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RACE OF CHAMPIONS DIRT 602 SPORTSMAN SERIES RETURNS TO “KICK OFF” FOUR RACE SEASON AT OHSWEKEN SPEEDWAY ON FRIDAY, JUNE 23

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Ohsweken, Ontario-Canada – (June 19, 2023) – The Race of Champions Dirt 602 Sportsman Modified Series will head to the ultra-modern Ohsweken Speedway in Oshweken, Ontario-Canada for it’s first visit of the season this coming Friday night for Gale’s Auto Aftermarket night at the races.

Adam Leslie of Wainfleet, Ontario is the defending Series champion. Leslie captured his first Race of Champions Dirt 602 Sportsman Modified Series championship in 2022.

“We are looking forward to another good season with he Series,” stated Leslie. “It’s always challenging because it’s a short four race Series with extremely good competitors. We will be looking to repeat but we know it’s going to be tough.

The series gives Crate Sportsman racers an opportunity to travel within the region. Friday night’s Gale’s Auto Aftermarket night pays $1,500 in Canadian funds to win.

The Race of Champions Series joins the Gale’s Auto Aftermarket Thunder Stock Cash Blast 50 at Ohsweken. Ohsweken is Canada’s home for Sprint Car Racing with the popular 360 Sprint Car division.

Where: Ohsweken Speedway, Ohsweken, Ontario-Canada (Six Nations Reserve)

When: Friday, June 23, 2023. Pit Gates open at 5:00 pm Grandstands open at 6:00 pm, Racing at 7:30 pm

Directions: The track is located is at 1987 Chiefswood Road, Ohskweken, Ontario – just minutes South of the 403 (London/Toronto) and approximately 60-miles Northwest of Buffalo, N.Y. and Fort Erie, Ontario.

What: The Race of Champions Dirt 602 Sportsman Modified Series

More Information: www.ohswekenspeedway.ca (519-717-0023) / www.rocmodifiedseries.com

The Race of Champions is a sanctioning body presenting Modified and Stock Car racing on asphalt and dirt surfaces throughout the Northeast, with events in New York, Pennsylvania and New Jersey with primary marketing partners Hoosier Racing Tire, VP Racing Fuels, Lucas Oil Products, MAVTV, MAVTV Plus, Airport Collision, Rocket Performance, Waddell Communications, Image X Design, Sherwood Racing Wheels, DirtTrackDigest.com and Speed Sport. The 72nd and 73rd annual Race of Champions weekend will take place in 2023 at Lake Erie Speedway in North East, Pennsylvania and is the second longest consecutive auto-racing event in North America, second only to the Indianapolis 500.

Follow us on Twitter; Instagram and Facebook; @RoCModSeries or visit our website: www.rocmodifiedseries.com

NO. 47 KROGER RACING TEAM SETS SIGHTS ON SUCCESS WITH BALL PARK® BUNS & ROLLS AT NASHVILLE SUPERSPEEDWAY

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JTG Daugherty Racing welcomes the long-awaited return of Bimbo Bakeries USA’s Ball Park Buns & Rolls co-primary paint scheme during tailgating season and the Ally 400.

HARRISBURG, N.C. (June 19, 2023) – – Get ready to fire up the grill for the Ally 400 at Nashville Superspeedway and catch the return of Bimbo Bakeries USA’s Ball Park® Buns & Rolls on Ricky Stenhouse Jr.’s No. 47 Kroger® Racing Camaro Sunday, June 25th live on NBC’s first broadcast of the season.

“We are delighted that Bimbo Bakeries USA has returned to the Kroger Racing program as an Elite partner,” said Barry Craft, vice president of Grocery Merchandising for The Kroger Co. “Their long-standing partnership brings a significant enhancement to our overall sponsor portfolio. We’re looking forward to having their Ball Park Buns & Rolls brand as co-primary sponsor on the No. 47 Kroger Camaro at Nashville Superspeedway. The team is having an impressive season, and we feel confident that Ricky will be running up front at Nashville on Sunday.”

“We have unwavering support from Bimbo Bakeries USA and their brands,” said JTG Daugherty Racing co-owner Tad Geschickter. “They have stood by our side, and it was special to celebrate the Daytona 500 win with them in victory lane with all of our Kroger Racing partners. We’re on a roll and look forward to keeping our momentum with Ball Park Buns & Rolls and Kroger at Nashville.”

To initiate the weekend, Stenhouse Jr. and his No. 47 Kroger / Ball Park Buns & Rolls Camaro team gear up for NASCAR Cup Series practice late Friday at the 1.33 D-shaped oval. Directly following on-track activities, the Daytona 500 Champion will make an appearance from 7 PM to 8 PM Central at Kroger located at 1418-A West Main Street, Lebanon, TN.

“In addition to the on-track visibility Bimbo Bakeries USA brands receive, they gain comprehensive support, including in-store merchandising and digital promotion along with logo placement with our driver and team and more,” said Geschickter. “Also, to further the connection, Ricky makes several Kroger store appearances for the brands throughout the season to spend more time with consumers and store associates.”

After an off weekend for the NASCAR Cup Series, Stenhouse Jr. is ready to get back to business at Nashville Superspeedway. His best finish there is sixth-place (6/20/2021).

“Following vacation, I’m ready to get to Nashville and race our No. 47 Kroger / Ball Park Buns & Rolls Camaro,” said Stenhouse Jr., who will carry an in-car camera for additional brand visibility.“ Going into Nashville and the season in general, we have more confidence, and Mike Kelley is doing a really good job leading our team. Everybody has a little more confidence in themselves and I know I do as a race car driver. It’s been cool going back to racetracks we struggled at last year, and we show up and run well this year. It’s been a really fun season.”

The team enters Nashville, Daytona 500Champions, with two top-five, five top-10 and 11 top-15 finishes in 16 starts this NASCAR Cup Series season.

“It’s been a pretty remarkable season,” said crew chief Mike Kelley. “Our goal after winning the Daytona 500 was to make this a positive year by reaching our goals (running 12th or 15th every week) until we learned what our car needed. It’s been fun so far.”

Live coverage of the Ally 400 on Sunday, June 25th starts at 7 PM ET on NBC, PRN and SIRIUSXM Satellite Radio.

Bath Planet Partners with AJ Allmendinger and Kaulig Racing for Chicago Street Course

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Bath Planet to Serve as Primary Partner on the No. 16 Camaro ZL1, Scheme Highlights One-Day Bath Remodel Giveaway

Lexington, N.C. (June 19, 2023) – Kaulig Racing announces partnership with Bath Planet and the family of BCI Acrylic brands for the Chicago Street Course with AJ Allmendinger.

Bath Planet, committed to helping homeowners obtain the bathroom of their dreams with out-of-this-world service and down-to-earth prices, accomplishes amazing bath and shower remodels in as little as one day with highly trained, factory certified technicians. Bath Planet’s dedication to standards of excellence in product quality and customer service has earned it the prestigious Good Housekeeping Seal, one of the most trusted and widely recognized consumer symbols in North America.

“We’re excited to welcome our new partnership with Bath Planet and its parent company, BCI Acrylic, Inc. on board our No. 16 car at what is going to be a historic weekend,” says Chris Rice, Kaulig Racing team president. Being a trusted brand by homeowners and providing the highest quality customer service gives us confidence in how our core values at Kaulig Racing align with those of Bath Planet. We hope this is the beginning of what is sure to be a great relationship.”

In addition to the primary partnership, AJ Allmendinger’s No. 16 Bath Planet Camaro will feature a giveaway QR code for fans to enter a sweepstakes to win a one-day bath remodel. Fans can also enter to win at https://bathplanetgiveaway.com/. The contest ends December 15, 2023.

“I’m excited to have Bath Planet on board for the Chicago Street Course,” AJ Allmendinger says. “Street course racing takes me back to my roots and it’s some of the most fun I’ve had racing in my life. It’ll be fun to get there and see what the Cup car is like on this style track. I’m looking forward to putting on a good show and giving away a one-day bath remodel to a fan.”

The Grant Park 220 will take place on Sunday, July 2 with coverage beginning at 5:30 p.m. ET on NBC.
 
About Kaulig Racing™

Kaulig Racing™ is a full-time multi-car NASCAR Cup Series (NCS) and NASCAR Xfinity Series (NXS) team, owned by award winning entrepreneur, Matt Kaulig. Established in 2016, Kaulig Racing™ has made the NXS Playoffs consecutively each season since the playoff system started and has won back-to-back regular-season championships. Before becoming a full-time NCS team, Kaulig Racing made multiple starts in the 2021 NCS season and won in its seventh-ever start with AJ Allmendinger’s victory at “The Brickyard” for the Verizon 200 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. The team expanded to a two-car, full-time NCS team in 2022 with Justin Haley piloting the No. 31 Camaro ZL1, and an all-star lineup featured in the No. 16 Camaro ZL1. Haley will continue to drive the No. 31 full-time in 2023, alongside AJ Allmendinger, who will drive the No. 16 Camaro ZL1. The team will continue to field three, full-time NXS entries; the No. 10 Chevrolet driven by an all-star lineup that will be announced at a later date, the No. 11 Chevrolet driven by Daniel Hemric, and the No. 16 Chevrolet driven by Chandler Smith. To learn more about the team, visit kauligracing.com.

Southeast Lineman Training Center to Support Brett Moffitt and AM Racing at Nashville Superspeedway

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STATESVILLE, N.C.: Officials from AM Racing proudly announced today that Southeast Lineman Training Center (SLTC), the premier training school for apprentice lineworker training will support AM Racing and driver Brett Moffitt in Saturday afternoon’s Tennessee Lottery 250 at Nashville (Tenn.) Superspeedway.

Southeast Lineman Training Center (SLTC) consistently has produced an elite group of highly trained and certified graduates.

SLTC provides training in a realistic and challenging environment, where individuals can establish the foundation necessary for a rewarding career as lineworkers in the electrical utility and communications industries.

The 15th NASCAR Xfinity Series race of the season will mark Southeast Lineman Training Center’s first foray in NASCAR.

“Southeast Lineman Training Center is excited to join forces with AM Racing for the NASCAR Xfinity Tennessee Lottery 250 and celebrate the dedication and skill of lineworkers and fearless drivers who inspire us all,” said David Powell SLTC co-owner and partner.

“This partnership embodies the shared values of safety, precision, and high performance that define both the electrical industry and the world of motorsports. Together, SLTC and AM Racing will light up the track and put it all on the line in the pursuit of victory.”

As part of their current one-race partnership with AM Racing, the Statesville, N.C.-based team will host several lineworkers and business associates throughout the Nashville weekend with the desire to educate the racing community and fanbase of the importance of lineworkers and their craft.

“We’re excited for the opportunity to partner with AM Racing and Brett Moffitt in the NASCAR Xfinity Tennessee Lottery 250,” added PJ Nardy, SLTC co-owner and partner. “The strong foundations of faith, honesty and intelligent performance maintained by AM Racing align perfectly with the values we hold true to at SLTC.”

AM Racing driver Brett Moffitt heads to Nashville (Tenn.) Superspeedway for the 188-lap race eyeing his fourth top-10 finish of the season on the heels of a successful west coast road course trip which included a pair of competitive 12th place finishes at Portland International Raceway and Sonoma (Calif.) Raceway respectively.

“I’m looking forward to being an ambassador for the Southeast Lineman Training Center,” explained Moffitt. “It’s great that our AM Racing team through our partnership with AM Technical Solutions has been able to bring in a new partner to the industry, especially as instrumental as Southeast Lineman Training Center.

“Nashville is a fun race track for me and I’d love nothing more than to have the opportunity to score our best finish of the season with our No. 25 Southeast Lineman Training Center Ford Mustang.”

Wade Moore, president of AM Racing added, “We are beyond thrilled to welcome Southeast Lineman Training Center to our partnership lineup. Without our great relationship with AM Technical Solutions and Sovereign Capital, this new partnership would not have been possible.

“Brett (Moffitt) is going to do a great job representing their brand on and off the track and we hope that their experience at Nashville opens the door to an expanded partnership for this season and beyond.”

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

For more on Brett Moffitt, please visit BrettMoffitt.com, like his Facebook page (Brett Moffitt Racing), or

follow him on Instagram (@brett_moffitt_racing) and Twitter (@brett_moffitt).

The Tennessee Lottery 250 (188 laps | 250.04 miles) is the 15th of 33 NASCAR Xfinity Series races on the 2023 schedule. Practice begins on Friday, June 23, 2023, from 4:35 p.m. – 5:25 p.m. Qualifying is set for race day, Saturday, June 24, 2023, at 11:00 a.m. The 38-car field will take the green flag later in the day shortly after 2:30 p.m. with live coverage on the USA Network, the Performance Racing Network (Radio) and SiriusXM NASCAR Channel 90. All times are local (Central).

About Southeast Lineman Training Center:

Southeast Lineman Training Center (SLTC) is the premier training school for apprentice lineworker training; consistently producing an elite group of highly trained and certified graduates.

SLTC provides training in a realistic and challenging environment, where individuals can establish the foundation necessary for a rewarding career as lineworkers in the electrical utility and communications industries.

To learn more, please visit lineworker.com.

About AM Racing:

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

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

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

The team has named Brett Moffitt and Christian Rose as their primary drivers for the 2023 Xfinity and ARCA Menards Series seasons.

Jr III Racing Looks to Rebound at Watkins Glen

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SRO VIR 2022

Watkins Glen, NY (19 June 2023) – Jr III (“Junior-Three”) Racing will head north this week to Watkins Glen International for the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship’s Sahlen’s Six Hours of the Glen.

Piloting the No. 30 Airbnb Ligier JS P350 will be full season team regulars Ari Balogh and Garett Grist, the duo will be once again joined by LMP3 ace Dakota Dickerson.

Jr III Racing will be coming off of a three month hiatus from the last IMSA WeatherTech LMP3 race at Sebring International Raceway in March. The team ran into a remarkable and disappointing dose of bad luck with just over an hour left in the race, when a tire from a wrecked LMP2 car came crashing down on Grist, taking the team out of the race.

Earlier this month, Jr III Racing had a couple of test days at Watkins Glen ahead of this weekend’s race. All three drivers were able to knock off the rust and get back to running in tip-top shape.

“I’m very excited to be heading to Watkins Glen this week with the team,” said Dickerson. “We had a very successful test and I think we’re carrying some good momentum. There’s definitely a feeling of unfinished business after our misfortunes at the end of the twelve hour and I can’t wait to put it all out there for six hours of hard racing!”

Last year at Watkins Glen, the team had great pace at Watkins Glen and were looking to be on target for another run to the podium before a pit fire cost the team significant time.

“I’m ready to be back at Watkins Glen,” said Grist. “We were able to test a couple of weeks ago and it went really well. We were able to try some new things and practice what we found worked at Sebring. I believe that we will have a good weekend, especially after seeing how we did at Sebring and we are looking to come back after bad luck hit us last year at Watkins Glen. We as a team could really use the boost from a good weekend.”

The green flag will wave on the Sahlen’s Six Hours of The Glen at 10:40 am ET. The race will be live on USA Network starting at 2:00 pm ET, but you can catch all six hours of racing on the Peacock App starting at 10:30 am ET.

Sean Creech Motorsport back in action at Watkins Glen

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14 weeks have passed since the LMP3 class last raced at Sebring in March, with five events of the seven-race schedule remaining from June to October

JUPITER, Fla. (19 June 2023) – According to the calendar, the 2023 IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship is more than halfway done. But for Sean Creech Motorsport (SCM) and the rest of the LMP3 class field, the season only now begins in earnest, with Sunday’s Sahlen’s Six Hours of the Glen at Watkins Glen International (10:40 a.m., Peacock/USA).

Lance Willsey and João Barbosa will pilot the No. 33 SCM Focal One Ligier JS P320, joined once again by Chilean Nico Pino – who at age 18, became the youngest driver to stand on the podium at the 24 Hours of Le Mans (earning a third-place finish with his Duqueine team). Pino will see WGI for the first time this week, but sim work has been as close to real life as possible now that the No. 33 SCM Ligier is on the iRacing program.

“I’ve been training, both physically and on the sim,” said Pino. “I’ve been looking at data, watching on-boards and doing sim racing – especially now that the car is on iRacing! It’s a great reference on how the track lays out and how the car behaves. It’s very cool, I’ve never been able to drive my exact car! It’s great that anyone in the world can race the exact same car I’ve driven.”

The LMP3 class has only run two race weekends in 2023 (Daytona and Sebring), with Sebring the only points paying race – though with 36 hours of racing completed, that’s more than some racing series contest in an entire season. It’s been 14 weeks since the Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring, nearly as long as the 16 weeks in between the 2022 season finale at Road Atlanta and the 2023 Roar Before the Rolex 24. The WeatherTech series will contest five races between now and Petit Le Mans in October, which will mark the finale for the LMP3 class in the premier IMSA series.

SCM team members have kept busy over the three months, working with teams competing in a myriad of sports car series – including the recent 24 Hours of Le Mans. The crew reunited two weeks ago at Watkins Glen to test the No. 30 VP Racing SportsCar Challenge and the No. 33 WeatherTech series cars, with Willsey and Barbosa sharing the wheel.

“It’s been a very long break!” said Barbosa. “It was nice to be back behind the wheel of the Ligier, it only took a couple of laps to get back into the groove. The crew did a great job at the test – the car is very good and it’s such a fun track to drive. It was uncharacteristically cold and cloudy at the test, and with the Canadian wildfire smoke, it made for very strange conditions. But we have plenty of options for this weekend. We didn’t do as many laps as we would have liked, with the third day ended early, but I feel as though we’re ready.”

The crew worked through several challenges at the test, including unseasonably cold temperatures and significant smoke from the Canadian wildfires. Fighting through the air quality issues, the team worked through a checklist of setup options – both for the cool conditions at the test, and for the far more likely warmer temperatures that would greet them later in the month.

“It was a good chance for everyone to get back in the swing of things,” said team principal Sean Creech. “For the crew, it was a chance to make sure everything was hooked up, refamiliarize themselves with setting up and tearing down, working on the car, making changes. Same for Lance and Joao – they haven’t been in the car since March, so it was good to have almost three days to bang the rust off.

“We have plenty of data coming out of the test,” continued Creech. “Like Joao said – we can race this car. We’ll tweak it in practice on the race weekend, especially since it was significantly colder at the test than it will be this week. But the car has good pace as it is now.”

SCM thanks team partner Focal One for its continued support.

The Sahlen’s Six Hours of the Glen takes the green flag Sunday at 10:40 a.m. Eastern. The race will be broadcast live in the U.S. on Peacock TV and the USA Network. International viewers can watch via IMSA.tv, with IMSA Radio also available at IMSA.com.

About SCM

Team leader Sean Creech has competed in a multitude of sports car series from 1990 until the present day, including Group C, IMSA GTP, WSC, Grand-Am, SRO World Challenge, and IMSA. SCM will contest the full WeatherTech SportsCar Championship in 2023 with João Barbosa and Lance Willsey. http://seancreechmotorsport.com/

About Focal One

One in eight men will be diagnosed with prostate cancer during their lifetime in the United States. The Focal One® HIFU Prostate treatment offers patients a non-invasive outpatient procedure to target prostate tissue while avoiding the common side effects such as loss of urinary continence and sexual function. The Focal One treatment uses high-performance, high-intensity focused ultrasound (HIFU) to precisely target and ablate the prostate, allowing patients to quickly return to normal activities. http://www.focalone.com

Zane Smith and the No. 38 Speedco/ Fleetguard Ford F-150 Mustang Team

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Nashville Superspeedway Competition Notes

 TEAM AND RACE NOTES:

Zane Smith and the No. 38 Ford F-150 team head to Nashville (Tenn.) and the Nashville Superspeedway this Friday evening. It will be a one-day show for the No. 38 team. Track activity will begin on Friday at 3:00 p.m. ET with practice and qualifying. Friday’s race is scheduled for 7:00 p.m. ET on FS1.

Fleetguard, a partner of Love’s and Speedco, will make their debut and join Speedco on the No. 38 Ford for the 150-lap race.

Fleetguard, a global leading filtration brand within the Atmus Filtration Technologies portfolio, offers a full suite of filtration products for nearly all makes of vehicles and equipment across the truck, bus, agriculture, construction, mining, marine and power generation vehicle, and equipment markets.

COMPETITION NOTES

Front Row Motorsports (FRM) has two runner-up finishes in their first two starts at the track in the NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series. Both Todd Gilliland and Smith finished second in the Speedco No. 38 Ford F-150.

Now, Smith, who already has two wins and five top-five finishes this season, is looking to break into victory lane at the track.

CREW CHIEF CHRIS LAWSON

“This is a track where our 38 team has seen success. We have back-to-back second-place finishes at Nashville and it’s time to get that win.”

DRIVER ZANE SMITH

“Nashville has been good to us and we’ve been so close there- especially last year. We’ve got to break this skid of bad races. Our Ford trucks have been fast, but we need to stay out of trouble and get a solid result.”

ABOUT FRONT ROW MOTORSPORTS

Front Row Motorsports (FRM) is a winning organization in the NASCAR Cup and CRAFTSMAN Truck Series. The team is the 2021 Daytona 500 and 2022 CRAFTSMAN Truck Series champions. The team was founded in 2004 and is owned by successful entrepreneur, Bob Jenkins. FRM fields the No. 34 and the No. 38 NASCAR Cup Series teams along with the No. 38 CRAFTSMAN Truck Series team from its Mooresville, N.C. headquarters. Visit teamfrm.com and follow FRM on social media: Twitter at @Team_FRM, Instagram at @team_frm and Facebook at facebook.com/FrontRowMotorsports.

Wright Motorsports Celebrates Father’s Day with Podium Finish

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ALTON, Vir., (June 19, 2023) – Sunday afternoon at VIRginia International Raceway (VIR), the Wright Motorsports race car driving duo of Charlie Luck and Jan Heylen closed out the race weekend with a return to the podium in the Fanatec GT World Challenge America Powered by AWS. The Father’s Day success marked a special occasion for the father and son-in-law duo, as Heylen celebrated his first Father’s Day. Teammates Adam Adelson and Elliott Skeer supported the effort with a fourth-place finish, the team’s tenth top-five result of the 2023 season.

“VIR is always a special racetrack for us since it’s the home track for Charlie,” said Team Owner John Wright. “It’s always great to celebrate here with his ever-supportive home crowd, but for Jan to celebrate a podium with his father-in-law on his very first Father’s Day is a moment for the books.”

The pair of top five finishes in race two lifted the team’s spirits after a challenging trio of races in the World Challenge and GT America powered by AWS series.

While Adam Adelson celebrated a pole position in GT America for race one, his No. 120 Porsche 911 GT3 R fell victim to one of the several race incidents, resulting in an early race retirement. The Wright crew had the car ready to go for the second race of the weekend, in which he started from sixth place. He rebounded from the previous day, earning a fourth-place finish, his fifth of the season.

Race one of the GT World Challenge series fared poorly for the Wright Motorsports squad, throwing various sorts of attrition at the Ohio-based squad, who continued to persist. Podium-worthy performances were dashed, but the team pressed on, earning championship points with seventh and ninth place finishes.

The No. 45 Porsche 911 GT3 R of Luck and Heylen had a strong starting position for race two, taking the green flag from third place. The No. 120 of Adelson and Skeer started from tenth, and Skeer propelled the Porsche up three positions in the opening laps. With flawless pitstops and driver changes, the Porsches continued their drive up the field after the halfway point, battling against various manufacturers and teams in their quest for championship points.

The team led the GT World Challenge America Pro/Am championship points headed into the weekend, and although trials were present, the team still earned points that will aid in their quest for another assault on the title. Unofficially, the team still maintains the points lead exiting Virginia. The GT America series will race next on the streets of Nashville, Tennessee in support of the NTT IndyCar Series, August 4-6, while the GT World Challenge America championship resumes August 18-20 at Road America.

Charlie Luck // No. 45 Porsche 911 GT3 R

It always feels good to come back after a rough day like we had yesterday. I really have to take my hat off to Bobby Viglione and Jan. They worked tirelessly on the car and made it better. We still have ways to go but it’s better. I’m thrilled to have a good third place finish after yesterday. It feels good to be back on the podium.

Jan Heylen // No. 45 Porsche 911 GT3 R

It’s nice to be back on the podium after a tough race yesterday. We got some good points but I’m disappointed that we can’t compete for the win. Hopefully we’ll have some good things to come, and we can do a little bit better at the next race.

Adam Adelson // No. 120 Porsche 911 GT3 R

Talk about a weekend of adversity. It was a tough one any way you look at it. I had a shunt on Friday practice in the morning, which was totally my fault. I was slower than I needed to be for the first two days of testing and all of Friday practice, but come qualifying, Elliott and I both did what we needed to do. Unfortunately, the races didn’t go our ways for a number of reasons. But regardless, I’m still really proud of that entire effort by the by the Wright Motorsports team, and the support from Porsche. Even though this is the first race of the race weekend of the season that we didn’t walk away with any trophies, this is arguably the weekend that we grew the most as a team and I know we’re going to come out guns blazing at Road America.

Elliott Skeer // No. 120 Porsche 911 GT3 R

This was a big boy weekend: GT3 cars at VIR, and it was definitely a new experience that didn’t start out on the best foot. We didn’t have quite the best Saturday you could want, but the team did everything we ever needed to get ourselves sorted for Sunday. We gave it all we had. I’m learning a lot with every single lap I do in one of these cars, and I’m incredibly happy with how Adam drove. At the end of the day, gaining four spots overall in the race and finishing fourth in class is a result we can be happy with. I believe we still have the points lead, so all the work we did early in the year was for a Saturday to happen and still be okay.

Wright Motorsports
Wright Motorsports is the premier Porsche race engineering facility in Ohio and a multi-series and international racing team known for superb car preparation, expert race strategy, and driver development. Located in Batavia, Ohio, it is owned and directed by John Wright, a certified Porsche factory-trained technician. As a crew chief John Wright has played a key role in winning eight driver and seven team championships in World Challenge, IMSA (ALMS) and the Grand-Am Rolex Series. Wright Motorsports won the team championship in Porsche GT3 Cup USA in 2012, 2013, and 2015, and went on to win the Pirelli World Challenge Overall, Sprint, Team, and Manufacturer’s titles in 2017. In 2020, the team captured the GT World Challenge America Am championship. In 2021, Wright Motorsports had a wildly successful season, capturing nine championships across their five racing efforts.

Mercedes-AMG GT3 Teams Secure Six Wins to Sweep Fanatec GT World Challenge and GT America Powered by AWS SRO Motorsports America Races This Weekend at VIRginia International Raceway

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DANVILLE, Virginia – Mercedes-AMG Motorsport Customer Racing teams CrowdStrike Racing with Riley, TR3 Racing and TKO Motorsports combined for a perfect six-for-six Mercedes-AMG GT3 race win sweep in Fanatec GT World Challenge and GT America powered by AWS competition this weekend at VIRginia International Raceway. The victories were highlighted by overall Fanatec GT World Challenge triumphs by George Kurtz and Colin Braun in the No. 04 CrowdStrike by Riley Mercedes-AMG GT3 on Sunday and a debut win by the first-time Pro-class driver pairing of Daniel Morad and Kenton Koch in the No. 9 TRG Racing Mercedes-AMG GT3 on Saturday.

The run of race wins also kept Mercedes-AMG Motorsport customer teams undefeated in GT America competition with a perfect 10-for-10 record in the year’s opening races.

The VIR GT America winner was Memo Gidley who swept both of the weekend’s 40-minute sprint races in the No. 101 TKO Motorsports Mercedes-AMG GT3 to build his season win total to a series-leading six victories. Gidley came into the VIR weekend leading the GT America championship and expanded his first-place points margin after his second weekend sweep of the season.

Gidley also won both races at NOLA Motorsports Park in April in addition to a Sunday victory in the season-opening race weekend at the St. Petersburg Grand Prix and a Saturday triumph one race later in Sonoma.

Sunday marked the second GT World Challenge Pro-Am win of the weekend for Kurtz and Braun who picked up their first victory in the class while finishing third overall on Saturday.

Morad and Koch in turn finished third overall in Sunday’s final GT World Challenge 90-minute race but ahead of all other Pro-division competitors for their second class win of the weekend.

The six victories were part of a weekend tally of 10 total podium finishes at VIR that included a third place showing by Kurtz in Saturday’s first GT America race and a Pirelli GT4 America podium.

Michai Stephens and Jesse Webb rebounded from a frustrating opening race Saturday to secure a third place Silver class and overall finish Sunday in the No. 34 Conquest Racing/JMF Motorsports Mercedes-AMG GT4.

Other podium players at VIR included CRP Racing GT America drivers Todd Treffert and Jason Daskalos. Treffert, making just his seventh professional race start, broke through for a second-place finish Saturday in his No. 41 CRP Racing Mercedes-AMG GT3. Daskalos, a two-time GT America race winner this season, stepped up to finish second in Sunday’s final GT America race in his No. 27 CRP Racing Mercedes-AMG GT4.

Saturday’s top three of Gidley, Treffert and Kurtz was the second Mercedes-AMG GT3 podium lockout in the last three GT America race weekends. At NOLA, Gidley led a GT America Mercedes-AMG GT3 victory lane sweep that included Kurtz in second and Daskalos in third.

The VIR weekend’s perfect winning performance didn’t come without its fair share of challenges. Koch lost some time in the pits in Saturday’s GT World Challenge race when he had trouble locating the TR3 Racing pit stall.

Morad took over the No. 9 only to rebound from a strange incident of his own when the car’s roof radio antennae came loose and dangled into the cockpit. Morad went slightly off course and lost the lead when the swinging antennae hit him in the eye but recovered to retake first place a lap later.

Next up for Mercedes-AMG Motorsport Customer Racing teams in SRO Motorsports America competition is a GT America doubleheader feature race at the Music City Grand Prix in Nashville, August 4 – 6. The next SRO Motorsports America all-series weekend of competition will be held at Road America, August 18 – 20.

Daniel Morad, Driver – No. 9 TR3 Racing Mercedes-AMG GT3: “Saturday’s race wasn’t the easiest win. We only had one session of preparation to get the car dialed in before qualifying. We just used each session as a test leading to the next, and we were getting there with the car. Clearly, it was there with being able to control Saturday’s race, and Kenton did a great job in his opening stint to open up a gap. He wanted to try a ‘three-stop strategy’ when he couldn’t find our pit box! Then in my stint our car’s roof antennae came loose and poked me in the eye. I was making a turn and went off, but luckily not too far off, and a lap later was able to get the lead back. From there it was smooth sailing. Kenton gave me a race-winning car in a race-winning position in the first race and it was even better on Sunday. It’s a testament to the Mercedes-AMG GT platform and how easy it is to get it in the window, and the TR3 engineering team worked hard and did great.”

Kenton Koch, Driver – No. 9 TR3 Racing Mercedes-AMG GT3: “It was really cool just to have the opportunity compete in a Mercedes-AMG GT3 again, and with TR3 Racing and at VIR, which is a good place. I have had good luck here in the past, and this is a good bunch of guys to be able to help get me up to speed in the limited time we had but we made progress throughout the weekend. In Saturday’s race, that was the best I could have done with what I had. I think we did OK, but going into the pit box was very interesting! It was a sea of black suits and orange boards, and I just couldn’t see our pit. I couldn’t see it, but the one orange thing I could see was Daniel in his driver’s suit jumping up and down! That was the only orange thing that stood out. I was super bummed and disappointed in myself, but things happen, people are human, and it all worked out for the win. It was a little bit harder Sunday but getting the car from Daniel with fresh rubber in the second part of the race made it easier to drive through some competitors. It’s always good to drive a Mercedes-AMG GT3.”

George Kurtz, Driver – No. 04 CrowdStrike Racing with Riley Mercedes-AMG GT3: “It was a great weekend. The CrowdStrike and Riley guys gave us a great car, the competition was fierce, and we feel very fortunate to be the overall winners on Sunday, not just in Pro-Am. We closed in on the points lead and we are excited about going into the next race. I had lots of pressure throughout the race, but I just think toward the end we just had with the Mercedes-AMG GT3 a better tire degradation program. We were able to build a bit of a gap and close it out. Credit to Mercedes-AMG, it’s a great chassis and a great car, and we are fortunate to be driving it.”

Colin Braun, Driver – No. 04 CrowdStrike Racings with Riley Mercedes-AMG GT3: “Obviously, a great weekend. We had a couple days of testing beforehand. It gave us a chance to work through a lot of things and the Riley/CrowdStrike guys just did a great job. We worked really hard on those test days and, as always, George puts a big effort in – working, working, working – and it is nice to see all of that hard work pay off. We had a little bit different setup philosophy, more long-run focused, and today that paid off. At the end we have good pace there on the tires. We will keep our heads down and keep chipping away at it.”

Memo Gidley, Driver – No. 101 TKO Motorsports Mercedes-AMG GT3: “It was great to get some first-place finishes and collect all the points we could. It is just awesome, very nice, very nice! Coming here, this is our first year with the Mercedes-AMG GT3, everything is new with the car, new with the team. Coming here I was definitely not feeling the love with the car, but we just kept tweaking on it and it just got a little bit better, a little bit better, a little better, and that includes from Saturday’s race to Sunday’s race. As a driver, when you can get in that spot with the car where you can just balance it on the edge consistently everywhere, it is just very satisfying. That’s where the TKO car was on Sunday.”

Todd Treffert, Driver – No. 41 CRP Racing Mercedes-AMG GT3: “In a race of attrition, I was able to keep the car clean and lasted them out on Saturday. Just staying out of trouble was the key, but the car was great and ready to go. CRP Racing put together a great Mercedes-AMG GT3, they are a great team, and I am figuring out how to drive it. My first race was just Sonoma this year and I didn’t know what I was doing. I was all over the place, so coming to a track like VIR you are familiar with makes all the difference.”

Michai Stephens, Driver – No. 34 Conquest Racing/JMF Motorsports Mercedes-AMG GT4: “The Conquest Racing/JMF Motorsports Mercedes-AMG GT4 team took on the challenges of VIR head on! Given the track’s configuration, the team knew that the undertaking was going to be massive, but as a unit we leaned into the challenge, pushing with everything we had. Such desire resulted in a personal mistake into the Oak Tree turn on Saturday, ultimately dropping us from the podium in the first race after a monster drive from Jesse. In race two we looked to capitalize where and when we could, placing us in third before a lengthy caution period brought the race to a conclusion. Simply put, we took it on the chin this weekend and will be stronger because of it!”

Meyer Shank Racing Shows Big Improvement at Road America

By
Official Release
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#06: Helio Castroneves, Meyer Shank Racing Honda

Elkhart Lake, Wisc. – (18 June 2023) – A total team effort from the entire Meyer Shank Racing (MSR) squad propelled the two-car team to its best results of the 2023 NTT INDYCAR SERIES season, finishing 14th and 15th in Sunday’s Sonsio Grand Prix at Road America.

Simon Pagenaud (No. 60 AutoNation / SiriusXM Honda) came from 20th on the starting grid and used a strong car and steady driving to work into the top half of the field through the first 20 laps. He suffered a setback soon after however, when he went off course while fighting Marcus Ericsson for 12th, resulting in a grass-cutting excursion that cost him nine spots.

A lap 24 caution flag set the stage for the No. 60 pink and black clad MSR pit crew to pick the Frenchman up soon after, using lightning-fast pit work to take six positions back, promoting Pagenaud back to 15th on the subsequent restart. He was one of the few drivers that was able to coax some performance out of the red Firestone alternate tires and made his way to 13th before his final pit stop.

Meanwhile, Helio Castroneves (No. 06 AutoNation / SiriusXM Honda) had a tough start to the weekend after qualifying 26th on Saturday, but the 55-lap race saw him advance 11 positions.

Castroneves overcame a bobble during his second stop and gained seven spots on his second stint to move up to 17th. The four-time Indianapolis 500 winner used his experience to continue the chase over the final 20 laps around the 4.048-mile Road America circuit, chasing his teammate down as the two ran within two-seconds of each other over the waning laps.

Pagenaud made his crew’s quick pit work pay off, using calm hands to avoid incidents that some of his competitors faced in the waning laps to come home in 14th, while Castroneves matched his season best, duplicating the 15th-place result he posted in the Indy 500.

MSR will have a week off as they prepare for their home race as the Pataskala, Ohio-based team heads to nearby Lexington for the July 2 Honda Indy 200 at the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course.

Driver Quotes:

Simon Pagenaud:
“The result is not what I would like, because the car was phenomenal. The race was run well, the strategy was great, the pit stops were amazing. But unfortunately, what really cost us today was when Ericsson went off track. He came back onto the racing line and hit my rear going into a fast corner, which ended up pushing me off track. I was running with Dixon at that point and he finished fourth, so I believe that’s where we could have been. But it gives me a lot of hope for the future – we’ve made major improvements over the last several races. We still have a few things to work on, like speed and acceleration, but once we get that, we’ll be in good shape. Lots of positives as we head to Iowa to go testing. Then we get a weekend off!”

Helio Castroneves:

“The 06 crew did a phenomenal job. We had a little incident in the pits – the hose got tangled in the front wing – and I was ready to leave, so unfortunately we got a penalty from that. The race was amazing for us otherwise, we had really great pace. Moving from 26th to 15th definitely shows that we had speed in the car and that’s very promising.”

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