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NHRA AT WORLD WIDE TECHNOLOGY RACEWAY: Team Chevy Race Recap

By
Official Release
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CHEVROLET IN NHRA
2023 NHRA MIDWEST NATIONALS
WORLD WIDE TECHNOLOGY RACEWAY
TEAM CHEVY RACE REPORT
OCTOBER 1, 2023

GREG ANDERSON CAPTURES HIS 103RD VICTORY AND CHEVROLET’S 379TH IN PRO STOCK AT 2023 NHRA MIDWEST NATIONALS

  • Greg Anderson captured Chevrolet’s 379th Pro Stock win since 1970 and the 260th in the Camaro during Sunday’s NHRA Midwest Nationals at World Wide Technology Raceway near St. Louis.
  • Earning his 103rd career victory, Anderson also captured his second win of the year just one week after winning at zMAX Dragway in back-to-back fashion after qualifying No. 4.
  • Chevrolet also captured victory in Super Stock, with an all-Camaro final round and Jay Storey taking the Midwest Nationals category win over Brenda Grubbs.
  • Funny Car drivers Robert Hight and John Force of John Force Racing were both defeated by their respective opponents in Round 2.
  • John Force Racing Top Fuel drivers Brittany Force and Austin Prock faced an early exit after being eliminated in Round 1.
  • Erica Enders set both low E.T. and top speed as of Saturday night’s conclusion of qualifying with her pass of 6.549 ET at 210.05 MPH to earn her fifth No. 1 Qualifier of the season.

MADISON, Illinois (October 1, 2023) – Capturing Chevrolet’s 379th Pro Stock win since 1970 and the 260th in the Camaro, Greg Anderson, driver of the HendrickCars.com Chevrolet Camaro SS, took the 2023 NHRA Midwest Nationals win over Aaron Stanfield, driver of the Janac Brother Chevrolet Camaro SS, Sunday at World Wide Technology Raceway near St. Louis.

With his run of 6.552 ET at 209.92 MPH, Anderson secured his 103rd career victory and second of the season over Stanfield’s 6.567 ET attempt at 209.14 MPH. Anderson’s win Sunday also came one week after winning at zMAX Dragway near Charlotte, N.C., going back-to-back at the right time as three races remain in NHRA’s Countdown to the Championship after qualifying No. 4 this weekend.

After facing some drama before the run, Anderson admitted making a mistake on the burnout and said, “I screwed it up. I muffed the burnout, and I thought ‘You know what? Forget it. Just forget it. This car is good enough and it’s going to go across that starting line just fine.’ And it did. It was just fine. We got us another Wally. It’s been a helluva two weeks. Thank you to everybody, to this great, great race team. I told you – we’re outracing everybody right now. We might not be out-running them, but we’re outracing them. To the Hendrick guys, Summit, Chevrolet, Race Star Wheels, everybody that helps us, thank you so much. We’re back in this fight and it’s going to be one hell of a run.”

For Anderson, this was his 175th-career final round and third of the year, in addition to second-in-a-row, after defeating Jerry Tucker in Round 1, Deric Kramer in Round 2, Erica Enders in the semifinals, and Stanfield in the finals. For Stanfield, he made his first final round appearance of the 2023 season this weekend in Pro Stock, the 14th of his career.

Heading into St. Louis as the NHRA Countdown to the Championship points leader in Funny Car, Robert Hight, driver of the AAA of Missouri Chevrolet Camaro SS, faced early elimination after a Round 2 matchup with Bob Tasca, III. Squaring off in Round 2 against Matt Hagan, John Force, the 16-time champion, team owner, and driver of the PEAK Antifreeze and Coolant Chevrolet Camaro SS Funny Car, also faced an early end to his Midwest Nationals race day during the round.

“The whole team did their job to get us through qualifying and that first round. This AAA of Missouri team is clicking. We put qualifying behind us and had a great start to race day. Being the eighth pair down the track, it was getting warmer, the track was getting worse. So, hats off to Jimmy (Prock) and Thomas Prock and Nate Hildahl and the whole team for getting low ET of the first round. We’ve got some work to do heading into the last three races of the season but we’re still in it. We’re right there.”

Unfortunately for John Force Racing Top Fuel teammates Brittany Force (driver of the Monster Energy/Flav-R-Pac Chevrolet dragster) and Austin Prock, (driver of the Montana Brand/Rocky Mountain Twist Chevrolet dragster) they both ended their race days early by facing elimination in Round 1 by their respective opponents.

“This Monster Energy / Flav-R-Pac team is leaving St. Louis seven in points after a very challenging weekend,” said B. Force. “It took us three qualifying runs to barely get back in the show in the No. 11 spot and then facing Tony Schumacher in the first round we were on a killer run but the pan pressure shut us off. We were just coasting at the end and he was able to drive around us. Overall looking at the weekend, we know where the errors were. We know how to fix them. So, we’ll take a little bit of a break and reevaluate everything and go into his next one full force.”

“I think we all expected a better race day. It’s disappointing to end three in a row like this but we need to go back and reset,” said Prock. “Still three races left in the season and this Montana Brand/Rocky Mountain Twist team can do a lot with that. We’ll be ready for Texas and the Stampede of Speed.”

In FlexJet Factory Stock Showdown, while pulling double-duty, Stanfield raced to the semifinals versus Mark Pawuk, but despite his best effort, fell to Pawuk on his run of 7.688 ET at 178.61 MPH to Mark’s 7.665 ET at 180.38 MPH. In the Factory Stock Showdown final, it was Stephen Bell, in his Chevrolet COPO Camaro, facing off against Pawuk, with Bell forcing to settle with the Midwest Nationals runner-up after running 7.651 ET at 179.47 MPH to Pawuk’s 7.638 ET at 180.89 MPH.

In Super Stock, it was a battle of Camaros by Tyler Wudarczyk and Jay Storey in the semifinals, with Storey heading to the final with his run of 9.164 ET at 150.10 MPH over Wudarczyk. Storey then lined up to face Brenda Grubbs in the final, also in a Camaro, with Storey taking the Midwest Nationals Super Stock win.

In Factory X, Greg Stanfield faced off in his COPO Camaro against Chris Holbrook in the first of two rounds. Despite the strong effort, Stanfield fell to Holbrook with his run of 7.094 ET at 194.55 MPH to Holbrook’s 7.077 ET at 195.28 MPH.

With three races remaining in the 2023 Countdown to the Championship, NHRA heads next to the Lone Star State for the Texas NHRA FallNationals at the Texas Motorplex October 13-15, 2023 in Ennis, Texas. In competition and representing Chevrolet, Top Fuel, Funny Car, Pro Stock, and FlexJet Factory Stock Showdown take to the track that weekend to battle it out. Broadcast of Sunday’s eliminations air at 3 p.m. ET on FOX Sports 1 (FS1). Coverage streams live throughout the weekend on NHRA.tv, and is available via AppleTV, Android TV, and Roku devices.

WHAT THEY’RE SAYING:

John Force, driver of the PEAK Antifreeze and Coolant Chevrolet Camaro SS Funny Car for John Force Racing:

“We are okay, the old hot rod is going down there. My PEAK guys are doing a great job putting up with me. But you know what at the end of the day it’s the Countdown, you want to win. I want to thank the fans for being here. That’s what it’s all about; we’re here to entertain you. I also want to send prayers to Angie Smith, get well. I’ve been there, we love you, Angie.”

Jay Storey, driver of the Chevrolet Camaro Super Stock, Midwest Nationals winner, and first-time victor:

“It’s obviously surreal. I’ve missed this a couple of times by less than a thousandth at Denver twice. This was the elusive trophy that got into my hands. Phenomenal team. The team is phenomenal. I have a ten-year head start just by listening to them (the Pattersons) and surrounding myself with good people.”

Take us through your race day, what was the most challenging part?

“Waiting. Sitting around. Waiting for the race. By the time we got there, it was so hot. With everything being juggled, I just sat in the car and thought to myself, ‘It’s just another qualifier. Get in it, cut a light, and run a number.’ That’s what Alan Patterson says.”

GREG ANDERSON, driver of the HendrickCars.com Chevrolet Camaro SS Pro Stock – Midwest Nationals Winner’s Press Conference:

SECOND STRAIGHT WIN, 103RD IN YOUR CAREER, AND NOW SECOND IN POINTS. TWO RACES AGO, IN READING, YOU WERE EIGHTH IN POINTS. YOU’RE NOW IN THE MIX OF THIS CHAMPIONSHIP HUNT. HOW EXCITING IS THIS?

“It’s been fantastic. And yes, I’m back in the game. I’ve legitimately got a shot at this championship with three races to go. I think, probably, the first four or five cars are all a toss-up. It’s probably down to about four, five, or six cars, and I’m one of them. So that’s all I could ask. I went to the first race at Reading and I lost first round, and I’ve said it a million times – you can’t win the Championship in the first race, but you can lose it. I was knocking on the door of knocking myself out of it. If I didn’t have a big recovery at the next race, which I thank the Lord I did, I was out of it. So I’m back in the fight. I’m back in the game. I’ve got a great, great hot rod but there are so many great cars in this class, and so many great drivers. It’s incredible. These next three races are going to be an absolute bare-knuckle brawl. I have no earthly idea who the favorite should be, or who is going to win this thing. It could be any one of at least a half a dozen cars. The class is great. The class is fantastic right now, and I feel great to still be a part of it at my young, tender age.”

YOU GO FROM A FIRST ROUND LOSS TO BACK-TO-BACK WINS. JUST HOW CLOSE IS THIS CLASS?

“It is, and I’ve said it a bunch of times, before from first round out, it’s like racing a final round. First round is like racing final round every week. We come out second round, third round, they’re all like a final round. It’s not like in the old days where you had a couple rounds to kind of get your bearings and you’d just not screw up, you’d advance. Right now, if you’re not on your A game and do a perfect job in round one, you go home. It’s just incredible. We saw it today. Matt Hartford went out first round, Dallas Glenn went our first round. It sucks, but it’s not like huge upsets. It can happen and will happen. There’s no telling what’s going to go on from here on out. It’s three more races, that’s 12 rounds, 12 more final rounds we’ve got to find a way to advance in. It’s a challenge but I feel fantastic about what’s happened these past two weeks. With the job my guys have done on this race car, and with the job I’ve been able to do behind the wheel, it feels great. I had a weak season up to this, and I felt maybe it’s time to step out and put someone else in the car, but now after these past two races, I can still win. I’m not going to do it if I can’t win anymore, and I’ve won these last two weeks. I can’t quit yet.”

(INAUDIBLE)

“I pride myself on being consistent. Unfortunately for me, consistent is usually 30 or 40, and that usually doesn’t get the job done. Somehow at the right time, against Erica (Enders) in the semifinal, that’s huge. That’s everything, and she’s still leading the points even though she hasn’t won a race in the playoffs. That’s how tough she is and how tough she’s going to be. Can we find a way to hold her winless the rest of the season? That’s probably asking too much, but that’s what we’re going to have to find a way to do otherwise, she’s going to be a champion again. I got it at the right time, I don’t know how I did it. We didn’t do anything different. I guess the Gods just shined on me. I can’t think of anything I did different except I really, really, really gritted down and stared at that light and just wanted it really badly.”

ON HOLDING ERICA ENDERS WINLESS IN THE COUNTDOWN…

“She’s been lights out, the fastest car in the class since we started the playoffs. To hold her winless has been incredible, the job we’ve done. It’s all because of the job my team has done with this race car on Sundays. We haven’t been the fastest car these first three races, she has. We found a way to outrace them on Sunday. It has 100 percent been a team effort, and we’ve outraced them. It’s really that simple. Can we do it three more times? I don’t know, but we’re sure as hell going to try. But, we’re 3-and-0 so far. We’re in the hunt. I’m happier that I’ve got myself back in the game with two or three of my teammates, Dallas Glenn and Matt Hartford, are happier than hell I was able to find a way to get around her the last two weeks. Otherwise, their season would be gone too. It’s a new fight – start over. We start the Playoffs over with three races to go, and basically we’re all about the same. May the best person win.”

ON THE LEFT LANE AND LANE CHOICE…

“I was lucky enough to have lane choice and I stayed in the left lane. I don’t know how much of a difference there was in the right lane. I absolutely wanted to be in the left, and fortunately my car ran good enough today to where I could gain lane choice every single round, I think, and in the semifinal with Erica (Enders), one-thousandth I got lane choice by. Maybe that was the whole difference of the whole race. That’s how easily things can change. We picked the left side. I can’t honestly tell you if it was the best one, but it’s the one we wanted coming into Sunday. She didn’t make it down the track in the semifinal in the right lane, so maybe that was everything.”

ON RACING AT WORLD WIDE TECHNOLOGY RACEWAY…

“Absolutely fun place to race. The way this place is set up, this is how all racetracks should be designed, in my opinion. I love coming here because it’s a great facility. It’s a great surface. The grandstands are close to the racetrack. The parking lot is set up perfectly, everything about it is set up perfectly. So, I love coming here and I wish I had had more wins here. It’s a ‘feel good’ racetrack when you roll through the gates. I’ve always loved coming here, and it’s great to win here.”

KNOWING THE COMPETITION LEVEL OF THIS CLASS, AND THE LIGHTS YOU CUT TODAY, WILL YOU HAVE TO MAINTAIN THAT GOING FORWARD?

“Yes, I am going to have to. How am I going to stay there? I don’t know how. I, honestly, all year long have been a 30 to 40 guy. I guess I just have to come to grips with that’s just what I am at this age. Today was a special day. I was a hundredth or two better, and it was able to conquer everybody I raced. Can I reach into that well a few more times? We’ll see. I don’t have an exact reason as to why I was better today. Don’t know what I did different last night, but we’re going to try and repeat whatever the hell I did because it was definitely my best day of driving I’ve had all year. That’s what it’s going to take all year, the rest of the Countdown. There are too many fast cars. It’s going to take perfect runs on Sunday, and great lights, otherwise you’re going home.”

Round 1 Recap:

Top Fuel:

No. 10 Austin Prock fell to No. 7 Clay Millican after Prock hazed the tires on the start to Millican’s 3.761 ET at 333.58 MPH.
No. 11 Brittany Force fell to No. 6 Tony Schumacher on her run of 3.803 ET at 292.71 MPH to Schumacher’s 3.730 ET at 332.84 MPH.

Funny Car:

No. 8 Robert Hight defeated No. 9 Cruz Pedregon with his run of 3.940 ET at 314.53 MPH to Pedregon’s 4.024 ET at 320.36 MPH.
No. 4 John Force defeated No. 13 Terry Haddock with his run of 3.969 ET at 311.85 MPH to Haddock facing issue early on the run.

Pro Stock:

No. 1 Erica Enders defeated No. 16 Eric Latino with her run of 6.514 ET at 210.90 MPH to Latino’s 6.562 ET at 206.83 MPH.
No. 9 Dallas Glenn fell to No. 8 Fernando Cuadra, Jr. after his effort of 6.585 ET at 207.15 MPH to Cuadra, Jr.’s 6.560 ET at 210.93 MPH.
No. 4 Greg Anderson defeated No. 13 Jerry Tucker with his run of 6.543 ET at 210.21 MPH to Tucker facing issues on his run.
No. 3 Kyle Koretsky fell to No. 12 Deric Kramer after his car failed to start on the line. Kramer ran a lap of 6.562 ET at 208.52 MPH.
No. 2 Matt Hartford fell to No. 15 Chris McGaha after McGaha ran a 6.576 ET at 209.33 MPH to Hartford’s 6.533 ET at 209.65 MPH.
No. 7 Aaron Stanfield defeated No. 10 Camrie Caruso with his run of 6.566 ET at 210.28 MPH to Caruso’s 6.587 ET at 207.43 MPH.
No. 3 Troy Coughlin, Jr. fell to No. 14 Mason McGaha after running 6.538 ET at 210.70 MPH to McGaha’s 6.567 ET at 208.49 MPH.
No. 6 Bo Butner, III defeated No. 11 Christian Cuadra after his run of 6.536 ET at 210.90 MPH to Cuadra facing issues on the run.

Round 2:

Funny Car:

Hight fell to Tasca, III on a holeshot after Hight gave it his best effort to run 3.977 ET at 317.49 MPH to Tasca’s 4.008 ET at 323.74 MPH.
Force fell to Hagan after deep-staging but smoking the tires mid-track on the run to Hagan’s 4.031 ET at 312.35 MPH.

Pro Stock:

Enders defeated Cuadra, Jr. on her run of 6.538 ET at 210.60 MPH to Cuadra, Jr.’s 6.579 ET at 208.42 MPH.
Anderson defeated Kramer with his pass of 6.537 ET at 209.75 MPH to Kramer’s 6.566 ET at 208.88 MPH.
Stanfield defeated C. McGaha with his run of 6.572 ET at 210.70 MPH to McGaha’s 6.587 ET at 208.75 MPH.
Butner, III defeated M. McGaha after McGaha red lights to Butner’s run of 6.563 ET at 209.98 MPH.

Semifinals:

Pro Stock:

Enders falls to Anderson after getting loose early on the run to Anderson’s 6.541 ET at 209.79 MPH.
Stanfield defeated Butner, III on his run of 6.587 ET at 209.65 MPH to Butner, III’s 6.577 ET at 209.65 MPH.

Finals:

Pro Stock:

Anderson defeated Stanfield with a run of 6.552 ET at 209.92 MPH to Stanfield’s 6.567 ET at 209.14 MPH.

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.

NASCAR Top-10 Power Rankings: Talladega

By
Jeffrey Boswell
-
Photo by John Knittel for SpeedwayMedia.com.

Note: The quotes in this article are fictional.

1. William Byron: Byron finished third in the YellaWood 500.

“Someone clarify to me exactly what ‘YellaWood’ is,” Byron said. “Because somebody told me it was what a jaundiced Jerry Falwell, Jr. gets when he watches his wife and the pool boy.”

2. Denny Hamlin: Hamlin overcame an early pit lane speeding penalty and slowly worked his way back to the lead lap, closing the day with a fourth at Talladega.

“You can’t win the Cup championship at Talladega,” Hamlin said, “but you sure can lose it. You can also lose it at Homestead and Phoenix.”

3. Ryan Blaney: Blaney won Stage 1 at Talladega and held off Kevin Harvick in a wild finish to win the YellaWood 500 and lock in his spot in the Round Of 8.

“At Talladega,” Blaney said, “it’s all about patience. And you have to have 499 miles of it, followed by one lap of pure reckless abandon.”

4. Christopher Bell: Bell suffered damage at the end of Stage 1 in an incident triggered when Ricky Stenhouse Jr.’s car sputtered after a fuel issue. Bell survived and salvaged a 15th-place finish.

“Ricky Stenhouse Jr. was driving a car sponsored by Sara Lee Bread and Country Crock Butter,” Bell said. “Let that be a reminder that sponsorship money is this sport’s bread and butter.”

5. Kyle Larson: Larson finished 16th at Talladega and is now seventh in the playoff points standings, 15 points above the bubble.

“As a playoff driver,” Larson said, “there’s always talk of the bubble. And you want to be above it, not below it. Sometimes, you can be in a bubble, like that time my public relations firm put me in one.”

6. Chris Buescher: Buescher miraculously avoided a huge wreck and eventually came home 20th in the YellaWood 500 at Talladega.

“A superspeedway is daunting in its own right,” Buescher said. “But when you add the Playoffs to the mix, it becomes downright terrifying. It’s like a 500-mile game of ‘chicken.’ And everybody’s chicken.”

7. Tyler Reddick: Reddick finished 17th at Talladega.

“Leave it to the Truck series to overshadow the Cup series,” Reddick said. “Matt Crafton sucker-punched Nick Sanchez after the Truck race on Saturday. Therein lies the problem with fighting in the Cup series; we’ve got 30 plus drivers who aren’t cowardly enough to sucker-punch a rival, and the same number not man enough to punch a rival face-to-face.”

8. Martin Truex Jr.: Truex finished 19th and is sixth in the points standings, 17 above the cut line.

“I didn’t have a great result,” Truex said, “but it worked out because some other playoff drivers had troubles. Now, you never want to wish misfortune on a fellow competitor, unless it’s the Playoffs. In that case, wish away.”

9. Ross Chastain: Chastain was knocked out of the race at Talladega when he tried to squeeze through a melee at the end of Stage 1. Chastain made contact with Kyle Busch, which sent him into the outside wall and broke his suspension. Chastain finished last in 38th.

“‘That wasn’t my fault,'” Chastain said, “is something you don’t hear me say very often, if ever.”

10. Brad Keselowski: Keselowski triggered a multi-car crash on Lap 162 when he gave too much of a push to Carson Hocevar. Hocevar spun into traffic, collecting Ty Gibbs and Austin Dillon. Dillon clipped Keselowski, and Keselowski’s No. 6 Ford briefly went airborne. Keselowski finished 33rd.

“Anytime you go airborne at Talladega,” Keselowski said, “that automatically means a visit to the infield care center, followed by a visit to the ‘underwear change’ center.”

Toyota Gazoo Racing North America NHRA St. Louis Post-Race Report 10.01.23

By
Official Release
-

CAPPS REACHES MIDWEST NATIONALS FINALS FOR SEVENTH TIME, JUST FALLING SHORT
Toyota leads Top Fuel points standings halfway through the Countdown

MADISON, Ill. (October 1, 2023) – Reaching the finals of the Midwest Nationals seemed far-fetched for Ron Capps after a difficult two days of qualifying. But with the determination of he and his team, Capps reached his second consecutive finals appearance, and third overall, at World Wide Technology Raceway at Gateway where he came up just short to Matt Hagan. Capps’ valiant effort helped Toyota reach its 20th consecutive NHRA event finals in Funny Car or Top Fuel.

Capps heads into the second half of the NHRA Countdown to the Championship fourth in the Funny Car points standings, with J.R Todd in sixth and Alexis DeJoria in eighth.

In Top Fuel, Steve Torrence led the Toyota charge with a semifinal appearance, where he was defeated by Leah Pruett. Even with its category win streak snapped at seven, Toyota drivers still hold strong in the Top Fuel points standings. Doug Kalitta leads the points after his two wins to start the Countdown, followed by Torrence in third, Justin Ashley in fourth and Antron Brown in fifth.

The Countdown to the Championship continues in two weeks at Texas Motorplex and the Texas Fall Nationals Oct. 12-15.

Toyota Post-Race Recap 
NHRA Camping World Drag Racing Series  
World Wide Technology Raceway at Gateway
Race 18 of 21 

TOYOTA TOP FUEL FINISHING POSITIONS   

Name Car Final Result Round-by-Round 
Steve Torrence Capco Contractors Toyota Top Fuel Dragster Semi-finals  W 3.741 vs. J. Hart (No Run) W 3.738 vs. J Ashley (3.815) L 3.825 vs. L. Pruett (3.772)
Justin Ashley Phillips Connect Toyota Top Fuel Dragster Second  RoundW 3.769 vs. T. Zizzo (5.507) L 3.815 vs. S. Torrence (3.783)
Antron Brown Matco Tools Toyota Top Fuel Dragster Second RoundW 3.718 vs. K. Wurtzel (3.848) L 3.896 vs. T. Schumacher  (3.808)
Doug Kalitta Mac Tools Toyota Top Fuel Dragster Second RoundW 7.737 vs. L. Joon (7.590) L 4.833 vs. L. Pruett (3.803)
Shawn Langdon Kalitta Air Careers Toyota Top Fuel Dragster First RoundL 3.765 vs. L Pruett (3.737)

TOYOTA FUNNY CAR FINISHING POSITIONS   

Name Car Final Result Round-by-Round 
Ron Capps NAPA Auto Parts Toyota GR Supra Funny Car Finalist Holeshot W 3.998 vs. T Wilkerson (3.977) W 4.066 vs. A. Laughlin (4.263) W 4.014 vs. B. Alexander (4.803) L 4.025 vs. M. Hagan (3.991)
J.R. Todd DHL Toyota GR Supra Funny Car  Second RoundW 4.048 vs. B. Bode (4.302)  L 9.245 vs. B. Alexander (6.689)
Alexis DeJoria Bandero Tequila Toyota GR Supra Funny Car First RoundL 5.104 vs.  M. Hagan (3.961)

TOYOTA QUOTES 

RON CAPPS, NAPA Auto Parts Toyota GR Supra Funny Car, Ron Capps Motorsports 

FC Final Result: Finals

Can you take us through your weekend at the Midwest Nationals?

“A result like this always happens in the Countdown, whether you win the championship or not. I lost on a holeshot here last year to Robert and I was miserable, I was not fun to live with at home for that weekend. We talked about it Friday after qualifying that it was going to be a topsy turvy eliminations ladder because of the way some guys didn’t get down the track Friday night. We fought in the heat to qualify and really had a bizarre eliminations ladder. A lot of teams that qualify top five or so were scattered, and some didn’t have lane choice. It created a lot of crazy first and second round matchups with teams high in the Countdown. I knew going into today we were either going to lose a lot of ground or make some of the ground up. I bragged a lot about our guys winning the regular season and those points that came with it. We went out first round in Charlotte, and that is the reason we earned those points to not feel it. And today, I bragged on my guys to have the ‘Get Up and Go’ all day. The heat was incredible today, making the track very demanding. We knew Dickie (Venables) and Matt (Hagan) could run those types of numbers, and we were right there with them. He threw a pretty good light on me, and I saw his car out of my window and I was just hoping he would smoke the tires. It is going to be a battle and it is going to be like this from here on out. I’m really excited now going to Dallas.” 

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

TF Final Result: Semi-finals

How would you describe your day and weekend?

“Ultimately, not the outcome we’d like to have as we wanted to win the race, but so did everyone else. We had a really good Capco Contractors Toyota Supra all weekend. Consistency is going to be key in winning this championship. We need to try to maintain going to the semifinals or so every race and see what we can do. We have this three-race swing over with, so now it’s time to back and regroup and get ready for Texas here in a few weeks.”

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. 

LEGACY MOTOR CLUB Race Recap: Talladega Superspeedway II

By
Official Release
-

Carson Hocevar, No. 42 Sunseeker Resort Chevrolet Camaro ZL1

START: 38TH
FINISH: 36TH
OWNERS POINTS: 32ND

Post-Race Thoughts: Hocevar on the accident that ended his day early during the final stage at Talladega Superspeedway:

“I don’t fault Brad (Keselowski) at all. When you’re in the top lane, you have to push. You have to start building momentum. You have to start creating forward energy. It’s just a tough spot. I wasn’t that good of a leader, so I was just trying to learn. I talked to Brad after the wreck – I was just in a tough spot.”

“I had a lot of fun. Thank you to LEGACY MOTOR CLUB, Sunseeker Resorts, everybody who allows me to drive this car. It’s just good to get experience. Rather it’s 20 laps short or not, I still had lot of fun. I felt like I was a lot better pusher. When I was leading, I need to do my homework a little bit for the next time I get to drive this car at superspeedway. It’s nice to have some laps and a little bit of confidence. I started 38th and I got to see a lot. I felt like we were moving forward there a little bit and just inching to get ourselves in a good spot there at the end. It just didn’t work out this time.”

Erik Jones, No. 43 Allegiant Chevrolet Camaro ZL1

START: 26TH
FINISH: 27TH
DRIVER POINTS: 27TH

Erik Jones’ Post-Race Thoughts: “Just not a good day for the No. 43 Allegiant Chevy team. We weren’t up front and where we needed to be, and it just didn’t work out there at the end. We’ll regroup and get ready for the Charlotte ROVAL.”

ABOUT LEGACY MOTOR CLUB:

LEGACY MOTOR CLUB is a professional auto racing club owned by businessman and entrepreneur Maurice J. Gallagher and seven-time NASCAR Cup Series champion (NCS) Jimmie Johnson. The club competes full-time in the NCS fielding the Nos. 42 and 43 Chevrolet Camaro entries, respectively, along with the No. 84 part-time entry for Johnson in 2023. Richard Petty “The King” serves as team ambassador.

In 2021, Gallagher acquired Richard Petty Motorsports and renamed the team to Petty GMS. With the addition of Johnson to the ownership structure in 2023, the organization rebranded to LEGACY MOTOR CLUB (LEGACY M.C.). With a unique title signifying a nod to car clubs of past eras, LEGACY M.C. is an inclusive club for all motorsport enthusiasts to celebrate the past and future legacies of its members, while competing for wins and championships at NASCAR’s elite level.

Based in Statesville, N.C., LEGACY M.C. operates alongside GMS Racing (GMS), which currently fields three full-time entries in the NASCAR Truck Series. Since the formation of GMS in 2012, Gallagher and Mike Beam, team president, have shared incredible success. GMS Racing captured the 2015 ARCA Racing Series championship, the 2016 and 2020 NASCAR Truck Series championships and the 2019 and 2020 ARCA East championships, accumulating over 65 wins across six national racing circuits.

SOCIAL MEDIA:

To keep up-to-date with the latest news, information and exclusive content, follow LEGACY MOTOR CLUB on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

Stewart-Haas Racing: YellaWood 500 from Talladega

By
Official Release
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STEWART-HAAS RACING
YellaWood 500

Date: Oct. 1, 2023
Event: YellaWood 500 (Round 31 of 36)
Series: NASCAR Cup Series
Location: Talladega (Ala.) Superspeedway
Format: 188 laps, broken into three stages (60 laps/60 laps/68 laps)
Race Winner: Ryan Blaney of Team Penske (Ford)
Stage 1 Winner: Ryan Blaney of Team Penske (Ford)
Stage 2 Winner: Brad Keselowski of RFK Racing (Ford)

SHR Race Finish:

● Kevin Harvick (Started 11th, Finished 2nd / Running, completed 188 of 188 laps)

● Ryan Preece (Started 19th, Finished 9th / Running, completed 188 of 188 laps)

● Chase Briscoe (Started 3rd, Finished 14th / Running, completed 188 of 188 laps)

● Aric Almirola (Started 1st, Finished 18th / Running, completed 188 of 188 laps)

SHR Points:

● Kevin Harvick (13th with 2,140 points)

● Aric Almirola (22nd with 548 points)

● Ryan Preece (25th with 527 points)

● Chase Briscoe (29th with 439 points)

Harvick Notes:

● Harvick’s runner-up result equaled his best finish so far this season. His also finished second May 14 at Darlington (S.C.) Raceway.

● Harvick earned his seventh top-five and 14th top-10 of the season. It was his ninth top-five and 20th top-10 in 46 career NASCAR Cup Series starts at Talladega.

● This was Harvick’s second straight top-10. He finished sixth last Sunday at Texas Motor Speedway in Fort Worth.

● Harvick’s 20 top-10s at Talladega are the most among active NASCAR Cup Series drivers. Next best on this list is Denny Hamlin with 16 top-10s.

● Harvick finished eighth in Stage 1 to earn three bonus points.

● Harvick led four times for 11 laps to increase his laps-led total at Talladega to 314.

● Harvick has now led 11,620 laps since joining SHR in 2014. He has led 16,035 laps in his entire NASCAR Cup Series career and is one of just 11 drivers who have surpassed 16,000 laps led.

Preece Notes:

● Preece earned his second top-10 of the season and his third top-10 in eight career NASCAR Cup Series starts at Talladega.

● Preece finished 10th in Stage 1 to earn one bonus point.

● Preece led once for eight laps to increase his laps-led total at Talladega to 22.

Briscoe Notes:

● Briscoe earned his ninth top-15 of the season and his fifth top-15 in six career NASCAR Cup Series starts at Talladega.

● This was Briscoe’s third consecutive top-15 at Talladega. He finished 10th last October and fourth in the series’ prior visit to the track in April.

● Briscoe finished eighth in Stage 2 to earn three bonus points.

Almirola Notes:

● Almirola won the pole for the YellaWood 500 with a lap of 52.715 seconds at 181.656 mph around the 2.66-mile oval. It was his sixth career pole, his first at Talladega and his second of the season.

● This was Almirola’s sixth straight result of 18th or better. He finished third Aug. 26 at Daytona (Fla.) International Speedway, 14th Sept. 3 at Darlington, 17th Sept. 10 at Kansas Speedway in Kansas City, 18th Sept. 16 at Bristol (Tenn.) Motor Speedway and 18th last Sunday at Texas Motor Speedway in Fort Worth.

● Almirola led five times for seven laps to increase his laps-led total at Talladega to 125.

Race Notes:

● Ryan Blaney won the YellaWood 500 to score his ninth career NASCAR Cup Series victory, his second of the season and his third at Talladega. His margin over second-place Harvick was just .012 of a second.

● This was Ford’s 727th all-time NASCAR Cup Series victory and its sixth of the season.

● This was Ford’s 32nd NASCAR Cup Series victory at Talladega. Ford got its first win at Talladega on May 4, 1975 with NASCAR Hall of Famer Buddy Baker.

● There were four caution periods for a total of 19 laps.

● Twenty-nine of the 38 drivers in the race finished on the lead lap.

● This was the second race in the Round of 12 of the NASCAR Playoffs. Blaney secured his spot in the Round of 8 via his win while Tyler Reddick, Ross Chastain, Bubba Wallace and Kyle Busch are currently below the top-12 cutline with one race remaining before the Round of 8 begins Oct. 15 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.

Sound Bites:

“I knew we were in a great spot there with Riley (Herbst) behind us and I don’t know where he spun out, but he got spun out and I knew that if he was still there by the time we got to the end of the tri-oval, we were going to be in really good shape and then, at that particular point, it was just kind of where we were. I tried to put a donut on his (Blaney’s) door and slow him down just a little bit, but just a great effort and we came up a little short. I just tried to block the lanes, and then I was kind of late blocking the 12 (Blaney) there and he got to the outside of us, but it actually worked out OK because the 24 (William Byron) was a great pusher, and then it got shuffled again and I had Riley behind me. I thought I was in a really good spot headed down the back straightaway with everything that was happening. I’ve just got to thank everybody on our Busch Light Ford. They did a great job. Right about there I said, ‘Man, we’re sailing. The spotter is yelling at me to side draft.’ I’m like, ‘We aren’t going to need to sidedraft,’ and then Riley got loose and spun out and I’m like, ‘We’re all alone here with two of them below me.’ But it was a great day, a great way to end at Talladega. I always want to win, but it is what it is.” (On the possibility of a walk-off win in his last career race at Talladega:) “Yeah, they might have torn it down (laughing). That would’ve been great. Talladega has been so up-and-down through the years. We’ve had some great moments and some bad moments. The last superspeedway race and we went out with everything rolling, so that’s a good thing.” – Kevin Harvick, driver of the No. 4 Busch Light Camo Ford Mustang

“Ninth-place at Talladega, I’ll take it. We even led a few laps in the Wonder Bread car and got some stage points. These superspeedways are all about track position and that was the name of the game all day long. We really tried to execute with tire strategy and fuel throughout the day. My Ford Mustang was fast all day and I knew if we could make that high line work with the other Fords, we could take off. This was a really fun weekend with Wonder Bread onboard the No. 41 and Old Spice on the No. 14. Looking forward to getting to the Roval and keeping the momentum going.” – Ryan Preece, driver of the No. 41 Wonder Bread Ford Mustang

“It was a long race for the No. 14 team, but we found a strategy that worked for us and were able to stick with the Fords up front for a bit. But that also meant that we had to start from the back a few times, and we were just in the wrong place at the wrong time. We had damage that really got in the way of getting a better finish, but I was hoping we could avoid whatever was coming at the end. I hate it for the team and Old Spice. I loved having them on the car and I think the fans really enjoyed it too.” – Chase Briscoe, driver of the No. 14 Old Spice Ford Mustang

“We just didn’t have the help we needed on the outside lane there. I was the only car able to push and we didn’t get enough momentum from behind. Our No. 10 Smithfield Ford Mustang did not handle well as the leader, but our car was great as a pusher. That’s why we lined up the way we did on the last restart. I could push the 48 (Alex Bowman) hard on the straightaway, but no one else could keep up with us to get us back to the front. Happy we came here and got our second pole of the year. Just needed more luck on our side at the end to get back up there.” – Aric Almirola, driver of the No. 10 Smithfield Ford Mustang

Next Up:

The next event on the NASCAR Cup Series schedule is the Bank of America Roval 400 on Sunday, Oct. 8 on the Charlotte (N.C.) Motor Speedway Roval. The sixth race in the 10-race NASCAR Playoffs starts at 2 p.m. EDT with live coverage provided by NBC and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.

Blaney edges Harvick in thrilling finish to win at Talladega, clinch Playoff’s Round of 8 berth

By
Andrew Kim
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Photo by John Knittel for SpeedwayMedia.com.

In career start No. 301 in NASCAR’s premier series, Ryan Blaney punched his ticket into the Playoff’s Round of 8 after edging Kevin Harvick in a photo finish to win the YellaWood 500 at Talladega Superspeedway on Sunday, October 1.

The 29-year-old Blaney from High Point, North Carolina, led four times for eight of 188-scheduled laps in an event where he started 10th and competed towards the front amidst the draft, aggressive shuffling and tight-packed competition while needing to rebound after retiring late during last weekend’s Round of 12 opener at Texas Motor Speedway. After winning the first stage, Blaney, who restarted on the front row during the final restart with 13 laps remaining, seized an opportunity for the win as he was drafted by Riley Herbst to duel against Kevin Harvick with two laps remaining.

Then after emerging out in front at the start of the final lap, Blaney, who lost the lead to Harvick, made a crossover move from Harvick’s blocking attempt to draw even with him through the backstretch and approaching the tri-oval. With nearly the entire field wrecking through the tri-oval, Blaney then received a push from William Byron to edge Harvick at the finish line by 0.012 seconds to notch his second NASCAR Cup Series victory of the 2023 season, his third at Talladega and race his way into the Round of 8.

With on-track qualifying that determined the starting lineup occurring on Saturday, September 30, Aric Almirola notched his second Cup pole position of the season and the sixth of his career after posting a pole-winning lap at 181.656 mph in 52.715 seconds. Joining him on the front row was Joey Logano, who posted the second-best qualifying lap at 181.642 mph in 52.719 seconds.

Prior to the event, Carson Hocevar dropped to the rear of the field due to an unapproved adjustment made to his No. 42 Legacy Motor Club entry.

When the green flag waved and the race started, Almirola gained a slight advantage on the inside lane through the first two turns until the outside lane led by Logano caught back up through the backstretch. With the field stacked up amid two tight-packed lanes, Almirola and Logano continued to duel dead even for the lead through Turns 3 and 4 and the tri-oval until Logano managed to lead the first lap in his No. 22 Shell/Pennzoil Ford Mustang by a hair.

Through the second to fifth lap, the field continued to run stacked amid two tight-packed lanes as Logano and Almirola continued to battle dead even for the lead, with Almirola having teammate Chase Briscoe draft him on the inside lane while Logano, who remained on the outside lane and continued to lead the proceeding laps, had drafting help from Playoff contender Kyle Larson. By then, Riley Herbst, who was competing in the No. 36 Beast Unleashed White Haze Ford Mustang for Front Row Motorsports, was battling within the top five while Playoff contenders William Byron, Denny Hamlin, Brad Keselowski and Ryan Blaney along with Alex Bowman were in the top 10.

By the sixth lap, the field fanned out to three packed lanes as Herbst jumped to the outside lane and formed a third drafting lane as he had drafting help from Hamlin, with Logano leading the middle lane and Almirola still leading the inside lane. The expansion of the lanes allowed Almirola to lead the sixth lap before Logano reassumed the top spot by the seventh lap.

Through the first 10 scheduled laps and amid the three-wide racing, Logano was leading ahead of Byron, Blaney, Larson and Austin Dillon while Almirola, Martin Truex Jr., Briscoe, Todd Gilliland and Brad Keselowski were in the top 10. By then, Herbst, Austin Cindric, Michael McDowell, Hamlin and Kevin Harvick were in the top 15 while Tyler Reddick, Bubba Wallace, Alex Bowman, Christopher Bell and Chris Buescher occupied the top 20. Meanwhile, Ross Chastain was back in 25th and Kyle Busch was mired in 32nd while all 38 starters were separated by more than a second.

Five laps later, Logano and Byron dueled for the lead as the field continued to fan out to three lanes, with Blaney, Austin Dillon, Truex and Larson jostling in the top six. A few laps later, Truex drafted his way to the front and led Lap 17 as he, Logano and Byron were the front-runners of the three-wide drafting competition.

As the field surpassed the Lap 20 mark, the front-runners continued to run three wide amid a stacked field with Logano, Byron and Truex leading the three lanes. By then, Playoff contenders Blaney, Reddick, Larson, Wallace, Hamlin and Keselowski were running within the top 20 along with Truex and Byron while Bell, Kyle Busch, Buescher and Chastain were running towards the rear of the field. In addition, all 38 starters were separated by less than two seconds.

Three laps later, Ryan Preece, who was sporting the Wonder Bread Ricky Bobby scheme on his No. 41 Stewart-Haas Racing Ford Mustang, muscled his way into the lead after receiving a draft from Logano to move ahead of Truex followed by Austin Dillon, Byron and Blaney. By then, Truex slipped out of the top 10 while Hamlin, who lost the draft and dropped towards the rear of the field earlier, was trying to muscle his way back to the top 10 as he was working with his 23XI Racing drivers, Tyler Reddick and Bubba Wallace, within the draft on the outside lane. Truex would then blend in within the draft and work with his Toyota teammates.

A lap after the Lap 30 mark, Ricky Stenhouse Jr., who started 35th, used the outside lane amid the draft to move his No. 47 Sara Lee Artesano Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 into the lead ahead of Preece. By then, the field settled back to competing amongst two tight-packed lanes as Erik Jones and Cindric moved up towards the front in front of Logano while the Dillon brothers joined the battle. By then, Byron was the highest-running Playoff contender in eighth place while his remaining 11 title rivals were mired within the top 26.

Then on Lap 39 and as Ty Dillon assumed the lead, the first cycle of green flag pit stops commenced as a bevy of Ford competitors, including Blaney, Cindric, Logano, Harvick, Almirola, Keselowski, Briscoe, Harrison Burton and Buescher pitted. The following lap, another wave of competitors, mainly Chevrolet competitors led by Justin Haley and Byron, peeled off the track to pit. During the following lap, select names led by Ty Dillon pitted while Bell assumed the lead. By Lap 42, the final group of competitors, mainly Toyota competitors led by Bell, pitted under green. Once the first cycle of green flag pit stops concluded, Stenhouse reassumed the lead before Austin Cindric assumed the top spot by Lap 43. By then, the final wave of competitors who pitted drifted back towards the rear of the field. Amid the pit stops, Erik Jones was penalized for having men over his pit box too soon.

At the Lap 50 mark, Stenhouse was still leading by a hair over Cindric as he had Kyle Busch drafting him while Cindric, Blaney and Byron were also battling towards the front and within the draft. By then, Playoff contender Larson was in seventh while Keselowski, Buescher and Chastain were in the top 15. Meanwhile, the remaining Playoff contenders included Wallace, Truex, Bell, Reddick and Hamlin were mired back within the top 31.

Then on the final lap of the first stage period, Lap 59, the event’s first caution flew when Stenhouse, who was trying to muscle his way to the front with drafting help from Kyle Busch, fell off the pace after running out of fuel through the backstretch. With Busch stuck behind Stenhouse, Ross Chastain then came surging towards them in his attempt to win the stage, but he ended up making contact with Busch as he veered sideways in Turn 3 before getting hit by Bell’s No. 20 DeWalt Toyota TRD Camry and shooting back across the outside wall. The incident was enough to conclude the first stage period under caution as Playoff contender Ryan Blaney, who came into Talladega 11 points below the top-eight cutline, notched his fourth Cup stage victory of the 2023 season. Byron followed suit in second while Larson, Elliott, Bowman, Cindric, Haley, Harvick, Logano and Preece were scored in the top 10. By then, Playoff contenders Kyle Busch, Bell, Wallace, Reddick, Keselowski, Buescher, Truex, Hamlin and Chastain did not score the first wave of stage points. Amidst the incident, the damage to the No. 1 Worldwide Express Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 was enough to terminate Playoff contender Chastain’s event early in the garage while Bell, Allmendinger and Chandler Smith pitted for repairs.

Under the stage break, the entire lead lap field led by Blaney pitted for service. Following the pit stops, Harrison Burton exited pit road first followed by Blaney, Elliott, Larson, Byron, Bowman and Logano. Amid the pit stops, a bevy of names including AJ Allmendinger, Keselowski, Wallace, Buescher, Truex, Stenhouse, the Dillon brothers, Hamlin, Daniel Suarez and Chandler Smith pitted again to top off on fuel.

The second stage period started on Lap 65 as Blaney and Elliott occupied the front row. At the start, Blaney and Elliott dueled for the lead through the first two turns and the backstretch. With the field stacked up in two tight-packed lanes, Blaney and Elliott continued to duel for the lead as Elliott had teammate Larson drafting him on the outside lane while Blaney had Byron drafting him on the inside lane.

Ten laps later, Bowman, who led Lap 73 by a hair, was leading by a hair over Cindric followed by Elliott, Harvick and Almirola while Larson, Blaney, Preece, Corey LaJoie and Byron were battling within the top 10 and amid two tight-packed lanes. Meanwhile, Kyle Busch was in 11th, Reddick was in 18th and Truex was back in 21st while Bell and Keselowski were within the top 25 on the track. Meanwhile, Wallace was in 29th ahead of Buescher and Hamlin, both of whom were in 31st and 32nd.

Another 10 laps later and amid the jostling of positions within the field that fanned out to three stacked lanes, Erik Jones, who led for the first time two laps earlier, was leading ahead of McDowell, Stenhouse, Gilliland and Cindric while Bowman, Herbst, Harvick, Elliott and Reddick were in the top 10. Another lap later, McDowell received a draft from teammate Gilliland to move his No. 34 Love’s Travel Stops Ford Mustang into the lead. McDowell and Herbst, who navigated his way back to the front, would then swap the lead through Lap 90 as all three Front Row Motorsports competitors, including Gilliland, were running first through third. By then, 23XI Racing’s Reddick and Wallace were trying to navigate their way into the top five.

At the halfway mark on Lap 94, Herbst was scored the leader followed by Reddick, McDowell, Wallace and Gilliland while Cindric, Erik Jones, Harvick, Stenhouse and Almirola were battling in the top 10 amid two long stacked lanes. By then, Playoff contenders Larson, Hamlin, Bell, Blaney, Truex, Kyle Busch, Keselowski, Buescher and Byron were mired within the top 33 as 33 of 38 starters were scored on the lead lap and separated by two seconds.

Six laps later, Wallace drafted teammate Reddick into the lead as they made their way past Herbst and the Front Row Motorsports group while the field behind fanned out to three packed lanes. McDowell would fight back on the inside lane during the proceeding lap as Preece navigated his way back into the top five. Not long after, Hamlin assumed the lead on Lap 102 as Kyle Busch and Brad Keselowski followed suit. By then, McDowell challenged Hamlin for the top spot on the inside lane while Wallace and Reddick fell back to sixth and seventh.

Then on Lap 105, the second wave of green flag pit stops commenced as a bevy of competitors led by Hamlin and Wallace, who locked up the front tires, pitted. Amid the pit stops, Hamlin was penalized for speeding on pit road. During the following lap, another wave of competitors, mainly Ford competitors, pitted before the final wave of competitors led by Richard Childress Racing’s Kyle Busch and Austin Dillon pitted. Cindric would also be penalized for speeding on pit road while Keselowski cycled his way into the lead by Lap 108. With Keselowski leading through to the Lap 110 mark, Logano followed suit in second before he assumed the top spot during the following lap. Behind, Almirola made his way into second over Keselowski while Blaney, Austin Dillon, Harvick, Kyle Busch, Buescher, LaJoie and Preece were scored in the top 10.

When the second stage period concluded on Lap 120, Keselowski, who navigated his way into the lead over Byron during the previous lap and came into the event eight points above the top-eight cutline, fended off the field to claim his sixth Cup stage victory of 2023. Byron settled in second followed by Logano, Austin Dillon and Elliott while Suarez, Larson, Briscoe, Ty Dillon and Reddick were scored in the top 10. Amid the battles for stage points within the lead lap group, Carson Hocevar managed to claim the free pass spot after crossing the start/finish line ahead of Hamlin to be the first competitor that was scored a lap down.

During the stage break, the field led by Keselowski returned to pit road for service. Following the pit stops, Logano exited first while Keselowski, Larson, Suarez, Byron, Elliott, Austin Dillon and Blaney followed suit. Amid the pit stops, Ty Gibbs was penalized for removing his gas can out of his pit box, which then dropped in the middle of pit road, ignited and erupted into a huge fire. With Gibbs serving his penalty, a number of competitors that included Austin Dillon, Erik Jones, Harvick, Almirola, Briscoe, Buescher, Wallace, McDowell, Preece, Gilliland, Herbst, Allmendinger and LaJoie returned to pit road to top off on fuel.

With 63 laps remaining, the final stage started as Logano and Larson occupied the front row. At the start, Logano and Larson dueled for the lead through the first two turns and the backstretch. Amid two tight-packed lanes, Logano muscled ahead on the outside lane followed by Keselowski while Larson remained on the inside lane as he had Daniel Suarez and Byron drafting him. Logano would retain the lead with 60 laps remaining while Playoff contenders Larson, Keselowski, Byron, Kyle Busch, Reddick, Blaney and Truex were running in the top 10. Meanwhile, Buescher and Wallace were in 17th and 19th while Bell and Hamlin were mired back in 29th and 33rd.

With 50 laps remaining and as the field slowly fanning out to three packed lanes, Logano was leading ahead of Keselowski and Elliott while Kyle Busch and Larson were mired in the top five. By then, Reddick, Suarez, Truex, Byron and Blaney were in the top 10 while Wallace was in 11th. By then, Hamlin, who was still scored a lap down, was blending in within the lead lap pack and leading the outside lane with drafting help from Wallace while Logano continued to lead ahead of Keselowski, Elliott and Kyle Busch.

A few laps later, Buescher, who moved up to the outside lane, received a huge push from Hamlin amid a stacked three-wide battle to move toward the front while Logano retained the lead. With Hamlin moving down in front of Logano through the middle lane, Buescher would launch his bid for the lead against Logano while Keselowski, Almirola, Wallace and Larson moved up and battled toward the front. Amid the continuous shuffling and drafts within the three stacked lanes, Wallace would then make his way into the runner-up spot with 40 laps remaining behind the leader Logano before Byron assumed the lead during the proceeding lap followed by Blaney. This would drop Logano and Wallace to third and fifth while Bowman moved up to fourth as Keselowski occupied sixth.

Then with 34 laps remaining, Wallace made his way into the lead as he overtook Byron through the tri-oval before fending off Buescher. Wallace would spend the next two laps leading in his No. 23 Leidos Toyota TRD Camry until Byron reassumed the top spot in his No. 24 AXALTA Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 with 31 laps remaining. Byron’s move occurred as the field fanned out to nearly four lanes as Almirola, Blaney and Bowman followed suit. Soon after, Wallace, who was being drafted by Hamlin, slipped out of the top 10 as Byron, Blaney, Bowman, Larson and Stenhouse occupied the top five amid three stacked lanes.

With 27 laps remaining, the caution flew for a multi-car wreck on the frontstretch after Hocevar, who was leading the outside lane amid a three-wide battle, got sideways off the front nose of Keselowski as Hocevar spun and clipped Ty Gibbs, who collected Austin Dillon in the process, as Dillon clipped Keselowski and sent the No. 6 Solomon Plumbing Ford Mustang for a spin, with Keselowski’s car briefly coming off the ground, towards the inside wall before Dillon made hard impact against the outside wall head-on along with Gibbs as Harrison Burton, Briscoe and Allmendinger also wrecked. At the moment of caution, Harvick had assumed the lead while Almirola, Herbst, Byron, Wallace, Blaney, Bowman, Larson, Suarez and Stenhouse were scored in the top 10. The incident would be enough to place the event in a red flag period for nearly 10 minutes as the on-track safety crew proceeded to repair the track’s damage across the walls and the carnage.

Once the red flag lifted and the field proceeded under a cautious pace, the lead lap field led by Harvick pitted for service. Following the pit stops and amid mixed strategies, but mainly for fuel, Logano exited first followed by LaJoie, Almirola, Harvick, Bowman, Blaney and Larson. Meanwhile, Hamlin received the free pass and cycled back on the lead lap.

Down to the final 20 laps of the event, where Almirola and Bowman occupied the front row, the race restarted under green. At the start, Almirola and Bowman dueled for the lead through the first two turns and the backstretch as the field stacked up within two tight-packed lanes. Both Almirola and Bowman continued to duel for the lead through the tri-oval as Almirola had teammate Harvick drafting him on the outside lane while Bowman had drafting help from Blaney.

Three laps later and as the field started to fan out to three lanes, the caution returned due to debris reported on the backstretch. By then, Bowman was the leader followed by Blaney, Almirola, Herbst and Harvick while Elliott, Larson, Logano, Byron and LaJoie were in the top 10.

During the following restart with 13 laps remaining, Bowman muscled ahead of Blaney to retain the lead as the inside lane gained the advantage through the first two turns and the backstretch. With the outside lane trying to regain the advantage through the tri-oval, Bowman retained the lead as Harvick ignited his charge to the lead. Harvick would then be drafted into the lead with 11 laps remaining followed by Blaney as Elliott, Herbst and Larson were battling within the top six. As the field fanned out to three lanes with the competitors jostling and shuffling within the pack and the draft, Harvick retained the lead with 10 laps remaining before the Hendrick Motorsports competitors led by Bowman and followed by Elliott assumed the top spot during the following lap.

Down to the final five laps of the event, Elliott was leading ahead of teammates Larson, Byron and Suarez while the outside lane led by Harvick tried to gain the run towards the front. In the midst of the battles towards the front, the field fanned out to three lanes as the competitors started to shuffle and draft their way to the front. Shortly after, Bowman was shuffled out of the lead draft as he started to lose ground of the front-runners while Harvick assumed the lead.

When the white flag waved and the final lap started, Blaney and Harvick, both of whom spent the previous three laps locked dead even for the lead amongst two packed lanes, were in front of the field as Blaney led the previous lap by a hair. Through the frontstretch, Harvick would receive a push from Byron to muscle ahead as he then moved his No. 4 Busch Light Camo Ford Mustang up the track to block Blaney. Blaney, however, made a crossover move to dive his No. 12 Menards/Pennzoil Ford Mustang beneath Harvick through the backstretch before he gained a slight advantage entering the tri-oval. Harvick then had Herbst drafting him as he started to gain ground on Blaney with the three-wide stacked field approaching the finish line. Then with nearly everyone behind the front-runners wrecking as Herbst got turned across Elliott and Larson, Blaney, who remained ahead of Byron, managed to edge Harvick, who had no drafting help, by 0.012 seconds to claim the victory.

Photo by John Knittel for SpeedwayMedia.com.

With the victory, Blaney achieved his ninth NASCAR Cup Series career victory, his third at Talladega Superspeedway, his third in the Cup Series Playoffs, his second of the season and his first since winning the Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway in May. The third-generation racer also recorded the third victory of the season for Team Penske and the seventh for the Ford nameplate.

The victory automatically guarantees Blaney and the No. 12 Team Penske Ford Mustang team a spot into the Round of 8 along with William Byron as Blaney, who transferred into the Round of 8 for the fifth time in his career, continues his pursuit for his first Cup Series championship.

“Yeah, I don’t really know [how we won],” Blaney, who celebrated on the frontstretch with the fans, said on NBC. “Yeah, pretty wild [the] last restart, but let alone, last couple laps, kind of lose the momentum, getting it back. Just getting cleared to the bottom to get to the front row and drag-race it out with Kevin [Harvick]. Really proud of the whole No. 12 group. It’s so cool to win three times here at Talladega. That’s super cool. I have to give a big thanks to Riley Herbst. He did a really good job there the last couple restarts. He doesn’t have a lot of Cup starts, but he did a great job at pushing me, so thanks to him. This is so cool. I’ve won it by more than I have the last couple years, but that one might’ve been about four feet. The others [Talladega wins] were about two, but you just don’t know. You just got to drag-race to the line, hope you get help. William [Byron] gave me a pretty good shove on the bottom [lane]. He’s kind of forced to. I wasn’t sure [that I won] till [spotter] Josh [Williams] said something. Josh did a fantastic job on the roof like always. This is such a special place to win at, so I cannot wait to go to Victory Lane.”

While Blaney celebrated with his team in Victory Lane, Harvick was left disappointed, but still smiling, over his runner-up result in his 46th and final career start at Talladega and on a day where he led 11 laps and notched his seventh top-five result of the season. Despite having his Playoff hopes evaporated following the Round of 16, Harvick continues his pursuit for his first victory of the season as he is down to his final five Cup career starts before retiring from full-time competition.

“I just tried to block the lanes and then, I was kind of late blocking [Blaney] there,” Harvick said. “He got to the outside of us, but it actually worked out OK because [Byron] was a great pusher and then, it got shuffled again and I had Riley [Herbst] behind me. I thought I was in a really good spot headed down the back straightaway with everything that was happening because I knew if I could get off the tri-oval with Riley right on my bumper, I was still gonna be OK and then, he got spun in the middle of the tri-oval. Great day. Great way to end at Talladega. Always want to win. It is what it is. Last superspeedway race and went out with everything rolling, so that’s a good thing.”

Following the event, however, Harvick was disqualified from his runner-up result due to the windshield fasteners from his car not being properly secured. As a result, Byron, who led 12 laps and is already guaranteed a spot in the Playoff’s Round of 8 after winning last weekend’s event at Texas Motor Speedway, was promoted into the runner-up spot followed by Denny Hamlin, who rallied from being mired a lap down to finish third in his No. 11 Mavis Tires & Brakes Toyota TRD Camry. Corey LaJoie avoided the carnage to finish fourth in his No. 7 Gainbridge Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 and notch his second top-five result of the season while Cindric ended up fifth.

Haley, Elliott, Ryan Preece, Riley Herbst and Daniel Suarez finished in the top 10 on the track. Notably, Playoff contenders Bell, Larson, Reddick, Truex, Buescher, Wallace and Kyle Busch ended up 14th, 15th, 16th, 18th, 19th, 23rd and 25th, respectively.

There were 70 lead changes for 24 different leaders. The race featured five cautions for 17 laps. In addition, 29 of 38 starters finished on the lead lap.

Results.

1. Ryan Blaney, eight laps led, Stage 1 winner

2. William Byron, 12 laps led

3. Denny Hamlin, three laps led

4. Corey LaJoie

5. Austin Cindric, 15 laps led

6. Justin Haley, one lap led

7. Chase Elliott, eight laps led

8. Ryan Preece, eight laps led

9. Riley Herbst, 10 laps led

10. Daniel Suarez

11. Chandler Smith

12. Todd Gilliland

13. Chase Briscoe

14. Christopher Bell, two laps led

15. Kyle Larson, one lap led

16. Tyler Reddick, two laps led

17. Aric Almirola, seven laps led

18. Martin Truex Jr.

19. Chris Buescher, three laps led

20. AJ Allmendinger

21. Michael McDowell, five laps led

22. Ricky Stenhouse Jr., 14 laps led

23. Bubba Wallace, three laps led

24. Joey Logano, 48 laps led

25. Kyle Busch, two laps led

26. Erik Jones, four laps led

27. Ty Dillon, two laps led

28. Alex Bowman, 13 laps led

29. BJ McLeod, one lap down

30. Brennan Poole, two laps down

31. Harrison Burton – OUT, Suspension

32. Brad Keselowski – OUT, Accident, five laps led, Stage 2 winner

33. Austin Dillon – OUT, Accident, one lap led

34. Ty Gibbs – OUT, Accident

35. Carson Hocevar – OUT, Accident

36. JJ Yeley – OUT, Fuel pump

37. Ross Chastain – OUT, Accident

38. Kevin Harvick – Disqualified, 11 laps led

*Bold indicates Playoff contenders

Playoff standings

1. William Byron – Advanced

2. Ryan Blaney – Advanced

3. Denny Hamlin +50

4. Christopher Bell +22

5. Chris Buescher +19

6. Martin Truex Jr. +17

7. Kyle Larson +15

8. Brad Keselowski +2

9. Tyler Reddick -2

10. Bubba Wallace -9

11. Ross Chastain -10

12. Kyle Busch -26

The Round of 12 in the 2023 NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs is set to conclude next weekend at the Charlotte Motor Speedway Road Course in Concord, North Carolina, where the second of three eliminations will occur and the Round of 8 field will be determined. The event is scheduled to commence next Sunday, October 8, at 2 p.m. ET on NBC.

Toyota Racing – NCS Talladega Post-Race Report – 10.01.23

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Official Release
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HAMLIN CLAIMS TOP-FIVE FINISH, EXTENDS POINTS ADVANTAGE
Bell, Truex sit above the cutline heading into Charlotte

TALLADEGA, Ala. (October 1, 2023) – Denny Hamlin overcame a pit road penalty to drive through the field and finish fourth to lead Toyota in the NASCAR Cup Series race at Talladega Superspeedway. With the run, Hamlin holds a 50-point advantage over the Playoff cutline heading to the final race of the round of 12 – the Charlotte Motor Speedway Road Course.

Christopher Bell (15th) is fourth, 22 points to the good, while Martin Truex Jr. (19th) holds a 17-point advantage over ninth-place Tyler Reddick. Reddick, who finished 17th, is just two points back of advancing with Bubba Wallace just nine points out in 11th.

Toyota Post-Race Recap
NASCAR Cup Series (NCS)
Talladega Superspeedway
Race 31 of 36 – 500.08 miles, 188 laps

TOYOTA FINISHING POSITIONS
1st, Ryan Blaney*
2nd, Kevin Harvick*
3rd, William Bryon*
4th, DENNY HAMLIN
5th, Corey LaJoie*
15th, CHRISTOPHER BELL
17th, TYLER REDDICK
19th, MARTIN TRUEX JR.
24th, BUBBA WALLACE
33rd, TY GIBBS
*non-Toyota driver

TOYOTA QUOTES

DENNY HAMLIN, No. 11 Mavis Tires & Brakes Toyota Camry TRD, Joe Gibbs Racing

Finishing Position: 4th

You had a little bit of everything today and ended up with a good points day. Can you tell me about your race?

“Not how we drew it up, but a dub is a dub and that was a dub in our book – it’s as close as it gets to it. I’m proud of this whole Mavis Toyota team for bringing me a car fast enough to win. When I had to go there, I could and made the right moves at the right time and a top-five is a long way from where we were with about 15 laps to go.”

TYLER REDDICK, No. 45 McDonald’s Toyota Camry TRD, 23XI Racing

Finishing Position: 17th

What was missing from your car today?

“I don’t think we are really missing anything really. Our McDonald’s Toyota Camry TRD was pretty strong. I couldn’t push a couple of the Toyota’s very good, but I could get pushed good. I feel like we just had a solid car. The pit strategy under green flag conditions didn’t really work out for us too well. Me and Bubba (Wallace) kind of just took a chance hoping the bottom and the middle would choke themselves on the restart. The last four or five laps after the restart were the fastest laps were turned all day, so just made it really difficult for the top line to work – just kind of got a little bit fortunate. We fell to the back of the lead lap – 29th or 30th – and just got to the bottom and found a few holes and got something out of it. Outside by two is not really bad for us, I don’t think, as long as we left better than we came in, I felt good about our chances. It’s pretty straight forward right. I think we will have to go after stage points, but that is okay. If we can get 20 there, I’m sure we can salvage a good finish and make it to the round of 8.”

MARTIN TRUEX JR., No. 19 Bass Pro Shops Toyota Camry TRD, Joe Gibbs Racing

Finishing Position: 19th

How do you look at the day?

“It was alright. I thought our Bass Pro Camry was pretty good, just could never get in the right lane at the right time. We were stuck on the bottom there in the end, I think with three to go we were up to 10th or 12th and three laps later we were 19th. Nowhere to make any moves, just everything was clogged and you just kind of rode there and got what you could. Tough day, but I think we are in good shape going to the ROVAL. We can take care of business there, just need a good day.”

TY GIBBS, No. 54 Monster Energy Toyota Camry TRD, Joe Gibbs Racing

Finishing Position: 35th

When you got involved, it looked like a huge hit for you. What was it like for you?

“Yeah, I just got hit out of nowhere in the right rear. It’s really unfortunate. We had a pretty good Monster Energy Toyota Camry. We were working our way back up and getting ready for the end – just really unfortunate.”

What did you see out there?

“I didn’t really see much. Just really unfortunate. A really big bummer – we had a really good Monster Energy Toyota Camry.”

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.

CHEVROLET NCS AT TALLADEGA 2: Post-Race Report

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Official Release
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NASCAR CUP SERIES
TALLADEGA SUPERSPEEDWAY
YELLAWOOD 500
TEAM CHEVY POST-RACE REPORT
OCTOBER 1, 2023

Byron Leads Chevrolet to Four Top-10 Finishes at Talladega Superspeedway

  • Four drivers from three different Chevrolet teams took the manufacturer to top-10 finishes in the second race of the NASCAR Cup Series Round of 12 at Talladega Superspeedway with William Byron (third) leading Spire Motorsports’ Corey LaJoie in fifth; Kaulig Racing’s Justin Haley in seventh; and Hendrick Motorsports’ Chase Elliott in eighth.
  • Entering the Round of 12 elimination race at the Charlotte Motor Speedway Road Course, the pair of Hendrick Motorsports playoff contenders sit in the top-eight in the playoff standings. With a third-place finish, William Byron maintained the top position in the standings. While getting caught-up in the last-lap incident, Kyle Larson still maintained a position above the playoff cutline – sitting in the sixth position with a 17-point cushion.

TOP TEAM CHEVY UNOFFICIAL TOP-10 RESULTS:
POS. DRIVER
3rd William Byron, No. 24 Axalta Camaro ZL1
5th Corey LaJoie, No. 7 Gainbridge Camaro ZL1
7th Justin Haley, No. 31 Morris-Shea Bridge Co. Inc. Camaro ZL1
8th Chase Elliott, No. 9 LLumar Camaro ZL1

The NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs Round of 12 elimination race will get underway at the Charlotte Motor Speedway Road Course with the Bank of America ROVAL on Sunday, October 8, at 2 p.m. ET. Live coverage can be found on the NBC, PRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Channel 90.

 
TEAM CHEVY POST-RACE QUOTES:

Ross Chastain, No. 1 Worldwide Express Camaro ZL1

Sidelined by damage sustained in an accident on the final lap of Stage One.

Finished: 38th

What’s your level of frustration because you were making an outside move that was going to be a positive when all that happened?

“It’s just the way it goes. Nothing personal with it.. I don’t take any of this personally here (Talladega Superspeedway). I could have stayed on the bottom a few laps earlier probably and would have been safer. I just had a couple of cars land in my lap there and I went for the gap. Obviously I wish I would have lifted now, but I’ll study that and be better next time.”

You face the (Charlotte Motor Speedway Road Course) ROVAL next week – how’s that going to go?

“Lefts and rights, and living my dreams. Whatever our team brings next week, we’ll put our best foot forward. As long as I’m getting to drive these rocketships that Trackhouse Racing brings me, I’m living my dream and we’ll keep fighting.”

What did you see?

“I just saw someone slow and tagging the fence, and obviously with them being that much slower, I should have just stayed in behind him. Four-wide wasn’t the right call. I saw a hole and just tried to slide through there. I wish I wouldn’t have.”

You were riding in the back most of the day. Was that the safest place to be?

“Yeah, when they were three-wide early, it just didn’t make sense to get up there and get in line. Eighth in line, three-wide, we would have been in the mid-20s. It felt comfortable – we saved some fuel and cycled ourselves up there to fight for some stage points.”

Austin Dillon, No. 3 Bass Pro Shops Camaro ZL1

Sidelined by damage sustained in an accident in the final stage.

Finished: 34th

“It was a hard hit, so I hate it for this entire Bass Pro Shops Club/TRACKER Off Road Chevrolet team. We were running well today, biding our time and just getting ready to put ourselves in position to make a run for it at the end of the race. We were able to lead some laps and earn some stage points today. We had a fast Chevy. I didn’t see any of it. I guess I got caught in the right rear. When I was in the infield care center, Brad Keselowski told me that he pushed the No. 42 car too hard and wrecked him, but No. 42 car was squirrelly without anybody pushing him. His car didn’t seem set up very well and he was late moving around. I had noticed that and got out of the middle to get away from him, so I don’t really understand the No. 6 car pushing him. It was a hard hit and an unfortunate end to our day. We’ll head to the Charlotte Motor Speedway ROVAL next week and see if we have some better luck there.”

Kyle Busch, No. 8 X World Wallet Camaro ZL1

Finished: 26th

Busch on the incident on the final lap of Stage One:

“I caught the No. 1 (Ross Chastain) and I hate it for them. It’s what happens every time at the end of a stage.

Your car had some damage. Were you just holding on the rest of the day? It looked like you were able to get up there at times.

“The car was fine. When I could make moves, get in good positions and put myself in good spots, I could get up towards the front. My chess match is apparently horrible or I get hung-out every time it comes down to the end and we just lose spots.

I don’t think the damage impacted us at all.. the car drove fine. I pulled out there to get in that high line and we all got kind of jumbled up there coming through the frontstretch. The No. 43 (Erik Jones) came with me and a couple others in front of me were up there, and we just didn’t go anywhere. The pace was too fast around the bottom and the middle that the outside lane couldn’t make any headway. I was waiting for the No. 11 (Denny Hamlin) to jump out there because he’s always the first to go and he never did. He actually tucked back in behind, so he must have thought a little more about what was going to happen.”

How do you feel about the ROVAL?

“That’s our last shot, so we’ll see what we get.”

Chase Elliott, No. 9 LLumar Camaro ZL1

Finished: 8th

You were up there coming to the final lap. What happened from your perspective?

“I have no idea what happened. Just got hit in the door; had four flat tires and I couldn’t drive back.”

Overall, you had an impressive day until that moment. Reflect on how it went before the crash.

“It was fine. We got some decent stage points. Finishing eighth, hopefully that’s good enough to help us in the owner’s championship points.”

William Byron, No. 24 Axalta Camaro ZL1

Finished: 3rd

Take us through those last few laps.

“Yeah, it was really intense there at the end. I just couldn’t quite get pushes as square as those guys, and I felt like where they could get connected and just create runs, they just got us there. On the backstretch, the No. 4 (Kevin Harvick) actually got in front of me and that allowed I think the No. 12 (Ryan Blaney) to get in front of me and the No. 4 actually went back in the middle.

Our Axalta Chevrolet was really good all day. Just needed a little bit more to get those runs generated to keep the bottom going like it was. Good effort and proud of the team and we will go onto the Charlotte ROVAL.”

Carson Hocevar, No. 42 Sunseeker Resorts Camaro ZL1

Finished: 36th

Hocevar on the accident that ended his day early during the final stage at Talladega Superspeedway:

“I don’t fault Brad (Keselowski) at all. I did it in the truck race even. When you’re in the top lane, you have to push. You have to start building momentum. You have to start creating forward energy. It’s just a tough spot. I wasn’t that good of a leader, so I was just trying to learn. I talked to Brad a little bit – I didn’t know if I was backing up too much trying to lock-on. It’s just a tough spot.

I had a lot of fun. Thank you to LEGACY MOTOR CLUB, Sunseeker Resorts, everybody that allows me to drive this car. It’s just good to get experience. Rather it’s 20 laps short or not, I still had a lot of fun. I felt like I was a lot better pusher. When I was leading, I need to do my homework a little bit for the next time I get to drive a Cup car at superspeedway. It’s nice to have some laps and a little bit of confidence. I started 38th and I got to see a lot. I felt like we were moving forward there a little bit and just inching to get ourselves in a good spot there at the end. It just didn’t work out this time.”

Erik Jones, No. 43 Allegiant Camaro ZL1

Finished: 27th

“Just not a good day for the No. 43 Allegiant Chevy team. We just weren’t up front and where we needed to be, and it just didn’t work out there at the end. We’ll regroup and get ready for the Charlotte ROVAL.”

 
TEAM CHEVY RACE NOTES:

STAGE ONE:

· Hendrick Motorsports’ Kyle Larson led Chevrolet to the green-flag from the fourth position in today’s YellaWood 500 at Talladega Superspeedway. With help from teammate William Byron, Larson quickly moved into the runner-up position before the race hit a double-digit lap count.

· By the 20-lap marker, Team Chevy’s Austin Dillon, Erik Jones and Ricky Stenhouse Jr. joined the Hendrick Motorsports teammates in the top-10 – giving the manufacturer four different organizations in the front of the lead pack. With the discussion of pit strategy already coming into play, drivers are told to save fuel as the race reached the midway point of Stage One.

· Remaining under green-flag conditions with 25 laps to go in the stage, Stenhouse Jr. and Jones maneuvered to the top-two positions of the field while on the horizon of the first round of pit stops of the race. The lead group of Chevrolet’s came to pit road at the 40-lap marker with teams calling for a fuel-only stop.

· With eight laps remaining in the stage, the 2023 Daytona 500 Champion Stenhouse Jr. jumped into the top lane to take the lead with a push from fellow Team Chevy driver Kyle Busch.

· On the final lap of Stage One, Stenhouse Jr.’s No. 47 Camaro ZL1 ran out of fuel, causing a stack-up in the top lane. With nowhere to go in his No. 1 Worldwide Express Camaro ZL1, contact forced Chastain into the wall with damage sustained deemed too much to repair, forcing the Team Chevy playoff contender to retire early from the race.

· Stage One ultimately ended under caution with Byron leading Chevrolet to the green-white checkered flag in the second position. Byron led five Team Chevy drivers to top-10 stage points:

2nd William Byron, No. 24 Axalta Camaro ZL1
3rd Kyle Larson, No. 5 Valvoline / HendrickCars.com Camaro ZL1
4th Chase Elliott, No. 9 LLumar Camaro ZL1
5th Alex Bowman, No. 48 Ally Camaro ZL1
7th Justin Haley, No. 31 Morris-Shea Bridge Co. Inc. Camaro ZL1

STAGE TWO:

· During the stage break, crew chief Rudy Fugle called Byron to pit road for four tires and fuel – rejoining the field in the third position to start Stage Two.

· Lap 74 saw Hendrick Motorsports go 1-2-3 on the bottom line of the lead pack, led by Alex Bowman and the No. 48 Ally Camaro ZL1 team. With a push from teammate Chase Elliott, Bowman took the top position on the leaderboard to lead his first laps of the race.

· At lap 106, Chevrolet drivers came to pit road for the next round of green-flag pit stops with teams calling for another fuel-only stop. Filing off pit road, the pair of Richard Childress Racing teammates led the manufacturer to the front of the pack to quickly rejoin the battle for the lead with 10 laps to go in the stage.

· Byron found himself out front with three laps remaining in the stage. The top-seven cars ran single-file with energy mid-pack saw the reformation of two lanes of racing in the battle for stage points. The race back to the finish line saw Byron ultimately scored in the second position at the green-white checkered flag.

· Six drivers from four different Chevrolet organizations collected top-10 finishes in Stage One:

2nd William Byron, No. 24 Axalta Camaro ZL1

4th Austin Dillon, No. 3 Bass Pro Shops Camaro ZL1

5th Chase Elliott, No. 9 LLumar Camaro ZL1

6th Daniel Suarez, No. 99 Tootsies Orchid Lounge Camaro ZL1

8th Ty Dillon, No. 77 Ferris Commercial Mowers Camaro ZL1

9th Kyle Larson, No. 5 Valvoline / HENDRICKCARS.COM Camaro ZL1

FINAL STAGE / POST-RACE NOTES:

· Following back-to-back top-10 stage results, crew chief Cliff Daniels called Kyle Larson to pit road for a four-tire and fuel stop. Gaining a handful of positions in the race off pit road, Larson was the first car at the choose cone – electing the inside lane of the front-row for the start of the final stage.

· Taking the green-flag with 62 laps remaining in the race, Larson held steady in a race for the top position alongside reigning NCS Champion Joey Logano. Larson had a contingency of Team Chevy drivers in his rear-view mirror with Trackhouse Racing’s Daniel Suarez and his Hendrick Motorsports teammate William Byron following close behind in the bottom lane.

· On lap 161, a push to the No. 42 Sunseeker Resorts Camaro ZL1 by Brad Keselowski got Hocevar loose, collecting a handful of drivers including Richard Childress Racing’s Austin Dillon. Both Team Chevy drivers sustained damage that ended the day early in the closing laps of the race.

· With a caution for debris, the lineup for the restart saw Hendrick Motorsports’ Alex Bowman lead the field to the green-flag with 13 laps to go.

· A wreck coming across the start-finish line at the drop of the checkered flag, William Byron and the No. 24 Axalta Camaro ZL1 team was ultimately scored in the third position to lead Chevrolet to the finish.

· Despite being involved in the final lap incident, Chase Elliott was able salvage and eighth-place finish in his No. 9 LLumar Camaro ZL1.

· Four drivers from three different Chevrolet teams took the manufacturer to top-10 finishes in the second race of the NASCAR Cup Series Round of 12 with Byron leading Spire Motorsports’ Corey LaJoie in fifth, Kaulig Racing’s Justin Haley in seventh and Hendrick Motorsports’ Chase Elliott in eighth.

· Entering the Round of 12 elimination race at the Charlotte Motor Speedway Road Course, the pair of Hendrick Motorsports playoff contenders sit in the top-eight in the playoff standings.

 

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.

Ford Performance NASCAR: Blaney Wins at Talladega and Advances to Round of 8

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Official Release
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Ford Performance Notes and Quotes
NASCAR Cup Series
YellaWood 500 | Sunday, October 1, 2023

RYAN BLANEY PUNCHES TICKET TO THE ROUND OF 8 WITH TALLADEGA WIN

  • Ryan Blaney won his second race of the season and ninth of his career today.
  • The win is Blaney’s 3rd career triumph at Talladega and automatically puts him in the Round of 8.
  • Ford has now won 10 playoff races at Talladega, most at any track.
  • Team Penske has now won 10 of the last 18 Talladega races.
  • Today’s win is Ford’s 727th all-time in NASCAR Cup Series competition.
  • Of Team Penske’s 92 NCS wins with Ford, 65 have come since 2013.

RYAN BLANEY, No. 12 Menards/Pennzoil Ford Ford Mustang — FINISH LINE INTERVIEW – HOW DID YOU DO THAT? “I don’t really know. It was a pretty wild restart, but let alone the last couple of laps losing momentum and getting it back, just getting clear to the bottom to get to the front row and drag race it out with Kevin. I’m just proud of the whole 12 group. Pennzoil, Menards, BodyArmor, Dex Imaging, Advance Auto Parts, Wurth, everybody who makes this possible. To win here three times at Talladega is super cool. I have to give a big thanks to Riley Herbst. He did a really good job there the last couple restarts. He doesn’t have a lot of Cup starts, but he did a great job and pushed me so thanks to him. This is so cool.”

WHAT DO YOU SEE WHEN THE FINISH IS THAT CLOSE? “I’ve won it by more than I have the last couple years. That one might have been by four feet, the others were by two but you just don’t know. You just kind of drag race a line and hope you get help. William gave me a pretty good shove on the bottom. He was kind of forced to, but I wasn’t sure until Josh said something. Josh did a fantastic job on the roof like always. This is always such a special place to win at so I can’t wait to drive to Victory Lane.”

KEVIN HARVICK, No. 4 Busch Light Camo Ford Mustang — “I knew we were in a great spot there with Riley behind us and I don’t know where he spun out, but he got spun out and I knew that if he was still there by the time we got to the end of the tri-oval we were gonna be in really good shape and then at that particular point it was just kind of where we were. I tried to put a donut on his door and slow him down just a little bit, but just a great effort and we came up a little short.”

TAKE US THROUGH THOSE LATE MOVES. “I just tried to block the lanes and then I was kind of late blocking the 12 there and he got to the outside of us, but it actually worked out OK because the 24 was a great pusher, and then it got shuffled again and I had Riley behind me. I thought I was in a really good spot headed down the back straightaway with everything that was happening because I knew I could get off the tri-oval with Riley right on my bumper I was still gonna be OK and then he got spun in the middle of the tri-oval, so I’ve just got to thank everybody on our Busch Light Ford. They did a great job. Right about there I said, ‘Man, we’re sailing. The spotter is yelling at me to side draft. I’m like, ‘We aren’t gonna need to sidedraft, and then Riley got loose and spun out and I’m like, ‘We’re all alone here with two of them below me.’ But it was a great day, a great way to end at Talladega. I always want to win, but it is what it is.”

COULD YOU IMAGINE IF THIS WAS THE WALK OFF WIN FOR YOU? “Yeah, they might have torn it down (laughing). That would have been great. Talladega has been so up-and-down through the years. We’ve had some great moments and some bad moments. The last superspeedway race and we went out with everything rolling, so that’s a good thing.”

AUSTIN CINDRIC, No. 2 Discount Tire Ford Mustang – “It’s certainly good to get a top 10 with the Discount Tire Ford. Who’d have thought that Talladega would be the first place we would get a finish in a month without any damage or hitting anything. I put us behind with a speeding penalty and was still able to recover at the end. I’m super happy for Ryan and everybody on the 12 team to be able to come out and knock off a win into the next round. It’s very well deserved. We brought some really fast cars at Team Penske, Ford Performance, Roush Yates Engines, everybody did a great job this weekend and it paid off.”

BRAD KESELOWSKI, No. 6 Solomon Plumbing Ford Mustang — “It was just one of those Talladega pushing and shoving deals. I just gave a really light push to the 42 car and it turned around on him, so unfortunate for us. We were able to win the second stage and were in a pretty good position there. It sucks. It sucks for everybody. I hate it for him. I hate it for us, but it is what it is.”

WHAT HAPPENED? “I just feel bad for Carson. I gave him a little push and it just took off on him. It wadded up a bunch of cars and it’s unfortunate, but we were having a good day with our Solomon Plumbing Ford. We were leading laps and won the second stage. I got shuffled there a few laps earlier and were trying to claw back and it all just gathered up.

WHAT DID YOU SEE? “It was one of those Talladega deals. We had a really really good Ford Mustang and we were up front for a while. We led the second stage and won the second stage, so that felt good. We got shuffled there a few laps before the incident and was trying to claw our way back in the third lane. The 42 pulled up in front of me and I just gave him a push and it kind of instantly spun out on him. It’s unfortunate, but part of the deal.”

DID YOU FEEL YOUR CAR LIFT FROM THE REAR? “I did, yes.”

DID YOU FEEL YOU PUSHED HIM TOO HARD? “I don’t know about that. I guess anytime you spin somebody out you pushed him too hard, but you just don’t know until you push somebody how good their car is gonna be, compared to everybody else I was pushing I would say no.”

WHO DID YOU WORK WELL WITH TODAY? “I thought I worked well with Logano and we were able to get to the front there, and Aric Almirola was really good and Blaney, all those guys. We were in a good spot I just hate that it unraveled for us.”

THOUGHTS GOING TO THE ROVAL. “I don’t know. We’ll see how this thing cycles out through the finish and what our situation is then, but it’s certainly not ideal. I’m glad we were able to win the stage. That certainly helps our points at least a little, but not as much as if we were able to finish the race out.”

DID YOU HAVE ANY ISSUES GETTING TO THE BUMPERS OF THE TOYOTAS? “Not that I can recall, no. It’s hard to say. I didn’t have a lot of time working with them to be honest.”

DO YOU THINK IT WAS GOING TO TAKE MORE AGGRESSIVE PUSHING TO GET WHERE YOU WANTED TO GO? “Not really, no. I felt like our pushes were pretty strong and the top lane just kept rolling back to the front and it’s just a matter of the cars you’re around and how well they handle.”

ARE YOU DEVASTATED? “It’s not ideal, but I’m not devastated. I’d be devastated if we ran terrible and wrecked, but we ran good and I’m proud of our team for putting the effort we need to run up front and lead laps and win the second stage. It just didn’t come together at the end.”

Hirschman Takes Brushy Mountain Powersports 150 Victory In Triumphant NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour Return

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Official Release
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Matt Hirschman celebrates in the famed North Wilkesboro Speedway victory lane after winning the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour's Brushy Mountain Powersports 150. (NWS photo)

Josh Lowder rallies to take checkered flag in Central Logistics 75

NORTH WILKESBORO, NC (Sept. 30, 2023) — In a historic night of doubleheader modified racing, Matt Hirschman excelled en-route to victory in the Brushy Mountain Powersports 150, the first-ever NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour race at North Wilkesboro Speedway.

Making his first NWMT start since suffering a broken arm at Thompson Speedway Motorsports Park on Aug. 16, Hirschman was as sharp as ever behind the wheel and survived a green-white-checkered finish to earn the elevator ride to victory lane Saturday night.

“(It’s) good to be back racing again after a month off with an injury,” Hirschman said. “This is going to be one of the biggest wins of the year, probably the biggest one to date so far.”

With an abrasive racing surface quickly wearing through competitors’ tires throughout the night, savvy pit strategy by Hirschman’s Pee Dee Motorsports team was key to victory. Hirschman was first among a large group that opted to pit for the first time under caution on lap 44. After restarting 13th, it took Hirschman just 15 laps to pilot his No. 60 to the race lead.

“I was thinking before this race this was going to be a really hard race to win just because of the amount of strategy, the amount of pit stops,” explained Hirschman. “Two stops, three stops, [we] didn’t really know.”

With 50 laps to go Hirschman surrendered the race lead to Ryan Newman, who took advantage of a caution on lap 67 to get fresher rubber on his No. 39. However, a yellow flag two laps later prompted almost the entire field to visit pit lane again. Hirschman trailed Newman after pit stops, but regained the lead on the restart with 38 laps to go.

Hirschman never looked back, repeatedly establishing a commanding lead on a series of restarts inside 25 laps to go, including on the green-white-checkered to end the race. He was followed across the stripe by NWMT title contenders Ron Silk and Justin Bonsignore, who remain in a tight championship race with just two races remaining.

“It’s really close. Every point matters. When you’re out there racing at the end you’re thinking about winning the race and not really about the points, but it’s close and probably going to be close right to the end,” said Silk, who trails Bonsignore by two points in the title fight.

“That green-white-checkered kind of saved us and gained us a couple spots there, got us back to the podium,” added Bonsignore. “We were struggling to hold onto 5th coming to the white right before the caution. The tires cooled off, and we just had a really good start, the outside line didn’t go and Ron and I were able to kind of sneak by them guys and stole a couple spots.

“This is going to be a championship for the ages.”

Eric Goodale and Patrick Emerling finished 4th and 5th, with Newman coming home 6th. Andrew Krause, Doug Coby, Kyle Ebersole, and Bobby Santos III unofficially rounding out the top-10. Former NASCAR Cup Series champion Bobby Labonte wrecked out of the race on lap 120, finishing 33rd.

The second leg of the night’s doubleheader, the Carolina Crate Modified Series Central Logistics 75, was a rough-and-tumble affair, with two red flags triggered before five laps were completed. With the pace repeatedly slowed for incidents, the race was paused for two hours with under 20 laps remaining to make way for the NWMT feature.

There was little patience on display when the race resumed, with the victory decided through a multitude of restarts and full-contact racing for the lead. After leading most of the event, Josh Lowder surrendered the top spot when Paul Hartwig III dove to the inside and ran Lowder’s car up the racetrack with five laps remaining.

A caution gave Lowder the opportunity to line up right behind Hartwig in the final laps, and Lowder didn’t hesitate to use his bumper to regain the lead coming to the white flag and ultimately the victory.

Jaxson Casper followed Lowder through to take 2nd while Hartwig settled for 3rd. Eric Goodale and Cody Norman rounded out the top-5.

With tonight’s modified action now in the books, race fans can look forward to 2024 and the NASCAR All-Star Race weekend May 17-19. Tickets will go on sale to at 10 a.m. on Thursday, Oct. 5.

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