Ford Performance Notes and Quotes NASCAR Cup Series Hollywood Casino 400 | Sunday, September 10, 2023
Ford Finishing Results:
5th – Joey Logano 9th – Brad Keselowski 11th – Kevin Harvick 12th – Ryan Blaney 17th – Aric Almirola 18th – Ryan Preece 19th – Chase Briscoe 24th – Cole Custer 25th – Todd Gilliland 26th – Michael McDowell 27th – Chris Buescher 31st – Austin Cindric 34th – JJ Yeley 35th – Harrison Burton
JOEY LOGANO, No. 22 Shell Pennzoil Ford Mustang – DO YOU FEEL LIKE THE TWO-TIRE PIT STRATEGY WAS ENOUGH? “It was enough in the sense that we were running 15th when the caution came out. Paul [Wolfe] did a good job at making a good call there, and putting us in position. I could see the lead. We were right there. If I was able to just clear the No. 43, it might have looked a little different. But, I couldn’t quite clear him. It just allowed [Tyler] Reddick to get a big run once we started getting swallowed up by the four-tire cars. You’re just on defense after that. So, we had our chance into three there, and just wasn’t quite good enough to finish it off there. Overall, I’m glad we had a decent points day. We needed it. We were on the cut-line, or close to it coming in. I don’t know where we are now. Didn’t have the best of stages. So, we’ll fight again at Bristol.”
RYAN BLANEY, No. 12 Wabash Ford Mustang – “Overall, not a bad day for our Wabash Ford Mustang. Pretty decent on the short runs and long runs we’d just kind of fall off a little bit too hard, just felt super loose and lose a little speed. The last restart didn’t really work out for us. We took four and we started way in the back, and could only get to 12th. But, proud of the stage points we made, proud of the short run speed. Hopefully we can continue to learn. But, I feel decent about the cut-line. Just have to go to Bristol and have another good night.”
CHASE BRISCOE, No. 14 Mahindra Tractors Ford Mustang – “For us, this place has been a huge struggle. So, I felt like we made a lot of gains from that standpoint. We got our car at least to where it could run at least 15th, instead of struggling to run 25th. I thought we passed a lot of cars, and we finally got up to 13th or so, and then our engine shut off – went a lap down, and then just kept fighting all day long after that. I thought we made our car way better, which is encouraging. We still have a long way to go when it comes to Kansas, but I felt we made our car better which is encouraging. So hopefully, we can just continue to build on that.”
Carson Hocevar’s Post-Race Thoughts: “To come from one lap down, really struggling myself to get a grip on the racetrack to finish in the top-20 is super big for me. We finished 15th in one of the stages, and were one or two restarts away from having a great finish. I plugged the fence once or twice and got myself a little bit behind, and by that point I was kind of deep. It was a lot of fun trying to get the balance right and learn this stuff. For it to be my first true mile-and-a-half and finish top-20, I can’t hang my head too bad on that. I’m thankful to Maury (Gallagher), Jimmie (Johnson), and Richard (Petty) for the opportunity to drive their Sunseeker Resorts Chevy and can’t wait for Bristol!”
Erik Jones Post-Race Thoughts: Those last laps, what could have done differently?
“I just needed to clear the No. 22 (Joey Logano) in (turns) three and four. I tried to do all I could, it’s just when a guy gets loose under you and kind of runs you up – I had to lift and the No. 45 (Tyler Reddick) obviously had a big run there. You want to be frustrated, but you have to be happy with the run. All day, the No. 43 Allegiant Chevy was fast and we were up in contention. We were able to drive through the field a handful of times, so it was a good day. That was probably the fastest car we’ve had all year. We would have loved to get one there, but our year has been up-and-down and having a good run like that is just a good day for the team.”
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.
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Connor Zilisch Dominates from the Pole To Win for the Fourth Time This Season; Cut Tire, Then Late Incident Mar Watkins Glen Debut for Rookie Ben Maier
Overview:
Date: Sept. 10, 2023
Event: Watkins Glen SpeedTour (Round 10 of 13)
Series: Trans Am Series presented by Pirelli
Division: Big Machine Vodka Spiked CoolersTA2 Series
● Ben Maier – Started 14th, Finished 21st (Accident, completed 25/28 laps)
Noteworthy:
● Today’s victory was Connor Zilisch’s second in a row, his fourth of the season and the fourth of his career. He started from the pole on a grid that was set by Saturday’s practice times after weather forced officials to abort that afternoon’s qualifying session. Zilisch won the previous round on the streets of downtown Nashville on Aug. 5, and also scored the victory June 4 on the downtown Detroit circuit and March 26 at Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta.
● Zilisch’s lap of 1 minute, 52.082 seconds earned the 17-year-old the Omalagato Fastest Lap of the Race Award for the second race in a row.
Connor Zilisch, Driver, No. 7 Silver Hare Racing Chevrolet Camaro:
“I had a really good car. Silver Hare Racing has worked really hard the last several months to put us in this position to give me this car to go out here and win races. Today’s was a tougher one, for sure. As easy as it might have looked, the first 20 minutes of the race were really, really tough as a driver, just understanding the limit when you’re on slick tires in the rain, driving 20 seconds off the pace. Thank you to Silver Hare Racing for giving me an awesome car. Maurice and Laura Hull, they’ve taken a chance on me and have given me this opportunity to come out here and drive these cars. Thank you to them, and thank you to the entire team, they’ve worked so hard for me. I had a bad-fast Chevy that made my job easy. I’m so thankful to drive these racecars and just hope to finish out the year strong and, hopefully, make a run for the championship.”
Ben Maier, Driver, No. 75 Silver Hare Racing/Gel Blaster Chevrolet Camaro:
“It was pretty slick in the beginning and I just found that dry line, eventually, as the race went on. I got a flat tire about halfway through the race that really set us back. Then I got dumped by another driver on the white-flag lap, just chopped. That really hurt our racecar and that is just unfortunate. I like the track here. It wasn’t the best first experience, but it’s pretty fun, and I really liked it in the rain, as well. It’s on to the last three races of the season. Hopefully we can have strong finishes and build up some momentum for next season.”
Maurice Hull, Co-Owner, Silver Hare Racing:
“That’s as it should be, from the pole to first place. It’s always great to win, but it’s much less stressful from the team owner’s standpoint to do it that way as opposed to starting from the back. It was an awesome job. The crew worked their tails off to get Connor’s car ready because it was in pieces before the race. Gil (Martin, competition director), Jeff (Holley, No. 7 crew chief) and Jeff (Cessna, No. 75 crew chief) made great calls to put slicks on the car at the start because that way we didn’t have to pit. It was doubly unfortunate for Ben. One, he had a cut tire that put him a lap down. He came in and the crew did a super job changing tires quickly and almost kept him on the lead lap. And then he got hit at the end and wrecked in the last corner. But he drove a great race. I’m very proud of both drivers. I’m very proud of our crew.”
Next Up:
The Trans Am Series presented by Pirelli returns to the outskirts of St. Louis for the first time since 1985 for the SpeedTour Grand Prix Festival Sept. 22-24 at World Wide Technology Raceway in Madison, Illinois. For the competitors of the Big Machine Vodka Spiked Coolers TA2 Series, the weekend marks the 11th round on the 2023 calendar, beginning Friday, Sept. 22, with a pair of early morning test sessions, followed by official practice that afternoon. TA2 qualifying on the 2-mile, 12-turn road course takes place Saturday morning, Sept. 23, followed by the 63-lap, 75-minute TA2 race at 1 p.m. CDT/2 p.m. EDT. Live television coverage will be provided by MAVTV, augmented by live-streaming video coverage by the Trans Am Series and SpeedTourTV channels on YouTube.
About Silver Hare Racing:
Silver Hare Racing is a fulltime competitor in the Trans Am Series presented by Pirelli’s newly renamed Big Machine Vodka Spiked Coolers TA2 Series. The multicar team has won the TA2 Masters class championship three times (2018, 2019 and 2020) with driver and team co-owner Maurice Hull. Under the leadership of Hull’s wife, co-owner and team manager Laura Hull, Silver Hare Racing provides a variety of services that includes private testing and arrive-and-drive programs. The team offers six professionally built and maintained TA2 chassis from Howe Racing and operates from a state-of-the-art facility in High Point, North Carolina. For more information, visit SilverHareRacing.com.
MONTEREY, Calif. (Sunday, Sept. 10, 2023) – Christian Rasmussen only needed to leave pit lane to clinch the INDY NXT by Firestone championship Sunday at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca, but he decided to add an exclamation point to his magical 2023 season.
Rasmussen led all 35 laps from pole to earn his series-leading fifth victory of the season and win Race 2 of the INDY NXT by Firestone Grand Prix of Monterey doubleheader in the No. 6 HMD Motorsports with DCR car. He beat Race 1 winner Hunter McElrea’s No. 27 Smart Motors car to the finish by 17.8813 seconds – the largest margin of victory in the series this season by more than 10 seconds.
The win also easily sealed the season title and a prize package toward advancement to the NTT INDYCAR SERIES for Rasmussen, 23, from Denmark. He beat Andretti Autosport’s McElrea to the title, 539-474, after the 14-race season. Rasmussen became only the second driver to win championships in INDY NXT by Firestone, USF Pro 2000 and USF2000, joining current NTT INDYCAR SERIES star Kyle Kirkwood in that exclusive club.
“As soon as I rolled over the start line and got the green flag, I knew I was champion,” Rasmussen said. “From there on out, it was just pure enjoyment. My last INDY NXT race; I just wanted to enjoy it, and I think I checked all the boxes. Fastest lap, quite a margin at the end, good management of the race.
“I’m just so happy. We’re champions.”
Rookie Louis Foster rounded out the podium finishers in the No. 26 Copart/USF 2000 Championship car of Andretti Autosport in the final race of the season for the INDYCAR development series. Matthew Brabham finished fourth in the No. 76 Juncos Hollinger Racing machine, with Jacob Abel placing fifth in the No. 51 Abel Motorsports car.
Nolan Siegel’s seventh-place finish in the No. 39 HMD Motorsports with DCR car sealed third in the overall standings and ensured he ended the season as the top rookie driver, just five points ahead of fellow rookie Foster.
A caution period on Lap 6 was the only foe that slowed Rasmussen on the 11-turn, 2.238-mile circuit. But he rocketed from the field on the restart on Lap 7 and gradually expanded his lead, lap by lap.
Rasmussen led by 5.2 seconds on Lap 22. But he found even more speed over the last 13 laps, when he started to cruise at least one second per lap quicker than the rest of the 17-car field.
From there, it was a drive on easy street into Victory Lane for Rasmussen at the picturesque circuit, where NTT INDYCAR SERIES race winner and fellow Dane Christian Lundgaard awaited to greet his friend with a hearty embrace.
Engineering strategy, quick pit work help return Corvette to GTE Am podium; post-race penalty elevates team from third to second
OYAMA, Japan (Sept. 10, 2023) – Corvette Racing returned to the GTE Am podium on Sunday with a second-place finish for the No. 33 Mobil 1/SiriusXM Chevrolet Corvette C8.R.in the FIA World Endurance Championship’s Six Hours of Fuji.
Drivers Nicky Catsburg, Ben Keating and Nico Varrone continued their historic run in this year’s championship with their fourth podium finish in six races. It adds to a phenomenal year in which they locked up the class Drivers and Teams titles in the previous round at Monza and took key victories at the 24 Hours of Le Mans and 1,000 Miles of Sebring.
In its second appearance at Fuji – last year’s debut ended with a fifth-place finish in the GTE Pro category – the Corvette Racing team elected for an aggressive strategy of completing the race with only four pit stops compared to five for most of its competitors. That line of thinking appeared to be the winning call… were it not for two questionable in-race penalties that cost the Corvette team two minutes in the pitlane.
Keating began on pole in class following a stunning lap in Saturday’s qualifying session. He drove a pair of 70-minute stints while a majority of other GTE Am cars stopped 10-15 minutes earlier. His fuel economy with the Corvette’s flat-plane crank V8 engine put the team in prime position for a fourth victory of the season.
Unfortunately toward the end of his stint, Keating was involved in side-to-side contact with the eventual race-winning Ferrari that resulted in a damaged right-hand door. The crew quickly repaired the hinge system and swapped out the door on the C8.R’s second pit stop as Keating handed over to Varrone.
Adding insult to injury, though, Keating was judged by the race stewards to be responsible for the contact. The Corvette received a 30-second stop-and-go penalty, which Varrone served shortly after he got in the car at the two-and-a-half-hour mark.
The never-give-up spirit of Corvette Racing was evident once again as Varrone’s pace and fuel savings meant he was able to cycle back to the lead inside the final 90 minutes. However, the Corvette was assessed a 10-second pitlane penalty for contact with another GTE car toward the end of his stint.
That left Catsburg to drive the final 65 minutes with aims of moving from third to second, but a late-race full-course yellow period hurt his chances and slowed his progress. He crossed the line third in class, but a 10-second, post-race time penalty to the No. 57 Ferrari elevated the Corvette to second.
Corvette Racing closes its season in the FIA World Endurance Championship with the Eight Hours of Bahrain on Saturday, November 4.
NICKY CATSBURG, NO. 33 MOBIL 1/SiriusXM CHEVROLET CORVETTE C8.R – SECOND IN GTE AM: “It’s nice to come out of here with a podium. But it was clear that we should have won the race. Without the penalties, we by far had the best strategy. Ben and Nico did an amazing job fuel-saving. We had, I would say, two questionable penalties and without those we would have won by a country mile. It’s a shame but those are part of it. At least we have won the championship already, so we can’t complain too much. Those races are part of it as well. And it’s nice for the Ferrari boys to win as well. It was a good weekend in terms of execution but a bit of bad luck. But it doesn’t matter. It was a really nice time that we had here at Fuji, and I’m looking forward to coming back.”
BEN KEATING, NO. 33 MOBIL 1/SiriusXM CHEVROLET CORVETTE C8.R – SECOND IN GTE AM: “I think everything went according to plan. We came into the race hoping to do only four stops but it was five because of the penalty. But I still think we did our job the way we exactly planned to do it. I did 2.5 hours in the car; us and the 86 were the only two cars to go on that strategy, and I think it was the right strategy.
“The contact with the 54… I can understand why they (the race stewards) viewed it the way they did. To me, we came together. I was right up next to him (Thomas Flohr) and it was my intention to make his braking line tighter. As I went to get close to him, he came over to get into the braking line and the fact is that we came together. But because the normal line is to go out wide for the brake zone, they deemed I went into him more than he went into me. I felt like it was a racing incident.
“All I care about is our race and how we finished. I was not happy with the retaliation, either. They turned him up and gave him some extra speed. Then he caught up to me and ran me off the track at the last turn. I don’t feel like that was the right way to go about a solution. I’m sure he’s mad at me, and I’m mad at him. It’s not the first time we’ve had this conversation. But I feel really good about the car and about our strategy.”
NICO VARRONE, NO. 33 MOBIL 1/SiriusXM CHEVROLET CORVETTE C8.R – SECOND IN GTE AM: “It was a good stint and we managed to recover some time. Both stints were about saving fuel. I think we were doing good because as we saved fuel, we could start pushing and going for our target. We did a great job, and the car was very good. There were some penalties for Ben and me that we don’t agree with and I don’t think were fair. So that made us fall back. But I was really happy with the pace. The team was really, really good.”
About Chevrolet Founded in 1911 in Detroit, Chevrolet is now one of the world’s largest car brands, available in nearly 80 countries with nearly 2.7 million cars and trucks sold in 2021. 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.
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)
