Aric Almirola tops qualifying to claim the Busch Light Pole at Talladega

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September 30, 2023

Almirola wins Cup pole at Talladega September 2023 by John Knittel 20230930183557-08da16fa-me — Photo by John Knittel for SpeedwayMedia.com.

Aric Almirola qualified on the pole in the No. 10 Stewart-Haas Racing Ford at Talladega Superspeedway and will lead the field to green for Sunday’s NASCAR Cup Series YellaWood 500. It was his sixth Cup Series career pole and his first this season.

As he reflected on the importance of winning the pole, Almirola said, “I think it’s something you care about probably when you get older, I guess – when you look back and tell your grandkids you were somebody. You’re like, ‘Look here. Here are my stats,’ I guess. But, for me in my spot with where I’m at in my life and my career, I chalk it up as mission accomplished.

“We show up at the racetrack every week and your goal is to be fastest in practice and then after that, it’s to be fastest in qualifying and then after that, it’s to win the race and if you don’t achieve any of those things, it’s mission not accomplished.

“I am of course appreciative and get excited, but I get more excited for the team than I do for my stat total. It’s rewarding for Drew and all the guys on my team. It’s rewarding for the men and women back at the shop. It is a morale boost when you show up and you have a fast race car and you qualify on the pole.”

Team Penske’s Joey Logano will join Almirola on the front row as Ford dominated the final qualifying round with seven entries in the top 10. Chase Briscoe (Ford) will start third, as Kyle Larson (Chevrolet) and Brad Keselowski (Ford) round out the top five.

Completing the top 10 were Ford drivers Riley Herbst (sixth) and Austin Cindric (seventh) followed by William Byron (Chevrolet) in eighth, Bubba Wallace (Toyota) in ninth and Ryan Blaney in the No. 12 Team Penske Ford.

As the Cup Series heads into the second race of the Round of 12, seven of the Playoff drivers will start outside the top 10 including Denny Hamlin (12th) Tyler Reddick (13th), Christopher Bell (15th), Martin Truex Jr. (16th), Chris Buescher (24th), Kyle Busch (25th) and Ross Chastain (32nd).

Sunday’s YellaWood 500 is scheduled for 2 p.m. ET on NBC with radio coverage by MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.

Harrison Burton confirms return to Wood Brothers Racing for 2024 Cup Series season

By

Andrew Kim

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September 30, 2023

21 Simon Scoggins — Photo by Simon Scoggins for SpeedwayMedia.com.

Harrison Burton will remain with the Wood Brothers Racing and continue to drive the No. 21 Ford Mustang in the 2024 NASCAR Cup Series season, as confirmed during this weekend’s activities at Talladega Superspeedway.

The news comes as the 22-year-old Burton from Huntersville, North Carolina, is currently campaigning in his second full-time season in NASCAR’s premier series for the legendary organization, where he is currently ranked in 31st place in the driver’s standings on the strength of two top-10 results and an average-finishing result of 24.5.

“At the end of the day, it’s fairly easy for me because I am happy where I’m at, and I hope to continue to race where I’m at,” Burton said. “You know, it’s fairly easy for me to kind of just go to work with the guys that I’ve worked with for the last year and a half or so, and yeah, it’s not super distracting at this point.”

During the 2021 season, Burton, who was campaigning in his second full-time stint in the Xfinity Series for Joe Gibbs Racing, made his inaugural presence in the Cup Series at Talladega Superspeedway in April 2021 for Gaunt Brothers Racing, where he finished 20th. Three months later, Burton was named a full-time Cup competitor for Wood Brothers Racing for the 2022 season, where he replaced Matt DiBenedetto and piloted the iconic No. 21 Ford Mustang. In his first full-time Cup season, Burton notched a career-best third-place finish at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Road Course. He proceeded to collect two top-10 results, lead 35 laps and record an average-finishing result of 22.8 before settling in 27th place in the final standings and runner-up to the Rookie-of-the-Year battle behind Austin Cindric.

This season, Burton’s highest on-track results include a sixth-place finish at Darlington Raceway in May and an eighth-place run at Pocono Raceway in July. After spending the first 26 scheduled events with crew chief Brian Wilson, who was with Burton since last season, Burton has been paired with veteran crew chief Jeremy Bullins as part of a Team Penske-Wood Brothers crew chief swap that involved Austin Cindric since the start of the 2023 Cup Series Playoffs and the duo are coming off a 20th-place finish at Texas Motor Speedway. Both Burton and Bullins are scheduled to remain together with the No. 21 team for the 2024 season.

Through 67 Cup starts, Burton has notched one top-five result, four top-10 results, 60 laps led and an average-finishing result of 23.5 as he continues his pursuit for his first victory in NASCAR’s premier series.

With his plans for next season set, Burton’s next scheduled Cup start is slated to occur at Talladega Superspeedway on Sunday, October 1. The event’s coverage is scheduled to air at 2 p.m. ET on NBC.

CHEVROLET NCS: Larson, Byron to Start in the Top-10 at Talladega Superspeedway

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Official Release

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September 30, 2023

NASCAR CUP SERIES
TALLADEGA SUPERSPEEDWAY
YELLAWOOD 500
TEAM CHEVY QUALIFYING REPORT
SEPTEMBER 30, 2023

LARSON, BYRON TO START IN THE TOP-10 AT TALLADEGA SUPERSPEEDWAY

LINCOLN, Ala. (Sept. 30, 2023) – The NASCAR Cup Series (NCS) hit the high banks of Talladega Superspeedway for the first time this weekend for a single-car qualifying session to setup the starting lineup for tomorrow’s YellaWood 500 – the second race of the Round of 12. With no practice session on superspeedway-style tracks this season, the series’ drivers and teams got their first glance at where they stand on the speed chart during the first round of qualifying. Team Chevy playoff drivers Kyle Larson and William Byron posted a top-10 qualifying effort in the first round of qualifying for an opportunity to compete for the pole position.

Hitting the track first in the final round of qualifying, Byron clocked-in a fastest lap of 52.926 seconds, at 180.932 mph, in his No. 24 Axalta Camaro ZL1 to take the eighth position in the starting lineup for the 500-mile event. Byron’s Hendrick Motorsports teammate Larson recorded the fourth-fastest lap in the final round – driving his No. 5 Valvoline / HendrickCars.com Camaro ZL1 to a lap of 52.746 seconds at 181.549 mph.

The YellaWood 500 will take the green flag tomorrow, September 30, at 2 p.m. ET. Live coverage of the 500-mile race can be found on the NBC, MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Channel 90.

TEAM CHEVY UNOFFICIAL TOP-20 STARTING LINEUP:
POS. DRIVER
4th Kyle Larson, No. 5 Valvoline / HENDRICKCARS.COM Camaro ZL1
8th William Byron, No. 24 Axalta Camaro ZL1
14th Austin Dillon, No. 3 Bass Pro Shops Camaro ZL1
20th Alex Bowman, No. 48 Ally Camaro ZL1

KYLE BUSCH, NO. 8 X WORLD WALLET CAMARO ZL1, met with the media prior to the NASCAR Cup Series qualifying session at Talladega Superspeedway. Press conference quotes in advance of tomorrow’s YellaWood 500 – race two of the Round of 12.

With where you are in points and this type of wildcard race, does it change anything? Obviously I know you’ve won here, so you know you can do it again, but how do you approach this weekend? Does it change because of your positioning?

“No, it doesn’t change. I think you come in here with your stress-meter pegged, regardless of whether you’re 30-points to the good or 30-behind. We obviously know in our situation that we’re further behind, so you have to race. I think it’s been more sought out to just race these races; run them normal and not hangout in the back and try to wait for something to happen. With these cars and the way the race plays out, it’s so hard to make moves, make passes and get yourself track position whenever you want it. You can’t, so you’ve got to hold it when you’ve got it. If you don’t have it, then you have to figure out how to fuel save and short-pit guys and jump them on pit road. So there’s so many variables – you just have to race it out and don’t worry about it. What happens, happens.”

You had three wins so quickly in your transition to Richard Childress Racing. Have the other teams caught up? When you were that good to start out with, we just expected it to continue. What do you need to keep putting up something in the ‘W’ column?

“Trust me, I see it too. I think when we’ve had really good cars, I’ve just over-tried. In 2017, 2018, whatever when we were super-fast all the time – I always think back to the golden days.. you could drive from the back of the field to the front of the field. You could make something happen and I still feel like I can do that – I can drive from the back of the field to the front of the field. But in reality, with this car, equipment, talent and everything being so equal.. SMT data, everybody seeing it and being so equal – it’s tougher than ever to pass the guy in front of you. So I guess that’s kind of been a bit of my demise, which is I don’t feel like I can do as much as I want to be able to do. Me overtrying has sort of hurt my race craft, if you will.. where I haven’t been finishing, frankly.

With me and this Next Gen car, look at how many times I’ve spun out and crashed, you know what I mean. It’s just stupid compared to what it has been over time. I still have some work to do on figuring that out. But also I’m a very non-patient person and you have to show some patience in these races. They’re long races. Last week in the first stage, pushing and literally then just telling myself – OK, forget it, back up.. let’s finish this stage, and then swapping ends. I just finished telling myself to just make it to the end of the stage and I’m backwards. I don’t know exactly, but we’ve got to fix it.. I’ve got to fix it.”

ROSS CHASTAIN, NO. 1 WORLDWIDE EXPRESS CAMARO ZL1

How does this race feel different than the spring Talladega Superspeedway race?

“It doesn’t for me. Honestly, I come prepared the best that I can. I don’t want to stall it like I think I just heard somebody do leaving pit road. Do those little things right, on and off pit road. Last week, got super fortunate to come back after a throttle issue. If I would have been more aware earlier in the race, I would have never stalled it in the first place. For our Worldwide Express Chevy, it’s minimizing those little mistakes and just doing what I can do – whether it’s the next lap, taking it for what it’s worth if we get shuffled to the back. And just breathing.. I forget to breathe sometimes, physically and mentally. It doesn’t feel much different, I just need to try minimizing my mistakes.”

WILLIAM BYRON, NO. 24 AXALTA CAMARO ZL1

Byron on how he feels going into this weekend after picking up the win at Texas Motor Speedway and moving onto the next round, not having to worry about the outcome here:

“Yeah, it feels good, but we still try to show up to win every race. It definitely seems like we’re still in the same mindset when we get to the track. During the week, we’re a little bit more relaxed and maybe a little bit more relaxed in the hauler. But when we come out here on the grid, we’re focused on what we need to do. It’s the same objective and the same details.”

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.

Moffitt Wins Talladega Truck Race as Ford Finishes 1-2 (9.30.23)

By

Official Release

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September 30, 2023

Ford Performance Notes and Quotes
NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series
Loves Travel Stop 250 | Saturday, September 30, 2023

BRETT MOFFITT TAKES F-150 AND FRONT ROW MOTORSPORTS TO TALLADEGA VICTORY LANE

Brett Moffitt made his Front Row Motorsports season debut a memorable one as he won today’s NASCAR Truck Series race at Talladega Superspeedway.
Ben Rhodes finished second to make it a Ford 1-2 finish.
The win is Ford’s sixth series win of the season.
Ford has now won 118 all-time NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series races.

Ford Finishing Results:

1st – Brett Moffitt

2nd – Ben Rhodes

8th – Hailie Deegan

21st – Ty Majeski

22nd – Cory Roper

24th – Matt Crafton

27th – Jason M. White

32nd – Zane Smith

BRETT MOFFITT, No. 34 FR8 Auctions Ford F-150 – VICTORY LANE INTERVIEW – “It was a hell of a way to come back. We struggled for track position early and just tried to race smart. This Ford F-150 FR8 Auctions was super fast in the race. It drove really good. I could put it wherever I wanted and never felt like I was on edge. It was a great handling race track, great sponsors, great race team in Front Row and we executed when it counted.”

HOW DID THE PLAN CHANGE BECAUSE YOU CAME IN TRYING TO HELP ZANE, BUT WHEN HE WENT OUT YOU COULD JUST GO FOR THE WIN. “Yeah, it was super unfortunate for them. It was all about helping him until the last 100 yards at least and then decide it between the two of us, but when that changed we lose a drafting partner for sure, but we opened up our strategy and opening up my mental checklist of, ‘OK, now we can just go race for a win and nothing else matters, points don’t matter, just go out there and have fun and learn and try to succeed.’”

HOW FRUSTRATING WAS IT HAVING TO START AND STOP WITH ALL THE CAUTIONS AT THE END? “I really had the mentality coming into today because it had been so long since I’d ran a truck at a superspeedway that I just wanted to try and learn in every situation. Normally, I get really nervous or worked up, but I just took it as a learning experience. It’s been a while since I had to control a race like that, so just to be able to go do that and execute and believe in my skills and believe in myself and believe in this race team it was huge. It’s just a huge confidence booster of a day and my first time ever winning at a superspeedway, so I am pumped about that.”

BEN RHODES, No. 99 Campers Inn RV Ford F-150 – YOU WERE A GOOD PUSHER ALL DAY, BUT I’M SURE YOU WISHED THOSE SPOTS WERE REVERSED ON THAT LAST RESTART. “Yeah. Congrats to Brett Moffitt. We worked really well together, but I wish it was me. We needed that to get into the Phoenix Championship 4, but either way we gave ourselves a shot today. We capitalized on everything we could and second at Talladega is really hard to do and we’ve done it two years in a row. I think that speaks volumes about ThorSport Racing , this Campers Inn Ford F-150 and I’m just glad we maximized it, we were just one spot short.”

TY MAJESKI, No. 98 Soda Sense/Curb Records F-150 – “I don’t know what the point situation is. It’s probably not good, but it’s probably a must- win next week. We did close to everything right today. I had really good stage points and felt like our strategy was right. We had track position when we needed it at the end of the first two stages, and we were in a good spot there. We were 13th before the last incident and I think we were within 5-7 of the cut, which is really what we needed to do today, but that’s a product of superspeedway racing, especially here at Talladega. These trucks are so unstable in the tri-oval and guys just continue to push through there and it was never successful once. It was a frustrating day, but we had a good Soda Sense Ford F-150, just a disappointing ending.”

YOU WON AT HOMESTEAD A YEAR AGO, SO YOU KNOW YOU HAVE THE ABILITY TO WIN THERE AND MAKE THE CHAMPIONSHIP 4. “Yeah, it’s a possibility. You just need to go in there with a good mindset and that’s it.”

ZANE SMITH, No. 38 Love’s RV Stop Ford F-150 – “It’s just definitely such a bummer of a day, but we’ve been in must-win situations before so hopefully we can go pull that off again and go get in the final four. Congrats to Brett. That awesome for FRM. Today was just a bummer, but the clutch got burnt out of it. A bummer deal.”

WHAT GOES THROUGH YOUR MIND AS YOU’RE SITTING IN THE TRUCK WAITING FOR THEM TO FIX IT? “Once I saw it burnt up I knew that I was going to be in a must-win situation.”

BRETT MOFFITT WINNER’S PRESS CONFERENCE

BRETT MOFFITT – DOES THIS MEAN YOU HAVE A CONTRACT WAITING FOR YOU? “I don’t know. There’s a lot of moving pieces looking forward to 2024. Obviously, being the fact that I don’t have anything signed for next year at this point, I have more angle or more leverage moving forward hopefully a little bit from winning a race. It’s been three years and I’ve never won a speedway race, so this is cool to check off the bucket list. I doubt there will be one waiting on me, but hopefully in the future we can speed things up and figure out what we’re gonna be doing next year.”

CAN YOU TALK ABOUT HOW MATURITY AND EXPERIENCE PLAYED A PART IN THOSE FINAL STAGES? “I feel like I’ve gotten a lot better superspeedway racing. Obviously, in the Xfinity package I’ve been up front more and I’ve had more confidence. I’ve started to make more moves that are working instead of getting me sent to the back, so that was good, and just studying film. It’s that and the spotter when we come to these places and when I think it was the 19 pulled out off four going through the tri-oval I tried to chase him up a little bit and then my immediate thought was watching last year’s race and how it ended. The driver that was leading the bottom line didn’t get back to the bottom to cover it and Ben had been a great pusher all day and he was pretty committed to me and Ford did a great job executing that. I didn’t know what was going on to my right. I couldn’t see it, but the spotter, Clayton, started freaking out as soon as we crossed the line, so I figured we did what we needed to do.”

WHAT WOULD YOU THINK ABOUT NASCAR GOING BACK TO IOWA? “Absolutely love it. Did you guys see the IndyCar setup this year? That was nuts. The concert lineup. The fan count started to die there, but we didn’t have an event like what is going on in IndyCar now when they go there, so if we could set up something like that, which I’m sure it’s very capable and very possible, it would be great to return to Iowa, whether it’s all three series or just a couple of them. I would love to go back and race there.”

DID YOU EVER THINK YOU WOULD BE BACK AT FRONT ROW AND WIN IN THE SAME SCHEME YOU HAD WHEN YOU RAN THERE IN 2015? “We’re still fighting. You’re never not fighting for your career when you’re in the top three series in NASCAR, outside of the handful of great Cup drivers. You’re always fighting year to year to secure the best opportunity for you, so I don’t think it’s a walk in the park. That being said, I never saw this coming together. First of all, I was out on a bike ride and Jerry Freeze calls me and asks me if I want to come run Talladega for them and obviously I jumped at that opportunity knowing that it’s an off weekend and he said, ‘OK, let me work on my end and get some sponsorship together to cover it,’ and he called Marcus with FR8 Auctions and they jumped all over it. First of all, the fact of it coming together with it being the same 34 car, which is what I ran in the Cup Series for them, the same paint scheme, same team, same sponsor and then to go out there and execute and win the race, that’s pretty unreal, especially at a superspeedway. I never would have thought it could have gone as perfect as it did.”

HOW HAVE THINGS CHANGED SINCE YOU WERE AT FRONT ROW IN 2015 AND WON CUP ROOKIE OF THE YEAR? “It’s night and day. Bob started out and we were just talking about this earlier in 2013 and years before that he was just trying to make races, and then once he got locked in it was how do we improve. Over the last eight years it’s completely different. I watch Cup timing and scoring every week. Normally they’re practicing after we qualify and if five years ago you would have seen the 34 in the top 10 on a regular basis on speed, you would not have believed it and now they’re doing that. And then the truck program they’ve built is obviously a championship-winning team as well and they’re fighting for another championship this year. He’s taken his time to build it, but he’s building a very, very successful program.”

Moffitt triumphs in Truck Series return at Talladega amid overtime shootout

By

Andrew Kim

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September 30, 2023

34 John Knittel — Photo by John Knittel for SpeedwayMedia.com.

With his racing plans for next season undetermined, Brett Moffitt made the most of a one-race NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series return for Front Row Motorsports by winning the Love’s RV Stop 250 at Talladega Superspeedway on Saturday, September 30, amid an overtime shootout.

The 2018 Truck Series champion from Grimes, Iowa, led five times for 22 of 99 over-scheduled laps in an event where he started 31st before methodically drafting his way towards the front amid a total of 23 lead changes for 11 different leaders, eight caution periods and late on-track chaos that ensued and collected a host of competitors and Playoff contenders. Leading for the first time on Lap 63, Moffitt lost the lead at the start of overtime to Christian Eckes and Chandler Smith but was quick to cross underneath Eckes and shove Eckes out of the draft at the start of the final lap to muscle ahead from Smith with drafting help from Parker Kligerman through the backstretch. For the final two turns, Moffitt fended off late challenges from Kligerman, Smith and Ben Rhodes through the tri-oval to claim his first checkered flag in the Truck Series in three years and serve as the spoiler for winning the Truck Series Playoff event at Talladega as a non-title contender.

With on-track qualifying that determined the starting lineup occurring on Saturday, Chase Purdy notched his second Truck pole position of this season and of his career after posting a pole-winning lap at 179.433 mph in 53.368 seconds. Joining him on the front row was Playoff contender Nick Sanchez, who posted the second-best qualifying lap at 178.480 mph in 53.653 seconds.

Prior to the event, Dean Thompson and Greg Van Alst dropped to the rear of the field due to unapproved adjustments made to their respective trucks. Byan Dauzat also dropped to the rear of the field for missing driver introductions. Soon after, rookie Jake Garcia, who qualified third, took his truck to the garage due to a mechanical issue.

When the green flag waved and the race started, Purdy quickly transitioned from the outside to the inside lane in front of Sanchez entering the first turn while teammate Jack Wood was trying to keep pace on the outside lane. With the field quickly fanning out to three lanes through the backstretch, Purdy maintained the lead ahead of Sanchez and Ben Rhodes led a charge from the outside lane followed by teammate Matt Crafton while Wood was falling back after losing the draft. With rookie Rajah Caruth igniting another drafting lane towards the outside wall, Purdy proceeded to lead the first lap ahead of Sanchez, Ty Majeski, Carson Hocevar and Corey Heim. By then, Wood was penalized for pulling out of line before the event’s start and was forced to serve a pass-through penalty through pit road.

Through the second to fifth lap, Purdy maintained the lead from the inside lane ahead of Sanchez while Caruth was the lead competitor on the outside lane in sixth place. As Chandler Smith tried to form a third drafting lane, Purdy transitioned from the outside to the inside lane to maintain the lead amid the draft. Not long after, Caruth challenged Purdy for the lead on the outside lane, but Purdy rocketed ahead to maintain it on the inside lane. Then as Purdy tried to block Caruth, which he was too late to do so, he got stuck in the middle lane, allowing Sanchez to muscle ahead on the inside lane. With Sanchez leading Majeski, Hocevar, Caruth and Heim, Purdy fell back into the top 10 and towards the middle of the pack that fanned out to three lanes and continued to jostle for early positions.

Through the first 10 scheduled laps and as the field continued to battle amid two tight-packed lanes, Sanchez maintained the lead ahead of Majeski, Hocevar, Parker Kligerman and Heim while Purdy, David Gilliland, Jake Drew, Bret Holmes and Dean Thompson were in the top 10. By then, Playoff contenders Grant Enfinger, Christian Eckes and Zane Smith were running in the top 16 while Ben Rhodes was back in 24th.

By Lap 15, Sanchez continued to lead ahead of Majeski, Hocevar, Kligerman and Purdy while Heim, David Gilliland, Thompson, Holmes and Enfinger were jostling and battling within the top 10 along with the rest of the field. Behind, Eckes was in 12th, Zane Smith was in 14th and Rhodes was in 20th.

When the first stage period concluded on Lap 20, Sanchez, who came into the event 22 points below the top-eight cutline in the Playoff standings, fended off the stacked field to notch his third Truck stage victory of the 2023 season. Hocevar trailed in second while Heim, Majeski, Holmes, Colby Howard, Kligerman, Tanner Gray, Gilliland and Thompson were in the top 10. By then, Playoff contenders Zane Smith, Rhodes, Enfinger and Eckes were in the top 20 while 32 of 36 starters were scored on lead lap.

Under the stage break, the lead lap field led by Sanchez pitted for the first time as mixed strategies ensued with some taking two tires while the rest opted for four fresh tires. Amid the pit stops, Playoff contender Zane Smith slid his truck sideways while trying to enter his pit stall as he ended up clipping his tire carrier, which sent the tire carrier and two tires the carrier was carrying flying, with the tires rolling out of the pit stall, as Smith ended up having his truck serviced backward in the pit stall.

The second stage started on Lap 27 as Sanchez and Kligerman occupied the front row. At the start, Sanchez received a strong push from Majeski to muscle ahead of Kligerman and retain the lead through the first two turns and the backstretch. With the field quickly fanning out to three stacked lanes, Sanchez continued to lead until Kligerman received drafting help from Gilliland to assume the top spot in his No. 75 Tide Chevrolet Silverado RST through the frontstretch and back to the start/finish line.

At the Lap 30 mark, Kligerman was leading ahead of Hocevar followed by Gilliland, Sanchez and Holmes while Thompson, Majeski, Rhodes, Chandler Smith and Wood were in the top 10. In the midst of the battles towards the front, Playoff contenders Enfinger, Eckes and Heim were running 16th to 18th. Meanwhile, Zane Smith, who sustained damage to the right-rear quarter panel of his truck amid his pit road incident, was mired a lap down in 35th after he had reported his No. 38 Love’s Ford F-150 was jumping out of gear.

Five laps later, Hocevar, who assumed the lead three laps earlier, was leading ahead of Majeski followed by a hard-charging Kligerman, Rhodes and Sanchez while Holmes, Tanner Gray, Taylor Gray, Thompson and Heim were mired in the top 10 and amid the stacked pack. Behind, Eckes was in 14th and Enfinger was back in 27th while Zane Smith took his truck to the garage.

Then with two laps remaining in the second stage period, the caution flew after Eckes made contact with Stewart Friesen, which resulted in Friesen clipping Tyler Ankrum before Friesen’s No. 52 GearWrench Toyota Tundra TRD Pro went dead straight towards the Turn 3 outside wall and wrecked hard as David Gilliland was also collected. As a result of the multi-truck incident, the second stage period that was scheduled to end on Lap 40, instead, concluded under caution as Kligerman claimed the stage victory. Sanchez settled in second followed by Playoff rivals Hocevar, Majeski and Rhodes while Tanner Gray, Taylor Gray, Holmes, Thompson and Heim were scored in the top 10. By then, Eckes and Enfinger were mired in the top 20, Rhodes was scored outside the top 20 and Zane Smith was in the garage amid his mechanical issues.

During the stage break, the lead lap field led by Kligerman returned to pit road as various pit strategies again occurred with Colby Howard opting for fuel only to his truck and select names including Tanner Gray, Purdy, Heim, Enfinger, Tyler Hill and Dean Thompson changing two tires while the rest opted for four fresh tires.

With 48 laps remaining, the final stage started as brothers Tanner and Taylor Gray occupied the front row. At the start, Tanner Gray muscled his No. 15 Sport Clips Toyota Tundra TRD Pro ahead on the inside lane while the field quickly fanned out to three lanes through the first two turns and through the backstretch. As the field made its way back to the tri-oval to reach the halfway mark on Lap 47, Tanner Gray maintained the lead ahead of Howard, Heim, Sanchez and Tyler Hill while Thompson, Taylor Gray, Purdy, Holmes and Wood were in the top 10. In the process and amid the stacked racing, Eckes was in 12th, Rhodes was back in 15th followed by Enfinger in 17th, Majeski was strapped in 20th and Hocevar was back in 22nd.

Four laps later, the caution returned after Taylor Gray got turned sideways off the front nose of Bayley Currey entering the backstretch, which resulted in Gray spinning and clipping Ankrum, who also clipped Crafton in the process, as Playoff contender Enfinger was also involved as he spun sideways and emerged with damage to his No. 23 Champion Power Equipment Chevrolet Silverado RST. During the caution period, select names that included Lawless Alan, Currey, Kligerman, Chandler Smith, Cory Roper, Ryan Vargas, Hailie Deegan and Garrett Smithley pitted while the rest led by Tanner Gray remained on the track.

During the proceeding restart with 38 laps remaining, Tanner Gray and Sanchez dueled for the lead ahead of the stacked pack through the first two turns and the backstretch. Gray and Sanchez would remain in a dead heat for the lead for the next two laps until the caution returned as Currey and Enfinger made the slightest of contact through the frontstretch that got Enfinger loose and turned Currey into the path of Tyler Hill as Currey ended up hitting the inside wall. With Enfinger initially being in the position of cycling back on the lead lap due to being the first competitor a lap down when the carnage ensued, he lost the benefit due to being involved in the incident.

Amid the incident, the field led by Sanchez returned to pit road for service and mainly for fuel. Following the pit stops, Sanchez retained the lead after exiting pit road first followed by Purdy, Moffitt, Tanner Gray, Chandler Smith and Hocevar.

With the event restarting under green with 33 laps remaining, Sanchez and Holmes battled for the lead entering the first two turns until Sanchez muscled ahead from the outside lane. Then as Sanchez moved to the inside lane and regained drafting momentum, Brett Moffitt muscled his way into the lead after receiving drafting help from Chandler Smtih as Hocevar followed suit. Soon after, Sanchez steered his No. 2 Gainbridge Chevrolet Silverado RST to pit road and served a pass-through penalty for a restart violation as a result of hanging back on the restart. Amid the penalty, Moffitt retained the lead ahead of a long line of competitors with 30 laps remaining.

Down to the final 25 laps of the event, Moffitt continued to lead ahead of Purdy, Chandler Smith, Rhodes and Jake Drew while Crafton, Heim, Hocevar, Lawless Alan and Holmes were in the top 10. Behind, Eckes fell back to 11th, Majeski was back in 20th and both Sanchez and Enfinger were in 25th and 26th.

Two laps later, the caution flew after the hood off of Jack Wood’s No. 51 TrueTimber Chevrolet Silverado RST came loose and disintegrated through the backstretch. The caution occurred after teammate Purdy had reassumed the lead with 27 laps remaining.

During the ensuing restart with 19 laps remaining, trouble struck for Purdy, who started alongside Moffitt on the front row but stacked up the inside lane and dropped off the pace due to a power issue to his No. 4 Bama Buggies Chevrolet Silverado RST. With Purdy dropping out of the racing groove, Moffitt assumed the lead until Crafton challenged on the outside lane with drafting help from Bret Holmes.

Then with 16 laps remaining, the caution returned after Caruth and Ryan Vargas made contact through the frontstretch, which resulted in Vargas hitting the outside wall and Caruth spinning just past the start/finish line while Playoff contender Hocevar barely dodged the incident.

Down to the final 10 laps of the event, the race restarted under green. At the start, Moffitt rocketed ahead on the inside lane with drafting help from Rhodes, who moved to second through the backstretch before Eckes regained the momentum and assumed the lead through the backstretch with drafting help from Chandler Smith. As Eckes and Smith moved in front of Moffitt, Rhodes and the field entering the frontstretch, the caution quickly returned when Colby Howard and Purdy made contact as Purdy turned Howard before both veered towards the outside wall, with Purdy slapping the wall and damaging his pole-winning truck while Howard spun across the track, the tri-oval grass and down pit road as the field scattered to avoid the carnage. The incident and leaked fluid across the tri-oval would be enough to place the event in a red-flag period for more than five minutes as the on-track safety crew proceeded to clear the carnage.

Once the red flag lifted and the race restarted under green with three laps remaining, Eckes and Moffitt dueled for the lead through the first two laps as Eckes had Chandler Smith drafting him while Moffitt had drafting help from Rhodes. Then as the field approached the tri-oval, the caution returned and the event was sent into overtime after Sanchez made contact with Crafton, who rammed into Bret Holmes and clipped Tanner Gray, with a multi-truck wreck ensuing that collected Caruth, Enfinger, Hocevar, Garrett Smithley, Majeski, Cory Roper and Van Alst, who impacted the outside wall head-on. Amid the carnage, Eckes retained the lead ahead of Moffitt while the event was sent into a second red flag period that spanned for more than five minutes.

Once the red flag lifted and the event restarted in overtime, Moffitt and Eckes dueled for the lead exiting the frontstretch until Moffitt received a shove from Rhodes, Thompson and Kligerman to muscle ahead through the first two turns. With Moffitt briefly losing the draft through the frontstretch, Eckes and Chandler Smith responded back amid a two-truck draft as Smith drafted Eckes into the lead through the frontstretch.

When the white flag waved and the final lap started, Eckes was leading ahead of Chandler Smith as the rest of the field regained their momentum to catch the two leaders. With Eckes and Smith getting separated, this allowed Moffitt to jump to the outside lane and close in on Eckes for the lead through the first two turns. Eckes then moved his No. 19 NAPA Chevrolet Silverado RST up to try to block Moffitt, but Moffitt crossed his No. 34 Fr8Auctions Ford F-150 underneath Eckes. This resulted in Eckes losing momentum and falling out of the draft while Moffitt and Smith dueled for the lead ahead of two stacked lanes through the backstretch. Moffitt then started to muscle back ahead with the lead followed by Kligerman as both managed to move in front of Smith and Rhodes through Turns 3 and 4. Then as Kligerman tried to make his move to Moffitt’s outside, Smith and Rhodes remained with Moffitt on the inside lane while Kligerman started to lose the draft entering the tri-oval. Smith and Rhodes then tried to fan out and gain a final lap run on Moffitt, but the momentum for both was not enough as Moffitt managed to retain the lead and win by 0.089 seconds over Rhodes.

With the victory, Moffitt notched his 13th career win in the Craftsman Truck Series, his first both at Talladega and on a superspeedway venue, and his first since winning at Kansas Speedway in October 2020, which marked his latest full-time stint in the series. In addition to achieving his first Truck victory driving a Ford, Moffitt also recorded the eighth Truck career victory for Front Row Motorsports and the first for FRM’s No. 34 entry in the entry’s debut.

With Moffitt being a former winner and champion in the Truck Series but competing this season on a full-time basis for AM Racing in the Xfinity Series, this season marks the eighth consecutive season where the Truck’s Talladega Playoff event was won by a non-Playoff contender, which extends the streak of non-Playoff competitors winning at Talladega and preventing the current seven Playoff contenders from winning and earning an automatic berth to this year’s Championship 4 field.

“It’s pretty awesome,” Moffitt, whose racing plans for 2024 remain undetermined, said on the frontstretch on FS1. “I’ve notably struggled at superspeedways in the past and dreaded coming to them, but this was all “pressure off” situation that Front Row [Motorsports] gave me, Fr8Auctions to come here and just go out there and try to help a teammate. Obviously, that didn’t work out for that group, but to come here and have a shot at a win and to do it is pretty amazing. Reminds me of the good old days that I wanna get back to doing this on a regular basis, so we’ll see what happens.”

Playoff contender Ben Rhodes was the highest-finishing Playoff contender on the track as he settled in the runner-up spot for a second consecutive year at Talladega while Dean Thompson tied his career-best result of third place. Chandler Smith, who was piloting Rackley W.A.R.’s No. 25 Chevrolet Silverado RST, came home in fourth place while Corey Heim, who is already guaranteed a spot for this year’s Championship 4 finale after winning at Bristol Motor Speedway, finished fifth.

Rookie Daniel Dye, Nick Sanchez, Hailie Deegan, Kligerman and Lawless Alan completed the top 10 on the track. Notably, Hocevar and Enfinger finished 11th and 13th while Eckes drifted all the way back to 19th. In addition, Majeski retired in 21st while Zane Smith capped off his long afternoon in 32nd.

There were 23 lead changes for 11 different leaders. The race featured eight cautions for 41 laps. In addition, 19 of 36 starters finished on the lead lap.

Results.

1. Brett Moffitt, 22 laps led

2. Ben Rhodes

3. Dean Thompson

4. Chandler Smith

5. Corey Heim

6. Daniel Dye

7. Nick Sanchez, 25 laps led, Stage 1 winner

8. Hailie Deegan

9. Parker Kligerman, 10 laps led, Stage 2 winner

10. Lawless Alan

11. Carson Hocevar, five laps led

12. Rajah Caruth

13. Grant Enfinger

14. Jack Wood

15. Garrett Smithley

16. Bret Holmes, three laps led

17. Ryan Vargas

18. Taylor Gray, one lap led

19. Christian Eckes, eight laps led

20. Jake Drew, one lap down

21. Ty Majeski – OUT, Accident

22. Cory Roper – OUT, Dvp

23. Colby Howard – OUT, Accident

24. Matt Crafton – OUT, Accident, one lap led

25. Tanner Gray – OUT, Accident, 12 laps led

26. Greg Van Alst- OUT, Accident

27. Jason M. White, 11 laps down

28. Chase Purdy – OUT, Accident, 11 laps led

29. Jake Garcia, 20 laps down

30. Tyler Hill – OUT, Accident

31. Bayley Currey – OUT, Accident

32. Zane Smith, 44 laps down

33. Tyler Ankrum – OUT, Accident

34. Stewart Friesen – OUT, Accident

35. David Gilliland – OUT, Accident

36. Bryan Dauzat – OUT, Handling

*Bold indicates Playoff contenders

Playoff standings

1. Corey Heim – Advanced

2. Carson Hocevar +23

3. Christian Eckes +9

4. Nick Sanchez +3

5. Grant Enfinger -3

6. Ben Rhodes -5

7. Ty Majeski -19

8. Zane Smith -36

The Round of 8 in the 2023 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series Playoffs is set to conclude at Homestead-Miami Speedway in Homestead, Florida, on October 22, where the Championship 4 field will be determined. The event’s coverage is set to commence at noon ET on FS1.

Toyota Racing – NCTS Talladega Post-Race Report – 09.30.23

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Official Release

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September 30, 2023

THOMPSON MATCHES CAREER-BEST IN TALLADEGA
Corey Heim delivers 14th consecutive top-10 finish

TALLADEGA, Ala. (September 30, 2023) – Dean Thompson tied his career-best finish as the Toyota driver was scored in third in Saturday’s Truck Series race at Talladega Superspeedway. Thompson qualified a career-best fourth, before starting in the back for an unapproved adjustment. The California-native drove through the field and earned stage points in each stage before finishing in the top-five.

Corey Heim finished fifth – his 14th consecutive top-10 finish. The Toyota development driver is now tied for the ninth-longest streak in Truck Series history. Heim remains as the only Truck Series driver locked into the Championship 4 after his win at Bristol Motor Speedway.

Toyota Racing Post-Race Recap
NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series
Talladega Superspeedway
Race 21 of 23 – 94 Laps, 250.04 Miles

TOYOTA FINISHING POSITIONS

1st, Brett Moffitt*

2nd, Ben Rhodes*

3rd, DEAN THOMPSON

4th, Chandler Smith*

5th, COREY HEIM

17th, RYAN VARGAS

18th, TAYLOR GRAY

20th, JAKE DREW

25th, TANNER GRAY

30th, TYLER HILL

33rd, TYLER ANKRUM

34th, STEWART FRIESEN

35th, DAVID GILLILAND

*non-Toyota driver

TOYOTA QUOTES

DEAN THOMPSON, No. 5 CST Industrial Toyota Tundra TRD Pro, TRICON Garage

Finishing Position: 3rd

Tied career-best and brought it home in one piece. How was your race?

“It was awesome. TRICON brought a really fast CST Industrial Tundra. We qualified fast but I had an issue, so we went to the back and we persevered. We never looked back and finished p3. Not bad, but wish we were two spots better though.”

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

Finishing Position: 5th

Can you take us through those last few restarts?

“Yeah, we had a fast truck today with TRICON Garage and Toyota Racing. Our Safelite Toyota Tundra TRD Pro was really good, just really circumstantial. I really thought we could have had the race won with the 75 (Parker Kligerman) if he stayed up instead of following the 34 (Brett Moffitt) down. We had such a big run, and if he had just got to the 34’s quarter panel, we would have been in really good shape I thought. Hindsight is 20/20 – I could have really pushed him to the win, but it is what it is.”

TYLER ANKRUM, No. 16 LiUNA! Toyota Tundra TRD Pro, Hattori Racing Enterprises

Finishing Position: 33rd

Can you explain what happened?

“Both incidents I really don’t know what happened. I know for sure the second time I got hit. I got really damn hard in the right rear, and it sent me straight to the wall. Hit the wall on the outside head on, and then bounced to the inside wall – was going for that almost head on. No brakes, no steering wheel. That’s not a fun position to be in – seeing the wall coming straight to you. I thought we had a pretty good truck, we just couldn’t get organized up top. We couldn’t get going for whatever reason. We were antsy today for whatever reason. We were super comfortable going three wide, which I like. It’s nice for once to be able to do that with these guys, but we couldn’t ever get anything going. Just not enough numbers to get to the top going. If we were smart, everybody would have formed up at the top – that was running the top – and we would have cleared the bottom. It sucks – it was a lot of fun up to that point – we were racing really hard, just not smart. That’s probably what caused that accident – we weren’t racing smart. Talladega is a special place, and just have to thank everybody at LiUNA! And Toyota for all they do to support me.”

About Toyota

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

Toyota directly employs more than 63,000 people in North America who have contributed to the design, engineering, and assembly of nearly 45 million cars and trucks at our 13 manufacturing plants. By 2025, Toyota’s 14th plant in North Carolina will begin to manufacture automotive batteries for electrified vehicles. With more electrified vehicles on the road than any other automaker, Toyota currently offers 24 electrified options.

Toyota Racing – NCS Talladega Quotes – Bubba Wallace – 09.30.23

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Official Release

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September 30, 2023

Toyota Racing – Bubba Wallace
NASCAR Cup Series Quotes

TALLADEGA, Ala. (September 30, 2023) – 23XI Racing driver Bubba Wallace was made available to media prior to qualifying for the NASCAR Cup Series event at Talladega Superspeedway on Saturday:

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

Do you like your chances heading into these last two races in this round?

“It’s Talladega, you are not safe. Anything can happen. I think for us, if we do what we did at Daytona, and the first Talladega race – and finish where we were running, we will be okay. We just have to survive. We put a lot of scenarios in play – talking with our Toyota teammates on what we do and how we execute with it all. I was like we need to survive. There is usually on three Toyotas that finish the race, and there is only six of us. I was like – let’s get to the final 10 laps and then we can start to worry about this stuff. You don’t treat it any differently, you go out and do what you are capable of doing and try to execute the best you can. That is all you can do.”

How much of a mentality change did Watkins Glen give you as you head to the ROVAL?

“You cannot relate anything from the Glen – obviously two different race tracks, but I think the things I learned at the Glen – approach-wise on corners and techniques stuff, you can carry that over. So, I worked on a little bit of that in the sim and picked up some speed and find some decent momentum. It’s all virtual right now until you get there next weekend but looking forward to it. We’ve run well there the last couple of times at the ROVAL. It’s just a matter of surviving and not trying too hard and getting caught up in somebody else’s accidents.”

How much does the stage breaks change your strategy at the ROVAL?

“I was whooped after the Glen with no breaks. I don’t know. I think that will be a fair question to ask after – and yes, we’ve had them before. I don’t know. If you talk to the teams, stage breaks – you kind of know your plan. There is no strategy involved with stage breaks. That’s the only thing – your fate is kind of sealed. Pit this lap, pit again and finish the race.”

Has your goals changed for this season now that you are in the Playoffs?
“A win would be great. I would love to continue to advance by winning, not pointing our way in. But advancing is advancing – no matter how you do it. I don’t think the mindset changes. I thought last weekend was all-around one of our cleanest and greenest races from the 23’s perspective. I thought Bootie (Barker, crew chief), the pit crew, to me – we all kind of executed the way we should have. It’s like – if that is what it is like, leading a hundred laps and finishing third – you do that every week – and it’s hard to do, but that is what we are capable of. When you are in the top-three every week, they say your win is bound to come. I do believe that. We have to just keep putting out name in the hat and keeping doing what we know we are capable of doing.”

What were you thinking the ceiling was for this team coming into the season?

“I went to lunch with Dave Rogers (Competition Director, 23XI Racing) the other day. About midway through the season, we were probably an eighth to 12th place car, and we are sitting ninth in the points right now, right on the cusp of that. I think having an understanding that, when usually the Playoffs start there is going to at least be two or three Playoff cars that take care of themselves, whether that be failures, crashes, penalties – whatever that may be – try to be one of them. Have a good day, execute solid, pit crew has a good day, crew chief, strategist, they execute solid. If that leads to 20th-place, you missed it. But when you put yourself in a hole, it’s tough. That’s when the mistakes happen. I think we are very capable of getting to the round of 8. I look at the third round – those are really good race tracks. Going off what I watched last year in Homestead – the car looked really, really fast, so I’m excited to get there, and then obviously, Vegas and Martinsville. I think if we can just fight our asses off these next weeks, it will be interesting to see what we can do for the remainder of the Playoffs.”

When you have runs like Texas, do you believe more that you are that top-five team?

“No, I believed that this entire time. It’s just a matter is everyone on their a-game this weekend. I guess if you divide it between three pieces of the pie – driver, pit crew, crew chief – I feel like a lot of times, we’re showing up with two of the three slices. We never had all three. So, we started to do that more and more, and look at what we are doing. It’s not because we are trying harder or whatever – it’s just show up and bring our a-game and we will take what we can get. It’s understanding that and appreciating that are two different things. It goes a long way. It helps team morale, and when you fight as one team – this sounds very bland – but you fight as one team, you show up to the race track and you are ready to battle with whatever circumstances come your way and that is what makes us so good is we feel like we can overcome anything if we don’t take ourselves out. The races can get super long, and you can doubt yourself right out, but if you have the right people in the right place to help you out, it makes that transition easy.”

Did you have to learn to like the ROVAL?

“I was not a fan of it. It’s a really, really tough race track. I think the only people who like it are the ones that win. It’s just no room for error. These cars are so on edge – you have to drive them on edge, and more so in the Next Gen car, you have to push these things to the absolute limit. With that, you kind of get bent out of shape and gather it. The ROVAL, I think, the only room for error is one of the hardest corners – (turns) three and four. It’s off camber. It’s a right-hand corner. You are kind of chasing it. You see a lot of guys spin out into the barriers over there. That is the most room that you have. Everything else – you are hitting the wall, and you are done. It’s tight. You have to have super finesse, so I think understanding that and slowing it down more mentally and trying to process things different has helped me with that. And then the prep work that we do has helped a tremendous amount. Being on the sim, talking with teammates and figuring out where to gain speed and where to maintain, and trying to have fun, but it is chaotic. It lives up to the name of being dramatic. I know Marcus (Smith) is probably listening to this, so if I praise it up anymore, he’s probably going to put it on the schedule for the next 10 years – and I don’t want that – but it’s chaotic.”

Can you talk about your level of confidence you have right now?
“Back to my conversation with Dave (Rogers, Competition Director, 23XI Racing) yesterday. He set down and asked how does it feel? I just had come from the golf course with (Ryan) Blaney and I was like ‘Getting my ass kicked on the golf course?’ and he was like no, being in the round of 12. I’m like ‘Meh.’ No, don’t take that like I don’t care to be here. It is just another race; we just so happen to be in the next round. I think it is super cool, but I also think that we should have been here last year. We were capable of doing this last year. We have the right people, just going to have to put it all together. It has been a lot of work to get to this point, for sure. It’s super cool to see the results pay off for everybody on this team. I could see my guys fired up about showing up for this race track and we still have our name in the hat, and we are progressing forward. We were the last seed to start the Playoffs, and the last seed coming into this round, and we advanced, and we are now two points out of advancing again. It’s cool for them. I’m pumped for them and I’m seeing them work extra hard to make sure we are doing everything right – that’s what motivates me, right? For me, Talladega is Talladega, and we know how crazy it can get, and the ROVAL is the ROVAL. We know how crazy it can get. We just have to take it one lap at a time and understand what I said earlier – people are going to take themselves out, don’t be one of those people.”

What did it mean to you racing with Kyle Busch Motorsports?

“Kyle (Busch) is a heck of a racer and gave me a heck of an opportunity when I was part of the JGR (Joe Gibbs Racing) camp when I was a part of that between ’13 and ’14. It was tough racing against him. He was the one to beat. I remember in 2013 racing every weekend and didn’t matter where we at, he was fast, and we were just trying to replicate that. He would talk to you, and he was like just do this, and you were like what? I’m trying to figure it out. It clicked about halfway through 2014. The 54 started getting talked about almost as much as Kyle. I think once you figured it out, it was fun to show up to the race track and know you were going to run top-three, top-two. It was going to be the 51 and the 54. I appreciate that and just learning. I remember after Martinsville in 2013, it was the off season, he set me down and said if you didn’t win Martinsville, you were out. Simple as that. I was like, well we won, so let’s do it again. I think just – we know how Kyle is – but you can take and appreciate that – of just trying to push to be the best. It may come off at being a jerk or being an asshole sometimes, but I understand what he’s trying to go for. At the end of the day, he’s helping a lot of people but he’s racing for himself and wants to be the absolute best. If you can learn from that and get past the harshness of that and try to take some of those traits, I think that helps you along the way and that is what I’ve done. I try to not be as sarcastic, but just from the racing standpoint and absolutely going out and being a dog, Kyle taught me a lot about that, so it is pretty cool.”

What do you have planned for the offseason?

“We were talking about it this morning – myself, and (Ryan) Blaney. He and his girlfriend Gianna (Tulio). Amanda (Wallace, wife) and I was talking about going to Australia and New Zealand for two weeks, and my wife is a massive planner. Previous trips – if we were doing something in December, we usually book something in March leading up. It is what – September 30th – we have nothing booked. I don’t know if that is going to happen, but I know if we continue to wait, plane tickets are going to be astronomical, which is more motivation to get to the next round to accept that bonus to pay for those tickets, but thinking about and trying to get all of the irons worked out, but trying to run the Snowball Derby for the first time this year. That is not relaxing at all, and a little more work – I’m looking forward to that if it can all work out. I think other than that it is just chilling at home. We are in the midst of building a house. We broke ground two months ago, and I have no idea what the house looks like – that is all Amanda, which is totally fine. That will be next off season when we move into that, so we will be dealing with that in the off season, but really, I’ve just been able to get away during the weeks, even during the Playoffs now by playing video games and staying at home. That’s what I plan on doing, whether it is in Australia or not.”

About Toyota

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

Toyota directly employs more than 48,000 people in North America who have contributed to the design, engineering, and assembly of nearly 45 million cars and trucks at our 13 manufacturing plants. By 2025, Toyota’s 14th plant in North Carolina will begin to manufacture automotive batteries for electrified vehicles. With more electrified vehicles on the road than any other automaker, Toyota currently offers 22 electrified options.

Through the Start Your Impossible campaign, Toyota highlights the way it partners with community, civic, academic and governmental organizations to address our society’s most pressing mobility challenges. We believe that when people are free to move, anything is possible. For more information about Toyota, visit www.ToyotaNewsroom.com.

Young’s Motorsports Talladega Superspeedway Truck Series Team Preview

By

Official Release

-

September 30, 2023

Young’s Motorsports | NASCAR CRAFTSMAN® Truck Series
Talladega (Ala.) Superspeedway | Love’s RV Stop 250

Fast Facts

No. 02 Young’s Motorsports Team:

Driver: Garrett Smithley

Primary Partner(s): Trophy Tractor | CELSIUS®

Manufacturer: Chevrolet Silverado RST

Crew Chief: Andrew Abbott

2023 Driver Points Position: N/A

2023 Owner Points Position: 30th

Engine: Ilmor Racing Technologies

Notes of Interest:

Welcome Back: This weekend at Talladega Superspeedway, Young’s Motorsports welcomes back veteran NASCAR Cup and Xfinity Series driver Garrett Smithley to pilot the team’s flagship No. 02 Chevrolet Silverado RST for the first time this season.

Sponsor Intel: Smithley will pilot the No. 02 Chevrolet Silverado with support from Trophy Tractor.

Trophy Tractor sells and rents heavy equipment nationwide. Best known for their dependability, honesty and integrity.

They know their equipment and offer a buying and renting experience second to none in the industry. A brand new, state-of-the-art showroom and equipment yard is currently being built and will open later this year.

Glad To Have You Too: Besides Trophy Tractor, Smithley and the Mooresville, N.C.-based Young’s Motorsports team also welcome Celsius as an associate marketing partner for the final superspeedway race of the 2023 Truck Series season.

Celsius Holdings, Inc. (Nasdaq: CELH), is a global consumer packaged goods company with a proprietary, clinically proven formula for its master brand, CELSIUS®. A lifestyle energy drink born in fitness and a pioneer in the rapidly growing energy category.

CELSIUS® offers proprietary, functional, essential energy formulas clinically proven to offer significant health benefits to its users. CELSIUS® is backed by six university studies that were published in peer-reviewed journals, validating the unique benefits CELSIUS® provides.

Garrett Smithley Truck Series Talladega Superspeedway Track Stats: Saturday afternoon’s Love’s RV Stop 250 will mark Smithley’s first Truck Series start at the 2.66-mile speedway.

While Smithley does not have any truck experience around the famed Alabama race track, he does have two prior NASCAR Cup Series and seven NASCAR Xfinity Series races to his credit.

Also, one of Smithley’s five career starts in the NASCAR-owned ARCA Menards Series came at Talladega in 2014.

Garrett Smithley Truck Series Stats: From 2015 to 2020, Smithley has nine starts in the NASCAR CRAFTSMAN® Truck Series, highlighted by a career-best 14th place finish at Michigan International Speedway in August 2015 driving the No. 63 BRUH | SegPay Chevrolet Silverado for MB Motorsports.

In addition to MB Motorsports, Smithley has also made Truck Series starts for SS GreenLight Racing, Cook Finley Racing and Niece Motorsports.

Talladega will mark his inaugural debut with Young’s Motorsports.

Calling the Shots: Guiding Smithley as crew chief of the No. 02 Trophy Tractor | CELSIUS® Chevrolet Silverado is longtime crew chief Andrew Abbott.

On Saturday, he will be crew chief in his 124th NASCAR CRAFTSMAN® Truck Series race. In his previous 123 races, he has two top-five and seven top-10 finishes.

The Love’s RV Stop 250 will be his fourth tango at Talladega as crew chief in the NASCAR CRAFTSMAN® Truck Series.

Young’s Motorsports’ NASCAR CRAFTSMAN® Truck Series at Talladega Superspeedway: This weekend will mark Young’s Motorsports’ 18th, 19th and 20th NASCAR CRAFTSMAN® Truck Series starts at Talladega Superspeedway.

The organization posted a team-best finish at the track of first twice with Spencer Boyd in 2019 and most recently with Tate Fogleman in the 2021 edition of the Chevy Silverado 250 on October 2, 2021.

Since 2014, the Mooresville, N.C.-based Young’s Motorsports team has had an average starting position of 21.9 and an average finish of 17.5 in 17 Talladega Superspeedway starts overall.

Young’s Motorsports’ NASCAR CRAFTSMAN® Truck Series History: Since entering the NASCAR CRAFTSMAN® Truck Series in 2012, the Mooresville, N.C., – based organization has logged 465 starts from 58 drivers, resulting in solid performances that include two victories (Talladega Superspeedway 2019 and 2021), seven top-five finishes and 32 top-10 finishes, with an average starting position of 22.7 and an average finishing position of 21.9.

Follow on Social Media: For more on Garrett Smithley, please like him on Facebook (Official Garrett Smithley) and follow him on Instagram (@GarrettSmithley) and X |Twitter (@GarrettSmithley).

For more on Young’s Motorsports, please visit YoungsMotorsports.com, like them on Facebook (Young’s Motorsports), and follow them on Instagram (@youngsmotorsports) and X |Twitter (@youngsmtrsports).

Garrett Smithley Pre-Race Quote:

On Talladega Superspeedway: “I am very thankful to Tyler (Young) and Young’s Motorsports for the opportunity to race at Talladega Superspeedway this weekend.

“This weekend would not have been possible without the support of Trophy Tractor and CELSIUS®. Time and time again, the Young’s Motorsports team has showcased their capabilities on a superspeedway, and I am thrilled to experience that for myself on Saturday.”

No. 12 Young’s Motorsports Team:

Driver: Spencer Boyd

Primary Partner(s): Alabama Roofing Professionals

Manufacturer: Chevrolet Silverado RST

Crew Chief: Tyler Young

2023 Driver Points Position: 27th

2023 Owner Points Position: 34th

Engine: Ilmor Racing Technologies

Notes of Interest:

Back To Familiar Territory: Fan favorite Spencer Boyd invades familiar territory this weekend at Talladega Superspeedway, the 21st race of the 2023 NASCAR CRAFTSMAN® Truck Series season, eyeing his first top-10 of the year but more importantly, hunting his second win of his Truck Series career.

No. 161: This weekend at Talladega Superspeedway, Boyd will make his 161st career NASCAR start. Boyd has three starts in the NASCAR Cup Series, 50 starts in the NASCAR Xfinity Series, and will make his 107th start in Trucks when the green flag waves Saturday afternoon.

The highlight of his NASCAR career is a NASCAR CRAFTSMAN® Truck Series win at Talladega (Ala.) Superspeedway in October 2019, driving for Young’s Motorsports.

Welcome Back: This weekend at Talladega, Spencer Boyd and Young’s Motorsports welcome back Alabama Roofing Professionals as the primary marketing partner for the final superspeedway race of the season.

Saturday afternoon’s event will mark the fourth time that Alabama Roofing Professionals has supported Boyd at the famed Alabama race track, including his first career Truck Series victory at Talladega in 2019.

It’s in our name, Alabama Roofing Professionals: we consider ourselves roofing pros. If it involves your roof, we’re the guys that you can trust to get the job done.

We offer new roofs, roof inspections, roofing repairs, and a variety of other services to cater to the needs of every customer in the area.

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Spencer Boyd Truck Series Talladega Superspeedway Stats: Saturday afternoon’s Love’s RV Stop 250 will mark Boyd’s fifth NASCAR CRAFTSMAN® Truck Series race at the Alabama-famed race track.

In his four previous efforts, Boyd has a win in the 2019 Sugarlands Shine 250 while posting two top-10s overall and also carrying an average finish of 14.8 since 2017.

Spencer Boyd Truck Series Superspeedway Stats: At NASCAR CRAFTSMAN® Truck Series tracks classified as a superspeedway, Boyd has made 15 starts throughout his career, earning one win, two top-five and three top-10 finishes and carrying an average finishing position of 18.6.

Chasing That W: Boyd is eyeing his second career NASCAR CRAFTSMAN® Truck Series victory for himself and Young’s Motorsports.

In 2019 at Talladega (Ala.) Superspeedway, Boyd pulled an upset during the Truck Series Playoffs by winning the Sugarland Shines 250 at the 2.66-mile superspeedway, edging Todd Gilliland by 0.027 seconds.

Truck Series Rundown: In seven years of Truck Series competition, Boyd has 107 career Truck Series starts with one win, two top-five and three top-10 finishes, and a championship best of 17th in 2019 and carries an average finish of 24.5.

Calling the Shots: Guiding Boyd as crew chief of the No. 12 Alabama Roofing Professionals Chevrolet Silverado RST is crew chief and team principal Tyler Young.

Saturday afternoon will be his first dance at Talladega as crew chief in the NASCAR CRAFTSMAN® Truck Series.

Young’s Motorsports’ NASCAR CRAFTSMAN® Truck Series at Talladega Superspeedway: This weekend will mark Young’s Motorsports’ 18th, 19th and 20th NASCAR CRAFTSMAN® Truck Series starts at Talladega Superspeedway.

The organization posted a team-best finish at the track of first twice with Spencer Boyd in 2019 and most recently with Tate Fogleman in the 2021 edition of the Chevy Silverado 250 on October 2, 2021.

Since 2014, the Mooresville, N.C.-based Young’s Motorsports team has had an average starting position of 21.9 and an average finish of 17.5 in 17 Talladega Superspeedway starts overall.

Young’s Motorsports’ NASCAR CRAFTSMAN® Truck Series History: Since entering the NASCAR CRAFTSMAN® Truck Series in 2012, the Mooresville, N.C., – based organization has logged 465 starts from 58 drivers, resulting in solid performances that include two victories (Talladega Superspeedway 2019 and 2021), seven top-five finishes and 32 top-10 finishes, with an average starting position of 22.7 and an average finishing position of 21.9.

Follow on Social Media: For more on Spencer Boyd, please like him on Facebook (Spencer Boyd Racing) and follow him on Instagram (SpencerBoydpr) and X | Twitter (@SpencerBoyd).

For more on Young’s Motorsports, please visit YoungsMotorsports.com, like them on Facebook (Young’s Motorsports), and follow them on Instagram (@youngsmotorsports) and X |Twitter (@youngsmtrsports).

Spencer Boyd Pre-Race Quote:

On Alabama Roofing Professionals Reunion: “This one is for Alabama! The team over at Alabama Roofing Professionals has such pride in serving their community that it raises the stakes for me to put a good run together for them.

“Our Young’s Motorsports team has won two of the last four races at Talladega, so we feel good about making the whole state of Alabama proud with this year’s effort!”

No. 20 Young’s Motorsports Team:

Driver: Greg Van Alst

Primary Partner(s): CB Fabricating

Manufacturer: Chevrolet Silverado RST

Crew Chief: Joe Lax

2023 Driver Points Position: 63rd

2023 Owner Points Position: 35th

Engine: Ilmor Racing Technologies

Notes of Interest:

Welcome Back!: Young’s Motorsports welcomes back driver Greg Van Alst as driver of the No. 20 Young’s Motorsports Chevrolet Silverado RST for Saturday afternoon’s Love’s RV Stop 250 and the remainder of the 2023 Truck Series season.

Van Alst invades the NASCAR CRAFTSMAN® Truck Series tour with Young’s Motorsports after a successful Late Model career in the Midwest, which included the 2019 ARCA | CRA championship and runner-up in 2020.

After running a part-time ARCA Menards Series schedule in 2001, he returned 20 years later to make his debut at Daytona (Fla.) International Speedway. After a successful part-time schedule, which included a runner-up finish at Winchester (Ind.) Speedway, Van Alst increased his presence in 2022, leading to a championship assault.

In 2022, Van Alst returned to the ARCA Menards Series scene, where his family-owned team ran the complete schedule with one top-five and 11 top-10 finishes en route to a fifth-place finish in the championship standings.

He returned to the ARCA tour with a vengeance in 2023 and kicked off the season with a victory in the Brandt 200 at Daytona (Fla.) International Speedway, a triumphant achievement for an underfunded organization.

Following the victory, Van Alst competed in six other races before opting to bow out of the championship race and focus on other driving opportunities outside the series.

Van Alst made his NASCAR Xfinity Series debut at Atlanta (Ga.) Motor Speedway in July for Alpha Prime Racing and will run the remaining two NASCAR CRAFTSMAN® Truck Series races in 2023 for Young’s Motorsports.

Outside of racing, Van Alst is a successful entrepreneur, successfully launching Top Choice Fence, one of the premier fence-building companies in east-central Indiana.

Van Alst married his high school sweetheart, Christi, in 2005; they have four children together.

Glad To Have You: For the 21st Truck Series race of the season, Van Alst and Young’s Motorsports welcome CB Fabricating as the primary partner of the team’s No. 20 Chevrolet this weekend at Talladega Superspeedway.

Headquartered in Anderson, Ind., CB Fabricating offers a complete list of fabricating from design, laser cutting, CNC punching, forming, welding, powder coating and assembly.

Their 40,000-square-foot facility allows them to service the needs of many different industries. Everything from the Automotive, agricultural, aquatic, medical, transportation, electrical enclosures and much more.

On Board Too: Van Alst and Young’s Motorsports welcome Ekan Crude LLC., Verns Concrete and Johnsons Family Plumbing on board as associate partners for Saturday afternoon’s 94-lap race.

Greg Van Alst Truck Series Talladega Superspeedway Stats: Saturday afternoon’s Love’s RV Stop 250 will mark Van Alst’s first Truck Series start at the 2.66-mile speedway.

Also, three of Van Alst’s 38 career starts in the NASCAR-owned ARCA Menards Series have occurred at Talladega from 2021 to 2023.

Greg Van Alst Truck Series Stats: Van Alst will make his fifth career NASCAR CRAFTSMAN® Truck Series start in the 21st Truck Series race of the season.

Young’s Motorsports’ NASCAR CRAFTSMAN® Truck Series at Talladega Superspeedway: This weekend will mark Young’s Motorsports’ 18th, 19th and 20th NASCAR CRAFTSMAN® Truck Series starts at Talladega Superspeedway.

The organization posted a team-best finish at the track of first twice with Spencer Boyd in 2019 and most recently with Tate Fogleman in the 2021 edition of the Chevy Silverado 250 on October 2, 2021.

Since 2014, the Mooresville, N.C.-based Young’s Motorsports team has had an average starting position of 21.9 and an average finish of 17.5 in 17 Talladega Superspeedway starts overall.

Young’s Motorsports’ NASCAR CRAFTSMAN® Truck Series History: Since entering the NASCAR CRAFTSMAN® Truck Series in 2012, the Mooresville, N.C., – based organization has logged 465 starts from 58 drivers, resulting in solid performances that include two victories (Talladega Superspeedway 2019 and 2021), seven top-five finishes and 32 top-10 finishes, with an average starting position of 22.7 and an average finishing position of 21.9.

Calling the Shots: Guiding Van Alst as crew chief of the No. 20 CB Fabricating Chevrolet Silverado RST is veteran crew chief Joe Lax.

On Saturday, he will be crew chief in his 115th NASCAR CRAFTSMAN® Truck Series race. In his previous 114 races, he has one pole and nine top-10 finishes.

The final superspeedway race of the season will be his sixth tango at Talladega as crew chief in the NASCAR CRAFTSMAN® Truck Series.

Follow on Social Media: For more on Greg Van Alst and Greg Van Alst Motorsports, please visit GregVanAlst.com, like them on Facebook (Van Alst Motorsports) and follow him on X | Twitter (@GregVanAlst35).

For more on Young’s Motorsports, please visit YoungsMotorsports.com, like them on Facebook (Young’s Motorsports), and follow them on Instagram (@youngsmotorsports) and X |Twitter (@youngsmtrsports).

Greg Van Alst Pre-Race Quote:

On Talladega Superspeedway: “I’ve circled Talladega on my calendar since joining Young’s Motorsports in August. I excel on the superspeedways and am stoked about making my Truck Series debut at Talladega and the opportunity to put the team back in Victory Lane.

“I cannot continue to thank Chris Barkdull and everyone at CB Fabricating, as well as our other partners, enough for giving me this opportunity. I plan to take the knowledge from my ARCA Menards Series experience on Daytona and Talladega tracks and apply it accordingly with the Trucks.

“I know the two vehicles drive differently, but I feel there are similar fundamentals that I will be able to showcase not only with the Truck Series field but especially with my Young’s Motorsports teammates.”

Race Information:

The Love’s RV Stop 250 (94 laps | 250.04 miles) is the 21st of 23 NASCAR CRAFTSMAN® Truck Series races on the 2023 schedule. Qualifying is set for Saturday, September 30 beginning at 8:30 a.m. The 36-truck field will take the green flag later in the day shortly after 12:00 p.m. (1:00 p.m. ET) with live coverage on FOX Sports 1 (FS1), the Motor Racing Network (Radio) and SiriusXM NASCAR Channel 90. All times are local (CT).

KALITTA, TASCA, ENDERS AND HERRERA GRAB PROVISIONAL NO. 1 POSITIONS AT NHRA MIDWEST NATIONALS

By

Official Release

-

September 30, 2023

ST. LOUIS (Sept. 29, 2023) – Top Fuel points leader Doug Kalitta continued his impressive run in the NHRA Countdown to the Championship at World Wide Technology Raceway, powering to the provisional No. 1 spot to close out Friday’s racing at the 12th annual NHRA Midwest Nationals.

Bob Tasca III (Funny Car), Erica Enders (Pro Stock) and Gaige Herrera (Pro Stock Motorcycle) are also the provisional No. 1 qualifiers at the 18th of 21 races during the 2023 NHRA Camping World Drag Racing Series season, and the third of six races in the Countdown to the Championship playoffs.

As part of the final pair of the evening under the lights at World Wide Technology Raceway, Kalitta turned in a run of 3.709-seconds at 331.85 mph in his 11,000-horsepower Mac Tools/Toyota dragster. If that holds, the veteran would pick up his second No. 1 spot this year and 53rd in his career. Seeking his first career world championship, Kalitta has won the first two playoff races this year and continued to gain momentum on Friday.

“Everybody is running really close, and we somehow snuck by them,” Kalitta said. “Hat’s off to (crew chiefs) Alan Johnson and Brian Husen and all my guys; they’re really working their tails off on this car, and it’s definitely showing. Consistency is everything in this sport, and that was a nice A to B run for us. It was close, but we pulled it off.

“We’re all hungry. I always love coming to St. Louis. Just a lot of great memories here and a great racing town. This is really a good start for us here for the first qualifying run. The competition is tough and everybody is running well. I just feel really fortunate to pull off the low qualifier so far.”

Mike Salinas took the second spot with a run of 3.710 at 329.75 and Antron Brown was right behind in third with a 3.714 at 331.69.

In Funny Car, Tasca delivered an epic blast to close out qualifying, going a spectacular 3.852 at 324.90 in his 11,000-horsepower Motorcraft/Quick Lane Ford Mustang. Coming off last weekend’s win in Charlotte and advancing to second in points, Tasca grabbed the qualifying points on Friday at World Wide Technology Raceway as only one of two drivers to dip into the 3.80s. With warm temperatures expected on Saturday, Tasca appears on track to earn his sixth No. 1 qualifier in his tremendous 2023 campaign and the 15th in his career. It would also be his second No. 1 in the playoffs if it holds, a week after making a career-best pass in Charlotte.

“We’ve been working on this all season long, starting in testing,” Tasca said. “We had to have the setup to go out here and run with the big teams when the conditions were good. We had flashes of that early in the season, worked on it when the conditions were good, and just seeing this car run really hard. Aaron Brooks, Todd Okuhara, they have a lot of confidence in the setup. They were trying to run .85 and the car ran .85.

“This wasn’t a fluke, they told me keep it on the inside until about a half-track and then pull it back slowly. Normally you muscle a Funny Car, but in this example, you’re really just finessing it. You can’t be a one-trick pony. You have to be able to throw down when it’s hot and be able to pull it back and still throw down when it’s cool.”

Blake Alexander took the second spot with a run of 3.888 at 326.79 and John Force is third after going 3.914 at 325.06. Points leader Robert Hight is 13th.

World Wide Technology Raceway has belonged to Pro Stock’s Erica Enders over the years and that continued on Friday, as the defending world champion went to the No. 1 spot with a run of 6.549 at 209.69 in her Johnson’s Horsepowered Garage/Melling Performance Chevrolet Camaro. If that holds, Enders would earn her third straight No. 1 qualifier, fifth this season and the 34th in her stellar career. She’s been nearly flawless in St. Louis, winning the past four years at the track, giving her six overall. That’s the most in NHRA history at the facility and a seventh win this weekend – and 47th in her career – would also give her the most wins by a female in NHRA history.

“It definitely felt awesome,” Enders said. “I say this a lot but I feed off of Mark Ingersoll, my crew chief. I really enjoy his confidence because it in turn gives me confidence. This place has always been amazing to me. To have the last four years in a row is pretty awesome. It’s Mark’s home track, and he wants to swing hard here. We’re really excited.

“My sister and I have coined the phrase, everything changes in St. Louis. We’ll just go ahead and hope that’s going to be the outcome. When we went into the Countdown, we haven’t won one yet, but I said three races in a row, in three weeks I’m going to know where I stand and maybe my stomach can relax a little bit. It’s so fun coming here. I’m excited to have things change in St. Louis.”

Troy Coughlin Jr. took the second spot thanks to his pass of 6.558 at 208.97 and Greg Anderson, who won last weekend in Charlotte, is third after a 6.560 at 208.81. Points leader Matt Hartford’s 6.565 has him fourth.

In Pro Stock Motorcycle, Gaige Herrera enjoyed another terrific Friday night, this time putting together an impressive run of 6.716 at 201.79 on his Mission Foods/Vance & Hines Suzuki. It puts the points leader on track for an incredible 11th No. 1 qualifier this season in 12 races for the category, another sign of his dominating season. He picked up his first career win in the Countdown to the Championship last weekend and, after moving back into the points lead, Herrera looks to keep rolling this weekend in St. Louis.

“I’ve been having fun all year, and all the little changes, they’re out to get us as a team or me,” Herrera said. “Just to have that feeling, basically, Matt (Smith) is doing everything he can to try to knock us off the top. I think that makes us drive harder, push harder, and me as a rider, try to be more consistent. I had a .029 light there today and last weekend I had an average of .032. It makes me try harder and push harder, and the same for Andrew (Hines, crew chief). He wants to give me the most consistent but fast motorcycle, so I think overall it just drives us to keep on pushing. I’m just excited to be a part of it. I’m very lucky to ride for them and be part of it.”

Defending world champion and defending event winner Matt Smith, who trails Herrera by 52 points heading into the weekend, is currently second with a 6.766 at 201.76 and Eddie Krawiec is third with a 6.787 at 201.40.

Qualifying continues at 1:30 p.m. CT on Saturday at the NHRA Midwest Nationals at World Wide Technology Raceway.

MADISON, Ill. — Friday’s results after the first one of three rounds of qualifying for the 12th annual NHRA Midwest Nationals at World Wide Technology Raceway, 18th of 21 events in the NHRA Camping World Drag Racing Series. Qualifying will continue Saturday for Sunday’s final eliminations.

Top Fuel — 1. Doug Kalitta, 3.709 seconds, 331.85 mph; 2. Mike Salinas, 3.710, 329.75; 3. Antron Brown, 3.714, 331.69; 4. Justin Ashley, 3.730, 331.69; 5. Tony Schumacher, 3.734, 329.83; 6. Leah Pruett, 3.742, 331.04; 7. Clay Millican, 3.745, 328.62; 8. Shawn Langdon, 3.748, 328.86; 9. Kyle Wurtzel, 3.816, 314.46; 10. Cody Krohn, 3.819, 319.07; 11. T.J. Zizzo, 3.832, 321.88; 12. Lex Joon, 3.920, 314.09; 13. Steve Torrence, 5.464, 119.76; 14. Austin Prock, 5.936, 110.86; 15. Josh Hart, 6.142, 110.64; 16. Brittany Force, 6.651, 88.33. Not Qualified: 17. Buddy Hull, 7.396, 78.78; 18. Terry Totten, 20.894, 158.39.

Funny Car — 1. Bob Tasca III, Ford Mustang, 3.852, 324.90; 2. Blake Alexander, Mustang, 3.888, 326.79; 3. John Force, Chevy Camaro, 3.914, 325.06; 4. Matt Hagan, Dodge Charger, 3.928, 328.78; 5. Bobby Bode, Mustang, 3.937, 293.47; 6. Chad Green, Mustang, 3.959, 328.86; 7. Tim Wilkerson, Mustang, 3.982, 321.04; 8. Terry Haddock, Mustang, 4.079, 299.00; 9. Dave Richards, Mustang, 4.193, 275.84; 10. Alex Laughlin, Charger, 4.220, 295.40; 11. Jack Wyatt, Charger, 4.296, 240.77; 12. Dale Creasy Jr., Charger, 4.904, 159.61; 13. Robert Hight, Camaro, 5.445, 131.48; 14. Ron Capps, Toyota GR Supra, 5.770, 122.43; 15. J.R. Todd, GR Supra, 6.023, 111.12; 16. Alexis DeJoria, GR Supra, 6.387, 114.01. Not Qualified: 17. Cruz Pedregon, 7.564, 91.85.

Pro Stock — 1. Erica Enders, Chevy Camaro, 6.549, 209.69; 2. Troy Coughlin Jr., Camaro, 6.558, 208.97; 3. Greg Anderson, Camaro, 6.560, 208.81; 4. Matt Hartford, Camaro, 6.565, 207.85; 5. Kyle Koretsky, Camaro, 6.569, 208.65; 6. Aaron Stanfield, Camaro, 6.570, 208.01; 7. Bo Butner, Camaro, 6.573, 209.10; 8. Fernando Cuadra Jr., Ford Mustang, 6.575, 207.69; 9. Camrie Caruso, Camaro, 6.582, 208.39; 10. Dallas Glenn, Camaro, 6.582, 207.15; 11. Cristian Cuadra, Mustang, 6.583, 208.81; 12. Chris McGaha, Camaro, 6.605, 208.62; 13. Mason McGaha, Camaro, 6.615, 207.27; 14. Jerry Tucker, Camaro, 6.622, 207.15; 15. Fernando Cuadra, Mustang, 6.627, 207.85; 16. Eric Latino, Camaro, 6.627, 206.61. Not Qualified: 17. Robert River, 7.123, 196.07; 18. Deric Kramer, 7.971, 122.87.

Pro Stock Motorcycle — 1. Gaige Herrera, Suzuki, 6.716, 201.79; 2. Matt Smith, Buell, 6.766, 201.76; 3. Eddie Krawiec, Suzuki, 6.787, 201.40; 4. Hector Arana Jr, EBR, 6.796, 199.14; 5. Jianna Evaristo, Suzuki, 6.841, 197.31; 6. Chase Van Sant, Suzuki, 6.847, 194.21; 7. Kelly Clontz, Suzuki, 6.910, 195.96; 8. Steve Johnson, Suzuki, 6.929, 194.60; 9. Ryan Oehler, EBR, 6.953, 193.82; 10. Marc Ingwersen, EBR, 6.961, 193.40; 11. Chris Bostick, EBR, 7.026, 187.63; 12. Joey Gladstone, Buell, 7.061, 160.69; 13. Angie Smith, Buell, 7.190, 149.38.

Superior Pools & Spas to Support Brett Moffitt and AM Racing at Charlotte ROVAL

By

Official Release

-

September 29, 2023

STATESVILLE, N.C.: Officials from AM Racing proudly announced today that Superior Pools & Spas, a residential and commercial swimming pool builder based in Charlotte that comes with over 40 years of experience in the industry, will support AM Racing and driver Brett Moffitt in next weekend’s Drive For The Cure 250 at the Charlotte (N.C.) Motor Speedway ROVAL.

Superior Pools & Spas provides a wealth of hands-on, technical know-how and real-world problem-solving capability on each and every project.

As a third-generation builder with over four decades worth of experience, Superior Pools & Spas has amassed a talented design team and skilled in-house construction crew to ensure the highest quality projects.

The 29th NASCAR Xfinity Series race of the season on Saturday, October 7, 2023, will mark Superior Pools & Spas’s first foray into NASCAR.

“We couldn’t be more excited to support AM Racing and Brett Moffitt at the upcoming Drive For the Cure 300 at the Charlotte Motor Speedway ROVAL,” offered Superior Pools & Spas CEO Peter Johnson.

“Brett’s determination and passion on and off the track make him the perfect partner for Superior Pools & Spas as we continue to serve The Carolinas for many years to come. We look forward to seeing the No. 25 in Victory Lane at the Charlotte ROVAL next weekend.”

AM Racing driver Brett Moffitt heads to the Charlotte (N.C.) Motor Speedway ROVAL for the 67-lap race eyeing his 10th top-10 finish of the season on the heels of his ninth top-10 finish of the season in the series’ most recent race at Texas Motor Speedway on September 23rd.

“I’m looking forward to being an ambassador for Superior Pools & Spas,” explained Moffitt. “It’s even better to welcome a new partner to the sport that is local and will have a massive presence at the race.

The Charlotte ROVAL is the final road course race of the season, and we have been able to showcase a lot of speed and finesse on the road courses this season. And I do not expect the ROVAL to be any different. The team is riding the momentum of a strong race at Texas, and we are determined to contend for another strong finish in our backyard.”

President of AM Racing, Wade Moore, added, “We are beyond thrilled to welcome Superior Pools & Spas to our partnership lineup. We cannot thank our marketing team, ARRAY Sports, enough for helping facilitate this new relationship,

“This local partnership reflects our commitment to our community and our dedication to creating mutually beneficial relationships that extend beyond the race track. Brett (Moffitt) will do a great job representing their brand on and off the track, and we hope that their experience at the Charlotte ROVAL opens the door to a fruitful partnership and the opportunities it will bring.”

For more on AM Racing, please visit AMRacingteam.com, like their Facebook page (AM Racing), or follow them on Instagram and Twitter @AMRacingNASCAR.

For more on Brett Moffitt, please visit BrettMoffitt.com, like his Facebook page (Brett Moffitt Racing), or follow him on Instagram (@brett_moffitt_racing) and Twitter (@brett_moffitt).

The Drive For The Cure 250 (67 laps | 155.44 miles) is the 28th of 33 NASCAR Xfinity Series races on the 2023 schedule. Practice begins on Saturday, October 7, from 10:30 a.m. – 11:00 a.m. Qualifying immediately follows. The 38-car field will take the green flag shortly after 3:30 p.m. with live coverage on NBC, the Performance Racing Network (Radio), and SiriusXM NASCAR Channel 90. All times are local (ET).

About Superior Pools & Spas:

Superior Pools & Spas is a residential and commercial swimming pool builder based in Charlotte, North Carolina that comes with over 40 years of experience in the industry.

Superior Pools & Spas provides a wealth of hands-on, technical know-how and real-world problem-solving capability on each and every project.

As a third-generation builder with over four decades worth of experience, Superior Pools & Spas has amassed a talented design team and skilled in-house construction crew to ensure the highest quality projects.

About AM Racing:

AM Racing is a multi-tiered, multi-faceted Motorsports program headquartered in Statesville, N.C.

Established in December 2015, AM Racing is prided on faith, honesty and intelligent performance.

The family-owned team will compete in the ARCA Menards Series, the NASCAR CRAFTSMAN® Truck Series, the NASCAR Xfinity Series and various Dirt Modified events in its seventh year of competition.

The team has named Brett Moffitt and Christian Rose as their primary drivers for the 2023 Xfinity and ARCA Menards Series seasons.

SpeedwayMedia.comOnline Resource for Motorsports Information

SpeedwayMedia.comOnline Resource for Motorsports Information

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