No. 2 Cadillac V-Series.R overcomes issues to place 10th in the six-hour race
OYAMA, Japan (Sept. 10, 2023) – Spectators comprising record attendance of 54,700 for an FIA World Endurance Championship race at Fuji International Speedway were treated to an intriguing and dramatic six-hour race.
It was much too dramatic in the eyes of the No 2 Cadillac V-Series.R team.
After qualifying in the top six of the Hypercar classification for the fourth time in six races, Alex Lynn was running in the top five through the lone safety car period of the race and the initial round of pit stops.
Tire degradation late in Lynn’s second hour in the hybrid racecar on the 16-turn, 2.84-mile road course played a major factor in the No. 2 Cadillac V-Series.R fading to eighth when he pitted and gave way to Richard Westbrook.
Compounding the issue over the final 4 hours, 2 minutes were two drive-thru penalties for infractions and an eight-minute garage visit after the left-front wheel ring sheared off and the tire left the hub and out of harm’s way on the track. Earl Bamber brought the car to pit lane with 1 hour, 40 minutes left.
After repairs, Bamber soldiered on for 10th place in class, tying the team’s lowest finish in the six races. The pole-sitting No. 7 Toyota Gazoo Racing LMH, featuring former Cadillac Racing endurance race drivers Kamui Kobayashi and Mike Conway, won its home race.
Media resource: Cadillac Racing high-resolution images for editorial use
The No. 2 Cadillac V-Series.R is still one of only five Hypercars to be running at the finish of every race. Cadillac Racing’s initial WEC season concludes Nov. 4 with the Eight Hours of Bahrain at the 3.363-mile (5.412-kilometer), 15-turn Bahrain International Circuit.
This week, the No. 01 Cadillac V-Series.R and No. 31 Whelen Engineering Cadillac V-Series.R will look for victory in the penultimate race of the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
What they’re saying
Alex Lynn: “Unfortunately, it wasn’t our day for a few reasons, but we’ll learn a lot, regroup and go again in Bahrain.”
Earl Bamber: “It was a disappointing race after a solid qualifying that put us in position to challenge for another podium. Being a completely new team in the WEC and the first time at the track with this car, we’re learning. We’ll take the lessons from Fuji and move on to Bahrain.”
Richard Westbrook: “Tough race for us. We really turned things around after a difficult Friday. Alex did a fantastic job in qualifying. He gave us a lot of hope in the race, but we have a few headwinds. The car is just very difficult to drive over a double stint. We’ll learn, get better and look forward to Bahrain.”
CHEVROLET IN NTT INDYCAR SERIES FIRESTONE GRAND PRIX OF MONTEREY WEATHERTECH RACEWAY LAGUNA SECA SALINAS, CALIFORNIA TEAM CHEVY QUALIFYING REPORT SEPTEMBER 9,2023
FELIX ROSENQVIST PUTS CHEVY ON THE POLE FOR LAST RACE OF 2023 NTT INDYCAR SEASON AT LAGUNA SECA
SCOTT MCLAUGHLIN QUALIFIED SECOND MAKING ALL CHEVROLET FRONT ROW
· With a lap of 1 minute: 06.6416 seconds/129.897 mph, Felix Rosenqvist powered his No. 6 Arrow McLaren NTT Chevrolet to the pole for Firestone GP of Monterey
o His NTT P1 Award winning lap around the newly repaved Weather Tech Raceway Laguna Seca was 4.9 seconds faster than the 2022 event
o It is second pole of 2023 for Rosenqvist, and the fifth of his career
· Scott McLaughlin will start alongside Rosenqvist in the No.3 XPEL Team Penske Chevrolet
o This is the eighth front row starting position for McLaughin in 2023
MONTEREY, CALIF (September 9, 2023) – The newly re-paved 2.2-mile
Weather Tech Raceway proved to be an exciting challenge with in the testing and practicing sessions leading up qualifying for the 95-lap race./
The change in the surface didn’t seem to bother Felix Rosenqvist at all. He neatly navigated the course to post a record-setting time of 06.6416 seconds/129.897 mph as the next to the last car to take the checkered flag concluding the Fast Six.
The last car to finish was Scott McLaughlin who was equally as quick, but he had to settle for 1minute:06.653 seconds 120.88 mph to make it an all Chevrolet front row.
Chevrolet remains in the thick of the battle for the Series’ Manufacturer Championship heading into tomorrow’s race just 15 points down to our competition.
Sunday’s 95-lap, 212.61-mile race takes the green flag live on NBC at 3 p.m. ET. All practice and qualifying will be live on Peacock, INDYCAR Radio, and SiriusXM Channel 160.
OTHER CHEVY FINISHERS 4TH Josef Newgarden 8TH Rinus VeeKay 9TH Will Power 11th Santino Ferrucci 12th Pato O’Ward 13th Agustin Canapino
CHEVROLET AT LAGUNA SECA (V6 era), since INDYCAR’s 2019 return:
· Wins: 0
· Pole Awards: 1
§ 2018: Will Power
· Podiums at Laguna Seca by Team Chevy: 3, since the 2019 return to Laguna Seca
· Laps Led at Laguna Seca by Team Chevy: 35 laps led since the 2019 return to Laguna Seca
WHAT THEY ARE SAYINGS:
Pato O’Ward, No. 5 Chevrolet at Arrow McLaren INDYCAR:
“Not the best qualifying for us. It was probably one of our worst all year. I’m not sure what made the balance shift so much in Q2 versus Q1 for me. I just couldn’t extract the lap time. But I’m happy for the team with Felix’s pole. Tomorrow we’ll have three cars with pace starting in three parts of the field, the front, middle and rear. We’re going to give it everything we have to finish our season strong.”
Felix Rosenqvist, No. 6 Chevrolet at Arrow McLaren INDYCAR:
“That was a killer lap. I had to wrestle my way to it, and there were some sketchy moments, but that made it so much more special. A big thanks to my Arrow McLaren crew, NTT DATA and Team Chevrolet. Tomorrow will be our last race together, so this is an awesome way to get that going. Track position is super important here, so we’ve given ourselves a great opportunity for a positive race.”
Alexander Rossi, No. 7 Chevrolet at Arrow McLaren INDYCAR:
“The car was great. There wasn’t much more we could do there once a red flag comes out and takes it away from you. It was the best car we’ve had through the weekend so to not break out of Round 1 is really disappointing. Colton Herta and I have had probably the strongest cars all weekend, and we’re starting in the back half of the field. It’s a shame, but I’m really happy for Felix on pole.”
Scott McLaughlin, No. 3 EXPEL Chevrolet at Team Penske:
“Really good day for the XPEL Chevrolet. That’s another front row for us. We’re killing those. Just barely missing the poles which is unfortunate. We’ve had a few where we’ve been barely close. Bummed for this one because this XPEL Chevrolet was really fast. We’ll just try to make the right decisions tomorrow and make good strategy choices, and hopefully find ourselves at the end of the race in Victory Lane.”
Ryan Hunter-Reay, No. 20 Chevrolet at Ed Carpenter Racing:
“We made some good gains yesterday, but I haven’t been able to find the grip and predictability I need from the No. 20 BITNILE.COM Chevrolet yet. Unfortunately in qualifying, I just dropped the right rear into a little bit of sand and the car turned around and then stalled. We’ll start near the back, but hopefully go have a good race and move forward.”
Rinus VeeKay, No. 21 Chevrolet at Ed Carpenter Racing:
“I would have been more satisfied with a Fast 6 experience! We have had really good pace in practice so I would have loved to have done a little bit better. I just couldn’t get it 100% right. Starting 7th is decent and I think we are one of the fastest cars out there, especially on old tires. I am confident that we can do well in the race and move up some positions!”
Santino Ferrucci, No. 14 Chevrolet at AJ Foyt Racing:
“It’s honestly been a great week so far to start. Obviously we qualified P11 after a motor change, no install, really rushing and pushing is really impressive from the team’s side and yeah just kind of rewarding to qualify 11th. Probably could have gotten to tenth or ninth if I had just put in the perfect lap but we still have got to work away at it. We’re still missing something on the reds, but we definitely learned something from session one to session two from the team side. But we’ll see what we can do from the race starting 17th.
“I think we’re better on the primary tires so that’s probably where we’ll live. It’s hard to pass so you’re kind of banking on people to make mistakes. It’s also the final race of the season so for sure, people are going to crash trying to pass. Just have to stay clean and try and bring home a top 10 or top 15. If we’re lucky and play our cards right, a top 10.”
Benjamin Pedersen, No. 55 Chevrolet at AJ Foyt Racing:
“We’ll be rolling off P23. We lost a bit of relative pace compared to practice so we’re going to look into that as to why that was. But both cars will be starting pretty close to each other so looking to finish the year as strong as possible and go forward. It looks like it’s pretty challenging to pass so it will be interesting with strategy what we can come up with, but we’ll be definitely giving it everything we have tomorrow to finish the season strong.
(asked Why is it so hard to pass?)
“I think it’s the nature of the track especially now with the new pavement and how much faster the cars are going. That makes it even harder to follow closely so I think it will be really interesting. I don’t think the tire deg is going to be bad either so I think for everyone its going to be a matter of not making any mistakes in the race.”
Callum Ilott, No. 77 Chevrolet at Juncos Hollinger Racing:
“It was a pretty interesting day. I think we had a bit more potential than we showed. It was a bit of a messy day. There’s a lot of, a lot on the track, guys running off the track and bringing it on. Just massive, massive. Trying to get the best I could unfortunately that was the 20 overall, so not so great, especially over the last year, the speed we had here. But yeah, tomorrow’s a new day. They should be good to get everything right and try and move forward. But yeah, we’ve we’ve got a new car, I think has been on the block so far today has been good. Just to get a bit more out of it.”
Agustin Canapino, No. 78 Chevrolet at Juncos Hollinger Racing:
“Really Happy. Our best qualification. P7 in his group, 13th for the race. Unfortunately I have to take a penalty and start 19th. Only four tenths off for my first time at Laguna Seca. Really proud of my team. Thanks to everyone for their hard work. Tomorrow we will go for our best result of the years, and why not rookie-of-the-year.”
Three days after unveiling his planned return to the NASCAR Cup Series for the 2024 season, John Hunter Nemechek took care of extra business in his closing stretch as a full-time NASCAR Xfinity Series competitor and capped off this year’s regular-season stretch on a dominant note by winning the Kansas Lottery 300 at Kansas Speedway on Saturday, September 9.
The 26-year-old Nemechek from Mooresville, North Carolina, led four times for a race-high 154 of 200-scheduled laps in an event that was mired with 10 caution flag periods and on-track chaos that affected a bevy of competitors who were either locked in or looking from the outside to make the 2023 Xfinity Series Playoff field. Amid the battles for the final Playoff berth, Nemechek, who had already guaranteed himself a Playoff spot based on winning five times throughout the regular-season stretch, came into Kansas with a mission to both win and try to gain ground on Austin Hill to steal the regular-season title in last-minute fashion.
Despite falling short in claiming the latter, Nemechek, who led for the first time on Lap 41, was flawless while leading as he executed the final restart with 50 laps remaining to perfection by muscling away and beating runner-up Brandon Jones by more than seven seconds to claim his unprecedented sixth checkered flag of the 2023 Xfinity season and officially enter the Playoffs with strong momentum in preparation to claim the series championship.
With on-track qualifying that determined the starting lineup occurring on Saturday, Justin Allgaier started on pole position after posting a pole-winning lap at 176.206 mph in 30.646 seconds. Joining him on the front row was rookie Sammy Smith, who clocked in the second-best qualifying lap at 175.347 mph in 30.796 seconds.
Prior to the event, Leland Honeyman, who initially failed to qualify for the event, dropped to the rear of the field after replacing Timmy Hill in the No. 66 MBM Motorsports entry. Matt Mills also dropped to the rear of the field due to unapproved adjustments made to his entry along with CJ McLaughlin, who fell back due to an engine change.
When the green flag waved and the race commenced, Allgaier and Sammy Smith dueled for the lead as the field began to fan out through the frontstretch and entering the first turn. Then as the field led by Allgaier made its way through the backstretch, the first caution flag of the event flew after Nick Leitz and Anthony Alfredo wrecked towards the outside wall and against each other in Turn 1.
When the race restarted under green on the fifth lap, Allgaier used the outside lane to his advantage as he rocketed away from Sammy Smith to retain the lead while Cole Custer, who restarted behind Allgaier, followed suit by claiming the runner-up spot. With Allgaier leading, Custer retained second over Sammy Smith while John Hunter Nemechek, Josh Berry, Brandon Jones and Daniel Hemric followed suit as the field behind fanned out and jostled for early spots.
Through the first 10 scheduled laps and as the field continued to jostle for spots, Allgaier was leading by six-tenths of a second over Custer followed by Nemechek, Sammy Smith and Brandon Jones while Berry, Hemric, Brett Moffitt, Sheldon Creed and Austin Hill were in the top 10. Behind, Ryan Sieg was in 11th ahead of Riley Herbst while Sam Mayer, Parker Kligerman and rookie Chandler Smith battled in the top 15.
Two laps later, the second caution flag of the event flew due to debris reported near the entrance of pit road. During the caution period, select names, among which included rookie Chandler Smith and Jeremy Clements, pitted while the rest led by Allgaier, who was spotted to have a brake pad stuck on the splitter of his No. 7 BRANDT Chevrolet Camaro, remained on the track. Amid the pit stops, Chandler Smith’s pit crew went under the hood to diagnose a mechanical issue that would eventually send Smith and his No. 16 Quick Tie Products Chevrolet Camaro team to the garage.
During the proceeding restart on Lap 18, Allgaier and Custer dueled for the lead through the frontstretch and they continued to duel through the backstretch while the field behind fanned out to three and four lanes. Then as Allgaier cleared the field and drove away from Custer entering the frontstretch, the caution quickly returned during the following lap when Sam Mayer, who was running ninth, made contact with Creed and spun across the frontstretch and was T-boned by Kyle Weatherman, thus knocking both out of the event.
As the event restarted under green on Lap 25, Allgaier and Custer dueled again for the lead through the frontstretch and backstretch until Allgaier used the outside lane to his advantage and rocketed away with the lead. With Allgaier leading, Nemechek started to gain ground on Custer for the runner-up spot as the field fanned out through the backstretch with Berry losing a bevy of spots and slipping out of the top 10 on the track.
At the Lap 30 mark, Allgaier was leading by six-tenths of a second over Nemechek, who overtook Custer for the runner-up spot a few laps earlier, while Custer, Sammy Smith and Hemric, who officially clinched his spot for the 2023 Xfinity Playoffs, were in the top five. Behind, Brandon Jones, needing a victory to make the Playoffs, was in sixth as he tried to close in on Hemric for a top-five spot while Hill, Kligerman, Creed and Derek Kraus were running in the top 10. With Kaz Grala, Ryan Sieg, Jeb Burton, Brett Moffit and Herbst occupying the top 15, Berry was back in 16th ahead of Connor Mosack, Joe Graf Jr., Rajah Caruth and Josh Williams.
Five laps later, Allgaier continued to lead by half a second over Nemechek while third-place Custer trailed by more than a second. Meanwhile, Hemric, who was running in the top five, plummeted to 20th due to an issue with his No. 10 Cirkul Chevrolet Camaro and while Berry was mired back in 14th. By then, Brandon Jones cracked the top five in fourth while Sammy Smith was in fifth. With Hemric continuing to fall off the pace and running in the apron, his early run went from good to bad and worse after he missed his pit stall while trying to pit and dropped out of the lead lap category as he would eventually take his car to the garage.
Then on Lap 41, Nemechek, who gained a massive run through the backstretch on Allgaier during the previous lap, overtook Allgaier for the lead in his No. 20 Pye Barker Fire & Safety Toyota Supra. With Allgaier trying to fight back through Turns 1 and 2 along with the backstretch, he nearly got loose in Turn 1 and slid up the track in Turn 3, which allowed Custer to battle him for the runner-up spot while Nemechek slowly started to pull away. Meanwhile, Herbst, who was battling Kligerman for the final spot to make the Playoffs, worked his way up to ninth while Kligerman, who was currently scored five points above the cutline over Herbst, was in seventh.
When the first stage period concluded on Lap 45, Nemechek, who was trying to gain ground on Austin Hill in battling for this year’s Xfinity regular-season title, captured his eighth Xfinity stage victory of the 2023 season following his late rally and overtake on Allgaier for the lead. Custer settled in second followed by Allgaier while Brandon Jones, Sammy Smith, Kligerman, Hill, Creed, Herbst and Derek Kraus were scored in the top 10.
Under the stage break, the lead lap field led by Nemechek pitted. Following the pit stops, Custer moved into the lead after exiting pit road first while Nemechek, Allgaier, Sammy Smith, Brandon Jones, Creed, Kligerman and Herbst followed suit.
The second stage started on Lap 51 as Custer and Nemechek occupied the front row. At the start, Custer and Nemechek dueled for the lead as the field fanned out through the frontstretch and entering the first two turns until Nemechek managed to cycle around Custer and reassume the lead. With Nemechek back out in front with the lead, Allgaier started to battle Custer for second in front of Brandon Jones and Sammy Smith while Kligerman muscled his No. 48 Spiked Light Coolers Chevrolet Camaro up to sixth place in his bid to make the Playoffs. During the proceeding laps and with Nemechek still leading, Berry returned to the top 10 as he was running ninth in between Creed and Hill while Herbst joined the battle as he was five spots behind Kligerman on the track.
Then on Lap 58, the caution returned due to debris in the form of a tire carcass coming apart from Jeremy Clements’ entry in Turn 1. In the midst of the issue, Custer, who was running third in front of Sammy Smith, went up the track after running over the debris and scrubbed the outside wall in Turn 1 as he limped his damaged No. 00 Haas Automation Ford Mustang to pit road for repairs. The damage, which broke the upper control arm in the No. 00 entry, was enough to terminate Custer’s strong run in the garage.
On the ensuing restart on Lap 64, Nemechek and Allgaier dueled for the lead in front of the field. Behind, however, Kligerman, who restarted in the top 10, spun the tires while trying to regain pace, which caused the field to briefly stack up as he was then hit by Herbst, who then fell off the pace as he went up the track with a flat tire and pitted his No. 98 Monster Energy Ford Mustang under green. Back on track, Nemechek retained the lead over Allgaier while Sammy Smith, Brandon Jones and Berry followed suit.
At the Lap 70 mark, Nemechek was leading by three-tenths of a second over Allgaier while Sammy Smith, Brandon Jones and Berry continued to run in the top five. By then, Kligerman, who continued to run under full power, was in eighth while Herbst was mired back in 32nd after he lost two laps in the process of pitting under green and was now 29 points behind Kligerman for a Playoff spot.
Four laps later, the caution flew when Brandon Jones, who was running fourth, snapped sideways and spun his No. 9 Menards Chevrolet Camaro across the frontstretch grass, though he continued without sustaining any damage.
With 11 laps remaining in the second stage period, the event restarted under green. At the start, teammates Nemechek and Sammy Smith dueled for the lead as the field fanned out through the frontstretch. With Nemechek muscling away with the lead, where he proceeded to lead the Lap 80 mark, Allgaier trailed and started to challenge Smith or the lead while Hill, Allgaier and Berry battled for fourth. Teammates, Allgaier and Berry would overtake Hill for third and fourth while Sammy Smith tried to gain ground on teammate Nemechek for the lead.
When the second stage period on Lap 90, Nemechek captured his ninth Xfinity stage victory of the 2023 and second of the day after extending his advantage to more than a second over teammate Sammy Smith. Smith settled in second followed by Allgaier, Berry and Hill while Kligerman, Creed Kraus, rookie Parker Retzlaff and Moffitt were scored in the top 10.
During the stage break, nearly the entire lead lap field led by Nemechek returned to pit road for service while Brandon Jones remained on the track to inherit the lead. Following the pit stops, Nemechek exited first while teammate, Sammy Smith, Hill, Creed, Allgaier, Kraus, Berry and Kligerman followed suit.
With 104 laps remaining, the final stage started as Brandon Jones and Nemechek occupied the front row. At the start, Nemechek reassumed the lead after gaining a strong start from the inside lane while Hill, Allgaier, Sammy Smith and Creed followed suit with the field fanning out through the backstretch. Not long after, the caution quickly returned when Sammy Smith, who was bumped by Creed, clipped and sent Allgaier for a spin as both wrecked against the outside wall in Turn 3 while Brandon Jones, who was losing spots while restarting on old tires, spun sideways to avoid the carnage. In the midst of the carnage, Herbst, who gained one of his two lost laps during the second stage break period, was the recipient of the free pass to cycle back on the lead lap and potentially draw himself back into contention to still make the Playoffs.
During the proceeding restart with 97 laps remaining, Nemechek and Hill battled early for the lead past the restart zone as the field scattered and jostled for late positions through the first two turns and the backstretch. With Nemechek retaining the lead through the proceeding laps, Creed muscled his way up to second while Berry came out late to overtake Hill and move his No. 8 Bass Pro Shops Chevrolet Camaro to third. By then, Kligerman cracked the top five as he was in fifth in front of Kraus while Retzlaff, Ryan Ellis, Grala and Jeb Burton were in the top 10. In the process, Nemechek retained the lead by more than a second with 90 laps remaining.
With 80 laps remaining, Nemechek extended his advantage to more than two seconds over Berry while Creed trailed in third place by more than four seconds. With Creed and Kligerman in the top five, Kraus, Retzlaff, Brandon Jones, Grala and Moffitt trailed in the top 10 while Herbst carved his way up to 12th. As Nemechek continued to extend his advantage to more than three seconds with 75 laps remaining, Herbst continued his march back to the front as he returned to the top 10 by moving up to 10th behind Grala.
A few laps later, however, Herbst’s late rally from his early issues evaporated after he was forced to pit under green due to a flat right-front tire with smoke coming out of his car amid a tire rub. Mired back multiple laps once again, Herbst found himself strapped in 29th place while Kligerman continued to run in fifth as he was now scored 30 points above the cutline and in position to claim the final Playoff spot. Meanwhile, Nemechek extended his advantage to more than six seconds over Berry.
With 63 laps remaining, the caution flew when Rajah Caruth was turned by Matt Mills and spun his No. 45 Circle Pay Chevrolet Camaro across the frontstretch grass and towards pit road before he looped his car straight and continued. During the caution period, the lead lap field led by Nemechek peeled off the track to pit for service. Following the pit stops, Nemechek retained the lead after exiting first while Berry, Hill, Creed and Kligerman followed suit.
As the race restarted with 57 laps remaining, Nemechek rocketed away from the field to retain the lead while Hill and Berry battled for second. As Berry rocketed away from Hill during the following lap with Nemechek out in front, Brandon Jones overtook both Kligerman and Creed through the backstretch just before the caution returned when Caruth slid his car sideways through Turns 3 and 4.
When the race restarted with 50 laps remaining, Nemechek and Berry dueled for the lead through the frontstretch until Nemechek managed to muscle ahead with the lead entering the backstretch. Behind, Hill, Brandon Jones and Kligerman battled for third as Jones overtook both to move up to third before proceeding to catch teammate Berry for more. In the process, Hill and Kligerman kept battling for fourth place in front of Creed. Jones would then overtake teammate Berry for the runner-up spot with 47 laps remaining as he now set his sights on Nemechek for the lead and win to get into the Playoffs.
With 35 laps remaining, Nemechek was leading by more than a second over Brandon Jones while Hill moved his No. 21 Bennett Transportation Chevrolet Camaro up to third place in front of Berry and Kligerman. Behind, Moffitt was in sixth while Creed, Kraus, Jeb Burton and Grala were scored in the top 10.
Ten laps later, Nemechek stretched his advantage to more than three seconds over Brandon Jones while third-place Hill trailed by more than five seconds ahead of Berry and Kligerman. Nemechek would continue to extend his advantage to more than four seconds over Brandon Jones followed by Hill while Kligerman overtook Berry for fourth place with 20 laps remaining.
Down to the final 10 laps of the event, Nemechek stabilized his advantage to nearly six seconds over Brandon Jones while Hill, Kligerman and Creed were trailing behind in the top five and by more than nine seconds. By then, Berry fell back to sixth while Moffitt, Kraus, Grala and Joe Graf Jr. were mired in the top 10.
With five laps remaining, Nemechek continued to lead by more than six seconds over Brandon Jones as he continued to muscle away from the field while navigating his way through lapped traffic.
When the white flag waved and the final lap started, Nemechek remained as the leader by more than six seconds over Brandon Jones. With Jones too far back to mount a late charge, Nemechek, who continued to deal with lapped traffic, was able to cycle his way around the Kansas circuit for a final time smoothly and cross the finish line to claim his sixth checkered flag of the 2023 Xfinity season and by more than seven seconds over Jones.
With the victory, Nemechek scored his eighth career victory in the NASCAR Xfinity Series, his sixth of the season, his second at Kansas and the 10th of the season for Joe Gibbs Racing. In addition, Nemechek recorded the milestone 200th Xfinity career win for the Toyota nameplate. Despite falling short of claiming the Xfinity Series regular-season title to Austin Hill by a mere margin, Nemechek enters the 2023 Xfinity Series Playoffs with momentum and with the top seed with 2,049 points as he prepares to embark on his quest to win his first Xfinity title.
“I don’t if this [win] makes us the [championship] favorite or not, but super proud of this No. 20 team, Joe Gibbs Racing,” Nemechek said on NBC. “Man, it’s been a week. It’s been an exciting week, but I’m super pumped to get [the] Pye Barker Toyota GR Supra back in Victory Lane. [Crew chief] Ben [Beshore] and all the guys made the right adjustments all day. They brought a really fast hot rod. Overall, just super pumped, super ecstatic. I’m looking forward to getting in the Playoffs starting next weekend at Bristol [Motor Speedway]. We came in here today trying to get the regular-season championship. I said that we’re gonna have a 60-point day this weekend and that’s what we did. We controlled where we can control. We did everything that we could possibly do, so let’s get to the Playoffs. I’m ready.”
Brandon Jones rallied from his pair of on-track spins by settling in second place, which marks his highest-finishing result of the season, but was not able to gain enough ground to make the Playoffs for himself and the No. 9 JR Motorsports team.
Creed settled in third place followed by Parker Kligerman, who was able to clinch the 12th and final transfer spot into the Playoffs as both he and Big Machine Racing will make their inaugural presences in the Xfinity Series Playoffs as title contenders while seeded 12th in the Playoff standings with 2,002 points. With Kligerman in the Playoffs, Herbst, who came into Kansas a single point ahead of Kligerman, ended up dropping below the cutline amid his series of on-track issues and with a 23rd-place finish as he too missed the Playoffs.
Photo by Simon Scoggins for SpeedwayMedia.com.
“That’s a very satisfying feeling,” Kligerman said. “I was definitely the biggest John Hunter [Nemechek] fan that last run there, seeing [Brandon Jones] be so fast that last run. I’m really proud of this whole Big Machine Racing team. They brought a really good Spiked Light Coolers Chevy as we showed throughout this race. We executed at a high level and that’s what I’m seeing us do for the last 12 weeks. I felt like if we could just get in the Playoffs and we bring this going forward, we’re gonna go racing for a championship. What an honor to get the first Playoff berth for this race team. Overall, just a really solid day where we executed on a high level. If we can do that in the next eight weeks, we got a chance at this thing.”
“We just weren’t good enough today,” Herbst said. “I feel like we weren’t good enough, though, so that’s what’s frustrating. I just don’t think we executed on that restart [on Lap 64]. I don’t really know what happened. They all got stacked up. I don’t know if somebody missed a gear or spun the tires, but at that point, our day was kind of in a big hole. I feel like we can go now and try to win races. I don’t think we’re gonna quit working by any means and I think we’re gonna hopefully end up in Victory Lane by the year’s over.”
Finishing behind Kligerman on the track was Austin Hill, who was able to lock up the Xfinity Series regular-season championship over Nemechek. As a result, Hill, who was awarded an additional 15 Playoff bonus points, will be seeded in second place behind Nemechek in the Playoff standings with 2,039 points as he prepares to contend for his first Xfinity title.
“We just struggled all day with the balance of our Bennett Chevrolet,” Hill said. “We persevered, we dug deep. Not even sure how we finished in the top five there. Us getting the regular-season championship just shows that no matter how tough the battle is and how tough the uphill climb is, we never give up. We keep fighting. The guys did an awesome job on pit road on gaining me spots. That helped. We just had to go out there and just salvage what we could. Going into the Playoffs, we have a lot of work to do to catch up to [Nemechek]. He was class of the field today. We gotta be better come Bristol time.”
Berry, Moffitt, Derek Kraus, Joe Graf Jr. and Kaz Grala finished in the top 10 on the track.
John Hunter Nemechek, Austin Hill, Justin Allgaier, Cole Custer, Sam Mayer, rookie Chandler Smith, Josh Berry, Sheldon Creed, rookie Sammy Smith, Jeb Burton, Daniel Hemric and Parker Kligerman have made the 2023 Xfinity Series Playoffs and will embark on a seven-race stretch to battle for this year’s Xfinity Series championship.
Riley Herbst, Brandon Jones, Brett Moffitt, rookie Parker Retzlaff, Kaz Grala, Ryan Sieg, Jeremy Clements, Anthony Alfredo, Joe Graf Jr., Kyle Sieg, Josh Williams, Brennan Poole, Ryan Ellis and Blaine Perkins are among the rest of the competitors who missed the Playoffs.
There were seven lead changes for five different leaders. The race featured 10 cautions for 49 laps. In addition, 11 of 38 starters finished on the lead lap.
Results.
1. John Hunter Nemechek, 154 laps led, Stage 1 & 2 winner
2. Brandon Jones, two laps led
3. Sheldon Creed
4. Parker Kligerman
5. Austin Hill
6. Josh Berry
7. Brett Moffitt
8. Derek Kraus
9. Joe Graf Jr.
10. Kaz Grala
11. Parker Retzlaff
12. Jeb Burton, one lap down
13. Josh Williams, one lap down
14. Connor Mosack, one lap down
15. Jeremy Clements, one lap down
16. Mason Massey, one lap down
17. Ryan Ellis, one lap down
18. Justin Allgaier, one lap down, 40 laps led
19. Matt Mills, two laps down
20. Kyle Sieg, two laps down
21. Dawson Cram, two laps down
22. CJ McLaughlin, two laps down
23. Riley Herbst, two laps down
24. Joey Gase, two laps down
25. Garrett Smithley, two laps down
26. Leland Honeyman, three laps down
27. Anthony Alfredo, three laps down
28. Brennan Poole, three laps down
29. Rajah Caruth, three laps down
30. Ryan Sieg, four laps down
31. Nick Leitz, six laps down
32. Chandler Smith, 14 laps down
33. Blaine Perkins – OUT, Brakes
34. Daniel Hemric, 80 laps down
35. Sammy Smith – OUT, Accident, one lap led
36. Cole Custer – OUT, Accident, three laps led
37. Sam Mayer – OUT, Accident
38. Kyle Weatherman – OUT, Accident
The 2023 NASCAR Xfinity Series Playoffs is set to commence next Friday, September 15, at Bristol Motor Speedway, with the event’s broadcast slated to occur at 7:30 p.m. ET on USA Network.
KANSAS CITY (September 9, 2023) – With John Hunter Nemechek’s victory in NASCAR Xfinity Series action at Kansas Speedway today, Toyota has earned its 200th NASCAR Xfinity Series win.
“In a season filled with big moments, we are honored to celebrate another accomplishment,” said David Wilson, president, TRD. “From the special first victory in Indianapolis in 2007 to the recent championship success achieved, we are proud to celebrate our 200th Xfinity Series victory. The collaboration between our teams and TRD has been exceptional. Although we will take a moment to celebrate this incredible achievement, we remain focused on our goals this season, which include our third consecutive driver’s title.”
The late Jason Leffler drove a Toyota Camry to victory at Indianapolis Raceway Park on July 28, 2007, to earn the first victory for the Camry nameplate and first NASCAR Xfinity Series win for Toyota, while Christopher Bell earned the first Toyota GR Supra win at Atlanta Motor Speedway on February 23, 2019.
Toyota has won 149 NASCAR Xfinity Series races in the Toyota Camry and 51 in the Toyota GR Supra. Twenty-two drivers have won in the NASCAR Xfinity Series for Toyota led by Kyle Busch’s 91 victories. Joey Logano (18), Bell (17), Denny Hamlin (13) and Ty Gibbs (12) have also won more than 10 races in a Toyota, while Joe Gibbs Racing (JGR) has won 193 of the 200 races for Toyota in the NASCAR Xfinity Series.
Toyota and TRD currently provide support for two teams – JGR and Sam Hunt Racing – in the NASCAR Xfinity Series, with five Toyota GR Supras on track each weekend. Toyota has won four driver championships, including the last two with Daniel Hemric (2021) and Ty Gibbs (2022).
About Toyota
Toyota (NYSE:TM) has been a part of the cultural fabric in North America for more than 65 years, and is committed to advancing sustainable, next-generation mobility through our Toyota and Lexus brands, plus our more than 1,800 dealerships.
Toyota directly employs more than 48,000 people in North America who have contributed to the design, engineering, and assembly of nearly 45 million cars and trucks at our 13 manufacturing plants. By 2025, Toyota’s 14th plant in North Carolina will begin to manufacture automotive batteries for electrified vehicles. With more electrified vehicles on the road than any other automaker, Toyota currently offers 22 electrified options.
Through the Start Your Impossible campaign, Toyota highlights the way it partners with community, civic, academic and governmental organizations to address our society’s most pressing mobility challenges. We believe that when people are free to move, anything is possible. For more information about Toyota, visit www.ToyotaNewsroom.com.
MONTEREY, Calif. (Saturday, Sept. 9, 2023) – Arrow McLaren posted stickers reading “THANK YOU FRO” inside the car of Felix Rosenqvist this weekend at the season-ending Firestone Grand Prix of Monterey.
After NTT P1 Award qualifying Saturday, the team has even more reason to thank the Swedish driver.
Rosenqvist won the pole for the NTT INDYCAR SERIES season finale in his last race with Arrow McLaren, turning a lap of 1 minute, 6.6416 seconds in the team’s No. 6 Chevrolet during the Firestone Fast Six. It’s the second NTT P1 Award this season and fifth career pole for Rosenqvist, who will move to Meyer Shank Racing next season.
“This is our last race together tomorrow, so what a way to get that going,” Rosenqvist said. “Especially here, track position is super important. We couldn’t have given ourselves a better opportunity.”
Rosenqvist will try to earn his second career win and first with Arrow McLaren in the 95-lap race Sunday. Live coverage starts at 2:30 p.m. ET on NBC, Peacock, Telemundo Deportes on Universo and the INDYCAR Radio Network.
Scott McLaughlin will join Rosenqvist on the front row after his qualifying lap of 1:06.6513 in the No. 3 XPEL Team Penske Chevrolet. McLaughlin just missed unseating Rosenqvist from the top spot on the last flying lap of the Firestone Fast Six, almost overcoming a mistake at the start of his hot lap.
“I dropped a wheel at (Turn) 10, the fast right-hander, just trying to get that extra little bit,” McLaughlin said. “The car was mega. I really feel bad for these guys on the XPEL Chevy. Congrats to Felix. It’s pretty awesome he got his last pole with the team there.”
Christian Lundgaard qualified third at 1:06.7478 in the No. 45 Hy-Vee Honda of Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing. The Firestone Fast Six was a case of what could have been for Lundgaard, who bounced inside the apex of the famous Corkscrew corner on his penultimate qualifying run, losing time on a lap that appeared to be headed for pole.
Lundgaard also set an INDYCAR SERIES track record of 1:06.4610 during the second round of qualifying, breaking Helio Castroneves’ record of 1:07.722 set in 2000. The 11-turn, 2.238-mile road course was repaved this May, with extra grip leading to quicker times and higher speeds.
Two-time series champion Josef Newgarden qualified fourth at 1:06.7937 in the No. 2 Hitachi Team Penske Chevrolet.
Six-time series champion Scott Dixon will start on the inside of Row 3 after qualifying fifth at 1:07.0171 in the No. 9 PNC Bank Chip Ganassi Racing Honda. Alex Palou, who clinched his second season championship last Sunday at Portland, qualified sixth at 1:07.2846 in the No. 10 The American Legion Honda of Chip Ganassi Racing. Palou earned a spot in the Firestone Fast Six for the ninth time this season.
Juri Vips was the top rookie qualifier, seventh in the No. 30 Mi-Jack Honda of Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing. Former Formula 2 driver Vips made his NTT INDYCAR SERIES debut last weekend at Portland.
One of the biggest surprises in the first round of qualifying was the elimination of Colton Herta, who led practice Friday in the No. 26 Gainbridge Honda fielded by Andretti Autosport w/Curb-Agajanian. Herta, who will start 15th, won this race from the pole in 2019 and 2021.
A 30-minute practice at noon ET will precede the race, with live coverage on Peacock and the INDYCAR Radio Network.
Firestone Grand Prix of Monterey Qualifying Results
(6) Felix Rosenqvist, Chevrolet, 01:06.6416 (120.897 mph)
(3) Scott McLaughlin, Chevrolet, 01:06.6513 (120.880)
(45) Christian Lundgaard, Honda, 01:06.7478 (120.705)
(2) Josef Newgarden, Chevrolet, 01:06.7937 (120.622)
● Cole Custer (4th with 2,017 points, IN THE PLAYOFFS)
● Riley Herbst (13th with 673 points)
SHR Notes:
● This is Custer’s fourth NASCAR Xfinity Series Playoffs appearance. His best finish in the standings is second, earned in the 2018 and 2019 seasons.
● Custer finished second in Stage 1 to earn nine bonus points.
● Custer led once for three laps to increase his laps-led total at Kansas to 88.
● Herbst finished ninth in Stage 1 to earn two bonus points.
Race Notes:
● John Hunter Nemechek won the Kansas Lottery 300 to score his eighth career NASCAR Xfinity Series victory, his sixth of the season and his second at Kansas. His margin over second-place Brandon Jones was 7.521 seconds.
● There were 10 caution periods for a total of 49 laps.
● Only 11 of the 38 drivers in the race finished on the lead lap.
● Austin Hill is the Xfinity Series Regular Season Champion after Kansas. He won the regular season championship by five points over second-place John Hunter Nemechek and Hill will receive 15 bonus playoff points when the Xfinity Series playoffs kick off next weekend at Bristol (Tenn.) Motor Speedway.
Sound Bites:
“I don’t know. I don’t want to put blame on anybody. I don’t know if it’s just dumb luck or what. I don’t know how long [the tire] was sitting up there, but it just sucks. I was committed into the corner to try to carry a bunch of speed in there, wash up into the corner and that tire was sitting right where I was washing up into. So, it just sucks. I saw it, you know, two car lengths before and then I was into it. It was just too late; I couldn’t miss it. We had a fast car, though. Our guys have been working all year trying to find that little bit of speed that we need and I think we had it today. We just needed to get our balance a little bit better. Honestly, I see this as a momentum gain. I’m looking forward to the playoffs, I think we’re going to have a good run.” – Cole Custer, driver of the No. 00 Haas Automation Ford Mustang
“I’ve had this mindset for the last few weeks. I went into Daytona with the mindset to become a better race car driver and hopefully to win races this year. I wasn’t looking too far ahead to the playoffs and points racing. Obviously, every driver starts in Daytona setting out to win a championship, but I was looking at it at a more personal level and being a better race car driver. We still have opportunities to go win races, and I honestly felt like today we had a really good opportunity to win this race even after the damage to our Monster Energy Ford Mustang on the early restart, but we’ll move onto Bristol and see what we’ve got.” – Riley Herbst, driver of the No. 98 Monster Energy Ford Mustang
Next Up:
The next event on the NASCAR Xfinity Series schedule is the Food City 300 on Friday, Sept. 15 at Bristol (Tenn.) Motor Speedway. It is the first race of the Xfinity Series playoffs and the first race of the Round of 12. The race begins at 7:30 p.m. EDT with live coverage provided by USA and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.
NEMECHEK SCORES TOYOTA’S 200TH NASCAR XFINITY SERIES WIN The Toyota development driver scores series-best sixth victory in Kansas
KANSAS CITY (September 9, 2023) – John Hunter Nemechek earned his series-best sixth victory of the season and delivered a milestone for Toyota – 200 victories in the NASCAR Xfinity Series. Joe Graf Jr. (ninth) and Kaz Grala (10th) joined Nemechek inside the top-10. For Grala and his team, Sam Hunt Racing, it is a season-best sixth top-10 run.
Nemechek will be the No. 1 seed in the Playoffs with the win. He will be joined in the Playoffs by his Toyota and Joe Gibbs Racing teammate Sammy Smith.
Toyota Racing Post-Race Recap NASCAR Xfinity Series Kansas Speedway Race 26 of 33 – 300 miles, 200 laps
TOYOTA FINISHING POSITIONS
1st, JOHN HUNTER NEMECHEK
2nd, Brandon Jones*
3rd, Sheldon Creed*
4th, Parker Kligerman*
5th, Austin Hill*
9th, JOE GRAF JR.
10th, KAZ GRALA
14th, CONNOR MOSACK
24th, JOEY GASE
34th, SAMMY SMITH
*non-Toyota driver
TOYOTA QUOTES
JOHN HUNTER NEMECHEK, No. 20 Pye Barker Fire & Safety Toyota GR Supra, Joe Gibbs Racing
Finishing Position: 1st
You earned the 200th Xfinity Series win for Joe Gibbs Racing, and now you have earned the 200th Xfinity Series win for Toyota. What does that mean to you?
“With us being able to get 200 wins for Toyota on the Xfinity side is something special. I think is what makes it even more special is after my year in Cup in 2020, the opportunity I had to go Truck racing with Kyle Busch – it wouldn’t have happened without KB or Toyota, TRD. To go Xfinity Series racing, it wouldn’t have happened without Coach (Joe Gibbs), Coy (Gibbs), and a lot of others that were involved, as well as Toyota, TRD. They mean a lot to me, I’m glad to continue my relationship with them in the future. Hopefully, we can win a lot more races together.”
Can you talk about how great your race car was today?
“Our Pye Barker Toyota GR Supra was really, really good. Hats off to this whole 20 crew, Toyota, TRD, everybody at Joe Gibbs Racing. We finally got the Pye Barker colors back in victory lane. That’s really special. I have to say hello to (wife) Taylor, (daughters) Aspen and Penelope back home as well. We will celebrate when we get home. Overall, amazing day, amazing car. We came in here with a goal to get a 60-point day to try maximize Playoff points and we were able to do so. It’s a huge step going into the Playoffs. We definitely have momentum on our side. Looking forward to get started next weekend in Bristol.”
What does a win like this cap off a great week for you?
“It means a lot – but everything this week went as fast as Xfinity 10G, so I haven’t really been able to sit in, and really think about the future. I’m glad that the announcement came out, but once it came out – I haven’t thought about next year at all. It’s all about 2023 and going to win a championship for this 20 team. We set a lot of goals coming into this year and we still have a lot to achieve, so that is what we are going to do.”
KAZ GRALA, No. 26 Island Coastal Lager Toyota GR Supra, Joe Gibbs Racing
Finishing Position: 10th
How was your race?
“Pretty good say for our Island Coastal Lager Supra. We started pretty deep in the field, but I was impressed – we were on the move pretty much immediately. We worked right up to the top-12 after the first couple of restarts, and settled in there. We were a solid probably eight-to-12th place car all day, which for us on a big track like this, is really, really solid. Proud of everybody. The pit crew did a great job. That was a lot of fun, we had this thing pretty dialed in – in the third stage. Glad we can get a top-10 finish. I feel like we needed this for momentum, we haven’t had the best luck lately, so this was a good step in the right direction.”
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.
MONTEREY, Calif. (Saturday, Sept. 9, 2023) – Hunter McElrea did everything he could by leading all 35 laps to win the INDY NXT by Firestone Grand Prix of Monterey Race 1 on Saturday at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca, but Christian Rasmussen’s hands are all but on the series; championship trophy after the first race of the season-ending doubleheader.
McElrea never trailed from the pole position to earn his second victory of the season in the No. 27 Smart Motors car fielded by Andretti Autosport, winning the race under caution. The win pulled McElrea from 65 points to within 51 of leader Rasmussen with one race remaining, at 12:50 p.m. ET Sunday (live, Peacock, INDYCAR Radio Network). Rasmussen finished second today in the No. 6 HMD Motorsports with DCR machine.
“What a crazy race,” McElrea said. “I was driving like 90 percent and built like a six-second lead. The car was phenomenal. The restarts weren’t easy, weren’t making my life easy, but I knew we had the speed. That’s it: I just have to win two races and hope for the best.”
Rasmussen earned the pole for the race Sunday, and all he needs to do is start the 35-lap event to clinch the championship for the INDYCAR development series.
“I did what I needed to do,” Rasmussen said. “Hunter was super quick all race long, and I knew I really didn’t have anything for him. It was a lonely race for me. I was just sitting in second. I had a big gap in front and a big gap behind.
“I just have to start the race. Just going to be full enjoyment. Starting on the pole position, and we’ll see what happens.”
Danial Frost finished third Saturday in the No. 68 HMD Motorsports with DCR car. Kyffin Simpson placed fourth in the No. 21 HMD Motorsports with CGR machine, with Matthew Brabham rounding out the top five in the No. 76 Juncos Hollinger Racing entry.
McElrea controlled the entire race from the front. He cruised to nearly a seven-second lead over Rasmussen when the first of four caution flags in the race flew, on Lap 18. McElrea pulled away to a lead of nearly two seconds after the first lap after restarts on Laps 22 and 26.
Rasmussen kept it closer on the final restart on Lap 30. He had saved push-to-pass for the end of the race and kept within a second of leader McElrea on the closing laps around the 11-turn, 2.238-mile road course.
Danish driver Rasmussen pulled to within one-half second of McElrea when the No. 28 DHL car of Jamie Chadwick and the No. 39 HMD Motorsports with DCR machine of Nolan Siegel collided in Turn 10, triggering the race-ending caution on Lap 34.
“I was bringing it pretty good at the end,” Rasmussen said. “I could keep close to Hunter because I think I saved so much through the race. I don’t know if I would have had something for him on that last lap, but very satisfied with P2.”
NASCAR CUP SERIES KANSAS SPEEDWAY HOLLYWOOD CASINO 400 QUALIFYING REPORT SEPTEMBER 9, 2023
Larson Takes Chevrolet to Front-Row Starting Position at Kansas Five Camaro ZL1’s Post Top-10 Qualifying Times
TEAM CHEVY UNOFFICIAL TOP-10 STARTING LINEUP: POS. DRIVER 2nd Kyle Larson, No. 5 HendrickCars.com Camaro ZL1 4th Chase Elliott, No. 9 NAPA Auto Parts Camaro ZL1 6th Ross Chastain, No. 1 Kubota Camaro ZL1 8th Austin Dillon, No. 3 Bass Pro Shops Camaro ZL1 9th William Byron, No. 24 RaptorTough.com Camaro ZL1
TOP-FIVE UNOFFICIAL STARTING LINEUP: POS. DRIVER
Christopher Bell (Toyota)
Kyle Larson (Chevrolet)
Martin Truex Jr. (Toyota)
Chase Elliott (Chevrolet)
Tyler Reddick (Toyota)
KANSAS CITY, Kan. (Sept. 9, 2023) – Team Chevy’s Kyle Larson will take the green-flag from a front-row starting position in tomorrow’s Hollywood Casino 400. The 31-year-old California native posted the third-fastest lap in Round One of Group B qualifying, following up the performance with a lap-time of 30.029 seconds, at 179.826 mph, in the final round to take his No. 5 HENDRICKCARS.COM Camaro ZL1 to the second position on the speed chart. Already sealing his fate into the Round of Eight with his triumph at Darlington Raceway last weekend, Larson has added momentum heading into tomorrow’s race with the driver leading Chevrolet to a runner-up finish in the series’ spring appearance at the 1.5-mile Kansas oval.
The 20-minute practice session proved to be a challenge for a few of the Team Chevy playoff drivers. After climbing to the second position on the leaderboard in his practice session, William Byron brought his Chevrolet to pit road to diagnose a potential mechanical issue. The No. 24 RaptorTough.com Camaro ZL1 team was able to make repairs to post a qualifying lap, but will be forced to start at the tail of the field for tomorrow’s event. Byron still proved to have the speed to be a contender, taking his Chevrolet to the final round of qualifying and ultimately posting the eighth-fastest lap.
“I was coming off of (turn) four coming down the front straightaway and the wheel just kind of jerked to the left and it felt like I unloaded the wheel, so I knew it was something steering-related,” said Byron. “Unfortunately at first, we couldn’t really find it, and then when we started messing with the wheel sitting on pit road, it was a broken right-front suspension piece. It’s a pretty substantial suspension component. We’ve never had that happen – probably just from running really fast around here. Our Raptor Chevrolet had a lot of pace there. I felt really good about our car.”
Joining Larson and Byron in the final round of qualifying included their Hendrick Motorsports’ teammate Chase Elliott, who took his No. 9 NAPA Auto Parts Camaro ZL1 to fourth-place qualifying effort. Trackhouse Racing’s Ross Chastain and Richard Childress Racing’s Austin Dillon qualified in the sixth and eighth positions, respectively, to give three Chevrolet teams spots in the top-10 of tomorrow’s starting lineup.
The Hollywood Casino 400 – race two of the Round of 16 – will take the green flag tomorrow, September 9, at 3 p.m. ET. Live coverage of the 400-mile race can be found on the USA Network, MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Channel 90.
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.
Limited number of printed copies available at the track on race weekend while supplies lasts
BRISTOL, Tenn. (Sept. 9, 2023) – To help race fans enjoy next weekend’s Bass Pro Shops Night Race at Bristol Motor Speedway, whether they are enjoying the race at the track or watching from the comfort of their homes, track officials are making the 72-page commemorative souvenir program available for free in both printed and digital formats.
The souvenir program has been reformatted in a Broadway Play “Playbill” style size that is more convenient for fans to carry the program with them while they are at the track. The printed programs will be available to guests at a variety of locations on property during the event, including at BMS Guest Services locations, BMS souvenir stands, BMS operated camp grounds and BMS ticket booths, while supplies last.
The program features a special cover tribute design to retiring NASCAR Cup Series star Kevin Harvick, a three-time winner at Bristol who will be making his final run at the all-concrete short track as a full-time driver this weekend. The cover story by veteran NASCAR reporter Lee Spencer details Harvick’s career highlights at Bristol. There is also a feature story on recently retired legend Kurt Busch, who will be a special guest of the Speedway at track during the weekend. There is also a feature story about Dale Earnhardt Jr., who will be racing in the Food City 300 on Friday and working as an analyst in the TV booth for the Bass Pro Shops Night Race on Saturday. The program also includes the weekend schedule, a Speed Reading section with lots of track news and information, driver rosters and hero pages for the Cup, Xfinity, Craftsman Truck and ARCA Series teams, a story previewing each race of the weekend, track history, track stats and a track map.
To access the free digital version, please visit the Bristol Motor Speedway website or be on the lookout for email messages from Speedway team members as well as invitations to download the program on any one of the BMS social media channels.
The 2023 commemorative Bass Pro Shops Night Race souvenir program was designed by Learfield-IMG College Publishing in Lexington, Ky.
The Bass Pro Shops Night Race weekend features three nights of electrifying NASCAR Playoff action under the lights including Saturday night’s Cup Playoff race, the Bass Pro Shops Night Race (7 p.m., USA Network, PRN Radio). The weekend also includes the return of Dale Earnhardt Jr. to Bristol’s high banks in the Food City 300 NASCAR Xfinity Series race on Friday night, Sept. 15 (7:30 p.m., USA Network and PRN Radio). The NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series will get the fun started on Thursday night, Sept. 14, with the running of the UNOH 200 presented by Ohio Logistics (9 p.m., FS1 and MRN Radio). The ARCA Menards Series will open Thursday’s racing to make it a doubleheader night with the Bush’s Beans 200 (6 p.m., FS1 and MRN Radio).
Off the track there’s tons to do during your Bristol visit with lots of activities available in the BMS Fan Zone and BMS Fan Midway. Kenny Wallace and John Roberts will host Trackside Live at the Food City Fan Zone Stage on Saturday at 4 p.m. where drivers and other newsmakers will be interviewed. Country music band Midland will perform the pre-race concert Saturday at 5:30 p.m. to get the fans revved up for the traditional driver introductions, where each driver enters the stadium to a favorite song or music. There will be post-race entertainment on Thursday and Friday, as DJ Sterl the Pearl will host the world-famous Foam Party after the Thursday night double-header, and country music singer Tim Dugger will perform after Friday night’s Food City 300.
To purchase tickets, please visit the Bristol Motor Speedway website or call the BMS Ticket Sales Center at (866) 415-4158.
About Bristol Motor Speedway Forged amid the scenic mountains of Northeast Tennessee near the Virginia state line, Bristol Motor Speedway is The Last Great Colosseum, a versatile multi-use venue that hosts major auto races, football games, concerts and many other captivating events. The facility features a 0.533-mile concrete oval race track with 28-degree corner banking and 650-feet straightaways that offers racing in several NASCAR touring series, highlighted by two major Cup Series weekends each year. In 2020, the track also served as host of the prestigious NASCAR All-Star Race, and in 2021 began converting to a temporary dirt track each spring to take the Cup Series back to its racing roots. While at the track, fans are offered a unique viewing experience courtesy of Colossus TV, the world’s largest outdoor center-hung four-sided video screen with a 540,000-watt audio system. The adjacent quarter-mile dragstrip, Bristol Dragway, offers more than 50 events annually, including the marquee NHRA Thunder Valley Nationals. The Thunder Valley Amphitheatre presented by Ballad Health transforms Bristol Dragway into a premier outdoor concert venue for the world’s greatest music performers. Three football games have kicked-off inside the oval, most notably the 2016 Pilot Flying J Battle at Bristol, where border rivals the University of Tennessee and Virginia Tech met before an NCAA-record crowd of 156,990. In existence since 1961, Bristol Motor Speedway was purchased in 1996 by Speedway Motorsports, Inc., a publicly traded company that is a leading marketer and promoter of motorsports entertainment in the United States. For more information, please visit www.bristolmotorspeedway.com.
