really good first and second stint with no issues. I really also tried to pay attention to track limits and tried to save a bit on the car in case we needed to fight later on. So we have a really good feeling.”

RUI ANDRADE, NO. 81 TF SPORT CHEVROLET CORVETTE Z06 GT3.R: “It was definitely difficult to the end. As a driver getting out soon, you have to give the team good information. It was so difficult because half the track was completely wet and half the track was completely dry. Those were very stressful last few moments in trying to decide what was the right tire to be on. We decided to go on wets but it was definitely tricky either way.”

DANI JUNCADELLA, NO. 82 CHEVROLET CORVETTE Z06 GT3.R: “It was a bit of a wild race for sure. It’s a shame. We were looking very strong in the mixed conditions when the track was very difficult. I made up a lot of ground. We gambled on the strategy with an hour to go because we saw a car in the gravel and I pitted with 57 minutes left, and normally a stint is 45 minutes. So I had to cruise to the end and saved a lot of fuel to make it to the finish. It didn’t pay off this time, but it was good fun out there in these conditions. I enjoyed it and enjoyed driving the Corvette again.”

SEBASTIEN BAUD, NO. 82 CHEVROLET CORVETTE Z06 GT3.R: “It was a crazy race. Our start with Hiro wasn’t too bad and we ran in the top-10. I felt really good in the first stint and I was happy with the car because I was fast. In my second stint, I was on the same tires with a full tank. It was much more difficult to push and I lost a little more time compared to my first stint. The feeling was very different because the car wasn’t the same driving with a full tank. Toward the end, we had a lot of rain in the last two corners but the first sector was dry. I had a little spin in the safety car queue but did not lose anything. But still it is not a mistake a good driver should make. I will continue to work with my engineer and my teammates to continue improving for the next race.”

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.

Cadillac at Imola: Hard-fought 10th-place finish

By
Official Release
-

No. 2 Cadillac V-Series.R advances two positions from qualifying to score first point

IMOLA, Italy (April 21, 2024) – The No. 2 Cadillac V-Series.R scored its first Hypercar point of the FIA World Endurance Championship (WEC) season, advancing two positions from its qualifying spot to place 10th in the 6 Hours of Imola.

A day after the sister No. 01 Cadillac V-Series.R and No. 31 Whelen Cadillac V-Series.R finished 1-2 in the WeatherTech SportsCar Championship sprint race on the streets of Long Beach, California, Alex Lynn and Earl Bamber combined to drive another solid race by managing traffic and tires under difficult track conditions.

Rain pelted sectors of the 3-mile (4.9 km), 21-turn Autodromo Internazionale Enzo and Dino Ferrari circuit, with Race Control declaring the course wet with 2 hours, 18 minutes left.

Lynn, who qualified seventh in the season-opening race last month at Qatar and was behind the wheel in the 12-minute qualifying at Imola, started the race and endured a damaged rear wing sustained at the green flag and a right-rear tire puncture from debris on his second stint that forced an unplanned pit stop.

With 3 hours, 23 minutes left, Lynn handed off to Bamber, who regained positions and was running 12th when the course was declared wet and the Safety Car on track for an incident. After pitting for Michelin wet tires with 2 hours, 4 minutes left, Bamber proceeded to gain three spots with on-track moves over the next 45 minutes.

Bamber would run on one set of wet tires for a total of 1 hours, 26 minutes until pitting for energy and used slick tires with 38 minutes remaining as the track dried and battles for position heated up.

Toyota spoiled the party for the “home” Hypercar entries by winning in Italy for the second consecutive year. Former Cadillac Racing drivers Mike Conway and Kamui Kobayashi teamed with Nyck de Vries in the No. 7 Toyota GRD10 to win by 7 seconds in the race that covered 205 laps.

The facility, which hosted its first race in 1953 and last Intercontinental Le Mans Cup — precursor of the WEC — race in 2011, replaced Monza on the WEC calendar this year as the latter is undergoing scheduled work.

Cadillac Racing will prepare for its next WEC race – May 10-12 at Spa-Francorchamps, where the No. 2 Cadillac V-Series.R qualified fourth and finished fifth in 2023. The race weekend is concurrent with the IMSA race at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca, where Sebastien Bourdais and Renger van der Zande will look to make it two wins in a row in the No. 01 Cadillac V-Series.R and successfully defend their victory from last May at the California road course.

Alex Lynn: “The start of the race first corner was quite busy and we unfortunately got hit from behind that caused some damage. Other than that, the pace seemed really strong. We also got a right-rear puncture, which was a shame. But I think today was by far our best day race-wise, so pleased with how we turned our weekend around a bit. Looking forward to Spa.”

Earl Bamber: “We had good pace and to get one point is a start to the championship after Qatar. The car was fantastic on the wet, and we made the most out of it. It’s always a gamble when you switch from wets to slicks when the forecast is uncertain and only sectors of the track are wet, so all the teams were challenged on what strategy to use. Thanks to the crew and everyone for their efforts. On to Spa.”

1...1,1161,1171,118...6,742Page 1,117 of 6,742