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Stewart-Haas Racing: NXS Race Report from Chicago

By
Official Release
-

STEWART-HAAS RACING
NASCAR Xfinity Series: The Loop 121

Date: July 1, 2023

Event: The Loop 121 (Round 16 of 33)

Series: NASCAR Xfinity Series

Location: Chicago Street Course (2.2-mile, 12-turn street course)

Format: 55 laps, broken into three stages (15 laps/15 laps/25 laps)

Note: Race was shortened 30 laps prior to its scheduled distance due to weather.

Race Winner: Cole Custer of Stewart-Haas Racing (Ford)

Stage 1 Winner: Cole Custer of Stewart-Haas Racing (Ford)

Stage 2 Winner: Cole Custer of Stewart-Haas Racing (Ford)

SHR Race Finish:

● Cole Custer (Started 1st / Finished 1st, completed 25 of 25 laps)

● Riley Herbst (Started 15th / Finished 24th, completed 25 of 25 laps)

SHR Points:

● Cole Custer (3rd with 594 points, 44 out of first)

● Riley Herbst (11th with 429 points, 209 out of first)

Victory Notes:

● Cole Custer’s victory at Chicago marked SHR’s 20th Xfinity Series victory, its second of the season, and its first at Chicago.

● This was SHR’s 99th overall NASCAR victory.

● This was Ford’s first NASCAR Xfinity Series victory at Chicago.

● This was Custer’s 12th career NASCAR Xfinity Series victory and his 11th with SHR.

● SHR has won at three of the inaugural Xfinity Series races in the past four seasons. Chase Briscoe won the inaugural race at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway road course in July 2020, and Aric Almirola won the inaugural Xfinity Series race on June 10 at Sonoma (Calif.) Raceway.

SHR Notes:

● Custer earned his second victory of the season and his first victory in one career NASCAR Xfinity Series start at Chicago.

● This was Custer’s 10th straight top-10. He finished fifth April 1 at Richmond (Va.) Raceway, third April 15 at Martinsville (Va.) Speedway, fourth April 22 at Talladega (Ala.) Superspeedway, seventh April 29 at Dover (Del.) Motor Speedway, third May 13 at Darlington (S.C.) Raceway, third May 29 at Charlotte (N.C.) Motor Speedway, won June 3 at Portland (Ore.) International Raceway, sixth June 10 at Sonoma (Calif.) Raceway, and ninth last Saturday at Nashville (Tenn.) Superspeedway.

● Custer won the first two stages to collect 20 bonus points and two playoff points.

● Custer led all of the 25 laps run in this inaugural event at Chicago.

● Herbst earned his 12th top-25 of the season and his first top-25 in one career NASCAR Xfinity Series start at Chicago.

Race Notes:

● Cole Custer won The Loop 121 under caution to score his 12th career NASCAR Xfinity Series victory, his second of the season and his first at Chicago.

● There were three caution periods for a total of nine laps.

● Thirty-six of the 38 drivers in the race finished on the lead lap.

● John Hunter Nemechek remains the championship leader after Chicago with a 16-point advantage over second-place Austin Hill.

Sound Bites:

“This is pretty awesome. To win at the inaugural NASCAR street course race means a lot. We put on such a cool event here – probably one of the coolest things we’ve done in NASCAR. Obviously, you want to win by running all of the laps, but sometimes it is what it is and a win is a win. We’ll take it as racers. I’m pumped for this No. 00 Haas Automation team. They are crushing it right now, and I can’t thank them enough. We just have to keep it rolling.” – Cole Custer, driver of the No. 00 Haas Automation Ford Mustang

“I mean you hate to see it end under caution for rain, but sometimes that happens. We had a fast No. 98 Monster Energy Ford Mustang but had to pit to fix damage in the first stage. I had fun driving this course though. We could’ve gotten back up there to the front if the race had continued green, but we’ll take it and move on to Atlanta.” – Riley Herbst, driver of the No. 98 Monster Energy Ford Mustang

Next Up:

The next event on the NASCAR Xfinity Series schedule is the Alsco Uniforms 250 on Saturday, July 8 at Atlanta Motor Speedway. The race begins at 8 p.m. EDT with live coverage provided by USA and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.

Ford Performance Notes and Quotes – NXS Chicago Post-Race Quotes (7.2.23)

By
Official Release
-

Ford Performance Notes and Quotes
NASCAR Xfinity Series
The Loop 121 | Sunday, July 2, 2023

Ford Finishing Results:
1st – Cole Custer
4th – Brett Moffitt
24th – Riley Herbst
25th – Ryan Sieg
33rd – Joe Graf Jr.
34th – Brent Sherman

COLE CUSTER WINS RAIN-SHORTENED INAUGURAL LOOP 121

  • Cole Custer was declared the winner of this weekend’s rain-shortened inaugural Loop 121 on the streets of Chicago.
  • Custer started on the pole and led all of the laps that were completed before rain eventually forced NASCAR to call the race.
  • The win is Custer’s second of the year and 12th of his NXS career.
  • It also continues a Ford hot streak that has seen the Blue Oval win three of the last four NXS races overall.
  • Custer is in a three-way tie for seventh on the all-time Ford NXS win list with Joey Logano and Austin Cindric with 12 victories.

WINNER’S PRESS CONFERENCE

COLE CUSTER, No. 00 Haas Automation Ford Mustang – WHAT DID YOU THINK ABOUT THE COURSE YESTERDAY AND TODAY’S CIRCUMSTANCES? “It’s been an awesome weekend overall, just the whole event. The whole thing that NASCAR has put on here and the whole city has been pretty unreal. I think everybody was a little bit skeptical going in and all the drivers, but the course is such a blast to drive. There’s definitely passing zones out there, but it’s such a risk versus reward as a driver. You can push it out there and run fast laps, but you’re gonna be on the edge or wrecking, so it’s definitely a blast to drive and puts it in the driver’s hands a little bit. Today, we definitely wish we could have run all the laps. We don’t want to win it this way, but at the end of the day we had a really fast car and I think everybody knew that. I think this team can compete with anybody out there and we’re really hitting our stride, and I’m really proud of JT and all the guys at the shop who have worked so hard to put us in this situation.”

DID YOU GET TO SEE ANY AREAS OF THE TRACK. ANY CHANCE OF GETTING OUT THERE? “I didn’t even see it, honestly. I was sitting in the car most of the time and I just heard there was a lot of standing water through seven through 11 or so. I’m sure all the Cup guys are praying the rain goes away because they do not probably want to deal with that. It’s wild enough just being by yourself out there in the dry. I can’t imagine it with 40 guys out there in the wet. We’ll see what they’re all made of today if they have to do that.”

WHAT DO YOU SAY TO THE FANS WHO WANTED TO EXPERIENCE THIS WEEKEND? “Honestly, it was pretty surreal. On the pace laps we rolled off pit road and you could hear them cheering from the stands between one and two. I’ve never experienced that, I don’t think, anywhere at any other racetrack. They were just screaming and yelling and you could hear them. It was pretty awesome and the stands for an Xfinity race was packed yesterday, so it was definitely a really cool event.”

YOU HAVE YOUR FIRST WIN IN THE STATE OF ILLINOIS AFTER GETTING YOUR FIRST POLE IN THE STATE. “Yeah. It’s awesome. We’ve got to do the Stone Cold thing and I think we’re gonna do that after this, but they said it’s a felony to jump in the fountain, so we’re probably not gonna do that, I guess. We wanted to, and we could, you’d just have to get me from jail I guess.”

WHAT WAS YOUR IMPRESSION OF THE TRACK? “Definitely treacherous. For us, with how the Xfinity cars are with the solid rear axle we wheel hop a lot, so going into turn six, turn four, turn seven, all of them that had bumps going in there were definitely treacherous. One mistake and you wheel hop too much and you’re gonna be in the fence, so it was definitely edge in the Xfinity cars and I’m sure it is in the Cup cars, too. But it’s just finding the limit because the second you step past that limit, you’re in big trouble. It’s definitely nerve-racking for sure.”

HOW AWKWARD IS IT TO BE CELEBRATING 24 HOURS AFTER STARTING? “It is definitely probably the most awkward win I’ve been a part of, just because you’re so disconnected from the race. We raced 24 hours ago, so it’s definitely one of the weirdest wins I’ve ever been a part of, for sure, but we’ll take it. We’re racers and you take it as it comes. We’re proud of it. We’ll take the playoff points and keep it going.”

WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO BE THE FIRST RACE WINNER ON A STREET COURSE? “It’s huge. Being a part of that you’ll take that to the day you die saying that you were the first winner on the Chicago Street Course and the whole event that they’ve put on here. It means a lot and hopefully we can keep it rolling through the season.”

WHAT WAS THE COMMUNICATION LIKE WITH NASCAR TODAY? “I don’t know if anybody knew, really. You go to your car, you get in and it’s like, ‘Oh, there’s standing water,’ and then we’ve got to wait, and then there’s a lightning delay. There were just so many things that happened in the last 24 hours that I think led to this point, so I think it was just so many unforeseen things because this is the first time we’ve ever done this and throwing rain into the equation really throws a curveball at it. It was a lot of confusion, but it is what it is. We can’t control the weather.”

DID YOU FEEL LIKE A GUINEA PIG ON THE TRACK AT ALL? “It actually worked out great for me because I just kind of let the other guys go and they did like the first five minutes and I just watched on TV. Then I rolled out and pulled out right behind Justin Allgaier and Sam Mayer, I think, so I just watched them and what they did and kind of caught on because they were the Guinea Pigs the first five laps, then I just followed them.”

IS THERE ANYTHING THE CAN DO TO THE COURSE TO MAYBE MAKE IT BETTER NEXT YEAR? “Maybe a couple of walls. Kevin’s wreck, it was kind of like there’s a double point in that wall that you can’t really see until you hit it, so that could maybe be a little bit better, but, overall, they did such a great job with this. I think, overall, we were really skeptics going here, but seeing the track when we showed up and driving around it we were impressed. I think all of us were impressed of how driveable it was and how racy it was, so I think everybody can hang their hats high on this one. They did a great job. It’s a shame that the rain really threw a big curveball at it. I’m sure in the future they’ll get that better and better, but it was a great weekend that NASCAR and the city did.”

WHAT WERE YOU DOING WHEN YOU WERE DECLARED THE WINNER? “We were just on the pit box and we’re all just waiting around and don’t really know what’s going on. JT actually got the word on the radio that they called i and we were the winners and it’s like such an awkward moment, too, because we’ve just been waiting around. It’s like how excited can you be because it didn’t feel like we did anything today, but it’s still a really cool feeling that we came out on top of it. It’s definitely one of the weirdest ones, for sure.”

YOU’VE WON TWO OF THE LAST THREE ROAD COURSES. HOW MUCH WORK HAVE YOU DONE ON THESE TYPE OF TRACKS? “Honestly, road course racing in general has always been a strong suit of mine, I feel like. I’ve always loved it and I feel I’ve always been in contention and had speed at road course races, it’s just never worked out until this year, so we’re finally really getting things to work out right. Sometimes that’s just luck, but I think overall we’ve been fast on the road courses and we’re just putting it all together.”

HAS IT SUNK IN THAT YOU WON THIS RACE? “Yes and no, I guess. I think after a week it will probably set in a little bit more, but it’s definitely weird. I don’t know how many times I’ve said it, but it’s just the weirdest race I’ve ever won because it’s a day removed from when we were actually on the track and just all the things that have happened in the last 24 hours, but we’ll take it as they come.”

ARE YOU LOOKING FORWARD TO COMING BACK NEXT YEAR AND MORE COURSES LIKE THIS? “Yeah, I’m pumped about it. We have a really fast setup for this place and it was a great weekend for our team, so I’m pumped about coming back here and I think the whole city did a great job with it. It’s a cool event, so I think everybody is very excited to come back.”

WHAT DID YOU SAY TO THE TEAM ABOUT POSSIBLE RAIN AND ARE THERE ANY LESSONS TO TAKE FROM THIS? “There are just so many things that we do when it comes to raining, like just even having a wiper on the inside of the car to try and get the fog out of the windshield. There are a lot of different things there that help us a little bit for the future, just little things, but, overall, we had a good plan and we were ready for it. The thing about this place is you really don’t know how it’s gonna race in the rain because we’ve never, there’s not really a set lane in the track yet because there’s not a ton of rubber down, so do you have to run a rain line or do you not? And how all of the paint is gonna affect you on the racetrack, so I guess there’s a lot of unknowns when it comes to rain racing here, but we were lucky enough that we didn’t really have to deal with that.”

ANY ADDED CONCERN AMONG DRIVERS TO BE RACING ON THIS KIND OF CIRCUIT? “I don’t think the circuit in particular, it’s mainly just the visibility and the standing water. If we get it to where you can’t see a car length in front of you, it can be pretty dangerous if somebody stopped in the middle of the racetrack and you can’t see them, and then also the standing water. If you’re just hydroplaning and wrecking all the time, there’s no room for error around here. That was the thing that I think we were a little bit worried about, but, overall, I think if it’s just a little damp I think there’s no reason why you can’t race here in the rain.”

Toyota Racing – NXS Chicago Post-Race Report – 07.02.23

By
Official Release
-

NEMECHEK FINISHES SECOND IN HISTORIC CHICAGO STREET RACE
Inclement weather halts NASCAR Xfinity Series race after 25 laps

CHICAGO (July 2, 2023) – John Hunter Nemechek finished second in the first-ever NASCAR Chicago Street Race after the Xfinity Series event was shortened due to inclement weather.

Toyota Racing Post-Race Recap
NASCAR Xfinity Series
Chicago Street Race
Race 16 of 33 – 121 miles, 55 laps (race called after 25 laps due to inclement weather)

TOYOTA FINISHING POSITIONS
1st, Cole Custer*
2nd, JOHN HUNTER NEMECHEK
3rd, Justin Allgaier*
4th, Brett Moffitt*
5th, Austin Hill*
6th, SAMMY SMITH
10th, KAZ GRALA
16th, PARKER CHASE
21st, ALEX LABBE
35th, CONNOR MOSACK
*non-Toyota driver

TOYOTA QUOTES

JOHN HUNTER NEMECHEK, No. 20 Yahoo Toyota GR Supra, Joe Gibbs Racing

Finishing Position: 2nd

What was your experience like racing on the streets of Chicago?

“Racing downtown on the streets of Chicago was pretty amazing. The whole experience, the atmosphere and how many fans were here — I give a lot of props to everyone at NASCAR. Everyone involved with the Chicago Street Course did an amazing job. Riding around under caution yesterday, being able to see all of the fans lined up three or four rows deep along the fence with no open spots was incredible. Probably one of the best attendances we’ve had so far this year in the Xfinity Series. The race went okay for us. I ran P2 from the drop of the green flag until lap 25 when they called it yesterday. We needed a good stop to be able to make an adjustment and have a shot to contend with Cole (Custer) for the win and just never had that opportunity. We’ll take that second place, and we’ll move on from it. It was a good points day. We gained some more on second place, which was good, giving ourselves a little bit more gap. We’ll go to Atlanta and try to win.”

SAMMY SMITH, No. 18 Pilot Flying J Toyota GR Supra, Joe Gibbs Racing

Finishing Position: 6th

What were your impressions of the Chicago Street Race?

“It was a fun day yesterday. I really enjoyed running under dry conditions yesterday. Hopefully, we can do more street courses in the future.”

About Toyota

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

Toyota directly employs more than 48,000 people in North America who have contributed to the design, engineering, and assembly of nearly 45 million cars and trucks at our 13 manufacturing plants. By 2025, Toyota’s 14th plant in North Carolina will begin to manufacture automotive batteries for electrified vehicles. With more electrified vehicles on the road than any other automaker, Toyota currently offers 22 electrified options.

Through the Start Your Impossible campaign, Toyota highlights the way it partners with community, civic, academic and governmental organizations to address our society’s most pressing mobility challenges. We believe that when people are free to move, anything is possible. For more information about Toyota, visit www.ToyotaNewsroom.com.

Bold Move Helps Foster Score First INDY NXT Win at Mid-Ohio

By
Official Release
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LEXINGTON, Ohio (Sunday, July 2, 2023) – The pass for the lead was bold and risky amid a track getting wetter by the lap, but INDY NXT by Firestone rookie Louis Foster knew he had to make it.

Foster locked up his right front tire in the bid to overtake race leader Christian Rasmussen approaching Turn 4 late in the INDY NXT by Firestone Grand Prix of Mid-Ohio, and he made it stick. Foster then had to hold off a couple of challenges in the four-lap shootout that followed to win his first series race.

Driving the No. 26 Copart/USF Pro Championship entry of Andretti Autosport, Foster became the sixth driver in the season’s first seven races to reach victory lane.

“It’s been a long time coming, for sure,” Foster said of his first series win. “I’m so thankful to get it finally.”

Of the pass on Rasmussen, the 19-year-old English driver said the increased dampness was a factor.

“I think it was starting to rain a little bit or something,” he said. “It was slicker in the back (part of the track). That made Christian make a mistake and then (the hard braking approaching Turn 4) destroyed my front right (tire). Going down the straights and (the car) was shaking.”

Kyffin Simpson finished second with Rasmussen third as HMD Motorsports took the other steps on the podium. Simpson’s No. 21 program is backed by Chip Ganassi Racing, Rasmussen’s No. 6 car is connected to Dale Coyne Racing.

Rasmussen started on the pole and led the first 26 laps of the 35-lap race, but falling to third cost him a chance to draw even closer to Nolan Siegel for the series lead as the season reached its halfway point. Siegel, the winner of the past two races, was running fifth with eight laps to go when he couldn’t keep his No. 39 HMD Motorsports entry on the track in Turn 10. After a long slide through the wet grass, Siegel’s car was stuck and the necessary extraction cost him a lap to the field. He finished 15th of the 17 competitors.

The result of the late incidents helped Rasmussen close to within 17 points of Siegel. Hunter McElrea (No. 26 Smart Motors) finished fourth, and he is now only 39 points out of the series lead. Foster’s victory allowed him to jump to the fourth position in the standings, 42 points behind Siegel.

Jamie Chadwick finished 10th in the No. 28 DHL entry of Andretti Autosport to become the first female driver in INDY NXT to finish in the top 10 since Pippa Mann finished fifth in the final race of the 2010 season at Homestead-Miami Speedway.

Rasmussen, who won at Barber Motorsports Park in the season’s second race, couldn’t help but think he should be even closer to the series lead.

“Obviously, not the (finish) that we wanted today,” he said. “It was tricky with the conditions – it was dry and then there was rain and then there was dry. When the rain first came it felt like the car never really came back to me. We were sitting pretty good (prior to that) with a good gap and then the rain came.”

The race started amid dry conditions, but there was contact in Turn 4 just past the backstretch starting line. Contact between the cars of James Roe (No. 29 Topcon of Andretti Autosport) and Danial Frost sent Frost’s No. 68 HMD Motorsports with Dale Coyne Racing machine into a full spin. Frost was able to resume without assistance.

On Lap 6, Christian Bogle spun into the gravel trap at the exit of Turn 2. With the No. 7 HMD Motorsports with Dale Coyne Racing entry beached, a full-course caution period was necessitated. No such stoppage was needed when Matteo Nannini, who won the series race on the Indianapolis Motor Speedway road course in May in the No. 75 Juncos Hollinger Racing machine, pulled off the track at the exit of Turn 5 on Lap 17. The other incident involved Jagger Jones going off course in Turn 10 in the No. 98 Lead Sled car of Cape Motorsports. Jones was able to return to the track without assistance.

The series’ next race, the eighth of 14 this season, is the INDY NXT by Firestone at Iowa Speedway on July 22 (11 a.m. ET, Peacock, INDYCAR LIVE, INDYCAR Radio Network).

INDY NXT by Firestone Grand Prix at Mid-Ohio Race Results

  1. (2) Louis Foster, 35, Running
  2. (3) Kyffin Simpson, 35, Running
  3. (1) Christian Rasmussen, 35, Running
  4. (4) Hunter McElrea, 35, Running
  5. (5) Reece Gold, 35, Running
  6. (7) Jacob Abel, 35, Running
  7. (8) Rasmus Lindh, 35, Running
  8. (11) Enaam Ahmed, 35, Running
  9. (13) Josh Pierson, 35, Running
  10. (12) Jamie Chadwick, 35, Running
  11. (17) Danial Frost, 35, Running
  12. (14) James Roe, 35, Running
  13. (15) Ernie Francis Jr., 35, Running
  14. (9) Jagger Jones, 35, Running
  15. (6) Nolan Siegel, 34, Running
  16. (10) Christian Bogle, 19, Mechanical
  17. (16) Matteo Nannini, 15, Off Course

Race Statistics
Winners average speed: 99.515
Time of Race: 00:47:38.9456
Margin of victory: 0.4385
Cautions: 2
Lead changes: 1

Lap Leaders:
Rasmussen, Christian 1 – 26
Foster, Louis 27 – 35

Custer awarded victory in inaugural, rain-delayed Xfinity Chicago Street Course event

By
Andrew Kim
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CHICAGO, ILLINOIS - JULY 01: Cole Custer, driver of the #00 HAAS Automation Ford, drives during qualifying for the NASCAR Xfinity Series The Loop 121 at the Chicago Street Course on July 01, 2023 in Chicago, Illinois. (Photo by Michael Reaves/Getty Images).

Cole Custer took home the title of being named the inaugural winner of The Loop 121 at the Chicago Street Course in a highly anticipated weekend that commenced with a steady start before the event was pitted against an extensive battle and delay against Mother Nature on Saturday, July 1, before NASCAR conceded and declared the event official on Sunday, July 2.

The 25-year-old Custer from Ladera Ranch, California, led all 25 laps prior to the delay from the pole position. Since the start of the event on Saturday, he muscled away from the field through a total of three restarts and he retained a steady advantage throughout the 12-turn circuit through Lap 24 of 55 when the event was placed under a caution period due to a lightning strike.

A lap later, the field led by Custer was directed to pit lane and placed under a sustained lightning hold that eventually resulted in NASCAR postponing the event to early Sunday in the hope that the field could reach its halfway or scheduled-distance mark to deem the event official. With rain increasing throughout Sunday and amid another delay spanning more than two hours, NASCAR made the final decision to conclude the event three laps shy of its halfway mark and award Custer and the No. 00 Stewart-Haas Racing Ford Mustang team their second Xfinity victory of the 2023 season.

With on-track qualifying that determined the starting lineup occurring on Saturday, July 1, Cole Custer notched his fourth Xfinity pole of the season after posting a pole-winning lap at 87.590 mph in 90.421 seconds. Sheldon Creed, who posted the second-best qualifying lap at 87.573 mph in 90.439 seconds, was scheduled to start alongside Custer on the front row, but he dropped to the rear of the field prior to the event in a backup car after wrecking his primary car during the qualifying session. As a result, John Hunter Nemechek, who posted the third-best qualifying lap at 87.308 mph in 90.713 seconds, started alongside Custer on the front row.

In addition to Creed, the following names that included Sam Mayer, Brandon Jones, Josh Williams, Blaine Perkins and Spencer Pumpelly started the event at the rear of the field due to unapproved adjustments made to their respective entries.

When the green flag waved and the race commenced on Saturday, Custer launched ahead with a strong start as he maintained the lead through the first left-hand turn ahead of John Hunter Nemechek while Austin Hill battled Connor Mosack for third. As the field navigated its way through the 12-turn circuit for the first time around the streets of Downtown Chicago, Custer proceeded to lead the first lap ahead of Nemechek while Hill, Mosack and Justin Allgaier followed suit in the top five. By then, Sage Karam, who started and was running the opening lap in the top 10, made an early unscheduled pit stop under green due to a flat right-front tire.

With the event proceeding under green flag conditions for the second lap, Custer stretched his advantage to more than a second over Nemechek as Hill, Mosack and Allgaier remained in the top five. Behind, Daniel Hemric was in sixth ahead of Brett Moffitt, rookie Sammy Smith, Parker Kligerman and Justin Marks while Riley Herbst, Preston Pardus, rookie Chandler Smith, Miguel Paludo and Alex Guenette were in the top 15.

Then on the third lap, the first caution flag of the event flew when the No. 10 Jockey Chevrolet Camaro piloted by Justin Marks, owner of Trackhouse Racing, went up in smoke before the car came to a spin and a terminal rest in Turn 11.

When the race restarted under green on the ninth lap, Custer launched ahead with another strong restart in his No. 00 Haas Automation Ford Mustang as he fended off Nemechek’s No. 20 Yahoo! Toyota Supra to lead the first through the first left-hand turn before entering a brief straightaway on E. Ballbo Dr. to Turn 2 and a right-hand turn onto S. Lake Shore Dr. towards Turns 3 to 5.

Through the first 10 scheduled laps and after the field navigated its way through S. Columbus Dr., S. Michigan Ave. and E. Jackson Dr. through more left- and right-hand turns from Turns 6 to 12, Custer extended his advantage to more than a second over Nemechek while Hill, Allgaier and Mosack were in the top five. Behind, Moffitt was in sixth while Hemric, Smamy Smith, Kligerman and Chandler Smith were running in the top 10.

At the conclusion of the first stage period on Lap 15, Custer claimed his fourth stage victory of the 2023 season. Nemechek settled in second followed by Hill, Allgaier and Mosack while Moffitt, Sammy Smith Hemric, Kligerman and Chandler Smith were scored in the top 10.

With the event proceeding into the start of the second stage under green, Custer continued to lead by more than two seconds over Nemechek as Hill, Allgaier and Mosack remained in the top five. With Moffitt and Sammy Smith running sixth and seventh, Hemric was slowly being challenged by Kligerman and teammate Chandler Smith for eighth while Miguel Paludo trailed in 11th.

Then on Lap 16, the event’s second caution flew when Andre Castro, a USF Juniors championship competitor from New York City who was running within the top 20 during his series debut, rammed into the tire barriers on the driver’s left-hand side in Turn 1. During the caution period, a total of 17 competitors pitted while the rest led by Custer remained on the track.

When the event restarted under green on Lap 20, Custer retained the lead over Nemechek and Allgaier as the field began to bump and jostle for positions around the 12-turn circuit. Among those who were involved in the bumps and jostles included Hemric, Moffitt and Hill while Custer remained out in front.

Then on Lap 24, the caution flew due to a lightning strike reported near the course. The field would then be brought down to pit road during the following lap and placed in a 30-minute hiatus period due to the sustained lightning. With the event being delayed further as even light precipitation began to fall on the course, the event would be postponed by NASCAR to resume the following day on Sunday. By then, Custer, who has led all 25 scheduled events from pole position, was scored the leader ahead of Nemechek, Allgaier, Moffitt and Hill while Sammy Smith, Hemric, Chandler Smith, Kligerman and Kaz Grala were scored in the top 10.

When NASCAR returned on Sunday, the event was still placed under a weather delay, this time due to heavy precipitation as the course was flooded with rain. Initially planning for an 11 a.m. ET start time, the event would be delayed an extra two hours as the on-track workers attempted to drain the water out of the course. Then amid the delay, NASCAR made the call to declare the event official three laps shy of the halfway mark instead of anticipating a later start to the day or postponing the event a second time. As a result, Custer, who retained the lead since the start of the event, was awarded the victory.

Following the call, NASCAR released a statement regarding the decision to terminate the event just shy of the halfway mark:

“With standing water and flooding a significant issue at the racetrack and throughout the city, there was no option to return to racing prior to shifting to NASCAR Cup Series race operations. Throughout the entire planning process for the Chicago Street Race, our relationship with the City of Chicago has been strong and among the most valuable assets in reaching this historic weekend. In the spirit of that partnership, returning on Monday for the completion of a NASCAR Xfinity Series event two laps shy of halfway was an option we chose not to employ. Based on several unprecedented circumstances, NASCAR has made the decision to declare Cole Custer the winner of the race.”

With the victory in the inaugural, rain-shortened Chicago Street Course, Custer became the third different competitor to achieve multiple Xfinity victories this season alongside John Hunter Nemechek and Austin Hill. He also racked the second Xfinity victory of the season for Stewart-Haas Racing and the 12th of his racing career.

“[That was] The wildest win I’ve even been a part of, for sure,” Custer said in Victory Lane. “This is definitely not the way we want to get it. We want to run all the laps. We want to win it the proper way, but at the end of the day, we’re racers. We’ll take it how it comes. It’s just awesome. Everybody’s that’s a part of this team. We’re really hitting our stride here. We’re really running up front. We got everything working how we need to. Just got to keep it rolling.”

“[This win] means a lot because I think we did have a really fast car,” Custer added. “It’s not like [the win] was given to us. It wasn’t just pure luck. It means a lot to still have a little bit of respect there. At the end of the day, we still want to run all the laps, but it’s not always gonna play out like that. [This event]’s the wildest thing I’ve ever been a part of and then, having this whole rain delay, this is just the wildest weekend I’ve ever been a part of.”

With Custer being awarded the victory, Nemechek ended up in second place for the fourth time this season. Allgaier ended up in third for his ninth top-five result of the season followed by Brett Moffitt, who was making his 100th Xfinity career start. Hill settled in fifth while Sammy Smith, Hemric, Chandler Smith, Kligerman and Kaz Grala finished in the top 10.

There were no lead changes for a single leader, that being the race winner Custer. The race featured three cautions for nine laps. In total, 35 of 38 starters finished on the lead lap.

With 10 Xfinity regular-season events remaining on the schedule, John Hunter Nemechek leads the regular-season standings by 16 points over Austin Hill, 44 over Cole Custer and 45 over Justin Allgaier.

Results.

1. Cole Custer, 25 laps led, Stage 1 & 2 winner

2. John Hunter Nemechek

3. Justin Allgaier

4. Brett Moffitt

5. Austin Hill

6. Sammy Smith

7. Daniel Hemric

8. Chandler Smith

9. Parker Kligerman

10. Kaz Grala

11. Sheldon Creed

12. Preston Pardus

13. Miguel Paludo

14. Kyle Weatherman

15. Alex Guenette

16. Parker Chase

17. Blaine Perkins

18. Sam Mayer

19. Jeb Burton

20. Jeremy Clements

21. Alex Labbe

22. Sage Karam

23. Josh Berry

24. Riley Herbst

25. Ryan Sieg

26. Brennan Poole

27. Anthony Alfredo

28. Spencer Pumpelly

29. Parker Retzlaff

30. Brandon Jones

31. Ryan Ellis

32. Brad Perez

33. Joe Graf Jr.

34. Brent Sherman

35. Connor Mosack

36. Josh Williams, three laps down

37. Andre Castro – OUT, Accident

38. Justin Marks – OUT, Engine

Next on the 2023 NASCAR Xfinity Series schedule is the series’s second and final trip of the season to Atlanta Motor Speedway. The event is scheduled to occur next Saturday, July 8, at 8 p.m. ET on USA Network.

NASCAR postpones remainder of Xfinity event at Chicago Street Course to Sunday

By
Andrew Kim
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CHICAGO, ILLINOIS - JULY 01: Cole Custer, driver of the #00 HAAS Automation Ford, drives during qualifying for the NASCAR Xfinity Series The Loop 121 at the Chicago Street Course on July 01, 2023 in Chicago, Illinois. (Photo by Sean Gardner/Getty Images).

The remainder of the NASCAR Xfinity Series’ inaugural running of The Loop 121 at the Chicago Street Course in Downtown Chicago, Illinois, has been postponed to Sunday, July 2, due to inclement weather stemming from reports of lightning that eventually led to light precipitation within the course.

The event, which started 15 minutes earlier than initially scheduled at 4:21 p.m. ET on Saturday, July 1, was running on Lap 24 of 55 when the caution flew amid lightning strikes being reported near the course. A lap later, the field led by pole-sitter Cole Custer, was directed to pit road and the event was placed under an extensive red flag period before being pushed back to resume the following day. The event would have had to reach the halfway mark on Lap 28 for the event to even be considered official.

At the event’s delay and postponement, Custer, who has led all 25 scheduled events and won the first stage from the pole position, was scored the leader ahead of John Hunter Nemechek, Justin Allgaier, Brett Moffitt and Austin Hill while rookie Sammy Smith, Daniel Hemric, rookie Chandler Smith, Parker Kligerman and Kaz Grala were scored in the top 10. In addition, 35 of 38 starters were scored on the lead lap while Andre Castro (accident) and Justin Marks (engine failure) were the two retirees of the event.

Amid the postponement, NASCAR released a statement regarding the event’s resumption for the following day:

“Due to the potential for continued lightning strikes and in the interest of public safety and caution, the facility needed to be evacuated,” NASCAR said in a statement. “NASCAR had hoped to resume activities, but not until city officials allowed fans to return to the grandstands. The forecast for lightning extends into the next several hours, forcing NASCAR to postpone the NASCAR Xfinity Series race until tomorrow morning.”

With the postponement, the remainder of the Xfinity Series event at the Chicago Street Course will occur on Sunday at 11 a.m. ET on USA Network. It will also occur as part of a doubleheader feature with the NASCAR Cup Series set to compete for the first time at Chicago at 5:30 p.m. ET on NBC.

Update: Due to continuing rain with standing water and flooding at the track, NASCAR declared the Xfinity Series race official late Saturday afternoon and Cole Custer was declared as the winner.

CHEVROLET NCS AT CHICAGO: Qualifying Report

By
Official Release
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NASCAR CUP SERIES
CHICAGO STREET RACE
GRANT PARK 220
TEAM CHEVY QUALIFYING REPORT
JULY 1, 2023

Van Gisbergen Drives to Top Three Qualifying Effort in NASCAR Cup Series Debut
Four Team Chevy Drivers to Start in Top-10

TEAM CHEVY UNOFFICIAL TOP-10 STARTING LINEUP:
POS. DRIVER
3rd Shane Van Gisbergen, No. 91 Enhance Health Camaro ZL1
5th Daniel Suarez, No. 99 Worldwide Express Camaro ZL1
7th Kyle Larson, No. 5 HendrickCars.com Camaro ZL1
10th AJ Allmendinger, No. 16 Bath Plant by BCI Acrylics Camaro ZL1

TOP-FIVE UNOFFICIAL STARTING LINEUP:
POS. DRIVER

  1. Denny Hamlin (Toyota)
  2. Tyler Reddick (Toyota)
  3. Shane Van Gisbergen (Chevrolet)
  4. Christopher Bell (Toyota)
  5. Daniel Suarez (Chevrolet)  

CHICAGO, Ill. (July 1, 2023) – In his first laps behind the wheel of a Next Gen Camaro ZL1, Shane Van Gisbergen proved to be an early contender as the Chevrolet driver gears up for his NASCAR Cup Series (NCS) debut in the series’ first-ever street course race. The three-time Supercars Champion quickly topped and maintained the top position of the speed chart as NASCAR’s premier series took on the streets of Chicago for a 50-minute practice session. The Auckland, New Zealand, native followed up a strong practice session by posting the third-fast lap in qualifying in the No. 91 Enhance Health Camaro ZL1 to lead the Bowtie brand to the green flag as the series is set to make history in tomorrow’s Grant Park 220.

Joining Van Gisbergen with a top-10 qualifying effort includes Trackhouse Racing teammate Daniel Suarez, who posted a fifth-place qualifying effort in his No. 99 Worldwide Express Camaro ZL1. Hendrick Motorsports’ Kyle Larson (No. 5 HENDRICKCARS.COM Camaro ZL1) qualified in the seventh-position, with Kaulig Racing’s AJ Allmendinger (No. 16 Bath Plant by BCI Acrylics Camaro ZL1) rounding out the Team Chevy top-10.

SHANE VAN GISBERGEN, NO. 91 ENHANCE HEALTH CAMARO ZL1

Qualified: 3rd

VAN GISBERGEN ON THE DIFFERENCES BETWEEN AN AUSTRALIAN SUPERCAR AND NASCAR CUP CAR:

“Well I sit on the other side of the car, so that’s the hardest thing. And just the wall where the fence is – I ended up hitting the wall at the end with the right front, so just misjudging the wall because the whole car is on the other side. That’s probably the most difficult thing.”

WITH THE FOOT WORK AND ALL THAT STUFF, IS THAT PRETTY SIMILAR?

“Yeah, it feels the same.”

SO DOES IT FEEL LIKE A SUPERCAR BECAUSE PEOPLE SAY THAT THIS IS KIND OF A SUPERCAR GTD HYBRID, IS THAT FAIR?

“It’s kind of in the middle of last year’s Supercar and this years one. It’s better, it’s quite cool. It’s very stiff and low, and touches a lot. They’re very different step-up philosophy-wise, I guess, but similar in a lot of ways too.”

WHEN YOU GO INTO THIS RACE, DO YOU LOOK AT YOURSELF AS A LEGIT CONTENDER IN YOUR FIRST-EVER CUP RACE?

“I never think like that. But I do know our preparation has been good and our team is capable, so I just have to do the job.”

THE POTENTIAL OF RAIN – IS THAT SOMETHING THAT WORRIES YOU OR ARE YOU COMFORTABLE ENOUGH DOING THAT?

“Yeah – looking at the rain tires, it’s much different than anything I’ve ever driven before. There’s no grooves and the compound feels very soft. And then the concrete – I don’t think I’ve ever driven on concrete in the rain, so it’ll be tough.”

HOW HAVE THE OTHER DRIVERS BEEN TO YOU?

“It’s been pretty awesome. Everyone has been really nice and welcoming. It’s been good to chat with the front guys who I’ll be racing with tomorrow. It’s been really cool. My teammates (Ross Chastain and Daniel Suarez) have been helpful, as well. They’re trying to talk about the car; brake settings we have and stuff. Everyone has been really open, it’s awesome.”

DANIEL SUAREZ, NO. 99 WORLDWIDE EXPRESS CAMARO ZL1

Qualified: 5th

WHAT DO YOU EXPECT FOR TOMORROW – CHAOS OR DO YOU THINK YOU GUYS WILL SETTLE INTO A RHYTHM AS LONG AS THE RACE IS?

“I wish I knew.. I don’t really know. I just hope I’m up front. If they want to make it chaos in the back, that’s fine.. they can do whatever they want. We’re starting in the top-five, so hopefully we can get a position or two; get into the top-three and have a good race. Hopefully we have good pace. Hopefully we can get the strategy correctly, pit stops and go to the front. I think that we will be contenders. I’m happy where we’re at. I’m not satisfied, but I’m happy. I feel like there’s a couple things that I have to work on myself and there’s a couple things that we need to work on the car. But overall, it’s a pretty good start.”

DID YOU FIND THAT WHAT YOU GUYS DID IN THE SIMULATOR MATCHED UP PRETTY WELL TO WHAT IT WAS LIKE IN REAL LIFE OUT THERE ON THE TRACK IN PRACTICE AND QUALIFYING, IN TERMS OF WHAT THINGS WERE LIKE AND WHAT YOU WERE FEELING?

“I think it did for the most part, honestly. I think the simulator was very realistic. A few little things different here and there, especially because NASCAR added some tire barriers, so some corners got a little bit tighter. But I feel like everything that we did during the week and the last couple of weeks, it’s been very close. Like I said, we still have a little bit of work to do, but I feel like we’re in the ballpark.”

WHEN YOU’RE OUT THERE, ARE YOU BLOCKING OUT THE CITY SCAPE, BUILDINGS OR ANYTHING LIKE THAT?

“(Laughs) We have so much going on between bumps, braking zones and stuff like that – everything that I’m looking at is my dash, the wall, a couple of braking marks and that’s it.”

CAN YOU SEE THE ADVERTISEMENTS?

“I can see them, but I’m not paying attention to them, you know what I mean. Like I know that they’re there, but if you asked me – hey, what does it say there, I don’t know. I know there’s something there (laughs).”

WITH UTILIZING EVERY SPOTTER STAND IN THE 90 DEGREE TURNS, HOW MANY OF THEM ARE BLIND CORNERS? HOW OFTEN DO SPOTTERS HELP YOU AND HOW OFTEN ARE YOU JUST KIND OF FIGURING IT OUT ON YOUR OWN?

“I think 80 percent of the time, you’re on your own. I think the spotters are there for the most part to help you when there’s wrecks. If somebody wrecks in front of you, 50 percent of the track is going to be blocked most likely, so they’re there for that. For the ‘inside, outside’ – their views are not great. We have an amazing rearview camera that can help better than the spotters sometimes. But I have three of them and all three of them are doing a hell of a job, so far.”

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.

Herta, Rahal Lead Honda’s First Fast Six Sweep in Qualifying at Mid-Ohio

By
Official Release
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LEXINGTON, Ohio (Saturday, July 1, 2023) – One second-generation NTT INDYCAR SERIES driver edged another Saturday in qualifying at the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course, and both had Honda behind them.

In fact, all six drivers in the Firestone Fast Six round were powered by Honda, the first time one manufacturer has swept the final qualifying group since 2016 when Chevrolet did at Watkins Glen International. It was Honda’s first such sweep since the format was implemented more than a decade ago.

Andretti Autosport’s Colton Herta, the son of four-time race winner Bryan Herta, scored the NTT P1 Award in dramatic fashion, turning a lap tantalizingly quicker than Graham Rahal, whose father, Bobby Rahal, was a three-time INDYCAR SERIES champion. Their best laps were distinguished by just .0432 seconds, with Herta’s pole-winning time 1 minute, 6.3096 seconds.

For Herta, it was the 11th pole of his still-young career and second in as many races as he also earned the top starting position for last month’s Sonsio Grand Prix at Road America presented by AMR. He will seek his first race win of the season Sunday in The Honda Indy 200 at Mid-Ohio Presented by the 2023 Accord Hybrid.

“Really happy to get two in a row,” Herta said, smiling.

For Rahal, it was a mixed emotional bag. Being second in qualifying was his best effort in four-plus years – since early in the 2019 season — and he reached the Firestone Fast Six for the first time since late in 2021. But he very much wanted the pole at his home track.

“I’m not going to lie — it was a good lap, and I knew it was solid,” Rahal said. “I was bummed to not get a pole.”

Rahal was born an hour south of the 13-turn, 2.258-mile permanent road course, attended many races here with his father, and scored the signature win of his career in the INDYCAR SERIES race in 2015.

Herta is also a former INDYCAR SERIES race winner at Mid-Ohio, reaching victory lane in 2020. He will be driving for his eighth career series win, which would give him five consecutive winning seasons.

Also working in the favor of Herta and Rahal, along with Honda, is that seven of the past series races at this track have been won by drivers starting on the front row. Rahal hasn’t won anywhere since sweeping the Detroit weekend midway through the 2017 season.

Unique to this Firestone Fast Six were the decisions to use different tire compounds. Herta and series leader Alex Palou (No. 10 The American Legion Honda) of Chip Ganassi Racing opted to finish the session with new primary tires while Rahal and Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing teammate Christian Lundgaard (No. 45 Vivid Clear Rx Honda) went with used alternate tires.

Herta’s teammate, Kyle Kirkwood (No. 27 AutoNation Honda), wasn’t even sure Herta made the right choice as Kirkwood earned the No. 3 starting position with used alternates.

“I think it was the right call to split the strategy a little bit,” Kirkwood said. “But honestly, I don’t think that (Herta) made the right call. He still put it on pole and drove super well.”

Said Herta: “It was a tough call. Reds and blacks were pretty close on the second run and new, so it wasn’t an easy (decision). But (the team) gave me a car that was good on both tire compounds, so we had the option to run (either).”

While it was difficult to discern which tire choice was preferred, qualifying proved that both compounds should be close in performance in Sunday’s 80-lap race. Airtime for the 40th such event in Mid-Ohio history is 1:30 p.m. ET on USA Network, Peacock and the INDYCAR Radio Network.

Not only did Rahal and Lundgaard reach the Firestone Fast Six for the first time this year, teammate Jack Harvey (No. 30 Permco Honda) qualified 11th, which meant all three team cars got to the second round of qualifying. That made Rahal happy.

As the season reaches its halfway point this weekend, Palou, a winner of three of the past four races, holds a 74-point lead over Chip Ganassi Racing teammate Marcus Ericsson, who drives the No. 8 Huski Ice Spritz Honda. Palou will start fourth Sunday with Ericsson ninth and teammate Scott Dixon (No. 9 PNC Bank Chip Ganassi Racing Honda) sixth.

Team Penske did not place a driver in the Firestone Fast Six, and the remarkable aspect is Will Power has yet to qualify in the top group this season. Roger Penske’s organization still does not have a pole this season in nine attempts.

Power, who had the fastest car in the morning practice and finished third in last year’s Mid-Ohio race, will start seventh in the No. 12 Verizon Team Penske Chevrolet. Defending race winner Scott McLaughlin will line up eighth in the No. 3 Good Ranchers Team Penske Chevrolet and Indianapolis 500 presented by Gainbridge winner Josef Newgarden will be 15th in the No. 2 PPG Team Penske Chevrolet.

“The car felt very good, but it’s ultra, ultra tight,” Power said of the field.

Pato O’Ward led 28 laps from the pole in last year’s race but dropped out early due to a mechanical failure with the No. 5 Arrow McLaren Chevrolet. Saturday, he created his own issue, spinning off Turn 2 in the first qualifying group to necessitate a 25th-place starting position.

“It was all on me on that one,” O’Ward said. “I lost the rear and (the car) got to an angle where I couldn’t save it, and then I stalled it as soon as I got in the grass. It frickin’ (stinks).”

Meyer Shank Racing’s Simon Pagenaud was held out of qualifying as a precaution following his Turn 4 incident early in Saturday morning’s practice that saw the No. 60 AutoNation/SiriusXM Honda roll through the gravel trip nearly seven times. The one-time series champion was evaluated and released by the INDYCAR Medical team, although per protocol he was not cleared to return to action Saturday. He will be evaluated Sunday morning. The team has asked series veteran Conor Daly to be on standby in the event Pagenaud can’t drive in the race.

Sunday’s schedule leads off with a 30-minute pre-race warmup at 10:30 a.m. ET.

he Honda Indy 200 at Mid-Ohio
Presented by the 2023 Accord Hybrid
Qualifying Results

Click HERE to view the results of The Honda Indy 200 at Mid-Ohio Presented by the 2023 Accord Hybrid Qualifying.

LEXINGTON, Ohio (Saturday, July 1, 2023) – Qualifying Saturday for the Honda Indy 200 at Mid-Ohio NTT INDYCAR SERIES event on the 2.258 mile(s) Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course, with qualifying position, car number in parentheses, driver, chassis-engine, time and speed in parentheses:

  1. (26) Colton Herta, Honda, 01:06.3096 (122.589)
  2. (15) Graham Rahal, Honda, 01:06.3528 (122.509)
  3. (27) Kyle Kirkwood, Honda, 01:06.3693 (122.478)
  4. (10) Alex Palou, Honda, 01:06.4166 (122.391)
  5. (45) Christian Lundgaard, Honda, 01:06.6277 (122.003)
  6. (9) Scott Dixon, Honda, 01:06.9281 (121.456)
  7. (12) Will Power, Chevrolet, 01:06.1121 (122.955)
  8. (3) Scott McLaughlin, Chevrolet, 01:06.1926 (122.805)
  9. (8) Marcus Ericsson, Honda, 01:06.2289 (122.738)
  10. (6) Felix Rosenqvist, Chevrolet, 01:06.2455 (122.707)
  11. (30) Jack Harvey, Honda, 01:06.7309 (121.815)
  12. (18) David Malukas, Honda, 01:06.7596 (121.762)
  13. (7) Alexander Rossi, Chevrolet, 01:06.6010 (122.052)
  14. (28) Romain Grosjean, Honda, 01:06.1870 (122.816)
  15. (2) Josef Newgarden, Chevrolet, 01:06.6307 (121.998)
  16. (21) Rinus VeeKay, Chevrolet, 01:06.2891 (122.626)
  17. (20) Ryan Hunter-Reay, Chevrolet, 01:07.0095 (121.308)
  18. (11) Marcus Armstrong, Honda, 01:06.2915 (122.622)
  19. (06) Helio Castroneves, Honda, 01:07.0503 (121.234)
  20. (77) Callum Ilott, Chevrolet, 01:06.3487 (122.516)
  21. (78) Agustin Canapino, Chevrolet, 01:07.0816 (121.178)
  22. (51) Sting Ray Robb, Honda, 01:06.5157 (122.209)
  23. (55) Benjamin Pedersen, Chevrolet, 01:07.3960 (120.612)
  24. (29) Devlin DeFrancesco, Honda, 01:06.5834 (122.084)
  25. (5) Pato O’Ward, Chevrolet, 01:11.3655 (113.904)
  26. (14) Santino Ferrucci, Chevrolet, 01:07.2807 (120.819)
  27. (60) Simon Pagenaud, Honda, No Time (No Speed)

Toyota Racing – NCS Chicago Quotes – Denny Hamlin – 07.01.23

By
Official Release
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Toyota Racing – Denny Hamlin
NASCAR Cup Series Quotes

CHICAGO (July 1, 2023) – Joe Gibbs Racing driver Denny Hamlin was made available to media after winning the pole for the NASCAR Cup Series event at the Chicago Street Race on Saturday:

DENNY HAMLIN, No. 11 Yahoo! Toyota Camry TRD, Joe Gibbs Racing

What are your first impressions of being here in Chicago for the first-ever NASCAR street race?

“Just really props to NASCAR and the city for making it happen. I certainly was pessimistic when it was first announced. I started warming up to it a little bit in the months leading up, but obviously when you see the fans that are walking around here on a Saturday – their excitement of just seeing a NASCAR race car up close taking pictures. It kind of is like this is what we’re supposed to do here. I mentioned on the podcast last week, the sooner we just kind of understand the gravity of the event and not get caught up too much in the on-track stuff I think the better off we’re going to be. Certainly, we were very optimistic about today. I certainly didn’t like waking up to rain. I thought that could’ve really changed things for me quite a bit, and hopefully it does not rain tomorrow. It was just a great day. Probably my single best day at the race track in all of my career for sure.”

Was there not much tire fall off on the track during qualifying and was it an advantage to only run one lap in the first round of qualifying?

“It was, but I messed up the first time. In the final round, when I ran the 88.9, I knew that I left a ton of time on the race track. I thought that the competition was going to let me get away with it, but Shane (Van Gisbergen) obviously put up a great lap. I knew that three or four tenths I could probably go get that in certain areas, and so we did. I still didn’t hit it perfect, but it was kind of just enough. The tire fall off, I thought that it’s really coming from reps. I think that the tires, if you were optimizing the driver’s perfect machines, but it was just the reps that were getting us a little bit faster.”

Was there anything about the track that you feel like needs to be changed for tomorrow?

“I felt that Adam (Stevens), Christopher Bell’s crew chief, brought up a really good point and that is coming off the final turn where pit entry is there are huge barrels there and with it only being a 40 mile per hour corner, we probably don’t need those huge barrels. So, if you could probably take one of those concrete barriers off the entrance to pit road because there’s no pit stalls for the first three stalls anyway and move those barrels back 20 to 25 feet, it would allow us to go through the final corner a little bit faster so we’re not causing a huge stack up with the cars that are pitting and the ones that are not. That’s the only thing that I saw. Everything else was kind of what you expected with the course. Your passing zones are going to be in the first six corners and then after that you’ve just got to maintain. That’s where you’re going to make the passes. The track gets so narrow after turn 6 that you’re not going to do much there.”

What were your concerns about this race when it was first announced?

“One of the things was from running the simulator and seeing how bumpy it was. It was a mess, but when we came out here and saw all of the extra paving that they did for the race track it made it significantly better. They really did a good job of smoothing out some of the big jumps that we had in the straightaways. That was one. And, certainly, just how tight it is. It is a tight race track, but it is what it is. I think it’s got three to four major passing zones that if you can stay close enough, you’ll be able to make passes. I was worried about this thing just going single file and that’s how you’re going to finish. I think that there’s an opportunity if you have a fast car, you’re going to move forward.”

Do you think Shane Van Gisbergen can contend for the win tomorrow?

“The biggest thing I noticed is the guy (Shane Van Gisbergen) is lightning fast, and all of the corners I feel super uncomfortable using that extra three inches against the wall. So, where the track is the narrowest and where you saw Chase (Elliott) and those guys kind of get into the wall is where he is extremely fast. He’s just got a feel for those barriers and the car control that he has. That’s his advantage right now is that we’re not used to having to cut the corners that tight and he is. It’s been impressive what he’s done today for sure.”

Is this really the best day of your career on the race track?

“Yeah. Just going into a race that obviously has got a ton of hype and has a ton of eyes looking at this race. Just the overall performance of our team today. From lap one of practice to the last lap of qualifying just having been strong on a track that is really tough, and everyone had to learn it at the same rate of speed. No one has got a veteran advantage at this type of race track. So, it’s just a proud moment for our team to be able to come here on equal footing with everyone and be able to perform as good as they did today. Again, I’ve never felt like I’ve had more speed in reserve than what I did today. I just knew that I can go get that. Do you want me to run four tenths faster? Just areas I can go and get that. Now, there’s risks with that. I think in the race I’m just going to have to back it down slightly to take away 20 to 30 percent of risk. You’re going to have to be a half second slower a lap, but you’re going to take away the risk of making a huge mistake. And I feel like when you have a car that’s as fast as mine, I’m able to back that up and still run a fast enough pace.”

Would you like to see this idea transposed to other major cities?

“I’m sure it’s possible for sure. I would like to see – if we do have a street race, you’d like to continue to get momentum at the place you’re at. I think that with it hopefully being a three-year thing here, I think that there’s a potential to continue to build it up bigger and bigger. Certainly, after the trial and error that you have the first year here there’s way more efficiencies that they can gain by doing it the second time around. They’re going to understand their timing better, be way more prepared when we get to the race track. The time to put it together would probably be cut 10 to 15 percent. Yes, but let’s not lose too far from where we are. I think that it’s great that we’re visiting, doing a street race and we have so many different disciplines, but you certainly have got to keep us doing what we do best and that’s side-by-side racing on ovals quite a bit.”

Are there certain tracks that you’d like to see added to the schedule?

“Nothing off hand, no. I’m sure there’s a lot of great race tracks that would be suitable. Even after running this thing on iRacing, I just was very skeptical of the layout of the track. But I just thought after driving it today that it has significant – it’s a raceable race track. It’s easy for me to say because I had such a great day, right? But I just think there’s tons of opportunities to make moves at this track. It’s one that’s very legitimate.”

What do you think it would mean to him if you or one of your 23XI drivers won the race tomorrow?

“He’s (Michael Jordan) pumped up whether we’re performing well at North Wilkesboro or we’re here in Chicago, honestly. It is a big city for him. He’s obviously did a lot for this city and this city did a ton for him. Having 23XI night at the Cubs game yesterday was big. Just the fanfare that the 23XI team has got from the unveiling of the car. Social outlets that don’t normally cover anything about racing because it’s about something else are paying attention to that. That’s how you grow the sport. And Michael (Jordan) is really proud of the growth that they’ve got and the speed they’ve got in such a short amount of time that the team has been around. For me, personally, it would have to be a top five win for me if we were able to do it.”

If it rains tomorrow, does it benefit Shane or Jenson because they’ve run street courses in the rain?

“Probably. I would say probably, yeah. I don’t know what we’ve got. I was a little pessimistic today coming in just thinking can I correlate what I’ve been practicing to the real thing. Certainly, in the rain I don’t feel quite as confident. We’ve all got to do it, so we’ll see how it goes.”

What is your responsibility to make sure the restarts don’t look like a cluster tomorrow?

“This is a start, right. We’ve definitely made a big shift with the restart zone at road courses because we have looked kind of bad at some of these late race restarts. Moving it back to create a corner to then spread out the field slightly. Trust me, it’s still going to be crazy into turn one but it’s just going to hopefully take us from not being bozos. That’s the goal. It still may happen, but I certainly think that you don’t really want to play a whole lot of games when it comes to that because it’s not good for anyone. It really isn’t. A lot of the responsibility will come from the second, third and fourth rows to really try not to anticipate or jump the start. You have to make a corner there. I think it’s placed probably in one of the best spots that it could to avoid what we’ve been doing lately.”

Do you feel like the elements you are good at on short tracks and superspeedway racing play a role in getting you into this position today?

“I think that for the guys out there, it’s as mentally grueling as any race track that we’ve got. Just simply because I think what Chris (Gabehart, crew chief) is talking about is that there is more speed out there, but the risk is going to be pushing it. Likely, if you have a chase scenario where you’re trying to chase someone down for the lead – they have the lead, they’re not going to run the most aggressive line, they’re not going to cut the corners as tight as they possibly can. But the guy in second is willing to do it because he’s going for it. It could cause the field to tighten up. The leader will always race a little more conservatively. It’s just weighing that risk that I think that he thinks that I try to do in speedway racing. When’s the time to push and when is it not.”

How are Joe Gibbs Racing and 23XI Racing doing with the changes to the cars for Atlanta?

“It’s certainly harder for a team like 23XI because we don’t have the manufacturing facility and we don’t have the equipment that JGR has. Certainly, we have to lean on them quite a bit to help us to execute those changes. What’s the long-term effect of it though, right? The business model of the car was built around it being super rigid and you’re never having to replace anything. The softer it is and the more crunchable it is, the more cause to crash them so what happens there. That’s the cause and effect that we haven’t seen quite yet. Luckily, we have a good agreement with JGR for when these things happen. They have the manpower to help assist us and make sure our cars are ready to go on time.”

About Toyota

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

Toyota directly employs more than 48,000 people in North America who have contributed to the design, engineering, and assembly of nearly 45 million cars and trucks at our 13 manufacturing plants. By 2025, Toyota’s 14th plant in North Carolina will begin to manufacture automotive batteries for electrified vehicles. With more electrified vehicles on the road than any other automaker, Toyota currently offers 22 electrified options.

Through the Start Your Impossible campaign, Toyota highlights the way it partners with community, civic, academic and governmental organizations to address our society’s most pressing mobility challenges. We believe that when people are free to move, anything is possible. For more information about Toyota, visit www.ToyotaNewsroom.com.

CHEVROLET INDYCAR AT MID-OHIO: TEAM CHEVY QUALIFYING RECAP

By
Official Release
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CHEVROLET IN NTT INDYCAR SERIES
HONDA INDY 200 AT MID-OHIO
LEXINGTON, OHIO
TEAM CHEVY FIRESTONE FAST SIX REPORT
JULY 1, 2023

THREE CHEVYS TO START IN THE TOP-10 AT MID-OHIO SUNDAY

  • Chevrolet will be represented by three drivers in the top-10 when taking the green flag in tomorrow’s Honda Indy 200 at Mid-Ohio, with Will Power seventh, Scott McLaughlin eighth, and Felix Rosenqvist 10th.
  • Power, driver of the No. 12 Team Penske Chevrolet, topped the leaderboard in second practice that kicked off Saturday morning with a fastest lap of 1:06.4905.
  • Four Chevrolet drivers, including Power, Pato O’Ward (fourth), McLaughlin (sixth), and Rosenqvist (10th), represented the Bowtie brand in the NTT INDYCAR Series second practice top-10.
  • Chevrolet commanded the first and second positions on the combined practice leaderboard from the first two sessions, with Team Penske’s Power, and Arrow McLaren INDYCAR’s O’Ward leading with their fastest laps of 1:06.4905 (Power, Practice 2) and 1:06.4935 (O’Ward, Practice 1), respectively.

TEAM CHEVY TOP-10 QUALIFYING RESULT:
Pos. Driver
7th Will Power
8th Scott McLaughlin
10th Felix Rosenqvist

WHAT THEY’RE SAYING (QUOTES)

Josef Newgarden, No. 2 Chevrolet at Team Penske:

“Not the day we were looking for with the PPG Chevy, and we’ll have to do a deep dive to see what we missed. It’s not ideal, for sure, but look at what Will (Power) was able to do from the back last year. No one thought he could drive to a podium, but that’s what happened. We’ll need to be super aggressive from the drop of the green. That’s what we’ll work on between now and then.”

Scott McLaughlin, No. 3 Chevrolet at Team Penske:

“Overall, okay day for the Good Ranchers Chevy. A P8 starting spot for us tomorrow on race day. We’ve got a great race car. Looking forward to the race; it could be wet or dry. Could be a mix of changeable conditions and I enjoy that. There is no doubt we can win from eighth, so we’ll do our best to do that.”

Will Power, No. 12 Chevrolet at Team Penske:

“Car felt really good. It’s obviously ultra, ultra tight. Everyone in front of us are Hondas, so maybe just [this condition] is suiting their engine being very humid. I could’ve done a bit better with the tire prep on the first lap. I didn’t anticipate having to back up in [turns] 4, 5, and 6. But man, not me. I was quicker in the first round; maybe the track slowed up. That’s everything I had.”

“What am I off? Like three-tenths. I’m off not even three-tenths and I’m seventh. Just INDYCAR. It’s so bloody tough. It’s no joke. It’s great, really. Still haven’t cracked that top-six this year, if you can believe it.

Are you close enough you can find something tomorrow and contend for a win?

“I think our race car, our race, will be good. I think we had the ultimate pace as well. We had a theoretical as P3, but I just didn’t get a good enough prep lap on the tire there. Maybe we would have got through, but yeah. It’s been an interesting qualifying year for me.”

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

I feel bad for the team. We have a really strong car but that doesn’t mean we can’t go forward tomorrow. So yeah, it was all on me there. I lost the rear and got off on an angle that I couldn’t save it. I stalled it as soon as I got into the grass. It sucks. You are taking these cars to the limit and sometimes things happen. It’s probably not the last time it’s going to happen. You just have to look forward. At least it’s not the race; it is just qualifying. The race is super, super long so we can make a lot of spots up when you have a comfortable car underneath you. We will go forward tomorrow. I have no about it. Tomorrow will be a good race for us and we’ll just we’ll just keep on pushing through cars.”

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

“A little bit bummed. Top-10, but couldn’t get my tires up to temp. I had traffic and had to follow the guys in front of me. Started my lap with cold tires. The timing wasn’t right. I had more in it. I think we had a top-six car. It’s a good starting place. It’s not bad. We’ll have to figure out how to put the car in race mode and go from there.”

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

“I mean really everything. I mean, we’re trying to figure it out. It’s disappointing. I don’t know that we thought we had a car for gold, but I think we should have gotten out of Q1.”

”It’s been a tough weekend. We just haven’t quite found a good balance with the car. I don’t really know what tomorrow holds from a weather standpoint or a race standpoint. It was just a disappointing day overall for everyone, and we’re going to have to be pretty aggressive with the race and strategy tomorrow.”

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

“We’ve been together such a short amount of time so still obviously we’re both learning together. They’re trying to come to me and what I need grip wise. It’s still kind of the same scenario Road America. I’m just lacking mid-corner front grip which is a big lap time robber here and in this series in general on road and street circuits. We’re working on that. The good thing is we have a direction we made the car a lot better from where we started. So we’re trending in the right direction on that. Just head down, focusing on our own task list. And yeah, having a good time doing it.”

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

“Well, I think we have a really fast race car. I finished fourth here last year. We made steps from practice to qualifying. I think we made improvements so I’m happy with that. It’s very tough out there. The track changes consistently and it’s just really hard to get it perfect. But I think we fixed our biggest troubles and balances in some corners, so I think we improved. We do want to comfortably advance, and we’re not doing that yet. But I think we have made a step. I think Ryan (Hunter-Reay) has really helped the team understand stuff better and you know, his approach is a lot different than mine. He also could be my dad, so I learned a lot from him. He has a lot of INDYCAR experience and I think that’s also helping me get more prepared for qualifying sessions and everything. So, a step in the right direction and baby steps for now, but I think the BITNILE.COM team is making good changes. Ryan (Hunter-Reay) is extremely serious. He writes everything down. Really serious and of course, he has a lot of he can take away from a team that performed really well with him with Andretti, so I think he can carry that forward with us. We’re going to make forward progress from here.”

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

“Trying to go in a certain direction from practice and trying to chase a balance and we found a balance that we like but we just have zero pace. So back to the drawing board to understand why that’s happening so we can actually move through the field tomorrow. With the cars being set up the same, I think it’s very clear to see what’s wrong with them and just hope we can manage to adjust in the correct direction to find the second that we lost from practice.”

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

“Qualifying all wrapped up and we’re just missing speed as a team. Obviously we have very similar setups to what we thought was going to be the fastest for qualifying and we’re just both struggling to make the car go fast. The feedback is very similar. The car feels pretty balanced, just struggling to get the tires activated we think and get the lap time out of it. Regardless, we’re working really hard and the race strategy tomorrow will be really exciting with weather. We’ll work hard with the whole team here and Team Chevy to be the most prepared for tomorrow.”

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

“I think the result, the position, didn’t really do us justice. We improved the car quite a lot from Practice 2. We were reasonably close to the top, but unfortunately it was a very tight group. We ended up P10 in the group. That put us back in P20. I think if I were in the other group, probably would’ve transferred to the Fast 12. It’s like that. We’ve been a bit unlucky with the group so far this year. Still a few things to improved, so we’ll see what we can do for warm up tomorrow and prepare for the race.”

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.

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