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No. 93 HARRISON CONTRACTING COMPANY ACURA NSX GT3 EVO22 TEAM PERSEVERE THROUGH PETIT LE MANS

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Official Release
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(Braselton, Ga.) Oct. 14, 2023 – As the Racers Edge Motorsports with WTRAndretti team entered the final event of the 2023 IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship and IMSA Michelin Endurance Cup, it was all focus on the finishing the year on a high note at the MOTUL Petit Le Mans. The trio of Ashton Harrison, Kyle Marcelli and Danny Formal reunited to climb back aboard the No. 93 Harrison Contracting Company Acura NSX GT3 Evo22 for the famed 10-hour endurance season finale and hoped to put on a show for the over 100 Harrison Contracting Company employees onsite.

For the MOTUL Petit Le Mans, it was a tight and competitive field of 52 entries – 19 of which in the GTD class. Kyle Marcelli put his previous Petit Le Mans expertise to work as the Canadian piloted the No. 93 Rely On RED Acura in wet, slick and tricky qualifying conditions to land 10th on the grid in the GTD class for the 10-hour event. As Saturday’s weather proved better than that of qualifying, Marcelli took the green flag in the No. 93 Harrison Contracting Company Acura NSX GT3 Evo22 with the goal to advance further up the field. Within the first 15 minutes of the race, the No. 93 team encountered a mechanical issue with the power steering on the car and Marcelli came to pit lane for the team to address the issue. As the Racers Edge Motorsports with WTRAndretti team surveyed the issue, it became evident that the team needed to take the No. 93 Acura back to the garage to fix the issue. With quick work by the Racers Edge Motorsports with WTRAndretti team, Marcelli headed back out on track before the first hour mark.

With the mechanical issue addressed and fixed, it was full focus on persevering forward to regain as many laps as possible from the 20 laps while behind the wall in the garage. Ashton Harrison hoped into the red Acura for her first laps at the MOTUL Petit Le Mans, her home race, shortly after Marcelli went back on track. Harrison was able to click away at laps around the 2.54-mile road course before handing off the reins to teammate, Danny Formal, for his first stint at the wheel within the first three hours of racing. Once all three drivers got their first stint inside the driver’s seat, it became a mission to earn as many laps back to the GTD leader as possible. Through the second half of the race, the trio and Racers Edge Motorsports with WTRAndretti team displayed tried and true perseverance to collect five laps back on the 20-lap deficit. In the final hour of the famed event, Marcelli retook control of the cockpit and was able to set the fastest GTD lap of the race with a time of 01:20.248 on Lap 340.

The No. 93 Harrison Contracting Company Acura NSX GT3 Evo22’s campaign in the IMSA Michelin Endurance Cup comes to an end with Saturday’s event and the entire Racers Edge Motorsports with WTRAndretti team can be very proud of the effort, both at the MOTUL Petit Le Mans and all year long.

No. 93 Harrison Contracting Company Acura NSX GT3 Evo22 DRIVER QUOTES:

Ashton Harrison:
“Petit Le Mans: love you, hate you. Super proud of the Racers Edge Motorsports with WTRAndretti team to make up those laps that we went down so badly at the beginning of the race. That’s just another race of our year that we’ve had to really put our heads down and charge forward. I’m really proud of everyone and thankful to the entire Racers Edge Motorsports with WTRAndretti crew for all the hard work they’ve put in this weekend and all year and looking forward to what’s to come. Thank you to HPD, our Acura NSX was flying. Kyle set the fastest lap and obviously, we had speed, it’s just a bummer that we weren’t able to push toward the front more. I appreciate all my friends and family from Harrison Contracting coming out to Road Atlanta – our home track and my first Petit Le Mans and looking forward to the next one.”

Kyle Marcelli:
“What a long day it was. For the crew, the drivers. We had some gremlins starting in Thursday evening practice. Power steering was randomly cutting out and the guys worked to change all steering components. We thought we were in good shape to start the race, but unfortunately, it continued to act up, so we had to go behind the wall basically on the first lap of the race. We spent about 20-30 minutes back there, found the issue, and got back in the race 20 laps down. Then we just put our heads, enjoyed the race. The guys on the box treated the race as though we were fighting to win in terms of strategy, pit stops, and the drivers managed the race as though if we were fighting for a win. We finished the 10 hours with not a scratch on the car, fast lap of the race and 15 laps down, so we made up five laps. A great effort from everybody at Racers Edge Motorsports with WTRAndretti. Just bittersweet with those gremlins we had to deal with early on. Personally, from my side, it was fun year to share the car with Ashton and Danny and I look forward to more of that in the future.”

Danny Formal:
“What a weekend. All the little gremlins that can happen, happened. We went out this morning in warm up in the wet, was able to go P1 and the car felt pretty good. We did have a little bit of a power steering issue. We thought we fixed it. Unfortunately, we didn’t. We went 20 laps down at the beginning of the race. We kept fighting and fighting. We finished the race 15 laps behind. My stints felt really good, really good pace. The Racers Edge Motorsport with WTRAndretti team never stopped working and gave us a fantastic car. The race pace was just phenomenal. I was able to do a great lap in my last stint and pass a bunch of GTD and GTD PRO cars. I’m so happy for Kyle getting fast lap of the race. Our late pit stop – we put him in the car, and he sent it then we got a purple sector. Excited whatever comes next.”
About Harrison Contracting
Harrison Contracting Company, Inc. (HCC) is a commercial painting and facility maintenance contracting company headquartered in Villa Rica, GA with divisional offices in Florida and Texas. HCC provides repainting/reimaging and facility maintenance services nationwide, and new construction painting across the southeastern US. At HCC, red is more than the company color, its culture. RED stands for Reliable, Experienced, and Diligent, and is the cornerstone for all we do. We are more than just your painter; we are your partner.

Racers Edge Motorsports with WTRAndretti is also proudly sponsored by Acura Motorsports and Honda Performance Development (HPD).

Cadillac sweeps inaugural GTP championships

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Official Release
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No. 01 Cadillac V-Series.R finishes second in pressure-packed Petit Le Mans

BRASELTON, Ga. (Oct. 14, 2023) – Cadillac Racing closed the inaugural IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship Grand Touring Prototype season with multiple trips to the trophy stage following the 26th Motul Petit Le Mans.

Cadillac clinched its fourth IMSA Manufacturer Championship, fifth IMSA Michelin Endurance Cup Manufacturer Championship, fourth Driver/Team Championship, fifth IMSA Michelin Endurance Cup Driver Championship and third IMSA Michelin Endurance Cup Team Championship since entering IMSA prototype competition in 2017.

The No. 31 Whelen Engineering Cadillac V-Series.R secured both driver/team titles. Pipo Derani, who celebrated his 30th birthday on Oct. 12, earned his second Driver Championship in the past three seasons.

“You can’t ask for better than straight As. This program has been a challenge of resilience, and everyone has stepped up — all of the partners that are involved from GM, Dallara, our race teams, our hybrid-supplier partners. We delivered excellent results. It was not an easy year. We had our ups, and we had our downs. Ultimately our eyes were on the prize, and we were ready to seize any opportunity that was thrown at us.”

The No. 01 Cadillac V-Series.R, with Sebastien Bourdais, Renger van der Zande and Scott Dixon sharing duties behind the wheel, finished second to the No. 60 Acura ARX-06 under yellow. Derani, Alexander Sims and Jack Aitken drove the No. 31 Whelen Engineering Cadillac V-Series.R to sixth place.

A Cadillac led more than half of the 397 laps over the course of the 10-hour race on the 2.54-mile, 12-turn Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta course, and van der Zande set the fastest lap of 1 minute, 10.917 seconds on Lap 312. It was the fifth time in the nine races that a hybrid Cadillac set the GTP pace.

Less than 16 months since making its on-track test debut and 37 weeks since the opening race, the Cadillac V-Series.R has proven its reliability and performance on the variety pack of North American road and street courses. The Cadillac V-Series.R features an all-new Cadillac 5.5-liter DOHC V8 engine developed by GM’s Performance and Racing propulsion team based in Pontiac, Michigan, paired with the common energy recovery system.

“It’s amazing; what a season,” Derani said. “It was up and down but up there when it mattered for the overall championship, the endurance championship and the manufacturer championships. I’m proud of all the work behind the scenes by so many people to get to this point in the first year of GTP. There are so many things out of your control in a race like this. The end of the race was very tense. I overtook both of the BMWs and came away victorious.”

The 2024 IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship season begins Jan. 19-21 with the Roar Before the 24, which includes practice and qualifications to set the starting lineup for the Jan. 27-28 Rolex 24 At Daytona.

Cadillac Racing podiums at Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta since 2017:

Wins: 2020 (Renger van der Zande, Scott Dixon, Ryan Briscoe)

      2019 (Pipo Derani, Felipe Nasr, Eric Curran)

      2018 (Renger van der Zande, Jordan Taylor, Ryan Hunter-Reay)

Second: 2023 (Sebastien Bourdais, Renger van der Zande, Scott Dixon)

2022 (Pipo Derani, Olivier Pla, Mike Conway)

          2021 (Pipo Derani, Felipe Nasr, Mike Conway)

          2019 (Renger van der Zande, Jordan Taylor, Matthieu Vaxiviere)

          2017 (Dane Cameron, Eric Curran, Mike Conway)

Third: 2022 (Jimmie Johnson, Kamui Kobayashi, Mike Rockenfeller)

     2020 (Pipo Derani, Felipe Nasr, Filipe Albuquerque)* Six-hour race

Cadillac Racing notes

  • Cadillac has won at least two races each season since entering IMSA prototype competition with the start of the DPi era in 2017. It won three times this season.
  • Sebastien Bourdais drove the initial 2 hours, 57 minutes in the No. 01 Cadillac V-Series.R before yielding to Renger van der Zande, leading the GTP field for a total of 1 hour, 21 minutes.
  • A Cadillac V-Series.R started on the front row in five of the nine races, including poles for the No. 31 Whelen Engineering Cadillac V-Series.R at Sebring International Raceway and Road America.

No. 01 Cadillac V-Series.R

Renger van der Zande: “Helping clinch the overall GTP championship and IMEC championship for Cadillac is great because we didn’t have many great moments this year aside from Laguna Seca this year. To have the championships with Cadillac is a testament to the whole program. The car was really fast today, and in the last race of the season after having so much bad luck we put it all together. We can be all proud of this type of racing. You can see in endurance racing on what a lift we are and you see how many people are here. It was sold out already in February here. Le Mans was sold out. Endurance racing is on an all-time high. I’m super proud to be part of it. If you look back at the season, the championship was so tight because a lot of people had different issues and problems, which makes it a typical season for new technology, new cars and all that. It looks like the teams have their cars sorted in terms of reliability. I’m looking forward to next season. It’s been a bit of a frustrating season for us. On the other hand, finishing third and fourth in Le Mans also shows what the American brand of Cadillac can do. Winning all the championships here again is quite impressive and makes me proud to be part of that.”

Sebastien Bourdais: “It was a great day for Cadillac in the first season of GTP. We managed to not get hit and stay out of trouble, which put us in good shape. It’s a shame the way the yellows fell. It seemed like it was ours to lose and coming in second really hurts. Overall, the package was strong during the day when the sun came out and stronger when night fell and temperatures came down.”

Scott Dixon: “For me, the goal was to off-load the car to my teammates in one piece. The Cadillac has been super fast all race, really consistent and good all-around effort by the team. Being the third guy, you want to make sure you’re up to speed because these cars are pretty technical. My two stints I had a lot of fun. Led the first one and got beat out on the second, and just tried to bring the tires in slowly and save them. Our pace was really good; we could have pushed a lot harder. Congrats to Cadillac and the championship for the 31. It definitely was a pretty wild day. I’m bummed for our day. I think we deserved to win, and we had the pace to win. Unfortunately, we were in a bit of an energy crisis there and couldn’t warm up the tires. Obviously we lost first place on that restart there and had a couple of cautions after. Frustrating, but that’s racing.”

No. 31 Whelen Engineering Cadillac V-Series.R

Pipo Derani: “It’s amazing; what a season. It was up and down but up there when it mattered for the overall championship, the endurance championship and the manufacturer championships. I’m proud of all the work behind the scenes by so many people to get to this point in the first year of GTP. There are so many things out of your control in a race like this. The end of the race was very tense. I overtook both of the BMWs and came away victorious.”

Alexander Sims: “It’s been an incredible year. It’s pretty mad to think we’ve wrapped it up. A crazy race as we expected coming into this. Such a rollercoaster. Just so proud of the job that everyone has done. Pipo and Jack have done an insane job all year long. I really felt like I’ve been the third wheel a bit… just do my solid job each time and bring the car in and let them get in the car and do the job. The team has been flawless. So many good pit stops. I’m so, so proud of everyone.”

Jack Aitken: “Alex really underplays himself as always. It’s been an absolute pleasure working with everybody. This is a championship that everyone deserves. (On the late-race contact review and the final hour) “We were extremely nervous, not only for that but also how the final pit stop played out. Pipo really had to win that one track with how the BMWs were working together. He did an amazing job and pulled it out when he needed to.”

Stewart-Haas Racing: NXS Race Report from Las Vegas

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Official Release
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STEWART-HAAS RACING
NASCAR Xfinity Series: Alsco Uniforms 302

Date: Oct. 14, 2023
Event: Alsco Uniforms 302 (Round 30 of 33)
Series: NASCAR Xfinity Series
Location: Las Vegas Motor Speedway (1.5-mile oval)
Format: 201 laps, broken into three stages (45 laps/45 laps/111 laps)
Race Winner: Riley Herbst of Stewart-Haas Racing (Ford)
Stage 1 Winner: Cole Custer of Stewart-Haas Racing (Ford)
Stage 2 Winner: Riley Herbst of Stewart-Haas Racing (Ford)

SHR Race Finish:

● Riley Herbst (Started 8th / Finished 1st, Running, completed 201 of 201 laps)
● Cole Custer (Started 2nd / Finished 3rd, Running, completed 201 of 201 laps)

SHR Points:

● Cole Custer (4th with 3,071 points, 15 points above the top-four cutoff)
● Riley Herbst (13th with 790 points)

Victory Notes:

● Herbst’s victory at Las Vegas marked SHR’s 24th NASCAR Xfinity Series victory, its third of the season, and its third at Las Vegas.
● This was SHR’s 100th overall victory (69 point-paying NASCAR Cup Series wins, six non-point-paying NASCAR Cup Series wins, 24 NASCAR Xfinity Series wins and one ARCA Menards Series West win)

● This was Herbst’s first career NASCAR Xfinity Series victory and it comes in his third season with SHR.

SHR Notes:

● Herbst earned his first victory of the season and his first victory in nine career Xfinity Series starts at Las Vegas.
● This is Herbst’s second straight top-five. He finished fourth last Saturday at the Charlotte Motor Speedway Roval.
● This is Herbst’s second straight top-10 at Las Vegas. He finished eighth when the series’ visited in March.
● Herbst’s win bettered his previous best finish at Las Vegas – eighth, earned in March.
● Herbst finished 10th in Stage 1 to earn one bonus point and won Stage 2 to earn 10 more bonus points.
● Herbst led three times for 103 laps – his first laps led at Las Vegas.
● Custer earned his 13th top-five of the season and his third top-five in seven career Xfinity Series starts at Las Vegas.
● This was Custer’s seventh straight top-12 at Las Vegas. He finished 12th when the series’ last visited in March. He has never finished outside the top-12 at Las Vegas.
● This was Custer’s second straight top-five. He finished fourth on Sept. 15 at Bristol (Tenn.) Motor Speedway, sixth Sept. 23 at Texas Motor Speedway in Fort Worth, and second last weekend at the Charlotte Motor Speedway Roval.
● Custer’s third-place finish equaled his previous best finish at Las Vegas – third, earned in September 2018.
● Custer won Stage 1 to earn 10 bonus points and one playoff points. He finished second in Stage 2 to earn nine more bonus points.

● Custer led three times for 62 laps to increase his laps-led total at Las Vegas to 116.

Race Notes:

● Herbst won the Alsco Uniforms 302 to score his first career Xfinity Series victory in 139 career starts. His margin over second-place John Hunter Nemechek was 14.959 seconds.
● There were five caution periods for a total of 26 laps.|
● Only 10 of the 38 drivers in the race finished on the lead lap.

Sound Bites:

“I’ve been working on myself and everything I can control. I knew all I could do is all I could do, and if there was a caution, there was a caution and we were going race them straight up. But, oh my goodness. This year was such a failure that we didn’t make the playoffs. It’s so embarrassing to be in a car like this that doesn’t make the playoffs and walk in the garage each week with your head down, but Davin Restivo and all these guys on the No. 98 team told me to keep my head up, and we’re going to go win a race and that’s what we did. I can’t fathom it. I can’t thank Monster Energy enough. I can’t thank my grandfather and mom and dad enough. I’m so emotional, but everybody here at Las Vegas, I love you guys. This is my home. I was born and raised here, so let’s go party and we’re going to celebrate tonight.” – Riley Herbst, driver of the No. 98 Monster Energy Ford Mustang

“It was a great day. Our guys did a great job winning that first stage and then getting second in the second stage. We had a lot of speed in our No. 00 Haas Automation Ford Mustang. Honestly, we were really loose on the long runs. We thought the track would come to us, but it never did. The No. 98 was just so fast, and I don’t know if anyone had anything for him. Our No. 00 team has worked so hard all year, so to have this great run today and make it above the cutoff line just means so much more. Can’t wait to get to Homestead.” – Cole Custer, driver of the No. 00 Haas Automation Ford Mustang

Next Up:

The next event on the Xfinity Series schedule is the Contender Boats 300 on Saturday, Oct. 21 at Homestead-Miami (Fla.) Speedway. It is the fifth race of the Xfinity Series playoffs and the second race of the Round of 8. The race begins at 3 p.m. EDT with live coverage provided by USA and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.

CORVETTE RACING AT PETIT LE MANS: Closing the C8.R Chapter in IMSA

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Official Release
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BRASELTON, Ga. (October 14, 2023) – The Chevrolet Corvette C8.R ended its run in the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship leading Petit Le Mans on Saturday, but unfortunately that happened just past the halfway point of the 10-hour race at Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta.

Corvette Racing’s mid-engine challenger retired with a yet-to-be-determined engine issue that caused Tommy Milner to lose power while leading the GT Daytona (GTD) PRO class with less than five hours left in the race. He, Antonio Garcia and Jordan Taylor had dominated the race up to that point by leading 87 of the Corvette’s 189 laps.

The C8.R has one more race left in the FIA World Endurance Championship, but it has compiled an impressive record of 20 victories in 80 races – including Le Mans, Daytona and Sebring – and IMSA Manufacturers, Drivers and Team championships in 2020 and 2021. It will give way in 2024 to the Corvette Z06 GT3.R, which will see four cars running in the WeatherTech Championship next season.

On Saturday, it appeared early that the C8.R would add a long-sought Petit Le Mans victory to the honor roll. Garcia began the race second in class but moved to the GTD PRO lead just past the one-hour mark. He drove a double-stint to open before handing off to Taylor for his own double.

The Corvette ran fourth just shy of the three-hour mark, but a sterling pit stop by the Corvette crew during the race’s fifth full-course yellow leap-frogged Taylor – making his final start with Corvette Racing – back to the lead. That’s where he ran before handing over the C8.R to Milner four hours into the race.

The Corvette Racing effort transitions into the Corvette Z06 GT3.R era starting with the Rolex 24 At Daytona on Saturday, Jan. 27.

ANTONIO GARCIA, NO. 3 MOBIL 1/SiriusXM CHEVROLET CORVETTE C8.R: “It was looking quite good. I was surprised how competitive we were right away. My double-stint was good. Jordan’s double-stint was really good. Tommy was leading. Everything was kind of falling in the right places for us. We had little things with strategy where we might have lost the lead, but we were up there and executing another great Corvette race. Even if most of the cars had more pace than us, it would have been difficult for them. It’s a shame to end this way. I wish we had another result and another way to do our last race with Jordan and this car. But it feels like another Petit Le Mans where I go away not winning it! It’s disappointing, but I’ll never give up trying to win this one.”

JORDAN TAYLOR, NO. 3 MOBIL 1/SiriusXM CHEVROLET CORVETTE C8.R: “It’s sad and a bittersweet ending. We went out leading, which is a positive. It’s too bad the fans didn’t get to see us finish one last race in IMSA in the C8.R. It’s been an amazing run with this car – two GTLM championships, we’ve won the WEC championship this year, a Le Mans, Daytona, Sebring… we were just missing Petit Le Mans. It’s been an amazing run for this generation of Corvette, and hopefully the next one can get this one checked off the list.

“This isn’t a farewell. I won’t be driving for the team any more, but I’ll still be around. I don’t want anyone to not come around and say hello. I’ve been here for 12 years now, and I’ve grown up in this program. With these team members, the crew members, the engineers, management, the race fans – they’ve all seen me grow and progress. I wouldn’t want any of that to change. These people will be family for the rest of my life.”

TOMMY MILNER, NO. 3 MOBIL 1/SiriusXM CHEVROLET CORVETTE C8.R: “At the end of the day, it’s not the result we were hoping for and on track for. The car was great today. Antonio and Jordan did a phenomenal job today. The engineering guys made the right pit calls, even a little risky setup call for the race today that we weren’t totally confident in. But those guys worked hard to give us a great Corvette today, and they definitely did. So I’m disappointed with the finish but I’m super proud of what this team has achieved from the very beginning of the C8.R’s life – not just the guys here but the guys in WEC and a lot of guys in Michigan who have spent a long many years working on this car, developing the car and making it better. It’s not how we wanted to end it all, but I’ve excited for what’s to come with the Corvette GT3 racecar. It took me a little bit to get used to this car because I’ve driven the GT3 for so long, and it does so many things really well. I’m really excited for the future.”

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.

HERRERA, TORRENCE, TASCA & ANDERSON QUALIFY NO. 1 AT RECORD-BREAKING DAY IN FRONT OF MASSIVE DALLAS CROWD

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Official Release
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ENNIS, Texas (Oct. 14, 2023) – Pro Stock Motorcycle points leader Gaige Herrera made the quickest run in class history on Saturday at the Texas Motorplex, setting the national record and also breaking the category mark for the most No. 1 qualifiers in a single season in front of a near-capacity crowd at the 38th annual Texas NHRA FallNationals.

Steve Torrence (Top Fuel), Bob Tasca III (Funny Car) and Greg Anderson (Pro Stock) also qualified No. 1 at the 19th of 21 races during the 2023 NHRA Camping World Drag Racing Series season, and the fourth of six races in the Countdown to the Championship playoffs.

Herrera rocketed to a run of 6.627-seconds at 204.16 mph on his Mission Foods/Vance & Hines Suzuki, shattering the previous national record. It was also the second-fastest run in Pro Stock Motorcycle history. Herrera, who has eight wins this year, earned his 12th No. 1 spot, setting the class record for the most No. 1 qualifiers in a single season. He’ll open eliminations against Blaine Hale, looking to close out yet another magical weekend this season.

“We didn’t think it would be possible, but it was a picture-perfect run,” Herrera said. “It was so smooth it felt slow. We’re definitely happy about that and I was actually almost more excited about that than winning a race. It’s just a big accomplishment. I’ve got a fast motorcycle, and I feel if something doesn’t break and I don’t mess up, it’s going to be hard to beat us.

“There has been a lot to take in this season and I really don’t think it’s all set in. I can’t really put into words. A year ago today I would not have thought I’d be in the position I’m in, especially accomplishing so much that we have so far this season.”

Kelly Clontz made the best run of her career, going 6.705 at 201.99 to make a massive jump to second. Eddie Krawiec took third on the strength of his 6.714 at 203.92.

Steve Torrence hung on to the No. 1 position in a loaded Top Fuel field, as his track-record run of 3.636 at 336.62 in his 11,000-horsepower Capco Contractors/Toyota dragster was good enough to hold off an epic number of qualifying runs on Saturday. It’s the third No. 1 qualifier for the Texan and four-time world champion, and he’ll open eliminations against Buddy Hull on Sunday. He entered the weekend third in points behind Leah Pruett and leader Doug Kalitta and gathered plenty of momentum with three straight runs in the 3.60s over the final three qualifying sessions. He’ll try to finish off a special weekend with a third win at his home track in front of what’s expected to be another huge crowd.

“It’s definitely morale boosting to go out and go low ET. But more importantly, today we went out and ran (3.66) on the first lap, (3.67) on the second lap,” Torrence said. “When you have a car that’s consistent, it’s always a confidence booster but especially when it’s consistently quick and you’re picking up points and something that very potentially could be the deciding factor in winning or losing a championship.

“At this point I’m probably more confident in my car than any other time in the season. We’re making really good strides at the right time, and I’m very confident going into tomorrow. It doesn’t hurt that it’s a hometown crowd.”

Torrence kept all the stars at bay, but nearly everyone put up a challenge, as 12 cars dipped into the 3.60s in the second-quickest qualifying field in Top Fuel history. Points leader Kalitta held on to second thanks to his 3.642 at 334.70 on Friday and Mike Salinas jumped to third Saturday evening with a 3.655 at 333.73.

In Funny Car, Bob Tasca III closed out qualifying with a massive blast of 338.57 mph, giving him plenty of confidence heading into eliminations, but it was his track-record pass of 3.822 at 335.55 on Friday in his 11,000-horsepower Motorcraft/Quick Lane Ford Mustang that handed the points leader his seventh No. 1 spot this season. Tasca will open eliminations against Jack Wyatt and he’s got plenty of momentum, making the quickest run in three of the four sessions, which helped add to his points lead. With ideal conditions expected for eliminations, Tasca is ready for an unbelievable championship Sunday in Dallas.

“We have one of the best cars on the planet right now, so you’ve got a lot of confidence,” Tasca said. “Anyone out there can take out one of these cars easily. But we’ve got a really good car, the guys have a great handle on it. That 338 mph speed was pretty remarkable actually. I got No. 1 and the (personal-best) speed record. That was pretty cool. That was the fastest I’ve ever been in a car and I tell you one thing, when those parachutes come out four runs in a row at well over 330 mph, I’m a little sore to be honest with you.

“I could really hear the motor rev up in the lights and that’s when you think it’s on a big run. The fans got their money’s worth, and they’ll get their money’s worth tomorrow because you’re going to see a lot of those same conditions. Our side of the ladder is pretty stacked. That’s what we want. If you want to win the championship, you want to beat some of the top cars early and try to get ourselves into a position to win this race.”

John Force made a career-best pass to close out qualifying, taking the second spot with a 3.823 at 328.56. Robert Hight, who was second in points entering the weekend, took third with a 3.832 at 327.75, with Ron Capps and Matt Hagan right behind with runs of 3.844 and 3.848, respectively.

On a historic day in Pro Stock, five-time world champion Greg Anderson jumped to the top on Saturday, claiming the No. 1 qualifier with a standout run of 6.480 at 211.76 in his HendrickCars.com Chevrolet Camaro. It gives Anderson his second No. 1 spot this season and the 123rd in his career, doing so in Dallas against the quickest qualifying field in Pro Stock history. A total of nine cars ran in the 6.40s, with Chris McGaha taking the No. 16 spot with a 6.536. That will be Anderson’s first-round matchup on Sunday, as the veteran looks to win his third straight race in the Countdown to the Championship. Anderson enjoyed every bit of Saturday’s performance, making a pair of runs in the 6.40s and taking the top spot in an unbelievably quick field.

“Momentum is obviously worth a lot. You can’t quantify it, but it’s worth a lot,” Anderson said. “To get the No. 1 spot this weekend, this has probably been the toughest four rounds of qualifying that I can remember in my career. There has never been as many cars capable of driving the pole and being No. 1 through No. 10 in any order. Every thousandth meant everything, and that means to us, not only does that car have to be perfect every time down the racetrack, but you have to shift it perfectly.

“It’s that tough out there right now. The bar has been raised in this class and I’m proud to be one of the guys in the mix fighting for a championship and having a chance to fight for the pole like we did this weekend. It’s a lot of fun when you have conditions like this. This is what we live for. It was a great weekend so far in qualifying and tomorrow will be even better yet, I think you’ll see even faster times and it’s crazy. There are just so many capable of doing it.”

Troy Coughlin Jr. took the second spot with a 6.482 at 212.05 and points leader Erica Enders is right behind in third after a 6.483 at 211.82. Jerry Tucker, Dallas Glenn, Deric Kramer, Matt Hartford, Kyle Koretsky and Aaron Stanfield all ran in the 6.40s as well.

Eliminations for the Texas NHRA FallNationals begin at 12 p.m. CT on Sunday at the Texas Motorplex.

ENNIS, Texas — Sunday’s first-round pairings for eliminations for the 38th annual Texas NHRA FallNationals at Texas Motorplex, the 19th of 21 events in the NHRA Camping World Drag Racing Series. Pairings based on results in qualifying, which ended Saturday. DNQs listed below pairings.

Top Fuel — 1. Steve Torrence, 3.636 seconds, 336.62 mph vs. 16. Buddy Hull, 3.780, 321.11; 2. Doug Kalitta, 3.642, 334.70 vs. 15. Josh Hart, 3.738, 326.87; 3. Mike Salinas, 3.655, 333.73 vs. 14. Doug Foley, 3.737, 322.51; 4. Brittany Force, 3.657, 335.72 vs. 13. Spencer Massey, 3.723, 327.49; 5. Billy Torrence, 3.660, 334.57 vs. 12. Tony Schumacher, 3.690, 333.46; 6. Justin Ashley, 3.661, 336.20 vs. 11. Clay Millican, 3.687, 334.52; 7. Leah Pruett, 3.665, 333.63 vs. 10. Shawn Langdon, 3.683, 335.87; 8. Austin Prock, 3.669, 327.89 vs. 9. Antron Brown, 3.679, 335.62.

Did Not Qualify: 17. Jacob McNeal, 3.848, 304.01; 18. Krista Baldwin, 3.888, 308.56; 19. Mitch King, 4.170, 228.75.

Funny Car — 1. Bob Tasca III, Ford Mustang, 3.822, 335.55 vs. 16. Jack Wyatt, Dodge Charger, 4.233, 261.02; 2. John Force, Chevy Camaro, 3.823, 328.56 vs. 15. Jeff Diehl, Toyota Camry, 4.015, 309.32; 3. Robert Hight, Camaro, 3.832, 327.75 vs. 14. Terry Haddock, Mustang, 4.012, 311.66; 4. Ron Capps, Toyota GR Supra, 3.844, 330.91 vs. 13. Alex Laughlin, Charger, 3.988, 315.10; 5. Matt Hagan, Charger, 3.848, 319.24 vs. 12. Paul Lee, Charger, 3.931, 321.75; 6. J.R. Todd, GR Supra, 3.857, 330.32 vs. 11. Blake Alexander, Mustang, 3.912, 321.13; 7. Chad Green, Mustang, 3.861, 332.37 vs. 10. Cruz Pedregon, Charger, 3.881, 327.61; 8. Alexis DeJoria, GR Supra, 3.876, 330.03 vs. 9. Tim

Wilkerson, Mustang, 3.879, 324.25.

Did Not Qualify: 17. Dave Richards, 4.442, 207.58; 18. Dale Creasy Jr., broke.

Pro Stock — 1. Greg Anderson, Chevy Camaro, 6.480, 211.76 vs. 16. Chris McGaha, Camaro, 6.536, 211.41; 2. Troy Coughlin Jr., Camaro, 6.482, 212.05 vs. 15. Mason McGaha, Camaro, 6.528, 211.63; 3. Erica Enders, Camaro, 6.483, 211.82 vs. 14. Eric Latino, Camaro, 6.519, 210.98; 4. Jerry Tucker, Camaro, 6.486, 213.09 vs. 13. Camrie Caruso, Camaro, 6.506, 211.14; 5. Dallas Glenn, Camaro, 6.486, 210.30 vs. 12. Bo Butner, Camaro, 6.504, 211.33; 6. Deric Kramer, Camaro, 6.486, 209.50 vs. 11. Cristian Cuadra, Ford Mustang, 6.500, 210.20; 7. Matt Hartford, Camaro, 6.487, 212.14 vs. 10.

Fernando Cuadra Jr., Mustang, 6.500, 210.59; 8. Kyle Koretsky, Camaro, 6.490, 212.11 vs. 9. Aaron Stanfield, Camaro, 6.495, 211.86.

Did Not Qualify: 17. Kenny Delco, 6.551, 212.45; 18. Val Smeland, 6.568, 210.61; 19. Joey Grose, 6.589, 209.41; 20. Fernando Cuadra, 6.593, 209.79; 21. Steve Graham, 6.617, 209.81; 22. Alan Prusiensky, 6.656, 207.90.

Pro Stock Motorcycle — 1. Gaige Herrera, Suzuki, 6.627, 204.16 vs. 16. Blaine Hale, Suzuki, 7.196, 171.80; 2. Kelly Clontz, Suzuki, 6.705, 201.99 vs. 15. Joey Gladstone, Buell, 7.143, 149.34; 3. Eddie Krawiec, Suzuki, 6.714, 203.92 vs. 14. Cory Reed, Suzuki, 6.962, 193.75; 4. Hector Arana Jr, Buell, 6.736, 198.42 vs. 13. Malcolm Phillips Jr., Suzuki, 6.923, 191.39; 5. John Hall, EBR, 6.788, 198.80 vs. 12. Chase Van Sant, Suzuki, 6.912, 195.08; 6. Matt Smith, Suzuki, 6.804, 199.03 vs. 11. Ryan Oehler, EBR, 6.890, 196.76; 7. Marc Ingwersen, EBR, 6.814, 197.60 vs. 10. Jianna Evaristo, Suzuki, 6.857, 196.82; 8. Chris Bostick, EBR, 6.818, 194.86 vs. 9. Steve Johnson, Suzuki, 6.828, 197.52.

Did Not Qualify: 17. Richard Gadson, broke.

Toyota Gazoo Racing North America NHRA Texas Post-Qualifying Report – 10.14.23

By
Official Release
-

TORRENCE DELIVERS CAREER-BEST NUMBERS TO START NUMBER ONE IN TEXAS
All nine Toyota entries start inside the top-10 qualifiers

ENNIS, Texas (October 14, 2023) – It was a stellar qualifying session for Toyota’s Top Fuel teams at Texas Motorplex, just outside of Dallas. Four-time Top Fuel champions Steve Torrence delivered a career-best 3.632 elapsed time to earn his third No. 1 qualifier of the season. Points leader Doug Kalitta starts second with Billy Torrence, in his first start of the season, seeded fifth. All six Toyota-backed entries start inside the top-10 in the first round with Justin Ashley in sixth, Antron Brown qualified ninth and Shawn Langdon in the 10th spot.

In Funny Car, reigning Texas Motorplex winner Ron Capps leads the three Toyota GR Supra Funny Cars in fourth with a 3.844 second pass. Former Funny Car champion J.R. Todd moved inside the top-half of the field with his last pass and is seed in sixth with Alexis DeJoria in eighth.

Toyota Post-Qualifying Recap
Texas NHRA Fall Nationals
Texas Motorplex
Race 19 of 21

TOYOTA TOP FUEL QUALIFYING POSITIONS 

NameCarQualifying PositionFirst Round Opponent
Steve TorrenceCapco Contractors Toyota Top Fuel Dragster1st (3.636)B. Hull
Doug KalittaMobil 1 Toyota Top Fuel Dragster2nd (3.642)J. Hart
Billy TorrenceCapco Contractors Toyota Top Fuel Dragster5th (3.660)T. Schumacher
Justin AshleyLeatherwood Distillery Toyota Top Fuel Dragster6th (3.661)C. Millican
Antron BrownMatco Tools Toyota Top Fuel Dragster9th (3.679)A. Prock
Shawn LangdonKalitta Air Careers Toyota Top Fuel Dragster10th (3.683)L. Pruett

TOYOTA FUNNY CAR QUALIFYING POSITIONS 

NameCarQualifying PositionFirst Round Opponent
Bob Tasca*Motorcraft Ford Mustang Funny Car1st (3.822)J. Wyatt
Ron CappsNAPA Auto Parts Toyota GR Supra Funny Car4th (3.844)A. Laughlin
J.R. ToddDHL Toyota GR Supra Funny Car6th (3.857)B. Alexander
Alexis DeJoriaBandero Tequila Toyota GR Supra Funny Car8th (3.876)T. Wilkerson

*non-Toyota driver

TOYOTA QUOTES

STEVE TORRENCE, Capco Contractors Toyota Top Fuel Dragster, Torrence Racing

TF Qualifying Result: 1st

Can you talk about what the no. 1 qualifier means to you?

“It is definitely morale boosting to go out and go low ET. It was great to do it in the session that you can go out, sit on the saddle, get the check and do that. But more importantly today, we ran .66 on the first lap, .67 on the second lap. When you can be disappointed in a .67, it kind of gives you confidence. We went .72 in the first run, kind of as a layup, to go out there last night and try to run really hard and get low ET, and then today was about getting bonus points. When you have a race car that is consistent, it is always a confidence booster, especially when you are picking up points and pick up things that could be the deciding factor in winning or losing a championship. At this point, I’m probably more confident in my race car than any other time in the season. We are making really good strides at the right time. I’m looking forward to it. I’m very confident going into tomorrow, and it doesn’t hurt that it is a hometown crowd.”

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).

Herbst dominates for first Xfinity Series career victory at Las Vegas

By
Andrew Kim
-
Photo by David Myers for SpeedwayMedia.com.

In an event where an early ticket to the championship finale at Phoenix Raceway was up for grabs for eight Xfinity Series Playoff contenders, a non-Playoff contender stole the show after Riley Herbst scored his first elusive NASCAR national touring series victory by winning the Alsco Uniforms 302 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, his home track, on Saturday, October 14.

The 24-year-old Herbst from Las Vegas, Nevada, led three times for a race-high 103 of 201-scheduled laps in an event where he started at the rear of the field for unapproved adjustments made to his No. 98 Stewart-Haas Racing Ford Mustang. After methodically navigating his way through the field and racing his way into the top 10 by the conclusion of the first stage period, Herbst then claimed a dramatic victory at the conclusion of the second stage period after racing his way past teammate Cole Custer and John Hunter Nemechek in two laps. He then reassumed the lead with 96 laps remaining and quickly cycled his way back into the lead amid a late green flag pit stop period before muscling away from the field and beating runner-up Nemechek by nearly 15 seconds to claim his first Xfinity Series career victory in his 139th series start and in front of his home crowd.

With on-track qualifying that determined the starting lineup occurring on Friday, October 13, Josh Berry claimed pole position after posting a pole-winning lap at 181.996 mph in 29.671 seconds. Joining him on the front row was Cole Custer, the fastest competitor during Friday’s practice session who proceeded to post the second-best qualifying lap at 181.702 mph in 29.719 seconds.

Prior to the event, a bevy of names that included Stefan Parsons, John Hunter Nemechek, Patrick Emerling, Josh Williams and Riley Herbst dropped to the rear of the field for unapproved adjustments made to their respective entries.

When the green flag waved and the race started, Berry and Custer dueled for the lead through the first two turns and the backstretch until Berry gained the momentum from the outside lane to muscle his No. 8 LubeZone Chevrolet Camaro ahead of Custer through Turns 3 and 4 and lead the first lap. By then, rookie Chandler Smith made his move beneath Custer to gain the runner-up spot while Daniel Hemric and rookie Sammy Smith battled for fourth place in front of Justin Allgaier, rookie Parker Retzlaff, Austin Hill and Sam Mayer.

Two laps later, the first caution of the event flew after Patrick Emerling, who had smoke billowing out of his car, slapped the outside wall through the frontstretch. During the caution period, some including Brett Moffitt, Joey Gase, Stefan Parsons and Brennan Poole pitted while the rest led by Berry remained on the track.

Following an extensive caution period, the race restarted on the 10th lap. At the start, Berry and Chandler Smith dueled for the lead until Smith rocketed his No. 16 Barger Precast/Quick Tie Products Inc. Chevrolet Camaro ahead through Turns 1 and 2. Smith would proceed to lead at the Lap 12 mark with Berry and Custer giving chase. By then, the caution returned when Moffitt slapped the outside wall entering the frontstretch, which caused Joe Graf Jr., who was running behind Moffitt, to get loose after hitting Moffitt before he too hit the frontstretch wall.

During the proceeding restart on Lap 18, Berry and Chandler Smith dueled for the lead again until Smith rocketed ahead from the outside lane. In the process, Custer made his move into the runner-up spot from Berry. Behind and amid the field fanning out and jostling for early positions, Sammy Smith and Hemric battled for fourth while Austin Hill moved up to sixth as Allgaier fell to seventh.

Just past the Lap 25 mark, Chandler Smith was leading by four-tenths of a second over Custer followed by Sammy Smith, Berry and Hemric while Hill, Allgaier, John Hunter Nemechek, Sheldon Creed and Parker Retzlaff were in the top 10. Behind, Brandon Jones was in 11th ahead of Parker Kligerman, Layne Riggs, Riley Herbst and Sam Mayer while Myatt Snider, Ryan Sieg, Jeb Burton, Anthony Alfredo and Kaz Grala occupied the top 20.

Ten laps later, Custer assumed the lead over Chandler Smith. Behind, Sammy Smith, Hemric and Hill were in the top five while Nemechek, Allgaier, Berry, Kligerman and Creed were running in the top 10. Meanwhile, Playoff contender Mayer was down in 16th while Jones, Herbst, Snider, Retzlaff and Riggs battled in the top 15.

When the first stage period concluded on Lap 45, Custer captured his seventh Xfinity stage victory of the 2023 season. Chandler Smith fended off Sammy Smith to settle in second followed by Hemric and Hill while Nemechek, Allgaier, Brandon Jones, Kligerman and Herbst were scored in the top 10. By then, Playoff contenders Creed and Mayer were scored outside the top 10 in the running order as there were mired in 13th and 15th, respectively.

Under the stage break, the lead lap field led by Custer pitted for service. Following pit stops, Custer retained the lead as he exited pit road ahead of Hemric, Chandler Smith, Nemechek, Allgaier and Hill. Amid the pit stops, Kligerman was penalized for an uncontrolled tire violation. Not long after, Sammy Smith, who lost a bevy of spots during his service, pitted again to address loose lug nuts on his No. 18 Pilot Flying J Toyota Supra.

The second stage period started on Lap 52 as Custer and Hemric occupied the front row. At the start, Hemric and Custer dueled for the lead through the first two turns and the backstretch until Custer used the outside lane to muscle ahead and clear Hemric to retain the lead. Then during the following lap, the caution quickly returned after Kaz Grala blew an engine entering Turn 1 and triggered a multi-car pileup amid his smoke that collected Rajah Caruth, Alfredo, Jeremy Clements, Josh Williams and Kyle Weatherman. The incident was enough for the event to be placed in a red flag period.

Nearly nine minutes later, the red flag lifted once the carnage was cleared and the oil was cleared as the field resumed under a cautious pace. During the caution period, Hill and Jeb Burton pitted while the rest led by Custer remained on track.

When the race restarted on Lap 58, Custer and Hemric battled dead even for the lead for nearly a full lap until Custer muscled his No. 00 Haas Ford Mustang through the frontstretch. With Custer leading Hemric, Nemechek and Chandler Smith battled for third followed by Allgaier as Herbst joined the battle. Shortly after, Nemechek moved into second place from Hemric. Allgaier would follow suit into third place as Hemric slipped to fourth in front of Herbst while Chandler Smith, Berry and Creed battled for sixth. In the process, Custer retained the lead.

By Lap 65, Custer was leading by half a second over Nemechek followed by Allgaier, Hemric and Herbst while Chandler Smith, Berry, Creed, Brandon Jones and Ryan Sieg were in the top 10. In addition, Mayer and Sammy Smith were running in the top 15 while Hill was mired back in 17th.

Ten laps later, Custer continued to lead by nearly four-tenths of a second over Nemechek while Allgaier, Herbst and Hemric were racing in the top five. Behind, Chandler Smtih occupied sixth place ahead of Berry, Mayer, Jones and Cred while Sammy Smith and Hill were in 11th and 14th, respectively. Custer would stretch his advantage by seven-tenths of a second over Nemechek by Lap 80 as Herbst moved up to third. By then, Sammy Smith was back in the top 10 as he was scored in 10th while Creed slipped to 12th front of Snider and Hill.

When the second stage period concluded on Lap 90, Herbst, who spent the previous two laps overtaking Nemechek and Custer after gaining ground amid lapped traffic, scored his second Xfinity stage victory of the 2023 season. Custer and Nemechek settled in second and third while Allgaier, Hemric, Chandler Smith, Berry, Mayer, Sammy Smith and Jones were scored in the top 10. By then, teammates Hill and Creed were in 13th and 14th, respectively.

During the stage break, the lead lap field led by Herbst returned to pit road for service. Following the pit stops, Herbst retained the lead after edging teammate Custer off of pit road first followed by Hemric, Nemechek, Allgaier and Chandler Smith followed suit.

With 105 laps remaining, the final stage period started as teammates Herbst and Custer occupied the front row. At the start, Custer reassumed the lead from Herbst as Nemechek claimed the runner-up spot over Herbst while Hemric and Allgaier followed suit.

At the halfway mark between Laps 100 and 101, Custer was leading by six-tenths of a second over teammate Herbst followed by Nemechek, Hemric and Chandler Smith while Allgaier, Hill, Mayer, Jones, Creed and Sammy Smith were running in the top 11.

Then with 96 laps remaining, Herbst returned to the lead as he led by a hair over Custer while the lead between the Stewart-Haas Racing teammates intensified. Six laps later, Herbst extended his lead to more than a second over Custer while third-place Nemechek trailed by nearly two seconds as Chandler Smith and Allgaier were in the top five.

With 80 laps remaining, Herbst continued to extend advantage as he was now scored three seconds ahead with the lead over Custer while Nemechek, Chandler Smith and Allgaier were in the top five. Behind, Mayer, Jones, Hemric, Hill and Sammy Smith in top 10 while Creed was in 13th behind Riggs and Snider.

Ten laps later, Herbst stretched his advantage to more than four seconds over teammate Custer while Nemechek, Chandler Smith and Allgaier remained in the top five. By then, Mayer, Jones, Hill, Sammy Smith and Riggs were in the top 10 followed by Snider and Hemric while Creed was still mired in 13th ahead of Berry and Ryan Sieg.

With less than 65 laps remaining, pit stops under green commence as Hemric pits followed by Creed, Chandler Smith, Allgaier, Hill and Riggs. Custer would pit with less than 60 laps remaining along with Nemechek, Mayer and Snider before Herbst surrendered the lead to pit with 58 laps remaining. Amid the pit stops, Ryan Sieg was penalized for an uncontrolled tire violation.

Then with 56 laps remaining, Herbst cycled back into the lead after Kyle Sieg managed to lead the previous lap. Shortly after, Custer moved back to second followed by Chandler Smith, Nemechek, Sieg and Hill. Hill, Allgaier and Mayer would all overtake Sieg with 46 laps remaining as Herbst’s advantage stood to eight seconds over teammate Custer. Herbst would proceed to retain the lead by more than eight seconds over teammate Custer with 40 laps remaining while Chandler Smith, Nemechek and Allgaier trailed by a distance in the top five.

With 30 laps remaining, Herbst was leading by more than 11 seconds over Chandler Smith, who prevailed in a three-way battle against Nemechek and Custer, while Mayer trailed behind in fifth place. Behind, Allgaier, Hill, Jones, Hemric and Riggs were in the top 10. In addition, Creed was in 13th behind Berry while Samm Smith, who pitted to address a loose wheel during the previous green flag cycle period, was back in 17th.

Ten laps later, Herbst increased his lead by more than 13 seconds over Nemechek while Chandler Smith, Custer and Mayer trailed in the top five ahead of Allgaier, Hill, Jones, Hemric and Riggs. By then, Creed slipped to 15th while Sammy Smith was still mired in 17th.

Down to the final 10 laps of the event, Herbst retained the lead by more than 14 seconds over Nemechek as Chandler Smith, Custer and Mayer trailed by a distance in the top five. By then, only the top 10 competitors on the track were scored on the lead lap as Herbst continued to lead by a large advantage over Nemechek with five laps remaining.

When the white flag waved and the final lap started, Herbst remained as the leader by more than 14 seconds over Nemechek. Having no competition close in from behind, Herbst was able to navigate his way around his home track for a final time before returning to the frontstretch and crossing the finish line first to claim his first checkered flag in NASCAR and by nearly 15 seconds over Nemechek.

With the victory, Herbst, who was revealed to return to Stewart-Haas Racing for the 2024 Xfinity season, became the fifth first-time winner of this year’s Xfinity Series season, the first since Sam Mayer won at Road America in late July, and the first competitor to achieve a first Xfinity career win at Las Vegas since Ross Chastain made the last accomplishment in 2018. The victory was also the third of the season for Stewart-Haas Racing, the fourth for the Ford nameplate and the first for crew chief Davin Restivo.

“Oh, my goodness,” Herbst said on USA Network. “I love this town. I love this team. I can’t thank Monster Energy enough. Everybody said that I couldn’t do it. Oh, my goodness. You don’t know what this means, what this takes off my chest. I can’t believe it. I love you, Las Vegas. Let’s go.”

“I’ve been working on myself and everything I can control,” Herbst added. “I knew all I could do is all I could do and if there was a caution, there was a caution and we’re gonna race them straight up. This year was such a failure because we didn’t make the Playoffs. It’s so embarrassing to be in a car like this that doesn’t make the Playoffs and walk in the garage each week with your head down, but [crew chief] Davin Restivo and all these guys on the No. 98 team told me to keep my head up and we’re gonna go win a race and that’s what we did. I can’t fathom it. Let’s go party and we’re gonna celebrate tonight.”

Nemechek settled in second followed by Playoff rivals Custer, Chandler Smith and Sam Mayer. Allgaier ended up sixth while Hill, Brandon Jones, Hemric and Layne Riggs finished in the top 10.

There were 11 lead changes for six different leaders. The race featured five cautions for 26 laps. In addition, only 10 of 38 starters finished on the lead lap.

Results.

1. Riley Herbst, 103 laps led, Stage 2 winner

2. John Hunter Nemechek

3. Cole Custer, 62 laps led, Stage 1 winner

4. Chandler Smith, 23 laps led

5. Sam Mayer

6. Justin Allgaier

7. Austin Hill

8. Brandon Jones

9. Daniel Hemric, one lap led

10. Layne Riggs

11. Myatt Snider, one lap down

12. Josh Berry, one lap down, 11 laps led

13. Parker Kligerman, one lap down

14. Parker Retzlaff, one lap down

15. Sheldon Creed, one lap down

16. Ryan Sieg, two laps down

17. Sammy Smith, two laps down

18. Kyle Sieg, two laps down, one lap led

19. Connor Mosack, two laps down

20. Ryan Reed, three laps down

21. Daniel Dye, three laps down

22. Jeb Burton, four laps down

23. Rajah Caruth, four laps down

24. Brett Moffitt, four laps down

25. Brennan Poole, four laps down

26. Stefan Parsons, four laps down

27. Ryan Ellis, four laps down

28. Blaine Perkins, six laps down

29. CJ McLaughlin, seven laps down

30. Jeremy Clements, eight laps down

31. Dawson Cram, eight laps down

32. Joey Gase, eight laps down

33. Josh Williams – OUT, Accident

34. Anthony Alfredo – OUT, Accident

35. Kaz Grala – OUT, Accident

36. Kyle Weatherman – OUT, Accident

37. Joe Graf Jr. – OUT, Accident

38. Patrick Emerling – OUT, Accident

*Bold indicates Playoff competitors

Playoff standings

1. John Hunter Nemechek +47

2. Justin Allgaier +21

3. Austin Hill +19

4. Cole Custer +15

5. Chandler Smith -15

6. Sam Mayer -16

7. Sammy Smith -35

8. Sheldon Creed -41

The second Round of 8 event in the 2023 NASCAR Xfinity Series Playoffs is set to occur next Saturday, October 21, at Homestead-Miami Speedway in Homestead, Florida, with the event’s broadcast to occur at 3 p.m. ET on USA Network.

Toyota Racing – NXS Las Vegas Post-Race Report – 10.14.23

By
Official Release
-

NEMECHEK DRIVES THROUGH FIELD, EARNS RUNNER-UP FINISH IN VEGAS
John Hunter Nemechek holds championship lead, sits 47 points above Playoff cutline

LAS VEGAS (October 14, 2023) – John Hunter Nemechek battled through the field after being unable to qualify to earn a runner-up finish to lead Toyota on Saturday afternoon’s NASCAR Xfinity Series race at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. Nemechek, who suffered mechanical issues in qualifying, started 38th but drove all the way to sixth by the end of stage one and finished the race in second to hold 47 points over the Playoff cutline.

His Joe Gibbs Racing teammate, Sammy Smith, suffered many pit road issues throughout the day and finished 17th. Smith is seventh in the standings, 35 points below the cutline heading into next weekend’s race at Homestead-Miami Speedway.

Toyota Racing Post-Race Recap
NASCAR Xfinity Series
Las Vegas Motor Speedway
Race 30 of 33 – 302 miles, 201 laps

TOYOTA FINISHING POSITIONS
1st, Riley Herbst*
2nd, JOHN HUNTER NEMECHEK
3rd, Cole Custer*
4th, Chandler Smith*
5th, Sam Mayer*
11th, MYATT SNIDER
17th, SAMMY SMITH
19th, CONNOR MOSACK
32nd, JOEY GASE
35th, KAZ GRALA
*non-Toyota driver

TOYOTA QUOTES

JOHN HUNTER NEMECHEK, No. 20 Pye Barker Fire & Safety Toyota GR Supra, Joe Gibbs Racing

Finishing Position: 2nd

Do you feel like you got everything out of the day?

“Yeah, the 98 (Riley Herbst) had the best car. Congrats to Riley. I know he’s been trying to win one of these for a long time. Great group over there. Solid day for our No. 20 Pye-Barker Toyota GR Supra. Proud of all of my guys. We didn’t get to qualify, started last, got up to the front and battled in the top-five. I think we got to sixth for the first stage. Called my shot, got stage points. Kind of just missed the balance there a little bit compared to the 98. The car was as fast as Xfinity 10G. I think we are 40 something above the cutline, so solid points day, we just have to keep on with it. I’m looking forward to Homestead next week.”

Are you pleased with the result today?

“Yeah. I feel like we missed our balance a little bit there towards the end of the race, but we definitely worked on it and got it better throughout the race. It was a step in the right direction. Our Pye-Barker Toyota GR Supra was as fast as Xfinity 10G today. I’m proud to be behind the wheel of this thing. I’m glad we ended up finishing second. If we couldn’t win, finishing second was a really good day, especially from how things started this weekend. Overall, solid day, plus 47 to the cutline – good points day. We will take it and move on to Homestead and try and win there.”

SAMMY SMITH, No. 18 Pilot Flying J Toyota GR Supra, Joe Gibbs Racing

Finishing Position: 17th

Can you recap your day and all that you had to overcome today?

“Worthless. We didn’t do what we need to. We brought a fast car. We were good on that side, but you have to execute on the track and mistake after mistake on pit road. It just can’t happen.”

How do you approach the next race?

“We’ve got to work on some stuff. It’s just frustrating. Every stop had an issue, so I don’t know.”

KAZ GRALA, No. 26 Ruedebusch Toyota GR Supra, Sam Hunt Racing

Finishing Position: 35th

Did you have any indication that you were losing your engine?

“No, none at all. Just was going down the frontstretch, heading into turn one – was actually making a pass – and it just let go as soon as let off the throttle going into the corner, and I was along for the ride in my own oil. It looks like there were several others in the same boat behind me.”

How frustrating of a day was today with so many early cautions?

“It was that, and honestly, we just missed it big time today. We weren’t any good in the first stage there. I actually was encouraged by what I felt on the first lap there in the second stage. I felt like we were a lot better than we had been, but didn’t get a whole lot of a chance to see where that was going to take us unfortunately.”

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).

Riley Herbst Wins First NASCAR Xfinity Race

By
Official Release
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Ford Performance Notes and Quotes
NASCAR Xfinity Series
Alsco Uniforms 302 | Saturday, October 14, 2023

RILEY HERBST WINS FIRST NASCAR XFINITY RACE

  • Riley Herbst captured his first NASCAR Xfinity Series victory today in his 139th start.
  • Herbst, a Las Vegas native, led a career-high 103 laps in winning in front of his hometown fans.
  • The series win is Ford’s fourth of the season.
  • Cole Custer led 62 laps in finishing third as Ford led 165 circuits overall.

Ford Finishing Results:

1st – Riley Herbst

3rd – Cole Custer

16th – Ryan Sieg

18th – Kyle Sieg

24th – Brett Moffitt

26th – Ryan Ellis

29th – CJ McLaughlin

37th – Joe Graf Jr.

RILEY HERBST, No. 98 Monster Energy Ford Mustang – VICTORY LANE INTERVIEW

“Oh my goodness. I love this town. I love this team. Davin Restivo believes in me, but I have to give a big shout out to Richard Boswell because I wouldn’t be the person I am or the race car driver without him. I can’t thank Monster Energy enough, Mitch Covington, Dave Gowan. Everybody said I couldn’t do it and those two people stuck behind my my whole career. You don’t even know what this means and what this takes off my chest. I can’t believe it. I love you Las Vegas. Let’s go.”

WHAT WERE YOU HEARING AND THINKING THE FINAL COUPLE OF LAPS? “Nothing. I’ve been working on myself and everything I can control. I knew all I could do is all I could do and if there was a caution, there was a caution and we were gonna race them straight up. But, oh my goodness. This year was such a failure that we didn’t make the playoffs. It’s so embarrassing to be in a car like this that doesn’t make the playoffs and walk in the garage each week with your head down, but Davin Restivo and all these guys on the 98 team told me to keep my head up and we’re gonna go win a race and that’s what we did. I can’t fathom it. I can’t thank Monster Energy enough. I can’t thank my grandfather and mom and dad enough. I’m so emotional, but everybody here at Las Vegas, I love you guys. This is my home. I was born and raised here, so let’s go party and we’re gonna celebrate tonight.”

CHEVROLET NCS: Larson Puts Chevrolet on Front-Row at Las Vegas Motor Speedway

By
Official Release
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NASCAR CUP SERIES
LAS VEGAS MOTOR SPEEDWAY
SOUTH POINT 400
TEAM CHEVY QUALIFYING REPORT
OCTOBER 14, 2023

Larson Puts Chevrolet on Front-Row at Las Vegas Motor Speedway
Four Camaro ZL1’s Qualify in Top-10

  • Team Chevy playoff contender Kyle Larson drove his No. 5 HendrickCars.com Camaro ZL1 to a runner-up qualifying effort at Las Vegas Motor Speedway – posting a best lap that was just 0.010 seconds shy of the pole position at 28.990 seconds, 186.271 mph.
  • Fellow Hendrick Motorsports teammate and Team Chevy playoff contender William Byron posted his 21st top-10 qualifying result in the NASAR Cup Series this season – clocking-in a best lap of 29.004 seconds, 186.181 mph, to take the third position in the starting lineup for tomorrow’s South Point 400.
  • Four drivers from three different Chevrolet teams will lineup in the top-10 for the Round of Eight opening race at the 1.5-mile Nevada oval. Joining Larson and Byron includes Richard Childress Racing’s Kyle Busch in sixth and Trackhouse Racing’s Ross Chastain rounding out the Team Chevy top-10.

 TEAM CHEVY UNOFFICIAL TOP-10 STARTING LINEUP:
POS. DRIVER
2nd Kyle Larson, No. 5 HendrickCars.com Camaro ZL1
3rd William Byron, No. 24 Relay Payments Camaro ZL1
6th Kyle Busch, No. 8 Morgan & Morgan Camaro ZL1
10th Ross Chastain, No. 1 Worldwide Express Camaro ZL1

Kyle Larson, No. 5 HendrickCars.com Camaro ZL1 – Qualified 2nd

“Las Vegas (Motor Speedway) is a good track for the No. 5 HENDRICKCARS.COM Chevy team. I felt really good in practice. I was able to get lucky in avoiding a tire failure, so I feel good about that. And then in qualifying, getting on the front-row is good, as well. We’re off to a good start. We just have to piece it all together tomorrow.”

Did you feel a vibration in practice?

“I did, yeah. I felt a vibration and I felt like my car yawed out a little more off of (turn) two. I just pulled in and thankfully we did because it wouldn’t have made it through three and four.”

How comfortable do you feel in this round?

“Yeah, it’s a good round of tracks for us. With Las Vegas (Motor Speedway) and Homestead (Miami Speedway), I would love to get off to a good start; get some solid points. If you can get a win, obviously that would be amazing. But just want to put in some solid races and try to give ourselves a good opportunity when we get to Martinsville (Speedway).”

Daniel Suarez, No. 99 Tootsies Orchid Lounge Camaro ZL1 – Practice Accident Quote

Are you OK, and did you and your crew chief Travis Mack talk about what you had seen earlier and what you were going to do differently?

“We did. We saw what happened to the No. 5 (Kyle Larson) and we saw what happened with the No. 9 (Chase Elliott). We were adjusting a little bit based on that, but it looks like it didn’t matter. We ended up having a tire issue anyways. I felt like our No. 99 Tootsies Orchid Lounge Chevy was good. I wasn’t pushing too hard; I was just trying to get into a rhythm with the car. We were running long there, so we were just trying to get a rhythm. Right in the center of (turns) one and two, I had a big vibration. I didn’t even have a warning. I had a big vibration and I already knew what it was. The next thing you know, just a split second after that, it just blew.”

 

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.

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