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Kevin Harvick Receives Colonial Musket Ahead of His Final NHMS Race

By
Official Release
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New Hampshire Motor Speedway (NHMS) Executive Vice President and General Manager David McGrath (right) presented a custom handmade musket to NASCAR Cup Series (NCS) driver and four-time NHMS winner Kevin Harvick (left) who will retire from full-time NCS racing at season's end. Photo Courtesy: NHMS/Adam Glanzman

Harvick, who’s tied with Jeff Burton for most NASCAR Cup Series all-time wins at “The Magic Mile,” has one more chance to land in victory lane and break the record that Burton set in 2000.

LOUDON, N.H. – New Hampshire Motor Speedway (NHMS) honored the career and legacy of Kevin Harvick as he prepares for his final NASCAR Cup Series (NCS) race at “The Magic Mile” as a full-time NCS driver in Sunday’s Crayon 301. NHMS Executive Vice President and General Manager David McGrath presented the veteran driver with a custom-designed musket handmade by Ed Parry of Black Hart Long Arms in North Stonington, Conn.

“Over the years, I’ve given you a lot of lobsters here at New Hampshire Motor Speedway, but I wanted to give you something different this time,” said McGrath. “So we have a custom-built musket, handcrafted out of Connecticut, that commemorates your record-tying four wins here at ‘The Magic Mile,’ and as a special thank you for being a great ambassador to our track and all of our fans, I present to you this beautiful musket.”

The commemorative musket represents the New England fowling guns of the 1700s, made with Yankee frugality of repurposed, imported and locally made components. The attractive stock is of local curly ash wood that is strong, stable and eye catching. The lock and hardware are reshaped French and English in origin and the octagon barrel is from Pennsylvania. Yankees also wanted a practical gun in a .62 caliber smooth bore that would shoot bird shot for small game or a round ball for bigger game and militia use. The steel components are rust blued and rust browned for ease of maintenance and a non-reflective stealthy appearance for the woodsman. The right side carries the silver commemorative plaque to Harvick and on the left side, a silver plaque of the Speedway Motorsports logo.

“That’s cool,” said Harvick. “This is the only musket that I own. Thank you. For me, New Hampshire has been a great place to race. We have a great fan following up here. It’s always a fun place to race in front of those fans that have followed you for so long.”

In addition, NHMS will recognize Harvick during his final visit to New England’s only NASCAR weekend with a “Thanks, Kevin” track wall decal just after the start/finish line and by renaming turn four “Harvick 4.”

Sunday’s Crayon 301 is scheduled for 2:30 p.m., with coverage starting on USA at 2 p.m. and on SiriusXM NASCAR Radio and the Performance Racing Network radio affiliates at 1:30 p.m.

In 39 career starts at NHMS, Harvick earned 23 top-10s, 14 top-fives and four wins (2006, 2016, 2018, 2019). The four wins at the 1.058-mile track tie him for most all-time with Jeff Burton, who will lead the field to green as the honorary pace car driver on Sunday.

Tickets:

Log on to NHMS.com for tickets and more information on the weekend’s lineup of action-packed racing. Doubleheader Saturday tickets start at just $45 for adults while kids 12 and under are free. Sunday’s Crayon 301 tickets start at just $59 for adults and $10 for kids 12 and under.

Follow Us:

Keep track of all of New Hampshire Motor Speedway’s events by following on Facebook (@NHMotorSpeedway), Twitter (@NHMS) and Instagram (@NHMS). Keep up with all the latest information on the speedway website (NHMS.com) and mobile app.

Ford Performance Notes and Quotes – Kevin Harvick New Hampshire Transcript (7.15.23)

By
Official Release
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Ford Performance Notes and Quotes
NASCAR Cup Series
New Hampshire Media Availability | Saturday, July 15, 2023

Kevin Harvick, driver of the No. 4 Busch Light Ford Mustang, visited the media ahead of this weekend’s race at New Hampshire Motor Speedway, and talked about the race ahead and his future plans. Harvick was presented with a personalized musket for his record-tying four NHMS victories over the stretch of his Cup career – two with Ford in 2018 and 2019.

KEVIN HARVICK, No. 4 Busch Light Ford Mustang – WHAT DO YOU THINK ABOUT QUALIFYING FOR TODAY, ESPECIALLY WHEN A LOT OF PEOPLE CONSIDER NEW HAMPSHIRE TO BE A DIFFICULT PLACE TO QUALIFY? “It is because you just have to pick up the pace, but you can’t slip the tire. It’s such a fine line of where the edge is here as far as sliding the car, or sliding the front of the car and getting off line. So, you just have to be pretty line sensitive to go fast, and you have to put the car in the right spots. It’s a balance of knowing what the pace is compared to what you did in practice, and how much faster you need to go.”

WHY DO YOU THINK YOU’RE SO GOOD AT THIS TRACK? “It’s just been a good place for us to race throughout the years. I grew up on a lot of the short tracks and flat short tracks out West, and we spent a lot of time at RCR at a lot of the flat tracks – and always ran good. That carried over to Stewart-Haas Racing and just wound up being one of our really good spots. I feel like four ‘ones’ should be 10, but I feel like that at a lot of places. So, I guess that’s just the racer’s mentality on how you think about things. It’s been a great place to race, and I’ve seen it go through some different transitions as far as the layout of the track. But, it’s been fun to come here, and we have a great following up here. I think a lot of that started when we went to the Oxford 250 in I think 2009. We’ve just had a good fan following throughout the years, so it’s been a fun place to race in front of those fans who have followed me for so long.”

WHAT DO YOU EXPECT FROM THE NEW TIRE THIS WEEKEND? “I didn’t know it was new. I have no idea. I think for the things that I’ve been able to go through so far with this car, you don’t really know until you race it. Every time I try to predict something, it’s usually wrong. I think as we’ve gone through last year and the beginning of this year, there are some places that are a little bit different on the tire compared to the other short tracks. This place is just a little bit unique, and I’m sure that’s why they switched it up a little bit for here.”

HOW DO YOU BALANCE STAYING COMPETITIVE WITH ENJOYING YOUR FINAL RACES AT MOST OF THE TRACKS? “Yeah, it’s really been no issue. We’ve had such a laid-out plan for so long, and all that was intended to know that you’re going to do things, but also put yourself in a position to be competitive. We’ve done that pretty much every week except for Chicago and North Wilkesboro. You just have to grind away, and that’s just kind of the nature of the beast. With this particular car, you’re just going to have some weeks that you’re ‘off.’ For the most part, we’ve been competitive. We’ve had a couple of chances to win races, and it just hadn’t all come together to be able to get to victory lane. From the competition side, I think everything has gone well, and the rest of it – we planned for and knew it would be more work than what a normal season would be. I think there are some places that you look at and realize everything that you’ve been able to accomplish throughout the years, and you can kind of go back. That’s the cool part about this year: You can let your guard down, go back and say, ‘Yeah, it has been a good racetrack for us.’ We’ve been fortunate enough to have some success, and this is one of those places where you can check that box, let your guard down and say, ‘Yeah, this has been a great racetrack for us, and we have had some success.’ That makes it fun, because there’s nothing to hide anymore. You don’t have to hide what you think about really anything, just because of the fact that next year is different. For years, I didn’t want everybody to really know what I thought, what I was thinking or know too much about you, because you can put yourself in a position where people know your weaknesses or strong points. So the less you say, the less they know. That’s not really relevant this year, and it’s been fun to kind of just let your guard down and say what you think.”

DO YOU FEEL LIKE YOU AND THE TEAM ARE BUILDING TOWARD A WIN? “I do. You look back at Nashville – the car was so fast. I think we ran the leaders down by like four seconds, and then a tire went flat. We had that same thing at Phoenix and at a couple other places, and it just hasn’t worked out. You just have to keep grinding away, and hopefully you get some things that go your way like last year – keep the cars running well to put yourself in position, and then go from there.”

DO YOU FEEL ANY INCREASE IN INTENSITY INCHING CLOSER TO THE PLAYOFFS? “I don’t feel like anything changes anymore. I think there’s probably some desperation, as you saw with some of the circumstances at Atlanta – staying out, hoping for rain… and Chicago, trying to put yourself in position with the pit cycle and things like that. So, there’s definitely some ‘Hail Marys.’ They work every once in a while, so you never know, right? It’s definitely different with this car, because it is so intense every week with the restarts and what you have to do to pass. For us, it doesn’t really change because in 2015, we just decided to race every week like it was a playoff week. If you have to switch gears, you’re in big trouble. It’s a different way to race.”

WE HAVE HAD SHORTENED RACES THE LAST FEW WEEKS. ARE THERE ANY TAKEAWAYS THAT CAN BE APPLIED FOR THE FUTURE? “Well, I think Atlanta needed to go all the way with the way the stages broke up and everything. I think Chicago was scheduled to be too long, and I think if we start a race in the rain, we need to have a time limit or something. Because, the rain laps are so much slower and it just winds up taking all day. But I think that 75 laps at Chicago would have been fine. I think everyone will probably go back, look and review, and see that the shorter race at that particular place would have been fine. I’m still of the opinion that if the race starts in wet weather – if it’s on an oval or we’re in hurry-up mode like we were at Atlanta – then we should have the rolling stages like we do on the road courses. I think you should have that option to clarify that before the race, because we might have been able to get the whole race in if we didn’t stop for the stages. So, probably not. But, it would have given you a better opportunity. I think you need to have those hurry-up modes and possibly talk about time. Time really became of the essence at Chicago, just because of the fact that it was going to get dark. But, I think that race being 75 laps would have been fine, even in the dry.”

WHAT ARE YOUR FUTURE PLANS WITH SHR AND KHI? “There’s really nothing happening at Stewart-Haas Racing for me personally. But, I think from a management standpoint, we’ve gone and restructured all that to be able to spend more time with the drivers and the things that they are doing – the teams. We will run several late models and super late models out of our shop next year. That’s already in process. We’ve been going through the new look of what everything will look like as far as KHI and KHI Management. We opened up an E-Z-GO dealership in Mooresville. So, that stuff is more of the retirement stuff and it’s all been in play for the last year and a half. As to what it looks like when Phoenix is over: All that stuff will be functioning already by the end of the year. There are already a few cars that are in the shop, and we’ve been transitioning through facilities as far as storage, shop space and things like that.”

OTHER TRACKS HAVE GIVEN ROCKING CHAIRS THE LAST FEW YEARS, SO THE MUSKET HAS TO BE COOL FOR YOU? “Well, I did get one rocking chair, but that was from my friend, Jake Owen. So, I do have a few rocking chairs that have come from other places. But yeah, but that’s what I want to be. I want to be full of energy and do things in a different way, and make a difference from the TV booth, with our drivers and teams we work with from a management side of things. People think and they’re like, ‘Why’d you open up a retail business?’ I’m like, ‘Well, everybody’s done everything for me for my whole entire racing career, so it’s fun to be involved on a daily basis with sales, marketing and all the things that come with a retail business.’ So, that’s really more because of a relationship and for me to give me something to do. I’ve learned, and Dale Jr. warned me of this, that I would be busier when I got out of the car than I was in the car. Because in the car, I already had an excuse to not do things. Out of the car, you have no excuse to not do anything. So, I’m learning that quickly. But I will have control of my schedule after I get done with the first half of FOX as far as what I do on the weekends. But during the week, I have to work. My wife would kill me if I didn’t work. If I was home everyday, I’d be a big problem. We would have way too many projects going on. So, it’s going to be fun because I really enjoy the race team part of it. I always said that I’d never do the race team stuff again, but I really enjoy just watching the car at Caraway with Layne Riggs in it, and watching everybody work. Now it’s to the point where we’re out hiring people, putting people in the shop and racing. So, the good news is that it doesn’t matter where it goes. As long as it’s fun, and we can enjoy it. I really enjoy the group of owners that we have with the CARS Tour and the impact we’ve made in short track racing. I’m starting to realize the impact you can make for the racers and the sport in general to help progress it in a great direction. So, that’s been kind of a learning curve of the impact you can have on things. So, we’ll continue to go forward with that and try to help people in whatever way we can to make racing great.”

YOU MENTIONED THE LATE MODEL STUFF. ARE THERE ANY BUCKET LIST RACES YOU’D LIKE TO RUN NEXT YEAR WITH YOUR LATE MODEL PROGRAM? “I mean, the plan right now is to run a lot of those races – Snowball Derby, Slinger, Nashville. However that all lies out. It just depends. The race teams are going to be primarily used for the management company drivers and the things that they want to do as we go forward. So, the teams are kind of an extension of what we’ll do from the management side to give them the opportunity to get into good cars, be safe and do the things that we can do. But also, help the CARS Tour and be able to put Cup guys in there when they want to come race. I don’t know if it’s necessarily for me. I could honestly wind up not driving another race next year if it winds up that busy. Because, I enjoy watching them. I don’t know how I’ll feel about that in June next year after you’ve not done anything for six months. So, I think that’s sort of a moving target. But I want management and those guys to have the opportunity to go do what they want to do, and do it in good cars.”

WHICH RACER, THROUGH YOUR CAREER, HAS PUSHED YOU THE MOST TO BE AT YOUR BEST? “Well, I’m still driving. There is a limit. But I always thought it was fun when Kyle [Busch] had his team, and him and [Ron] Hornaday were going at it. We’d run races just to aggravate him for fun when I’d drive it. I think he’d do the same, and it drove him into building his own teams and out of the No. 51 Truck. That was a really fun period of time because that would carry over from Friday to Saturday to Sunday, and we’d run over each other. As we’ve gone through the years, we’ve learned to respect each other, and I think there was a great rivalry there for a number of years whether it was on Friday, Saturday or Sunday. That, to me, was a great period of time of being able to push the limits, and also have fun with that particular piece of the puzzle.”

HOW IMPORTANT ARE THE CARS TOUR AND SHORT TRACK RACING FOR BRIDGING THE GAP TO NASCAR? “Well, I think the most important thing is using our platform to expose who those short track drivers are. Josh Berry has been a huge part of that, in being able to recognize that there are a lot of good short track racers. And Josh, being able to go into the No. 4 car – and it’s not a paid-for situation – gives a lot of those guys hope that it can be done and it can be a part of just doing the right thing. Being successful and doing the right things on and off the racetrack. So, we have a lot of great racers across the country, racing at these short tracks. For us, our focus is the CARS Tour, and from what you’ve seen from the four of us, on a weekly basis just promoting the races when they’re on. If some of the guys or gals have fun Tweets or posts on Instagram, you see Dale or myself reposting that stuff trying to give them a platform to be able to have a shot. And really, try to help them understand what is actually supposed to happen from a social standpoint – how you act and how you drive. I don’t think we’ve had that over the last few years, and I think that’s why some of the racing gets sloppy at the short track levels, because they get away with it. We’re not going to let that happen. That’s important.”

Four-Time NHMS Winner Jeff Burton Named Crayon 301 Honorary Pace Car Driver

By
Official Release
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NBC Motorsports Analyst and four-time New Hampshire Motor Speedway winner Jeff Burton has been named the honorary pace car driver for Sunday's Crayon 301 NASCAR Cup Series race at "The Magic Mile." Photo Courtesy: NBC Sports

Driver turned NBC motorsports analyst, who is tied with Kevin Harvick for most Cup wins all-time at “The Magic Mile,” will lead the field to green Sunday.

LOUDON, N.H. – No stranger to leading the field at New Hampshire Motor Speedway (NHMS), NBC motorsports analyst and four-time NHMS NASCAR Cup Series (NCS) winner Jeff Burton has been named honorary pace car driver for Sunday’s Crayon 301 and will once again set the pace at “The Magic Mile.”

“I’m honored to be asked to drive the pace car on Sunday,” Burton said. “NHMS has been a huge part of my career, and it’s humbling to have an opportunity to celebrate my success at the track.”

In 39 career starts at NHMS, Burton earned 15 top-10s, nine top-fives and four wins (1997, 1998, 1999, 2000). The four wins at the 1.058-mile track ties him for most all-time with Kevin Harvick, who will make his final start as a full-time driver at the Loudon facility on Sunday.

Before New England’s only NCS race hits the track, fans will be treated to a bevy of entertainment in the Fan Zone, including the Canine Stars dog stunt show, NASCAR Kids Zone and Trackside Live driver appearances by Ross Chastain, Brad Keselowski and Justin Haley on “The Magic Mile” Entertainment Stage.

For a full NASCAR weekend schedule, including on-track action, Fan Zone fun and much more, visit NHMS.com/Events/NASCAR-Cup-Series/Schedule/.

Tickets:

Log on to NHMS.com for tickets and more information on the weekend’s lineup of action-packed racing. Doubleheader Saturday tickets start at just $45 for adults while kids 12 and under are free. Sunday’s Crayon 301 tickets start at just $59 for adults and $10 for kids 12 and under.

Follow Us:

Keep track of all of New Hampshire Motor Speedway’s events by following on Facebook (@NHMotorSpeedway), Twitter (@NHMS) and Instagram (@NHMS). Keep up with all the latest information on the speedway website (NHMS.com) and mobile app.

Logan Bearden Readies Second Red Bud 400

By
Official Release
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ANDERSON, Ind: Leander, Texas’s Logan Bearden will trade in his wrenches for a steering wheel this weekend as the part-time NASCAR CRAFTSMAN® Truck Series driver eyes a statement performance in Saturday’s 57th annual Greg Hubler Automotive Group Redbud 400 at the famed Anderson (Ind.) Speedway.

The Redbud 400, a Champion Racing Association-sanctioned event since 2000, now also becomes an ASA STARS National Tour event in the inaugural season of the rebirth of the American Speed Association namesake that was born, like Champion Racing Association, at Anderson Speedway.

Bearden, who now calls Mooresville, N.C. home and is a full-time employee at AM Racing returns to the Super Late Model scene on the heels of a competitive sixth-place finish in the CRA Super Series event at Fairgrounds Speedway Nashville on July 2.

Excited to get back behind the wheel of his Bearden Motorsports No. 66 Ford Mustang, Bearden hopes the staple Midwest Super Late Model event this weekend will allow him to continue to showcase his talent while delivering his team and supporters a satisfying finish.

“I’m looking forward to competing in the Red Bud 400 this weekend,” said Bearden. “I’m feeling good about this year’s Redbud 400. It’ll be nice going back to a now familiar place.

“Nashville was a great boost for the team and me and now we’re heading back to the Red Bud 400 hoping to improve on our finish from the 2022 race.”

Last year, Bearden battled the best of the best on the Late Model scene running with the likes of Sammy Smith, William Sawalich and Stephen Nasse before finishing fifth.

While satisfied with their performance last summer, Bearden returns eager to win and believes with the right circumstances, the opportunity to contend for the win will present itself.

“Just like last year, it is going to be a competitive field, but I think we are more than ready for the challenge that awaits us,” added Bearden. “Just being able to sit back and click off laps and be able to capitalize on restarts.

“With it being such a long race staying on the lead lap and keeping the fenders on it is key. As a team, we learned a lot last summer and I’m looking forward to taking the notes from our race last year – combined with what we have learned over the past year and hope it puts us in a position to be even faster than we were last year.”

Set for his second Red Bud 400 attempt, Bearden knows that handling will be crucial for the race, especially late in the race and will be leaning on the leadership of crew chief Marc Metz to make the right calls to keep him in the hunt aboard his No. 66 Bearden Automotive | Parker Electric Ford Mustang.

“I believe in my team and I know they have confidence in me as a driver,” he continued. “I think at a minimum we can come out of this weekend with a top-five, but I also believe we can compete for the win we had a really good car last year driving to second before we had a tire go down.

“We just need to keep the balance under our race car, stay out of trouble and have some luck and I think we can find ourselves knocking on the door for that win on Saturday night.”

Following the Red Bud 400, Bearden will return to North Carolina and continue his role as a lead mechanic for the Statesville, N.C.-based AM Racing team before returning to the CRA tour at Lucas Oil Indianapolis Raceway Park on Saturday, August 12, 2023, with other Late Model races at Winchester Speedway, Toledo Speedway and Nashville still left on his calendar.

“I’m feeling good about the rest of the year,” sounded Bearden. “It will be nice to return to these tracks this year whereas last year a majority of them were all new to me.”

Behind the Late Model scenes, Bearden is also working with his management team along with AM Racing to put him back in the NASCAR CRAFTSMAN® Truck Series field this season with a hopeful expanded NASCAR schedule in 2024.

“I’m very thankful for the opportunities that AM Racing has presented me,” added Bearden. “I am learning a lot about myself, as well as about the NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series. The team and I have a plan and I believe in that plan; we just have to stay focused and hope the future is what we all want it to be.”

The 57th annual Redbud 400 will be 400 laps counting yellows and will pay the winner $15,000.

The 2023 version will mark the return of the iconic ASA brand to the Redbud 400 for the first time since 1999, with the ASA STARS National Tour set to sanction the 400-lap, 100-mile race.

The Redbud 400 will be co-sanctioned with the ASA CRA Super Series, which will be the third race of the CRA season.

On-track activities for the 57th Annual Greg Hubler Automotive Group Redbud 400 will kick off on Friday, July 14th with inspection and practice for the ASA STARS National Tour. Go Fas Pole Qualifying is scheduled for Saturday afternoon, July 15th, with the Redbud 400 set to go green at 7:30 p.m. Eastern Time.

Fans who can’t attend the Redbud 400 on Saturday can stream the event via TrackTv.com, MidwestTour.TV, or RacingAmerica.TV.

Anderson Speedway is located at 1311 Martin Luther King Blvd. in Anderson, IN.

For more on Logan Bearden, please visit LoganBearden.com, like his Facebook page (Logan Bearden Racing) or follow him on Twitter @LoganBearden66.

Chandler Smith scores third Xfinity Series career pole at New Hampshire

By
Angie Campbell
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Chandler Smith, driver of the #16 Quick Tie Products Inc. Chevrolet, poses for photos after winning the pole award during qualifying for the NASCAR Xfinity Series Ambetter Health 200 at New Hampshire Motor Speedway on July 14, 2023 in Loudon, New Hampshire. (Photo by Jonathan Bachman/Getty Images)

Chandler Smith earned the NASCAR Xfinity Series pole Friday afternoon for the Ambetter Health 200 at New Hampshire Motor Speedway in his Kaulig Racing No. 16 Chevrolet with a 126.291 mph lap. It was his second consecutive pole, mirroring his effort at Atlanta Motor Speedway last week and his third Xfinity Series career pole.

No one was more surprised than Smith who said, “I knew Kaulig Racing brought me a really fast Quick Tie Products Camaro but I thought I did a horrible job on my part.”

John Hunter Nemechek will start beside Smith on the front row after posting a 126.123 mph lap in the No. 20 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota. JR Motorsports had a strong showing with drivers Josh Berry, Justin Allgaier and Brandon Jones completing the top five starting positions. Cole Custer, Sammy Smith, Austin Hill, Austin Dillon and Sam Mayer rounded out the top 10 in the qualifying session.

During practice on Friday Ryan Sieg lost the brakes in his No. 39 RSS Racing Ford Mustang and crashed into the No. 26 Sam Hunt Racing Toyota driven by Kaz Grala. As a result, both drivers will go to backup cars and start at the rear of the field.

“Man, that’s frustrating,“ Grala said after the incident. “That was probably the fastest we’ve unloaded all year.”

The Xfinity Series Ambetter Health 200 at New Hampshire Motor Speedway is set for 3 p.m. ET Saturday on USA with radio coverage on PRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.

Starting Lineup for Xfinity Series Ambetter Health 200

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Kirkwood Paces Andretti Power Play on Streets of Toronto

By
Official Release
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TORONTO (Friday, July 14, 2023) – Andretti Autosport showed off its street-circuit prowess during practice Friday for the Honda Indy Toronto, as the NTT INDYCAR SERIES team took three of the top four spots on the time sheet, led by Kyle Kirkwood.

Kirkwood was quickest in the 75-minute session on the 11-turn, 1.786-mile temporary street circuit around Exhibition Place in Canada’s largest city, turning a best lap of 1 minute, .8075 of a second in the No. 27 AutoNation Honda. Kirkwood’s strength on rough-and-tumble, concrete-lined street circuits came as no surprise, as he won the Acura Long Beach Grand Prix from the pole on a street course in April.

“It went phenomenal for us,” Kirkwood said. “We kind of led the whole session. Andretti Autosport does a fantastic job at setting up these street-course cars, specifically. Fingers crossed. You expect to see some more of that. It’s a good start for us, but we’ve got to keep the thing going.”

Up next is a 45-minute practice at 10:45 a.m. ET Saturday, followed by NTT P1 Award qualifying at 2:50 p.m.

Kirkwood’s Andretti Autosport teammate Romain Grosjean was second in practice Friday at 1:00.8575 in the No. 28 DHL Honda. Grosjean also has shown speed this season on street circuits, as he won the NTT P1 Award at the season-opening Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg presented by RP Funding in March. He also finished second to Kirkwood at Long Beach.

Felix Rosenqvist was third at 1:00.8607 in the No. 6 Arrow McLaren Chevrolet, the quickest Chevy-powered driver.

Andretti Autosport’s street party continued with Colton Herta fourth at 1:00.9135 in the No. 26 Gainbridge Honda. Herta has won the NTT P1 Award at the last two races this season, on natural road courses at Road America and Mid-Ohio.

Scott McLaughlin rounded out the top five at 1:00.9700 in the No. 3 Gallagher Insurance Team Penske Chevrolet.

All eyes this weekend are on championship leader Alex Palou, who is trying to become just the sixth driver since 1970 to win four consecutive INDYCAR SERIES races, joining Al Unser (1970) Al Unser Jr. (1990), Alex Zanardi (1998), Cristiano Da Matta (2002) and Sebastien Bourdais (2006). Palou, who leads the series by a healthy 110 points, ended up 12th at 1:01.3233 in the No. 10 Journie Rewards Honda.

Tom Blomqvist is another driver attracting attention this weekend. Blomqvist is making his NTT INDYCAR SERIES debut with Meyer Shank Racing as a replacement for 2016 series champion Simon Pagenaud, who was not cleared to drive after a violent flip in practice July 1 during The Honda Indy 200 at Mid-Ohio Presented by the 2023 Accord Hybrid. 2022 IMSA champion Blomqvist was 26th at 1:03.7979 in the No. 60 AutoNation/Sirius XM as he took a methodical, patient approach to learning an unfamiliar car and circuit.

Live coverage of the 85-lap race starts at 1:30 p.m. ET Sunday on Peacock and the INDYCAR Radio Network in the United States and TSN in Canada.

CHEVROLET INDYCAR AT TORONTO: TEAM CHEVY PRACTICE REPORT

By
Official Release
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CHEVROLET IN NTT INDYCAR SERIES
HONDA INDY TORONTO
TORONTO, ONTARIO, CANADA
TEAM CHEVY PRACTICE REPORT
JULY 14, 2023

FELIX ROSENQVIST LEADS CHEVROLET, FINISHES THIRD IN NTT INDYCAR SERIES FIRST PRACTICE IN TORONTO

  • Felix Rosenqvist, driver of the No. 6 Arrow McLaren Chevrolet, led Team Chevy in finishing third after the first practice session of the Honda Indy Toronto event with his fastest lap of 1:00.8607.
  • Team Penske’s Scott McLaughlin followed Rosenqvist for the Bowtie brand, finishing fifth in the afternoon practice with his fastest lap of 1:00.9700.
  • Chevrolet occupied six of the top-10 after the session, with Rosenqvist (third), McLaughlin (fifth), Alexander Rossi (seventh), Pato O’Ward (eighth), Josef Newgarden (ninth), and Will Power (10th) representing Chevrolet on the leaderboard.

TEAM CHEVY TOP-10 PRACTICE RESULT:
Pos. Driver

3rd Felix Rosenqvist
5th Scott McLaughlin
7th Alexander Rossi
8th Pato O’Ward
9th Josef Newgarden
10th Will Power

A second practice at Exhibition Place kicks off Saturday morning activities for the NTT INDYCAR Series Saturday at 10:35 p.m. ET. Qualifications and the Firestone Fast Six for Sunday’s Honda Indy Toronto on the streets of Toronto take place following, starting at 2:50 p.m. ET. The final warm-up of the weekend will start race day Sunday at 10:15 a.m. ET. All practice and qualifying will be live on Peacock, INDYCAR Radio, and SiriusXM Channel 160. The 85-lap, 151.81-mile/244.31-kilometer race Sunday, July 16 will take the green flag at 1:30 p.m. ET live on Peacock.

WHAT THEY’RE SAYING (QUOTES):

Will Power, No. 12 Chevrolet at Team Penske:

“Pretty good session. Definitely a lot of track evolution, so we’ll see if we can make some improvements overnight. Still happy with where we were when we finished.”

Scott McLaughlin, No. 3 Chevrolet at Team Penske:

“Good day for us in the Gallagher Chevy. P5. Put a lap in there at the end on the green (alternate) tires, so I think we’re in good spot, but we’ve got to push on for more.”

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

“We had a good start here in Toronto. It was a very messy session for us, but I was able to get a good read on what the car was doing pretty much all around the lap. We just never had a lap when the tire was at its optimal, so I’m looking forward to tomorrow and trying to make it a little bit better, and we’ll see what we’ve got.”

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

“It is a pretty different experience this year. It seems like there are some new repaves and patches on the track, so initially the session was really slippery and everyone was just waiting for the track to go quicker, but it didn’t seem to happen. Then it kind of got traction, and the lap times tumbled. It was a new challenge, I’d say. It was the most different it’s been to get back here. I think Turn 9, Turn 10 and Turn 11 were a complete rethink in terms of driving lines and just how you approach it, really. Some other corners were better, like Turn 3 and Turn 6 were less bumpy. They improved some places, while some places are harder as a driver. So, today was quite challenging I thought, but it was a good session for us. The car felt good, and I think all of us as a team were pretty up-front all session.”

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

“It was a good start to the weekend. The No. 7 NTT DATA Arrow McLaren Chevrolet rolled off strong. It’s in the window and was competitive through the whole session, so we’ll make some minor adjustments overnight and keep developing it as the day goes on tomorrow.”

Gavin Ward, Race Director at Arrow McLaren INDYCAR:

“Practice 1 was a great start to the weekend for the team. As always, it’s super tight. I think we need to find a little bit to fight with the Andrettis who looked pretty strong today, but there’s time there. I have no doubt that we’ll dig deep and find something overnight.”

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

“Overall, pretty positive session for us. I think we ended up P13. Track’s had a couple of changes with new tarmac here and there. Quite challenging compared to last year with a few unexpected bumps. It’s part of the game. Overall, a couple of things to work on, couple of directions to go, but I think P13 is a solid first practice for us. Hopefully we can work off of it and aim for the Fast 12 tomorrow in qualifying.”

FELIX ROSEQVIST, driver of the No. 6 Arrow McLaren Chevrolet – End of Day Press Conference:

Q. What are you learning?

FELIX ROSENQVIST: Yeah, pretty different experience this year. Seems like there’s some new repaves and patches on the track. Initially the session was really slippery, and everyone was just waiting for the track to go quicker, but it didn’t seem to happen.

Then it kind of got traction and the lap times tumbled. But it was a new challenge. I would say it was the most different it’s been to get back here.

I think Turn 9, Turn 10, Turn 11 was like a complete rethink in terms of driving lines and just how we approach it, really. Some other corners that were better, I thought, like Turn 6 was less bumpy, Turn 3 was less bumpy. They improved some places, and some places are harder as a driver.

Quite challenging I thought, but good session for us. The car felt good, and I think all of us in the team were pretty up front all session.

Q. Can you throw some detail at us on the 9, 10, 11? Is it because of the way the bumps lay out makes you have to take a different line?

FELIX ROSENQVIST: Yeah, so approaching 9, you have a new tarmac right on the apex, so you’re kind of turning in with understeer. Then as you hit the apex you grip up, so you kind of have to go in too quick for the grip you have, but then you have to trust that it grips.

Then going into 10, there’s a massive bump right on entry, so you kind of have to go through that. Like there’s no choice, you have to go through it.

Then as a car, it kind of lands on the bump, you have to turn in, and if you take it with too much speed it’s really easy to just go straight. I think we saw a couple of, me including, trying that, and yeah, you’re just mixing it up with different the lines and stuff. Was kind of interesting.

Then 11, the new tarmac kind of ends right at the apex, so you can send it in pretty hard, but then it gets bumpy on exit. Yeah, it’s a complete inverted approach to the section, but I thought it was fun. You could see us working out there for sure.

Q. It sounds a little Mario Kart-y where you have slick spots and then hope that you catch the sticky spots in the right place kind of thing, or you speed up really quickly and slow down in weird spots?

FELIX ROSENQVIST: It kind of reminds me a bit of rally driving, like you have to set the car up before the jump and then you have to land in the right place. It’s like, yeah, a rally approach but way less jumping, obviously. Yeah, it makes you think.

I think it’s kind of rare to have that in INDYCAR, so it’s a new challenge for sure.

Q. Obviously we’re at the halfway point of the season now, so I guess you’ve had a couple weeks off to think about your season as a whole and what you might want to be doing for the second half, I guess. I know your qualifying is basically third best in the series, but obviously your finishes have not been quite as strong as that. What are you focusing on for the second part of the season?

FELIX ROSENQVIST: Yeah, it’s been some unfortunate races for us, especially the last two ones, just kind of ending up nowhere after basically — not DNF, but being at the back.

I don’t know, I think you approach it a bit differently. Maybe you try to go for a big result. I think there’s probably no chance for us to win the championship.

I think I’m mentally more in a head space where I want to go for like — if I can go for a win, I’ll try all in, and I think a lot of us are in the same position because Alex is just taking off in the standings.

Like I say, we’ve been super fast on one lap, and I think actually the race pace has been mega, as well.

Just haven’t really strung a result together in the last three, four races. Looking forward to just having a solid week, and I feel like we started good here. Normally a pretty good place for us, so yeah, just looking forward to having a smooth weekend.

Q. It feels less like there’s something specific that you need to change, like just as an example you’ve got too much understeer in the car, it’s not necessarily looking at for the second half of the season that you need to change, it’s more outside of your control have impacted your performances?

FELIX ROSENQVIST: I mean, I think we’ve had both, right. We had races where I’ve made mistakes like Indy, Texas. I think those two sting for sure. It was completely in my hands. Then we had probably more races where it’s just been completely out of our control, like Road America, mechanical issue, and then lap 1 Mid-Ohio I got taken out by my countryman.

Yeah, there’s been a lot of that stuff going on, so obviously you fall pretty quick in the standings. I think like one, maximum two DNFs is what you can have if you want to go for a title.

I mean, I think as a group obviously we try to reduce our mistakes, but in some way it’s out of our control. We try not to think too much about it. The pace has been really good, especially race pace this year has been awesome, so just try to get it together.

Q. You talked about the new tarmac and how sticky it is and you’re looking at grip, and tomorrow we’ve got rain predicted for most of the day. How will that affect the car?

FELIX ROSENQVIST: I don’t even want to know. I’m not jealous of Tom because that was actually — I think that felt kind of foreign to all of us, especially in the beginning of the session. Then it gripped up quite well.

Yeah, in the wet it’s going to be hard. I haven’t been here in the wet. I think some of the veterans, sort of the true veterans have been here in the wet, but I can only imagine. Like 9, 10, 11 is going to be really tricky. That new tarmac might be slippery, I think, in the wet. Yeah, I don’t know, it’s just going to be a free-for-all.

Q. Felix, following up on looking at the second half of the season, how would you define the second half going well? Is it getting a win? Is it where you end up in the standings at the end of the day or is it something else?

FELIX ROSENQVIST: You mean in the standings? I don’t know. I think like we’re not here to be P12 or P11. I think a win or something like that would be a good way to kind of end at the end of the season. I think there’s some good tracks for us coming up. Just kind of — I think more than anything, being able to string together some race results and feeling like we didn’t leave anything on the table would be a rewarding feeling after having some troubled races.

Yeah, I know we can be there if we just do the job. Yeah, just going for the win.

About Chevrolet

Founded in 1911 in Detroit, Chevrolet is now one of the world’s largest car brands, available in 79 countries with more than 3.2 million cars and trucks sold in 2020. 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.

Rocky’s Ace Hardware to Support Joe Graf Jr. at New Hampshire Motor Speedway

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Official Release
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Rocky’s Ace Hardware to Support Joe Graf Jr. at New Hampshire Motor Speedway

LOUDON, N.H.: Rocky’s Ace Hardware, your neighborhood store for paint, hardware, lawn and garden and grilling will support NASCAR Xfinity Series veteran Joe Graf Jr. in Saturday afternoon’s Ambetter Health 200 at New Hampshire Motor Speedway (NHMS).

Founded in Springfield, MA in 1926, Rocky’s Ace Hardware has 48 locations throughout Connecticut, Florida, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, Ohio, Pennsylvania and Rhode Island, including 32 stores in New England.

Rocky′s has become one of the country’s largest Ace Hardware dealers, noted for its exceptional customer service and vast product selection.

Their pairing with Graf will be Rocky’s Ace Hardware’s first foray into the NASCAR Xfinity Series.

Graf will drive the No. 19 Rocky’s Ace Hardware Toyota Supra for Saturday’s 200-lap race, his fourth race of the season for Joe Gibbs Racing and his first since Richmond (Va.) Raceway on April 1.

“I’m excited to grow our relationship with Rocky’s Ace Hardware to include a primary partnership role with Joe Gibbs Racing this weekend at New Hampshire,” said Graf.

“Our introduction with Rocky’s Ace Hardware came through another one of my current marketing partners CoverSeal and because of that great working relationship and the business-to-business opportunities that the NASCAR Xfinity Series offers, we are stoked that Rocky’s Ace Hardware wanted to be a part of my Xfinity Series return to Joe Gibbs Racing this weekend.”

Rocco J. Falcone, Rocky’s president and CEO is thrilled to be a part of Graf’s journey at New Hampshire.

“This is a fantastic opportunity for Rocky’s Ace Hardware to partner with Joe Gibbs Racing, CoverSeal and Joe Graf Jr, for the race at New Hampshire Motor Speedway,” said Rocco J. Falcone, Rocky’s president and CEO.

“We’re grateful to our partners at CoverSeal for helping to make this happen. Rocky’s is a locally owned business with 32 stores across New England, including three in New Hampshire, and this is a great way for us to bring our Brand to Joe Graf Jr and Joe Gibbs Racing fans for the biggest race in New England.”

Graf who turned 25 on Wednesday, July 12, will make his third start at the Loudon, New Hampshire track on Saturday and looks to improve on his 12th place finish last July.

In three previous Joe Gibbs Racing starts this season, Graf has collected two top-15 finishes, highlighted by an 11th-place finish in their debut together in the Production Alliance Group 300 at Auto Club (Calif.) Speedway in March.

Following Saturday’s race, Graf will visit the Rocky’s Ace Hardware in Concord, New Hampshire on Sunday, July 16, 2023, from 10:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. to meet and greet race fans ahead of the NASCAR Cup Series Crayon 301 race.

For more on Joe Graf Jr. visit JoeGrafRacing.com, like him on Facebook (Joe Graf Jr.), follow him on TikTok (@JoeGrafJr), Twitter (@JoeGrafJr) and Instagram (@joegrafjr).

The Ambetter Health 200 (200 laps | 211.6 miles) is the 18th of 33 NASCAR Xfinity Series races on the 2023 schedule. Practice begins on Friday, July 14, 2023, from 5:05 p.m. – 5:35 p.m. Qualifying is set to follow practice beginning at 5:35 p.m. The 38-car field will take the green flag the next afternoon, Saturday, July 15, 2023, shortly after 3:00 p.m. with live coverage on the USA Network, the Performance Racing Network (Radio) and SiriusXM NASCAR Channel 90. All times are local (Eastern).

About Rocky’s Ace Hardware:

Rocky’s Ace Hardware, your neighborhood store for paint, hardware, lawn and garden, and grilling, has been in continuous operation, under the same family ownership, since opening its first location in Springfield, Massachusetts, in 1926.

From one modest store to now 48 convenient locations throughout Connecticut, Florida, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, Ohio, Pennsylvania and Rhode Island, Rocky′s has become one of the country’s largest Ace Hardware dealers, noted for its exceptional customer service and vast product selection.

For more information, visit rockys.com.

TOYOTA GAZOO Racing Charges Into High-speed Double-header

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Official Release
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2023 GR YARIS Rally1 HYBRID

TOKYO, July 14, 2023 – (JCN Newswire) – TOYOTA GAZOO Racing World Rally Team is ready to increase the pace for round eight of the 2023 season at Rally Estonia on July 20-23: the first part of a double-header in northern Europe taking in some of the fastest roads in the FIA World Rally Championship.

After a trio of rough and increasingly demanding gravel rallies in Portugal, Sardinia and Kenya, attention now turns to smoother and quicker roads with Rally Estonia followed two weeks later by Rally Finland: the fastest round of the WRC and a home event for TGR-WRT.

The team has a strong record in Estonia together with its reigning drivers’ champion, Kalle Rovanpera, who scored his maiden WRC victory on the event in 2021 before repeating that success last year. Rovanpera leads the 2023 standings by 41 points over Elfyn Evans, who completed a one-two finish for the team in Estonia last year.

Both were part of a second successive 1-2-3-4 finish for TGR-WRT on Safari Rally Kenya last month, along with Sebastien Ogier and Takamoto Katsuta. With Estonia not included in Ogier’s part-season programme, Katsuta steps up once more to help the team defend a 48-point lead in the manufacturers’ championship.

TGR-WRT continues to work to develop the GR YARIS Rally1 HYBRID and improve performance, and will introduce a power unit upgrade in Estonia that includes an updated internal combustion engine.

While many of the roads used in Rally Estonia are wide and flowing, featuring plenty of jumps and crests, others are narrower and more technical. In these sections in particular, the soft and sandy surface can become heavily rutted by the second pass of each stage.

As has been the case since the rally first joined the WRC calendar in 2020, the service park will be situated at the Estonian National Museum in the country’s second-largest city, Tartu – around two hours south-east of the capital, Tallinn. The popular ceremonial start in the centre of Tartu on Thursday evening is followed by an opening super special stage adjacent to the service park.

Friday is the longest day of the rally with 133.38 competitive kilometres: the familiar Peipsiaare and Mustvee stages to the north and Raanitsa to the south are all run twice either side of mid-day service, before a single pass of Neeruti rounds out the day. Saturday’s format is different, with two stages run twice in the morning before service, and another pair of tests repeated in the afternoon. The Tartu super special is revisited upon returning to service in the evening. Sunday’s finale is made up of two runs over the mostly-new Karaski stage and an extended version of Kambja, which again hosts the rally-ending Power Stage.

For more information, visit https://toyotagazooracing.com/wrc/release/2023/rd08-preview/.

Brett Moffitt | AM Racing New Hampshire Motor Speedway NASCAR Xfinity Series Race Preview

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Official Release
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AM Racing | NASCAR Xfinity Series
New Hampshire Motor Speedway | Ambetter Health 200

Fast Facts

No. 25 AM Racing Team:
Driver: Brett Moffitt
Primary Partner(s): AM Technical Solutions (AMTS)
Manufacturer: Ford Mustang
Crew Chief: Joe Williams Jr.
Spotter: Tony Raines
Chassis Intel: AMR Chassis No. 1028
Engine: Roush-Yates Engines
Driver Championship Point Standings: 14th
Team Championship Point Standings: 16th

Notes of Interest:

Inaugural Journey Marches On: After spending the past several seasons as a full-time team in the NASCAR CRAFTSMAN® Truck Series, AM Racing will embark on its inaugural journey in the NASCAR Xfinity Series this season with driver Brett Moffitt for the entire 33-race tour continuing with Saturday afternoon’s Ambetter Health 200 at New Hampshire Motor Speedway.

Saturday afternoon’s race signifies the start of the second half of the 2023 Xfinity Series season for the Statesville, N.C.-based organization.

Future Focused: With AM’s inaugural Xfinity journey set to continue at the track dubbed the New York of the South, the team has chosen veteran driver Brett Moffitt to lead the team’s campaign from the driver’s seat aboard the No. 25 Ford Mustang.

Moffitt, a native of Grimes, Iowa hails numerous starts across all three of NASCAR’s National Series, including the 2018 Truck Series championship with Hattori Racing Enterprises.

Moffitt, 30, arrives on the scene at AM Racing after a stint at Our Motorsports.

Partner Intel: The Statesville, N.C.-based team will sport the signage of AM Technical Solutions on the No. 25 Ford Mustang for the 18th of 33 NASCAR Xfinity Series races this season.

Headquartered in Austin, TX, AM Technical Solutions (AMTS) was founded in 1994.

AM Technical Solutions is a Global Architecture, Engineering & Construction firm specializing in the high-tech markets. AMTS has managed over $20B of global capital projects for over 170 different customers in 24 countries and across five continents.

AM Minute: Last weekend was a busy weekend for AM Racing.

In addition to the NASCAR Xfinity Series team competing at Atlanta (Ga.) Motor Speedway, AM Racing’s ARCA Menards Series and NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series program were in action on the road course at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course.

ARCA rookie Christian Rose kicked off the weekend with a solid showing in his No. 32 Department of West Virginia Tourism | Secure Testing Services Ford Mustang. After starting his first career road course from the 12th position, Rose methodically made gains throughout the race and maneuvered him inside the top-10 in the closing laps of the race.

Unfortunately, an electrical issue on the last lap spoiled the team’s top-10 finish and the team was credited with an 11th-place result.

Austin Wayne Self returned to the NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series tour aboard his No. 22 AIRBOX Air Purifier Ford F-150. Qualifying 27th, Self-impressed in the rain – quickly entering the top-10 in the early onset of the O’Reilly Auto Parts 150.

This weekend, Rose continues his ARCA season with a stop at Iowa Speedway on Saturday night.

Thanks For Your Support: With more than 51 percent of the 2023 season complete, AM Racing and Brett Moffitt would like to thank their associate marketing partners for their support: AIRBOX Air Purifier, CForce Bottling Company, Concrete Supply, Destiny Homes, Flying Circle, Kreuz Market, Lane Frost Brand, Mechanix Wear and Mobil 1.

AMerican Heroes: NASCAR and its fans have always put Patriotism and American Pride at the forefront of every race weekend. That same passion runs just as deep at AM Racing, a team whose family lineage is deeply rooted in the Armed Forces and First Responders workforce.

We’re a team whose blood bleeds Red, White and Blue every day, which is why we are proud to launch, AMerican Heroes.

At AM Racing, it is our mission to recognize and highlight the men and women who continue to put their lives on the line every day, as well as honoring and paying respect to those who have paid the ultimate sacrifice for our freedoms.

We are a nation that is united by one flag, which represents all the liberties and freedoms that we would not be able to enjoy without the sacrifices of those willing to answer the call.

Continuing with New Hampshire this weekend, AM Racing will carry the AMerican Heroes livery, which will continue for the remainder of the 2023 NASCAR Xfinity Series and ARCA Menards Series seasons.

The team will work to salute all the men and women, past and present, who truly deserve the title of Hero, every weekend.

Brett Moffitt Xfinity New Hampshire Motor Speedway Stats: Saturday afternoon’s Ambetter Health 200 will mark Moffitt’s third start at the 1.054-mile speedway.

In his previous two efforts, Moffitt has delivered one top-10 and two top-15 finishes. His track-best result occurred during the 2021 Ambetter Get Vaccinated 200 when Moffitt steered to a ninth-place finish after starting seventh for Our Motorsports.

In addition to his previous two Xfinity Series races, the popular driver also has three NASCAR Cup Series starts at the New Hampshire race track to coincide with one NASCAR CRAFTSMAN® Truck Series start in the Granite State.

Brett Moffitt Xfinity Series Speedway Stats: At NASCAR Xfinity Series tracks classified as a speedway 1.0-mile to 2.0-mile in length, Moffitt has made 51 starts throughout his career earning one pole and 16 top-10 finishes. He also holds an average finishing position of 15.7.

Brett Moffitt NASCAR Xfinity Series Career Stats: In 101 career Xfinity Series starts, Moffitt has earned three top-five and 27 top-10 finishes, including a second-place outing at Daytona (Fla.) International Speedway in February 2021. During that tenure, he also holds an average finishing position of 17.5.

He earned a career-best Xfinity Series qualifying effort of fourth earlier this year at Las Vegas (Nev.) Motor Speedway with AM Racing.

In addition to 101 Xfinity Series starts, he has achieved 45 NASCAR Cup Series and 92 NASCAR CRAFTSMAN® Truck Series starts to his credit.

Atlanta (Ga.) Motor Speedway | Alsco Uniforms 250 Race Recap: In the most recent NASCAR Xfinity Series race at Atlanta (Ga.) Motor Speedway, Brett Moffitt and the AM Racing were hoping history would repeat itself.

In the spring at the hybrid superspeedway track, Moffitt and the AM Racing team earned their second career top-10 finish when they posted a then-season-high sixth-place finish in the RAPTOR King of Tough 250.

On the heels of a top-five finish the week prior at the Chicago Street Course, Moffitt and the Joe Williams Jr.-led team were hopeful to continue the momentum.

After a subpar qualifying effort of 27th in the No. 25 AM Technical Solutions Ford Mustang, Moffitt utilized the drat following the first stage to cleverly maneuver his race car inside the top-10 where he remained throughout the remainder of the race.

A late race caution threw the race into overtime and while battling inside the top-10 on the last lap of the race, Moffitt was running on fumes when his car began to fumble coming out of Turn 4.

The stumble cost the team their fifth top-10 finish of the season and instead delivered a respectable 11th-place finish.

In 17 races this season, Moffit has delivered one top-five, four top-10s, 11 top-15s, 12 top-20s and an average finish of 16.1.

From the Pit Box: Industry veteran Joe Williams is Brett Moffit’s crew chief.

He will be crew chief for his 116th NASCAR Xfinity Series race on Saturday and his third at the 1.054-mile facility in Loudon, New Hampshire.

In his previous 115 NASCAR Xfinity Series starts, he has collected one win (Auto Club Speedway | February 2022), eight top-five and 25 top-10 finishes.

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

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

Brett Moffitt Quoteboard:

On New Hampshire Motor Speedway: “New Hampshire has been relatively a good track for me and I’m hoping to continue that statistic with my AM Racing team on Saturday afternoon.

“I feel like we were robbed of a top-10 finish last weekend at Atlanta, so as a team, we’re going to New Hampshire looking for some redemption.

“Our AM Racing team is really in a good place right now and we just need to keep working hard and future focused and I believe we’ll have a good race result.”

On 2023 Season Outlook: “We’ve officially reached the halfway point of the 2023 NASCAR Xfinity Series and I feel like we have a lot to be proud of.

“However, as the Playoffs are on the horizon, we are doing everything in our power to either point our way in or fight our way into Victory Lane so we can take up one of the coveted 12 spots and really bring some attention to our AM Racing team.”

Race Information:

The Ambetter Health 200 (200 laps | 211.6 miles) is the 18th of 33 NASCAR Xfinity Series races on the 2023 schedule. Practice begins on Friday, July 14, 2023, from 5:05 p.m. – 5:35 p.m. Qualifying is set to follow practice beginning at 5:35 p.m. The 38-car field will take the green flag the next afternoon, Saturday, July 15, 2023, shortly after 3:00 p.m. with live coverage on the USA Network, the Performance Racing Network (Radio) and SiriusXM NASCAR Channel 90. All times are local (Eastern).

About AM Racing:

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

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

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

The team has named Brett Moffitt, Christian Rose and Austin Wayne Self as their primary drivers for the 2023 Xfinity, ARCA Menards Series and Dirt Modified seasons respectively.

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