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RISI COMPETIZIONE DELIVERS HARD FOUGHT SECOND-PLACE FINISH AT 12 HOURS OF SEBRING

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Official Release
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Risi Competizione Ferrari 296 GT3 No. 62:

Davide Rigon (ITA)
Daniel Serra (BRA)
James Calado (GBR)

Sebring, Florida (March 16, 2024) … Today’s 72nd Annual Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring race was a true fight to the finish in multiple classes, including the GTD Pro class.

The No. 62 Risi Competizione Ferrari 296 GT3 was part of the drama at both the start and to the race end after 12 hours.

The Houston, Texas-based Ferrari team started from the fifth position in the GTD Pro class and qualifying/starting driver Davide Rigon was hit on the left side which pushed the Ferrari 296 GT3 to the right and into a spin off track in Turn 1. Fortunately, he survived without damage and got back on track to work his way back up through the field.

In the last 20 minutes of the race Brazilian Daniel Serra was the class leader. The top four GTD Pro contenders were battling for the top position. Serra was hit and bounced off track and came back on but in third, then fourth position. He kept pushing and managed to take back one spot, then another. At the checkered flag he had brought the No. 62 red Ferrari across the finish line in second place .121 seconds behind the class winning team.

Twelve cautions, nearly one every hour, kept the racing tight. The top nine GTD Pro car were all on the same lap.

Rigon drove early and late middle stints with Serra following him and finishing the race. Brit James Calado drove the middle of the race. All three Ferrari Competizioni factory GT drivers delivered hard and solid runs during a very eventful race and under hot conditions.

IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship’s Round 2 featured 58 cars total and 12 cars in the GTD Pro class at the 3.74-mile, 17-turn Sebring International Raceway circuit.

Team Owner Giuseppe Risi now boasts a victory at the Rolex 24 At Daytona and second place finish at the 12 Hours of Sebring in 2024 for his fan-favorite team in the Ferrari 296 GT3, the two biggest endurance races in the U.S. The Risi team now leads the IMSA championship points for the GTD Pro class.

The Risi Competizione team last stood on the Sebring podium in 2017 when they finished third with drivers Calado, Giancarlo Fisichella and Toni Vilander. The team has three victories at the historic Sebring circuit, in 2007, 2009 and 2010.

QUOTES:

Davide Rigon, starting driver, No. 62 Risi Competizione Ferrari 296 GT3:

“It was an amazing race. We finished in an amazing way. We were close to winning, and that was fantastic. Overall today was a positive day. Thanks to the team who did an amazing job and didn’t make any mistakes. I have to say thanks to Daniel for flying at the end and doing a superb job. Even though the Lexus overtook him it was an amazing job! James drove well too. We will enjoy the second place and get ready for next time.”

Daniel Serra, driver, No. 62 Risi Competizione Ferrari 296 GT3:

“Of course I feel a bit strange. We were leading and then I lost the lead and was back to P4, and then back to P2. There was a lot of fighting. It was a nice stint. Winning Daytona and finishing P2 here at Sebring is a good start of the season.”

James Calado, driver, No. 62 Risi Competizione Ferrari 296 GT3:

“It was a hectic race and full of typical IMSA action, which is nice and exciting. To finish P2 is obviously a great result but we wanted to win and came really close. Daniel did an amazing job, as did Davide, and I think everyone is really happy.”

Rigon and Serra will compete in the IMSA Michelin Endurance Challenge (IMEC) series with Risi Competizione for the balance of 2024. The next race is the 6 Hours of Watkins Glen, June 20-23 followed by the 6 Hours of Indianapolis at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, Sept. 20-22; and Petit Le Mans 10-hours at Road Atlanta, October 9-12.

Sponsors for the 2024 season for Risi Competizione for the Rolex 24 include Pennzoil, OMP Racing and the Ferrari of Ontario and Ferrari of Toronto dealerships.

For more information and social media about the team, please see www.risicompetizione.com and follow us on Facebook/RisiCompetizione and Twitter @RisiComp and on Instagram/RisiComp.

CORVETTE RACING AT SEBRING: AWA Leads Corvette Contingent at Finish

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Official Release
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SEBRING, Fla. (March 16, 2024) – The No. 13 AWA Chevrolet Corvette Z06 GT3.R led the contingent of first-year GT3 Corvettes at the end of Saturday’s Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring presented by Cadillac. The trio of Orey Fidani, Matt Bell and Lars Kern placed ninth in a 22-car GT Daytona (GTD) field at Sebring International Raceway in the second round of the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship.

Sebring was the second race for AWA as part of the Corvette program following a debut in January’s Rolex 24 At Daytona. The No. 13 trio completed 314 laps and finished on the lead GTD lap in a largely trouble-free run.

Fidani drove two stints in the early part of the race, including the opening laps after all four Corvettes started from the rear of the field due to a post-qualifying technical infraction. But the No. 13 Orlando Corporation Z06 GT3.R team steadily worked its way through the field and ran as high as third in class before a successful fight in the closing hour to maintain its top-10 finish.

The No. 3 Oshkosh/Mobil 1 Corvette Z06 GT3.R of Antonio Garcia, Alexander Sims and Daniel Juncadella looked as if it would take the honors as the highest-finishing Corvette in the race before being hit from behind and spun off track in the waning laps while running second in GTD PRO.

The biggest mover early was Sims, who started the race and went from ninth to first in the first 67 minutes to set the table for a race-long fight for the class win with a special Mobil 1 gold livery to mark the company’s 50th anniversary.

Garcia drove a double-stint before Juncadella put in a strong three-hour drive in the hottest part of the day as the No. 3 Corvette remained in the hear t of the fight. An untimely full-course yellow and an emergency pit stop for fuel with less than three hours to go pushed the team back down the order, but solid driving and strategy put Juncadella back into the lead inside the final 70 minutes.

Late-race chaos saw Juncadella jostled around by multiple cars, the final being the impact that knocked the No. 3 Corvette off the circuit with six minutes to go.

The No. 4 Corvette Racing by Pratt Miller Motorsports Z06 GT3.R lost time in the first half of the race trying to sort clutch issues while trying to remain in GTD PRO contention with servicing during pit stops. Near the halfway point, the team elected to change a clutch component and lost multiple laps in the process.

AWA’s second Corvette – the No. 17 Z06 GT3.R in GTD – retired early in the race with an electrical problem.

The next IMSA round for the Corvette Z06 GT3.R program is the Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach – featuring the GTD class – on April 20 from the Long Beach (Calif.) Street Circuit.

AWA POST-EVENT DRIVER QUOTES

MATT BELL, NO. 13 CHEVROLET CORVETTE Z06 GT3.R: “It was pretty intense out there. Obviously in Daytona we just had to circulate around a bit after that unfortunate start. It was good to be back in the GTD battle properly there. There was some intense battling, and I managed to fight my way from the back to P8, I think, so it was nice to be in the fight. We’re still really learning the car and optimizing things we learned in practice. Chevrolet and Pratt Miller have built an impressive piece of GT3 machinery. We’re still getting to grips with it a little bit, but as the race went on we jumped up and down the leaderboard and think at one point we were P3 after cycling through some stops. That was a proper, old-fashioned GTD stint doing some overtaking, which was nice to be in the fight. You’re always learning and you’re always pushing as well. We’re not just cycling around trying to be in school. We’re going as hard as we can.”

LARS KERN, NO. 13 CHEVROLET CORVETTE Z06 GT3.R: “It was a pretty tough race. It seems like we haven’t had the pace, so we need to figure out why. We didn’t have the pace to fight with the top guys so that was a bit frustrating. It was a hard race and really hot in the car. There were some little hiccups but didn’t have any penalties or any big incidents. So generally I’d say we executed pretty well. It’s good after Daytona to finish this race, gain some experience and move on.”

CORVETTE RACING BY PRATT MILLER MOTORSPORTS POST-EVENT DRIVER QUOTES

DANI JUNCADELLA, NO. 3 CHEVROLET CORVETTE Z06 GT3.R: “There were some pretty poor driving standards at the end from many cars. I just got fully rear-ended into the braking zone at Turn Three. I was just a passenger and there was nothing I could do. It’s a shame because we lost a podium probably – P2 or P3. Two corners before I got run wide by the Ferrari as well. It was very hectic out there and people were acting over-aggressive. It gets dark here and there’s not much (camera) footage so people start believing there are no rules. It was a bit too much. It’s a shame because after the last stop when we jumped everyone to the lead. I thought we maybe had it. But restarting through the GTD cars was a complete mess. I got overtaken before the green by the 14. We were lacking a little bit of top speed unfortunately late to fight the others. But the Z06 GT3.R was good and I was happy. I enjoyed the experience of returning to Sebring. It was just a bittersweet ending. We’ll analyze and get better for the next one.”

ALEXANDER SIMS, NO. 3 CHEVROLET CORVETTE Z06 GT3.R: “We struggled a little bit in practice, but at the end of Thursday we had a feeling that we understood what that was and qualifying seemed to go well. In that first race stint, it was good to just get into it. It seemed like the car’s pace throughout the whole stint was pretty strong. But I tried to be sensible as well and not take too many risks and be too crazy early in the race.”

ANTONIO GARCIA, NO. 3 CHEVROLET CORVETTE Z06 GT3.R: “It was a standard GTD race with a lot of warriors. The ABS in these cars allow people to throw it in and pray for the car to stop. It’s not ideal. It was a great job by Alex and Dani. We lost A/C from the third hour so it was very hard on us. It’s a shame we didn’t come out with a decent result. I’m not saying we deserved the win but I think we did deserve a strong result.”

TOMMY MILNER, NO. 4 CHEVROLET CORVETTE Z06 GT3.R: “It wasn’t too bad early. The mentality at the start here was not to do anything stupid, no matter what. On the very first laps, you needed be very easy. Obviously there was a lot of chaos in front of us, but the mindset was already pretty reserved anyway so it didn’t affect us. I had two good stints there. It was tough to race with some the other cars in our class.”

NICKY CATSBURG, NO. 4 CHEVROLET CORVETTE Z06 GT3.R: “To be honest, I think we had pretty good pace and were competitive. Unfortunately we ran into some issues with the clutch, so we kept losing time at the pit stops, and I had to stop twice on track. The pace is there but we were losing track position. We will keep plugging away at it and hopefully end up with a good result at the next race.”

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

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

Breakthrough Fourth place finish for Sean Creech Motorsport at Sebring

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Official Release
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#33 Joao Barbosa, Nolan Siegel, Jonny Edgar, Ligier LMP2 Sean Creech Motorsport, LMP2,

Florida-based team takes a significant step forward with the re-introduced Ligier JS P217

SEBRING, Fla. (16 March 2024) – Sean Creech Motorsport (SCM) made a significant step forward in Saturday’s Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring, putting its Ligier JS P217 into the top four in just the second IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship race for the re-introduced chassis – and in one of the world’s most grueling endurance races.

Lance Willsey, João Barbosa and Jonny Edgar achieved the team’s goal of putting the No. 33 SCM Focal One Ligier JS P217 in position to take a shot at a podium late in the race. Making steady progress throughout the weekend, the trio avoided – for the most part – most of the incidents that set back their LMP2 class competitors to bring home a fourth-place finish at the team’s home track, Sebring International Raceway.

Through three practices on Thursday – including night practice, required to certify Edgar and re-certify Willsey to run night laps during the race – the SCM team worked to find an ideal set up for a track that is notoriously fickle and very sensitive to temperature changes.

The team continues to write the database on the re-introduced Ligier JS P217, competing against teams that have utilized the Oreca chassis for years.

After the car qualified P13 for the 12-hour race on Friday, Willsey took the Saturday morning green flag and immediately settled into a rhythm, managing traffic and focusing forward. Recovering quickly from a early quick spin, Willsey pushed hard through the remainder of his double stint, coming into pit lane P7 and handed off to Barbosa. Over the next 90 minutes, the three-time Sebring winner laid down his typically quiet, consistent and efficient laps before pitting for four tires, fuel, and a change back to Willsey. With a lightning-fast stop by the crew, Willsey returned to action in third position. He was in the groove and pacing solid laps when the car ahead braked early into Turn 16 – Willsey spun avoiding an incident and the car stalled, requiring a complete systems reset, which put him two laps down.

“The car was so good, which makes the incident even more unfortunate,” said Willsey. “I was running my race and everything was going to plan. I don’t know if he didn’t see me or he braked very early, but I had to really get on the brakes trying to avoid hitting him and tearing up both cars. I spun and it just took a while to cycle through and get going again.”

Through the final six hours, Barbosa and Edgar traded stints, battling hard on Sebring’s unforgivingly bumpy surface. The team focused on strategy, aiming pit stops to overcome the lap deficit – and with just under three hours remaining, the No.33 Ligier was back on the lead lap and aiming forward, reaching sixth position ahead of the penultimate driver change.

Barbosa continued to press hard as night fell, with Edgar jumping in for the final hour. Running laps competitive with the rest of the LMP2 field, he held eighth position – with the top eight running nose to tail. Coming into pit lane for a final top off of fuel at the end of a caution late, Edgar stormed back on track, making smart passes and staying out of trouble, bringing home a fourth-place finish.

“This was a great result for the team,” said Edgar. “We’re continuing to develop the car and we made a good jump this week. The car was definitely better than where we had it on Thursday, and compared to Daytona, we seemed more competitive as well. The team did a great job with the strategy to get the laps back when we needed to and then at the end, hitting the fuel stop at exactly the right time. The car was really good at night, so job one is really digging in to understand why. If we can repeat that consistently, I think we can have good results.

“I know I’m saying exactly what Lance and Jonny said, but the car really was quite good,” said Barbosa. “Super proud of the entire team for all the hard work since Daytona, and with a great strategy today, we all just kept fighting. We are still working on straight line speed but it’s easy to see that the progress is there – from Daytona, and from tests we did here at Sebring over the past few months. I was able to push the car and it responded well, and everything we learned today is added to the database.”

“I’m not usually prone to celebrating a P4 but I think that, given the challenges that we have undertaken, with limited testing and facing some teething pains and challenges at Daytona, this is a definite positive,” said Willsey. “I think it is a testament once again to the hard work and the dedication of this team and the drivers. It was a true team effort.”

Team principal Sean Creech echoed Willsey’s words at the end of 12 grueling hours of racing.

“I couldn’t be prouder of this entire team,” said Creech. “We were two laps down but at no time did a single team member back off the gas. We have a huge amount of information to sort through from this entire weekend but today, we definitely placed a good number of positives into the information database going forward. We set laps close to the Orecas around us, so we know we are moving in the right direction.”

SCM thanks partner Focal One for its continued support.

Next up for SCM will be the Sahlen’s Six Hours at the Glen at Watkins Glen International, June 20-23, 2024. The race will be broadcast live in the U.S. on Peacock and USA Network. International viewers can watch via IMSA.TV, with IMSA Radio also available at IMSA.com.

About SCM

Team leader Sean Creech has competed in a multitude of sports car series from 1990 until the present day, including Group C, IMSA GTP, WSC, Grand-Am, SRO World Challenge, and IMSA. SCM will contest the full WeatherTech SportsCar Championship in 2024 with João Barbosa and Lance Willsey. http://seancreechmotorsport.com/

About Focal One

One in eight men will be diagnosed with prostate cancer during their lifetime in the United States. The Focal One® HIFU Prostate treatment offers patients a non-invasive outpatient procedure to target prostate tissue while avoiding the common side effects such as loss of urinary continence and sexual function. The Focal One treatment uses high-performance, high-intensity focused ultrasound (HIFU) to precisely target and ablate the prostate, allowing patients to quickly return to normal activities. http://www.focalone.com/

SCM Social Media

Instagram: @seancreechms
Twitter: @SeanCreechMS
Threads: @seancreechms
Facebook: Sean Creech Motorsport

Cadillac claims 2nd runner-up of young season

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Official Release
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No. 01 Cadillac V-Series.R fights to end; Derani uninjured in incident while leading

SEBRING, Fla. (March 16, 2024) – In the usual ebb and flow of the Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring Presented by Cadillac, six-time INDYCAR champion Scott Dixon summarized: “You’re never out of it until you’re out of it.”

The No. 01 Cadillac V-Series.R, whose prospects for victory were dashed the past two years by not going the distance after starting on the front row, challenged for the victory to the checkered flag Saturday night.

Drivers Sebastien Bourdais, Renger van der Zande and Dixon, the Chip Ganassi Racing team and Cadillac Racing engineers combined to lead the Grand Touring Prototype (GTP) entry to second place at Sebring International Raceway. It is the second runner-up finish of the young IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship season for Cadillac Racing. The No. 31 Whelen Cadillac V-Series.R placed second in the Rolex 24 At Daytona in January.

Cadillac, the reigning GTP Manufacturer champion, is tied for the lead through the two races.

“Congratulations to Cadillac Racing team and the No. 01 Cadillac V-Series.R on their podium in the Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring Presented by Cadillac. Every member of the team can be very proud of their efforts on preparing the racecar for success, from both a technology and durability standpoint,” said John Roth, Global Vice President, Cadillac.

“For more than a century, racing has provided a testbed for Cadillac to transfer knowledge and technology between racecars and production vehicles, and our V-Series portfolio demonstrates how we seamlessly bring lessons from the track to the road. The second place today showcases the remarkable capabilities and determination of the Cadillac Racing team.”

Bourdais drove the final 2 hours, 12 minutes, negotiating the 3.741-mile, 17-turn course and traffic under the lights, holding off GTP challengers on three restarts and over the closing laps while meeting an energy number. Bourdais was overtaken by the No. 40 Acura on newer tires with 5 minutes left. The cars bumped several times, with the No. 40 going on to win by 0.891 seconds and end Cadillac’s three-year hold on the overall trophy.

For the second consecutive IMSA GTP race – and second year in a row at Sebring — Cadillac Racing locked out the front row in qualifications. Both the pole-sitting No. 31 Whelen Cadillac V-Series.R and No. 01 Cadillac V-Series.R started strong, leading all but 10 of the 148 laps through the initial four hours and the No. 31 Whelen Cadillac V-Series.R pacing the 11-car GTP field at the halfway point. The No. 01 Cadillac V-Series.R led a field-high 97 laps and the No. 31 Whelen Cadillac V-Series.R led 79.

The fortunes of the pole-winning and race-leading No. 31 Whelen Cadillac V-Series.R were turned upside down with 4 hours, 35 minutes left when it was involved in an incident that forced its retirement.

Reigning GTP champion Pipo Derani was 12 seconds clear of his closest competitor when his car made slight contact in Turn 10 while overtaking a GTD car, sending the prototype nose-first into the tire barrier and rolling on its hood. Derani was checked and released from the infield care center.

“First and foremost, we are glad that Pipo was able to walk away from the incident under his own power, and that has been evaluated and released from the infield care center. That is what is most important,” said Jim Campbell, GM U.S. Vice President, Performance and Motorsports. “The construction of the Cadillac V-Series.R, its safety systems and Sebring’s trackside safety elements all did their job to keep Pipo safe. With the uncertain condition of the engine and hybrid system, we made the decision with the team to retire the No. 31 Cadillac.”

Cadillac Racing will look to return to the podium April 20 at Long Beach, where it has won five times on the 1.9-mile street course since entering IMSA prototype competition in 2017.

No. 01 Cadillac V-Series.R

Sebastien Bourdais: “I gave it all I had. The 40 car was out of sync and they put new tires on at the last stop and we didn’t because we didn’t have time for that and they just came like a rocket at the end. I’m a little disappointed that it turned into a bumper car contest at the end. I’m glad we got out of it because we could have picked up four or five punctures along the way. Obviously disappointed for the whole group and Cadillac because we had a really strong day. It was not as straightforward as we wanted, but up front most of it. It always hurts to get done like this in the closing laps. But it’s racing.”

Renger: van der Zande: “The battle there at the end is good for the show. I thought with six minutes to go, we were in a good position to get that win. I am obviously disappointed but at the same time very proud of the team and Cadillac. We’ll continue to be in the hunt to win other races this year, but this one for now stings. Second place in my 100th IMSA start is not bad.”

Scott Dixon: “It’s always an action-packed race. I had a ton of run out there. It was definitely up and down. We had an electronic issue that we were trying to debug. We got that sorted after falling back and clawed our way back up to second and then took the lead. The car had good speed. You never know; you always think you’re in this race and it can change quickly. You’re never out of it until you’re out of it. Glad Pipo (Derani) is OK. That’s a testament to the safety of these cars.”

No. 31 Whelen Cadillac V-Series.R

Pipo Derani: “The Dallara Cadillac is a strong car. It’s one of those days that things go upside down, literally. It’s just a shame because we had a really strong car and our race was going strong. There was nothing I could have done and the wall came pretty quickly. The moment I was headed to the wall I knew the race was over. First time for me flipping a racer. Not the nicest feeling to be upside down until they can turn the car around. Good that I’m racing in 2024 and not in the ‘60s. I felt I was OK, just a little annoying when you try to open the door and you can’t. Luckily, everything was OK and the safety crew was there quite quickly and I was giving them signs I was OK. In general, I think the tire barrier got the most of the impact. (Navigating GTD traffic) I was 12 seconds ahead, I think, and everything was running smooth. We overtake thousands and thousands of cars. It’s one of those moments maybe he didn’t see, let go a little bit and there I was. Maybe I was expecting him to hold his line to the right; I was going to go on the left. It’s just one of those situations where it happens where you don’t have any chance at thinking or reacting. It’s part of multi-class racing. Our championship took a little hit with this one, but we have a strong car. We have more races to go. I wish I could have tried for my fifth win (at Sebring). I’ll have to try again next year.”

BLANEY WILL LEAD NASCAR CUP SERIES FIELD TO GREEN FROM THE POLE IN SUNDAY’S FOOD CITY 500 AT BRISTOL MOTOR SPEEDWAY

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Official Release
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BRISTOL, Tenn. (March 16, 2024) – Defending NASCAR Cup Series champion Ryan Blaney earned the pole during Bush’s Beans Qualifying for Sunday’s Food City 500 (3:30 p.m., FOX, PRN Radio) with a qualifying best lap of 123.253 mph, covering Bristol Motor Speedway’s challenging concrete half-mile in 15.568 seconds in his No. 12 Team Penske machine.

Blaney, 30, the track-record holder at Bristol with a speed of 132.075 mph set in April 2019, is still looking for his first Bristol Cup win. Blaney has victories in both Xfinity and Trucks at the demanding Tennessee short track, but would love to add a Bristol Cup win to his resume.

If he does win tomorrow, he would join an elite list of drivers including Kyle Busch Joey Logano, Brad Keselowski, Kevin Harvick, Carl Edwards and Mark Martin as drivers who have won in all three of NASCAR’s major touring series at Thunder Valley.

“I can’t remember the last time I qualified first,” said Blaney of his 10th career pole in his 311th Cup Series race and first pole since 2022 in Richmond, Virginia.

“The track kind of caught everybody by surprise,” Blaney said. “The time fall-off and the grip loss behind the wheel was incredible. It was like ‘Who cannot mess up a lap and still put a decent time down?’

“It was a challenging day out there trying to figure out what the car was doing and what the track was doing…. It was a fun, super-neat thing to try and figure out. It’s cool that we were able to finish off a fun day by qualifying first.”

Rookie Josh Berry will start on the outside front row for the first time in his Cup Series career as he powered his No. 4 Stewart-Haas Racing machine to a second-best performance of 124.792 mph.

The second row will be comprised of last year’s Night Race winner Denny Hamlin and three-time BMS Cup winner Joey Logano. Chase Elliott will start fifth in his No. 9 Hendrick Motorsports Chevy.

“There’s going to be a lot of people out there really scratching their heads tonight, trying to figure out what the track is going to be like tomorrow with the race,” Blaney said. “I’m gonna watch this truck race tonight and see what happens there and we will go from there.”

TRUCK NO. 1 QUALIFIER: Christian Eckes led the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series field Saturday afternoon to win the pole during Bush’s Beans Qualifying for tonight’s WEATHER GUARD Truck Race.

Eckes, 23, drove his No. 19 Chevy to the top spot with a performance of 126.888 mph (15.122 seconds) to grab the spot over Nick Sanchez, who will start on the outside of the front row in his No. 2 Chevy after his qualifying attempt of 126.212 mph.

This is Eckes’ seventh career pole and second at Bristol.

Taylor Gray, Cup Series regular Kyle Busch, who has five Truck victories at Bristol in his career, former Bristol winner Ty Majeski and red-hot breakthrough winner Rajah Caruth rounded out the top five in qualifying.

NASCAR Cup Series Qualifying – Food City 500 Starting Lineup
Bristol Motor Speedway
Bristol, Tennessee
Saturday, March 16, 2024

(12) Ryan Blaney, Ford, 124.954 mph.
(4) Josh Berry #, Ford, 124.792 mph.
(11) Denny Hamlin, Toyota, 124.178 mph.
(22) Joey Logano, Ford, 123.746 mph.
(9) Chase Elliott, Chevrolet, 122.882 mph.
(14) Chase Briscoe, Ford, 122.858 mph.
(34) Michael McDowell, Ford, 122.108 mph.
(24) William Byron, Chevrolet, 121.666 mph.
(23) Bubba Wallace, Toyota, 121.612 mph.
(5) Kyle Larson, Chevrolet, 114.603 mph.
(19) Martin Truex Jr., Toyota, 0.000 mph.
(20) Christopher Bell, Toyota, 0.000 mph.
(21) Harrison Burton, Ford, 0.000 mph.
(8) Kyle Busch, Chevrolet, 0.000 mph.
(43) Erik Jones, Toyota, 0.000 mph.
(71) Zane Smith #, Chevrolet, 0.000 mph.
(6) Brad Keselowski, Ford, 0.000 mph.
(7) Corey LaJoie, Chevrolet, 0.000 mph.
(54) Ty Gibbs, Toyota, 0.000 mph.
(31) Daniel Hemric, Chevrolet, 0.000 mph.
(2) Austin Cindric, Ford, 0.000 mph.
(10) Noah Gragson, Ford, 0.000 mph.
(45) Tyler Reddick, Toyota, 0.000 mph.
(38) Todd Gilliland, Ford, 0.000 mph.
(41) Ryan Preece, Ford, 0.000 mph.
(42) John Hunter Nemechek, Toyota, 0.000 mph.
(47) Ricky Stenhouse Jr., Chevrolet, 0.000 mph.
(99) Daniel Suarez, Chevrolet, 0.000 mph.
(48) Alex Bowman, Chevrolet, 0.000 mph.
(16) AJ Allmendinger(i), Chevrolet, 0.000 mph.
(3) Austin Dillon, Chevrolet, 0.000 mph.
(51) Justin Haley, Ford, 0.000 mph.
(15) Kaz Grala #, Ford, 0.000 mph.
(17) Chris Buescher, Ford, 0.000 mph.
(77) Carson Hocevar #, Chevrolet, 0.000 mph.
(1) Ross Chastain, Chevrolet, 0.000 mph.

Toyota Racing – NCTS Bristol Post-Race Report – 03.16.24

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Official Release
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TWO TRICON TOP-10’s IN BRISTOL
Corey Heim, Taylor Gray add to their top-10 tallies

BRISTOL, Tenn. (March 16, 2024) – Corey Heim (sixth) and Taylor Gray (seventh) led Toyota with top-10 finishes in the NASCAR Truck Series race at Bristol Motor Speedway on Saturday evening.

Dating to last season’s spring race at Bristol, Heim continued his impressive top-10 streak. The Toyota Development Driver has now finished in the top-10, 19 of his last 20 Truck Series starts.

With his seventh-place finish following back-to-back fourth-place runs at Atlanta and Las Vegas, Gray has now earned three consecutive top-10 finishes for the first time in his Truck Series career.

Toyota Racing Post-Race Recap
NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series
Bristol Motor Speedway
Race 4 of 23 – 250 Laps, 133.25 Miles

TOYOTA FINISHING POSITIONS

1st, Christian Eckes*

2nd, Kyle Busch*

3rd, Zane Smith*

4th, Matt Crafton*

5th, Tyler Ankrum*

6th, COREY HEIM

7th, TAYLOR GRAY

15th, TANNER GRAY

21st, WILLIAM SAWALICH

22nd, STEWART FRIESEN

23rd, DEAN THOMPSON

24th, TIMMY HILL

36th, JUSTIN CARROLL

*non-Toyota driver

TOYOTA QUOTES

COREY HEIM, No. 11 Safelite Toyota Tundra TRD Pro, TRICON Garage

Finishing Position: 6th

Solid top-10, but know you wanted more. Can you talk about your race tonight?

“Yeah, we kind of made something out of nothing, I guess. We didn’t qualify well, and we knew that would be the name of the game as part of track position goes. It was an uphill climb from the start. It’s really disappointing to not get any stage points, and come up short of a top-five, but most importantly come up short of a win. Huge thanks to Safelite, TRICON Garage, Toyota Racing for all they do. I feel like we put ourselves in a good spot – just didn’t have the raw speed and didn’t have the track position. We have to keep working on it and get better.”

TAYLOR GRAY, No. 17 Factory Canopies Toyota Tundra TRD Pro, TRICON Garage

Finishing Position: 7th

Battled damage early, and came back for a top-10. Can you describe your race?

“Definitely a little bit of a roller coaster of a day. We had a really fast Factory Canopies Toyota Tundra TRD Pro, just struggling with other people’s mistakes. But overall, like I told my crew chief Jeff Hensley, we are pissed off and we finished seventh – so we still had a decent points day. We have to move on and hold our heads high. We will move on to COTA and have a strong run, and have a strong run at Martinsville and Texas, and so forth. Really proud of all of my TRICON Garage guys, just have to keep moving forward.”

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.

Improving your Car’s Interior for Cleanliness, Storage, and Style

By
SM
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Photo by Viktor Theo on Unsplash

Most of the time spent in your car will be in the driver’s seat. An often-overlooked set of upgrades is with the interior of your vehicle. Not only do they improve the aesthetic of your vehicle, but they also significantly contribute to comfort, functionality, personalization, and cleanliness. From practical additions like waterproof floor mats, and storage, to stylish accessories like steering wheel covers and badges, there’s a myriad of options available to improve your car’s interior to your heart’s desire.

Cleanliness

One of the most overlooked yet essential interior upgrades for any vehicle is a set of high-quality floor mats. These mats serve as the best line of defense against dirt, moisture, and debris that can accumulate over time, compromising the cleanliness and appearance of your car’s interior carpet.

EVA car floor mats are specifically designed to repel water, dirt, and grime and prevent them from the carpeting beneath. This safeguards your car’s interior from stains, mold, and unpleasant odors. Most specialized floor mats are high quality, easily cleaned, and customized to fit your car perfectly.

Additionally, seat covers can also be incredibly useful for keeping your car clean. Many of you who work a job that compromises your clothing will want a seat cover to shield your car’s expensive leather from your everyday grime.

Seat Bags & Storage

For those who frequently find themselves on the go or need a plethora of tools, maintaining a clutter-free interior can be a challenge. Behind-the-seat bags and storage solutions like trunk organizers offer a practical solution to keep your belongings organized and easily accessible inside your car.

From compact organizers that fit snugly behind seats to larger cargo nets and bins designed to maximize trunk space, there’s a wide array of options to suit every need and preference. Whether you need to store groceries, sports equipment, tools, or emergency supplies, these accessories help optimize the available space in your vehicle while minimizing clutter.

Moreover, many seat bags and storage solutions feature durable construction, multiple compartments, and adjustable straps for secure attachment, ensuring both versatility and durability.

Personal Flair

Beyond the realm of practicality, interior car upgrades also offer an opportunity to inject personality and style into your vehicle, much like your home. Accessories such as badges, stickers, decals, and steering wheel covers serve as subtle yet impactful embellishments that reflect your individual taste and preferences.

Badges, emblems, and decals allow you to customize your car’s exterior and interior with logos, slogans, or symbols that resonate with you. There are even many artists online who can make a custom decal of your exact choosing.

Similarly, steering wheel covers come in a variety of materials, colors, and designs, allowing you to add a touch of luxury, comfort, or sportiness to your driving experience. Whether you prefer the soft, supple feel of leather, the enhanced grip of silicone, or the vibrant look of patterned fabric, a steering wheel cover can transform the look and feel of your car’s interior in an instant.

Conclusion

Interior car upgrades offer a myriad of opportunities to improve the comfort, functionality, and style of your vehicle. From practical additions like EVA floor mats and seat storage solutions to stylish accessories like badges and steering wheel covers, there’s no shortage of options to suit every taste and preference.

By investing in these upgrades, you can not only protect your car’s interior from wear and tear but also create a personalized and inviting space that reflects your unique personality.

Ryan Blaney scores Busch Light Pole at Bristol

By
Angie Campbell
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Photo by Chad Wells for SpeedwayMedia.com.

Ryan Blaney captured the Busch Light Pole Award at Bristol Motor Speedway Saturday evening with a lap time of 15.356 seconds at 124.954 mph in his No. 12 Team Penske Ford. It is his first pole at Bristol and the 10th of his career.

Qualifying was challenging as the resin on the inside lane of the concrete track seemed to deteriorate quickly, providing significantly less grip from start to finish during the session.

“Proud of this whole Menards group”, Blaney said. “Our Ford Mustang was fast all day – really good in Round 1 [of qualifying] and made some adjustments for the second round. The track really caught everybody by surprise, honestly. The time fall-off and grip loss behind the wheel was incredible, it was huge. So it was, like, who could not mess up a lap and still put a decent time down?

“That was fun, it was fun working through it. I wish I could do it over again and try to make our car even better because I think there was still some more out there. Proud of everybody at Menards, Ford, Advance Auto Parts, DEX Imaging, Wabash, Wurth and everybody that makes it possible. It’s cool to get our first pole of the year and excited to get going tomorrow.”

“The track kind of caught everybody by surprise,” Blaney said. “The time fall-off and the grip loss behind the wheel was incredible. It was like, ‘Who can not mess up a lap and still put a decent time down?’ Great to get our first pole of the year, and ready to go tomorrow.”

Stewart-Haas Racing’s Josh Berry was second fastest in the No. 4 Ford (124.792 mph) and will start beside Blaney on the front row, claiming his best Cup Series career start.

“It means a lot,” Berry said after qualifying. “Obviously being at Bristol that’s really cool, but anywhere at this point it would mean a lot. These guys have been working really hard and they kept me jacked up and we’ve been putting in the work trying to get better. We just need a mistake-free day tomorrow. If we do that, we’ll be in contention.”

Denny Hamlin was third quickest (124.178 mph) in the No. 11 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota, followed by Team Penske’s Joey Logano (123.746 mph) in the No. 22 Ford and Chase Elliott (122.882 mph) in the No. 8 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet.

Chase Briscoe, Michael McDowell, William Byron, Bubba Wallace and Kyle Larson rounded out the top 10 in the qualifying session.

The green flag for the Food City 500 is set for 3:47 p.m. ET Sunday and will be televised on FOX with radio coverage provided by PRN and SiriusXM Radio.

Starting Lineup for the Food City 500

  1. 1. Ryan Blaney
  2. 2. Josh Berry (R)
  3. 3. Denny Hamlin
  4. 4. Joey Logano
  5. 5. Chase Elliott
  6. 6. Chase Briscoe
  7. 7. Michael McDowell
  8. 8. William Byron
  9. 9. Bubba Wallace
  10. 10. Kyle Larson
  11. 11. Martin Truex Jr.
  12. 12. Christopher Bell
  13. 13. Harrison Burton
  14. 14. Kyle Busch
  15. 15. Erik Jones
  16. 16. Zane Smith (R)
  17. 17. Brad Keselowski
  18. 18. Corey LaJoie
  19. 19. Ty Gibbs
  20. 20. Daniel Hemric
  21. 21. Austin Cindric
  22. 22. Noah Gragson
  23. 23. Tyler Reddick
  24. 24. Todd Gilliland
  25. 25. Ryan Preece
  26. 26. John Hunter Nemechek
  27. 27. Ricky Stenhouse Jr.
  28. 28. Daniel Suarez
  29. 29. Alex Bowman
  30. 30. A.J. Allmendinger
  31. 31. Austin Dillon
  32. 32. Justin Haley
  33. 33. Kaz Grala (R)
  34. 34. Chris Buescher
  35. 35. Carson Hocevar (R)
  36. 36. Ross Chastain

Eckes fends off Busch to capture his first Truck Series victory at Bristol

By
Andrew Kim
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Photo by Chad Wells for SpeedwayMedia.com.

Six months after having a victory at Bristol Motor Speedway slip from within his grasp after a dominant performance, Christian Eckes settled his score with the Last Great Coliseum with a redemptive victoryWeather Guard Truck Race at Bristol Motor Speedway on Saturday, March 16, following a late battle against former team owner Kyle Busch. 

It was his first win of the season, his first at Bristol, and his sixth career victory.

“Oh, man, it’s so sweet,” Eckes said. “There’s just so much behind this win from last year, missing out on the Championship 4 and losing the race with (six) to go.

“To come back and redeem ourselves was our number one goal, and not only that, but the first three races (of this season), how terribly they’ve gone. We had a lot of issues, and to come back and run really good just shows the resilience of the team.”

The 23-year-old Eckes from Middletown, New York, led twice for a race-high 144 of 250-scheduled laps in his No. 19 McAnally Hilgemann Racing Silverado after starting on the pole and leading the first 52 laps before Busch overtook him. After spending most of the event trailing Busch, Eckes seized an opportunity during a restart period with 98 laps remaining to make contact with Busch. A heated battle for the lead ensued and two laps later Eckes overtook Busch to reclaim the lead.

Then during a late caution period with 32 laps remaining, Eckes, who retained the lead over Busch and Matt Crafton amid lapped traffic, capitalized on the final restart period. With 24 laps remaining, he drove away from the field and beat Busch to the finish line by a tenth of a second to claim his first NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series victory of the 2024 season. 

With on-track qualifying that determined the starting lineup on Saturday, Eckes captured his first Truck pole position of the 2024 season after posting a pole-winning lap at 126.888 mph in 15.122 seconds. Joining him on the front row was Nick Sanchez, who posted the second-fastest qualifying lap at 126.212 mph in 15.203 seconds. 

Prior to the event, Mason Maggio dropped to the rear of the field due to unapproved adjustments on his entry. 

When the green flag waved and the race started, Eckes rocketed ahead of Sanchez and Kyle Busch for the lead through the first two turns. With Sanchez getting loose in Turn 3 and nearly stacking up the field, Eckes led the first lap over Busch. Eckes would retain the lead over Sanchez and Busch through the first five scheduled laps. l

On the sixth lap, the event’s first caution period occurred after Matt Mills spun on the frontstretch, though he proceeded without sustaining any significant damage to his Niece Motorsports entry. 

When the event restarted under green on Lap 12, Eckes used the outside lane to his advantage for a second time as he muscled away from Sanchez through the first two turns while Taylor Gray tried to follow suit. Gray overtook Sanchez for the runner-up spot during the following lap as Busch, Rajah Caruth and Ty Majeski followed suit. Amid the early battles, Eckes stretched his advantage to six-tenths of a second by the Lap 15 mark and to a second by the Lap 20 mark, over Gray. 

Through the first 30 scheduled laps, Eckes led by nearly a second over Gray with Sanchez, Busch and Majeski completing the top five. Zane Smith was in sixth place followed by Tyler Ankrum, Kaden Honeycutt, Rajah Caruth and Ben Rhodes while Grant Enfinger, Chase Purdy, Corey Heim, Daniel Dye and Connor Jones were running in the top 15 ahead of Jake Garcia, Tanner Gray, Matt Crafton, Bayley Currey and William Sawalich. 

Fourteen laps later, the caution flew after Stefan Parsons made contact with Keith McGee entering the backstretch resulting in McGee making contact with runner-up Taylor Gray before he spun toward the bottom of the track. The incident occurred as both McGee and Parsons were lapped by Eckes. During the caution period, some of the drivers pitted, including Jake Garcia, Tanner Gray, Bayley Currey, Layne Riggs, Sawalich and Ty Dillon while the rest of the field, led by Eckes remained on the track. 

During the following restart period on Lap 52, Kyle Busch used the inside lane to his advantage as he managed to overtake Eckes through the backstretch to assume the lead. Then, Eckes was challenged by Sanchez for second place. Busch retained the lead during the Lap 55 mark and the Lap 60 mark. 

When the first stage period concluded on Lap 65, Busch captured his second stage victory of the 2024 Truck season. Eckes settled in second followed by Sanchez, Majeski and Zane Smith while Taylor Gray, Ankrum, Rhodes, Honeycutt and Enfinger were scored in the top 10. 

Under the stage break, some including Taylor Gray, Caruth, Corey Heim, Connor Jones and Ty Dillon pitted while the rest led by Busch remained on the track. Amid the pit stops, Caruth, who slid through his pit box, was issued an improper driver assist. 

The second stage period started on Lap 76 as Busch and Eckes occupied the front row. Busch retained the lead as Eckes was being pressured from behind by Sanchez and Majeski. As teammates Ankrum and Zane Smith battled for fifth place in front of Ben Rhodes, Busch slowly started to stretch his advantage just past the Lap 80 mark. 

Just past the Lap 100 mark, Busch was leading by two-tenths of a second over Eckes followed by Sanchez, Majeski, Ankrum, Zane Smith, Rhodes, Stewart Friesen, Crafton and Riggs as Honeycutt, Enfinger, Purdy, Daniel Dye and Sawalich pursued in the top 15. 

Ten laps later, Busch retained the lead by four-tenths of a second over Eckes while Sanchez, Majeski and Zane Smith were running in the top five. Busch would continue to lead by four-tenths of a second over Eckes by the Lap 120 mark. 

When the second stage period concluded on Lap 130, Busch, who was mired in lapped traffic, captured his second stage victory of the night and the third of his part-time Truck campaign. Sanchez prevailed in a late battle over Eckes for second while Majeski, Zane Smith, Ankrum, Friesen, Crafton, Rhodes and Riggs were scored in the top 10. 

During the stage break, the lead lap field led by Busch pitted for service. Following the pit stops, Busch retained the lead over the field after he exited pit road first. Amid the pit stops, Sawalich was penalized for speeding on pit road while Caruth was deemed to have pitted outside of his pit box. In addition, Sanchez would pit his Rev Racing entry for a second time as he was mired towards the rear of the field. 

With 108 laps remaining, the final stage commenced as Busch and Eckes occupied the front row. At the start, Busch moved in front of Eckes as he transitioned from the outside to the inside lane to retain the lead. Eckes fended off teammate Ankrum as he pursued Busch for the lead. Another lap later, however, the caution returned. Majeski, who was battling Ankrum for third place, got loose and spun entering the backstretch before he was hit by teammate Ben Rhodes, with both ThorSport Racing competitors making contact with the inside wall while the rest of the field scattered and slammed on the brakes to avoid the chaos. 

The next restart period came with 98 laps remaining and featured Busch and Eckes briefly battling for the lead through the first two turns and the backstretch until Busch cleared Eckes entering the frontstretch. Eckes, however, fought back on the inside lane and attempted to overtake Busch through Turns 3 and 4. Then, Eckes slipped sideways and made contact with Busch, sending Busch nearly sideways entering the frontstretch. Busch, however, recovered and kept the lead.  

With 92 laps remaining, however, Eckes drove his No. 19 NAPA Chevrolet Silverado RST past Busch’s No. 7 Group 1001 Chevrolet Silverado RST entering the backstretch, to regain the lead. Shortly after, Matt Crafton would draw his No. 88 Menards Ford F-150 close to Busch’s entry in a battle for the runner-up spot, all while Eckes stretched his advantage to eight-tenths of a second with 85 laps remaining.  

With 75 laps remaining, Eckes was leading by seven-tenths of a second over Busch as Crafton, Zane Smith and Ankrum were running within less than five seconds of one another in the top five. Behind, Enfinger was in sixth place while Heim, Riggs, Friesen and Taylor Gray were in the top 10. 

Fifteen laps later, Eckes stretched his advantage to more than a second over Busch while Crafton trailed in third place by less than two seconds. Eckes’ advantage, however, shrank to half a second over Busch with less than 45 laps remaining.  

Then with 32 laps remaining, the caution flew after Sanchez and Friesen, who were running in the top 10, made contact entering the frontstretch amid pressure by Busch and Crafton for the lead.    

With 24 laps remaining, the race restarted under green as Eckes drove away from Busch on the outside lane to retain the lead. Amid the late battles ensuing behind, Eckes would maintain his advantage with 20 laps remaining and with 10 laps remaining.  

Down to the final five laps of the event, Eckes continued to lead by less than seven-tenths of a second over Busch, who was trying to narrow the gap. 

When the white flag waved and the final lap started, Eckes, who was mired in lapped traffic, remained as the leader by three-tenths of a second over Busch. Despite Busch cutting the deficit to a tenth of a second for a final circuit around Bristol, the late momentum was not enough as Eckes was able to fend off Busch at the finish line to claim the checkered flag. 

With the victory, Eckes, who conquered his first victory at Bristol, achieved his sixth career victory in the Craftsman Truck Series and his first since winning the 2023 finale at Phoenix Raceway as he became the fourth winner through the series’ first four events of the 2024 schedule. He also recorded the first victory of the season for McAnally-Hilgemann Racing. 

“It’s so sweet,” Eckes said on FS1. “There’s just so much behind this win, from last year, missing out on the Championship 4 and losing the race with five [laps] to go. To come back and redeem ourselves is our number one goal. Not only that, but the first three races, how terribly they’ve gone. We’ve had a lot of issues and to come back and run really good, it shows the resilience of this team. Just super pumped. Ready for the next 19 races.” 

Busch, who led 105 laps, settled in second place in his third Truck event of the 2024 season. His next series’ start of the season will occur at Texas Motor Speedway on April 12 followed by Darlington Raceway on May 10. 

“We tightened [the truck] all day and obviously, I don’t think we were as tight as [Eckes] at the end, but, you know, just track position,” Busch said. “I let [Eckes] go early in that run to just go burn his stuff off and track position at the end, just aero effects. [I] Didn’t have enough rubber on the road to outduel him.” 

Zane Smith came home in third place in his second Truck start of the 2024 season as Matt Crafton and Tyler Ankrum finished in the top five. Corey Heim, Taylor Gray, Rajah Caruth, Grant Enfinger and rookie Layne Riggs settled in the top 10 in the final running order. 

There were four lead changes for three different leaders. The race featured six cautions for 50 laps. In addition, 17 of 36 starters finished on the lead lap. 

Following the fourth event of the 2024 Craftsman Truck Series season, Tyler Ankrum continues to lead the regular-season standings by 17 points over Corey Heim, 22 over Rajah Caruth, 29 over Ty Majeski and 32 over Christian Eckes. 

Results. 

1. Christian Eckes, 144 laps led 

2. Kyle Busch, 105 laps led, Stage 1 & 2 winner 

3. Zane Smith, one lap led 

4. Matt Crafton  

5. Tyler Ankrum 

6. Corey Heim 

7. Taylor Gray 

8. Rajah Caruth 

9. Grant Enfinger 

10. Layne Riggs 

11. Bayley Currey 

12. Kaden Honeycutt 

13. Daniel Dye 

14. Jake Garcia 

15. Tanner Gray 

16. Ben Rhodes 

17. Nick Sanchez 

18. Stefan Parsons, one lap down 

19. Connor Jones, one lap down 

20. Ty Dillon, one lap down 

21. William Sawalich, two laps down 

22. Stewart Friesen, two laps down 

23. Dean Thompson, three laps down 

24. Timmy Hill, three laps down 

25. Matt Mills, three laps down 

26. Thad Moffitt, four laps down 

27. Lawless Alan, four laps down 

28. Mason Massey, five laps down 

29. Mason Maggio, six laps down 

30. Spencer Boyd, eight laps down 

31. Bret Holmes, eight laps down  

32. Keith McGee, 12 laps down 

33. Chase Purdy, 22 laps down 

34. Ty Majeski – OUT, Engine 

35. Trey Hutchens – OUT, Suspension 

36. Justin Carroll – OUT, Brakes 

Next on the 2024 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series schedule is the fourth annual running of the XPEL 225 at Circuit of the Americas in Austin, Texas. The event is scheduled to occur next Saturday, March 23, and air at 1:30 p.m. ET on FS1. 

Ford Mustang Dark Horse Sweeps Front Row for Third Time in 2024

By
Official Release
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Ford Performance Notes and Quotes
NASCAR Cup Series
Food City 500 Qualifying | Saturday, March 16, 2024

Ford Performance Qualifying Results:
1st – Ryan Blaney
2nd – Josh Berry
4th – Joey Logano
6th – Chase Briscoe
7th – Michael McDowell
13th – Harrison Burton
17th – Brad Keselowski
21st – Austin Cindric
22nd – Noah Gragson
24th – Todd Gilliland
25th – Ryan Preece
32nd – Justin Haley
33rd – Kaz Grala
34th – Chris Buescher

RYAN BLANEY, No. 12 Menards/Dutch Boy Ford Mustang Dark Horse – POLE-WINNING PRESS CONFERENCE – TELL US ABOUT THAT LAP? “First pole in a while. I can’t remember the last time I qualified first – 2022 – but it was just a fun day overall. It was a pretty challenging day, I think, for everybody just kind of figuring out what the track was doing, what this tire was doing and where you car needs to get better. It was pretty challenging, which was fun. That’s kind of neat when we’re guessing and things like that and especially qualifying was really interesting because the first round I had tons of grip – everybody did – but it was still tricky. You had people missing the bottom and going for it and slipping out of it, and it was a narrow strip you had to hit. And then the second round I don’t think anyone really know how much grip was gonna be lost and how much we were gonna slow down, so that was a tricky situation. It was, ‘OK, how hard can I attack the entry to the corner to not miss it’ because the last thing you want to do there is go there and blow it and miss it and throw your lap away, but that’s fun. It’s kind of like when we’re learning on the fly like that, that’s a super neat thing to be a part of. It’s really hard to do when you’re guessing how much commitment level you have to put in, when you have that much loss of grip in between like two laps, it’s really, really fun and it’s cool that we were able to finish off the day – a fun day and a good day with qualifying first.”

WHAT PRECISELY HAS CHANGED WITH YOU BECAUSE YOU SEEM MORE CONFIDENT AND YOU’RE TEARING IT UP RIGHT NOW? “I have a great group around me. Everyone who works on this 12 car is awesome and I love every single one of them because they’re really committed every single weekend to put in all the effort that I’m putting in. That’s what I love about that group is they’re maximum effort is every single day, racetrack or not, and that’s what I think really bonds us well together, so that community right there is going really well, which I love. I don’t know. I just think something flipped. I don’t know. I got knocked in the head a couple times last year maybe it flipped a switch, I don’t know. It’s odd, but perspective is a little different about everything and trying to approach it differently. There are some things I still want to get better at, but everything is kind of working really well right now and it’s nice when you work really hard to get better at places you want to improve on, like with yourself and your job and stuff, and when it works that’s really rewarding, so I think I have just appreciated that side of it a lot and I’ve had a lot of people who have helped me out on that too. I just think growing up to getting older and looking at things a little different way. Once you have a little success too, you look at things another different way. A lady at home probably calmed me down a little bit too, so she’s a huge factor in it.”

WHAT DO YOU THINK ACCOUNTED FOR THE TRACK BEING SO DIFFERENT BETWEEN ROUNDS AND WAS RUNNING ONLY ONE LAP IN THE FIRST ROUND DECISIVE? “I don’t know what made the big change. The tire, to me I guess is the biggest change because the loss of grip was just massive. I haven’t seen that many marbles off the corner here in a really long time, so I think that has something to do with it. Maybe the resin is affecting it a little bit differently on the bottom lane, so I don’t know. I think there are a lot of factors going in that a lot of teams and drivers, us included, are gonna be really scratching our heads tonight like, ‘What’s the track gonna do tomorrow?’ I don’t know what it’s gonna be like as we continue through the day with the race. I think running on only lap was a big advantage for us. We had the good fortune of going out last in our group, so I could bail after one lap if we were in, so that was good. I think a couple of us, like us and the 14 ran one lap in our groups and I think that definitely helped.”

ARE YOU CONCERNED ABOUT GOING INTO TURN ONE TOMORROW WITH THESE QUESTIONS? “I’d rather be first than 30th in the same conditions. Yeah, I don’t know where I’m gonna pick tomorrow. I’m gonna watch this truck race tonight and see what it goes through and then if they decide to put more stuff down in the morning, I don’t know what their plan is. They usually tell us in the morning what their plan is or we kind of talk about it in our driver chat, so we’ll see how this truck race goes. I’m sure they’ll move up at some point, hopefully sooner rather than later, so we’ll figure it out tomorrow.”

YOU ARE LEADING THE STANDINGS RIGHT NOW. HOW DO YOU FEEL WITH EVERYTHING GOING ON? “We’ve been running pretty good to start the year. I mean, outside of Daytona, which, whatever happens happens, but the last three races we’ve been able to put together some strong runs. We were in contention for a win at Atlanta. which is a speedway. We were fast at Daytona as well, but Vegas and Phoenix we strung together two good runs there, but I never thought we were in contention to win the race at Vegas or Phoenix. Yeah, we ran good, but we weren’t in contention – lead laps, race the leader – we just scratched and clawed for a third and a fifth. I’m proud of that effort for sure, grinding through the day and figuring out how to get better, but we need to take that last little leap and get with the guys who are leading these laps like the 5 and the 20, who just dominated the last two weeks. We just don’t have the speed as those guys right now, but we’re doing the best we can and trying to learn as much as we can. As a group, not just our group, as the whole Penske organization we’re trying to figure out where we need to be better. We’ve got the qualifying one lap thing down, but we’ve got to figure out the racing side of it and we’re inching in on it. Hopefully, we can continue learning.”

YOU’RE FIRST IN THE THE STANDINGS, BUT CINDRIC IS THE NEXT HIGHEST FORD IN 15TH. DO YOU FEEL ALONE AT THE TOP? “Not really. It’s early. It’s early in the year. We’re only a month into this deal so anything can happen. We’ve just been running well the last few weeks and been able to get some good finishes and get some good stage points and things like that. Those other guys will figure it out for sure. I’m not worried about that. I’m just worried right now about getting our cars where they need to be and worrying about the speed side of it. The other stuff you’ll understand where you’re sitting at in about a month as far as the points, so I don’t really feel lonely. Those guys will start creeping up there.”

IS THERE SOMETHING THAT THE 12 TEAM HAS HIT ON THAT THE 2 AND 22 ARE TRYING TO FIGURE OUT? “We all work really well together and really close together. Between Brian Wilson and Bullins and Paul Wolfe and Jonathan they all work and talk try to compare where they’re at. We do a really good job of that as a company and I feel like that’s what makes us really strong, but at the end of the day everyone kind of has their own little path that they go down. We all have an idea of where everyone is at. We all know where each car is at in our camp, but every crew chief likes something a little different, every driver likes something a little different, so there are little things that are different on that side of it that it just maybe hasn’t worked for those guys yet, or they’re trying new things. I don’t really know the whole story about it, but when we’re all strong, we’re the best, so the goal is to try and get all four of our cars where they need to be and we’re working really hard to try to do that and to figure out, ‘Hey, where are they missing in this spot where we were strong?’ That’s what we talk about this stuff for on Monday meetings and pre-race and what are the differences. ‘Why were you better here than me?’ Stuff like that. I can’t really say too much about it. Everyone is a little different with how they drive it and set it up. We’ve been hitting it pretty good the last couple of weeks.”

IS THE TOP SKETCHIER EVEN IF IT’S THE FASTER WAY AROUND ONCE THE STUFF IS PEELED OFF THE BOTTOM? “Yeah, it’s definitely sketchy. I’m not gonna be the first one to go up there because that’s Reddick or Larson’s job. I’m not going it just because you never know how dirty it is and with these marbles that we see putting down you never know how much it’s gonna get pushed up. You can’t just jump right to the top. You have to continuously work it up and up. That works by moving up three feet and then moving it up another three feet and then moving it up another three feet until you’re at the wall and all that crap is cleared off the racetrack. Yes, racing helps that because we’re restarting two-wide, you’re running two-wide for longer. I feel like that always picks it up. We haven’t practiced around the top here in years just because it’s dirty and since the stuff is on the bottom it’s just kind of the best place to be for practice, and then we get to the race and you’re trying to figure out ‘how do I make the top work now because it’s dominant.’ But it is definitely sketchy. I always ask Timmy, ‘Is anyone up there and is anyone making time up there?’ It’s one thing if you’re up there and you’re just kind of messing around and not really going anywhere, so that’s just kind of a feel thing through the race. If you think the grip is getting a little bit better up there, you might try it.”

HOW IMPORTANT IS IT TO YOU THAT NASCAR HAS A TRUE SUPERSTAR AND SOMEONE WHO CAN MOVE THE NEEDLE LIKE JEFF GORDON, DALE EARNHARDT AND RICHARD PETTY? HOW DO WE GET THERE? “That’s the second time I’ve been asked that question today, and I don’t know what the whole kick is right now about needing a superstar. We’re all superstars. Every driver. Everyone is special in their own right. Everyone is successful with how they’ve approached everything. Some branch out more than others in different aspects outside the racetrack and some decide to stick around the racetracks and grow their stardom there with the fans at the racetrack, so everyone approaches it differently. Yes, Jeff Gordon through the nineties was the biggest star in anything, but times change. The times are different. You don’t have guys winning 10 races anymore. This car doesn’t allow that, so how do you separate yourself to make yourself stand out? How do you make yourself different from the rest of the drivers who are all really good at what they do and it starts with success on the racetrack and then the organizations marketing these drivers with how great they are at what they do, and then the drivers have to be willing to do it and be in that role. You don’t need to pluck out one person. There are a lot of us here and you can push it, you can make 36 superstars. I think that’s definitely possible.”

JOSH BERRY, No. 4 SunnyD Ford Mustang Dark Horse – WHAT DOES THIS EFFORT MEAN TO YOU AND THIS TEAM? “It means a lot. Obviously being at Bristol that’s really cool, but anywhere at this point it would mean a lot. These guys have been working really hard and they kept me jacked up and we’ve been putting in the work trying to get better. We just need a mistake-free day tomorrow. If we do that, we’ll be in contention.”

YOU TALKED EARLIER TODAY ABOUT WORKING ON COMMUNICATION AND JUST BUILDING EVERY WEEKEND. THIS IS A GOOD START TODAY, RIGHT? “Yeah, I’m learning a lot every week. I’ve done this stuff long enough to know if you do it the right way, you do the right things long enough, the results will come and that’s where I feel like I’m at now. We just have to keep plugging away and learning and getting better. Me and Rodney are working together more and more and our team is getting stronger with that. Like I said, we just need to go out there, obviously the qualifying result is really cool, but I want to race good, too. For me, I think if we just have a solid car and a mistake-free day, we’ll have a good finish.”

CHASE BRISCOE, No. 14 Mahindra Tractors Ford Mustang Dark Horse – “It was way different than anything I ever anticipated. I don’t know. It was weird just how much the track changed there. I’ve never really experienced that in the Cup car, especially here with that big of a swing. It was surprising how much did change, but we’ll just go on and see how we race.”

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