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Toyota Racing – NCS Nashville Post-Race Report – 06.25.23

By
Official Release
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TRUEX EXTENDS POINTS LEAD WITH RUNNER-UP RESULT
Truex leads three Joe Gibbs Racing Toyotas in the top-seven at Nashville

NASHVILLE (June 25, 2023) – Martin Truex Jr. extended his points lead with a runner-up finish at Nashville Superspeedway on Sunday evening. Both Truex and Denny Hamlin (third) spent time in the lead as the Toyota drivers combined for 131 laps led of the 300-mile race. Hamlin also added to his Playoff bonus point total with a victory in the second stage. Christopher Bell joined his Joe Gibbs Racing teammates inside the top-10 as the Oklahoma-native was scored in seventh.

Toyota Post-Race Recap
NASCAR Cup Series (NCS)
Nashville Superspeedway
Race 17 of 36 – 399 miles, 300 laps

TOYOTA FINISHING POSITIONS

1st, Ross Chastain*

2nd, MARTIN TRUEX JR.

3rd, DENNY HAMLIN

4th, Chase Elliott*

5th, Kyle Larson*

7th, CHRISTOPHER BELL

14th, TY GIBBS

15th, BUBBA WALLACE

30th, TYLER REDDICK

*non-Toyota driver

TOYOTA QUOTES

MARTIN TRUEX JR., No. 19 Bass Pro Shops Toyota Camry TRD, Joe Gibbs Racing

Finishing Position: 2nd

What needed to go differently there in the end?

“Just needed to get the lead. Once we lost it – I probably made a move picking the bottom on the restart, just too loose on the long run. I could hang with whoever leading, just could never get off the corner to make a move – just lacking the side-bite, overall, just burning off the rear tires a little bit too much. I was really loose there at the end of the race too. Just needed a little bit. I’ve got a lot of speed, just could never get the balance where we needed it to be. Without having clean air, it was difficult. Overall, good night for our Bass Pro, Tracker Toyota Camry. The guys are doing a great job, just that close again. If we can keep doing this, we will be in good shape.”

You will leave with the points lead. Is that a net positive?

“Yeah, especially if we gained on them – if we extended it, that’s always good. That’s a lot of points at the end of the regular season to get that – a lot of bonus points, we will take all we can. I was disappointed to not get the stage win. We had it kind of wrapped up until that tire got away on the 45 (Tyler Reddick) but that’s kind of how these things play out. We weren’t just quite fast enough to take the lead, and that was our issue. Just burning the rear tires off and getting too loose on the long runs.”

DENNY HAMLIN, No. 11 FedEx Ground Toyota Camry TRD, Joe Gibbs Racing

Finishing Position: 3rd

Where did the car go there in the end?

“The field is so close. Everyone is running the same times. It’s really hard. I think we had a third-place car the entire race. The 19 (Martin Truex Jr.) was a little better, and the 1 (Ross Chastain) came on strong there in the end. That’s all we had with our FedEx Ground Toyota. Just an optimized day with no mistakes. We gave ourselves a chance – just didn’t have quite fast enough car today.”

How would you describe the racing today?

“The side-by-side is really because whoever gets out front sets the pace. With everything being the same on the cars, the track position means more than anything. You just have to battle. I saw some great three-wide racing early on those restarts, but just wish I had a little more sped, that’s what we needed.”

CHRISTOPHER BELL, No. 20 DeWalt Toyota Camry TRD, Joe Gibbs Racing

Finishing Position: 7th

How was your race?

“It was a pretty solid day and something that we can build off of. We had a great start to the season and then a terrible stretch of races these last couple of months, so between Sonoma and here, it seems like we’ve got it turned around a little bit, so it was a pretty good showing for the DeWalt Camry.”

Passing cars was something you proved you could do today, so how much confidence does that give you moving forward?

“Nashville is a place – and especially today – with long green flag runs. If you were better than the guys, you could move around and make passes. In the end, with the last stage going green, I feel like it shook out pretty much. Good cars ended up in the front, and I was kind of a fifth-to-10th place guy all day.”

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.

Ford Performance Notes and Quotes – NCS Nashville Post-Race Quotes

By
Official Release
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Ford Performance Notes and Quotes
NASCAR Cup Series
Ally 400 | Sunday, June 25, 2023

Ford Finishing Results:

11th – Brad Keselowski

16th – Ryan Preece

18th – Chris Buescher

19th – Joey Logano

21st – Harrison Burton

24th – Kevin Harvick

25th – Aric Almirola

27th – Austin Cindric

28th – Michael McDowell

29th – JJ Yeley

31st – Chase Briscoe

33rd – Brennan Poole

35th – Todd Gilliland

36th – Ryan Blaney

BRAD KESELOWSKI, No. 6 Solomon Plumbing Ford Mustang (Finished 11th) – WHAT WERE THE POSITIVE TAKEAWAYS FROM TONIGHT? “Pit road, we were so strong. We got better all night. I got better all night. The car got better all night. I was frustrated with the restarts there, but all-in-all, we got the best we could out of it.”

HOW DO YOU STRATEGIZE MOVING FORWARD FOR THE REST OF THE SEASON, AND DID YOU LEARN ANYTHING FROM TONIGHT THAT ADDS PERSPECTIVE? “There’s always something to learn. I’d like to find more speed. Just felt like I was driving over my head. Guys would miss corners, and I’d hit a perfect lap and just keep up. Then they’d finally hit the groove and drive away from me. It’s just frustrating as hell. We’re not bad. We just need more speed. We have the pit crew to do this, and I needed to do a little better on the restarts, for sure. I got ran over a couple times. But, we’re dabbling with it and need a little bit more.”

WHAT HAPPENED ON THE RESTART? “Yeah, the guys behind me had so much power that they ran me over. I got a great launch, and there they go. I just got run over. Got hit so hard, it literally knocked it out of gear. They were just that much faster. It’s frustrating, but we got work to do.”

RYAN BLANEY MADE CONTACT WITH THE INSIDE WALL AT THE ENTRANCE INTO TURN ONE, AND IT WAS NOT A SAFER BARRIER. THERE HAVE BEEN IMPROVEMENTS THROUGH THE YEARS, BUT DO YOU THINK THERE’S MORE WORK TO BE DONE? “I hope he was okay – that’s the most important thing. Sounds like more work to do there, too.”

RYAN PREECE, No. 41 Morton Buildings Ford Mustang (Finished 16th) – “Today was tough for our team but that was a great rally at the end. I battled a loose race car all day long and then I lacked forward drive. We were fast but we just needed to make so many adjustments to get it in the right spot and then we’d lose time on pit road. Our car really came to life at the end of the race and the last two adjustments my guys made were spot on. We salvaged a really decent finish for the day we could have had so I’m happy about that. We’ll keep building on it and head to Chicago where who knows what will happen.”

CHRIS BUESCHER, No. 17 Fastenal Ford Mustang (Finished 18th) – “We struggled a little bit today, and we chased a few things – a few gremlins – and couldn’t quite get on-top of them. So, I guess we’ll definitely learn something from it. We have some work to do. I thought we were in a better place, so I’m a little bummed with our result.”

How to Properly Fit and Adjust Your Motorcycle Half Helmet for Maximum Comfort

By
SM
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Photo by Roberto Nickson

You have got a cool motorcycle half helmet, but now you are wondering how to ensure it fits perfectly and keeps you comfortable on those thrilling rides. Well, worry not!

I have got you covered.

In this guide, I will walk you through the simple steps to properly fit and adjust your helmet for maximum comfort.

We will ensure it’s snug but not tight, with no annoying pressure points. Trust me, once you nail the perfect fit, you will forget you are even wearing it!

Let’s dive in and make your riding experience a breeze!

How to properly fit a motorcycle helmet for Safety and Comfort

1. Find out your head shape

If you want to ensure your best motorcycle half helmet fits perfectly and feels super comfy, I have some tips. First things first, you need to figure out your head shape.

Look at your noggin from the top and see if it’s more like an oval.

Depending on the measurements, you will fall into one of three categories: round oval, intermediate oval, or long oval.

Once you know your head shape, you can search for the right helmet. Keep in mind that different helmet brands cater to specific head shapes based on their main customers. 

2. What size should you go for?

You will consider the size that’s right for you. Most helmet manufacturers offer helmets in a few sizes, like Small, Medium, Large, and sometimes even Small.

To figure out your size, grab a flexible measuring tape and measure around the top of your eyebrows, all around your head.

Take a few measurements and go with the largest one. That will be your size. Just follow the specific measuring instructions provided by the helmet maker on their website.  

3. How snug should a helmet be?

So you have a motorcycle half helmet but are unsure how to fit and adjust it for maximum comfort. Well, let me help you out! First, you want your helmet to be snug on your head when it comes to fitting it.

It shouldn’t move around freely. Ensure that the helmet’s inner liner is in contact with your face but not so close that it causes discomfort or pain.

Some helmet manufacturers even provide additional liners to help you achieve the perfect fit. Remember, a well-fitted helmet is vital to your comfort and safety on the road!

4. Type of Motorcycle Helmet

Starting with the proper kind of helmet is crucial for fitting and adjusting your motorcycle half helmet for optimal comfort. There are several different types of helmets, including full-face, modular, ADV dual sport, open-face, and half-shell models.

According to your demands, each style offers a variety of advantages. You may read the useful advice “Picking the Best Motorcycle Helmet” to help you make the best decision.

Once you have decided on a half helmet, the key is to make sure it fits correctly and that it is comfortable. Let’s have a look at the steps together as we dig in!

Wrapping Up!

Properly fitting and adjusting your motorcycle half helmet is crucial for ensuring maximum comfort and safety while riding.

Following the steps outlined in this guide, you can find the right size helmet and make the necessary adjustments to achieve a secure and snug fit.

Consider factors like head shape, strap adjustment, and padding for personalized comfort. A well-fitted helmet not only enhances your riding experience but also provides essential protection in case of any mishaps on the road.

Take the time to fit and adjust your helmet correctly, and enjoy your rides with peace of mind and comfort. Stay safe out there!

The Repco Supercars Championship for Dummies

By
SM
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The Repco Supercars Championship, formerly the V8 Supercars Championship, is the event of the year for motorsport enthusiasts in Australia and across the world. But for someone watching a race for the very first time, understanding the rules of the race can get confusing really fast. If you’re one of those who have never watched a race before and are frantically searching for motorsport news to understand what’s going on, don’t worry—we’ve got you covered.

This blog will take you through the ins and outs of the Supercars Championship, from its format and history to the rules and what you can expect from a typical racing weekend. So buckle up your seatbelts, and let’s dive into the action!

The Repco Supercars Championship: What is it?

The Repco Supercars Championship is a nail-biting, fiercely competitive touring car racing series that highlights the best of Australian touring car racing. Multiple races are held during the championship season at different tracks throughout the nation. A points-based system is used to determine the champion, with teams and drivers accruing points all season long.

A race weekend often includes many races, allowing drivers to demonstrate their prowess on various circuit types. While the schedule may differ from one event to the next, a typical setup consists of practice sessions, qualifying rounds, and several races spread out across a weekend.

History and Evolution:

The Supercars Championship has a rich history that dates back to 1960 when the Australian Touring Car Championship (ATCC) was established. The championship has changed its name several times over the years, evolved and gained popularity, eventually becoming the premier motorsport category in Australia.

In recent years, the championship has seen significant changes, including new regulations and rebranding to the Repco Supercars Championship. These modifications were made to boost on-track action, increase competition, and provide viewers with an even more thrilling experience.

How It Differs from Other Racing Series:

There are various ways in which the Repco Supercars Championship differs from other racing leagues. The kind of cars used is one significant distinction. 

Supercars are specially designed for racing, based on production cars modified to meet strict performance and safety regulations. These high-performance machines produce incredible speed and deliver heart-pounding action on the track.

Another distinguishing feature is the close racing and wheel-to-wheel battles the Supercars Championship is known for. The drivers exhibit exceptional skill and bravery as they navigate tight corners and fight for position, thrilling fans with intense overtakes and nail-biting finishes.

Rules and Regulations:

The Supercars Championship has a thorough set of rules and regulations to ensure fair competition and safety. These encompass various aspects, including technical specifications, proper sporting conduct, and sanctions for breaking the rules. To uphold the greatest levels of fairness and safety, the rules are regularly reviewed and modified.

Among the most significant guidelines are:

  • The vehicles must be based on production cars.
  • A V8 engine must power the vehicles.
  • The vehicles must be at least 1,400 kilograms in weight.
  • The vehicles need to be roll-caged.
  • Drivers are required to don a helmet and flame-resistant clothes.
  • Closed circuits must be used for the races.

A Typical Supercars Race Weekend:

A typical Supercars race weekend is an action-packed extravaganza that entertains both on and off the track. Let’s take a closer look at what you can expect:

  • Practice Sessions: The weekend kicks off with practice sessions, where drivers fine-tune their cars and familiarise themselves with the track.
  • Qualifying Rounds: Next up are the qualifying rounds, where drivers battle against the clock to secure the best possible starting position for the races. Excitement builds as they push their cars to the limit, aiming for a spot at the front of the grid.
  • Support Races and Fan Activities: In between the main Supercars races, there are often support races featuring other categories, showcasing a diverse range of motorsport talent. Additionally, fans can enjoy various activities such as autograph sessions, driver meets and greets, and interactive exhibits.
  • Main Races: The highlight of the weekend is undoubtedly the main Supercars races. The roaring engines, the smell of burning rubber, and the electric atmosphere create an unforgettable experience. Fans cheer on their favourite drivers as they battle for supremacy, showcasing their skills and strategy on the track.
  • Podium Celebrations: As the checkered flag waves, the top drivers take their places on the podium. Champagne sprays and jubilant celebrations mark the end of a thrilling race weekend.

The Repco Supercars Championship 2023

The Repco Supercars Championship 2023 kicked off in Newcastle on the 11th of March, with drivers racing through 12 rounds to make it to the top. Currently, four rounds out of twelve have been played, with the full line-up being:

RoundEventCircuitLocationDates
1Newcastle 500Newcastle Street CircuitNewcastle, New South Wales11-12 March
2Melbourne SuperSprintAlbert Park CircuitAlbert Park, Melbourne, Victoria30 March – 2 April
3Perth SuperSprintWanneroo RacewayNeerabup, Western Australia29-30 April
4Tasmania SuperSprintSymmons Plains RacewayLaunceston, Tasmania20-21 May
5Darwin Triple CrownHidden Valley RacewayDarwin, Northern Territory17-18 June
6Townsville 500Reid Park Street CircuitTownsville, Queensland8-9 July
7Sydney SuperNightSydney Motorsport ParkEastern Creek, New South Wales29-30 July
8The Bend SuperSprintThe Bend Motorsport ParkTailem Bend, South Australia19-20 August
9Sandown 500Sandown RacewaySpringvale, Melbourne, Australia17 September
10Bathurst 1000Mount Panorama CircuitBathurst, New South Wales8 October
11Gold Coast 500Surfers Paradise Street CircuitSurfers Paradise, Queensland28-29 October
12Adelaide 500Adelaide Street CircuitAdelaide, South Australia25-26 November

The most current round of the series, the betr Darwin Triple Crown was as thrilling an event as can be. Officially dubbed The Indigenous Round, the Darwin Triple Crown saw drivers race each other for the coveted pole position in the three-part qualifying format, followed by the three 35-lap races. In a surprising turn of events, Jack Le Brocq of Matt Stone Racing saw the second win of his career. Stay tuned for more betr Darwin Triple Crown 2023 news and Supercars news!

Chastain fends off Truex for first Cup victory of 2023 at Nashville

By
Andrew Kim
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LEBANON, TENNESSEE - JUNE 25: Ross Chastain, driver of the #1 Worldwide Express Chevrolet, and crew celebrate in victory lane after winning the NASCAR Cup Series Ally 400 at Nashville Superspeedway on June 25, 2023 in Lebanon, Tennessee. (Photo by Logan Riely/Getty Images).

In a season that has been characterized by an up-and-down journey through his share of run-ins and challenges, all while remaining competitive, Ross Chastain capped off a historic weekend that commenced by winning his first NASCAR Cup Series career pole to capturing his first Cup Series victory of the season in the third annual running of the Ally 400 at Nashville Superspeedway on Sunday, June 25.

The 30-year-old Chastain from Alva, Florida, led five times for a race-high 99 of 300-scheduled laps in a weekend where he led the field to the green flag for the first time ever from pole position. After leading early before spending the majority of the event keeping pace with the front-runners, Chastain commenced his late charge to victory by overtaking Denny Hamlin for the lead with 70 laps remaining. Following a series of green flag pit stops, he then cycled back into the lead with 34 laps remaining and fended off a late charge from Martin Truex Jr. to capture the first checkered flag of the 2023 Cup season for himself and Trackhouse Racing.

With on-track qualifying that determined the starting lineup occurring on Saturday, June 24, Ross Chastain notched his first Cup Series pole position of his career after posting a pole-winning lap at 160.687 mph in 29.797 seconds. Joining him on the front row was Tyler Reddick, who posted the second-best qualifying lap at 159.573 mph in 30.005 seconds.

Prior to the event, Daniel Suarez started at the rear of the field in a backup car after wrecking his primary car during Saturday’s qualifying session. Corey LaJoie, who also had an incident during his qualifying run, also started at the rear of the field due to unapproved adjustments and repairs made to his Spire Motorsports entry.

When the green flag waved and the race commenced, Chastain fended off an early challenge from Reddick to assume the lead through the first two turns. As the field fanned out and jostled early for on-track positions, Chastain proceeded to lead the first lap ahead of Reddick while Joey Logano moved up to third. Behind, Justin Haley, who qualified third, settled in fourth in front of Martin Truex Jr. and William Byron. In addition, Bubba Wallace and Denny Hamlin battled for seventh as the event surpassed the second-lap mark.

The battles around the circuit would continue through the third lap as Truex and Byron moved into the top five while Haley fell back to sixth in front of Wallace, all while Chastain remained as the leader by a steady margin over Reddick. Chastain would proceed to retain the lead as the event reached its fifth lap mark.

Through the first 10 scheduled laps, Chastain was leading by two-tenths of a second over Reddick followed by Logano, Truex and Byron while Haley, Denny Hamlin, Chase Elliott, Wallace and Kyle Busch were in the top 10. Behind, Chris Buescher was in 11th ahead of Ryan Blaney, Kyle Larson, Alex Bowman and rookie Ty Gibbs while AJ Allmendinger, Kevin Harvick, Brad Keselowski, Christopher Bell and Ricky Stenhouse Jr. occupied the top 20.

Just past the Lap 15 mark, Kyle Busch, who was running within the top 10, made an unscheduled pit stop under green due to a flat right-front tire on his No. 8 Cheddar’s Scratch Kitchen Chevrolet Camaro ZL1. With Busch plummeting below the leaderboard and losing a lap, Chastain maintained the lead by within two-tenths of a second over Reddick. By then, Truex and Byron moved up to third and fourth while Logano was in fifth.

At the Lap 25 mark, Chastain retained the lead by a tenth of a second over Reddick followed by Truex and Byron while Hamlin moved his No. 11 FedEx Toyota TRD Camry into fifth place. With Logano falling back to sixth, Haley was scored in seventh ahead of Elliott, Wallace and Buescher. Behind, Larson was situated in 12th in between Blaney and Bowman, Harvick was in 17th behind Christopher Bell and Keselowski was in 18th. In addition, rookie Noah Gragson, who received medical clearance to return to racing after missing Sonoma Raceway due to concussion-like symptoms, was mired in 26th in between Corey LaJoie and Daniel Suarez, Austin Cindric was in 28th and Chase Briscoe was back in 31st.

Ten laps later, Chastain slightly stretched his advantage to half a second over Reddick while Truex, Byron and Hamlin remained in the top five. By then, Haley and Elliott moved up to sixth and seventh in front of Logano while Blaney carved his way into the top 10 in 10th place. Behind, Bowman moved up to 11th ahead of teammate Larson while Wallace fell back to 15th.

Then just past the Lap 40 mark, green flag pit stops commenced as Ryan Preece pitted followed by Wallace, Harvick, Michael McDowell, Larson, Aric Almirola, Truex, Ty Gibbs, Hamlin, Ricky Stenhouse Jr., Reddick and others. Chastain would then surrender the lead on Lap 42 to pit under green followed by more competitors as Byron proceeded to lead a lap for himself before he pitted during Lap 43 as Chase Elliott assumed a brief lead. Once Elliott pitted on Lap 45, teammate Alex Bowman cycled into the lead for a lap before he surrendered the lead to Suarez, who would pit after leading a lap for himself on Lap 46. By then, Ty Dillon, who had yet to pit, cycled into the lead while Michael McDowell, who pitted earlier, was assessed a pass-through penalty for a commitment line violation.

By the time Ty Dillon pitted just past the Lap 50 mark, which completed the first cycle of green flag pit stops, Chastain cycled back into the lead ahead of Reddick. Behind, Byron moved up to third ahead of Truex and Hamlin while Kyle Busch, Elliott, Logano, Larson and Buescher were running in the top 10.

At the Lap 60 mark, Chastain, who was trying to lap Noah Gragson, continued to lead by a tenth of a second over a hard-charging Reddick and by more than a second over third-place Byron while Truex and Hamlin remained in the top five. With Gragson refusing to relent to the leaders during the proceeding lap, Reddick gained a strong run on Chastain through the first two turns before he drew himself alongside Chastain’s No. 1 Worldwide Express Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 and assumed the lead, thus becoming the second leader of the event.

Fifteen laps later, Reddick, who nearly lost the lead amid a side-by-side battle with Chastain six laps earlier, was leading by half a second over Chastain, who continued to keep Reddick within his sights. Meanwhile, third-place Byron trailed by more than two seconds ahead of Truex and Hamlin while Elliott, winner of last year’s Cup event at Nashville, carved his way up to sixth in front of Kyle Busch and Larson. In addition, Bell was up in ninth ahead of AJ Allmendinger, winner of Saturday’s Xfinity event at Nashville.

When the first stage concluded on Lap 90, Reddick, sporting The Big 615 radio station on Tuneln captured his third stage victory of the 2023 Cup season after fending off Chastain by four-tenths of a second. Byron and Truex followed suit in third and fourth along with Hamlin while Elliott, Kyle Busch, Larson, Bell and Allmendinger were scored in the top 10. By then, 25 of 36 competitors were scored on the lead lap.

Under the stage break, the lead lap field led by Reddick pitted for service. Following the pit stops, the No. 24 Liberty University Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 piloted by Byron managed to exit pit road first with the lead ahead of Chastain, Reddick, Truex, Hamlin and Larson. Amid the pit stops, Kyle Busch and Harvick were both penalized for speeding on pit road.

The second stage started on Lap 97 as Byron and Chastain occupied the front row. At the start, Truex launched a three-wide challenge on Chastain and Byron through the first two turns and the backstretch. All three continued to battle tightly amid three tight lanes for a full lap and they would all continue to battle tightly by the Lap 100 mark. Then during the following lap, Truex managed to launch ahead in his No. 19 Bass Pro Shops Toyota TRD Camry and assume the lead with a clear racetrack around him while Byron and Chastain battled for second in front of Reddick and Bell.  

By Lap 110, Truex was leading by nearly a second over Byron and Chastain while Reddick and Bell remained in the top five. Behind, Hamlin was in sixth ahead of Elliott, Blaney, Larson and Buescher while Bowman, Allmendinger, Ty Gibbs, Aric Almirola and Erik Jones were running in the top 15.

Fifteen laps later, Truex stabilized his advantage to more than a second over Byron followed by Reddick, Chastain and Bell while Hamlin, Elliott, Larson, Blaney and Buescher were running in the top 10. By then, Allmendinger and Bowman continued to duel fiercely for 11th while Kyle Busch had carved his way up to 16th. In addition, Harvick was up in 20th while Logano had fallen to 19th.

Nearly 10 laps later, the event’s second round of green flag pit stops commenced as Austin Dillon and Haley pitted. They were soon followed by Ty Gibbs and Kyle Busch as Reddick, Byron, Chastain, Bell, Larson, Blaney, Bowman, Almirola, Buescher, Bowman and Erik Jones pitted. Then on Lap 138, Truex surrendered the lead to pit as teammate Hamlin cycled into the lead.

Then on Lap 138, the caution flew when Reddick, who had just pitted and was trying to cycle his way back onto pit road, spun towards the pit road entrance as a result of a loose right-rear wheel, which the wheel popped out of the car and rolled down towards the pit road wall as Reddick spun backward on pit road. During the caution period, Hamlin, Keselowski and Wallace, all three of whom had yet to pit, pitted, but all three were able to gain a bevy of spots from second through fourth as Truex cycled back into the lead. As a result of spinning and losing the wheel on pit road, Reddick was assessed a tail end of the line penalty as he lost two laps in the process.

Just as the field restarted under green on Lap 146, the caution quickly returned amid a stacked restart as Keselowski struggled to launch forward when Blaney, who restarted within the top 20, got hit in the rear by Kyle Busch. While Busch briefly spun in front of Bowman, Blaney slid his No. 12 Menards/Pennzoil Ford Mustang all the way toward the bottom of the track and past the pit road exit before making head-on contact with the inside wall as his event came to an end just shy of the halfway mark.

During the proceeding restart on Lap 152, the field fanned out entering the first turn as teammates Truex and Hamlin battled for the lead in front of Bubba Wallace. With Byron launching his attack on Wallace for third during the following lap, teammates Truex and Hamlin continued to duel for the lead. Despite pulling away from third-place Byron by seven-tenths of a second, Truex and Hamlin continued to battle dead even for the lead until Hamlin managed to rocket ahead with a clear racetrack and the lead on Lap 157.

At the Lap 165 mark, Hamlin was leading by four-tenths of a second over a lurking Truex while Byron, Chastain and Wallace were scored in the top five. Behind, Bell was in sixth ahead of Elliott, Allmendinger, Larson and Erik Jones while Keselowski, Harvick, Ty Gibbs, Buescher and Daniel Suarez were in the top 15.

Ten laps later, Hamlin retained the lead by four-tenths of a second over teammate Truex while Chastain moved up to third ahead of Byron and Wallace.

When the second stage concluded on Lap 185, Hamlin captured his fourth stage victory of the 2023 Cup season. Teammate Truex settled in second ahead of Chastain, Byron and Bell while Wallace, Elliott, Allmendinger, Harvick and Erik Jones were scored in the top 10.

During the stage break, the leaders led by Hamlin pitted for service. Following the pit stops, Hamlin retained the lead after exiting first ahead of teammate Truex, Byron, Chastain, Bell, Elliott and Harvick. Amid the pit stops, Wallace, who pitted from sixth, exited pit road just outside the top 15 after enduring a slow pit service from his pit crew while Austin Cindric was penalized for speeding on pit road.

With 108 laps remaining, the final stage started as teammates Hamlin and Truex occupied the front row. At the start and with the field fanning out, Hamlin retained the lead ahead of Truex and Chastain while the field behind jostled for positions.

With 100 laps remaining, Hamlin was leading by four-tenths of a second over teammate Truex while Chastain, Bell and Byron were in the top five. Behind, Kevin Harvick carved his way up to sixth while Elliott, Suarez, Ty Gibbs and Logano occupied the top 10. Meanwhile, Erik Jones was in 11th while Keselowski, Buescher, Wallace, Larson, Allmendinger, Austin Dillon, Kyle Busch, Stenhouse and Harrison Burton were mired in the top 20, with 30 of 36 starters running on the lead lap.

Ten laps later, Hamlin stabilized his advantage to within two-tenths of a second over a hard-charging Truex while third-place Chastain trailed by more than a second. Hamlin would continue to lead teammate Truex by a tenth of a second another 10 laps later while Harvick carved his No. 4 Busch Light Peach Ford Mustang up to fourth as he trailed the lead by more than three seconds. Soon after with 74 laps remaining, Chastain battled and overtook Truex for second as he tried to launch his charge on Hamlin for the lead.

Then with 70 laps remaining, Chastain gained a strong run on Hamlin exiting the frontstretch as he returned to the lead over Hamlin while Truex trailed in third by seven-tenths of a second. By then, Harvick retained fourth as he trailed by more than a second while Chase Elliott was in fifth and trailing by more than five seconds.

With 61 laps remaining, late trouble struck for Harvick, who was starting to challenge Truex for third, as he fell off the pace and pitted under green to address a flat right-rear tire to his No. 4 entry. Not long after, another cycle of green flag pit stops slowly commenced as Elliott pitted followed by Truex, Corey LaJoie and Cindric. The leader Chastain would then pit with 58 laps remaining followed by Hamlin and after the pit stops, Chastain managed to blend back on the track ahead of Truex and Hamlin while more competitors pitted under green.

With 45 laps remaining and with most of the field having made a pit stop under green, Kyle Busch was leading by more than seven seconds over Bowman, but both were in need of another pit stop to make it to the event’s scheduled distance. Meanwhile, third-place Chastain, the first competitor on four fresh tires and a full tank of fuel, was trailing by more than 14 seconds while Truex and Hamlin were in the top five.

Then with nearly 40 laps remaining, Kyle Busch surrendered the lead to pit under green. Busch’s move gave Bowman the lead while Chastain cut the deficit to trail by more than four seconds. Once Bowman pitted his No. 48 Ally Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 under green with 34 laps remaining, Chastain, who started to approach lapped traffic, reassumed the lead ahead of a hard-charging Truex, who kept Chastain close within his sights.

Down to the final 25 laps of the event, Chastain was leading by a tenth of a second over Truex, who was trying to gain more ground on Chastain for the lead through every turn and straightaway, while third-place Hamlin trailed by more than three seconds.

Ten laps later, Chastain, who started to experiment with different racing lanes to place a reasonable gap between himself and Truex, started to stretch his advantage to eight-tenths of a second over Truex while third-place Hamlin trailed by more than four seconds.

Down to the final 10 laps of the event, Chastain continued to lead by six-tenths of a second over Truex as third-place Hamlin trailed by more than four seconds. Behind, Elliott and Byron were in the top five while Larson, Bell, Erik Jones, Allmendinger and Keselowski occupied the top 10.

With five laps remaining, Chastain extended his advantage to eight-tenths of a second over Truex, who was slowly losing ground on Chastain in his bid for a second consecutive victory in recent weeks.

When the white flag waved and the final lap started, Chastain remained as the leader by seven-tenths of a second over Truex. With Truex unable to gain ground to mount a final lap charge, Chastain was able to navigate his way around Nashville for a final time and cycle back to the finish line to capture his first elusive checkered flag of the 2023 Cup season.

With the victory, Chastain, the championship runner-up finisher from last season, became the 11th different competitor to win through the first 17 regular-season events and place himself in prime contention to make the 2023 Cup Series Playoffs. He also notched his third Cup career victory, his first in 42 races and since winning at Talladega Superspeedway in April 2022. The Floridian also achieved his first oval-shaped victory and the first win for Trackhouse Racing since teammate Daniel Suarez won at Sonoma Raceway in June 2022.

Ironically, Chastain extended Chevrolet’s winning streak at Nashville to three consecutive seasons in the three seasons the Cup Series has competed at Music City.

“[The] Only thing sweeter [than winning] is this Georgia watermelon, I gotta tell you!” Chastain, who smashed a watermelon on the frontstretch, exclaimed on NBC. “This is incredible. This is why every little kid out there, anywhere in the world, when you get criticized and you’re going to if you’re competitive, they will try to tear you down. You will start believing them [that] you can’t do it. You have to go to your people, trust in the process, read your books, trust the big man’s plan upstairs and just keep getting up and going to work. I gotta tell you, a lot of self-reflection through all of this, but I had a group that believed in me and they didn’t let me get down. They bring rocket ships and I just try to point them into Victory Lane…It’s absolutely incredible the fight that we have.”

“[The fun]’s just a desire to win,” Chastain added. “It’s just so hard at this level and it’s the best of the best. It’s where I’ve wanted to be since I was 18 years old. It’s a Cup win. I don’t care what happened the last month or by the rest of my life. It’s a freaking Cup win!”

Truex, the winner of the previous Cup scheduled event at Sonoma, ended up in second place after leading 50 laps, though he maintained the lead in the regular-season standings, while teammate Hamlin rallied from wrecking late at Sonoma to settle in third at Nashville after leading 81 laps.

“[I] Just needed to get the lead,” Truex said. “Once we lost it, I probably made a bad move, taking the bottom [lane] on the restart. Just too loose on the long runs. I could hang with whoever was leading. Just could never get off the corner good enough to make a move. Just lacking soundbite and then overall, just burning the rear tires off too much. Just really loose at the end of the race there as well. Just needed a little bit. Got lots of speed. Just could never get the balance where it needed it to be. Without having clean air, it was difficult. Overall, a good night for our Bass Pro/Tracker Toyota Camry. The guys are doing a great job. Just that close again. If we can keep doing this, we’ll be in good shape.”

“I just think we had a third-place car the entire race,” Hamlin said. “I thought [Truex] was a little better. [Chastain], obviously, came on strong there at the end. That’s all we had with our FedEx Ground Toyota. It’s an optimized day. It’s a day with no mistakes and we gave ourselves a chance. Just didn’t have quite a fast enough car to go up and contend.”

Meanwhile, Elliott notched his fourth top-five result of the season by finishing fourth, where he still trails the top-16 cutline to make the Playoffs by 64 points, while teammate Larson rallied to finish fifth.

Byron, Bell, Erik Jones, Kyle Busch and AJ Allmendinger finished in the top 10. Notably, Suarez, who crashed into Chase Briscoe at the event’s conclusion while trying to congratulate teammate Chastain on the track, ended up 12th after starting the event at the rear of the field. In addition, rookie Ty Gibbs settled in 14th in front of Bubba Wallace, Bowman ended up 17th, Logano fell back to 19th, Harvick finished 24th after never recovering from his late tire issue and Reddick could only work his way up to 30th following his early spin and tire issue.

There were 21 lead changes for 12 different leaders. The race featured four cautions for 24 laps. In total, 21 of 36 starters finished on the lead lap.

With nine regular-season events remaining of this year’s Cup Series schedule, Martin Truex Jr. continues to lead the regular-season standings by 18 points over both William Byron and Ross Chastain while Christopher Bell trails by 45 points and Kyle Busch trails by 48.

William Byron, Kyle Busch, Kyle Larson, Martin Truex Jr., Ross Chastain, Denny Hamlin, Tyler Reddick, Ryan Blaney, Joey Logano, Christopher Bell and Ricky Stenhouse Jr. are currently guaranteed spots for the 2023 Cup Series Playoffs based on winning at least once throughout the regular-season stretch. Kevin Harvick, Brad Keselowski, Chris Buescher, Bubba Wallace and Daniel Suarez currently occupy the remaining vacant spots to the Playoffs based on points, with Suarez occupying the 16th and final vacant spot by two points over Alex Bowman, 10 over rookie Ty Gibbs, 24 over AJ Allmendinger, 27 over Michael McDowell, 45 over Corey LaJoie, 51 over Austin Cindric and 55 over Justin Haley.

Results.

1. Ross Chastain, 99 laps led

2. Martin Truex Jr., 50 laps led

3. Denny Hamlin, 81 laps led, Stage 2 winner

4. Chase Elliott, one lap led

5. Kyle Larson

6. William Byron, five laps led

7. Christopher Bell, three laps led

8. Erik Jones

9. Kyle Busch, 12 laps led

10. AJ Allmendinger

11. Brad Keselowski, two laps led

12. Daniel Suarez, one lap led

13. Austin Dillon

14. Ty Gibbs

15. Bubba Wallace

16. Ryan Preece

17. Alex Bowman, nine laps led

18. Chris Buescher

19. Joey Logano

20. Corey LaJoie

21. Harrison Burton

22. Ricky Stenhouse Jr., one lap down

23. Justin Haley, one lap down

24. Kevin Harvick, one lap down

25.  Aric Almirola, one lap down

26. Noah Gragson, one lap down

27. Austin Cindric, one lap down

28. Michael McDowell, one lap down

29. JJ Yeley, two laps down

30. Tyler Reddick, two laps down, 33 laps led, Stage 1 winner

31. Chase Briscoe, two laps down

32. Ty Dillon, two laps down, four laps led

33. Brennan Poole, three laps down

34. Josh Bilicki, three laps down

35. Todd Gilliand, four laps down

36. Ryan Blaney – OUT, Accident

Next on the 2023 NASCAR Cup Series schedule is the series’ inaugural event at the Chicago Street Course in Downtown Chicago, Illinois. The event is scheduled to occur next Sunday, July 2, at 5:30 p.m. ET on NBC.

No. 10 Konica Minolta Acura ARX-06 Finish Seventh in the GTP Class at the Sahlen’s Six Hours of The Glen

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(Watkins Glen, N.Y.) June 25, 2023 – A disappointing end to the No. 10 Konica Minolta Acura ARX-06’s race at the Sahlen’s Six Hours of The Glen to retire just 30 minutes shy of the checkered flag. There was no shortage of challenges against the Wayne Taylor Racing with Andretti Autosport (WTRAndretti) team to ultimately finish seventh in the GTP class at Watkins Glen International after the retirement due to a mechanical issue.

Ricky Taylor and Filipe Albuquerque were joined by endurance co-driver Louis Deletraz to complete the WTRAndretti’s lineup for the six-hour endurance event. Much of the weekend at the historic road course in Upstate New York saw tricky conditions due to weather, with heavy rain canceling Saturday’s qualifying session leading to the field being set by championship points standings.

IMSA Michelin Endurance Championship co-driver Louis Deletraz began the Sahlen’s Six Hours of The Glen with sights set on progressing forward to the front of the field after starting third. Although he fell back to fifth after the race start, Deletraz made up ground on the leaders over the course of his stint. The No. 10 Konica Minolta Acura ARX-06 came into pit lane in third, just shy of the two-hour mark where he traded controls with Filipe Albuquerque.

Albuquerque took the reins of the blue and black machine and quickly began putting pressure on the front running GTP cars. Closely in contention for the lead, Albuquerque unfortunately suffered an issue that caused a tire to come loose from the car. The Portuguese full season co-driver was able to bring the No. 10 Konica Minolta Acura ARX-06 safely to pit lane for the WTRAndretti crew to replace the missing tire. In combination with loose tire and a drive-through penalty for pit lane speed violation, the WTRAndretti team fell three laps down off the lead lap. With over three hours remaining in the six-hour event, it was heads down and ready to battle back to the lead lap.

In impressive efforts and a beneficial caution, Albuquerque was able to obtain one lap back and handed the driver’s seat over to teammate Ricky Taylor just before the four-hour mark. All efforts seemed to be slowly playing in favor of the blue and black team to rebound from the tire issue until an untimely mechanical issue with the brakes forced the No. 10 Konica Minolta Acura ARX-06 back to the garages in the closing half hour of the event.

“We needed a result today,” said Ricky Taylor, full season co-driver of the No. 10 Konica Minolta Acura ARX-06. “Unfortunately, these are the kind of days we have in racing. The car was really fast, really strong. Things just happen to go wrong today, and we will look into why they went wrong. Luckily, Mosport is short and we have short memories. We will get to Mosport and put this behind us really fast.”

“Definitely not our Sunday,” said Filipe Albuquerque, full season co-driver of the No. 10 Konica Minolta Acura ARX-06. “Just too many issues. The only thing that is really annoying is that we were really, really quick even with the issues we were having with the car. Again, at the end of the day, it is the team that has less problems that wins. Everyone has had problems this year and today it was us. It hurts because I think we really had the pace to win. We continue working, we analyze, and we come back stronger!”

“Not the day we wanted,” said Louis Deletraz, IMSA Michelin Endurance Championship co-driver. “The car was fast. We definitely had the pace to fight for the victory. Some things were unlucky, a few issues. It is racing, it happens. I think we will be back stronger. What is key is that as a team, we worked well. No mistakes. Without those issues we would have been fighting for the win. I look forward to Petit Le Mans.”

“I will just say I’m happy that we did not destroy the car or hurt Ricky because we ended up having brake failure,” said Wayne Taylor. “We lost a wheel with Filipe, and it appears that the left right wheel also came loose which caused the brake failure. Ricky said he spun the car to avoid going into the wall. It is very disappointing because this is something that we never have had – ever. This year just doesn’t get any better. We just have to keep our heads up and try and figure out what is going on.”

The WTRAndretti team will see a short break and travel across the northern border to Canada, returning to the sprint portion of the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship season with Canadian Tire Motorsports Park on July 9th, 2023.

ABOUT KONICA MINOLTA
Konica Minolta Business Solutions U.S.A., Inc. is reshaping and revolutionizing the workplace to achieve true connectivity through the Intelligent Connected Workplace. The company guides and supports its clients’ digital transformation through its expansive office technology portfolio, including IT Services (All Covered), intelligent information management, managed print services and industrial and commercial print solutions. Konica Minolta has been included on CRN’s MSP 500 list nine times and The World Technology Awards named the company a finalist in the IT Software category. Konica Minolta has been recognized as the #1 Brand for Customer Loyalty in the MFP Office Copier Market by Brand Keys for fifteen consecutive years, and is proud to be ranked on the Forbes 2021 America’s Best-in-State employers list. The company received Keypoint Intelligence’s BLI 2021 A3 Line of The Year Award and BLI 2021-2023 Most Color Consistent A3 Brand Award for its bizhub i-Series. Konica Minolta, Inc. has been named to the Dow Jones Sustainability World Index for nine consecutive years and has spent four years on the Global 100 Most Sustainable Corporations in the World list. The company recognizes 150 years in global business in 2023. Konica Minolta partners with its clients to give shape to ideas and works to bring value to our society. For more information, please visit us online and follow Konica Minolta on Facebook, YouTube, LinkedIn and Twitter.

The No. 10 Konica Minolta Acura ARX-06 effort and Wayne Taylor Racing with Andretti Autosport is supported by an outstanding lineup of partners including Harrison Contracting Company, Acura Motorsports, Honda Performance Development and Hammer Nutrition .

CORVETTE RACING AT WATKINS GLEN: Third… Against All Odds

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Official Release
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Podium finish in wild Sahlen’s Six Hours for Garcia, Taylor, No. 3 C8.R

WATKINS GLEN, N.Y. (June 25, 2023) – Corvette Racing’s Antonio Garcia and Jordan Taylor recorded their third podium finish of the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship season Sunday in the Sahlen’s Six Hours of The Glen.

The duo drove the No. 3 Mobil 1/SiriusXM Chevrolet Corvette C8.R to a third-place finish in GT Daytona (GTD) PRO, an improvement of three spots from their sixth-place starting position. Garcia and Taylor inched up a spot in the class Drivers Championship to third after five races.

Despite two penalties and a pace deficit to the class front-runners, Garcia found himself leading inside the final 30 minutes thanks to some great strategic calls, fuel-saving and maximizing performance out of the No. 3 Corvette. Nevertheless, the C8.R team left Watkins Glen encouraged with a solid points day.

Three early full-course yellows and a pace deficit made it tough to establish a rhythm early. The Corvette pit crew did its part, however, and jumped three cars on the first pit stop at the 46-minute mark to move Taylor to fourth on the restart.

Unfortunately for the Corvette squad, IMSA officials penalized the No. 3 team after the No. 23 Aston Martin drove through the Corvette’s pitbox and hit a tire that clearly was inside the C8.R’s pit space. The Corvette team provided the series with evidence that its tire was within the pitbox boundary, but the penalty stood.

That knocked Taylor down one position in class but well down the order in the overall GTD category. Undeterred, he battled back through the slower traffic and passed eight GT cars prior to the halfway mark. Misfortune struck again as officials required the No. 3 Corvette to stop about seven laps early due to a faulty tire pressure sensor.

The team elected to make the change from Taylor to Garcia, who was in the Corvette for the final three-plus hours.

Despite the setback, the No. 3 Corvette cycled back up to fourth in class and gained back a considerable amount of track position due to the race’s fourth full-course yellow with a little more than two hours to go. That caution period moved Garcia to third when the No. 63 Lamborghini was caught up in a prototype crash that necessitated the full-course yellow.

Garcia gained another spot when the then-second place Aston Martin had to pit to correct a tire pressure problem. The Corvette crew called him in with 62 minutes remaining – on the same lap as the class-leading No. 14 Lexus. However, it had to serve a penalty for a drive-through penalty, which elevated Garcia to the lead.

It was a small lead, though, as the No. 14 re-emerged from the pitlane with 59 minutes left and right on the Corvette. Forced to save fuel and hold off the No. 14 and the hard-charger No. 62 Ferrari, Garcia did a masterful job keeping the two challengers at bay before they found their way past with a little more than 30 minutes left.

Corvette Racing’s next event in GTD PRO is the Chevrolet Grand Prix at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park on Sunday, July 9.

ANTONIO GARCIA, NO. 3 MOBIL 1/SiriusXM CHEVROLET CORVETTE C8.R: “Corvette Racing has always been good at Watkins Glen. We usually are quite decent there, and it seems like we always have a chance in this race. Watkins Glen is a track that I’ve always liked, and it’s always good to turn laps there. Being part of the Michelin Endurance Cup adds something extra for us. We are in contention in that and in the regular championship, so this weekend has added importance. This is six hours, so it’s one of those races that has something extra for the competitors.”

JORDAN TAYLOR, NO. 3 MOBIL 1/SiriusXM CHEVROLET CORVETTE C8.R: “It feels like we haven’t been at the track in months since Laguna, so it’ll be great to get back to racing at Watkins Glen. We didn’t have the fastest car there last year, but we somehow found ourselves in contention. I feel like we’ve made some big gains this season that should benefit us there. We haven’t had the results to show our true performance this year, so hopefully we can have a clean weekend and start getting back into the championship fight.”

About Chevrolet
Founded in 1911 in Detroit, Chevrolet is now one of the world’s largest car brands, available in nearly 80 countries with nearly 2.7 million cars and trucks sold in 2021. Chevrolet models include electric and fuel-efficient vehicles that feature engaging performance, design that makes the heart beat, passive and active safety features and easy-to-use technology, all at a value. More information on Chevrolet models can be found at www.chevrolet.com.

Cadillac scores podium finish at The Glen

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Official Release
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IMSA at The Glen: Cadillac scores podium finish

No. 31 Whelen Engineering Cadillac V-Series.R maintains endurance points lead

WATKINS GLEN, N.Y. (June 25, 2023) – The No. 31 Whelen Engineering Cadillac V-Series.R placed third for the second consecutive IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship race and strengthened its IMSA Michelin Endurance Championship points lead Sunday in the Sahlen’s Six Hours of The Glen.

Pipo Derani, Alexander Sims and Jack Aitken, who combined to win at Sebring International Raceway in March, drove around and occasionally through the 57-car field in an action-packed race on the 3.4-mile, 11-turn Watkins Glen International road course for its third podium in five races.

The No. 01 Cadillac V-Series.R, which won the last IMSA GTP race with Sebastien Bourdais and Renger van der Zande sharing time in the seat, finished four laps down in sixth place after multiple issues including two on-track incidents that resulted in damage and a penalty for tire requirements.

The No. 31 Whelen Engineering Cadillac V-Series.R added five points to its endurance championship advantage by pacing the field at the halfway point of the race, and leads the points heading into the season-closing Petit Le Mans in October that s the finale of the four-race endurance set.

Aitken set the fastest lap of the race (1 minute, 33.028 seconds) and the track race record during his stint, which included Laps 122-152 as the leader.

The No. 6 Porsche 963 made a pass for the lead with four minutes left and just before a full-course yellow resulted in the race ending under caution.

Cadillac Racing returns to competition July 7-9 with concurrent IMSA and FIA World Endurance Championship events: the 2-hour, 40-minute Chevrolet Grand Prix at Canadian Tire Motorsports Park and the 6 Hours of Monza in Italy.

Bourdais and van der Zande will seek to successfully defend their IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship victory at the 2.549-mile, 10-turn road course in Bowmanville, Ontario. It was their third victory of the season in the twilight of the DPi era. Derani, who drove to a third-place finish in 2022, will again be joined by Sims in the No. 31 Whelen Engineering Cadillac V-Series.R.

The No. 2 Cadillac V-Series.R, coming off a podium finish in the centenary 24 Hours of Le Mans, is third in the team and driver WEC Hypercar standings. Earl Bamber, Alex Lynn and Richard Westbrook will seek to continue the momentum as their first-year tour of the WEC schedule moves to the 5.793-kilometer, 11-turn Autodromo Nazionale di Monza.

What they’re saying

No. 01 Cadillac V-Series.R

Renger van der Zande: “I feel disappointed because we had bad luck, and the race just didn’t go our way. It was pure survival out there and that’s just not a nice feeling when you’re not in a competitive position.”

Sebastien Bourdais: “We had a good start, and the car was strong. We were making some good numbers but halfway through the stint we had contact with the Porsche. That was disappointing and I thought we had gotten away OK but then we got run into by the BMW, which really sabotaged our race because the rear of the car was severely damaged. It was definitely one of those days where what could go wrong did go wrong.”

No. 31 Whelen Engineering Cadillac V-Series.R

Pipo Derani: “The car felt good all day. Unfortunately, on the second to last pit stop we had an issue with tire pressure which compromised our pace. And then the GT blocking and I made contact that destroyed the front splitter. By that point we were compromised and didn’t have enough to close on the leader. Overall, a good points day for us – especially in the endurance championship – and we’ll keep fighting.”

Alexander Sims: “I really enjoyed driving the car here and it felt like one of my better races. I understood what the car was doing, so I was happy with it. We were fighting at the front the whole race. There was no luck involved. We were there on pace. Credit to the whole team and Cadillac, and another strong finish. Good day points for the championship, which is all you can ask for.”

Jack Aitken: “I was just happy to experience Watkins Glen for a full stint. I had time to get into it and I was in a great position coming out in the lead under caution. Strategy was perfect, I ran a clean stint and held the gap to the 60. I think it’s a great result and we’re right in there for the championship and collected the endurance points as well.”

2023 Cadillac V-Series.R

Wins: Sebring (Pipo Derani, Alexander Sims, Jack Aitken), Laguna Seca (Sebastien Bourdais, Renger van der Zande)

2 wins, 5 podiums (including wins) IMSA

1 podium FIA WEC (Le Mans; No. 2 Cadillac V-Series.R – Earl Bamber, Alex Lynn, Richard Westbrook)

Cadillac total wins in all classes/series since 2004: 68

Cadillac total podiums in all classes/series since 2004: 217

IMSA GTP (5)

IMSA DPi (85)

FIA WEC (1)

World Challenge (126)

Cadillac Manufacturer Championships in all series: 8

IMSA DPi (2021, 2018, 2017)

Pirelli World Challenge GT (2014, 2013, 2012)

SPEED World Challenge GT (2007, 2005)

IMSA DPi Driver Championships: 2021, 2018, 2017

IMSA DPi Team Championships: 2021, 2018, 2017

IMSA Michelin Endurance Cup Manufacturer Champion: 2020, 2019, 2018, 2017

IMSA Michelin Endurance Cup Driver Championships: 2020, 2019, 2018, 2017

IMSA Michelin Endurance Cup Team Championships: 2018, 2017

Pirelli World Challenge GT Driver Championships: 2015, 2014, 2013, 2012

SPEED World Challenge GT Driver Championship: 2005

NHRA AT NORWALK: Team Chevy Post Race Recap

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Official Release
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CHEVROLET IN NHRA
2023 SUMMIT RACING EQUIPMENT NHRA NATIONALS
SUMMIT RACING EQUIPMENT MOTORSPORTS PARK
NORWALK, OHIO
TEAM CHEVY RACE REPORT
JUNE 25, 2023

MATT HARTFORD WINS CHEVROLET’S 374TH NHRA PRO STOCK VICTORY SINCE 1970; THE 255TH PRO STOCK WIN IN THE CAMARO

  • Racing from the No. 1 qualifier spot, Matt Hartford earned his sixth NHRA Pro Stock victory, his second of the 2023 season.
  • For the fifth time this season in nine events, Dallas Glenn appeared in NHRA’s Pro Stock final round. This was Hartford’s second final round appearance of the year.
  • With his win today, this marks Hartford’s sixth straight year capturing a win in NHRA Pro Stock competition.
  • Both Austin Prock and Brittany Force represented Chevrolet in the Top Fuel semifinals at Norwalk.
  • Chevrolet doubled up in Norwalk this weekend by capturing victories in both NHRA Pro Stock and FlexJet Factory Stock Showdown.
  • Qualifying from Norwalk saw interruptions due to weather in Pro Stock, and after only getting two qualifying sessions in, Matt Hartford went No. 1 in his Chevrolet Camaro SS and earning Chevrolet’s seventh of the 2023 NHRA season.

NORWALK, Ohio (June 25, 2023) – Matt Hartford, driver of the Total Seal/CIP1 Chevrolet Camaro SS Pro Stock car, earned his sixth career NHRA Pro Stock victory while capturing Team Chevy’s 374th Pro Stock victory since 1970. In his second final round appearance of the year, Hartford faced off against Dallas Glenn, driver of the RAD Torque Chevrolet Camaro SS Pro Stock car for KB Titan Racing, who has four final round appearances in nine events and three wins so far this year.

“I have no idea what it was in the finals, but I’ll take it. Dallas (Glenn) is as mean as anybody gets out here,” reflects Hartford on the win. “You have no idea how much this means, because everybody kept saying you’ll win again this year, and we came out strong and then we fell off. Guess what? We can.”

“This is the nicest track on the circuit,” continued Hartford. “99 percent of Pro Stock took the left lane today, and we took the right every single time. We raced our own program, not what others were doing. Keep your head down, focus on what’s inside your car, your pits, your trailer, don’t let the noise bother you.”

“Well, the final round is like any other one. You’ve got to prepare knowing with the racetrack, and the bars and all that stuff like that,” noted Hartford’s crew chief Eddie Guarnacci. “We missed a lot of opportunities. Had really good cars so far, the engines have been really good. Matt’s (Hartford) been driving and tuning well, so it feels like we’ve finally got into a position we should be.”

With qualifying interrupted by weather in Pro Stock qualifying on Friday, Hartford and the rest of the Chevrolet contenders in Pro Stock only had two sessions to try and capture the No. 1 qualifier at Norwalk. Hartford, with his best lap of 6.593 ET at 205.91 MPH captured his third No. 1 of his Pro Stock career and this season.

In Top Fuel, Team Chevy raced to the Semifinal round, with Austin Prock, driver of the Montana Brand/Rocky Mountain Twist Chevrolet Top Fuel dragster, and Brittany Force, driver of the Monster Energy/Flav-R-Pac Chevrolet Top Fuel dragster, both being eliminated by their opponents. They look to Denver and the Western Swing next to regain momentum to the final round.

With an early Round 1 end to John Force, driver of the PEAK Antifreeze and Coolant Chevrolet Camaro SS Funny Car, his teammate Robert Hight, driver of the AAA Chevrolet Camaro SS Funny Car, faced off against Matt Hagan in Round 2 and was eliminated by .02 seconds in a close race to the finish line.

In his Chevrolet COPO Camaro, Stephen Bell raced to his first FlexJet Factory Stock Showdown victory of the 2023 season after qualifying No. 18, defeating Lee Hartman.

NHRA next heads to Denver to kick off the Western Swing, with Bandimere Speedway hosting the 2023 Dodge Power Brokers NHRA Mile-High Nationals July 14-16, 2023. Broadcast of Sunday’s eliminations will air live at 4 p.m. ET on FOX Sunday, July 16, 2023.

WHAT THEY’RE SAYING

Brittany Force, driver of the Monster Energy Chevrolet Top Fuel dragster for John Force Racing:

“I feel really good about this weekend overall. This Monster Energy / Flav-R-Pac team has been working really hard, and our progress is definitely starting to show. We moved up in qualifying to the No. 3 spot this weekend and we had a tough lineup all day. We made it to the semifinals which is huge for this team. We did drop to fourth in the points standings but we’re still in a really good fighting position with a handful of races left before we get into the Countdown to the Championship.”

Austin Prock, driver of the Montana Brands/Rocky Mountain Twist Chevrolet Top Fuel dragster for John Force Racing:

“I’m proud of my Montana Brand / Rocky Mountain Twist team this weekend. We made another semifinal which keeps us in the points hunt. We made some really nice passes in conditions we don’t have much data in so we were all happy with that. I’m looking forward to the Western Swing. I hope these two weeks off fly by.”

Robert Hight, driver of the Cornwell Tools Chevrolet Camaro SS Funny Car for John Force Racing:

“Frustrating for this AAA team. That first round, usually if the red light is close, it’s not that bad but it’s hard to just sit there. I feel bad for the AAA team, we could have used that data getting down the track for the second round. I feel bad I couldn’t keep it together and stay in that run. We just didn’t have enough in that race against Hagan. There are a lot of tough cars out here, and they’re one of them. This AAA Chevy, we’ll be good. I’m confident in my team and looking forward to the Western Swing.”

John Force, driver of the BlueDEF Chevrolet Camaro SS Funny Car for John Force Racing:

On rolling in deep to the staging beams against JR Todd and changing thoughts on the start line…

“I never change my thoughts. I just try to do what my race car will do, and I didn’t mean to chuck it in that far. I did, but he always leaves on me, so I try to make some of it up and I didn’t get it done. He got it done. Congratulations to him. I want to think the whole Bader family and what they do. They give the fans a great show, and NHRA coming in here.”

Matt Hartford, driver of the Total Seal/CIP1 Chevrolet Camaro SS Pro Stock car – Summit Racing Equipment NHRA Nationals Winner’s Press Conference:

ON CHOOSING NOT TO TEST THIS YEAR IN THE OFFSEASON…

“Had we went testing, we may not have had to wait until Q4 in Gainesville to qualify. Look, you need to test. If we would’ve went and tested, we could’ve come out in a little bit better of a position, but we were able to make some big swings, big moves quickly. We’ve had a great car all year long. Terry Haas has built such great tuning, and that thing, it ain’t the newest one out here, I promise you, but it’s one of the best.”

YOU TALK ABOUT HAVING A GREAT CAR ALL YEAR LONG. NOW THAT YOU’VE BROKEN THROUGH, TALK ABOUT YOUR CONFIDENCE MOVING FORWARD…

“Coming into here, we were already looking to Denver, because Denver we ran decent last year. We were thinking of getting through Norwalk, getting to Denver, two qualifying runs here. I’ll tell you what, after Q1, I said we have a car that can run here, so then we had Q2, man look at the four guys we beat today. I am… Dallas Glenn, I mean, he has had my number every time I’ve raced him this year. I’m glad to put a double-0 on him.”

GETTING THROUGH FERNANDO CUADRA, DERIC KRAMER, AND DALLAS GLENN, TALK ABOUT HOW MEANINGFUL IT IS TO GET THROUGH TO A WIN…

“It goes back to having nothing to do with me. It goes back to all the people in the trailer, and all the sponsors that support us, and the engine program and the chassis builder. We have just such a great group of people around us. They’ve always said to surround yourself with people that work harder than you, smarter than you, or more motivated than you, and you can be successful. That’s what I’ve tried to do, to put myself in a position where everybody around me can do so much that I can’t do. I think it’s started showing, just let everybody focus on their job and at the end of the day let the box score be where it may. It’s a team effort, and we’ve had a great car all year long, and to be honest with you, the races we haven’t won is driver error. We’ve given it up to Dallas now… The final in Pomona. We had him covered, and I just couldn’t learn how to drive. We gave that race up, which has still been a thorn in my side and thinking about it before I pre-staged today. It’s so rewarding to be sitting up here.”

WHEN YOU QUALIFIED NO. 1 IN VEGAS FOR THE FIRST TIME, DO YOU FEEL LIKE YOU UNLOCKED SOMETHING MENTALLY FOR YOU?

“I will say that over the winter, my brother had a pretty milestone birthday, and for his birthday gift, after Gainesville, we sent him to Frank Hawley’s school to get his Super Gas license. Adam had never been down a racetrack in his life in anything, not even a moped. For the two days that he was there, immediately, Frank grabbed me from moment one to sit through his class. Unbelievable what you learn when you sit there and listen to a man like him. How to clear your head, the arrows. I came out of Gainesville going “there are so many things I know I don’t know, but this proves you don’t know.” I think that really helped me as a driver this year. I wasn’t in the class, I was just listening. So I think that that mentally really helped me. I think about it week in and week out with the stuff that I learned there.”

WHAT IS THE GAME PLAN HEADING INTO THESE HOT SUMMER MONTHS AND THE WESTERN SWING IN THESE REALLY TOUGH EVENTS HEADING INTO THE COUNTDOWN…

“We kind of have a liking to Denver. I’m hoping that our streak can continue. In the last eight elimination rounds we’ve had there, we’ve been in all eight of them. So one runner-up, and one win. I’m really hoping that all the parts that we put away, saying don’t touch those until we get to Denver next year, I’m hoping that’s all still there. Denver is such a fun place to go. To us, going up on a mountain, we’re looking forward to it. It’s always a challenge, and I love it up there. It comes down to momentum.”

WITH THE NEW CAR THIS YEAR, AND NOW WINNING AT NORWALK, DOES THIS ADD TO THE CONFIDENCE LEVEL OF THIS TEAM?

“It really does. It builds confidence. Driver confidence, anytime you go up there and struggle as a driver, obviously you start thinking. It goes back to when I was sitting there listening to Frank (at Frank Hawley School), you don’t clear your mind, a negative creates a double-negative. Before you know it, you’re so messed up that a one-hundred light is the best you’re going to get. You have to go up there with a clear mind every time. Today, it gives me a lot of confidence to get in the car. I’m ready to go for another run. It’s surreal to know we’ve won another race.”

Round 1 Recap:

Top Fuel:

No. 5 Austin Prock defeated No. 12 Tony Schumacher after Schumacher smoked the tires; Prock ran a 3.740 ET at 319.45 MPH.
No. 3 Brittany Force defeated No. 14 Shawn Langdon with her run of 3.711 ET at 332.18 MPH to Langdon/s 3.910 ET at 255.85 MPH.
Funny Car:

No. 6 Robert Hight defeated No. 11 Mike McIntire Jr. after McIntire Jr. double-stepped and red-lit with Hight also double-stepping but making a winning pass of 8.139 at 85.21 MPH.
No. 10 John Force fell to No. 6 JR Todd after a close race seeing J. Force running 4.001 ET at 322.42 MPH to Todd’s 3.972 ET at 326.16 MPH.
Pro Stock:

No. 1 Matt Hartford defeated No. 16 Fernando Cuadra with his run of 6.615 ET at 206.45 MPH to Cuadra’s 8.257 ET at 120.17 MPH.
No. 8 Deric Kramer defeated No. 9 Camrie Caruso after Caruso red lit on the starting line.
No. 4 Aaron Stanfield defeated No. 13 Chris McGaha with his run of 6.628 ET at 206.23 MPH to McGaha’s 11.226 ET at 79.87 MPH, shaking the tires on his run.
No. 5 Greg Anderson defeated No. 12 Kyle Koretsky with his run of 6.619 ET at 206.67 MPH to Koretsky’s 6.642 at 206.57 MPH.
No. 2 Erica Enders defeated No. 15 Eric Latino on her run of 6.641 ET at 207.08 MPH to Latino’s 10.028 ET at 91.03 MPH and facing issues on his run.
No. 7 Dallas Glenn defeated No. 10 Bo Butner, III with his run of 6.610 ET at 206.61 MPH to Butner’s 6.648 ET at 204.66, a reaction time difference of .002.
No. 3 Troy Coughlin, Jr. defeated No. 14 Mason McGaha with his run of 6.607 ET at 207.95 MPH to McGaha’s 10.719 ET at 85.77 MPH, shaking the tires early on his run.
No. 11 Jerry Tucker defeated No. Christian Cuadra with his run of 6.553 at 203.83 MPH to Cuadra’s 6.631 ET at 204.85 MPH.

Round 2 Recap:

Top Fuel:

Prock defeated Mercier with his run of 3.763 ET at 318.84 MPH to Mercier’s 3.846 ET at 302.21 MPH.
B. Force defeated Hart with her run of 3.729 ET at 333.58 MPH, setting top speed of the event with her Round 2 run, to Hart’s 3.774 ET at 328.54 MPH.
Funny Car:

Hight fell to Hagan after his 3.931 ET at 322.81 MPH wasn’t enough for Hagan’s 3.912 ET at 329.18 MPH.

Pro Stock:

Stanfield defeated Anderson with his run of 6.638 ET at 206.04 MPH to Anderson’s 6.709 ET at 205.85 MPH.
Glenn defeated Enders with his run of 6.632 ET at 206.39 MPH to Enders’ 7.046 ET at 157.41 MPH.
Hartford defeated Kramer with his run of 6.601 ET at 206.89 to Kramer’s 6.647 ET at 205.04 MPH.
Coughlin, Jr. defeated Tucker with his run of 6.619 ET at 207.30 MPH to Tucker’s 6.661 ET at 204.11 MPH.

Semifinals Recap:

Top Fuel:

Prock fell to Pruett after hazing the tires, with Pruett running 3.771 ET at 331.12 MPH to Prock’s 4.194 ET at 297.75 MPH.
B. Force fell to Ashley with her run of 3.713 ET at 333.16 MPH to Ashley’s 3.711 ET at 331.94 MPH.

Pro Stock:

Hartford defeated Stanfield with his run of 6.624 ET at 206.57 MPH to Stanfield’s 6.666 ET at 206.80 MPH.
Glenn defeated Coughlin, Jr. after Coughlin, Jr. hazes the tires, Glenn running a 6.635 ET lap at 206.45 MPH.

Finals:

Pro Stock:

Hartford defeated Glenn with his run of 6.624 ET at 207.02 MPH to Glenn hazing his tires early in the run.
Team Chevy high-resolution racing photos are available for editorial use.

About Chevrolet

Founded in 1911 in Detroit, Chevrolet is one of the world’s largest car brands, doing business in more than 100 countries and selling more than 4.0 million cars and trucks a year. Chevrolet provides customers with 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.

Winning Weekend for Racing to End Alzheimer’s

By
Official Release
-

Kvamme ends first half of season with victory, two podiums

WATKINS GLEN, NY (24 June 2023) – Racing to End Alzheimer’s driver Mark Kvamme maintained his drive for a second-consecutive Porsche Deluxe Carrera Cup North America championship with a strong weekend at Watkins Glen International – winning a race among a pair of podium finishes.

The driver of the No. 43 MDK Motorsports Racing Against Alzheimer’s / Drive Capital / Avery’s Trail Porsche ended the first half of the season with his sixth triumph of the campaign, having raced to his eighth podium in eight races.

“I’m so happy to get this for Phil (Frengs, Racing to End Alzheimer’s founder),” said Kvamme. “I always want to represent the program well. We’re so appreciative to everyone who has joined this effort, with all the names on the car.”

Kvamme had to come from the back of the pack to finish third in the opening race. That ended a five-race winning streak but kept his streak intact with his seventh podium. Set for a good start, his qualifying time was disallowed due to a ride-height violation that sent him to the back of the 35-car field, seventh in the Am class, for the opening 40-minute race.

“I was going to be P-1, but I missed due to a ride-height issue – by only one millimeter,” he said. “That put me to the very back of the field.”

He got a good jump at the start, only to be bumped off and spun. From that point, he worked his way forward. He took fifth in class with 20 minutes remaining, and fourth with 16:45 left – but six seconds behind the third-place car. Kvamme charged to take third with 9:10 to go. He held that position, taking 26th overall.

“I got a good start, and I passed four or five guys,” Kvamme explained. “Then I got turned around in Turn 9, and I was at the back of the pack – they told me I was 29 seconds behind. Then I had to run my rear end off. That was pretty exciting. I always want to represent the Racing Against Alzheimer’s guys, so I did it.”

Kvamme quickly went to the front in the Sunday event – and stayed there despite steady pressure until a full-course caution for a rain and an incident brought a premature end to the racing with 11:50 remaining.

“I started second, and I got a good drive around the end, and then I got lucky,” Kvamme said. “Then the rain came in, and it was crazy. It was raining, and I did not see it. I almost lost it in Turn 6. But we won, and I’m so happy for everyone who helped us.”

The second half of the Porsche Deluxe Carrera Cup North America gets underway at another historic venue, with races nine and 10 at Road America on July 28-29.

About Racing to End Alzheimer’s

In 2013, Phil Frengs’ wife Mimi was diagnosed with early-onset Alzheimer’s Disease. Their experience with the disease led Frengs to a seminal moment: his company, Legistics, had long sponsored a team in IMSA sports car racing and he realized an opportunity to raise money and awareness for the fight against the disease. In 2017, he formed Racing to End Alzheimer’s, giving fans the opportunity to honor loved ones by putting their names on the race car via donation – with Legistics matching each donation. 100% of those donations go to the two organizations the team supports:

The Nantz National Alzheimer’s Center at Houston Methodist Hospital is exploring cutting edge strategies in therapy, care and research to find a cure for these dementias. NNAC was founded by longtime CBS Sports broadcaster Jim Nantz and his family in honor of his father, Jim, Jr., who passed away after a 13-year battle with Alzheimer’s.

The UCLA Alzheimer’s and Dementia Care Program is a nationally-recognized grant-funded program designed to help patients and their families with the complex medical, behavioral and social needs associated with Alzheimer’s disease and other types of dementia.

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