Home Blog Page 1248

Mazda Unveils ‘MAZDA ICONIC SP’ Compact Sports Car Concept

By
Official Release
-
  • a new type of sports car, adapted to a new era, revealed for the first time at Japan Mobility Show 2023

HIROSHIMA, Japan, Oct 25, 2023 – (JCN Newswire) – Mazda Motor Corporation today unveiled the MAZDA ICONIC SP, a new concept car for the first time at Japan Mobility Show 2023.

MAZDA ICONIC SP is a new type of compact sports car concept, designed to adopt to the new era and respond to the emotions of customers who “love cars” and “desire a car that simply embodies the joy of driving”. This powertrain features Mazda’s unique two-rotor rotary EV system, which remains compact and thus offers a high degree of layout flexibility, enabling the concept model to have a low center of gravity to enhance driving performance. Batteries are charged by recyclable energy source and the two-rotor rotary engine, used for power generation, is powered by carbon-neutral fuel. The vibrant red color of Viola Red, is a concept color created by overlaying Mazda’s corporate philosophy of “enrich life-in-motion for those we serve” based on Mazda’s desire to “cherish the color red.”

Masahiro Moro, Mazda’s Representative Director, President and CEO made the following comment: “Mazda will always deliver vehicles that remind people that cars are pure joy and an indispensable part of their lives. As a car-loving company that mass-produces the inspiring mobility experience, we are committed to shaping the future with our partners sharing the same goal, as well as our fans, where everyone can proudly say, ‘we love cars.’ With such a strong will, Mazda is committed to enrich life-in-motion for those we serve.”

Mazda will continue to pursue the ‘Joy of Driving’ under its core value, “Human Centric”, and aim to deliver ‘Joy of Living’ by creating moving experiences in customers’ daily lives.

Summary of the MAZDA ICONIC SP

  • In creating the “framework” that forms the basis of the modeling, we aimed to achieve proportions with a low center of gravity that would give the impression of excellent driving performance. The concept of mounting the lightweight and compact rotary engine in the center of the car has resulted in a low hood.
  • The two-rotor rotary EV system, which utilizes a highly scalable rotary engine that can burn various fuels such as hydrogen, generates electricity with carbon-neutral fuel. In addition, when the battery is charged with electricity derived from renewable energy, it is possible to drive in a virtually carbon-neutral state.
  • The high output generated by the two-rotor rotary EV system, the proportions of the lower center of gravity, and the weight distribution of around 50:50 achieve excellent driving performance. In addition, although it is a sports car, it can supply power when enjoying outdoor leisure and in the time of a disaster.
  • The exterior body color “VIOLA RED” was created based on Mazda’s desire to “cherish the color red” and in conjunction with Mazda’s corporate philosophy of ” enriching life-in-motion for those we serve.” We focused on making a vivid color, while creating a sense of shade that accentuates the shape of the car.

(1) The Japan Mobility Show 2023 is organized by the Japan Automobile Manufacturers Association. Press days will be held on Wednesday, October 25 (8:00-18:00) and Thursday, October 26 (8:00-13:00). The event will be open to the public from Saturday, October 28 through to Sunday, November 5.

Mazda’s JAPAN MOBILITY SHOW 2023 website: www.mazda.co.jp/experience/event/japanmobilityshow2023/en/

Toyota Racing – NCTS Quotes – Corey Heim – 10.24.22

By
Official Release
-

Toyota Racing – Corey Heim
NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series Quotes

MOORESVILLE, NC (October 24, 2023) – TRICON Garage driver Corey Heim was made available to media on Tuesday:

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

What is your mindset heading into Phoenix?

“It’s been a good season for us for sure. There was a lot of question marks coming into 2023 with a new team, organization – and for me, a new crew chief and spotter. All new stuff, with a lot of question marks, but we really put together such a solid season and so much progress from start to finish. Super thankful for TRICON Garage and Toyota Racing for all the support. I wouldn’t be in this position without them. It has been such a cool year to see all of the progress and hard work people have put in from start to bottom in this organization and all of the support from TRD as well. We’ve got one more, hopefully we can keep it going – one more big one to win, and hopefully we complete a good year for us.”

Can you tell me more about you decision to stay in the Truck Series next year?

“I think for me TRICON was the best organization for me in 2024. I’m on a winning race team – my goal is to win races. I never want to be in a position where I’m not confident in my team and my organization. With TRICON, I’m super confident in them and their organization and the support with everybody. I’m not super focused on 2025 and beyond yet. For 2024, my goals are to win more races and just put together a solid season and up my resume for the future, but for now just focused on 2024 and of course on the last race of 2023, but as far as future plans, I’m focused on 2024. I think it was the best landing spot for me and my options. I’m excited to keep it going with TRICON in 2024.”

Do you envision that you can jump from Truck Series to the Cup Series or do you think you will run in the Xfinity Series in the future?

“I would just have to weigh my options, same at the end of this year. I really have no plans past 2024 as far as now. Depending on how the year goes, and how I feel and how confident I am in my abilities, I’ll kind of make that decision in the fall of next year. I could really see myself going anywhere. There is nothing saying that I can’t jump through the Xfinity Series or what not, but certainly I will just have to find out. It could go either way, really.”

Can you confirm your last championship – 2017 Thunder Pro division in Atlanta and the 2016 Young Lions?

“I believe so, yes. For me personally, I’ve really only had one full time season in something since then really. I’ve run some CARS Tour here-and-there, I was competing for the ARCA championship in 2021, but my career has been made of a lot of par time stuff, so it is really cool to finally get the opportunity to run for a championship and have a solid full-time season behind me. Of course, we were going for the owners championship last year, but for a driver, it is a lot more motivating to go for that driver’s championship. Definitely fortunate to be able to chase that this year.”

Is there anything from those 2016 or 2017 point championships that you can remember and relate to this?

“It’s funny that you say that because at Atlanta Motor Speedway we had a Playoff format very similar to this, for whatever reason, I thought it was really weird at the time for the 10 drivers that were running full time in the series, but yeah, we had a Championship 4 or whatever, when I was battling for that championship, so hopefully, we can run it back.”

What does a driver do when you have so much time to prepare for this championship race?

“I feel like the last five or six weeks have been really good for me. Phoenix isn’t particularly my greatest track that I’ve been too. Fortunately, I do have experience there – I have a couple of ARCA races under my belt that I’m able to look back and see what I could have done better in those races to apply to this race. Phoenix is a really interesting race track. It is not super technical, but there is definitely a lot of studying opportunities to sit back and kind of observe it and progressively get better. Luckily, I’ve had a lot of time to do that and I’m a pretty analytical person just as far as my studying and what I do to prepare. I remember, last year in 2022 and in 2021 as well, running part-time with KBM (Kyle Busch Motorsports) I had so much time in between races – just because I was part-time – I feel like races that I had three or four more weeks to prepare, I did really well in, and I felt really prepared when I showed up to the race track. I don’t personally believe in over preparing. I think you can over think it but if you can’t over prepare. I’ve really been focused on preparing the right way and using sim times with Toyota Racing to the best of my abilities, and I really think I’m really confident I’m prepared for Phoenix.”

Can you tell me something that Toyota has provided you that 15-year-old Corey wouldn’t have thought of?

“I think just when I was growing up, I didn’t realize how important it is to prepare during the week as far as just taking care of yourself and being physically prepared, as well as mentally prepared. Having the Toyota Performance Center in Mooresville is really useful for us to be able to keep ourselves in physical shape, but they have so many other resources as far as nutritionists, and physical therapists and sports psychologists – you name it. I guess that is not something I really expected to need in the future. I’ve always trusted the process with Toyota Racing and trusted their resources, and for me, it has always been something that I can use as long as I’ve been a part of the program. I’ve always had faith that they would put me in the best position possible to succeed, and ever since I’ve been a part of them in 2020 – they’ve done just that. Definitely grateful for everyone at Toyota Racing and TRD, from the Salisbury location, to the Mooresville, to everyone from outside locations that helps with other things as well. Very grateful for them.”

How would you assess your three competitors for the championship?

“Throughout the year, I feel like they’ve all been really competitive. I’ve finished second to each one of them at some point. I feel like we’ve really been the best truck consistently throughout the year, but with the Playoff format and it being a one race scenario. You just show up, and you have the best truck, and you are the most prepared and you have the best driver, you are going to win the race. It really doesn’t matter how the rest of your season has gone. For me, it is just focusing on the one race and focusing on myself – not really looking at the other competitors too much, but they are all great drivers. As you mentioned, a former champion and the other two have won at least three races a piece this year, so definitely not any slouches there. I think it is going to be really competitive and I’m just going to focus on myself and show up and do the best of my abilities.”

When you prepare, do you focus on your run at Phoenix last season or similar tracks that you ran this year?

“For me, it is all Phoenix. I don’t really look into similar tracks too much. The truck package hasn’t changed much in a long time, so that gives us the ability to kind of read back into last year. I know the track changes here and there, but configuration wise, the track hasn’t changed much, and as far as the truck, it hasn’t changed much either. I definitely look at previous years – I’ve raced there the last year for the finale as well, and throughout we were relatively good, but I’ve learned a lot since then – I feel like just being able to improve on the last performances from Truck and ARCA there is big for me, but yeah, I just read into Phoenix for the most part.”

About Toyota

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

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

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

United Rentals Racing: Ryan Preece Martinsville Advance

By
Official Release
-

RYAN PREECE
Martinsville Advance
No. 41 United Rentals Ford Mustang for Stewart-Haas Racing

Event Overview

● Event: Xfinity 500 (Round 35 of 36)
● Time/Date: 2 p.m. EDT on Sunday, Oct. 29
● Location: Martinsville (Va.) Speedway
● Layout: .526-mile oval
● Laps/Miles: 500 laps/263 miles
● Stage Lengths: Stage 1: 130 laps / Stage 2: 130 laps / Final Stage: 240 laps
● TV/Radio: NBC / MRN / SiriusXM NASCAR Radio

Notes of Interest

● Virginia is for Racing: With only two races left in the 2023 NASCAR Cup Series campaign, Ryan Preece and the No. 41 United Rentals Ford Mustang for Stewart-Haas Racing (SHR) are returning to Martinsville (Va.) Speedway for the second time this season for Sunday’s Xfinity 500. The 263-mile, 500-lap event will begin at 2 p.m. EDT with live coverage on NBC, MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.

● By the Numbers: Sunday’s race will mark Preece’s eighth Cup Series career start on the .526-mile, paperclip-shaped oval. When the series last visited Martinsville in April, Preece had a career-best weekend. He won his first career Cup Series pole and led a race-high and career-high 135 laps. A mishap on pit road forced Preece and his No. 41 Ford Mustang to restart from the rear and he ultimately finished 15th. Aside from Preece’s experience at the track in the Cup Series, he also has quite the resume there in the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour. Preece has six Modified Tour starts at the track, the first coming in 2007. He has one win (2008), two top-fives, two top-10s, 423 total laps led, an average start of 7.8 and an average finish of 13.5 in those six races.

● Back to His Modified Roots: Preece, who is celebrating his 33rd birthday on Wednesday, will return to his roots this week at Martinsville in the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour’s season finale, the Virginia Is For Racing Lovers 200. The race is set for 8 p.m. EDT Thursday and kicks off the weekend’s festivities at the track. The Modified Tour is NASCAR’s oldest division and is the only open-wheel series sanctioned by NASCAR. Compared to a Cup Series car, a Modified Tour car is 11 inches shorter in height and approximately 23 inches wider, weighing nearly 800 pounds less. Preece is the 2013 Modified Tour champion and the series is where he made a name for himself. The first win of his Modified career came at Martinsville on Sept. 20, 2008, when he led 265 of the race’s 300 laps. Preece built his No. 40 Modified in his personal race shop based out of Kannapolis, North Carolina with the help of his father, Jeff Preece, who will take on the role of crew chief Thursday. The Preeces and members of the No. 41 SHR team will be assisting him on race day in various crew member roles, including the pit crew. The 200-lap, 105.2-mile race will be streamed live on FloRacing beginning at 8 p.m. EDT.

● About United Rentals: United Rentals, Inc. (NYSE: URI), the largest equipment rental company in the world, is back on the No. 41 SHR Ford Mustang, serving as the primary sponsor for the remainder of the 2023 season. The partnership began with the non-points Busch Light Clash at The Coliseum, Feb. 4-5 in Los Angeles. United Rentals has an integrated network of 1,449 rental locations in North America, 13 in Europe, 27 in Australia and 19 in New Zealand. In North America, the company operates in 49 states and every Canadian province. The company’s approximately 24,700 employees serve construction and industrial customers, utilities, municipalities, homeowners and others. The company offers approximately 4,700 classes of equipment for rent with a total original cost of $19.3 billion. United Rentals is a member of the Standard & Poor’s 500 Index, the Barron’s 400 Index and the Russell 3000 Index®. The company is headquartered in Stamford, Connecticut. Additional information about United Rentals is available at UnitedRentals.com.

● Turns for Troops – Making Every Lap a Lap of Honor: Join United Rentals in supporting military veterans and families through the Turns for Troops program. United Rentals will donate $50 for each lap that one of its three sponsored drivers completes for specific races throughout the season. So far this season, Preece has completed all 869 laps possible during the campaign in 2023, raising $43,450. This weekend, Preece has the opportunity to raise $25,000 if he completes every lap of the 500-lap race at Martinsville. This weekend’s race and Championship 4 weekend at Phoenix Raceway are both Turns for Troops events. Funds from the Turns for Troops program go to SoldierStrong and Operation Homefront. Click here to learn more.

● Last Weekend: The Cup Series competed for 400.5 miles on the 1.5-mile Homestead-Miami Speedway oval, where Preece and the No. 41 SHR Ford Mustang rallied for a 13th-place finish from their 29th spot on the starting grid. It was his 11th top-15 finish this season.

● Where He Stands: Preece heads to Martinsville 24th in the driver standings with 590 points.

Ryan Preece, Driver of the No. 41 United Rentals Ford Mustang for Stewart-Haas Racing:

You’re back at Martinsville Speedway this weekend for some short-track action. You won the pole there in April. What will it take to do that again?

“We’re once again putting a huge emphasis on qualifying this weekend. The focus will be on practice and seeing where our car stacks up. I think we’re going to be fast right out the gate and, from there, we’ve got to be strong in qualifying so we can start up front again. At a track like Martinsville – we’ve seen it at the other similar tracks this season – you don’t want to start in the back. That’s obvious from what happened to us in April. We started on the pole, led a ton of laps but when we had to restart at the rear, it was just so hard to get back to the front. It’s so hard to pass and move up front when you’re back there at these smaller tracks. So, we just want to qualify up front and stay there for the entire race this time. I like Martinsville a lot and I’ve got a Grandfather clock from a Modified race, so I’m looking forward to adding another one on Sunday.”

You’re going back to your roots this week and running in the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour race at Martinsville on Thursday. When you go back to that series, do you feel like you’re back home?

“To be honest with you, it is well-received. They want me to come back and race with them. They enjoy it, I enjoy it. I’m really good friends with Doug Coby and Justin Bonsignore and many of the other racers that compete in that series. Even though we’re competitors, we’re really good friends. They’ve known me since I was a little kid and we’ve grown up over the past 15-plus years racing together. When they saw that I was going to race at Martinsville, I got a few text messages from them and they told me not to screw up their championship chase and I’ll do my best not to. But, I’m definitely looking forward to it. This will be my first Modified race since the beginning of the Cup Series season and it’s also extra track time for Sunday’s race.”

What is the racing like at Martinsville?

“To me, Martinsville is a big Coliseum and there are things we can take from that race and the other short-track races we’ve had this season. These short tracks have been our sweet spot this season. We showed speed earlier at Martinsville, same thing with Richmond and Bristol, too. I feel like our short-track stuff has been really good and we’ve shown a lot of promise, so I’m excited to get another shot at it this weeend. The racing at Martinsville is always very aggressive, you have to be aggressive to stay in it. You also have to be smart so you don’t get wrecked in the corners. I’m feeling confident heading into the race and I’ve got a lot of momentum on my side right now. I’m ready to get out there and get the finishes this 41 team deserves.”

Why do you continue to go back to the Modified Tour and run races?

“My passion for open-wheel racing and for Modifieds, when you go into that pit area, everybody there is pretty much a volunteer, we all have a passion for it and love it. It’s not like some of the other racing deals where it’s their source of income and living. They do this because it’s fun to them, so I would say the passion that the series has and that the people in it have, that’s the reason why I continue wanting to do it. I enjoy working on those racecars, I grew up doing it and I love it. Any time that there’s an opportunity to go do that, I’m going to. With the Cup Series season coming to a close, this was a good time to come back.”

You’re a guy who builds and works on your own racecars, and you built your Modified for Thursday in your own shop. Was there someone specific in your life who taught you how to do it and motivated you to keep at it?

“I think I have a whole lot of role models and not just national stars. You know, as a kid, my era was your Kevin Harvicks, your Tony Stewarts, your Mark Martins, Rusty Wallaces. I gravitated toward those guys. From a racing standpoint, throughout the years, I’ve had many different role models. There’s one guy named Dave Steele – and I’ll never forget this – he was a USAC racer and I was out in Indianapolis racing and he showed up. It was pretty much just him, and he went out and won that night. He was doing everything himself. I watched him that whole time do it all himself and it was impactful for me. In that moment, remembering that and seeing that, it helped me as I got older to realize that no matter how good you may be, if your car is not fast, you’re only going to go so fast. That was when I really figured things out and started to take a more hands-on approach in racing for myself. If I wasn’t getting what I needed, I felt that I could start taking more control and giving myself what I needed at the Modified level. And, there’s my father. There were times where if I was sitting at the end of the trailer doing nothing – kind of like many young kids do, right? – you’re just there, you’re the driver and you hold the steering wheel. My father would make me do things, and if there wasn’t anything to do, he’d make me pick up trash. He wouldn’t let me sit around. That’s a true story and that’s part of why I am where I am. I am always doing something and that’s who I am. Most people would have given up, they probably wouldn’t have chased sponsors, they wouldn’t have chased opportunities. A lot of those moments in life have made me who I am. Like, if you want something bad enough and you love something enough, you’ve got to just go make it happen. You can’t wait around for it to happen. That’s how racing is for me.”

What’s your favorite track to run at in the Modified Tour?

“New Smyrna. It’s the beginning of the year in Feburary during Speedweeks, it’s just a whole different level of racing. You’re with your guys and, most of the time when I go Modified racing, my team is my friends. You’re with each other, whether it’s 10 days or two weeks, we’re having fun. Even if it’s going out after the races for a few beers or getting up early to get the car ready, every day is another chance to get out there and win a race together. So not only is the racetrack really fun to race at because it’s really fast, but as a driver it’s also a good time to be with all your people. It’s what we all kind of live for. The reason our fans come out to the race is for that experience and to camp out.”

No. 41 United Rentals Team Roster

Primary Team Members

Driver: Ryan Preece
Hometown: Berlin, Connecticut

Crew Chief: Chad Johnston

Hometown: Cayuga, Indiana

Car Chief: Tony Cardamone

Hometown: Bristol, Virginia

Engineer: Marc Hendricksen

Hometown: Clinton, New Jersey

Engineer: Scott Bingham

Hometown: Lawrenceville, Georgia

Spotter: Andy Houston

Hometown: Hickory, North Carolina

Over-The-Wall Members

Front Tire Changer: Devin Lester

Hometown: Bluefield, West Virginia

Rear Tire Changer: Kevin Teaf

Hometown: Tallahassee, Florida

Tire Carrier: Chad Emmons

Hometown: Tyler, Texas

Jack Man: Kapil Fletcher

Hometown: Ft. Lauderdale, Florida

Fuel Man: Dwayne Moore

Hometown: Griffin, Georgia

Road Crew Members

Mechanic: Joe Zanolini

Hometown: Sybertsville, Pennsylvania

Underneath & Interior Mechanic: Clint Leatherwood

Hometown: Rockmart, Georgia

Shock Specialist: Aaron Kuehn

Hometown: Kensington, Connecticut

Tire Specialist: Matt Ridgway

Hometown: Carrollton, Georgia

Engine Tuner: Jimmy Fife

Hometown: Orange County, California

Transporter Co-Driver: David Rodrigues

Hometown: Santa Clarita, California

Transporter Co-Driver: Charlie Schleyer

Hometown: Youngsville, Pennsylvania

HSR Prototype Challenge presented by IMSA Set to Launch in 2024

By
Official Release
-

Six-Event Season of Endurance Races for LMP3 Cars Debuts in March 2024 at Sebring

DAYTONA BEACH, Florida (October 24, 2023) – Officials from Historic Sportscar Racing (HSR) and the International Motor Sports Association (IMSA) today confirmed plans for a new, six-event series for current and previous-generation Le Mans Prototype 3 (LMP3) race cars beginning in 2024.

The series will be known as the HSR Prototype Challenge presented by IMSA. Events will be operated by HSR with oversight from IMSA – the license rights-holder for LMP3 racing in the United States and Canada.

“LMP3 continues to be a valuable IMSA platform for a variety of reasons,” said IMSA President John Doonan. “It provides an entry-level opportunity to prototype racing for drivers, teams and crew members and can be a catalyst for a career in endurance sports car racing. As part of the IMSA VP Racing SportsCar Challenge, which utilizes current-generation LMP3 machines, competitors are able to hone their racecraft in single-driver, 45-minute sprint races.

“Continuing to provide an endurance racing format is important to IMSA and also LMP3 competitors and stakeholders. It is a logical progression to incorporate LMP3 endurance races into our HSR platform, where many previous-generation LMP3 cars already compete. We believe the HSR Prototype Challenge presented by IMSA will be a popular addition to HSR event weekends in 2024 and beyond.”

Each event will have an endurance racing format, ranging in length from 90 minutes to three hours, with two classes of competition. LMP3-1 will include current EVO cars, with the LMP3-2 class using previous-generation LMP3 cars. A minimum field target size of 20 cars will be required for standalone races, and if not achieved, LMP3 cars will be integrated into the existing HSR Group 6 (prototype) races as they have been in recent years.

The six-event calendar opens with a two-hour race on the weekend of March 8 – 10 at Sebring International Raceway as part of the HSR Spring Fling event, followed by a two-hour event at Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta as part of The Mitty event weekend on April 25 – 28. The first half of the season concludes with a 90-minute race as part of the HSR’s Classic 6 Hour at Watkins Glen International on the weekend of June 6 – 9.

The series returns to Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta to open the second half of the season with a two-hour race during the Fall Historics on Sept. 19 – 22, followed by the penultimate round – another 90-minute race – as part of the Classic 24 Hour at Daytona on Oct. 30 – Nov. 3. The season concludes at Sebring with a three-hour event as part of the Classic 12 Hour on Dec. 4 – 8.

“The addition of the HSR Prototype Challenge presented by IMSA feels right on schedule as a logical next step in IMSA’s ownership of HSR,” said HSR President David Hinton. “Today’s news builds on the initial offering of four LMP3 events on HSR weekends that were unveiled in IMSA’s annual schedule announcement in August, and that is in direct response to competitors in both the IMSA and HSR paddocks looking for additional and longer races.

“At the same time, adding LMP3 to HSR events will not take away any track time or alter the schedule for our existing HSR classes and championships. It is actually a benefit as all of the on-track competing series on these six weekends fall under the IMSA and HSR umbrella. We are all working together as opposed to sharing a weekend with an outside group monopolizing the race schedule and available track time.”

All cars in the HSR Prototype Challenge presented by IMSA will ride on Michelin tires and use VP Racing Fuels. Ligier and Duqueine plan to have representatives onsite for technical support at each event.

Each race will feature a timed pit stop. Teams will have the option of one- or two-driver lineups with no minimum drive times.

About HSR: An International Motor Sports Association (IMSA) property, Historic Sportscar Racing (HSR) was formed in the mid-1970s with an event at Road Atlanta. There was one goal then and it remains true today: to celebrate the race cars from the past. As a “time machine” of sights and sounds, HSR provides a venue for competitors and spectators alike to share in the wonderful history and excitement created by the cars that competed at race tracks around the world. HSR currently sanctions eight vintage and historic racing events at some of the world’s most renowned race tracks, including Road Atlanta, Sebring International Raceway, Daytona International Speedway and more. The complete schedule and full event information can be found on HSR’s website at www.HSRRace.com. Look for the HSR Channel on YouTube and follow HSR on Facebook at www.Facebook.com/HSRrace/ and on Twitter and Instagram at @HSR_race. A dedicated website for the Classic 24 Hour at Daytona presented by IMSA is available at www.Classic24hour.com.

Racing to End Alzheimer’s sweeps COTA finale to capture championship

By
Official Release
-

Mark Kvamme’s eighth Porsche Deluxe Carrera Cup North America victory overcomes point deficit to take second consecutive Am class title

AUSTIN, Texas (24 Oct. 2023) – The Racing to End Alzheimer’s with MDK Motorsports team swept the season-ending Circuit of The Americas weekend, giving Mark Kvamme his second consecutive Porsche Deluxe Carrera Cup North America Am championship with his seventh and eighth victories of the campaign.

Kvamme scored podium finishes in all 16 races this season, driving the No. 43 Porsche 911 (type 992) GT3 Cup car – including seven runner-up results. The season finale marked his third weekend sweep (along with Long Beach and Miami) and extended his podium streak to 22-straight dating back to last season.

But one of the weekend’s highlights happened off track. Kvamme is friends with F1 star Kevin Magnussen, who came by the tram transporter after Porsche qualifying to see his grandfather Hans Erik’s name on the car, near Kvamme’s grandfather Magnus.

“Kevin is a good friend and it was wonderful of him to come by. The work that Phil and the entire Racing to End Alzheimer’s program does means so much. It was a good, good, good day.”

The Racing to End Alzheimer’s team set a new record this season, with the names of 216 friends and family who have suffered from dementia or Alzheimer’s on the car. From program founder Phil Frengs:

“Our first year, in 2017, we had 65 names on the car. We’ve grown the program where we cover the car all season long. We had an appearance on the Austin ABC affiliate’s morning show Friday and we started getting names because of that.

“Every day, we’re moving people to consider their friend or family member. For us, that personal contact, that hearing the story about them, is very moving to me and it’s the fuel that runs our engine.”

But there was still on-track work to do. Kvamme entered Sunday’s finale trailing teammate Scott Noble by 10 points, with each driver’s two worst finishes not counting in the scoring. Noble was caught up in an incident early on the first lap, resulting in terminal suspension damage and a turnaround in the points.

The MDK Motorsport teammates were close in lap times all weekend. Kvamme led Friday’s lone practice by a slim margin, and led much of Saturday’s qualifying before Noble ended the session with a pair of fast laps to capture both weekend poles.

Kvamme got the hole shot to take the lead in Saturday’s opening 35-minute race. Noble regained the advantage in Turn 10 with 18 minutes remaining. Kvamme made his move in the same corner coming to the white flag, and then held off his teammate by 0.267-seconds in a side-by-side drag race to the checkered flag.

“It was a great race – it was a fabulous race,” Kvamme said after the opening sprint. “Scott raced really, really well. I was able to get him at the start going into turn one, when we got all bunched up. After the yellow, he got me in turn 10. I was right behind him the whole time. At the end of the race, I could tell that his tires were going away, and I took the advantage in turn 10 myself on the second to the last lap and was able to get him. It was a lot of fun.”

Kvamme rolled off the grid just behind Noble in Sunday’s season finale. But Noble’s race quickly came to an end, when he spun and was hit seconds after the green flag. Luck was with Kvamme on the second lap, as he barely missed running over debris that brought out the opening caution.

Kvamme led the remainder of a race that was slowed by three yellow flags and ended under caution. When he stopped on pit road, Kvamme hopped to the roof of his Porsche and raised his arms in victory. Moments later, he proudly took his place on the Formula 1 podium for the playing of the USA National anthem, though still thinking of his teammate.

“First of all, that’s not how I wanted it to end,” Kvamme said. “Scott has pushed me hard, and he’s a great guy. I knew there was going to be a lot of carnage. It was the last race of the season, and people are just going for it. You knew people were going to be aggressive, so I was just trying to be as safe as I could, watching everything around me. I knew the players around me are good folks, and I was able to stay safe.

“It was a great race, and I’m so happy for the Racing to End Alzheimer’s guys. We broke the record with 204 names and we raised $200,000, which is spectacular. It was an amazing season for Phil, Nick and the whole team. I can’t say enough about the work this program is doing.”

About Racing to End Alzheimer’s

In 2013, Phil Frengs’ wife Mimi was diagnosed with early-onset Alzheimer’s Disease. Their experience with the disease led Frengs to a seminal moment: his company, Legistics, had long sponsored a team in IMSA sports car racing and he realized an opportunity to raise money and awareness for the fight against the disease. In 2017, he formed Racing to End Alzheimer’s, giving fans the opportunity to honor loved ones by putting their names on the race car via donation – with Legistics matching each donation. 100% of those donations go to the two organizations the team supports:

The Nantz National Alzheimer’s Center at Houston Methodist Hospital is exploring cutting-edge strategies in therapy, care and research to find a cure for these dementias. NNAC was founded by longtime CBS Sports broadcaster Jim Nantz III and his family in honor of his father, Jim, Jr., who passed away after a 13-year battle with Alzheimer’s. It is a world-class research, referral and care center that combines comprehensive patient services with the resolute pursuit of scientific breakthroughs in the treatment and prevention of Alzheimer’s.

The UCLA Alzheimer’s and Dementia Care Program is a nationally-recognized grant-funded program designed to help patients and their families with the complex medical, behavioral and social needs associated with Alzheimer’s disease and other types of dementia. UCLA is renowned for its compassionate, personalized Alzheimer’s care; innovative social and psychological programs; and robust support services for patients, caregivers and families. Via webinars and on-site education, UCLA works with Alzheimer’s and dementia programs across the country to improve care for patients and families alike.

TONY STEWART RACING POINTS LEADERS LEAH PRUETT AND MATT HAGAN FOCUSED ON TASK AT HAND AT NHRA NEVADA NATIONALS

By
Official Release
-

LAS VEGAS (Oct. 24, 2023) – After a first-time double up for the Tony Stewart Racing nitro teams of Leah Pruett and Matt Hagan, the duo heads into Las Vegas in a unique and exciting position: leading the points in both Top Fuel and Funny Car with two races remaining.

Pruett leads Doug Kalitta and Steve Torrence by just four and 13 points, respectively, heading into this weekend’s 23rd annual NHRA Nevada Nationals at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, while in Funny Car, Hagan holds an advantage of 36 points over Bob Tasca III, with Robert Hight 69 points behind.

It adds up to an exciting opportunity for both Pruett and Hagan, with Pruett trying to pick up her first Top Fuel world championship. But with two races left in the Countdown to the Championship playoffs and a loaded field well within striking distance, Pruett knows there is plenty of work still to be done in her 11,000-horsepower Dodge Direct Connection dragster.

“We are four points ahead. That means literally nothing,” said Pruett, who has 12 Top Fuel wins. “We were so happy as a team that Sunday night (in Dallas), but the next day were back in our race mode preparing for the Las Vegas event. I think Tony’s overall team atmosphere helps everyone here. The highest virtue that Tony has is treating people well. He helps me and our team with a racer’s mentally because he has been there and won in everything. It’s a huge help for everyone on the TSR team.”

Brittany Force (Top Fuel), Hagan (Funny Car), Erica Enders (Pro Stock) and Hector Arana Jr. (Pro Stock Motorcycle) won the 2022 NHRA Nevada Nationals. This season’s race will be broadcast on Fox Sports 1 (FS1), including eliminations at 5 p.m. ET on Sunday. It is the 20th of 21 races during the 2023 season and the fifth of six races in the Countdown to the Championship.

Hagan brings plenty of confidence into Vegas, helped in part by last year’s win at the penultimate race of the year. That kept him in title contention, but Hagan and his team have been on point in 2023, winning six times and advancing to eight final rounds. Nothing is close to being decided, but Hagan likes where his team is at heading into Vegas in his 11,000-horsepower Dodge Direct Connection Charger SRT Hellcat. To add to the team’s momentum, Hagan, who is also a victory away from 50 career NHRA wins, has won the fall Vegas race three of the past four years.

“Having back-to-back wins (this season) rolling into Vegas gives us a lot of confidence,” Hagan said. “Funny Car racing is very humbling, so you never know what you’re going to get. When we’re in Vegas, we’re halfway to Denver’s altitude as far as making power goes. You have to change a lot on the car. I have faith in my crew and my job is to drive the wheels off of it. We have a lot of momentum, so we just have to keep it going. I’m proud of my team. They’re turning the car around really quick and that’s all you can ask for. I’ve won two of my championships with Dickie (Venables – crew chief), so we know what we need to do and what we’re capable of.”

Pruett has also made impressive strides this season. They’ve been in the top five for the bulk of the season, entering the playoffs in fourth. Since then, they’ve been remarkably consistent, advancing to the semifinals or better at all four playoff races, including back-to-back final rounds at the last two races. It’s propelled the standout into the points lead in the Countdown to the Championship for the first time in her career. But she also knows Kalitta and Torrence, a four-time champ, as well as the likes of Justin Ashley, Antron Brown, Mike Salinas and Force are lurking, which means she’ll need another big weekend in Vegas to stay in front.

“Honestly, our confidence is higher than it’s ever been,” Pruett said. “We experienced multiple moments of validation last week in Dallas. Being able to make small adjustments through race day with a power-balanced car brought on peak performance and consistency. That’s what we knew it would take to win that race, and that’s what it will take to stretch our lead.”

Thanks to two straight playoff wins, Hagan moved back into the points lead in Dallas over Tasca, who is seeking his first Funny Car world title. But Hight is capable of a late-season run as well and back-to-back world champ Ron Capps is within 99 points. For Hagan, that means there’s no opportunity to let up and he’s aiming for a big finish, one he knows will be necessary to clinch a fourth world championship.

“It’s still anybody’s ballgame out here,” Hagan said. “You can pat yourself on the back, but there is still a lot of work to be done. We have seen these things flip back and forth a lot. (But) I feel like we’ve had a great car all year long. We’ve won six races so far this season. We just need to keep doing what we do. We are in a fight for the championships, and we’ll use Tony’s experience in chasing a championship.”

Enders has been dominant in Las Vegas in recent years with nine wins from the facility, the most of any driver in NHRA history. A year ago, her Vegas win clinched a fifth championship for the star. She holds a commanding lead over Greg Anderson following her Dallas win this year, which also gave her the most wins by a female in NHRA history. Other contenders include Dallas Glenn, Aaron Stanfield and Matt Hartford.

Arana Jr., who has one win on the 2023 season, powered his way to victory last year by defeating Matt Smith in the final round. But this season has been dominated by Gaige Herrera, who has nine wins and will have the opportunity to clinch his first world championship in Las Vegas.

The NHRA Nevada Nationals also will feature thrilling competition in the NHRA Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series, which includes some of the sport’s top drivers, and the Summit Racing Series ET Finals, where national champions will be crowned, including the first EV national championship in NHRA history. The weekend will also include action in the thrilling Nostalgia Funny Car class, while fans can watch a spectacular jet dragster exhibition from Team “Muy Caliente” after nitro qualifying on Friday and Saturday.

It’s also the final race of the season in Flexjet Factory Stock Showdown, the FuelTech NHRA Pro Mod Drag Racing Series presented by Type A Motorsports and the new Factory X presented by Holley category. Fans can also enjoy the finale of the NHRA Summit Series, with drivers competing for a national championship.

As an added attraction, a special drag-and-drive exhibition will take place during the event, with participants in Sick The Magazine’s “Death Week” will be on display for fans interested in NHRA Street Legal Drag Racing. The cars will be paraded in front of the crowd, with fans getting to see the unique cars taking part in the drag-and-drive event.

Before the race weekend, the NHRA’s biggest stars will take over the Fremont St. Experience for the annual fan fest from 5-7 p.m. on Thursday, Oct. 26. An autograph session takes place from 5:30-6:30, allowing fans to meet their favorite drivers as part of this great event leading into the race weekend.

On Saturday, the Las Vegas Golden Knights marching band will also perform. Race fans at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway can enjoy the special pre-race ceremonies that celebrate each of the drivers racing for the prestigious Wally on Sunday and includes the SealMaster Track Walk. The final can’t-miss experience of any NHRA event is the winner’s circle celebration on Sunday after racing concludes, where fans are invited to congratulate the NHRA Nevada Nationals event winners.

Fans are invited to the Nitro Alley Stage all weekend, which will help create a festive atmosphere leading into Nitro Alley. The Nitro Alley Stage will be the main entertainment hub in the pits when the Camping World Drag Racing Series competitors are not on the track, hosting Nitro School, meet and greets, influencer interviews and much more. As always, fans get a pit pass to the most powerful and sensory-filled motorsports attraction on the planet. Fans can see their favorite teams in action and servicing their hot rods between rounds, get autographs from their favorite NHRA drivers, and more. They can also visit NHRA’s Manufacturers Midway, where sponsors and race vendors create an exciting atmosphere that includes interactive displays, merchandise, food, and fun.

NHRA Camping World Drag Racing Series qualifying will feature two rounds at 12:00 and 3:00 p.m. PT on Friday, Oct. 27, and the final two rounds of qualifying on Saturday, Oct. 28 at 12:00 and 3:00 p.m. Final eliminations are scheduled for 11:00 a.m. PT on Sunday, Oct. 29. Television coverage includes qualifying action on FS1 at 7:00 p.m. ET on Friday with eliminations on FS1 at 5:00 p.m. ET on Sunday.

To purchase tickets to the NHRA Nevada Nationals at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, call 800-644-4444 or visit www.lvms.com. Children 12 and under are admitted free in general admissions areas with a paid adult. For more information about NHRA, visit www.nhra.com.

About Camping World Holdings, Inc.

Camping World Holdings, Inc., headquartered in Lincolnshire, IL, (together with its subsidiaries) is the World’s largest retailer of RVs and related products and services. Our vision is to build a long-term legacy business that makes RVing fun and easy. Our Camping World and Good Sam brands have been serving RV consumers since 1966. We strive to build long-term value for our customers, employees, and shareholders by combining a unique and comprehensive assortment of RV products and services with a national network of RV dealerships, service centers and customer support centers along with the industry’s most extensive online presence and a highly trained and knowledgeable team of employees serving our customers, the RV lifestyle, and the communities in which we operate. We also believe that our Good Sam organization and family of programs and services uniquely enable us to connect with our customers as stewards of the RV enthusiast community and the RV lifestyle. With RV sales and service locations in 43 states, Camping World has grown to become the prime destination for everything RV. For more information, visit www.campingworld.com.

About NHRA

Headquartered in San Dimas, Calif., NHRA is the primary sanctioning body for the sport of drag racing in the United States. NHRA presents 21 national events featuring the NHRA Camping World Drag Racing Series, NHRA Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series, FuelTech NHRA Pro Mod Drag Racing Series presented by Type A Motorsports, Flexjet NHRA Factory Stock Showdown™ and Top Fuel Harley Series. NHRA provides competition opportunities for drivers of all levels in the NHRA Summit Racing Series and NHRA Street Legal™. NHRA also offers the NHRA Jr. Street® program for teens and the Summit Racing Jr. Drag Racing League® for youth ages 5 to 17. With 120 Member Tracks, NHRA allows racers to compete at a variety of locations nationally and internationally. NHRA’s Youth and Education Services® (YES) Program reaches over 30,000 students annually to ignite their interest in automotive and racing related careers. NHRA’s streaming service, NHRA.tv®, allows fans to view all NHRA national events as well as exclusive features of the sport. In addition, NHRA owns and operates three racing facilities: Gainesville Raceway in Florida; Lucas Oil Indianapolis Raceway Park; and In-N-Out Burger Pomona Dragstrip in Southern California. For more information, log on to www.NHRA.com, or visit the official NHRA pages on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and YouTube.

Auto-Owners Insurance Racing: Martin Truex Jr. Martinsville Advance

By
Official Release
-

Martin Truex Jr.
Martinsville Advance
No. 19 Auto-Owners Insurance Toyota Camry TRD for Joe Gibbs Racing

Event Overview

● Event: Xfinity 500 (Round 35 of 36)

● Time/Date: 2 p.m. EDT on Sunday, Oct. 29

● Location: Martinsville (Va.) Speedway

● Layout: .526-mile oval

● Laps/Miles: 500 laps / 263 miles

● Stage Lengths: Stage 1: 130 laps / Stage 2: 130 laps / Final Stage: 240 laps

● TV/Radio: NBC / MRN / SiriusXM NASCAR Radio

Notes of Interest

● Martin Truex Jr., and the No. 19 team for Joe Gibbs Racing (JGR) set the tone for the season right out of the gate by winning the 150-lap feature in the non-points Clash at the Coliseum on Feb. 5 in Los Angeles. Truex won his heat race, then went on to lead the final 25 laps of the feature en route to a victory that gave him and the team much-needed momentum heading into the 2023 season. While the team was knocking on the door over the first 10 points-paying races, the breakthrough win finally came at Dover (Del.) Motor Speedway on May 1, and Truex has added two more points-paying victories and four overall this season – June 11 at Sonoma (Calif.) Raceway and July 17 at New Hampshire Motor Speedway in Loudon.

● Round of 8: Heading to the third and final race in the Round of 8 of the 2023 NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs, Truex sits sixth in the standings with 4,071 points, 17 points below the top-four cutline as the team will do all it can to bring home a victory in order to make it to the Championship 4.

● All three of Truex’s Martinsville wins in the NASCAR Cup Series have come in his time at JGR, now in its fifth season. He has a total of five top-five finishes with the team at the .526-mile, paperclip-shaped oval.

● Truex’s three Martinsville wins are included in his 10 top-five finishes and 16 top-10s at the track, and he’s led a total of 1,016 laps in 35 career Cup Series outings at Martinsville. Truex’s average Martinsville finish is 16.0.

● 34 and Counting: Truex’s win at New Hampshire was the 34th of his Cup Series career, putting him in a tie with 2004 Cup Series champion Kurt Busch for 25th on the all-time win list in NASCAR’s top series.

● So far this season, Truex has scored three points-paying wins, nine top-five finishes, 16 top-10s and has led an impressive 851 laps through 34 races.

Martin Truex Jr., Driver of the No. 19 Auto-Owners Insurance Toyota Camry TRD

This will be your 36th Cup Series start at Martinsville. What has made you so good there, especially during your time at Joe Gibbs Racing?

“Martinsville for a long time in my career was a really tough place to figure out. We eventually hit on some things and it’s been pretty good for a while. Then we went to the NextGen car last year and it was a struggle for us. I’m really optimistic going into this weekend because we ran third there in the spring. Martinsville looks so easy, it’s just a small, little half-mile track, but it’s so tricky with the concrete in the corners and, every time you go there, it’s different. It doesn’t make sense because the track is the same, but it does make it different depending on the temperature and the tire and everything that’s going on with these cars. Running third there in the spring, I think we learned a lot we can use going forward and, hopefully, we can find some of that old magic we had there a few years ago again this weekend with our Auto-Owners Insurance Camry.”

Seems like there’s a lot of emotion from drivers who win at Martinsville. Why is that?

“I think it’s because it’s difficult and it’s been a staple in our sport for so long. Really, the track has remained unchanged and we’ve been through years of different cars and so many different things. And it’s always put on a great race and it’s always been difficult to win there, that’s why it’s such a big deal. There’s always a potential for beating and banging there and for tempers flaring. We’ve been in the middle of that before, as well.”

What are the challenges of racing at Martinsville as far as navigating it lap to lap?

“The biggest thing is just the beating and banging that happens there and getting knocked out of the way, which there seems to be a bit less of that so far with this car. For me, I’ve really only had one issue there, which was getting taken out of the race at the end in 2018. It gets like that at Martinsville, it’s just a tough track. When it comes down to a few laps to go, you can go down there and blow the corner and run into somebody and get the spot. That’s where the frustration comes from there, from a lot of drivers (doing that) over the years.”

Will this weekend at Martinsville be more aggressive than normal?

“I doubt it. I think it’s going to be as aggressive as it’s been with this car. You can only beat and bang with this car so much, and then you can’t get to someone’s bumper to get them out of the way. Just the way it is.”

No. 19 Auto-Owners Insurance Team Roster

Primary Team Members

Driver: Martin Truex Jr.

Hometown: Mayetta, New Jersey

Crew Chief: James Small

Hometown: Melbourne, Australia

Car Chief: Chris Jones

Hometown: Smith Mountain Lake, Virginia

Engineer: Nick Burton

Hometown: Arvada, California

Engineer: Jeff Curtis

Hometown: Fairfax Station, Virginia

Spotter: Drew Herring

Hometown: Benson, North Carolina

Road Crew Members

Underneath Mechanic: Ryan Martin

Hometown: Mechanicsburg, Virgina

Mechanic: Todd Carmichael

Hometown: Redding, California

Interior/Tire Specialist: Tommy DiBlasi

Hometown: Annapolis, Maryland

Engine Tuner: Gregg Huls

Hometown: Beatrice, Nebraska

Transporter Driver: Kyle Bazzell

Hometown: Fairbury, Illinois

Transporter Driver: Eddie DeGroot

Hometown: Baldwinsville, New York

Over-The-Wall Crew Members

Gas Man: Matt Tyrrell

Hometown: Fort Lauderdale, Florida

Jackman: Caleb Dirks

Hometown: Riverside, California

Tire Carrier: CJ Bailey

Hometown: Outer Banks, North Carolina

Front Tire Changer: Lee Cunningham

Hometown: Leaf River, Illinois

Rear Tire Changer: Kevon Jackson

Hometown: Chicago, Illinois

RFK Advance | Martinsville II

By
Official Release
-

Martinsville II Event Info:
Track Info: Martinsville Speedway, 0.5-mile short track
Date: Sunday, Oct. 29
Time: 2 p.m. ET
Series: NASCAR Cup Series (NCS)
Location: Martinsville, Virginia
Format: 500 laps, 263 miles, Stages: 130-130-240
TV: NBC
Radio: MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio

Weekend Schedule:
Saturday: 12:35 p.m. ET, Practice (USA, NBC Sports App, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio)
Saturday: 1:20 p.m. ET, Qualifying (USA, NBC Sports App, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio)
Sunday: 2 p.m. ET, Race (NBC, NBC Sports App, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio)

6 Team Info:
Crew Chief: Matt McCall
Partner: King’s Hawaiian

17 Team Info:
Crew Chief: Scott Graves
Partner: NEXLETOL (bempedoic acid and ezetimibe)

Pace Laps:

  • The penultimate race of the 2023 season takes place at the famed Paperclip this weekend, as Martinsville hosts its second race of the campaign.
  • Chris Buescher enters the weekend in a must-win situation, sitting eighth in the playoff standings, with two spots still up for grabs as this weekend’s race locks in the Championship 4 that will race for the title next week in Phoenix.
  • In short track races in 2023, RFK has one win (Buescher – Richmond II) two top fives and three top-10s.

Keselowski at Martinsville
Starts: 27
Wins: 2
Top-10s: 17
Poles: 1 (2020)

  • Keselowski, a two-time winner at Martinsville, is set for his 28th Cup start at ‘The Paperclip.’
  • Martinsville stands as one of Keselowski’s best tracks statistically with an average finish of 12.5. He’s coming off a 24th-place finish this spring, and crossed the line fourth last fall before later being disqualified.
  • He has finished top-10 in 63 percent of his starts there. Of the 17 top-10s, 12 have been inside the top five. He earned his first Grandfather clock back in 2017 and won the same race two years later in the spring.
  • Keselowski has finished fifth or better in 11 of his last 17 races at the track with a pair of runner-up results and three finishes of third.
  • He carries an average starting position of 11.4 into the weekend with 15 starts inside the top-10 and one pole (2010). Last season he qualified ninth in the spring and sixth in the fall.
  • Keselowski also made four Truck Series starts from 2004-07.

Buescher at Martinsville
Starts: 16
Wins: —
Top-10s: 1
Poles: —

  • Buescher is set for his 17th Cup start at Martinsville this weekend where he has one top-10 (P9), which came in the 2021 fall race.
  • He’s coming off a 14th-place finish this spring, and finishes of 24th and 15th last season.
  • He has four-straight top-15s in the spring event dating back to 2020 with a P13 result that spring, followed by another 13th-place finish in 2021, last season’s P15, and this season’s 14th-place result.
  • Buescher has an average starting position of 21.7 at Martinsville and is coming off his two best qualifying efforts of his career. After qualifying fourth in the 2022 spring race, Buescher qualified 10th this spring.

RFK Historically at Martinsville
Cup Wins: 4 (Mark Martin, 1992, 2000; Jeff Burton, 1997; Kurt Busch, 2002)

  • For Whom the Bell Tolls: RFK has earned four Grandfather Clocks at Martinsville with former drivers Mark Martin (two), Jeff Burton and Kurt Busch. RFK most recently went to victory lane with Busch in Oct. 2002.
  • Rock Around the Clock: RFK had its overall most-successful outing at Martinsville in the spring of 2002 when it placed all four of its cars inside the top 10 with drivers Martin, Burton, Busch and Matt Kenseth.
  • Closing Time: RFK earned a one-two finish in the April 9, 2000 event at Martinsville with former drivers Martin and Burton. Martin paced the field for 64 laps en route to the victory.
  • Short-Track Prowess: RFK has started a total of 702 NCS races on short tracks, recording a total of 24 wins, 126 top-five finishes, 251 top-10 finishes and 8,061 laps led.
  • Tale of the Tape: RFK has started 226 NCS races at Martinsville, recording four victories, 26 top-five finishes, 69 top-10 finishes, an average finish of 17.8 and has led 1,385 laps. RFK also boasts two NASCAR Truck Series wins in 46 starts at Martinsville (fall of ’03 and ’05).

RFK Martinsville Wins

1992-1 Martin Cup
1997-2 Burton Cup

2000-1 Martin Cup
2002-2 Busch Cup

2003-2 Wood Truck
2005-2 Craven Truck

Last Time Out & Where They Stand
Homestead: Buescher finished 21st Sunday at Homestead-Miami, while Keselowski led laps four different times, earned stage points in each of the first two stages, before being collected in a late-race incident to finish 28th.

Points Standings (17: 8th, 6: 9th): Buescher is in a must-win situation entering the final race in the Round of 8 this weekend, while Keselowski is ninth.

By the Numbers at Martinsville

Race      Win       T5           T10         Pole       Laps       Led        AvSt      AvFn     Miles
226         4              26           69           4              108422  1385       20.2        17.8        54211
3              0              0              1              0              750         0              28.0        19.3        394.5
46           2              14           24           3              10256    270         12.4        12.3        5394.6
275         6              40           94           7              119428  1655       20.2        16.5        60000.1

Ford Performance NASCAR – Martinsville Playoff Advance

By
Official Release
-

MARTINSVILLE SPEEDWAY PLAYOFF NOTES

Saturday, October 28 – NASCAR XFINITY Series, 3:30 p.m. ET (USA)
Sunday, October 29 – NASCAR Cup Series, 2 p.m. ET (NBC)

The final races in the Round of 8 for the NASCAR Cup and NASCAR Xfinity Series take place this weekend at Martinsville Speedway with spots in the Championship 4 still up for grabs. Ryan Blaney and Chris Buescher are vying for the final two spots in Cup while Cole Custer looks to advance in NXS.

CURRENT CUP PLAYOFF STANDINGS

The Round of 8 comes to a close this weekend at Martinsville Speedway with Ford drivers Ryan Blaney and Chris Buescher still in contention for a spot in the Championship 4. Here’s where they stand with two races remaining in the elimination round.

4th – Ryan Blaney (+10)
8th – Chris Buescher (-43)

NOTE: The Championship 4 field will be determined after Martinsville

BLANEY’S BEST

Even though Ryan Blaney does not have a NASCAR Cup Series win in 15 starts at Martinsville Speedway, it’s still a place where he has a lot of confidence. Look no further than the fact that he has an average finishing position of 9.5, which is a personal best on tracks he’s had more than two starts. Blaney has seven top-5 and nine top-10 efforts at the track, including finishes of fourth, third and seventh in his last three races. He goes into this weekend clinging to the fourth and final spot in the playoff standings, 10 points ahead of fifth-place Tyler Reddick.

MARTINSVILLE CHALLENGE FOR BUESCHER

Chris Buescher comes into this weekend’s elimination race at Martinsville Speedway knowing that a win will automatically clinch his spot in the Championship 4. As it stands, he comes into the weekend in eighth place, trailing the final transfer spot for the Championship 4 by 43 points. In 16 career starts, he has managed only one top 10 finish with that being a ninth in the 2021 playoff event. Buescher, who won a year ago on the half-mile bullring at Bristol Motor Speedway, has an average finish of 19.4 at Martinsville and is coming off a 14th place showing in the spring.

LOGANO LIKES MARTINSVILLE

Few tracks on the NASCAR Cup Series circuit have been better for Joey Logano when it comes to qualifying than Martinsville Speedway. Logano enters this weekend with an average starting position of 8.2, which is his second among all tracks in which he has more than 10 starts (Las Vegas is 8.1 in 21 starts) He has six poles, including three in a row in 2015-16, and had an active streak of 18 straight top-10 starts (including races where qualifying was rained out) from 2013-22. In 29 career races at the half-mile short track, Logano has an average finishing position of 11.1 and has been running at the finish of every event.

KESELOWSKI WINS FIRST CLOCK

Brad Keselowski outdueled Kyle Busch down the stretch to win his first grandfather clock after capturing the STP 500 on Apr. 2, 2017. The two drivers waged a memorable battle that saw them swap the lead five times in the last 160 laps, but Keselowski ended up making the decisive pass on lap 458 and led the final 43 circuits to become the first repeat winner in 2017. Prior to winning at Martinsville, Keselowski took the checkered flag at Atlanta in the second race of the season.

CUSTER ON THE BUBBLE

Cole Custer is in the thick of the championship battle going into this weekend’s elimination race, finding himself on the bubble with two other drivers. Custer, who finished 13th after winning the first stage in Saturday’s race at Homestead-Miami Speedway, holds the third spot over Austin Hill on a tiebreaker as each driver has 3113 points. Justin Allgaier is fifth and only three points behind both drivers as three berths remain in the Championship 4 at Martinsville. Custer made his first NXS start at the half-mile paperclip earlier this year when he sat on the pole and finished third. In six career Cup starts on the speedway, he had a pair of top five qualifying runs and a best finish of 13th in 2020.

FORD’S NASCAR CUP SERIES WINNERS

AT MARTINSVILLE

1961 – Fred Lorenzen (1)

1962 – Nelson Stacy (2)

1963 – Fred Lorenzen (2)

1964 – Fred Lorenzen (Sweep)

1965 – Fred Lorenzen and Junior Johnson

1966 – Fred Lorenzen (2)

1969 – Richard Petty (Sweep)

1986 – Ricky Rudd (1)

1990 – Geoffrey Bodine (Sweep)

1992 – Mark Martin and Geoffrey Bodine

1993 – Ernie Irvan (2)

1994 – Rusty Wallace (Sweep)

1995 – Rusty Wallace (1)

1996 – Rusty Wallace (1)

1997 – Jeff Burton (1)

1998 – Ricky Rudd (2)

2000 – Mark Martin (1)

2001 – Dale Jarrett and Ricky Craven

2002 – Kurt Busch (2)

2017 – Brad Keselowski (1)

2018 – Clint Bowyer and Joey Logano

2019 – Brad Keselowski (1)

FORD’S NASCAR Xfinity Series WINNERS

AT MARTINSVILLE

1994 – Kenny Wallace

Todd Gilliland and the No. 38 Quincy Compressor Ford Mustang Team Martinsville Speedway Competition Notes

By
Official Release
-

TEAM AND RACE NOTES:

Todd Gilliland and the No. 38 team return to the Martinsville (Va.) Speedway this weekend.

Quincy Compressor, a Bay Minette, Alabama-based compressor manufacturer founded in 1920, returns to the hood and sides of the No. 38 Ford Mustang after last riding with Gilliland at the Darlington Raceway.

Quincy Compressor is a leading designer and manufacturer of reciprocating and rotary screw air compressors, vacuum pumps, and a full line of air treatment components. Quincy has built its reputation on quality and rugged reliability, building tough air compressors for the most demanding applications.

Track activity will begin with practice and qualifying on Saturday at 12:35 p.m. ET. Sunday’s 263-mile race is scheduled for 2:00 p.m. ET on NBC.

COMPETITION NOTES:

After a 25th-place finish at the Homestead-Miami Speedway, Gilliland and the No. 38 Quincy Compressor Ford Mustang team head just two hours north to the Martinsville Speedway. Gilliland returns to the track hoping to bring the same speed he had in the Spring. Gilliland ran with top-10 and top-five pace before his Ford Mustang dropped a cylinder resulting in a 25th-place finish.

The Martinsville Speedway is also home to Gilliland’s first NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series win.

CREW CHIEF RYAN BERGENTY:

“There is still a lot to fight for in the last couple weeks of the season. Todd has really improved this year and we want to keep the momentum going with another solid finish.”

DRIVER TODD GILLILAND:

“I think Ryan is right. There is a lot to race for. We’re looking at those areas where we need to improve. That can be qualifying, or race craft, or how we build our cars. So, it’s a process that never stops for us even when there are only a few races left in the season. I want to be better and I want the team to be better.

“We know it’s all there. The 34 group and Michael have been strong, but we have been strong, too. We’ve had top-10 and a ton more top-15 finishes this season (Gilliland has 10 top-15 finishes). We just had a dip in the middle of the season, so it’s important to end the season back in the top-15 where we know we are.

“We’re heading to the track with Quincy Compressor this weekend. The fans and I really like the colors on the car. It stands out. We just want to make sure we have it up front!”

ABOUT FRONT ROW MOTORSPORTS

Front Row Motorsports (FRM) is a winning organization in the NASCAR Cup and CRAFTSMAN Truck Series. The team is the 2021 Daytona 500 and 2022 CRAFTSMAN Truck Series champions. The team was founded in 2004 and is owned by successful entrepreneur, Bob Jenkins. FRM fields the No. 34 and the No. 38 NASCAR Cup Series teams along with the No. 38 CRAFTSMAN Truck Series team from its Mooresville, N.C. headquarters. Visit teamfrm.com and follow FRM on social media: Twitter at @Team_FRM, Instagram at @team_frm and Facebook at facebook.com/FrontRowMotorsports.

1...1,2471,2481,249...6,663Page 1,248 of 6,663