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GMS Racing NCTS Race Recap: The Milwaukee Mile

By
Official Release
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Grant Enfinger, No. 23 Champion Power Equipment Chevrolet Silverado RST

START: 1ST
FINISH: 1ST
POINTS: 3RD

Post-Race Quote: Grant, when we talked earlier today, you found out about the news with GMS shutting down at the end of the year, and you said the goal was to prove you guys aren’t done. You proved it out there today.

“Yeah, I don’t want to ever hear from anybody ask me if we’re going to lay down again. You know, Jeff Hensley has been focused the whole year. There’s been distractions going on all year long. So if anything, this adds clarity. None of these guys, including me, have a job next year, but I feel like we proved that we deserve one. We had a heck of a Champion Power Equipment Chevy. I didn’t think we were that good yesterday; I think we were a tenth place truck, maybe a seventh or eighth place truck. But Jeff, he believes in me and when I tell him what I need, and I believe in him and the calls he makes.

We had a winning truck today. I don’t know if we had a dominant truck, but we had a winning truck. Got put behind the eight ball there at the end, but it was fun racing. I hope the fans enjoyed it. You know, this one is special for a lot of reasons. Obviously the news this week, but I want to send a big thank you to Maury Gallagher, Spencer, Ron Booth, Mike Beam, everybody that’s built GMS Racing. Thank you for everything you’ve done, thank you for everything you’ve done for me. It’s also special because of my spotter, Jeremy Lundy. My normal spotter, Tyler (Monn), couldn’t make it, but my late model buddy, best friends forever, he’s spotted for me, he’s always been there for me when I needed him. I called him on Monday and he came here, so that’s even more special.”

I know you talk about how special it is, I also know it’s one of your crew member’s birthdays. He told me earlier today he was going to celebrate, shoutout to Greg of course. Can you put into words what kind of statement this makes for you guys though as well?

“I think we’ve had speed, you know. Have we executed perfectly? No. Did we execute perfectly today? No. But we’ve had speed all year long. When we hit it, when those guys hit it, we’ve done this twice now this year. Here and Kansas. We’ve got three wins but we’ve had three trucks like this in my opinion. This is a brand new truck, I can’t say thank you enough for GMS Fabrication and GMS Racing; not just this year, not just lately, but the whole year last year there was just as much effort put into this stuff and I’m glad some of our fruits are showing.”

Rajah Caruth, No. 24 Wendell Scott Foundation Chevrolet Silverado RST

START: 15TH
FINISH: 14TH
POINTS: 17TH

Post-Race Quote: “Today was definitely a tough battle with our Wendell Scott Foundation Chevrolet Silverado, but I am really proud of the team because we just kept digging and kept working on it. I did the best I could. Salvaged a top-15 finish, which isn’t terrible. We are going t o go to some really good tracks here coming up in the next couple weeks that I am really excited for. Congratulations to Grant and the whole No. 23 team, that was great to see them pull through and get another win. I’ve got all eyes on Kansas.”

Daniel Dye, No. 43 Hamlin & Associates Chevrolet Silverado RST

START: 5TH
FINISH: 28TH
POINTS: 18TH

Post-Race Quote: “We had a difficult race today in Milwaukee; couldn’t really be able to hit on our handling, and got put so far behind that it was nearly impossible to climb out of. Thankfully, the guys on my No. 43 Hamlin & Associates team kept making changes to try and find us some more speed by the end of it, and I feel like we were able to make the most of what we had. Learned some stuff for the short track package, and I was glad to come back to Milwaukee. I’m thankful for all of our partners’ support, and with how long of a week this was for everyone on the team, I was so glad to see that one of our teammates was able to put it in victory lane. Shoutout to Grant and the No. 23 team for earning their third win of the year. For us, we’ve got five more races this season and we’re going to work really hard at improving every week. I’ll be looking forward to going back to Kansas for the second race there this year.”

ABOUT GMS RACING:

GMS Racing competes full-time in the NASCAR Truck Series operating the No. 23, No. 24, and No. 43 Chevrolet Silverado RSTs for drivers Grant Enfinger, Rajah Caruth, and Daniel Dye. Since the team was formed in 2012, GMS Racing has won five titles across multiple series, including the 2016 and 2020 NASCAR Truck Series championship, the 2015 ARCA Racing Series championship, as well as the 2019 & 2020 ARCA East championships. GMS has grown to occupy several buildings located in Statesville, N.C. including operations for GMS Fabrication. The GMS Racing campus also houses operations for LEGACY MOTOR CLUB, a team that competes full-time in the NASCAR Cup Series.

SOCIAL MEDIA:

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CHEVROLET INDYCAR AT WORLD WIDE TECHNOLOGY RACEWAY: TEAM CHEVY RACE REPORT

By
Official Release
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CHEVROLET IN NTT INDYCAR SERIES
BOMMARITO AUTOMOTIVE GROUP 500
WORLD WIDE TECHNOLOGY RACEWAY
MADISON, ILLINOIS
TEAM CHEVY RACE REPORT
AUGUST 27, 2023

PATO O’WARD PUTS CHEVROLET ON PODIUM AT WORLD WIDE TECHNOLOGY RACEWAY

  • Pato O’Ward raced his No. 5 Arrow McLaren Chevrolet to a second place finish in today’s Bommarito Automotive Group 500.
  • This is O’Ward’s fourth runner-up finish and seventh podium of the 2023 season.
  • Chevrolet drivers have led 1,176 of 1,924 laps to date at World Wide Technology Raceway (WWTR) since the 2017 INDYCAR return.
  • Team Chevy drivers have scored 306 podiums in the V6 2.2-liter twin turbo direct injected era so far, along with 22 of those podiums so far in the 2023season and 14 podiums at WWTR since 2017 return.
  • Scott McLaughlin led the NTT INDYCAR Series field to the green flag, his first NTT P1 Pole Award on an oval and fifth of his INDYCAR career, as well as the sixth pole award at World Wide Technology Raceway for the Bowtie brand and 126th earned pole award for Chevrolet since 2016 in the V6 2.2-liter twin turbo injected era
  • Alexander Rossi, driver of the No. 7 Arrow McLaren Chevrolet, and Scott McLaughlin, No. 3 Odyssey Team Penske Chevrolet, joined O’Ward in the top-five finishers of today’s race.
  • Chevrolet drivers have won five races so far this year, including McLaughlin for Barber, Newgarden for Texas, Indy 500, Iowa 1 and Iowa 2, and 111 wins since 2012 in the V6 era.

MADISON, Illinois (August 27, 2023) — With the opening practice of the race weekend starting eight and a half hours late after several rounds of severe weather at World Wide Technology Raceway Friday, coupled with grid penalties for several of the top-contenders in the point standings, as well as the addition of an alternate tire compound to be used in the race, no one was sure how the Bommarito Automotive Group 500 would play out.

Championship contender Josef Newgarden, No. 2 PPG Team Penske, took the lead from his front row starting spot at the green, and started his quest for another victory on the 1.25-mile ova. Newgarden maintained his place in or near the front through multiple pit stops and two caution periods, until lap 211 where he made contact with the turn two wall ending his afternoon.

Pato O’Ward, driver of the No. 5 Arrow McLaren Chevrolet, started third on the grid and battled in the top-three throughout the 260-lap race, but didn’t have quite enough for race winner Scott Dixon. A mildly disappointed O’Ward finished second to give Chevrolet their 22nd podium of the year.

The NTT INDYCAR SERIES races to the penultimate event of the 2023 season, next near Portland, Ore. at Portland International Raceway for the BITNILE.COM Grand Prix of Portland Sunday, Sept. 3, 2023. The green flag waves live at 3 p.m. ET on NBC, with additional coverage available through Peacock, INDYCAR Radio, and SiriusXM channel 160.

TEAM CHEVY TOP-10 RACE RESULTS:
Pos. Driver
2nd Pato O’Ward
4th Alexander Rossi
5th Scott McLaughlin
8th Felix Rosenqvist
9th Will Power

WHAT THEY’RE SAYING (QUOTES)

Josef Newgarden, No. 2 Chevrolet at Team Penske:

“I was just trying to catch up. I knew we were going to lose to someone in fuel save, mostly likely (Scott) Dixon or somebody even if the yellow comes out, we were still behind. So I was just trying to get through cars as quickly as I could after I pitted, and it didn’t work out. I got into the marbles, just a touch too high. I was trying, trying to catch up and ended up not being a good move. That’s where we landed. The team did a good job. Really proud of our group with the PPG car, and can’t thank the team enough for all of their efforts this weekend. It just didn’t work out.”

Can you go to Portland saying I did everything I could do?

“Yeah. Look, we put together a good car and a good race, and it just didn’t work out so we’ll go to the next one.”

Scott McLaughlin, No. 3 Chevrolet at Team Penske:

“I’m content with how our Odyssey Battery Chevy ran today. It wasn’t a great day, but we were solid and grabbed some points. In hindsight, taking the grid penalty here may have been the wrong choice. We based it off how racy the track was last year, and we didn’t get that today. The tire marbles were significant and that made it a one-groove racetrack. But getting my first oval pole position was a big step for me and this team. We have two good tracks for us left on the year, so our goal is to get a win.”

Will Power, No. 12 Chevrolet at Team Penske:

“I could not be prouder of everyone on the No. 12 Verizon 5G Chevy. Last night was very long with the damage they had to fix, and it looked like we may be able to sneak a top-five finish if we get a caution late in the race. Unfortunately, that didn’t work out but very proud of the effort. Two races left and two more chances to get a win on the year. We can do it.”

Pato O’Ward, No. 5 Chevrolet at Arrow McLaren INDYCAR:

“Scott Dixon did Scott Dixon today. When they were telling me on the radio, the No. 9 car is trying to make it until the end, he’s going to make it until the end. I was mentalized that we were second in true running, and man, the lappers just don’t help any. I feel like I do my dues whenever I’m not having a good day, and I don’t screw the leaders’ race. It’s just miserable to be behind because they block to protect and it’s what it is. I’m happy with the result today. It’s another second place in the books for 2023. There’s two to go, so hopefully we’ll get that elusive No. 1 we’re trying to look for in this season and keep on pushing. I’m happy with the strategy today, I was happy with my car, but it was Scott Dixon.

You’re fourth in the points going into the last two races, this team looks like it’s on its stride…

“Yeah, I’m in acceptance. If we get it, we get it. If we don’t, we’ll come back next year and push, right? That’s ultimately what it is and what it’s going to be. You can’t always win all of them. There will be some of them where you think you’re going to win, and then the racing gods have other plans. For now, I’m happy with how we recovered, and we’ll keep searching for it.”

Felix Rosenqvist, No. 6 Chevrolet at Arrow McLaren INDYCAR:

”Given the circumstances, we actually had a really good race. We had good speed. Strategy didn’t really play out well, and also we had Nick, our front right tire changer had a problem with his back, so we had a teammate step up as a replacement. He did really well getting thrown into the race like that but when you have a change like that to the crew, it’s never optimal, so we lost a bit of time in the pits. This track is such small margins, so if you don’t do a perfect race, you’re not going to be in the top five. P8 is pretty good for what we had, and the car felt good. Good job to Pato and Alexander.”

Alexander Rossi, No. 7 Chevrolet at Arrow McLaren INDYCAR:

“That’s two weeks in a row they’re leaving everyone guessing. I think we were sniffing a podium. That’s all you can ask for. Overall, a really good day for Arrow McLaren. Happy with that. It’s tough to race around here. I applaud INDYCAR for what they did in terms of bringing the alternate tire; that certainly brings a differently element. You just can’t follow cars, and I just feel bad for the people here. You can’t get any better than the conditions here today, and you still really can’t race. We need to look into it. But ultimately, a great day. Happy to be back in St. Louis, and two more to go.”

Ed Carpenter, No. 33 Chevrolet at Ed Carpenter Racing:

“Today got off to a rough start, I was trying to work my way to the outside and made contact with the 55 car. I feel bad that it happened and I will talk to Ben. I am bummed that we started the race off so many laps down. We had a better car than we have had in awhile here and I am proud of the team for continuing to fight.”

Ryan Hunter-Reay, No. 20. Chevrolet at Ed Carpenter Racing:

“All in all, a good day for the points. Our pace in clear air was as fast as some of the leaders. I felt really good about the car in clean air, but in traffic we were just stuck all day. The guys did a great job in the pits cycling through that process, and like I said, most importantly we came away with some good points.”

Rinus VeeKay, No. 21 Chevrolet at Ed Carpenter Racing:

Pretty good race! Really good strategy by the team. It was a long one. I struggled a little bit to make passes happen in the train of cars. I wish I could’ve moved a bit through traffic, I struggled a little bit with that. I sat back most of the time and we made the right calls in strategy! For myself and Ryan (Hunter-Reay) to finish P11 and P14, it’s pretty good. I did not think this would happen after qualifying. Thanks to the BITNILE.COM No. 21 crew for great stops and strategy. Two back-to-back P11’s, we’re pretty pleased with that. On to the BITNILE.COM Grand Prix of Portland!”

Santino Ferrucci, No. 14 Chevrolet at AJ Foyt Racing:

“It was the result we needed to get. The last set, we gambled on the strategy. I honestly think that was more my call than Larry’s (Foyt). Larry wanted to pit and nobody was set up, and everybody in front of us pitted. I figured let’s go for track position. We’ve been off sequence since the start of the race. We did have a couple of extra laps in the tank, so maybe we’ll get lucky again. I want to say that it worked in our favor without a doubt. The last set of tires, we had a massive vibration in the front which is very uncommon for Firestone. I actually hit the wall car enough to bend the rear toe link really good. We finished the last 25 laps without an issue, so I guess it was okay.”

Benjamin Pedersen, No. 55 Chevrolet at AJ Foyt Racing:

“We had a regular start. The initial launch was good, really good. And then as usual, people were braking into Turn 1, and I was maintain the gap. If anything, I was catching the car ahead of me a bit, but before I knew it on the entry I got plowed from behind and spun into the wall. It’s really unfortunate we were out of the race due to someone else’s fault and they’re still in the race. Just pretty unfortunate, but all I can do is to keep positive energy and work as hard as I can. It just really sucks in the moment.”

Callum Ilott, No. 77 Chevrolet at Juncos Hollinger Racing:

Quote

Agustin Canapino, No. 78 Chevrolet at Juncos Hollinger Racing:

“Unfortunately, we got a penalty on the second stop during our race when we were running P7. It’s a big shame because the car was in a good place. It was a pretty difficult race, because it was difficult to overtake here at (World Wide Technology Raceway). Anyway, it’s a shame – it is what it is. We’re still learning, and now we’re focused on the next one.”

PATO O’WARD, NO. 5 ARROW MCLAREN INDYCAR CHEVROLET – Post-Race Press Conference:

THE MODERATOR: Wrapping up today’s race, we are joined by Pato O’Ward, coming home second today, leading 18 of the laps. Seventh podium of the season, 20th career podium, fourth runner-up finish here in 2023. And David Malukas, first podium of the season, second of his career, second here at World Wide Technology Raceway, as well.

Pato, your thoughts on coming home second here on the oval?

PATO O’WARD: Good points obviously. It’s another second in the books for us this 2023. Yeah, Scott Dixon decided to do a Dixon today. Whenever they told me, He’s going to try to make it without stopping again, the guy’s going to do it for sure.

THE MODERATOR: How does he do it?

PATO O’WARD: Well, he just does it. He’s just Scott Dixon, you know? I feel like that’s what he’s best known for.

THE MODERATOR: Saving fuel?

PATO O’WARD: Yeah. He knows how to do it better than anybody with a great combination that he has with his team and car and everything. It’s a bummer that we weren’t even close to kind of even race him.

But, yeah, I’m happy with today. I’m super happy with the strategy. I don’t think we would have been able to make that three-stopper work.

Yeah, boys were stout in the pits. Super happy with the car. Yeah, a bit annoyed with all the lappers. I’m sure David and Scott are, as well. It’s nothing new, but it has to change. Like, they’re just…

Q. What effect did you think the different tire compound had on the race today?

PATO O’WARD: It brought in some pretty horrendous marbles onto the racetrack, which made the second lane almost impossible to use. I don’t think I was the only one.

Were you struggling with that, too?

DAVID MALUKAS: Yeah, it was pretty treacherous.

PATO O’WARD: I think not that the blacks don’t create marbles, but definitely this alternate tire was a special add-on to that. It made it pretty hard. The difference in grip wasn’t that big of a difference.

Q. Would you be in favor of being on those the rest of the ovals going forward?

PATO O’WARD: I think two different tires for the ovals is actually pretty cool. I just think if they want good racing, we can’t be in single file. Then even the lappers can be racing with the leaders.

Just get out of the way, yeah.

Q. You’re both among the younger drivers in the series, the future of the series. Does it amaze you sometimes when you see that Scott Dixon is still able to do all of these great things? He’s been in the series since 2001.

PATO O’WARD: He’s a six-time champion for a reason. Yeah, you just don’t run out of talent. You just don’t. You don’t forget it either. So the guy is going to be good until he decides to retire.

I think he’s got another 10 years, yeah.

DAVID MALUKAS: I hope not (smiling).

Q. Just the way he’s able to masterfully use that fuel saving strategy, maintaining a big gap, how do you do that?

PATO O’WARD: Starts with S, ends with N. That’s what it is.

DAVID MALUKAS: I was just trying to figure out what that meant.

PATO O’WARD: Scott Dixon (smiling). You tweaking, bro? What you doing?

DAVID MALUKAS: I just spaced out (smiling).

If I knew, then maybe we would be able to replicate it. But we don’t know how he does it yet, so…

Q. You both mentioned traffic issues. If there were something like more downforce where you could easily drive beside them, would that help the issue?

PATO O’WARD: No. Just move. Like, you’re getting lapped, move.

Q. Is the single-file nature of it the crux of the problem?

PATO O’WARD: No. Because if they were fast enough, we wouldn’t be catching them.

DAVID MALUKAS: I think what he said earlier with marbling, if you can do whatever possible to reduce marbles and we can actually use the second lane, then the lap cars won’t be as much of an issue.

PATO O’WARD: Texas, you don’t need them to move because you have a second lane. But you have nothing to do here.

I feel it’s more of a gentleman’s agreement, but nobody follows it. I feel like I’ve followed it pretty much my all my career. If I’m not having a good day, I’m not going to screw your race.

Hopefully that comes in return whenever I am having a good day and they’re not, which has been a few cases. Definitely it’s not everybody. But the consistent lappers, it’s like, Dude…

Q. Heavy marbles make it harder for them to move out of the way safely?

PATO O’WARD: No, just slow down in the straightaway and somebody pass by. It’s super simple.

Q. Pato, how was it having to qualify again on race day morning, then get into the race in the afternoon? Does that change a lot of the dynamic for the team?

PATO O’WARD: I didn’t think it was too bad actually. I enjoyed it. I think it was all right.

Obviously I’m not the one that’s preparing the car. I’m not the one that’s going to be preparing the car if something happens.

I think it does bring in a bit of an extra stress because of just how tight the schedule was from qualifying to the race. Especially around this place, if you get greedy, it will bite really quick.

It’s just finding a fine balance. But I didn’t think it was an issue.

Q. Going into the final two races, Portland and Laguna, very different to where you are today. Portland has been a surprise going through the first turn. Any thoughts looking ahead to that?

PATO O’WARD: I guess just be flexible to the chaos, the right calls.

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.

Enfinger dominates in Truck’s return at Milwaukee Mile, clinches Playoff’s Round of 8 spot

By
Andrew Kim
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WEST ALLIS, WISCONSIN - AUGUST 27: Grant Enfinger, driver of the #23 Champion Power Equipment Chevrolet, and crew celebrate in victory lane after winning the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series Clean Harbors 175 at The Milwaukee Mile on August 27, 2023 in West Allis, Wisconsin. (Photo by Jonathan Bachman/Getty Images).

With his racing plans for next season undetermined amid the announcement of GMS Racing’s closure at this season’s conclusion, Grant Enfinger made a pivotal statement in a pair of quests to fight for this year’s championship and to keep his name on the grid by scoring a dominant victory in the Clean Harbors 175 at the Milwaukee Mile on Sunday, August 27.

The 37-year-old Enfinger from Fairhope, Alabama, led three times for a race-high 95 of 175-scheduled laps in an event where he qualified on the pole position and dominated the event by sweeping both stage periods. Despite losing a handful of spots on pit road during both stage breaks and pitting for fresh tires along with the majority of the field that dropped him from the top five to 16th, Enfinger benefited through two late-race restarts and the fresh tires to muscle his way back to the front and withstand a battle against Playoff contender Carson Hocevar with 16 laps remaining to drive away and cruise to his third NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series victory of the 2023 season and advance to the Playoff’s Round of 8.

With on-track qualifying that determined the starting lineup occurring on Sunday, Playoff competitor Grant Enfinger started on the pole position for the first time this season after posting a pole-winning lap at 122.848 mph in 29.744 seconds. Joining him on the front row was Playoff competitor Nick Sanchez, who clocked in the second-best qualifying lap at 122.601 mph in 29.804 seconds.

Prior to the event, Playoff contender Ty Majeski, who won the previous Truck event at Lucas Oil Indianapolis Raceway Park, dropped to the rear of the field and was assessed a pass-through penalty at the start of the event after NASCAR confiscated a right-rear tire in pre-race inspection, a penalty that resulted with crew chief Joe Shear Jr. being ejected from the event. In addition, Greg Van Alst, Josh Reaume and Playoff competitor Matt DiBenedetto dropped to the rear of the field for missing driver introductions along with Matt Mills, whose No. 51 Kyle Busch Motorsports entry faced unapproved adjustments.

When the green flag waved and the race commenced, Enfinger used the outside lane to retain the lead ahead of Sanchez through the first two turns and entering the backstretch. As the field behind jostled for early positions, Enfinger was able to fend off another charge from Sanchez, who was running on the inside lane, to lead the first lap as Taylor Gray trailed closely behind in third.

Through the second lap, Sanchez tried to draw even against Enfinger’s No. 23 Champion Power Equipment Chevrolet Silverado RST through the first two turns, but Enfinger was able to gain the advantage from the outside lane to retain the top spot through the backstretch. As Majeski served his pass-through penalty, Taylor Gray continued to trail closely behind the two leaders as Enfinger retained a narrow advantage over Sanchez.

Through the first five scheduled laps, Enfinger was leading by half a second over Sanchez followed by Taylor Gray, Christian Eckes and Carson Hocevar while Corey Heim, Chase Purdy, Ben Rhodes, William Sawalich and rookie Jake Garcia were in the top 10. By then, Tanner Gray was in 11th ahead of Tyler Ankrum, rookie Daniel Dye, rookie Rajah Caruth and Bayley Currey while Zane Smith, Derek Kraus, Matt Crafton, Hailie Deegan and Dean Thompson occupied the top 20. In addition, Majeski was in 36th, dead last, and trailing the lead pack by nearly 21 seconds.

Then on the 10th lap, the first caution of the event flew when Josh Bilicki blew a tire and collided his No. 02 Insurance King Chevrolet Silverado RST against the outside wall in Turn 2 as he became the first retiree of the event.

When the race restarted on Lap 17, Enfinger used the outside lane to his advantage as he fended off Sanchez to retain the lead through the backstretch while Taylor Gray mounted a challenge for the runner-up spot on Sanchez through Turns 3 and 4. As Enfinger proceeded to lead by nearly four-tenths of a second, Majeski continued to mount his charge back to the front as he moved his No. 98 Road Ranger Ford F-150 up to 26th while Hocevar, Heim and Eckes occupied the top six on the track.

At the Lap 25 mark, Enfinger was leading by four-tenths of a second over Sanchez followed by Taylor Gray, Hocevar and Heim while Eckes, Purdy, Sawalich, Rhodes and Garcia battled within the top 10. By then, Playoff competitors Crafton and Zane Smith were in 14th and 15th, Majeski carved his way towards 16th and DiBenedetto was mired back in 26th behind newcomer Sean Hingorani, who was piloting Hattori Racing Enterprises’ No. 61 entry.

Ten laps later, Enfinger extended his advantage over Sanchez while Taylor Gray, Hocevar and Heim remained in the top five. With Eckes, Purdy, Sawalich, Rhodes and Garcia remaining in the top 10, Kraus was in 11th ahead of Tanner Gray and Zane Smith while Majeski moved up to 14th ahead of Ankrum and Crafton.

Another 10 laps later, Enfinger continued to extend his advantage as he was more than two seconds ahead of Sanchez while Taylor Gray, Hocevar and Heim retained the top on the track. Eckes, Sawalich, Purdy and Rhodes also retained positions sixth through ninth while Kraus moved up to 10th over Garcia. In addition, Majeski was in 12th, Zane Smith was back in 14th, Crafton fell back to 17th ahead of Matt Mills and DiBenedetto was mired a lap down in 29th.

When the first stage period concluded on Lap 55, Enfinger notched his second Truck stage victory of the 2023 season. Sanchez settled in second as he trailed Enfinger by nearly two seconds while Taylor Gray, Heim, Eckes, Hocevar, Sawalich, Kraus, Purdy and Rhodes were scored in the top 10. By then, 24 of 36 starters were scored on the lead lap while Majeski was up to 11th. Majeski, however, joined teammate Crafton, Zane Smith and DiBenedetto as Playoff competitors to not score stage points during the first stage period.

Under the stage break, the lead lap field led by Enfinger pitted for service. Following the pit stops, Heim exited first and assumed the lead for the first time in the event followed by Enfinger, who was boxed in behind Purdy during his pit service. Eckes, Hocevar, Matt Mills, Sawalich, Taylor Gray and Sanchez, who lost six spots on pit road, followed suit. Amid the pit stops, Majeski plummeted to 23rd after enduring a slow pit service from his pit crew.

The second stage started on Lap 64 as Heim and Enfinger occupied the front row. As Heim and Enfinger dueled for the lead through the first two turns, the caution quickly returned after Greg Van Alst, who was running towards the rear of the field, locked up his tires due to an apparent mechanical issue and collided into Brad Perez as both competitors wrecked against the Turn 1 outside wall, with both having their events coming to an end.

When the event restarted under green on Lap 71, Heim and Enfinger again dueled for the lead through the first two turns until Heim was able to muscle ahead from the outside lane and clear the field through the backstretch. As Heim retained the lead, Enfinger fended off Eckes to remain in the runner-up spot while Sawalich, who won the ARCA Menards Series East event at Milwaukee earlier in the day, battled Eckes for third. With the field fanning out behind, Eckes fended off Sawalich for third place and Sanchez moved up to fifth in front of Hocevar, Taylor Gray and Purdy while Heim started to extend his advantage to eight-tenths of a second over Enfinger nearing the Lap 75 mark.

At the Lap 85 mark, Heim stabilized his advantage to two-tenths of a second over a hard-charging Enfinger, who had managed to close the gap from trailing half a second a lap earlier. Enfinger then drew himself into a duel against Heim through the frontstretch a lap later, but Heim maintained the advantage as he continued to run on the outside lane while third-place Eckes trailed by nearly three seconds. With Enfinger continuing to trail by within two-tenths of a second, Heim retained the lead just past the Lap 90 mark.

Then on Lap 95, Enfinger was able to race his way around Heim’s No. 11 Safelite Toyota Tundra TRD Pro to reassume the lead. Enfinger would proceed to extend his advantage to nine-tenths of a second over Heim at the Lap 100 mark while Eckes, Sawalich and Hocevar were in the top five. Behind, Sanchez, Majeski, Crafton, Zane Smith and Tanner Gray occupied the top 10 while Taylor Gray, Rhodes, Purdy, Kraus and Ankrum followed suit in the top 15. With nine of 10 Playoff competitors running in the top 12 on the track, DiBenedetto was mired back in 27th and not on the lead lap category.

When the second stage period concluded on Lap 110, Enfinger notched his third Truck stage victory of the 2023 season and second of the day after retaining the lead by more than two seconds over Heim, who settled in second. Eckes, Hocevar, Sawalich, Sanchez, Majeski, Crafton, Tanner Gray and Zane Smith were scored in the top 10. By then, 23 of 36 starters were scored on the lead lap.

During the stage break, the lead lap field led by Enfinger pitted for service. Following the pit stops, Eckes emerged as the new leader after exiting first followed by Hocevar and Sanchez while Enfinger fell back to fourth after losing three spots on pit road in front of Rhodes and Heim, who lost four spots on pit road.

With 57 laps remaining, the final stage started under green as Eckes and Hocevar occupied the front row. At the start, Eckes and Hocevar dueled for the lead until Hocevar rocketed ahead with the lead from the inside lane through the first two turns. As the field fanned out to three lanes through the backstretch, Hocevar retained the lead by two-tenths of a second over Eckes while Sanchez retained third ahead of Enfinger, a hard-charging Rhodes and Tanner Gray as Crafton challenged teammate Majeski for seventh place. A few laps later, Majeski went wide in Turn 1, which allowed Crafton, Kraus, Heim and Sawalich to overtake him.

Following another caution period with 52 laps remaining when Spencer Boyd spun entering Turn 2, the race restarted under green with 46 laps remaining. At the start, Hocevar and Eckes dueled for the lead for a second time through the first two turns until Hocevar managed to zip ahead in his No. 42 Worldwide Express Chevrolet Silverado RST on the outside lane. As the field fanned out behind, Sanchez overtook Eckes through the frontstretch while Hocevar muscled ahead by three-tenths of a second. In addition, Enfinger retained fourth ahead of Kraus, Heim overtook Tanner Gray for sixth place and Crafton followed suit in seventh during the proceeding laps. By then, Majeski battled Sawalich for 10th while Rhodes was in ninth.

Then with 41 laps remaining, Sawalich, who was having a stellar race in 10th place, got loose underneath Rhodes in a bid for ninth place, spun backward and crashed against the Turn 1 outside wall as he emerged with significant rear-end damage to his No. 1 Starkey/Soundgear Toyota Tundra TRD Pro. During the caution period, some led by Hocevar and including Kraus, Tanner Gray, Ankrum, Sean Hingorani, Rajah Caruth and Hailie Deegan remained on the track while the rest of the lead lap field pitted.

During the proceeding restart with 35 laps remaining, where Hocevar and Kraus occupied the front row, Hocevar retained the lead after gaining a strong start from the outside lane while Tanner Gray dueled against Kraus for the runner-up spot. Shortly after, however, the caution quickly returned when Sanchez, who was trying to carve his way back to the front from the top 10, got boxed in behind Deegan and hit by Heim entering Turn 3 as he spun his No. 2 Gainbridge Chevrolet Silverado RST backward and hit the outside wall, which spoiled his strong run towards the front.

With the race restarting under green with 28 laps remaining, Hocevar muscled ahead of Tanner Gray from the outside lane to retain the lead through the first two turns and the backstretch. As the field fanned out to three and four lanes through the backstretch, Hocevar was leading by three-tenths of a second during the following lap while Kraus overtook Tanner Gray for the runner-up spot. In addition, Enfinger bolted his way into third as he used the outside lane to gain momentum and overtake both Tanner Gray and Eckes for spots. With Enfinger moving up the leaderboard, Crafton also boosted his way into the top five as he navigated his No. 88 Menards Ford F-150 in fifth while Heim was mired in seventh in between Tanner Gray and Ankrum with 25 laps remaining.

Down to the final 20 laps of the event, Hocevar was leading by three-tenths of a second over a hard-charging Enfinger, who was running on fresher tires than Hocevar, while Kraus, Eckes and Crafton engaged in a fierce three-truck battle for third place, with Eckes and Crafton moving up to third and fourth while Kraus fell back to fifth. By then, Heim was in sixth while Majeski was mired in seventh and trailing by more than four seconds.

Three laps later, Enfinger gained a run on Hocevar through Turns 3 and 4 as both dueled for the lead through the frontstretch. Enfinger then rocketed ahead entering Turns 1 and 2 before he went wide, which allowed Hocevar to pull a crossover move and try to challenge Enfinger again for the lead on the inside lane. Enfinger, though, managed to withstand a side-by-side duel and near bump from Hocevar exiting the backstretch and entering Turns 3 and 4 before muscling ahead with 16 laps remaining. Enfinger would retain the top spot during the proceeding laps, but not by a large margin as Hocevar kept Enfinger’s No. 23 Chevrolet within his sights while mounting repetitive challenges through the turns.

Down to the final 10 laps of the event, Enfinger was leading by seven-tenths of a second over Hocevar followed by Eckes, Crafton and Heim while Kraus, Majeski, Purdy, Garcia and Tanner Gray were in the top 10. By then, Zane Smith was in 11th, Rhodes was in 16th, Sanchez was mired back in 24th and DiBendetto was down in 27th while two laps behind.

With five laps remaining, Enfinger managed to extend his advantage to nine-tenths of a second over Hocevar while third-place Eckes trailed by more than a second while also starting to close in on Hocevar for the runner-up spot. By then, Heim moved up to fourth while Crafton fell back to fifth. In addition, Purdy and Majeski pulled a three-wide move on Kraus through the frontstretch to move up to sixth and seventh on the track.

When the white flag waved and the final lap started, Enfinger remained as the leader by more than a second and a half over Hocevar. With both Hocevar and Eckes unable to gain ground to mount a final lap charge, Enfinger was able to smoothly navigate his way around the Milwaukee circuit for a final time and cross the finish line to claim his third checkered flag of the 2023 Truck season after winning by more than a second and a half over Hocevar.

With the victory, Grant Enfinger, who won the first Truck event at the Milwaukee Mile since the circuit’s return spanning back to 2009, achieved his 10th career victory in the Craftsman Truck Series, his third of the season and first since winning at Worldwide Technology Raceway in early June. The Alabama native also recorded the 45th Truck career victory for GMS Racing, a two-time Truck championship-winning organization that announced four days earlier that it would cease operations at the conclusion of the 2023 season.

By virtue of winning the second Truck Playoff event of the 2023 season, Enfinger became the second competitor to clinch a spot for the Playoff’s Round of 8 alongside Ty Majeski as he continues his pursuit for his first Truck championship.

“I don’t want to hear anybody asking if we’re going to lay down again,” Enfinger said on FS1. “[Crew chief] Jeff Hensley’s been focused the whole year. There’s been distractions going on all year long, so if anything, that’s clarity. None of these guys, including me, have a job next year, but I feel like we proved we deserve one. We had a heck of a Champion Power Equipment Chevy. I don’t know if we had a dominant truck, but we had a winning truck. [I] Got put behind the 8-ball there at the end, but it was fun racing. I hope the fans enjoyed it. This [win] is special for a lot of reasons.”

“Did we execute perfectly today?” Enfinger added. “No, but we’ve had speed all year long. When we’ve hit it, when the guys hit it, we’ve done this twice now this year. We’ve got three wins, but we’ve had three trucks like this in my opinion. This is a brand-new truck. I can’t say thank you enough for GMS Fabrication, GMS Racing, not just this year and not just lately, but the whole year last year. They were just as much effort put into this stuff. I’m glad some of our fruits are showing.”

Hocevar managed to fend off Eckes to finish in the runner-up for the first time and for his ninth top-five result of the season. With the result, Hocevar is 56 points above the top-eight cutline entering the upcoming Round of 10 finale at Kansas Speedway.

“Our No. 42 Chevy was really fast,” Hocevar said. “I was finding lines. I was driving like a dirt car, sliding myself, running the top [lane]. I don’t know how good the fans loved it or how good the racing, but I had a lot of fun being able to move around when I didn’t think we were gonna be able to. Just kind of a bummer to run second. Luckily, we’ve been fortunate to win some races. Just close.”

Playoff contenders Christian Eckes and Corey Heim finished third and fourth at the Milwaukee Mile, but both were able to secure spots for the Round of 8 based on points as they will proceed forward to the Playoff’s second round along with Enfinger and Majeski.

Matt Crafton came home in fifth place for his second top-five result of the season and first since finishing fourth at the Bristol Motor Speedway Dirt Course in April. As a result, he is currently nine points above the top-eight cutline.

Chase Purdy, Ty Majeski, Derek Kraus, rookie Jake Garcia and Bayley Currey completed the top 10 on the track. In addition, Playoff competitors Zane Smith, Ben Rhodes, rookie Nick Sanchez and Matt DiBenedetto finished 12th, 16th, 24th and 27th, respectively, as Rhodes and DiBenedetto are below the top-eight cutline in the Playoff standings.

There were five lead changes for four different leaders. The race featured seven cautions for 44 laps. In addition, 26 of 36 starters finished on the lead lap.

Results.

1. Grant Enfinger, 95 laps led, Stages 1 & 2 winner

2. Carson Hocevar, 40 laps led

3. Christian Eckes, five laps led

4. Corey Heim, 35 laps led

5. Matt Crafton

6. Chase Purdy

7. Ty Majeski

8. Derek Kraus

9. Jake Garcia

10. Bayley Currey

11. Tanner Gray

12. Zane Smith

13. Taylor Gray

14. Rajah Caruth

15. Dean Thompson

16. Ben Rhodes

17. Colby Howard

18. Connor Jones

19. Bret Holmes

20. Tyler Ankrum

21. Lawless Alan

22. Hailie Deegan

23. Sean Hingorani

24. Nick Sanchez

25. Matt Mills

26. William Sawalich

27. Matt DiBenedetto, two laps down

28. Daniel Dye, two laps down

29. Tyler Hill, two laps down

30. Stewart Friesen, three laps down

31. Derek Lemke, three laps down

32. Spencer Boyd, three laps down

33. Josh Reaume, four laps down

34. Greg Van Alst – OUT, Accident

35. Brad Perez – OUT, Accident

36. Josh Bilicki – OUT, Accident

*Bold indicates Playoff contenders

Playoff standings.

1. Grant Enfinger – Advanced

2. Ty Majeski – Advanced

3. Corey Heim – Advanced

4. Christian Eckes – Advanced

5. Carson Hocevar +56

6. Zane Smith +29

7. Matt Crafton +9

8. Nick Sanchez +3

9. Ben Rhodes -3

10. Matt DiBenedetto -20

The Round of 10 in the 2023 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Playoffs is set to conclude at Kansas Speedway on September 8, which will determine the Playoff’s Round of 8 field. The event’s broadcast time is scheduled to commence at 9 p.m. ET on FS1.

Three Big Stories: Gateway (IndyCar)

By
Tucker White
-
MADISON, Ill. - AUGUST 27: Checkered flags wave on the NTT IndyCar Series Bommarito Automotive Group 500 at World Wide Technology Raceway at Gateway on Aug. 27, 2023, in Madison, Illinois. Photo: Simon Scoggins/SpeedwayMedia.com

MADISON, Ill. — And then there were two.

Scott Dixon reminded everyone that we live in his world. Josef Newgarden’s championship hopes hit the wall. Moreover, how did two tire compounds affect today’s race?

So without further adieu, here are Three Big Stories from World Wide Technology Raceway at Gateway.

We all live in Scott Dixon’s world

MADISON, Ill. – AUGUST 27: Pato O’Ward (L), Scott Dixon (C) and David Malukas (R) spray each other with champagne in victory lane, after the NTT IndyCar Series Bommarito Automotive Group 500 at World Wide Technology Raceway at Gateway on Aug. 27, 2023, in Madison, Illinois. Photo: Simon Scoggins/SpeedwayMedia.com

“Scott Dixon decided to do a Dixon, today,” Pato O’Ward said, in the deadline room.

“How does he do it?” Dave Furst, IndyCar vice-president of competition and communication, jokingly asked O’Ward.

“Well, he just does it,” O’Ward said. “He’s just Scott Dixon, you know? I feel like that’s what he’s best known for.”

Dixon stretched his stint on Firestone red tires to 60 laps, when everyone else ran roughly 40. A timely caution let him pit for sticker blacks and exit pit road with the race lead.

Now he needed to hold off the field AND save fuel.

“I think probably the hardest part was the restart where we were leading, having to get a pretty high fuel number,” Dixon said. “We weren’t getting it. We were a ways off.

“But I knew we could kind of stress that kind of second through fifth pack, get them into a pretty vulnerable situation. I knew once we caught the back markers we’d be able to save and get beyond the fuel mileage that we needed to. It actually worked out perfectly. We were able to go further and beyond where we needed to.”

Dixon entered Indianapolis, two weeks ago, winless on the 2023 season. Naturally, everyone asked if he’d win, period.

Fast-forward 15 days, the six-time NTT IndyCar Series champion not only has two wins, but he’s reeling in Alex Palou’s once insurmountable points lead.

Now it’s still his teammate’s title to lose, but Dixon won’t make it easy.

Though in the end, Chip Ganassi wins.

“I think what is special is going into the last two races, it can only be a Ganassi driver, which is very cool,” he said. “I know that makes Chip very proud, and the hundred-plus employees that work at that place, as well.”

In the meantime, Dixon celebrates back-to-back wins by downing cans of Stag with Marshall Pruett.

Josef Newgarden’s title hopes hit the wall

One picture says it all.

Newgarden, with the slimmest of hopes, needed everything to go right to catch Palou and win his third IndyCar championship. And for much of the first half, it did.

He led 98 laps and even when he fell behind Dixon and his pit strategy, he was in contention.

Then he hit a wall, literally.

He turned the wheel like there was no tomorrow, but to no avail.

His chance at sweeping all six oval races vanished.

As did his slim chance at the title.

Effect of different tire compounds

MADISON, Ill. – AUGUST 26: Firestone red tires sit stacked in the garage during the NTT INDYCAR SERIES Bommarito Automotive Group 500 at World Wide Technology Raceway at Gateway on Aug. 26, 2023, in Madison, Illinois. Photo: Tucker White/SpeedwayMedia.com

Sunday marked the first time IndyCar used different tire compounds for an oval race.

And the result?

Well, it varied from driver to driver.

Case in point, the race winner:

“The tire was kind of interesting,” Dixon said. “It actually had a good amount of deg.”

The guy who finished second:

“It brought in some pretty horrendous marbles onto the racetrack, which made the second lane almost impossible to use,” O’Ward said.

Both agreed, however, it needs more falloff.

“I think having an alternate tire, you really kind of want it to – I know Firestone doesn’t want to do it because that’s the product they produce, they produce very good tires – but I think for falloff like we see at Iowa where you go from an 18-second lap all the way to 22s, 23s, you have good cars coming and going, people able to make changes throughout the race,” Dixon said. “I think that’s what they need to bring back here, a little bit more aggressive for next time.”

Now while both series use different tire makers, these sentiments echo similar statements NASCAR Cup Series drivers made in June at Gateway. Denny Hamlin noted drivers could run 50+ laps on the same Goodyear tires and not experience significant dropoff.

So whether it’s a matter of Firestone and Goodyear bringing harder tires or the track surface, that’s for a more engineer-minded person to decipher.

As for the future of INDYCAR, O’Ward likes the idea of different compounds for ovals.

“I just think if they want good racing, we can’t be in single file,” he said. “Then even the lappers can be racing with the leaders.”

Dixon Sips Fuel, Masters Strategy To Taste Victory at WWTR

By
Official Release
-
2023 - Bommarito Automotive Group 500

MADISON, Ill. (Sunday, Aug. 27, 2023) – No driver in the NTT INDYCAR SERIES makes the improbable possible more than Scott Dixon, and he did it yet again Sunday at World Wide Technology Raceway.

Dixon showed every bit of his masterful ability to save fuel and navigate traffic to win the Bommarito Automotive Group 500 presented by Axalta and Valvoline on Sunday in the No. 9 PNC Bank Chip Ganassi Racing Honda, earning his 55th career victory and second win this season.

He only needed three pit stops due to saving fuel, at least one fewer than the other 27 drivers in the field. That strategy was borne from necessity since Dixon started 16th in the 28-car field after incurring a nine-spot grid penalty for an unapproved engine change after the last race, the Gallagher Grand Prix on Aug. 12 on the Indianapolis Motor Speedway road course. He also won that race by saving fuel and mastering strategy after being spun into the infield grass during a Lap 1 incident.

“It’s all these guys, man,” Dixon said about his Chip Ganassi Racing crew. “Chip steers the ship. We took a pretty good grid penalty today. We had to go the alternate route, and it worked out perfectly. This team was perfect. They gave me the (fuel) number I needed to be getting, so massive thank you to everybody on the PNC Bank No. 9 crew.”

Pato O’Ward finished second in the No. 5 Arrow McLaren Chevrolet. David Malukas placed third in the No. 18 HMD Trucking Honda fielded by Dale Coyne Racing with HMD. O’Ward and Malukas were the only drivers on the lead lap with Dixon, whose margin of victory of 22.2256 seconds was the biggest for an INDYCAR SERIES race on the 1.25-mile WWTR oval.

Alexander Rossi finished fourth in the No. 7 Arrow McLaren Chevrolet, with NTT P1 Award winner Scott McLaughlin rounding out the top five in the No. 3 Odyssey Batteries Team Penske Chevrolet.

“Scott Dixon did Scott Dixon today,” O’Ward said. “When they were telling me on the radio the 9 car is trying to make it to the end, he’s going to make it until the end. I was happy with the strategy today; I was happy with my car. But, yeah … Scott Dixon.”

Six-time INDYCAR SERIES champion Dixon also kept his hopes alive for a record-tying seventh title with the victory, as he trails series leader Alex Palou by 74 points with two races remaining. Teammate Palou finished seventh in the No. 10 The American Legion Honda and needs to lead by 55 points or more after the BITNILE.COM Grand Prix of Portland next Sunday, Sept. 3 at Portland International Raceway to clinch his second NTT INDYCAR SERIES championship in the last three seasons. Palou and Dixon are the only remaining drivers eligible to win the Astor Challenge Cup as season champion.

Dixon’s victory also ended Josef Newgarden’s run toward INDYCAR SERIES history. Newgarden entered this 260-lap race having won all four previous oval races this year and was trying to become the first INDYCAR SERIES driver to sweep all the oval races in a season with multiple circle-track races.

But two-time series champion Newgarden – who had won three straight races at WWTR dating to 2020 – drifted high in Turn 2 on Lap 211 after his final pit stop and hit the SAFER Barrier. He finished 25th in the No. 2 PPG Team Penske Chevrolet and was eliminated from title contention.

“I was just trying to catch up,” Newgarden said. “I knew we were going to lose to someone in fuel save, most likely Dixon or somebody. I was just trying to get through cars as quickly as I could when I pitted, and it didn’t work out. I got in the marbles, just a touch too high.”

Newgarden started from the top spot after NTT P1 Award winner and teammate McLaughlin was forced to start 10th after a nine-spot grid penalty for an unauthorized engine change after the last race. Newgarden led 98 of the first 102 laps as most teams evolved their pit strategies to four stops.

Dixon was on a different plan.

He took the lead for the first time on Lap 113 when Colton Herta pitted from the lead in the No. 26 Gainbridge Honda. By Lap 120, every driver had made at least two pit stops – except for Dixon.

Two-time Indianapolis 500 winner Takuma Sato made contact with the SAFER Barrier in Turn 2 in the No. 11 Deloitte Honda, triggering the second and last caution period of the race on Lap 122. Dixon dove into the pits on Lap 125 under caution for his second stop, with Newgarden and O’Ward following suit.

Then Dixon’s mastery of saving fuel took control of the race. O’Ward and Newgarden pitted for the third time on Laps 165 and 167, respectively, while Dixon didn’t make his third – and final – stop until Lap 197, handing the lead to O’Ward.

But O’Ward pitted for the fourth and final time on Lap 214, giving the lead to teammate Rossi. But Rossi and then Herta had to pit for a fourth time within the next seven laps, and Dixon jumped to the front on Lap 221 and stayed there until the checkered flag despite keeping an eye on his fuel number and growing pressure from behind from Will Power in the No. 12 Verizon Team Penske Chevrolet. Dixon led a race-high 123 of 270 laps.

Power had to make his final stop on Lap 249, and Dixon was home free from that point.

Dixon will split $10,000 with Chip Ganassi Racing and his chosen charity, St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, for his win as part of the PeopleReady Force For Good Challenge.

His victory also means the $1 million PeopleReady Force For Good Challenge bonus will go unclaimed this season. The bonus is presented to the first driver who wins on a road course, street circuit and oval in a season. The last two races this season are road course events at Portland International Raceway (Sept. 3) and WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca (Sept. 10), and Dixon has no street course wins this season. Newgarden’s four wins have all come on ovals, and Palou has wins on a street circuit and road course but none on ovals.

Bommarito Automotive Group 500 presented by Axalta and Valvoline Race Results

  1. (16) Scott Dixon, Honda, 260, Running
  2. (3) Pato O’Ward, Chevrolet, 260, Running
  3. (6) David Malukas, Honda, 260, Running
  4. (7) Alexander Rossi, Chevrolet, 259, Running
  5. (10) Scott McLaughlin, Chevrolet, 259, Running
  6. (2) Colton Herta, Honda, 259, Running
  7. (14) Alex Palou, Honda, 259, Running
  8. (4) Felix Rosenqvist, Chevrolet, 259, Running
  9. (8) Will Power, Chevrolet, 259, Running
  10. (15) Marcus Ericsson, Honda, 259, Running
  11. (20) Rinus VeeKay, Chevrolet, 259, Running
  12. (5) Romain Grosjean, Honda, 259, Running
  13. (26) Santino Ferrucci, Chevrolet, 259, Running
  14. (23) Ryan Hunter-Reay, Chevrolet, 259, Running
  15. (22) Kyle Kirkwood, Honda, 259, Running
  16. (11) Conor Daly, Honda, 259, Running
  17. (19) Christian Lundgaard, Honda, 259, Running
  18. (12) Linus Lundqvist, Honda, 258, Running
  19. (18) Devlin DeFrancesco, Honda, 258, Running
  20. (21) Graham Rahal, Honda, 258, Running
  21. (24) Sting Ray Robb, Honda, 258, Running
  22. (28) Agustin Canapino, Chevrolet, 258, Running
  23. (13) Helio Castroneves, Honda, 257, Running
  24. (27) Ed Carpenter, Chevrolet, 254, Running
  25. (1) Josef Newgarden, Chevrolet, 210, Contact
  26. (17) Takuma Sato, Honda, 119, Contact
  27. (9) Callum Ilott, Chevrolet, 58, Contact
  28. (25) Benjamin Pedersen, Chevrolet, 0, Contact

Race Statistics
Winner’s average speed: 149.819 mph
Time of Race: 02:10:09.4046
Margin of victory: 22.2256 seconds
Cautions: 2 for 22 laps
Lead changes: 10 among 6 drivers

Lap Leaders:
Newgarden, Josef 1 – 61
Power, Will 62 – 65
Newgarden, Josef 66 – 102
Herta, Colton 103 – 112
Dixon, Scott 113 – 125
O’Ward, Pato 126
Dixon, Scott 127 – 196
O’Ward, Pato 197 – 213
Rossi, Alexander 214 – 217
Herta, Colton 218 – 220
Dixon, Scott 221 – 260

NTT INDYCAR SERIES Point Standings:
Palou 565, Dixon 491, Newgarden 440, O’Ward 429, McLaughlin 426, Ericsson 397, Power 388, Lundgaard 343, Rossi 339, Herta 331, Kirkwood 327, Grosjean 271, Rosenqvist 270, Rahal 251, VeeKay 237, Malukas 230, Ilott 221, Ferrucci 187, Castroneves 184, Marcus Armstrong 179, Canapino 159, DeFrancesco 156, Jack Harvey 146, Daly 134, Robb 122, Pedersen 107, Hunter-Reay 102, Simon Pagenaud 88, Sato 70, Carpenter 46, Lundqvist 35, Tony Kanaan 18, Marco Andretti 13, Tom Blomqvist 5, RC Enerson 5, Katherine Legge 5

CORVETTE RACING AT VIR: All the Right Calls in Overall Victory

By
Official Release
-

Garcia, Taylor, No. 3 C8.R team take season’s second IMSA victory at VIR

ALTON, Va. (Aug. 27, 2023) – Corvette Racing claimed victory at Virginia International Raceway again as Jordan Taylor and Antonio Garcia drove the No. 3 Mobil 1/SiriusXM Chevrolet Corvette C8.R to a win in the Michelin GT Challenge on Sunday.

Corvette Racing took the VIR triumph for the third time in four years as the Garcia/Taylor duo won for the second time in four years in the GT-only event for the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship. Sunday’s result was critical as Corvette Racing and Chevrolet remained in the hunt for the GT Daytona (GTD) PRO championship with two races to go.

Sunday marked the second win for Corvette Racing in IMSA this season and it’s 126th worldwide victory – 114 coming in IMSA competition.

The race was one largely between two cars. Garcia, who qualified in the Corvette on Saturday, began the race third but moved to second place behind the pole-sitting No. 14 Lexus after the second lap. It stayed that way in class – and mostly in the overall order – for the next two-and-a-half hours.

Garcia brought in the C8.R for its first stop at the 54-minute mark with the Corvette team adding fuel and taking fresh Michelin tires. The team elected to change drivers with Taylor going the rest of the way as the pair of leading cars committed to a two-stop strategy.

Taylor was the first of the two leaders to pit for the final time with 57 minutes to go. Excellent pit work by the Corvette Racing crew – a quick tire change and fuel fill – proved crucial as Taylor got around Ben Barnicoat as the Lexus left the pitlane after stopping a lap later than the Corvette.

With a 3.7-second gap in-hand, Taylor set off for the final 54 minutes needing to save fuel while keeping the No. 14 at bay. He did just that in crossing the finish line by a little more than two seconds.

Corvette Racing’s next event in IMSA is the Battle of the Bricks on Sept. 15-17 from the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Road Course.

ANTONIO GARCIA, NO. 3 MOBIL 1/SiriusXM CHEVROLET CORVETTE C8.R – RACE WINNER: “This is the perfect weekend for sure. Road America looked like a perfect weekend, too, before we lost the race. So this is the perfect turnaround. Even here, we didn’t look as competitive here as we did at Road America but the team did an amazing job. I was lucky enough to be up there with the Lexus at the start to keep some pressure on them. I knew they were strong, but that’s what we had to do. When the yellow came, Jordan obviously kept the pressure and it was time to do something different on the last stop like we always try to do. That undercut definitely help. I don’t know if that put pressure on them. They stalled coming out of the pits, so that was another two or three seconds. That buffer is kind of nice to be able to control your pace. If you have to save fuel, it’s not close enough for them to make a move. Jordan was fantastic today. It was very stressful for me! I’m not used to seeing that in the end! I prefer to be in the car, but you know when Jordan is in that he will do an amazing job. I’m glad he ended this weekend the way he did.”

On what it took to win: “I would say consistency. Yesterday we tried to do something different in qualifying because everyone seemed to be so close. That probably gave us an indication about how to set up the car for today. The morning warm-up was pretty good. I’m glad that during the first stint the car was where it needed to be. I was able to go up to second, and I knew the Lexus was very, very strong. In a way, we managed to stay in contention with not a lot of time behind them. We had to be there putting pressure and eventually someone would make a mistake. It wasn’t us today, and then Jordan drove really, really well for the rest of the race. It’s another great example of consistency and a good race from Corvette Racing.”

On the satisfaction of winning after Road America: “It’s very satisfying. It’s the best turnaround after what happened at Road America where we felt everything was done and everything slipped away. It’s a massive turnaround. We were not as competitive as we were at Road America, but again you can’t give up. You just need to be prepared, be consistent and put pressure on everybody. In the end, one little mistake in GTD PRO makes the difference. Today we weren’t the ones to make mistakes.”

On Taylor moving away in 2024 and getting at least one more win together: “It’s one more win with hopefully two more to go! So let’s make Indianapolis and especially Petit Le Mans the last two wins this year.”

JORDAN TAYLOR, NO. 3 MOBIL 1/SiriusXM CHEVROLET CORVETTE C8.R – RACE WINNER: “This win is down to Corvette Racing calling that strategy to get us track position. When they told me the fuel number, I was definitely worried but the car was so good in fuel-save mood that it helped me save the tires. I know the announcement (about going to GTP in 2024) has come out, but I’m glad to give these guys one back.

More on the win: “We were pushing the whole race even on the first cycle to close the gap to the Lexus to see if we could make them make a mistake. When the second yellow came out, I wasn’t sure what was going to happen. Those guys really restart strong so I thought we were kind of out of it. But the Corvette guys made an amazing call to short-fill on the last stop to get us out front and get the track position. It was down to saving fuel and managing tires from there. I was counting down the laps from about 25 to go, so I was very happy to see that checkered flag.”

On the next two races with Corvette: “It’s been an amazing run. This one is definitely for all the Corvette Racing fans out there. Since the announcement, the outpouring from the fans from the Corvette side has been the best part, just to see the appreciation and respect on my decision to move away. Corvette Racing will always be my family no matter where I am, what I drive and what I do. Deep in my heart, I’m a Corvette guy.”

How special is this win? “This will definitely be one of the most special wins I’ll ever have. This was a classic Corvette Racing victory. We didn’t have the fastest car. Antonio was able to stay in contention in that first stint, and we made some gains on fuel-savings in that first stint to get closer to the Lexus for when I was in the car. In that last pit cycle, the guys made an amazing call on the short-fill to get that track position. They gave me a fuel number to hit to get to the end, and it was my job to save that amount and not lose any laptime. We nailed it. The fuel reserve came on, but it must have been tight because I couldn’t do a burnout in the end! This win goes to Corvette Racing.”

On if the undercut strategy would have worked if the 14 didn’t stall: “If they had beaten us out, there’s no way I would have gotten by him unless he made some mistakes. In this series these days, one mistake can lose you the victory. We’ve seen that this year. We probably lost two or three this year that we could say that we could have won. They’re probably going to say the same thing after this one… that they could have won had they not stalled. Today was our day. It was a very deserving victory and down to our guys making that call.”

The attempted pass on the 14 on the second restart into T14: “I didn’t have a ton of confidence going in there. The lap before I braked kind of late and had a bunch of ABS interaction and almost hit the back of him. That lap, I knew I was going to be off-line so I wasn’t 100 percent confident that I’d make the corner. He did the exact same thing to me last year where I had a similar run. I knew he was going to go deep. At that point in the race, I knew that had we gotten track position then it would have transformed the race for us but I also didn’t want to throw away the race with an hour-and-a-half to go. I knew there was a lot of racing to go. We hadn’t done a full stint yet to see where all the cars were on tire deg. I knew we had a lot to play for, and it wasn’t worth taking that big risk.”

On seeing the 14 come out of pitlane after the last stop: “The engineers just told me to push on the out-lap, so I knew it was all down to my out-lap, my in-lap and the short fill and calculating how much we needed to jump them. They told me when he was leaving the pits, and it was quite early so they didn’t say he stalled; they said he’s leaving so I thought he’d be pretty far ahead of me by the time I got there. I crested the hill and saw he was still at pit-out, and I had so much momentum that I knew for sure I was going to go by him. I’m not sure what he was doing, but he drifted all the way across the racing line. He for sure saw me, so I’m not sure what that was about. But I wasn’t going to lift. I would have driven through him if I had to at that point to get the lead.

“It was a sigh of relief because I didn’t know I had to save fuel at that point. But they told me after that what the fuel number was, and the stress crept in until I kind of found a rhythm of hitting that number with my lift points and finding the laptime. Once I got into a rhythm, I felt pretty good. With about 15 laps to go, I felt pretty confident that the tires weren’t dropping too much.”

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.

Toyota Racing – NCTS Milwaukee Post-Race Report – 08.27.23

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Official Release
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HEIM CLINCHES ROUND OF 8 BERTH
The Toyota development driver earns 11th straight top-10 run in Milwaukee

MILWAUKEE (August 27, 2023) – Corey Heim (fourth) led Toyota with a top-five run in the NASCAR Truck Series return to the Milwaukee Mile. It was Heim’s 11th consecutive top-10 finish and 15th top-10 finish in 17 races this season.

With the finish, Heim has clinched his berth in the Round of 8 regardless of his finish at Kansas Speedway.

Toyota Racing Post-Race Recap
NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series
The Milwaukee Mile
Race 18 of 23 – 175 Laps, 177.62 Miles

TOYOTA FINISHING POSITIONS
1st, Grant Enfinger*
2nd, Carson Hocevar*
3rd, Christian Eckes*
4th, COREY HEIM
5th, Matt Crafton*
11th, TANNER GRAY
13th, TAYLOR GRAY
15th, DEAN THOMPSON
20th, TYLER ANKRUM
23rd, SEAN HINGORANI
26th, WILLIAM SAWALICH
29th, TYLER HILL
30th, STEWART FRIESEN
35th, BRAD PEREZ
*non-Toyota driver

TOYOTA QUOTES

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

Finishing Position: 4th

First off, you are locked into the next round of the Playoff, what is your emotions on hearing that?

“It’s a good deal. The Playoff points really paid off. It really just shows our consistency throughout the season getting stage points, and the Playoff bonus. I’m supe proud of TRICON Garage, Safelite, Toyota Racing for everything they do for me, and huge thank you to them as well. It makes Kansas a lot easier. I thought Kansas was the perfect cut off race for me anyway, because I love that track and I feel like I’m really good there, so it allows us to go and chase a win, and I wish now Kansas was in the next round, I guess.”

About Toyota

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

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

CHEVROLET INDYCAR AT WORLD WIDE TECHNOLOGY RACEWAY: TEAM CHEVY QUALIFYING REPORT

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Official Release
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CHEVROLET IN NTT INDYCAR SERIES
BOMMARITO AUTOMOTIVE GROUP 500
WORLD WIDE TECHNOLOGY RACEWAY
MADISON, ILLINOIS
TEAM CHEVY QUALIFYING REPORT
AUGUST 27, 2023

SCOTT MCLAUGHLIN AND CHEVROLET WIN POLE FOR THE BOMMARITO AUTOMOTIVE GROUP 500 WITH AN ALL-TEAM CHEVY FRONT ROW

  • Scott McLaughlin, driver of the No. 3 Odyssey Battery Team Penske Chevrolet, earned his first oval NTT P1 Pole Award at World Wide Technology Raceway in the Bommarito Automotive Group 500.
  • Earning his fifth career NTT INDYCAR SERIES pole award, McLaughlin will be joined by teammate Josef Newgarden, driver of the No. 2 PPG Team Penske Chevrolet, for an all-Chevy front row near St. Louis.
  • Newgarden, qualifying second for today’s race, followed McLaughlin closely with a difference in his two-average lap speed of 0.561 MPH, or 0.1512-seconds.
  • The Bowtie brand qualified four in the top-10 for today’s 260-lap, 500-kilometer race at World Wide Technology Raceway.
  • Qualifying for this weekend’s Bommarito Automotive Group 500 was moved from Saturday to today pre-race due to inclement weather faced for the majority of yesterday near St. Louis.
  • First practice Saturday saw both Newgarden (first) and McLaughlin (second) top the charts in what turned into a night practice under the lights after the rain and strong storms cleared.

TEAM CHEVY TOP-10 QUALIFYING RESULT:
Pos. Driver
1st Scott McLaughlin
2nd Josef Newgarden
4th Pato O’Ward
6th Felix Rosenqvist

Green flag for the 260-lap, 500-kilometer Bommarito Automotive Group 500 waves live from World Wide Technology Raceway today at 3:30 p.m. ET on NBC. Additional coverage of the race can be found on Peacock, INDYCAR Radio, and SiriusXM Channel 160.

WHAT THEY’RE SAYING (QUOTES)

Josef Newgarden, No. 2 Chevrolet at Team Penske:

“One minute you’re feeling like you’re in a good spot and the next, and then all of a sudden, the race is taking a different shape. We’re just going to be prepared to react. It’s obviously a great starting position. We’ll like to control the race from there. I think just being able to react with anything that’s unforeseen is really important on a day like today. Excited for it. I think Team Chevy has done a phenomenal job. Hopefully, we can get the PPG car in Victory Lane.”

Scott McLaughlin, No. 3 Chevrolet at Team Penske:

“I’m really pumped. Just really proud of the Odyssey Battery crew. Car was awesome. Just really, really proud. My first oval pole is really cool, but it’s too bad we have to take a penalty. I’ll take it, we’ll get the sticker and move forward.”

“It’s a nice feeling. You want to beat your teammate. I’m so competitive. We all are. We just want to beat our teammates all the time. I’m pumped. First oval pole. We got an engine spot penalty but we’re going to come through and have a lot of fun doing it.”

At a track that’s deemed hard to pass on, and you do start 10th, what will be the challenge with that?

“I think we’ll be okay. We’ve got a great strategy team that sees through on the Thirsty 3’s with (Ben Bretzman) and Kyle (Moyer). Really excited for this Odyssey Battery Chevy to come through. I think it’s going to be a lot of exciting passes. I’m going to have to really nail the start, and just probably put it on the (cushion) and have a lot of fun.”

Will Power, No. 12 Chevrolet for Team Penske:

“It was pretty good. Good balance. I don’t know where the time was. I think we kind of changed gears a little bit last night. It was a good run. I don’t know what else I could’ve done.”

Pato O’Ward, No. 5 Chevrolet for Arrow McLaren INDYCAR:

“Not that you have to go conservative in these situations, but this track will bite if you get too greedy. So today, for us, the most important thing is having a good starting position and I think we’ve done that. We’ll see what Josef (Newgarden)’s got, and both Alex (Palou) and (Scott) Dixon. I think we’ll be in good shape.”

Felix Rosenqvist, No. 6 Chevrolet for Arrow McLaren INDYCAR:

“I changed it a little bit from lap one to lap two. I think I lost a little bit in (turns) three and four on my first lap. The second lap, I wasn’t super stoked about how it came together. I think it was a pretty good run, but track conditions are getting better and better so I think I needed a little bit more rolling out so early to fight with the big dogs. We’ll see. I think if we come out with a top seven or eight, I’ll be really happy with it.”

Alexander Rossi, No. 7 Chevrolet for Arrow McLaren INDYCAR:

“It was a good car. I think we missed the gear a little bit, unfortunately. I’m surprised we beat Will (Power) there so that’s a good thing. We’ll see how it goes. It’s still difficult to pass around here, obviously. The overcast and cool temperatures should make it pretty racy like it was a lot of grip here even compared to the night last night, so I think it’ll be a good show.”

Ryan Hunter-Reay, No. 20 Chevrolet for Ed Carpenter Racing:

“I mean it’s so close here. When you’re lacking a little bit, you’re lacking a lot of bit. It’s just lacking some overall kind of rear grip. It’s a little bit off. That second lap was okay, not quite about where we want it, but the first lap just missed the balance a little bit.”

Rinus VeeKay, No. 21 Chevrolet for Ed Carpenter Racing:

“The conditions are quite a bit better than yesterday. Definitely went faster. Felt a lot better than yesterday, but just not good enough. I got good guidance from Ed (Carpenter) and Ryan (Hunter-Reay) going ahead of me. That helped with a few changes. It’s tough. Guys are really fast here, and we’ve got to work hard. The BITNILE.COM team is working hard. The points are given in the race, so that’s where we’re focusing on.”

Ed Carpenter, No. 33 Chevrolet for Ed Carpenter Racing:

“We’ve been struggling as of late. This hasn’t been our strongest place the past couple of years. Unfortunately, I’m not doing a good enough job. As a group, we’re not doing a good enough job right now. So hoping my teammates can learn something from that and get a better starting position for themselves.”

If there is speed just missing a little bit, are you able to determine where exactly that is?

“No. I mean, we wouldn’t be in the situation that we’re in if we had all the answers. We’ve been searching in the back half of the season. I’m not trying to sound super critical because this whole group is working very hard, but we just haven’t found what we’re missing or what the common denominator is in some of our struggles. We’ll keep fighting. Definitely no quit in our team. We’ll be back.”

Santino Ferrucci, No. 14 Chevrolet for AJ Foyt Racing:

“It was really good. I felt really comfortable. We made a few changes overnight. It’s a really hard racetrack to pass on so I just sent it in there. I should’ve trusted my instincts a little more. I only moved the bar one click back for turns three and four. I thought about it, and had a little moment on the first lap, and thought maybe I should go to P5. I really wish I trusted my instincts a little more as a racer.”

Benjamin Pedersen, No. 55 Chevrolet for Juncos Hollinger Racing:

“There’s a bit more grip overall, but pretty good run on my part, I feel. I think we had a technical issue with the weight jacker. That was everything I could get out of it, I feel. My first INDYCAR qualifying here; pretty different from qualifying in an IndyNXT car. We’ll see how she rolls here. I felt like I left everything on the table, so that’s all I can do. Honestly, we looked pretty good yesterday on longer runs. Hopefully we can carry our Indy 500 and Texas runs from earlier in the year and deliver a strong result.”

Callum Ilott, No. 77 Chevrolet for Juncos Hollinger Racing:

“We’ve rolled up to the track with a great car, and we’ve been able to build on it. Today, I felt the confidence straightaway out of the box. So that’s not too bad. Hopefully we can maintain that.”

Team Chevy high-resolution racing photos are available for editorial use.

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.

Thomas Wins at VIR After Wild Mazda MX-5 Cup Race Finish

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Official Release
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ALTON, Va. (August 27, 2023) – Reigning Idemitsu Mazda MX-5 Cup presented by BFGoodrich® Tires Champion Jared Thomas (No. 96 JTR Motorsports Engineering) was declared the Round 12 race winner after an incident on the final lap led to a post-race penalty. He extended his points lead over teammate Aaron Jeansonne (No. 24 JTR Motorsports Engineering) who finished second.

It was difficult to keep up with the number of lead changes during the 45-minute race, which was somehow even more thrilling than Saturday’s event. There was never a clear leader, instead a pack of 11 cars broke away from the field, running nose-to-tail.

At the front of the train, Gresham Wagner (No. 5 Spark Performance) and Connor Zilisch (No. 72 Hixon Motor Sports) traded the lead several times, with Max Opalski (No. 2 Copeland Motorsports), Nate Cicero (No. 83 McCumbee McAleer Racing) and Jeansonne taking their turns at the front as well.

With 10 minutes to go, the pack of 11 dwindled to a pack of seven. Michael Carter (No. 19 Saito Motorsports) and Thomas were waiting in the wings for anyone to make a wrong move.

Based on Saturday’s finish, most expected the move for the win to happen in the final turn, but this time it happened several turns before. Carter, who was in fifth, bumped into the back of Jeansonne in the Rollercoaster and caused a chain reaction of hits up to the leader. This knocked Wagner, Zilisch and Opalski into the grass.

As Jeansonne scrambled to stay on track, Carter and Thomas sailed past. Jeansonne pulled it together just in time to hold off Cicero and crossed the line in third.

Race officials deemed Carter to be the instigator of the madness and handed him a drive-through penalty post-race, which effectively removed him from the podium and gave the win to Thomas.

“It was a hard-fought battle at the front,” Thomas said. “The leaders were getting pretty dicey and I was hanging out, saving tires and waiting for the end. I ended up being in the right place at the right time. There was some contact at the end and I came across the line in second.”

The win extends Thomas’ lead in the MX-5 Cup point standings with only two more rounds to go. His nearest rival for the 2023 title and the $250,000 prize that comes with it, is teammate Jeansonne, who finished second.

“That was an interesting race,” Jeansonne said. “Both of these races have been the hottest of the year. We had a strong backup car that we were able to put on pole yesterday. I ran toward the front all day and I tried to be smart and pick my spots and think about what I wanted to do for the last couple of laps. When I was told we were coming to the white flag, I knew I had to go for it. I got a push from behind going into Rollercoaster on the last lap. It moved a lot of people out of the way and shuffled things up. It was an interesting finish, but I’m really proud of the team and all the hard work they put in this weekend, so coming away with a good finish is awesome.”

The podium was a relief for Jeansonne who had mechanical issues that ended his race early on Saturday.

“We’ve had a few bad-luck races, so it felt really good to stand on the podium again. It gives us a fighting chance going into the finale at Road Atlanta for the $250,000 prize.”

MX-5 Cup rookies have their eyes on an $80,000 prize for Rookie of the Year. With a win on Saturday and a third-place finish on Sunday, Cicero strengthens his lead in the rookie points.

“We led a couple of laps, which is great,” Cicero said. “I was having quite a bit of fun. It was really tricky with the car overheating as soon as you tried to push anyone. The weekend was a nine out of ten; a great weekend. I love this place and to get these solid results, I’ll take that, but there’s always more to learn.”

Just like Saturday, Opalski barely missed the podium on Sunday, finishing fourth.

Rookie Thomas Annunziata (No. 10 Hixon Motor Sports) completed the top five and stays within striking distance of Cicero for the Rookie of the Year title.

Both races are available to view on the RACER YouTube page.

As expected, the 2023 MX-5 Cup Championship will come down to the final two races at Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta, October 11 – 13. Both races will be streamed live on RACER.com.

About: The Idemitsu Mazda MX-5 Cup presented by BFGoodrich® Tires is the signature spec series for Mazda Motorsports. The series has been operated by Andersen Promotions since 2017 and is currently sanctioned by IMSA. Mazda-powered grassroots champions can earn Mazda scholarships for this pro-level series. The Idemitsu Mazda MX-5 Cup awards more than $1 million in prizes and scholarships.

Find out more at http://www.mx-5cup.com.

Wayne Taylor Racing with Andretti Autosport Depart VIRginia International Raceway with Historical Podium Sweep

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Official Release
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(Alton, Vir.) Aug. 27, 2023 — The Wayne Taylor Racing with Andretti Autosport (WTRAndretti) team leave VIRginia International Raceway complete with a haul of podium hardware across the Lamborghini Super Trofeo (LST) Rounds 7 and 8 of the 2023 season. The weekend was highlighted by a historical podium result for the WTRAndretti team with an overall podium sweep for the first time in the WTRAndretti team’s history in the Lamborghini Super Trofeo series. Kyle Marcelli and Danny Formal captured the win while fellow teammates Ryan Norman and Nate Stacy rounded out the second and third positions on the overall podium, respectively.

An undefeated streak for Kyle Marcelli and Danny Formal continued as the pair started the weekend capturing pole positions for the doubleheader weekend. As Danny Formal brought the field to the green flag in Saturday’s Race 1, it was smooth sailing for the pair when Kyle Marcelli took control of the driver’s seat, leading the No. 1 Lamborghini Huracán Super Trofeo EVO2 to the checkered flag by over 19 seconds. Once Sunday’s green flag flew, Marcelli started behind the wheel and was quickly challenged for the lead by the No. 88. A patient, but aggressive, Marcelli kept the No. 88 in his sights and made a decisive move that regained the lead for the No. 1 team. Formal returned behind the wheel with the second half left to go and it was straight to the checkered flag as the pair captured their eighth win for the season.

Ryan Norman entered the Lamborghini Super Trofeo weekend at VIRginia International Raceway (VIR) with redemption on his mind. In his first appearance behind the wheel of his No. 84 Lamborghini Huracán Super Trofeo EVO2 at VIR, Norman quickly got up to speed and went to battle in Race 1 on Saturday, chipping away at the competitors ahead of him after starting fifth on the grid. Norman’s powerful drive moved the PRO driver into the second position overall and earned his fifth podium on the season. Starting from third in Sunday’s Race 2, Norman remained on the heels of the front running PRO class entries, before an unfortunate pit speed violation forced the No. 84 driver to serve a drive through penalty. Norman proved to have speed in his black and orange No. 84 as he was able to work his way back up to third position for a sixth LST podium to end the weekend.

Running in the PRO class for the weekend at VIR as co-driver Nick Persing had a schedule conflict, Nate Stacy was determined come away with the best result possible. With an impressive second-place PRO class qualifying position for Race 1, Stacy started the weekend on a high note and ready to contend for the lead. As the field shuffled around through the mandatory pit window, Stacy found himself on the outside looking in of the podium. As Stacy was running in the fourth position, the No.30 PRO entry received a 10-second time penalty to which that propelled the No. 8 onto the podium – completing the historic all WTRAndretti podium on Saturday. Sunday’s mission remained the same for Stacy starting from fifth in class and all looked promising, even posting the fastest lap of the race, until a mechanical issue forced the No. 8 team to retire early from the second race.

Graham Doyle entered the weekend at VIR as another new track for the 17-year-old, but that didn’t stop Doyle from challenging for position in his No. 10 DEX Imaging machine. Saturday’s Race 1 proved to be a learning race for Doyle as he continued to get familiar with the track and earned a top-five result in the LB Cup class. In Race 2, Doyle was able to take what was learned from Race 1 and apply to Sunday’s race. Starting second in class, Doyle battled alongside fellow LB Cup competitors all race long in attempt to keep his position on the podium. With a late race incident between Doyle and the No. 50 on track, Doyle was served a time penalty responsibility on track; however, the gap Doyle had created on track kept the driver of the No. 10 on the podium to finish second on the day.
With Rounds 9 and 10 up next on the Lamborghini Super Trofeo calendar, the WTRAndretti stable will head to the team’s home race at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway road course on September 15-17th.

Kyle Marcelli, No. 1 WTRAndretti (PRO)
“Two poles and two wins here at VIR. The win streak remains alive! Each race saw different conditions and challenges. Race 1 was extremely hot and the tires didn’t like the heat so much. The car became more challenging to drive, but everybody on the grid actually did a fantastic job it was a green flag race the whole time. Race 2, I was a little bit conservative at the start and the left mirror getting knocked in and had no visibility on left side. I lost a spot but then kept the pressure on and forced the No. 88 into a mistake and re-took the lead. Danny’s confidence around this place was evident, he was quick late in the race and opened a nice 3-4 second gap before the end. Thanks to WTRAndretti, Harrison Contracting and Lamborghini Palm Beach for the support. We’ve got such a great group of people on this program; it’s been a lot of fun and successful. Looking forward to Indy!”

Danny Formal, No. 1 WTRAndretti (PRO)
“What can I say, what a weekend. Eight for eight, seven for seven yesterday. Broken our record of wins for a season, it’s just been a season to remember. History making for the WTRAndretti No. 1 Lamborghini Palm Beach Harrison Contracting. Kyle and felt super confident this weekend since the car rolled off the trailer and the team just gave us a rocket ship. Everyone in the team had incredible speed. We took care of the podium in the PRO class yesterday, 1-2-3, and today with Ryan finishing in third place and we won then Graham Doyle finished second (in LB Cup). Super excited for the Brickyard next in three weeks’ time and hopefully we can lock up the championship before heading to Europe for the World Finals.”

Ryan Norman, No. 84 WTRAndretti (PRO)
“Overall, a great weekend at VIR. We struggled to get a clean lap in Qualifying 1 and started sixth and stayed consistent to battle our way up to P2 in Race 1. For Race 2, we started third and moved up to P2 before the pit stops and I had an issue with my pit lane speed limiter for my pit stop, which resulted in a drive through. Luckily a yellow flag bunched the field up for the last few minutes of the race and the No. 84 Wayne Taylor Racing with Andretti Autosport Super Trofeo was on rails. We had a great restart and moved all the way back to P3 overall and had an intense battle for P2 the last lap. Thank you to the whole team for a great car and a great weekend and can’t wait to push on to Indianapolis race in a few weeks!”

Nate Stacy, No. 8 WTRAndretti (PRO)
“First of all, huge shoutout to WTRAndretti for doing such an amazing job this weekend, it was a fun weekend. The first race went well finishing P3 in the PRO class. The second race was a bit tougher with a mechanical issue retiring us from the race early. Despite this we still went fastest overall and will take that into the next round of Indy!”

Graham Doyle, No. 10 DEX Imaging with WTRAndretti (LB Cup)
“As a team this was an awesome weekend. Yesterday in Race 1, we were able to sweep the PRO class with a 1-2-3 finish and today, we finished first and third in the PRO class and I finished second in my class after a very good race with a lot of battles and lot of fun. I really think it was a great weekend, I learned a lot. This is a very complicated, hard track and it’s even harder to pass, so I think I really showed up today and was able to start passing and working on my skills. Altogether, it was a great weekend.”

ABOUT WTRANDRETTI’S DRIVER DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM.
Based in Indianapolis, Indiana, Wayne Taylor Racing, now with Andretti Autosport (#WTRAndretti), is a leader in sportscar racing, recognized worldwide for fielding championship winning racing efforts since 2007. WTRAndretti has run a stable of championship winning cars and drivers in the Lamborghini Super Trofeo North America series for over half a decade, forming the basis of their Driver Development Program. Since its inception in 2015, the team has clinched eight North American PRO Driver, Team and Dealer Championship titles, fielded the first woman World Finals race winner and became the overall 2017 Champions at the World Finals in Imola, Italy. WTRAndretti’s Driver Development program has grown into interim classes and series as it evolves to encompass a greater variety of skill and experience levels. WTRAndretti currently fields a GTP program with it Championship winning No 10 Konica Minolta Acura ARX-06 effort as well as GT3 programs in both the IMSA Michelin Endurance Championship and Fanatec GT World Challenge with Harrison Contracting Company, Acura, Honda Performance Development (HPD) and Racers Edge Motorsports.

For more information on Wayne Taylor Racing with Andretti Autosport’s Driver Development Program and how to get involved, contact Travis Houge at info@waynetaylorracing.com.

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