Grant Enfinger, No. 23 Champion Power Equipment Chevrolet Silverado RST
START: 11TH FINISH: 5TH POINTS: 4TH
Post-Race Quote: “[That was] a solid finish for sure for our Champion Power Equipment Chevrolet. We were pretty good in practice; the first stage we fired off good but then about 10 laps in I just lost all my drivability. We still had pace, but I couldn’t move around. I’d get bottled up by someone slower in front of me and then I would get passed by about three or four of them. We lost our track position a little bit, did some other stuff, struggled a little bit on pit road, but man those guys rallied and we had a good pit stop the last time. Tyler Monn and I were able to choose a good lane choice for once and the last restart worked out for us. I feel like we were a top-three truck there at the end. There were parts of the race where we were a 25th place truck and there were parts of the race where we were pretty solid. I’m pretty happy with everybody’s fight and with Jeff’s calls on the pit box, so anyways, we’ll go home with a P5 and smile.”
Rajah Caruth, No. 24 Wendell Scott Foundation Chevrolet Silverado RST
START: 4TH FINISH: 11TH POINTS: 17TH
Post-Race Quote: “We had a pretty sporty Wendell Scott Foundation Chevrolet Silverado. So in stage one we were tight on the balance. We didn’t have the best pitstop. I drove my tail off and did what we could. Nice to have a decent recovery. It was nice to get stage points early. I have some stuff I need to work on. We will just keep on digging. I would like to thank Maury Gallagher, Mike Beam, Ron Booth, all of my partners, including Alpinestar, Butler Built Seats, Bell Racing, and ShadyRays. Thank you to all the men and women on my No. 24 Chevrolet do such a great job. I feel really good about St. Louis and we will get some revenge there.”
Daniel Dye, No. 43 RaceToStopSuicide.com Chevrolet Silverado RST
START: 18TH FINISH: 19TH POINTS: 19TH
Post-Race Quote: “Pretty tough go at it for us on the No. 43 team tonight at Charlotte. It felt like we had a right rear tire falling apart towards the end of both stages, but our guys were able to keep working at it and making us have more speed on each run. We were able to get our truck headed in the right direction in the last stage but unfortunately we fell off and had to settle for a 19th place effort. We have a clean truck though, and should be able to head to Gateway and focus on getting some better results there. Thank you to all of my crew members for their hard work as well as all of our partners that support us each week.”
ABOUT GMS RACING:
GMS Racing competes full-time in the NASCAR Truck Series operating the No. 23, No. 24, and No. 43 Chevrolet Silverado RSTs for drivers Grant Enfinger, Rajah Caruth, and Daniel Dye. Since the team was formed in 2012, GMS Racing has won five titles across multiple series, including the 2016 and 2020 NASCAR Truck Series championship, the 2015 ARCA Racing Series championship, as well as the 2019 & 2020 ARCA East championships. GMS has grown to occupy several buildings located in Statesville, N.C. including operations for GMS Fabrication. The GMS Racing campus also houses operations for LEGACY MOTOR CLUB, a team that competes full-time in the NASCAR Cup Series.
SOCIAL MEDIA:
To keep up-to-date with the latest news, information and exclusive content, follow GMS Racing on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
Charlotte Motor Speedway, Nascar NC Education Lottery 200 - photo by William Hester for Speedwaymedia.com
CONCORD, N.C. (May 26, 2023) – A long wait was well worth it for Ben Rhodes on many levels Friday night, as he powered to the checkered flag in the North Carolina Education Lottery 200 NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series race at Charlotte Motor Speedway.
Rhodes, the 2021 Truck Series champion, snapped a 27-race winless streak and earned his seventh career Truck Series victory.
The race was also the opener of the Triple Truck Challenge, which awarded a $50,000 bonus to Rhodes. The series concludes next month with races at World Wide Technology Raceway at Gateway and Nashville Superspeedway.
“We had really good long-run speed in the truck,” Rhodes said. “Anytime you get a win you enjoy it as much as possible because you don’t know when you’ll be back. It’s harder than ever to win in the Truck Series.”
The 26-year-old from Louisville, Ky., steadily pulled away from Stage One winner Corey Heim on the race’s final restart and emerged with the win after starting the race mid-pack in 19th.
“We had to take it slow and methodical from 19th,” said Rhodes, who led 37 laps driving the No. 99 Ford for ThorSport Racing. “It’s not easy to pass in the Truck Series, especially here at Charlotte, but I’m so happy to get a win here. This is the North Carolina guys’ backyard. We’re a Sandusky, Ohio-based team, so it means a lot to myself and the team owners.”
Heim finished second, 2.398 seconds behind, followed by Dean Thompson in third, Stage Two winner Carson Hocevar (43 laps led) in fourth and Grant Enfinger in fifth.
“We were a short-run truck tonight,” said Heim, who led a race-high 49 laps. “It’s kind of been the story of the year. Maybe it’s something on my end that we’re doing wrong. It feels like we can power off better than everyone in the field but then 20 laps later we just fall.
“Charlotte had been one of my worst race tracks. I’ve been hard on myself to finish better here. We finished second here in ARCA twice and second tonight. Maybe one day I’ll get it done.”
Thompson and Enfinger also registered top-five finishes earlier in the day in the General Tire 150 ARCA Menards Series race.
“I was pretty upset about the ARCA race but I’m pretty over the moon about this,” said Thompson of his first career top-five finish in the Truck Series. “Ben had it locked down there. Our guys put together an absolute rocket ship today. I can’t thank them enough.”
Rhodes averaged 116.80 mph in completing the 134 laps in 1 hour, 43 minutes and 10 seconds. Five caution flags consumed 32 laps, with five leaders exchanging the lead 13 times.
Racing continues this weekend with the Alsco Uniforms 300 NASCAR Xfinity Series race Saturday at noon (FS1, PRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio) and the Coca-Cola 600 NASCAR Cup Series race on Sunday at 6 p.m. (Fox, PRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).
TICKETS: Tickets for Sunday’s Coca-Cola 600 are sold out. Fans can purchase tickets for other Charlotte Motor Speedway events at www.charlottemotorspeedway.com or by calling the ticket office at 1-800-455-FANS (3267). Admission to the Circle K Speed Street concert by Jake Owen (Saturday) is free with any race ticket. Sunday’s pre-race concert by The Doobie Brothers is free with a Coca-Cola 600 race ticket.
KEEP TRACK: Fans can connect with Charlotte Motor Speedway by following on Twitter and Instagram or becoming a Facebook fan. Keep up with all the latest news and information with the Charlotte Motor Speedway mobile app.
HEIM EXTENDS POINTS LEAD WITH RUNNER-UP FINISH Dean Thompson scores career-best third-place finish
CONCORD, N.C. (May 26, 2023) – TRICON Garage had another impressive night with Tanner Gray scoring the team’s third straight pole before Corey Heim (second) and Dean Thompson (third) put two Tundras inside the top-five finishers. Heim led a race high 49 laps and scored a stage win as the Georgia-native extended his points lead. For Thompson, it was a career night as the California-native scored stage points in both stages and earned his first career top-five finish.
Toyota Racing Post-Race Recap NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series Charlotte Motor Speedway Race 11 of 23 – 134 Laps, 200 Miles
TOYOTA FINISHING POSITIONS 1st, Ben Rhodes* 2nd, COREY HEIM 3rd, DEAN THOMPSON 4th, Carson Hocevar* 5th, Grant Enfinger* 10th, TAYLOR GRAY 14th, DAVID GILLILAND 22nd, STEWART FRIESEN 24th, TYLER HILL 26th, RYAN VARGAS 27th, TANNER GRAY 28th, TYLER ANKRUM 34th, JUSTIN CARROLL 35th, ARMANI WILLIAMS *non-Toyota driver
“Yeah, I think me and the 42 (Carson Hocevar) and the 5 (Dean Thompson) were probably the best trucks. The 99 (Ben Rhodes) just came on really strong. Once we got to second on that restart when the 42 got put in the middle there, I really thought we had a shot at it. It just proves that clean air is king here. I feel like if I had done a better job of getting past him as soon as possible than waiting on a run, I might have had a better opportunity. I’m just proud of TRICON Garage. Our Rootly Toyota Tundra TRD Pro was great today. The organization – everyone was fast today. So all really good things. I feel like we have something to work on in the future to get better on the long runs, but hats off to everyone at Toyota Racing, TRICON Garage – our truck looked great under the lights tonight.”
DEAN THOMPSON, No. 5 Thompson Pipe Group Toyota Tundra TRD Pro, TRICON Garage
Finishing Position: 3rd
Do you think you could have challenged for a win if a caution had come out?
“I don’t know. I think Ben (Rhodes) had it locked down there. He was pretty quick. I thought the 42 (Carson Hocevar) had it locked down, but I will tell you what. The TRICON guys put together an absolute rocket ship today. I can’t thank them enough. This is for all you doubters out there. P3. I have to thank Thompson Pipe Group, Assured Partners, Toyota Racing, TRICON Garage.”
What was working so good for you in the top groove?
“Dude, I don’t know. I heard the 99 (Ben Rhodes) was coming a couple lanes up by the fence. I was like ‘hell, I’ll try it.’ We got a couple of guys on the restart at the top. When you start passing guys, you might as well stay up there. TRICON put together a rocket ship – no one else could run up there. Corey (Heim) did a hell of a job. He’s a hell of a wheel man. I think we could have finished p1 or p2 with this Tundra but still learning.”
What does this finish do for your confidence? “This is insane. This season so far has been so up and down. We’ve had good runs – in Texas and Kansas, and just end up wrecking. To have this turnaround like this is massive. Not just for me, but for my team too. This plays a lot into my confidence, so we can take it to Gateway.”
How does the first top-five feel?
“It feels pretty sweet. It’s just surreal to be here. I’m so honored to be here and to be able to do this. I’m so grateful. I got all mad and upset about p2 in the ARCA race, and now I’m stoked to be here in p3 in the Truck race. Pretty awesome stuff.”
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.
Charlotte Motor Speedway, Nascar NC Education Lottery 200 - photo by William Hester for Speedwaymedia.com
Ford Performance Notes and Quotes NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series NC Education Lottery 200 | Friday, May 26, 2023
BEN RHODES DRIVES F-150 TO FIRST TRUCK SERIES WIN AT CHARLOTTE MOTOR SPEEDWAY
Ben Rhodes gave Ford its first NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series victory at Charlotte Motor Speedway with tonight’s win.
The victory was the first of the season for Rhodes and third overall for Ford.
It also marked the first win for ThorSport Racing since re-joining Ford at the start of this season.
The last time Rhodes won with Ford was on Sept. 6, 2020 at Darlington.
This marks the third NCTS win for Rhodes in a Ford F-150.
Ford Finishing Results: 1st – Ben Rhodes 7th – Ty Majeski 12th – Matt Crafton 23rd – Zane Smith 25th – Mason Maggio 27th – Josh Reaume 33rd – Hailie Deegan 36th – Keith McGee
BEN RHODES, No. 99 Campers Inn RV Ford F-150 – VICTORY LANE INTERVIEW – YOU SAID YOU HAD A LOT OF WORK TO DO BEFORE THE RACE. HOW DID YOU TURN IT AROUND? “It came to life at night. I guess I need to give my crew a lot more credit than I did. They knew what they were doing. The night time, they planned for it, and even on my last stop, my pit crew was so good. Every track they pick up spots for us. Two races ago they got us nine spots on pit road. They did the magic again tonight and got us to the front. The truck was good once we got in clean air. The night time came to us and they made some adjustments. I was worried at first and they came to us again. They looked into a crystal ball tonight and they gave me everything I needed. I had a lot of work to do. We had to take it slow and methodical from 19th. It’s not easy to pass in the Truck Series, especially here at Charlotte, but I’m so happy to get a win here. This is the North Carolina guy’s backyard. We’re a Sandusky (OH) based team, so it means a lot to myself and the team owners.”
YOUR FIRST WIN OF THE YEAR AND NOW YOU’RE ALL BUT LOCKED INTO THE PLAYOFFS? “I’m not gonna say I was getting worried, but I was certainly feeling a little bit of the pressure, and it wouldn’t have been like that if it wasn’t for the last three races. We somehow found ourselves getting wrecked. We’d run the high side and get wrecked. We’d run the bottom and get wrecked. Lo and behold, here we are recovering and I can’t think of a sweeter way to do it. These guys have worked their absolute butts off. Again, being up north we have a different set of challenges and my guys work 10 times harder, I think, to fulfill that. They deserve it. I’m just so happy for them. It’s all theirs and I’m happy.”
THIS IS THE FIRST TRUCK WIN AT CHARLOTTE FOR FORD. WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO DO THAT? “It means a lot. I spend a lot of time actually in Charlotte even though I live in Kentucky. I come down here to the Ford Performance Technical Center that is right down the road. This is their home track as far as that goes. They’ve got a lot of really hard-working people at Ford and they deserve this as much as anybody, too. To think that they’ve gone this long and not gotten a win in their backyard in that sense, that’s really cool. I’m just happy we could do it. I’m happy for my team, happy for Ford, everybody involved, and, of course, Campers Inn. They flew up from Florida and they’re here with us now and I don’t think they’ve been to a NASCAR Victory Lane before, so we’re gonna show them how they do it.”
WINNER’S PRESS CONFERENCE
BEN RHODES – “On that many laps until the end you start getting a little nervous. A caution flag is gonna come out and every single doubt goes through your head that something is gonna happen. I just knew that if a caution came out we’d be in trouble just because the Truck Series is savage restarts. Everybody just goes so crazy. They don’t care about finishing the race. They just care about winning the race, so I was really worried about a restart, but, thankfully for us, we had really good long run speed built into the truck with the last pit stop. That’s why Hocevar got passed us on the early laps. I was really loose and he was able to fire off good. We were hoping for a really long green flag run and luckily we got that. The track came to us and we were able to pull away to a big lead. That made me feel better. I really only felt better once I got the white flag, let’s be honest.”
DO YOU LOOK LIKE YOU STOLE ONE FROM THE NORTH CAROLINA TEAMS? “It feels that way, for sure. We enjoy racing here and performing good for that simple reason. It’s kind of like a pride thing. We want to come here into their backyard knowing that we travel and work so much harder because we have to go out and get our resources. For me, I live in Kentucky. I have to travel up to Sandusky, Ohio. I come down here almost basically every week right now because this is where the simulator is at, so I’m in Charlotte a whole lot and it’s not easy. To come here into their backyard and win a race is a really good feeling. It just gives you a good feeling. I’m lost for words right now. I’m just happy.”
HOW MUCH OF A PRIORITY IS IT TO BUILD ON THIS AND WIN MORE NOW? “What’s funny is the last two years I put a huge emphasis on points racing and the last three races – Kansas Busch hit the wall and knocked our front end off. We got wrecked by Garcia at Darlington. We got wrecked by Eckes at Wilkesboro. It just seemed like every single thing that could go wrong this season, I mean, you name a race and I can tell you some severe adversity we had to overcome, and some of them we just flat-out didn’t finish the race. I look at the point standings and we’re just falling further and further back. We’re not getting the stage wins that I’m used to. Last year, we had the most stage wins of anybody. I think this year I still have a goose egg for stage wins, so I’m not gonna say I was feeling the pressure, but I thought something’s got to turn around at some point. I’m really happy it happened here, but I hope now at this point I’m not gonna say we’re gonna start stage racing and points racing because we haven’t really been able to do that yet this year, but we’re certainly going to focus on the wins. Right now, our strong suit has been the mile-and-a-halves. Our weak point is the short tracks and the good news for us is we’ve got the trip and we’re going to Gateway next, and that has been a really good track for ThorSport, so I’m really pumped for that.”
HAS IT FELT LIKE FOREVER SINCE YOU WON ON ASPHALT? “A little bit. Yeah, I guess it was the road course on asphalt when I won last. We won a road course. We went dirt and now we’re on a mile-and-a-half, so I guess we’re just trying to win on whatever we can get a win on, but, yeah, it felt like a long time. Anytime you get a win you don’t know when the next one is gonna come. You celebrate it as much as you can, enjoy it while it lasts because it’s just a really tough sport. I was saying on the frontstretch that I’ve been in the Truck Series full-time since 2016 and since then I can think back to ‘16, ‘17 I worked on my restarts religiously. I mean, really, really hard. I analyzed everything that Kyle Busch did because he was the best at that time and now I think you’ll find when Busch comes in the Truck Series you don’t just say, ‘Oh, he’s gonna wax somebody on the restarts.’ They’re really hard and they’re really competitive. Everybody upped their game and I think now it’s harder than ever to get a win in the Truck Series. I think he had a quote or something about that and how he wants to run more truck races so he can win in his equipment. It’s just tough.”
HOW MUCH DOES THE TRIPLE TRUCK CHALLENGE UP THE INTENSITY? “I think it helps the competitiveness with parity through the field. You look at the depth of the field and the depth of the field shows up really deep at the Triple Truck Challenge and when the playoffs start. It just gets so closely competitive, but the driving by the drivers is 100 percent like idiocy all the time. So, you know what, I can’t say that the drivers are doing anything different, but I can tell you that the way the trucks are prepared and how close the field is – for sure the competition level gets packed in more. The same thing with the playoffs. When you get there you can feel it. You walk into the garage and you can feel it. There’s something in the air and you feel that. When the money is on the line that happens, but the drivers are always checkers or wreckers it seems like in the Truck Series.”
DOES THIS PAVE THE WAY FOR ANOTHER CHAMPIONSHIP RUN? “I hope so. It wasn’t looking like that early on for this year. If you look at my stats, we’ve typically been able to get our wins early and like this time of year it seems like we struggle. I really do feel like our stats for the season do not reflect the level of competition and competitiveness that we’ve had. Again, with the DNF’s and stuff that have shown up. I analyze those races and I’m like, ‘What could I have done different. We could have done this on this restart or this, this or this.’ You Monday Morning quarterback it, but in reality you don’t know what’s gonna happen. It’s like trying to look into a crystal ball and predict the future. There’s no way of knowing that until afterwards, and those situations I couldn’t have done anything different, but I do feel like we were still just fine for a championship season. When I look back on my last two seasons we finished second last year because I was like 200 feet from the white flag, and we won the championship before but we transferred both times on tiebreakers to the next round, so the pressure we’re used to. That stuff doesn’t bother me, it’s just getting some momentum built. Last year, we were here and then we started building the momentum back for the playoffs. Right now, I feel like hopefully we’re putting the stop to the bleeding that had occurred for the previous 10 races or whatever and I hope we’re starting an upper trajectory now.”
THOUGHTS ON THE NEXT FEW RACES? “I feel really good about Gateway. Over the years, that’s a track that we’ve had tremendous speed and somehow we’ve never been able to bring one home. It’s been up and down for us. In 2017, we were wicked fast in practice, popped a tire and hit the wall. In ‘18 we were OK, in ‘19 OK, 2020 fast. Last year, we were leading with like 15 to go and the alternator goes out and we’re starting to lose horsepower and losing voltage and Eckes, which is the truck that we’re taking, this was his team with Jariod Prince and Brian Ralston, all those guys, he actually passed me for the lead and then ended up losing it on the last restart, I think. So, they’ve got speed. It gives me a lot of confidence for that reason.”
CAN YOU TAKE ME THROUGH THE LAST RESTART? “He came up after the race and he’s got a lot of respect for the guys that are on this team because they were his guys for two years really, and the incident last week we talked about and he talked to the guys about and wasn’t a good deal. So, I appreciate him pushing me hard and then he also cut me a little bit of a break going in one and two because as we were coming up the track he got more to my outside than I thought and he actually had to check up as we were going towards the wall. It was one of those things where he was probably for sure gonna hit the wall if he stayed in it, but then we may have also hit the wall, too. I’m not sure. So, I thanked him for it nonetheless because I don’t like racing so aggressively with people, but in the Truck Series it’s something you have to do and it happens so fast, too. As you’re taking that last restart, you’re getting this monster run. You’re holding the bottom and you know he’s gonna go where you’re not and you know the outside lane is the dominant lane, so he’s gonna go to that. Well, I’m just trying to predict it and move my truck in unison with his and he jerked the wheel a little bit faster than I can move mine and that’s what happens, but, all in all, I hope he got a good finish because he gave us a heck of a push and cut us some slack.”
WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO GET FORD IN VICTORY LANE FOR THE FIRST TIME AT CHARLOTTE IN THE TRUCK SERIES? “A whole heck of a lot. It’s one of those things you pride yourself on being able to be the first to do something. We got a big number for Ford’s win at one point. I think it was my win at Kentucky Speedway in 2018. I forget what it was. We’ll just call it 50,000 because it’s Ford and they win a lot. Anyways, it feels good knowing that we can set that as a stat. You want to add stats to your name whenever you can and I don’t know, I’m just glad we could do that for them and hopefully when somebody looks back on the stats, we’ll pop up.”
WHAT BECOMES OF THE HAT AFTER TONIGHT? “This is my new grass mowing hat. I’m pretty proud of this hat. It’s gonna be like the hardest earned grass mowing hat ever. I mow a lot of acreage actually, so it’s gonna keep my neck from getting so red.”
WHAT WAS IT LIKE AT THE END FROM AN ETIQUETTE STANDPOINT? “Possibly. It’s tough to say because everybody has been doing it well enough now and the field has become so competitive that there are still extremely aggressive moves being made, we’ve just all found a way to not wreck tonight. The funny thing is I think drivers are starting to get to a point where they know who far they can push the envelope. They get right to the event horizon without getting pulled into the wreck and then they back off, so they’re really good at figuring that out right now. I just hope we can keep that up, but the moves are still like uber aggressive. It’s tough to deal with sometimes and then keeping calm when that happens you’ve just got to chalk it up to say it’s good hard racing, I suppose.”
Driver of Mobil 1 Toyota for Joe Gibbs Racing Finishes Ninth in General Tire 150
Date: Friday, May 26 Event: General Tire 150 Series: ARCA Menards Series Location: Charlotte (N.C.) Motor Speedway (1.5-mile oval) Length: 100 laps (150 miles) Start/Finish: 5th / 9th (Running, completed 103 of 103 laps) Race Winner: Jesse Love of Venturini Motorsports (Toyota)
Note: Race extended three laps past its scheduled 100-lap distance due to a green-white-checkered finish.
Overview:
Connor Mosack endured an up-and-down day in the General Tire 150 ARCA Menards Series race Friday at Charlotte (N.C.) Motor Speedway. The Charlotte native wheeled his No. 18 Mobil 1 Toyota Camry for Joe Gibbs Racing from his fifth-place starting spot to second on the opening lap. He then took the lead from Jesse Love on lap 20 and paced the field for the next 17 laps. A restart on lap 37 saw Mosack drop to fourth after he spun his tires, so when the caution came out again on lap 40, Mosack took the opportunity to pit for new tires. This put the 24-year-old racer seventh for the restart, and it quickly triggered another caution as those with new tires had to navigate slower racecars on older tires. Greg Van Alst, winner of the ARCA season opener in February at Daytona (Fla.) International Speedway, was on older tires and slightly sideways as Mosack came upon him in turns three and four. Slight contact was made, sending Van Alst into the wall and out of the race. More restarts negated the benefit of Mosack’s fresh tires. He struggled for traction on restarts and throughout the remainder of the race. Mosack wasn’t alone, as many in the 27-car field were slip-sliding around the 1.5-mile oval. One final spin by another competitor brought out a green-white-checkered finish, with Mosack restarting in ninth and holding that position through the final laps.
Connor Mosack driver of the No. 18 Mobil 1 Toyota Camry for Joe Gibbs Racing:
“I felt like we still had the most speed of anybody, even when we were in dirty air. I felt like we could run with guys, but we were pretty loose all day even when we were out front – the dirty air would make that worse. Everything was still pretty manageable. I was OK when the caution came out and thought we were going to be in good shape. It seemed like the bottom had restarted better to where you could get a good launch – I felt like I cleaned my tires off good, but I don’t know if they were still too hot or what, but I just couldn’t go, even with a good push. The 20 (Jesse Love) cleared us and then I restarted really, really loose that run. Thankfully, that was a short run because I think we were going to go backward. We came down and pitted and thought we were going to be pretty good again. We tightened the car up, but it still felt loose. I felt like we were kind of back to the way we were at the beginning of the race and that I could drive our way back to the lead. Some guys stayed out, though, and one of them kind of slid right across our nose and almost put is in the fence in the middle of (turns) three and four and we lost all of our track position. We were, basically, out of contention at that point. Just a frustrating day with what I felt like was the fastest car. My contact with Greg Van Alst was unintentional. I never meant to get into him. He was going a lot slower than I expected and, honestly, I was a little rushed trying to get back to where we had been. It’s so hard when you fall way back on these restarts and then be able to drive back to ’em, so you’ve really got to go. I just wasn’t expecting him to slow down that much going into the corner, and I was actually braking but it was too late and I ended up just clipping him enough to get him out of shape and he, unfortunately, ended up crashing. I hate it for those guys and it definitely wasn’t anything intentional.”
Notes:
● Mosack’s ninth-place finish marked his 12th top-10 in 16 career ARCA Menards Series starts.
● This was Mosack’s second ARCA start at Charlotte. He finished fourth in last year’s General Tire 150.
● Mosack led once for 17 laps, bringing his ARCA laps-led total at Charlotte to 23.
● This was the third of six ARCA races where Mosack will drive for Joe Gibbs Racing in 2023. Joe Gibbs Racing won the ARCA owners’ title in 2021 with Ty Gibbs and again last year with Drew Dollar and Sammy Smith splitting driving duties.
Next Up:
Mosack is back in a racecar Saturday at Charlotte, driving the No. 24 Toyota GR Supra for Sam Hunt Racing in the Alsco Uniforms 300 NASCAR Xfinity Series race. It marks the beginning of a four-race slate of Xfinity Series races for Mosack, including July 1 at the inaugural Chicago Street Race where he will make his first Xfinity Series start of 2023 with Joe Gibbs Racing. Mosack returns to the ARCA Menards Series July 21 at Pocono (Pa.) Raceway.
When it comes to motorcycles, there’s nothing quite as frustrating as noticing that your motorcycle is burning oil. Not only can this issue lead to poor performance and reduced engine life, but it can also leave you with an unsettling feeling of uncertainty.
Your motorcycle requires sufficient oil to keep the engine cool and the crankshaft and other moving parts well-lubricated, resulting in smoother power output. For a smoother riding experience, your motorcycle should have an optimum engine oil level. Excess oil in motorcycles can lead to excessive smog, oil leakage, engine misfires, spark plug carbon fouling, and other issues.
Understanding why oil burning in motorcycles is crucial for any enthusiast or rider. In this article, we will dive into the top five common causes of oil burning in motorcycles. You’ll also learn easy methods to fix the problem.
Let’s start…
5 Reasons Why Your Motorcycle Burning Engine Oil
The function of engine oil is to keep your engine cool and ensure that moving parts are well-lubricated and frictionless. Without engine oil, you will experience performance issues, and the engine may eventually seize up.
If your motorcycle is burning oil, please check the following things immediately-
1. Worn Piston Rings
Worn piston rings are a common culprit among the various reasons that can lead to oil burning in motorcycles. The piston rings are crucial in maintaining optimal engine performance and preventing oil from entering the combustion chamber.
However, when these rings become worn or damaged, they can no longer effectively seal the piston against the cylinder walls, resulting in oil consumption and combustion issues. To fix this problem, please visit a mechanic’s garage and get the piston ring replaced.
2. Valve Seal Issues
Valve seals play a crucial role in maintaining the engine’s integrity by preventing oil from seeping into the combustion chamber. However, when these seals become compromised or worn, they can lead to oil-burning issues that impact engine performance and overall reliability.
3. Leaking Gaskets or Seals
When it comes to maintaining optimal engine performance and ensuring a hassle-free riding experience, using a high-quality gasket for sealing the engine covers is essential.
These components act as barriers, sealing different parts of the engine and preventing the leakage of fluids, including oil.
However, gaskets and seals can wear out over time, leading to leaks that contribute to oil-burning issues. To fix the problem, you should replace your gasket to seal the leakage.
4. Engine Overheating
Engine overheating is a concern that no motorcycle enthusiast wants to encounter. Motorcycle mechanic Alexey Pajitnov warns that beyond the immediate impact on performance, an overheated engine can lead to long-term damage and oil-burning issues.
If your motorcycle engine is overheating, please clean the radiator. If your motorcycle engine is air-cooled, please remove any aftermarket accessories that you installed in front of the engine.
5. Cylinder Wall Scoring
Cylinder wall scoring is a critical issue that can significantly affect the performance and longevity of a motorcycle’s engine. This condition, characterized by the formation of grooves or scratches on the cylinder walls, not only leads to reduced compression but also contributes to oil-burning problems.
Improper lubrication and the use of low-quality oil are the primary causes of cylinder wall scoring. This is a severe problem that requires extensive repair. Therefore, visit a professional mechanic’s garage to address this issue.
Conclusion
I hope you understand the various causes of motorcycle oil burn. Worn piston rings, valve seal issues, leaking gaskets or seals, engine overheating, and cylinder wall scoring are among the typical culprits behind this frustrating problem. Please take your motorcycle to a professional mechanic to get the problem fixed.
From rolling off the starting grid in 19th place to claiming the checkered flag in first place, Ben Rhodes emerged victorious for the first time in the 2023 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series season after winning the North Carolina Education Lottery 200 at Charlotte Motor Speedway on Friday, May 26.
The 2021 Truck Series champion from Louisville, Kentucky, led two times for 37 of 134 scheduled laps as he managed to reassume the lead from Carson Hocevar during a late restart with 24 laps remaining. From there, he managed to pull away from the field and beat runner-up Corey Heim by more than two seconds to win for the first time in the 2023 season and at Charlotte.
With on-track qualifying that determined the starting lineup occurring on Friday, Tanner Gray claimed his first career pole position after posting a pole-winning lap at 180.385 in 29.936 seconds. Joining him on the front row was Ty Majeski, who posted the second-best qualifying lap at 180.180 mph in 29.970 seconds.
Prior to the event, Tyler Ankrum dropped to the rear of the field due to an engine change made to his Hattori Racing Enterprises entry. Rookie Nick Sanchez also dropped to the rear of the field due to unapproved adjustments made to his Rev Racing entry.
When the green flag waved and the race commenced, Tanner Gray received a push from teammate Corey Heim on the inside lane to muscle ahead of Majeski with the lead entering Turns 1 and 2. As the field fanned out to three lanes through the backstretch and entering the frontstretch, Gray managed to fend off Majeski and Heim as he led the first lap.
During the second lap and amid a series of early on-track battles, Tanner Gray retained the lead by half a second over a side-by-side battle between Majeski and Heim while rookie Rajah Caruth closed in while running in fourth. Shortly after, Armani Williams had early on-track issues after he made contact with the wall and limped his damaged truck to pit road, but the race remained under green.
Then on the fourth lap, Heim gained a strong run beneath teammate Tanner Gray entering the frontstretch as he assumed the lead in his No. 11 Rootly Toyota Tundra TRD Pro. Entering Turn 1, Majeski attempted to overtake Gray, but he got loose beneath Gray as his truck slipped sideways, but he managed to straighten his truck entering the backstretch as Gray and Caruth overtook him for top-five spots. In the midst of the battle, Heim stretched his advantage to eight-tenths of a second.
Through the first 10 scheduled laps, Heim was leading by seven-tenths of a second over Caruth and more than a second over third-place Dean Thompson while Majeski and Tanner Gray trailed in the top five. Behind, David Gilliland was in sixth ahead of Carson Hocevar, Christian Eckes, Zane Smith and Stewart Friesen while Grant Enfinger, Bayley Currey, Taylor Gray, Lawless Alan and Chase Purdy rounded out the top 15. Meanwhile, Jack Wood was in 16th ahead of Ben Rhodes, Colby Howard, Matt DiBenedetto and Matt Crafton while rookie Nick Sanchez was up to 21st ahead of Hailie Deegan and rookie Jake Garcia.
Ten laps later, Heim continued to lead by three-tenths of a second over a hard-charging Caruth as Dean Thompson retained third while trailing by seven-tenths of a second. Behind, Majeski also retained fourth while Hocevar carved his way up to fifth. With Zane Smith moving up to sixth, Tanner Gray fell back to seventh ahead of David Gilliland while Taylor Gray cracked the top 10.
Another four laps later, Hocevar carved his way up to second place as he trailed Heim by more than a second while Caruth, Thompson and Majeski dropped a spot, but remained in the top five.
When the first stage concluded on Lap 30, Heim claimed his fourth Truck stage victory of the season after fending off Hocevar by a tenth of a second. Hocevar settled in second followed by Thompson, Caruth and Zane Smith while Majeski, Tanner Gray, Friesen, David Gilliland and Taylor Gray were scored in the top 10. By then, 29 of 36 starters were scored on the lead lap.
Under the stage break, the lead lap field led by Heim pitted and after the pit stops, Heim retained the lead after exiting pit road first ahead of Hocevar, Zane Smith, Tanner Gray, Thompson and Gilliland. Following the pit stops, Majeski pitted for a second time for repairs to his quarter panel. Caruth also made another pit stop due to a jack issue from his initial stop.
The second stage started on Lap 36 as Heim and Hocevar occupied the front row. At the start, Heim and Hocevar dueled for the lead through the first two turns amid a tight pack of competitors. Just as Hocevar tried to peek ahead on the outside lane, Heim managed to muscle ahead on the inside lane through Turns 3 and 4 as he retained the lead while teammates Tanner Gray and Thompson battled for third. Behind, Friesen was in fifth while David Gilliland carved his way to sixth ahead of Taylor Gray, Zane Smith, Eckes, Bayley Currey, Colby Howard and Matt DiBenedetto.
Just past the Lap 40 mark, Heim was holding a steady advantage over Hocevar followed by Thompson, Tanner Gray and Friesen while Zane Smith, Taylor Gray, Gilliland, Rhodes and Eckes were in the top 10. Meanwhile, Colby Howard was in 11th ahead of DiBenedetto, Crafton, Sanchez, and Currey while Purdy, Deegan, Enfinger, Garcia and Caruth were running within the top 20.
Five laps later, Hocevar emerged as the third different leader of the event as he overtook Heim for the lead while third-place Thompson trailed by more than two seconds. By then, Caruth and Majeski were mired back in 18th and 20th, respectively, as Friesen and Zane Smith rounded out the top five.
At the Lap 50 mark, Hocevar extended his advantage to more than two seconds over runner-up Heim while third-place Thompson trailed by more than four seconds. Behind, Friesen and Zane Smith remained in the top five while Taylor Gray retained sixth ahead of Ben Rhodes.
When the second stage concluded on Lap 60, Hocevar claimed his second stage victory of the 2023 Truck season. Heim settled in second ahead of Thompson, Zane Smith and Friesen while Taylor Gray, Rhodes, Gilliland, Sanchez and Eckes were scored in the top 10. By then, 30 of 36 starters were scored on the lead lap.
Under the stage break, the lead lap field led by Hocevar returned to pit road. Following the pit stops, Heim managed to edge Hocevar to reassume the lead followed by Taylor Gray, Thompson, Zane Smith and Sanchez. Following the pit stops, Tanner Gray pitted for a second time with the hood up on his truck.
With 66 laps remaining, the final stage started under green as Heim and Hocevar occupied the front row. At the start, Heim and Hocevar dueled for the lead until Heim launched ahead with the lead on the inside lane through the first two turns. Heim would retain the lead through the frontstretch as Hocevar overtook Taylor Gray for second while the rest of the field fanned out and jostled for positions.
With 60 laps remaining, Heim continued to lead by a tenth of a second over Hocevar. A lap later, however, Hocevar reassumed the lead over Heim as Thompson, Rhodes and Friesen were scored in the top five.
Then with 54 laps remaining, the caution flew when Armani Williams slipped sideways and spun entering Turn 4 as his truck dipped below the apron and onto pit road, where he collided against the pit road wall and damaged his truck. Despite the incident, Williams emerged uninjured as his incident also did not involve any crew members.
Following an extensive cleanup period and while still under a caution, Hocevar led a parade of competitors to pit road with 48 laps remaining. Amid mixed strategy, Chase Purdy exited first after only opting for fuel as he was followed by Rhodes, Hocevar, Deegan, Taylor Gray and Thompson.
During the following restart with 45 laps remaining, Purdy struggled to launch on the inside lane while Rhodes received a strong push from Hocevar’s No. 42 Worldwide Express Chevrolet Silverado RST to assume the lead on the outside lane. The field then fanned out to three lanes entering Turn 1 as Hocevar quickly challenged Rhodes for the lead. Entering the frontstretch, however, the caution returned when Zane Smith got loose underneath Taylor Gray while battling for third, spun across the track and clipped the side of Hailie Deegan’s No. 13 Ford F-150 before spinning across the frontstretch grass.
With the race restarting with 38 laps remaining, Rhodes managed to launch with a strong start and retain the lead ahead of Hocevar while transitioning from the outside to the inside lane entering Turn 1. After being placed in a three-wide battle between Hocevar and Christian Eckes through the backstretch, Rhodes maintained the top spot as he gained a strong start on the outside lane and muscled away from the field. Behind, Hocevar and Eckes battled for second in front of Majeski and Taylor Gray.
With 33 laps remaining, Hocevar managed to reassume the lead from Rhodes as Eckes fell back to third ahead of Heim and Thompson. Two laps later, however, the caution returned as Tyler Ankrum and Kris Wright wrecked in the backstretch.
As the race restarted under green with 24 laps remaining, Rhodes gained a strong push from Eckes on the inside lane to pull ahead of Hocevar and reassume the lead entering the first turn. With the rest of the field jostling for positions, Rhodes retained the lead by a tenth of a second with 20 laps remaining.
With 15 laps remaining, Rhodes was leading by three-tenths of a second over Heim followed by Hocevar, Thompson and Eckes while Enfinger, Majeski, Taylor Gray, DiBenedetto and Gilliland were scored in the top 10. Behind, Caruth was in 11th ahead of Currey, Crafton, Sanchez, and Garcia while Daniel Dye, Purdy, Tanner Gray, Jack Wood and Friesen were running in the top 20.
Down to the final 10 laps of the event, Rhodes continued to lead in his No. 99 Campers Inn RV Ford F-150 by eight-tenths of a second over Heim and more than a second over Thompson while Hocevar and Enfinger were in the top five. Rhodes would retain the lead by a second over a three-truck battle between a tight three-truck battle between Heim, Thompson and Hocevar with five laps remaining.
When the white flag waved and the final lap started, Rhodes remained as the leader by more than two seconds over Heim with Hocevar, Thompson and Enfinger scored in the top five. With Heim unable to narrow the deficit for a final lap and with Rhodes having a clear view in front of him, the Kentucky native was able to cycle his way back to the frontstretch for his first elusive checkered flag of the 2023 campaign.
With the victory, Rhodes became the ninth different winner of the 2023 Truck season and the sixth series regular to place himself in contention to make the 2023 Truck Playoffs. In addition to scoring his seventh series career victory and the second of the season for ThorSport Racing, Rhodes notched the first Truck victory at Charlotte for himself and the Ford nameplate as he claimed the first $50,000 bonus for winning the first Triple Truck Challenge event.
Photo by John Knittel for SpeedwayMedia.com.
“I didn’t think we were that good in practice,” Rhodes said on FS1. “I didn’t qualify the best, and here, [the truck] came to life at night. Oh, man, I had so much fun. This is so much fun. Charlotte is a track that we come to. ThorSport Racing, we’re based in Sandusky, Ohio. We come to the North Carolina guys’ house and we like to win.”
“I’ll take the championship right now,” Rhodes added. “The whole season is so hard to put together. It’s unbelievably hard and it’s only gotten more difficult over the years. I started running this series in 2016 and I’ll tell you, I keep getting better every year and so does the competition. The harder I try, the harder it is to win a race, so a championship, being locked [into the Playoffs], I’ll take that. The last three races have been so unbelievably hard on my team. We’ve been wrecked in the last three and haven’t had any good showings because of it. I’ll take the points. Thank you.”
Heim, who led four times for a race-high 49 laps, settled in second place for the second time this season but managed to extend his lead in the regular-season standings with five regular-season events remaining on the schedule.
“Me and [Hocevar] and [Thompson] were probably the best trucks,” Heim said. “[Rhodes] just came along really strong, and once we got to second on the restart, where [Hocevar] got put in the middle there, I really thought we had a shot at it. It just proves that clean air is king here, but I feel like if I did a better job of getting by as soon as possible rather than waiting on a run, we might have had a better opportunity.”
Dean Thompson, Heim’s teammate at TRICON Garage who qualified seventh, had a career night as he claimed third-place results in both stages before settling a career-best third-place in the final running order for his first top-five result in the series.
“This season, so far, has been so up and down,” Thompson said. “We’ve had such good runs. We had [good runs at] Texas, Kansas, and it just ends up wrecking. To have this turned around like this is just massive. Not just for me, but for my team too. This plays a lot in my confidence so we can carry it to Gateway.”
Hocevar, who led five times for 43 laps, came home in fourth place followed by Grant Enfinger while Eckes, Majeski, DiBenedetto, Sanchez and Taylor Gray finished in the top 10.
There were 12 lead changes for five different leaders. The race featured five cautions for 32 laps. In total, 26 of 36 starters finished on the lead lap.
Following the 11th event of the 2023 Craftsman Truck Series season, Corey Heim continues to lead the regular-season standings by 26 points over Ty Majeski, 43 over Zane Smith, 63 over Grant Enfinger and 76 over Ben Rhodes.
Results.
1. Ben Rhodes, 37 laps led
2. Corey Heim, 49 laps led, Stage 1 winner
3. Dean Thompson
4. Carson Hocevar, 43 laps led, Stage 2 winner
5. Grant Enfinger
6. Christian Eckes
7. Ty Majeski
8. Matt DiBenedetto
9. Nick Sanchez
10. Taylor Gray
11. Rajah Caruth
12. Matt Crafton
13. Bayley Currey
14. David Gilliland
15. Jake Garcia
16. Chase Purdy, two laps led
17. Lawless Alan
18. Jack Wood
19. Daniel Dye
20. Colby Howard
21. Bret Holmes
22. Stewart Friesen
23. Zane Smith
24. Tyler Hill
25. Mason Maggio
26. Ryan Vargas
27. Tanner Gray, one lap down, three laps led
28. Tyler Ankrum, two laps down
29. Josh Reaume, three laps down
30. Matt Mills, three laps down
31. Spencer Boyd, three laps down
32. Kris Wright, four laps down
33. Hailie Deegan six laps down
34. Justin Carroll, 12 laps down
35. Armani Williams – OUT, Accident
36. Keith McGee – OUT, Fuel pump
Next on the 2023 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series season is the series’ annual visit to Gateway’s World Wide Technology Raceway in Madison, Illinois, which will serve as the second site of this year’s Triple Truck Challenge program. The event is scheduled to occur next Saturday, June 3, at 1:30 p.m. ET on FS1.
Jesse Love celebrates after winning Friday's ARCA Menards Series General Tire 150 at Charlotte Motor Speedway. (HHP/Chris Owens photo)
CONCORD, N.C. (May 26, 2023) – Jesse Love’s top performances continued as Charlotte Motor Speedway’s massive Coca-Cola 600 weekend began with a thrilling ending.
Love, driving the No. 20 Toyota for Venturini Motorsports, survived a green-white-checkered finish, won his third consecutive ARCA Menards Series race, and gave his team its first Charlotte victory in the General Tire 150 on Friday.
“It’s really cool to get [the team’s] first win here,” Love said. “We did a lot of simulator work and we unloaded ok earlier.
“I lost for about two years. No matter how good you are you start to question yourself at that point. I’m on a hot streak now.”
Love, the 18-year-old ARCA points leader from Menlo Park, Calif., started from the pole position but was second for the race’s final restart which was triggered when Stephanie Moyer spun.
Leader Christian Rose was on the inside, but hadn’t pitted in more than 50 laps, allowing Love to power past on the outside and hold off Dean Thompson at the checkered flag.
“Luckily for us one car stayed out, which gave us the front row on our own [among teams that pitted],” said Love, who has also won at Talladega and Kansas this season. “I wasn’t too worried about the caution. I’m strapped to a bottle rocket right now.”
Thompson finished second for the second consecutive race, followed by Taylor Gray in third, Grant Enfinger in fourth and Andy Jankowiak in fifth.
“One lap short part two right,” said Thompson. “I’m lucky to be able to do this. I’ve worked my whole life to be here. To finish second, I have to be gracious.”
Among other notable finishers, Frankie Muniz placed sixth, Rose ended up eighth, Connor Mosack was ninth and Tony Cosentino drove the final car on the lead lap home in 11th.
Racing continues this weekend with the North Carolina Education Lottery 200 NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series race tonight at 8:30 (FS1, PRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio), the Alsco Uniforms 300 NASCAR Xfinity Series race Saturday at noon (FS1, PRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio) and the Coca-Cola 600 NASCAR Cup Series race on Sunday at 6 p.m. (Fox, PRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).
TICKETS: Tickets for Sunday’s Coca-Cola 600 are sold out. Fans can purchase tickets for other Charlotte Motor Speedway events at www.charlottemotorspeedway.com or by calling the ticket office at 1-800-455-FANS (3267). Admission to the Circle K Speed Street concert by Jake Owen (Saturday) is free with any race ticket. Sunday’s pre-race concert by The Doobie Brothers is free with a Coca-Cola 600 race ticket.
KEEP TRACK: Fans can connect with Charlotte Motor Speedway by following on Twitter and Instagram or becoming a Facebook fan. Keep up with all the latest news and information with the Charlotte Motor Speedway mobile app.
Justin Allgaier poses on Friday after winning the pole for Saturday's Alsco Uniforms 300 NASCAR Xfinity Series race at Charlotte Motor Speedway. (HHP/Chris Owens photo)
CONCORD, N.C. (May 26, 2023) – Justin Allgaier is hoping a small win during qualifying will turn into a long-awaited trip to Charlotte Motor Speedway’s Victory Lane.
Allgaier turned a lap of 181.172 mph (29.806 seconds) on Friday, earning the pole position for Saturday’s Alsco Uniforms 300.
The driver of the No. 7 JR Motorsports Chevrolet kicked off his weekend with the ideal starting spot as JRM chases its first victory of the NASCAR Xfinity Series season.
“It’s been disappointing as a team to not have a win so far,” Allgaier said. “You don’t work any less hard when you’re running bad.
“[Winning the pole] is a big momentum boost for everyone who works on the race team.”
John Hunter Nemechek was second (180.246 mph) in the No. 20 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota, followed by NASCAR Cup Series regular Ty Gibbs in third, Cole Custer in fourth and Brandon Jones in fifth.
Prior to the qualifying session, Allgaier had been third-quickest in practice, behind Nemechek and Gibbs.
“This is the best race car I’ve ever had here,” Allgaier said. “Little wins are what makes this sport go around. To do it at home in Charlotte on Memorial Day weekend is big.
“We feel like we have a really good chance [Saturday].”
Among other notable qualifiers, two-time NASCAR Cup Series champion Kyle Busch placed sixth, Xfinity Series rookie Chandler Smith was 10th and defending race winner Josh Berry was 14th.
Timmy Hill and C.J. McLaughlin did not qualify for the event.
Green flag for the Alsco Uniforms 300 is set for Saturday at noon (FS1, PRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).
TICKETS: Fans can purchase tickets online at www.charlottemotorspeedway.com or by calling the ticket office at 1-800-455-FANS (3267). Admission to concerts by AC/DC tribute bank Dirty Deeds (Friday at Circle K Speed Street) and Jake Owen (Saturday at zMAX Dragway Pavilion) is free with any race ticket. Sunday’s pre-race concert by The Doobie Brothers is free with a Coca-Cola 600 race ticket.
KEEP TRACK: Fans can connect with Charlotte Motor Speedway by following on Twitter and Instagram or becoming a Facebook fan. Keep up with all the latest news and information with the Charlotte Motor Speedway mobile app.
NASCAR CUP SERIES CHARLOTTE MOTOR SPEEDWAY COCA-COLA 600 TEAM CHEVY PRESS CONF. TRANSCRIPT MAY 26, 2023
KYLE BUSCH, NO. 8 ALSCO UNIFORMS CAMARO ZL1, met with the media prior to the NASCAR Cup Series race weekend at Charlotte Motor Speedway. Press Conference Quotes:
INAUDIBLE..
“Yeah, it was fun. It was a really good time over at Boat Yard Eats. We had Fast Cars & Guitars with Matt Stell and Dee Jay Silver. It was just a fun night to get everybody together. Had a few industry people, as well as some KBM people and some outsiders that we met for the first time. Had some great sponsors for the event. It was really a great kick-off to the weekend. We had KBM fan day in the morning and then closed it out with the concert last night. So all around, great cause for the Bundle of Joy Fund and raising some money and awareness for the infertility issues, and what we’re able to help with Samantha (Busch) and myself. Samantha did a great job being able to orchestrate all of that and put it all together, so hopefully it was a good fundraiser for us.”
HOW WOULD YOU SAY YOU GUYS ARE STACKING UP RIGHT NOW VERSUS THE HENDRICK MOTORSPORTS AND JOE GIBBS RACING CARS?
“I would say the 1.5-mile stuff, I feel like we’re really close. We’re right there. Kansas (Speedway) was a really good look for us. I felt like we had a good top-five, top-three speed. Anything can happen in the end of these races and you can contend for a win. Obviously our short-track program is a far miss right now and we’re all trying to figure out what exactly is going on there and why. We can look at all of the sheets and see all that stuff, and try to correlate it as close as we possibly can and copy, but it’s not relating to the race track in our cars at all. So there’s a disconnect there somewhere.”
WHEN YOU LOOKED AT THE SCHEDULE PREVIOUSLY, ESPECIALLY GOING INTO THE SUMMER, THERE ARE A LOT OF THE SIMILAR-TYPE TRACKS.. 1.5-MILE, INTERMEDIATE-TYPE TRACKS. NOW, IT’S ALL OVER THE BOARD WITH ROAD COURSES, SUPERSPEEDWAYS, ETC. IS IT HARD TO BUILD CONSISTENCY WITHIN A PROGRAM TO STRING TOGETHER GOOD CONSISTENT RESULTS BECAUSE IT’S SO DIFFERENT NOW ON A WEEK-TO-WEEK BASIS?
“Honestly, I kind of feel like it would be harder to build – like out of six weeks and you had four short-tracks, we wouldn’t have time to breathe because we’d be sucking so back. But when you have four out of six weeks with a 1.5-mile track, it would feel pretty good. We’d be excited about that, ready for that. I think it’s a matter of your program and how that’s looking for you in the particular moment. We kind of know our weaknesses and know that we need to get better on those and continue to evolve the whole organization.”
IF YOU DON’T GET ANY PRACTICE AND QUALIFYING, ARE YOU IN MORE OF A DISADVANTAGE IN THE FACT THAT YOU’VE NEVER RACED A RCR CAR HERE AT THIS TRACK?
“Yeah, certainly that could kind of be a little bit of a stance. I would just hope that the simulator stuff that we did, as well as the sheets that we’re able to see and the notes that we’re able to see from the Hendrick Motorsports’ guys and whatnot – what they’ve done because Kyle (Larson) tested here. He tested here a few months ago or whenever it was for the tire test, so we kind of relied heavily on that and what those guys did, and through our key partner relationship with Chevrolet. If we don’t have any practice or anything like that, that’s what we would base off of.”
GATEWAY LAST YEAR WAS AN INAUGURAL EVENT AND EVERYBODY WAS UP ON THE WHEEL BECAUSE YOU WANT TO WIN THE FIRST ONE. BUT OTHER THAN THAT, WHY DO YOU THINK IT RACED MORE LIKE A SHORT-TRACK, WHERE IT WAS EXTREMELY AGGRESSIVE, EVEN FOR A TRACK OF THAT SIZE?
“Yeah, I guess probably more so because of the shifting than anything. You’re able to go into the corner and downshift, and come out of the corner and have the torque, engine and everything else. If you kind of slip up or you bog the center of the corner down a little too much because your car is too tight, you’re going to lose that momentum and you’re not going to have that speed, so you’re just going to be slow. I feel like everybody can kind of bounce right back coming out of the turns in relation to their center of the corner speed. But overall, yeah I thought it was quite an interesting race. I feel like the line really moved around a lot. I could not run the bottom at either end of the race track – I was kind of a top guy. So that was kind of fun to see the place really have some character.”
SINCE YOU’VE BEEN INVOLVED WITH RCR AND THE WINERY, HAVE YOU BEEN DRAWN INTO THAT WORLD? HAS HE TAKEN YOU THERE AND MAYBE DONE SOME MEETING OR EVENTS?
“Well that was actually our first meeting that we had after Austin (Dillon) called me, and when it was time to have a discussion with Richard (Childress), that is where we met. That was pretty cool. It was my second time being there – my first time being there was for Dale Jr.’s wedding, and then that was my second time there. And then we’ve had a couple meetings since. I invited everybody from RCR’s management team and whatnot all out to dinner to do a dinner for them and I wanted to take them somewhere. Richard insisted that we went to the winery, so we ended up going back up there again for that function. It’s a super nice place. It’s really pretty up there. They’re doing some expansion right now, so he’s well-vested in that and it seems to be a really good business form.”
IT’S BEEN A NUMBER OF YEARS NOW SINCE THE ELIGIBILTY RULES CHANGED WITH TRUCK AND XFINITY. YOU’RE BACK IN THE XFINITY CAR THIS WEEKEND. WITH HOW MUCH WE KNOW YOU LOVE TO RACE, THESE LAST COUPLE OF YEARS BEING LIMITED SO MUCH, DO YOU STILL FEEL FULFILLED WITH THE RACING THAT YOU CAN DO, OR HOW MUCH DO YOU MISS NOT BEING ABLE TO RUN AS MUCH AS YOU WANT TO?
“Yeah, definitely miss being able to run as much as I want to a lot. I would love to have way more Truck races, especially. I thought we started out strong and we were going to have a good year with winning at Las Vegas (Motor Speedway) with the KBM Chevrolet’s, but unfortunately we’ve been terrible since. We’re missing something somewhere and we’re trying to figure out why and what. We have an idea, but we haven’t necessarily conquered it yet. That would be one that I would really like to get back into would be the Truck Series and running my own stuff a little bit more.. having some more races to kind of just build the program and make sure that we are where we need to be with our younger drivers. Not necessarily having that experience to be able to dictate and tell exactly what’s wrong with our vehicle dynamic and stuff like that.
The Xfinity side, I could take it or I could leave it. I enjoy racing anything as much as I can. Maybe because I haven’t done them as much lately, the triple in Vegas was a little bit much. But if you’re back to doing them again more periodically, your body gets used to it. That’s how I was early on when I first starting doing triple’s. It was hard and then I got used to it, and then it was easy. Now you’re kind of back out of it, so it’s no different than a workout regimen. You just have to get back in.”
ON THE FLIPSIDE OF THAT, IT SEEMS LIKE THE LAST COUPLE OF YEARS, YOU’VE DONE MORE AWAY FROM NASCAR WITH THE DIRT STUFF.
“I have to.. what other choices do I have (laughs).”
HOW MUCH HAS THAT HELPED THAT YOU CAN AT LEAST STAY BUSY SOMEHOW, WHETHER IT’S WITH BREXTON OR TRYING DIFFERENT TYPES OF RACING?
“Yeah, I mean that’s just kind of it, right? Like (Kyle) Larson, I think he’s going to run 100 shows this year, and that’s just insane. I think I’m only going to be about 20. But the key reason, or the main reason, why I do what I do on the dirt side is just with Brexton. He gets to go run his go-kart stuff or his junior sprint stuff, and I’ll run the micros. We’ll run on the same night, so we’ll be together. We have a big week next week coming up, where we’re going to go to St. Louis and run at Tri-Cities on Thursday, Doe Run on Friday and Wayne County on Saturday – him and me both. It’s going to be a lot of fun to be able to go up there and race those three tracks on three separate nights, and have a good time running, him and I.”
HAVE YOU DONE ANY SIM LAPS FOR THE CHICAGO RACE AT ALL YET?
“No.. not in sim, but on iRacing. We did some stuff on iRacing.”
WHAT WERE YOUR IMPRESSIONS?
“Some of the corners were really, really tight. And how they have the walls coming out of the corners – on the sim, it had cones. You’re coming down this straightaway and there’s another straightaway there, but the ground, the road, is separated with a wall in the middle and there’s cones that are blocking off where they don’t want you to go. So I thought that was weird.. I’m like just extend the wall. But maybe they don’t want to extend the wall because they need areas for safety crews to get out. I’m not the scientist on that, but anyways it just seemed weird when you’re coming around a corner and you have to miss the end of a wall.”
JOHN H. NEMECHEK WAS IN HERE EARLIER AND A LOT OF PEOPLE WERE ASKING HIM WHAT HIS NEXT STEP IS AND IF IT WAS INVALUABLE FOR HIM TO GO BACK TO TRUCKS AND WORK HIS WAY BACK UP. IN YOUR OPINION, WHAT DOES HE NEED TO GET THAT NEXT STEP TO BE A FULL-TIME CUP DRIVER?
“This isn’t to be mean or rude or a bad word.. but he needs six million bucks and he’ll be in a JGR Cup car next year. That’s all he needs.”
INAUDIBLE..
“It’s not a success game anymore.. it’s a money game. So if he can find the cash, then there will be a seat for him I’m pretty sure.”
INAUDIBLE..
“Oh yeah. I mean we wouldn’t be racing the stuff that he’s racing right now, as much as he’s racing right now, if it wasn’t for the Serv-Pro sponsorship that we have on Brexton. There’s no question that you have to have funding behind you because these owners anymore – there’s not enough money in the sport that they’re making money that they’re willing to reinvest it into their talent pool, into their driver pool, and put it out there. I think Rick (Hendrick) is probably the only one with (Kyle) Larson. Everybody else is all sponsorship driven and fortunately for me, I’ve got some great sponsors this year behind me with RCR. Our program has been building and we’ve been continuing to expand forward on the sponsorship side, so that’s good.”
INAUDIBLE..
“Yeah, I mean I felt like he (John H. Nemechek) was really good at KBM. He was engaged. He did a good job. He was always reliable. We could ask him to do sim and he would be there. I feel like on the Xfinity side, he’s been running up front. He’s been fast and he’s been doing a good job. He’s arguably in the series’ best equipment, but when you’re able to excel in that and go out there and win races week in and week out, that gives you that chance or that notoriety to say – hey, I can move up to the next level.. I’m ready for it.”
WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO HAVE A COCA-COLA 600 WIN ON YOUR RESUME AND WHAT WOULD IT MEAN TO ADD ONE MORE?
“Yeah, I love this race. I remember watching this race as a kid when I was growing up. May or may not have fallen asleep during it, at least at some point.. it’s just really long (laughs). But it’s got the history of 600 miles and man versus machine and all that sort of stuff. Equipment in this day in age is entirely different than what equipment used to be, but it’s a cool chance for us to go out there and run the longest race of the year, and then also kind of feel what that’s like. There’s been a couple times here when you get to mile marker 500 and you’re like – damn, there’s still 100 more miles to go. It will wear on you, for sure, if you’re not made or it or ready for it. But this place is really, really rough over the years and has gotten a lot of character back into it since the repave in I think 2007 maybe, 2008. It’s pretty rough and bumpy, so the 600 miles around here will definitely wear on you.”
WHAT’S YOUR ATTITUDE COMING INTO THIS RACE AFTER COMING SO CLOSE LAST YEAR? ARE YOU STILL FIRED UP ABOUT THAT FINISH, AND WHAT’S YOUR MENTALITY?
“Yeah, we had a really good car early in the race, and then I spun and kind of ruined it. We had a bad race through the middle and we just missed all the wrecks and were in a good spot at the end. We got lucky to actually finish second. It would have been really fun, yet lucky, to win and beat out my teammate Denny (Hamlin) last year. His car was still in good shape and mine was not. Overall, yeah just want to get out on a 1.5-mile track again. Like I said, Kansas was a really good run for us. We got in a bad spot and we crashed, so it would be nice to come back out here and have a good, strong run. Get a top-five and some good points out of this race. There are four stages this week, so that’s going to be a big point reward. Hopefully we can do a good job.”
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