Home Blog Page 1464

Larson cruises to third All-Star career victory at North Wilkesboro

By
Andrew Kim
-
Photo by Andrew Boyd for SpeedwayMedia.com.

From an early speeding penalty to cashing in a million dollars in NASCAR’s revival of one of the sport’s oldest venues, Kyle Larson cruised to a dominant victory in the 2023 NASCAR All-Star Race at North Wilkesboro Speedway in North Wilkesboro, North Carolina, on Sunday, May 21.

The 2021 NASCAR Cup Series champion from Elk Grove, California, led two times for a race-high 145 of 200-scheduled laps in a weekend where he started 16th out of the 24-car field and rallied from speeding on pit road during a caution period past the Lap 15 mark to methodically carve his way through the field. After assuming the lead from pole-sitter Daniel Suarez on Lap 55 of 200, Larson never looked back as he also retained the lead during a 90-lap shootout to beat runner-up Bubba Wallace by more than four seconds and win the All-Star Race for the third time in his career.

The starting lineup for the main event was determined through a Pit Crew Challenge that occurred on Friday, May 19, two 60-lap heat events. with the drivers’ qualifying time determined based on their respective crew’s pit stop time through a four-tire pit stop and the timing lines being established one box behind and ahead of the designated pit box. The teams who delivered the fastest pit services would enable their respective entries to start towards the front of two All-Star Heat Races comprising 60 laps that occurred on Saturday, May 20, and that set the official starting lineup for the All-Star event.

At the conclusion of both events, Daniel Suarez, whose No. 99 Trackhouse Racing pit crew executed a fast pit stop service in 13.297 during the Pit Crew Challenge that put him on the pole for the first Heat Race, earned the pole position for the main feature after winning the first Heat. Joining him on the front row was Chris Buescher, whose No. 17 Roush Fenway Keselowski Racing pit crew delivered a pit stop service in 13.381 seconds that enabled him to start on the pole for the second Heat Race and carried forth to the driver winning.

Suarez and Buescher were among 21 competitors to have earned a spot for the 2023 All-Star Race by virtue of winning a Cup Series points race between 2022-23 or being a former Cup and All-Star Race winner. The eligibility list included Joey Logano, Austin Dillon, Chase Briscoe, William Byron, Christopher Bell, Brad Keselowski, Denny Hamlin, Bubba Wallace, Ryan Blaney, Martin Truex Jr., Chase Elliott, Kyle Busch, Kevin Harvick, Kyle Larson, Austin Cindric, Ross Chastain, Ricky Stenhouse Jr., Tyler Reddick and Erik Jones.

The eligible competitors were joined by Josh Berry and rookie Ty Gibbs, both of whom transferred to the All-Star Race after finishing first and second, respectively, during the All-Star Open. The 24th and final starting spot went to rookie Noah Gragson, who was named the Fan Vote winner.

When the green flag waved and the race commenced, Suarez launched ahead with a strong start on the inside lane followed by Joey Logano and Chase Briscoe while Buescher, who started on the front row, struggled to launch on the outside lane, though he managed to draw even against Briscoe for third. As the field battled amid two lanes, Suarez managed to cycle back to the frontstretch with a clear view and lead the first lap.

During the second lap, Suarez retained the lead ahead of Logano followed by Briscoe and Christopher Bell while Buescher was struggling to transition from the outside to the inside lane for grip as he was locked in a tight battle against Denny Hamlin for fifth place. Buescher, however, would continue to lose more spots through Turns 3 and 4 as William Byron and Ryan Blaney overtook him. As the 24-car field settled in a long single-file formation, Suarez retained the lead by two-tenths of a second over Logano by the fifth lap.

Through the first 10 scheduled laps, Suarez was leading by four-tenths of a second over Logano followed by Hamlin, Byron and Briscoe while Blaney, Chase Elliott, Brad Keselowski, Martin Truex Jr. and Bell were in the top 10. Behind, Buescher dropped to 11th ahead of Kevin Harvick, Austin Cindric, Austin Dillon and Ricky Stenhouse Jr. while Ty Gibbs, Kyle Busch, Erik Jones, Bubba Wallace, Ross Chastain, Kyle Larson, Josh Berry, Noah Gragson and Tyler Reddick trailed behind within the 24-car field.

Five laps later, the first caution of the event flew when Stenhouse, who slid up the track between Turns 3 and 4 and was trying to transition from the outside to the inside lane, got hit by Erik Jones as he spun his No. 47 Kroger/Coca-Cola Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 around in Turn 4 before proceeding without sustaining any significant damage. During the first caution period, names like Austin Dillon, Erik Jones, Wallace, Larson, Berry, Gragson, Reddick and Stenhouse pitted while the rest led by Suarez remained on the track. Amid the pit stops, Larson was penalized for speeding on pit road.

When the race restarted under green on Lap 20, Suarez and Briscoe dueled for the lead through the first two turns until Suarez managed to peek ahead on the inside lane in his No. 99 Trackhouse Motorplex Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 and retain the lead. Behind, Briscoe and Hamlin battled for second as Briscoe was trying to transition back to the inside lane. Despite losing spots to Hamlin and Logano, Briscoe managed to settle in fourth place in front of Elliott on the inside lane as the field behind fanned out to multiple lanes.

At the Lap 30 mark, Suarez was leading by over a tenth of a second over a hard-charging Hamlin followed by Logano, Briscoe and Elliott while Byron, Truex, Blaney, Keselowski and Buescher were running single file in the top 10. Behind, Gragson moved up to 11th ahead of Berry, Bell, Larson and Erik Jones while Reddick, Wallace, Austin Dillon, Kyle Busch and Harvick trailed in the top 20.

Ten laps later, Suarez continued to lead by two-tenths of a second over Hamlin while Logano, Briscoe and Elliott remained in the top five. Behind, Larson carved his way up to eighth on fresh tires behind Byron and Truex while Bell, Kyle Busch and Harvick were mired from 18th to 20th, respectively. In addition, Chastain was back in 21st while Cindric, Gibbs and Stenhouse were stuck from 22nd to 24th, respectively.

Through the first 50 scheduled laps, Suarez stabilized his advantage to four-tenths of a second over Hamlin followed by Logano while Larson was up in fourth place. Briscoe fell back to fifth ahead of Elliott, Truex and Buescher while Byron and Blaney were scored in the top 10.

Five laps later, Larson, who overtook Hamlin and Logano earlier, made his move on the frontstretch beneath Suarez as he rocketed his No. 5 HendrickCars.com Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 into the lead. Larson started to pull away on fresh tires as he was scored as the leader by more than a second-and-a-half over Suarez at the Lap 60 mark. Behind, Logano overtook Hamlin for third while Briscoe was in fifth ahead of Elliott, Buescher, Truex, Blaney and Erik Jones.

Shortly after, Byron and Kyle Busch pitted under green, a move that dropped both competitors out of the lead lap category, as Larson remained as the leader by more than two seconds over runner-up Suarez and more than three seconds over third-place Logano.

At the Lap 75 mark, Larson extended his advantage by six seconds over Suarez as Logano, Hamlin and Briscoe remained in the top five. Behind, Elliott retained sixth ahead of Buescher while Wallace and Blaney moved up to eighth and ninth in front of Truex and Reddick. By then, Larson was also starting to approach Harvick and Keselowski to lap both former Cup champions while Cindric and Stenhouse were also lapped.

Just past the Lap 90 mark, Larson continued to lead by more than 11 seconds over Suarez while Wallace moved his No. 23 Columbia Sportswear Company Toyota TRD Camry up to third. Logano was back in fourth followed by Briscoe, Reddick and Hamlin while Elliott, Buescher and Blaney were running in the top 10. By then, 16 of 24 competitors were scored on the lead lap.

When the competition caution period flew on Lap 100, which marked the halfway point of the event, Larson had retained a commanding lead over Wallace, who overtook Suarez for the runner-up spot four laps earlier. By then, 16 of 24 competitors were still scored on the lead lap, none of which included Truex, Byron, Gragson, Harvick, Keselowski, Cindric, Kyle Busch and Stenhouse.

During the competition caution period, the lead lap competitors led by Larson pitted. Following the pit stops, Larson retained the lead after exiting pit road first followed by Wallace, Suarez, Reddick, Briscoe and Elliott. Amid the pit stops, Chastain, who exited pit road seventh, was penalized for speeding on pit road. Logano and Bell were also penalized for uncontrolled tire violations.

When the race resumed under green flag conditions with 90 laps remaining, Larson retained the lead on the inside lane as he took off followed by Wallace as Suarez battled Reddick for third. Reddick would then bump Suarez to assume third place as the field jostled for positions.

With 75 laps remaining, Larson was leading by more than a second over Wallace while third-place Reddick trailed by more than two seconds in his No. 45 Beast Unleashed Toyota TRD Camry. Suarez retained fourth as he too trailed by more than two seconds followed by Buescher while Elliott, Briscoe, Blaney, Erik Jones and Ty Gibbs were scored in the top 10. By then, names that included Harvick, Byron, Keselowski, Cindric, Kyle Busch, Gragson and Stenhouse were not scored on the lead lap category.

Down to the final 60 laps of the event, Larson extended his advantage to more than two seconds over runner-up Wallace while Reddick, Suarez and Buescher remained in the top five. Larson would continue to extend his advantage to three seconds over Wallace with 50 laps remaining and more than four seconds with 40 laps remaining.

With 25 laps remaining, Larson stabilized his advantage to more than three-and-a-half seconds over Wallace followed by Reddick as Briscoe carved his No. 14 HighPoint.com Ford Mustang up to fourth ahead of Elliott. Behind, Suarez was back in sixth ahead of Blaney while Buescher, Erik Jones and Gibbs remained in the top 10. Meanwhile, Logano was in 11th ahead of Hamlin, Chastain, Bell, and Truex while Berry, Austin Dillon, Harvick, Keselowski and Byron were strapped in the top 20.

Down to the final 10 laps of the event, Larson continued to lead by more than four seconds over Wallace while both third-place Reddick and fourth-place Briscoe trailed by more than seven seconds. Larson would stabilize his advantage to over four seconds over Wallace as the event reached its final five-lap mark.

When the white flag waved and the final lap started, Larson remained as the leader by more than three seconds over Wallace. Despite dealing with lapped traffic for the majority of his dominant run in the second half of the event, Larson was able to smoothly cycle his way around the short circuit for a final time and back to the frontstretch as he streaked across the finish line to claim his third checkered flag in the All-Star Race.

With the victory, Larson notched his third All-Star career victory overall and in his previous four All-Star starts as he became the first competitor to win the All-Star Race in three different venues (North Wilkesboro Speedway, Texas Motor Speedway and Charlotte Motor Speedway). He joined Jeff Gordon and Dale Earnhardt as competitors to win the All-Star Race three times. He also recorded the 11th All-Star Race victory for Hendrick Motorsports and the 21st for Chevrolet while becoming the first competitor to win a Cup Series event at North Wilkesboro Speedway since Gordon won the last points-paying event at the track in September 1996.

As an added bonus, Larson’s All-Star victory capped off a weekend sweep after he won Saturday’s Craftsman Truck Series event at North Wilkesboro while driving for Spire Motorsports.

Photo by Andrew Boyd for SpeedwayMedia.com.
Photo by Chris Graythen/Getty Images.

“I can’t even tell you what [the win] means,” Larson said on FS1. “This is my third All-Star win at my third different track. At a historical place like this. You guys in the crowd made this weekend so awesome. We could feel the atmosphere all weekend. So much fun there. That was old-school ass-whoppin’, for sure. We had a great car on the long run there. I was just thinking that, for sure, there was gonna be a caution, right? I got out to a big lead. I could see everybody’s cars were driving like crap in front of me, but I cannot thank this No. 5 team enough. We were God-awful all weekend. Obviously, I had some strategy work out there at the beginning, but we drove from dead last to the lead and checked out by 12 or 13 seconds, and then I could just pace myself there that last run. What an amazing car. Everything that my car did bad on Friday and Saturday did great today.”

Wallace, who started 10th, retained the runner-up spot he acquired towards the end of the first half of the event as his second-place finish marked his career-best result in his third start in the All-Star event. Wallace’s 23XI Racing teammate Reddick rallied from starting 20th to finish third and notch his best result in his second All-Star career start.

“[Larson’s] capability throughout the whole run [made the difference],” Wallace said. “He could attack hard and then have something there at the end. If this was any other race, I’d be excited, but it’s for a million dollars, you come up short and walk home with nothing. Tail tucked between our legs, but all in all, just continuing to ride the momentum train. I wanna get [sponsor] Columbia in Victory Lane. We come up one spot short, so congrats to Larson. He’s been on a rail lately, so just have to keep it going. Now, we show back up to home turf and really got to keep the momentum going there and get ourselves deeper in the Playoffs here. Excited to be where we’re at right now. Just come up one spot short.”

“[I] Just needed a little bit on the balance, but the Beast Unleashed Toyota Camry TRD was really fast,” Reddick added. “I made a mistake earlier in the race back in the first 100 laps and let Kyle [Larson] squeeze by and he really mowed through traffic. We lined up, obviously, behind him on that restart and we could kind of stay in touch, but he was able to just keep far enough away. Honestly, a good, solid car. I had more left in the tank than I thought. [I] Wished I could have that back, but solid effort by our guys and our team. We stumbled a little bit in the Pit Crew Challenge and started deep, but we were able to claw our way through it.”

Briscoe charged his way to a strong fourth-place finish followed by Elliott while Blaney, Suarez, Erik Jones, Ty Gibbs and Logano capped off their runs in the top 10. 

Notably, Kevin Harvick finished 18th in his 23rd and final career All-Star Race. In addition, Hamlin ended up 13th in between teammates Bell and Truex, Josh Berry finished 15th while subbing the No. 48 Ally Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 for the injured Alex Bowman, Buescher fell back to 16th, Keselowski settled in 19th in front of Byron and Kyle Busch concluded his long night in 22nd.

There were three lead changes for two different leaders. The race featured two cautions for 13 laps. While all 24 starters finished the event, 12 finished on the lead lap.

Results:

1. Kyle Larson, 145 laps led

2. Bubba Wallace

3. Tyler Reddick

4. Chase Briscoe

5. Chase Elliott

6. Ryan Blaney

7. Daniel Suarez, 55 laps led

8. Erik Jones

9. Ty Gibbs

10. Joey Logano

11. Ross Chastain

12. Christopher Bell

13. Denny Hamlin, one lap down

14. Martin Truex Jr., one lap down

15. Josh Berry, one lap down

16. Chris Buescher, one lap down

17. Austin Dillon, one lap down

18. Kevin Harvick, two laps down

19. Brad Keselowski, two laps down

20. William Byron, two laps down

21. Austin Cindric, two laps down

22. Kyle Busch, two laps down

23. Noah Gragson, three laps down

24. Ricky Stenhouse Jr., four laps down

Next on the 2023 NASCAR Cup Series schedule is the 64th running of the Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway in Concord, North Carolina. The event is scheduled to occur next Sunday, May 28, during Memorial Day weekend at 6 p.m. ET on FOX.

Palou Wins Pole with Record Run in Fastest Indy 500 Field

By
Official Release
-

INDIANAPOLIS (Sunday, May 21, 2023) – Alex Palou won the NTT P1 Award for the 107th Indianapolis 500 presented by Gainbridge on Sunday with the fastest pole speed in the history of “The Greatest Spectacle in Racing.”

2021 NTT INDYCAR SERIES champion Palou earned his first career “500” pole, becoming the first Spaniard to take the top spot, with a four-lap average speed of 234.217 mph (2 minutes, 33.7037 seconds) in the No. 10 The American Legion Honda during the dramatic Firestone Fast Six session. He delivered Chip Ganassi Racing its third consecutive Indy 500 pole. CGR is the first team to win three straight Indy poles since Team Penske won four in a row from 1988-91.

“It means the world to me now,” Palou said. “It was really tight, but the 10 car crew did an amazing job. Super proud of the work they did all month, all year to get to this point. We knew we had to go aggressive, to trim the car a lot to get a good first lap and try to be consistent. The fourth lap was really tough to keep it flat, but we did it. I knew it was one chance only.”

This is the fastest field in Indianapolis 500 history. The average speed for the 33-car field is 232.184, shattering the record of 231.023 set last year.

Rinus VeeKay will start second in the No. 21 Bitnile.com Chevrolet fielded by Ed Carpenter Racing after his four-lap average of 234.211. That’s the second-closest margin in terms of speed between the top two qualifiers in Indy 500 history, as the .006 of a mph margin was bested only by the .003 gap between pole sitter Ryan Briscoe and James Hinchcliffe in 2012. The .0040 of a second gap between Palou and VeeKay broke the record for the closest time margin between the top qualifiers, .01 between pole sitter Al Unser and Johnny Rutherford in 1970.

Felix Rosenqvist earned the outside front-row starting spot after qualifying third at 234.114 in the No. 6 Arrow McLaren Chevrolet.

All three front-row starters were faster than the previous pole record of 234.046 set last year by Scott Dixon. Only Arie Luyendyk’s mighty run of 236.986, set on the second day of qualifying in 1996 and not eligible for pole, is faster.

This also was the closest front row in Indianapolis 500 history by speed, as .103 of a mph separated the top three. The previous record was .112 between pole sitter James Hinchcliffe, No. 2 qualifier Josef Newgarden and No. 3 qualifier Ryan Hunter-Reay in the 100th Indianapolis 500 in 2016.

Santino Ferrucci continued a magical month for AJ Foyt Racing by qualifying fourth at 233.661 in the No. 14 Homes For Our Troops Chevrolet. Pato O’Ward was fifth at 233.158 in the No. 5 Arrow McLaren Chevrolet, and six-time series champion Scott Dixon rounded out the Firestone Fast Six and second row at 233.151 in the No. 9 PNC Bank Chip Ganassi Racing Honda.

Palou was the third driver on track in the gripping Firestone Fast Six, which put the six fastest drivers from the Top 12 Qualifying session earlier in the day in competition for the pole on the 2.5-mile oval. VeeKay, Ferrucci and Rosenqvist followed but couldn’t topple him.

“It was not ideal, honestly,” Palou said of watching the last three qualifying attempts. “It was tougher than doing the four laps.”

Christian Lundgaard, Sting Ray Robb and Jack Harvey earned the final three spots in the 33-car field in an incredibly dramatic Last Chance Qualifying. Harvey bumped his Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing teammate and 15-time Indianapolis 500 starter Graham Rahal by 44 10-thousandths of a second over the 10-mile qualifying run on the last attempt of the session.

Practice for the 33-car field takes place from 1-3 p.m. ET Monday (live, Peacock and INDYCAR Radio Network). Public gates open at 11 a.m. It’s the last on-track session before the final practice from 11 a.m.-1 p.m. on Miller Lite Carb Day, Friday, May 26.

The 107th Indianapolis 500 is scheduled for Sunday, May 28 (11 a.m. ET, NBC, Peacock, Universo, INDYCAR Radio Network).

CHEVROLET INDYCAR AT INDIANAPOLIS 500: TEAM CHEVY FIRESTONE FAST SIX QUALIFYING REPORT

By
Official Release
-

CHEVROLET IN NTT INDYCAR SERIES
INDIANAPOLIS 500
INDIANAPOLIS, INDIANA
TEAM CHEVY FIRESTONE FAST SIX QUALIFYING REPORT
MAY 21, 2023

CHEVROLET QUALIFIES TWO ON THE FRONT ROW FOR THE 107TH RUNNING OF THE INDIANAPOLIS 500

  • Rinus VeeKay, of Ed Carpenter Racing, has been the best qualifying Chevrolet for the Indianapolis 500 for four years in a row.
  • This is also the ninth front row start in 11 years for an Ed Carpenter Racing entrant, all with Chevrolet.
  • This is Felix Rosenqvist’s, driver at Arrow McLaren INDYCAR, first front row start at the Indianapolis 500.
  • This is the best starting position for an entry from AJ Foyt Racing since Robby Gordon in 2001.
  • Legendary driver and now-team owner AJ Foyt won two of his four Indianapolis 500 victories from the fourth starting position, the same starting position as AJ Foyt Racing driver Santino Ferrucci will start the 107th Running of the Indianapolis 500 from.
  • Pato O’Ward, of Arrow McLaren INDYCAR, will start in the middle second row of the 107th Running of the Indianapolis 500, qualifying fifth in the Firestone Fast Six.

TEAM CHEVY TOP-SIX QUALIFYING RESULT:
Pos. Driver
2nd Rinus VeeKay
3rd Felix Rosenqvist
4th Santino Ferrucci
5th Pato O’Ward

WHAT THEY’RE SAYING (QUOTES)

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

“I got everything out of it but I wish I had just a little bit more. I got tight and I should have let it run a little bit, but I mean, it’s it’s so close. You know, the whole group really had a shot for pole position. I am a bit spoiled to say that so starting second, and still very happy. We don’t win anything with this you know, this is only the start to the race. We’ll get them held next week.”

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

“I didn’t really feel like we had the same speed as far as the previous one. I’m not sure why, we’ll have to look at the data and see what it was. But anyways, it’s phenomenal to be on the front row and keep us where we are–super quick. I think anyone can grab this pole and it’s so tight that the front and that last one just seemed like some guys find a bit more than we did. I’m just super proud of the team. It has all been awesome and everyone’s just been helping everyone and like this one team was behind us and I tried to get everything out of this beautiful number six car and it’s great a great car.”

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

“I’m really proud of this. I mean, we’re the underdog here to be fighting for top six and the biggest race of the year, and the biggest race in the world is pretty awesome. And like I said before the race matters. So we’ll just have to pass some people…that’s about it.

“Yeah, I feel great about it. I mean gratulations Alex (Palou). I can’t thank my team enough. I mean, these guys worked so hard last couple of weeks and months to prepare this car and to start up front like we are knowing that we got a great race car and shot to win this thing. I’m so proud of the guys.”

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

“This is awesome. My first Fast Six. And it’s just it’s awesome for the team. I mean, I’d love to just to get on the front row. I love how these current loops that we came out with. Really, really cool, but we also have to share the front row which is okay.

But, I don’t know man and Palou has been really strong. VeeKay has as well. I think the No. 6 car has a lot of speed is good enough for front row and that’s what I’m hoping I’d be… But I think yeah, man, I mean, this is good,”

RINUS VEEKAY, NO. 21 ED CARPENTER RACING CHEVROLET, and FELIX ROSENQVIST, NO. 6 ARROW MCLAREN CHEVROLET – End of Day Press Conference:

THE MODERATOR: Good afternoon, wrapping up qualifying at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in 2023 setting the field for the 107th running of the Indianapolis 500. Felix Rosenqvist will also join us here in just a bit.

But joined now by the young man that will start second in the race a week from today, Rinus VeeKay, 234.211. That’s the second closest gap one-two in 500 history. It goes back to 6 thousandths of a mile an hour versus what Ryan Briscoe did with James Hinchcliffe in 2012, and that was three thousandths of a mile an hour. That’s how close it was between one and two.

Rinus, driving the No. 21 BITNILE.COM Chevrolet for Ed Carpenter Racing, the third straight front row start for Rinus. He was the fastest Chevy driver four years in a row how, and ECR, Ed Carpenter Racing, now with their ninth front row start in 11 years. Rinus, it was that close.

RINUS VEEKAY: Yeah, it was very close. Wow, very happy, but also a bit bummed. We had that shot, and I wish we could have done it. It would have been so great for the team. But also I’m bummed to be starting the Indy 500 second.

Not bad, definitely, but yeah, I think it just has to sink in a little bit. What is in my head now is I lost, but no, I will enjoy this one, and it’s my best starting position so far in the 500, which fourth, third, third and second, we all know what comes in my car number after second, and that’s a 1.

Just very proud of the team, also. We had a tough morning, kind of went downhill for a bit, and we still — the team still made it happen. The only thing I had to do was stay flat for four laps, and the ECR Bitnile crew gave me the best possible car for this moment.

Q. Do you think back lap by lap where maybe you could have picked up a tenth or a thousandth here or there, or was that a perfect four-lap run for you?

RINUS VEEKAY: I’m not sure how much better it could have gone. The car felt the best it’s felt in qualifying trim, and yeah, should have had a bit less lunch. I think that’s it.

Q. You mentioned the emotions that go into today, knowing you’ve got to make two attempts, throw in what happened in that practice this morning. Talk about not getting too high or too low throughout the day and the emotions that were brought out of your today.

RINUS VEEKAY: Yeah, it’s a long day, actually longer than last year because there was a big break between the two, the Fast Twelve and the Fast Six. But I think I was the least nervous for the Fast Six because I already made it that far — I’m sorry, worst-case scenario I’m starting sixth. So emotions were pretty good, and also within the team was very chill.

Just very happy to have it done now and focus towards the race.

Q. You probably know the F1 race was canceled due to bad weather. Do you think you can now beat your countryman Max Verstappen for popularity in Holland?

RINUS VEEKAY: It’s definitely nice that — not nice; it’s terrible what happened there. But it’s good that all eyes are on INDYCAR this weekend.

I wish they’d move Monaco next weekend a bit, but at least, yeah, there’s a lot of people tuning in. That’s very nice. I hope the popularity for INDYCAR grows very fast in the Netherlands and all over the world.

Q. Rinus, of course there’s tomorrow’s practice, Carb Day. You’re sandwiched with McLaren and Ganassi in the front row. What’s going to be instrumental to get that car and in order to get Ed that big win over the next few days?

RINUS VEEKAY: I think definitely the most important thing is staying out of trouble, having a clean race, and making sure we’re there when we tune it up at the end of the race.

I know looking at the practice rounds we’ve done that the car is maybe even better in race trim than qualifying trim.

I was very happy on Thursday in our last traffic run, so yeah, just very excited to show that in the race.

Q. Was there any impact to not having a teammate this year in the Fast Six compared to having Ed the last couple years to maybe do some setup changes between?

RINUS VEEKAY: I think it definitely helped out like to have a teammate in there. It’s always nice to have someone with the same setup, same exact car, do a run before and making some little tweaks.

But yeah, I wish Ed was in there and I could have battled with Ed or Conor. But I think for the underdog car in there, it was nice to have a good shot at it and almost hitting the bull’s eye.

Q. The other morning we talked and I asked how you’d grade your season so far, and you said 4 out of 10. Does a day like today help morale?

RINUS VEEKAY: Yeah, definitely. This is the best qualifying result for the team since I’ve joined, so definitely not bad, and yeah, just very, very happy for the team that we got this, and I think it definitely helps morale, not only for me but for all the three car crews.

We’re going to work as hard as we can. We’ve just got to find the grit and the determination to make it happen. But it’s a great group, and I’m excited that we’re going to be in the race, albeit last. We’ll do our best now.

THE MODERATOR: Also joined by Felix Rosenqvist who will start on the outside of row 1, driver of the No. 6 Arrow McLaren Chevrolet with his first front-row start. By the way, once again, for the second straight year, this is the fastest front row in Indy 500 history, making up, once again, the fastest field in Indy 500 history.

Again, Felix, congratulations. Your thoughts about starting on the front row.

FELIX ROSENQVIST: It’s mixed feelings right now. I think overall it’s a very good day for us. I think these two found something in the Fast Six that we didn’t find. We felt like we were kind of on top of it going into it. We were not confident, but we felt like we put the best possible scenario on the car, and big thanks to all the group for Arrow McLaren and Team Chevy, as well. I think the whole team came together for this final run where we threw everything we had at it, and we missed out, and it’s the second time in not so long I’m sitting here and missing pole with I think one or two thousandths. It’s what it is, but overall we have to be proud to have all the cars in the top 12. It’s just been a phenomenal month for us so far.

But yeah, big congrats to Alex and also to Rinus. That was a hell of a run. We couldn’t match that today.

THE MODERATOR: Fastest field in history, 232.184 miles an hour, breaking the record last year we set, 231.023.

THE MODERATOR: For Felix, fast guy yesterday, fast guy in the Fast 12. Were you a little bit surprised that you didn’t have the speed there at the end when it looked like the track conditions were probably the best they’d been all weekend?

FELIX ROSENQVIST: Yeah, I don’t know. It didn’t feel like it. I could feel on the run pretty much on my warmup lap that it didn’t feel as sporty as it did earlier today, so kind of had to look what went wrong. Obviously we didn’t change a bunch on the car. We were pretty sure what we put on was the best we’d done all month.

But man, it’s tight, and if you don’t get it 10 out of 10, there’s going to be two other boys sitting next to you with better lap times.

I think anyway, it’s just been incredible, and just to have the privilege to drive a car that looks that good and is that fast I think is — yeah, it makes it pretty cool.

Q. Felix, back in Europe the 500 feels a bit further away and the focus is on more circuit racing type stuff. Can you kind of talk from the background that you grew up in what the kind of qualifying what you did today means and how big an occasion the 500 qualifying is just based on everything that’s happened today?

FELIX ROSENQVIST: Yeah, it’s huge, man. I remember when Kenny Brack, who was the first driver I grew up watching actually before F1 or anything, and he had a big shunt, he came back, and I think he set a really good lap time after his injury, and that was a big deal in Sweden, and that was kind of my first memories of racing. So it’s a big deal, and in Sweden it’s huge because he won the race, and now obviously Marcus won it last year.

So Sweden is pumped in this race right now. There’s a lot of Swedish flags out there already, and everyone is sitting back home and watching late at night.

It’s incredible to see the interest has grown, and I think people in general get a better understanding of the ovals. When I came over here, it was like, what’s the difference, like how do you go quicker on an oval. You hear that question a lot. And now people are already looking at ambient temperatures and humidity and wind, and everyone is becoming like experts at analyzing the drivers and lines and stuff.

It’s cool to see. It’s definitely on the upward trend.

Q. Rinus, I believe you started on the front row already, but what’s it like outside front row going into Turn 1? You ought to be a master at it by now, and the fact that you start so far up has to give you a really good strategic edge or tactical edge in the race.

RINUS VEEKAY: Yeah, definitely helps. I feel like even if race running when we did that in the beginning of the week, you definitely feel there’s a bunch of cars in front of you, more than three, it gets very hard to pass. This way if you are in the top 3 you can basically save fuel and focus on that kind of stuff to move your way forward. That helps, that definitely helps, and we’ve got to make sure we stay in there for the last part of the race, and then I think everyone tears it up.

Q. Felix, this is a pretty big accomplishment for you starting on the front row of the Indianapolis 500. You’re having a great, great weekend so far, great week, a lot of speed. I know you’re probably living in the moment a little bit, but your future is a little bit uncertain right now. You’re sitting next to the guy. How much confidence does that give you even about your career, about how you’re doing this week, and even maybe going into next year, do you think this is a time where you can really build that resume up and show everybody, not just Arrow McLaren, that hey, I belong here, this is what I’m meant to do?

FELIX ROSENQVIST: I mean, it doesn’t hurt. We always try to be quick, and I feel like most of the time we are. INDYCAR racing is not easy, and it doesn’t always go the way you want, but no, I feel like it’s been a good year so far, even with two DNFs to start the year. It’s obviously super difficult to crawl out of that.

But on top of that, it’s been great. Everywhere we’ve gone, we’ve been quick. We’ve been qualifying up front. We’ve been good in the races, good strategy.

The whole team has just come together so well that I just feel like there’s quite a lot in store for us for the rest of the season, and obviously now we’re here again on the front row in the second race in a row.

It’s awesome. We just have to ride the wave, and I feel like that way is going to get bigger as the year goes on, and what happens for me in the future, I don’t know, and I don’t really think about it right now. I just try to be in the now, extract everything I can every race, and I always tell myself things work themselves out if you just focus on what you do in the car.

Q. What is it like, most people will never, ever get a chance to drive a car like this, hanging it out. What is it like out there? Do you feel raw emotion, or is there a little bit of scared going on when you’re hanging the car out? What is going on, Felix, when you’re out there in a run like that with everything on the line?

FELIX ROSENQVIST: For me it’s like the most focused you can be. You’re just very — it’s like a very high level of discipline, and knowing yourself, knowing the car, trusting the car, trusting your engineers, trusting your mechanics, but at the same time you kind of just have to shut everything off.

But it feels cool, man. Yeah, it feels quick. I don’t know how else to explain it.

You’re so focused — Not scary, but you know it’s big consequences, and when you feel the car start sliding, you kind of have to just bury it and do some changes to your tools, and then you’re just hoping it’s not going to be the same in the next corner, and it’s kind of a funny thing, but like one press wrong on that button can be the difference of being P1 or being in the wall.

It’s a fun dance, I guess, and it’s fun when you’re out there, but when you’re done, you’re also quite happy.

Q. You’re touching so many buttons, making all these adjustments through a run like that, does it take away from the fun part?

FELIX ROSENQVIST: Yeah, it’s so tight now, man. It seems every time I’m here for qualifying, it’s a record of some sort. It’s the tightest field or the tightest for pole or we have the tightest Fast Six on the GP here a couple of weeks ago.

I think we just have to exploit everything we can get our hands on. If there’s a button to press and you go a bit quicker, we’ll press it.

I feel like it’s getting busier and busier as the years go on. Like you see a couple of runs from the past where maybe you could analyze as well with simulation and computers and stuff, but you just kind of hang on, and now it’s more like being on the very, very fine limit which you can do when you have all the resources that both our teams have, and then when you’re there, you just have to extract every little thousandth out of it. I think it’s pretty cool. It’s sporty, and I think it makes it harder.

About Chevrolet

Founded in 1911 in Detroit, Chevrolet is now one of the world’s largest car brands, available in 79 countries with more than 3.2 million cars and trucks sold in 2020. Chevrolet models include electric and fuel-efficient vehicles that feature engaging performance, design that makes the heart beat, passive and active safety features and easy-to-use technology, all at a value. More information on Chevrolet models can be found at www.chevrolet.com.

NHRA AT CHICAGO: Team Chevy Race Advance

By
Official Release
-

CHEVROLET IN NHRA
2023 GERBER COLLISION AND GLASS ROUTE 66 NHRA NATIONALS
ROUTE 66 RACEWAY
JOLIET, ILLINOIS
TEAM CHEVY RACE REPORT
MAY 21, 2023

DALLAS GLENN WINS NHRA PRO STOCK FOR CHEVROLET IN RETURN TO ROUTE 66 RACEWAY

Dallas Glenn, driver of the RAD Torque Systems Chevrolet Camaro Pro Stock car, raced to his seventh NHRA Pro Stock career win, his third in 2023.
Glenn earned Chevrolet their 372nd win in NHRA Pro Stock, the 253rd in the Camaro.
Glenn also earned Chevrolet their fifth win of the season in six races, in addition to earning the fifth No. 1 qualifier in 2023, with his pass at 6.537 ET at 210.77 MPH and .022 reaction time.
Robert Hight, driver of the Cornwell Tools/AAA Chevrolet Camaro SS Funny Car, raced to the No. 1 qualifier position Saturday at Route 66 Raceway while setting both ends of the track record with a pass of 3.381 ET at 335.07 MPH in Friday’s qualifying.

JOLIET, Ill. (May 21, 2023) – Defeating Deric Kramer in the finals at the first event at Route 66 Raceway outside of Chicago since 2019, Dallas Glenn, driver of the RAD Torque Systems Chevrolet Camaro Pro Stock car, raced to his seventh career NHRA Pro Stock Wally trophy, his third of 2023. Additionally, Glenn’s win notched Chevrolet their 327th win in Pro Stock, and their 253rd in the Camaro.

Speaking on his third win of the year, and how tight the NHRA Pro Stock field is this year, Glenn reflected on the day saying, “I definitely know what is going on in the car. I’m a little tired, but this makes it all worth it. We have Dan Provost and Tammy from RAD Torque Systems out here. Thank you Samantha from Race Star Wheels, Summit, and everybody. I have the best crew chiefs ever. I don’t think we were the best today, but we were just good enough.”

“You get a car that is working this good, and you just don’t know how far it’s going to continue and you just want to capitalize on every race,” noted Glenn. “I definitely had a real good car. I didn’t feel like I drove my best today, but luckily, it was good enough. It feels good right now, but I know it can change in a heartbeat. We are just going to try our best to keep improving because I know the other teams are trying really hard and they are showing some promise. We definitely need to keep stepping up and keep the hammer down.”

In Nitro, the Top Fuel and Funny Car machines of John Force Racing fell on the side of the ladders to face each other in the second round, with Brittany Force, driver of the Monster Energy/Flav-R-Pac Chevrolet Top Fuel dragster eliminating teammate Austin Prock, then unfortunately falling to eventual event winner Clay Millican in Semifinals. In Funny Car, it was John Force, in the PEAK Chevrolet Camaro SS Funny Car, defeating teammate Robert Hight, going then on to falling to eventual winner Tim Wilkerson.

In Factory Stock, it was Len Lottig with the back-to-back victory in his Chevrolet COPO Camaro, notching his third win this year following capturing the Wally in Gainesville and the last event at Circle K NHRA Charlotte Four-Wide Nationals.

Up next for the NHRA Camping World Drag Racing Series is the NHRA New England Nationals, Friday, June 2 to Monday, June 4, 2023, at New England Dragway in Epping, New Hampshire. Broadcast of Sunday’s eliminations will air live at noon ET on FOX Sports 1 (FS1) on Sunday.

Round 1 Recap:

Top Fuel:

No. 2 Austin Prock defeated No. 15 Tony Schumacher with his run of 3.721 ET at 332.34 MPH.
No. 10 Brittany Force defeated No. 7 Spencer Massey with her run of 3.750 ET at 328.70 MPH.
Funny Car:

No. 1 Robert Hight defeated No. 16 Dale Creasy, Jr. with his run of 3.941 ET at 327.43 MPH.
No. 8 John Force defeated No. 9 Mike McIntire, Jr. with his run of 3.940 ET at 320.20 MPH.
Pro Stock:

No. 1 Dallas Glenn defeated No. 16 Chris McGaha with his run of 6.537 ET at 210.77 MPH.
No. 9 Greg Anderson defeated No. 8 Matt Hartford with his run of 6.559 ET at 209.92 MPH.
No. 4 Troy Coughlin, Jr. defeated No. 13 Kyle Koretsky with his run of 6.544 ET at 209.98 MPH.
No. 12 Jerry Tucker defeated No. 5 Camrie Caruso with his run of 6.565 ET at 209.88 MPH.
No. 2 Deric Kramer defeated No. 15 Mason McGaha with his run of 6.542 ET at 209.82 MPH.
No. 3 Bo Butner, III defeated No. 14 Shane Tucker with his run of 6.551 ET at 209.98 MPH.
No. 6 Aaron Stanfield defeated No. 6 Erica Enders with his run of 6.546 ET at 209.56 MPH.

Round 2 Recap:

Top Fuel:

B. Force defeats Prock with her run of 4.011 ET at 241.32 MPH.
Funny Car:

J. Force defeats Hight with his run of 4.003 ET at 323.50 MPH.
Pro Stock:

Stanfield defeated Butner III with his run of 6.569 ET at 209.30 MPH.
J. Tucker defeated Troy Coughlin, Jr. with his run of 6.586 ET at 210.64 MPH.
Kramer defeated C. Cuadra with his run of 6.565 ET at 209.59 MPH.
Glenn defeated Anderson with his run of 6.576 ET at 210.57 MPH.

Semifinals Recap:

Top Fuel:

B. Force falls to Millican with his run of 3.778 ET at 329.58 MPH to her 3.881 ET at 319.82 MPH.
Funny Car:

J. Force falls to Wilkerson after smoking the tires, with Wilkerson clocking a lap at 4.012 ET at 319.90 MPH.
Pro Stock:

Glenn defeated J. Tucker with his run of 6.563 ET at 210.05 MPH
D. Kramer defeated Stanfield with his run of 6.567 ET at 209.82 MPH.
Finals:

Pro Stock:

Glenn defeated Kramer after Kramer got loose on his run, with Glenn racing to the win light with a run of 6.562 ET at 209.95 MPH.

About Chevrolet

Founded in 1911 in Detroit, Chevrolet is one of the world’s largest car brands, doing business in more than 100 countries and selling more than 4.0 million cars and trucks a year. Chevrolet provides customers with fuel-efficient vehicles that feature engaging performance, design that makes the heart beat, passive and active safety features and easy-to-use technology, all at a value. More information on Chevrolet models can be found at www.chevrolet.com.

Berry, Gibbs and Gragson transfer to 2023 All-Star Race from All-Star Open

By
Andrew Kim
-
Photo by Andrew Boyd for SpeedwayMedia.com.

Josh Berry along with rookies Ty Gibbs and Noah Gragson completed the starting grid for the 2023 NASCAR All-Star Race after all three transferred from the NASCAR All-Star Open at North Wilkesboro Speedway on Sunday, May 21.

Berry and Gibbs, both of whom started on the front row for the Open, raced their way into the main event after finishing first and second, respectively, during the Open while Gragson was revealed as the Fan Vote winner after rallying from a multi-car wreck to finish seventh on the track, thus claiming the final spot of the 24-car grid for the All-Star event that will follow suit.

The starting lineup for the event was determined through the NASCAR Pit Crew Challenge that occurred on Friday, May 20, with the drivers’ qualifying time determined based on their respective crew’s pit stop time through a four-tire pit stop and the timing lines being established one box behind and ahead of the designated pit box.

Following the Pit Crew Challenge, rookie Ty Gibbs was awarded the pole position after his No. 54 Joe Gibbs Racing pit crew delivered the fastest pit stop overall at 13.012 seconds. Joining him on the front row was Josh Berry, an interim competitor for the injured Alex Bowman whose No. 48 Hendrick Motorsports pit crew posted a fast pit stop service at 13.677 seconds.

When the green flag waved and the race commenced, Ty Gibbs launched ahead in his No. 54 Monster Energy Toyota TRD Camry with the lead on the inside lane as Michael McDowell made a bold three-wide move to the outside of the field as he tried to launch forward through Turns 1 and 2. McDowell, however, lost grip just as he cracked the top five and slipped back into the top 10 as Gibbs proceeded to lead the first lap. Behind, Berry maintained second in front of Justin Haley, Corey LaJoie, Todd Gilliland and Aric Almirola while McDowell fell back to seventh.

Through the first five scheduled laps, Gibbs was leading by nearly nine-tenths of a second over Berry, who had Haley closing in for second place while Todd Gilliland and Aric Almirola were running in the top five. Gibbs then extended his advantage to more than a second as the event surpassed its Lap 10 mark.

At the Lap 20 mark, Gibbs continued to extend his advantage by more than two seconds over Berry while third-place Haley trailed by more than three seconds. Almirola moved up in fourth followed by Gilliland while Harrison Burton, McDowell, Chandler Smith, Ryan Preece and AJ Allmendinger were in the top 10. Behind, Ryan Newman was in 11th while rookie Noah Gragson, Corey LaJoie, Josh Bilicki, JJ Yeley and Ty Dillon rounded out the field of 16 competitors currently running on the track.

By Lap 30, Gibbs retained the lead by more than three seconds over Berry while Almirola overtook Haley for third place. Behind, Gilliland retained fifth ahead of teammate McDowell and Burton while Chandler Smith, Preece and Allmendinger occupied the rest of the top 10 on the track.

When the competition caution flew on Lap 40, Gibbs had maintained the lead by more than three seconds over Berry while Almirola, Haley, Gilliland, McDowell, Allmendinger, Burton, Chandler and Newman were in the top 10. By then, Ty Dillon was lapped, but he received the free pass to cycle back on the lead lap.

During the competition caution period, the entire field led by Gibbs pitted for fresh tires, fuel and adjustments. Following the pit stops, Berry assumed the lead after exiting pit road first followed by Gibbs, Almirola, Gragson, Haley and Gilliland. Amid the pit stops, Harrison Burton, who exited pit road in eighth place, only opted to have his rear tires changed on his No. 21 Motorcraft/DEX Imaging Ford Mustang.

When the race restarted on Lap 47, Berry and Haley dueled for the lead as the field fanned out and battled in tight formation through the first two turns and the backstretch. During the following lap, however, Berry managed to pull ahead and assume the lead with a clear racetrack followed by Gibbs and Almirola while Haley fell back to fourth in front of McDowell.

Two laps later, the caution returned when Gragson, who was running sixth and ran into the rear of McDowell entering Turn 1, went too low and hit the inside wall before his No. 42 Sunseeker Resort Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 shot back across the track and into the path of Gilliland as Gragson collided into the Turn 1 outside wall head-on along with Gilliland as Chandler Smith, Allmendinger and Newman were also collected. As Chandler Smith and Gilliand retired, Gragson managed to continue along with Allmendinger and Newman.

With the race restarting with 44 laps remaining, Haley challenged Berry for the lead on the outside lane while McDowell battled Gibbs for third place. Not long after, however, the caution quickly returned when McDowell, who tried to move in front of Gibbs for third place through Turns 3 and 4, got squeezed by Gibbs as he then made contact with Haley for second as both competitors went up the track and slapped the outside wall in Turn 4 hard.

During the following restart with 37 laps remaining, Berry and Almirola battled dead even for the lead until Berry muscled ahead on the inside lane. Behind, Almirola, who was stuck on the outside lane, was overtaken by Gibbs for second as Almirola tried to fend off teammate Preece and Allmendinger for more.

With 32 laps remaining, Gibbs reassumed the lead from Berry as Preece started to challenge Berry for second. In the midst of the battles at the front, Allmendinger and Almirola joined the battle in fourth and fifth while JJ Yeley and Gragson trailed behind in sixth and seventh.

Then with 23 laps remaining, Gibbs, who had maintained a steady lead over Berry through the backstretch, got held up and ran towards the apron by McDowell’s No. 34 Fr8Auctions Ford Mustang through Turns 1 and 2 before he then got shoved towards the inside wall through Turns 3 and 4 as McDowell expressed his on-track frustration to Gibbs over the late contact that eliminated McDowell and Haley from contention. This allowed Berry to reassume the lead in his No. 48 Ally Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 through the frontstretch while Gibbs managed to fend off Almirola for second place. In the process, McDowell, who lost a lap for repairs during the initial caution period, went two laps down.

With less than 20 laps remaining, Berry was leading by three-tenths of a second over Gibbs and Almirola while Preece and Allmendinger remained in the top five.

Down to the final 10 laps of the event, Berry, who lapped McDowell for a third time, continued to lead by six-tenths of a second over Gibbs with Almirola trailing by a second and trying to close in on Gibbs for a transfer spot to the All-Star Race.

With five laps remaining, Berry maintained the lead by more than a second over Gibbs as third-place Almirola cut his deficit to Gibbs by less than three-tenths of a second. Meanwhile, Preece and Allmendinger trailed the leaders by four seconds while Yeley maintained sixth as he trailed by more than eight seconds.

When the white flag waved and the final lap started, Berry remained as the leader by six-tenths over Gibbs as Almirola tried to ignite a final lap charge in his No. 10 Smithfield Ford Mustang on Gibbs for second through Turn 1. Almirola, however, could not execute the pass or bump on Gibbs to gain the spot as Gibbs pulled away. Back at the front, Berry managed to cruise away from the field and claim both the All-Star Open victory and a transfer spot to the 2023 All-Star Race by half a second over Gibbs.

With his accomplishment, Berry, a NASCAR Xfinity Series full-time competitor for JR Motorsports who led three times for 46 laps, achieved his first checkered flag of any type in NASCAR’s premier series. This year’s All-Star weekend marks Berry’s fourth start as an interim competitor of the No. 48 Hendrick Motorsports entry in place of the injured Alex Bowman and ninth overall for HMS as he will contend for his first opportunity of winning a million dollars. Berry’s Open victory also enabled all four Hendrick Motorsports entries to make the All-Star feature.

“I feel so relieved,” Berry said on FS1. “These guys deserve to be in this race so bad. Thank you so much to Hendrick Motorsports for believing in me and giving me this opportunity under circumstances. This is really cool. We were able to get the lead and stretch it out a little bit, and just kind of maintain it. I think the two best cars made it [to the All-Star Race]. We’ll just see what tonight gives us.”

Behind, Gibbs, the reigning Xfinity Series champion who led twice for a race-high 53 laps, fended off Almirola to finish second and race his way into his first career All-Star Race. Gibbs’ accomplishment enabled all four Joe Gibbs Racing competitors to make the main event.

Photo by Andrew Boyd for SpeedwayMedia.com.

“It’s really cool,” Gibbs said. “I feel like I’m kind of back here at Hickory Motor Speedway, honestly. It’s a worn-out racetrack, for sure. Just kind of looking for patches, looking for grip. I kind of understand [McDowell]’s frustration, but at Martinsville [Speedway], we were running 18th and they clobbered us and about wrecked us, so I think it’s, honestly, fair game. We got in [to the All-Star Race]. That’s all that matters.”

Lastly, rookie Noah Gragson, who recovered from his wreck nearing the halfway point to finish seventh, was awarded the 24th and final transfer spot to the All-Star Race by virtue of being the Fan Vote winner. The accomplishment marks Gragson’s first appearance in the All-Star Race as both Legacy Motor Club competitors will compete in the main event.

Photo by Andrew Boyd for SpeedwayMedia.com.

“It’s kind of bittersweet right now,” Gragson said. “[I] Got the Fan Vote so we can go racing. We want to race our way in, but grateful for the whole Legacy Motor Club team. Thank you fans for all the support and everything going into this. Voting, the cheers, everything. We fire and feed off your guys’ energy, so thank you. Unfortunate for our team [with the damaged car]. We’re gonna try to get [the car] back together and put a show for the fans. We’re gonna try and get up there.”

Aric Almirola finished the Open in third, but was among the remaining 13 competitors who did not make the 2023 All-Star Race along with Ryan Preece, AJ Allmendinger, JJ Yeley, Ty Dillon, Corey LaJoie, Josh Bilicki, Harrison Burton, Ryan Newman, Michael McDowell, Justin Haley, Todd Gilliland and Chandler Smith.

There were five lead changes for three different leaders. The race featured three cautions for 18 laps.

Results.

1. Josh Berry, 46 laps led

2. Ty Gibbs, 53 laps led

3. Aric Almirola

4. Ryan Preece

5. AJ Allmendinger

6. JJ Yeley

7. Noah Gragson

8. Ty Dillon

9. Corey LaJoie

10. Josh Bilicki

11. Harrison Burton

12. Ryan Newman, three laps down

13. Michael McDowell, three laps down

14. Justin Haley – OUT, Accident, one lap led

15. Todd Gilliland – OUT, Accident

16. Chandler Smith – OUT, Accident

The 2023 NASCAR All-Star Race at North Wilkesboro Speedway will follow suit on Sunday, May 21, at 8 p.m. ET on FS1.

CHEVROLET INDYCAR AT INDIANAPOLIS 500: TEAM CHEVY FAST-12 QUALIFYING REPORT

By
Official Release
-

CHEVROLET IN NTT INDYCAR SERIES
INDIANAPOLIS 500
INDIANAPOLIS, INDIANA
TEAM CHEVY TOP-12 QUALIFYING REPORT
MAY 21, 2023

FOUR TEAM CHEVY DRIVERS MOVE ON TO FIRESTONE FAST SIX

INDIANAPOLIS (May 21, 2023) – The Fast-12 round of qualifying provided an equal amount of drama and excitement as the first round on Saturday.

Four Chevrolet-powered drivers are moving on to the Firestone Fast Six to contend for the pole of for the Indianapolis 500: Arrow McLaren drivers Felix Fosenqvist (1st) and Pato O’Ward (6); AJ Foyt Rading’s Santino Ferrucci (2nd) and Rinus VeeKay from Ed Carpenter Racing (3rd) will make their final run later this afternoon.

Four Team Chevy drivers will start in rows three and four for the Greatest Spectacle in Racing: Alexander Rossi and Tony Kanaan, both from the Arrow McLaren Chevrolet stable will start seventh and ninth respectively. AJ Foyt’s Benjamin Pedersen will roll his Chevrolet off in 11th position, and Will Power of Team Penske will start 12th, on the outside of the fourth row.

ROW THREE AND FOUR DRIVER QUOTES:

ALEXANDER ROSSI, NO. 7 ARROW MCLAREN CHEVROLET, QUALIFIED 7THFOR INDIANAPOLIS 500:

“It was a great lap. It’s tight-the field is tight. It always is tight. It was a great team effort. There we just didn’t quite get the balance right for these conditions, which is an excuse, you know, six other cars did but you know, seven is a good starting spot. And we’ll see. We’ll see what next week brings but you know, overall, just a huge effort from Arrow McLaren and hopefully, one of the cars lands on the pole.”

TONY KANAAN, NO. 66 ARROW MCLAREN CHEVROLET, QUALIFIED 9TH FOR THE INDIANAPOLIS 500:

“First, I had to get to the other guys to help them out because we want to put this team on the pole. The drop off was big, but we have between the three cars, a responsibility to help my two teammates with the track changes so that they have a chance to change stuff on the line. That last run was okay. Now this part is over.”

BENJAMIN PEDERSEN, NO. 55 SEXTON PROPERTIES AJ FOYT RACING CHEVROLET, QUALIFIED 11TH FOR THE INDIANAPOLIS 500:

“We did the best we could and I was happy with what we ran given the conditions. Hats off to all team members for working so hard making sure every little detail is as a Indy 500 special as possible. All the engineers, everybody is working together. So, yeah, I’m very fortunate to have the car like I do for being a rookie. We’re here we’re in the Fast 12 run. Now we get ready to race.”

WILL POWER, NO. 12 VERIZON 5G TEAM PENSKE CHEVROLET, QUALIFIED 12TH FOR THE INDIANAPOLIS 500:

“We had a big push on second lap and I got close to turn one wall and had to lift. But apart from that it’s pretty solid, maybe got the gear wrong shifted down a gear too early, but I got the lights for it. So maybe too much soft limiter is looking like it’s gonna be super tight. the car has been really good in race trim. There’s a lot of other guys that are really good too. The car has been really good in race trim. There’s a lot of other guys that are really good too. Really even, just as tight. But in qualifying it was the same

About Chevrolet

Founded in 1911 in Detroit, Chevrolet is now one of the world’s largest car brands, available in 79 countries with more than 3.2 million cars and trucks sold in 2020. Chevrolet models include electric and fuel-efficient vehicles that feature engaging performance, design that makes the heart beat, passive and active safety features and easy-to-use technology, all at a value. More information on Chevrolet models can be found at www.chevrolet.com.

Lawless Alan – Tyson 250 Race Recap

By
Official Release
-

Lawless Alan – Tyson 250 Race Recap
Team: No. 45 AUTOParkit Chevrolet Silverado
Driver: Lawless Alan (Los Angeles, California)
Follow the Team: Twitter: @NieceMotorsports | Instagram: @NieceMotorsport | Facebook: /NieceMotorsports | Web: www.niecemotorsports.com
Follow Driver: Twitter: @lawlessalan25 | Instagram: @lawless_alan | Facebook: /LawlessAlanRacing | Web: www.lawlessalanracing.com
Start: 22nd | Finish: 19th | Points Standings: 26th

Alan On Saturday’s Race at North Wilkesboro: “I think our AUTOChargit team did a great job at getting through the race drama-free. I think once I had more laps under my belt, I was able to build up the confidence and grow tremendously from the start of practice to now. Overall, it’s a good finish for our team and puts us where we need to be going into Charlotte next week.”

Race Recap: When practice began on Friday, Lawless Alan saw himself in 34th on the speed charts. But, the California-born driver continued to improve throughout the weekend with a 22nd-place starting position and a 19th-place finish in the Tyson 250.

The No. 45 team ran steady inside the top-25 for a majority of the first stage while various strategies opened up with cautions. Alan took advantage of these yellows to get tires on lap 28 and advance his position but a late caution in the stage would halt them in their track. He would visit pit road for a second time at the end of the stage and finish 24th in Stage One.

The second stage was relatively quiet for Alan as he would go a lap-down midway through the stage but return to the lead-lap in Stage Three. The No. 45 team would would go on to finish 27th in Stage Two.

When the final stage began, so did the chaos as there were six cautions in the final segment of the race. But, these cautions would allow Alan to advance his position, return to the lead-lap, and move up to 19th before the checkered-flag flew Saturday afternoon.

About Niece Motorsports:

Niece Motorsports is owned by United States Marine Corps Veteran Al Niece. In 2023, Niece Motorsports enters its eighth season in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series. Niece also owns Niece Equipment, which has for over 40 years provided clients with reliable products at competitive prices. Niece Equipment’s reputation is built on service, integrity and dependability. The company provides water and fuel/lube trucks that are engineered with quality and durability in mind for the construction and mining industry. Follow the team on Facebook and Instagram @NieceMotorsports as well as Twitter @NieceMotorsport.

About AUTOParkit:

-AUTOParkit™ designs, manufactures, and constructs fully automated parking systems for new and existing buildings. AUTOParkit system structural steel and modular design can provide double the capacity of a traditional parking garage, providing up to 17 LEED points and drastically reducing construction time.

-AUTOParkit automated systems are 40 percent less expensive to operate, safer for the user and reduces carbon emissions associated with parking by more than 80 percent. AUTOParkit’s charging pallets provided by AUTOChargit, are a fast and convenient way of charging EVs and Hybrids. AUTOChargit’s patented technology allows for shuffling charged vehicles cutting infrastructure costs by up to 80 percent.

-For more information on AUTOParkit, visit www.autoparkit.com

About AUTOChargit:

AUTOChargit designs, manufactures and installs EV charging systems for automated and conventional parking applications. AUTOChargit can decrease capital expenditures by up to 75 percent by providing automated coupling and decoupling of EV charging stalls from the power source. For conventional parking applications, a single 40-AMP circuit coupled with a single AUTOChargit System can be multiplexed to four, eight, or 12 stalls. Each charging stall is individually metered for the exact tracking of electricity usage. The AUTOParkit Mobile APP provides a touchless experience for the user.

Carson Hocevar – Tyson 250 Race Recap

By
Official Release
-

Carson Hocevar – Tyson 250 Race Recap
Team: No. 42 Worldwide Express Chevrolet Silverado
Driver: Carson Hocevar (Portage, Michigan) | Crew Chief: Phil Gould
Follow the Team: Twitter: @NieceMotorsport | Instagram: @NieceMotorsports | Facebook: /NieceMotorsports | Web: www.niecemotorsports.com
Follow Carson Hocevar: Twitter: @CarsonHocevar | Instagram: @CarsonHocevar | Facebook: /carsonhocevarracing | Web: www.CarsonHocevar.com
Start: 2nd | Finish: 4th | Points Standings: 11th

Hocevar on Saturday’s Race at North Wilkesboro Speedway: “I think it’s incredible that NASCAR came back to this venue and the green flag racing was a lot of fun. I wish we would’ve gotten more long-runs late in the race because I think we had something for [Kyle] Larson. But, we led laps, almost qualified on pole, and were one of the best trucks here, so that says big things about our Worldwide Express team this season.”

Race Recap: Carson Hocevar started off the weekend by setting the fastest lap in practice and followed it up with a second-place run in qualifying. After running both the ASA Super Late Model and CARS Tour Pro Late Model races at North Wilkesboro earlier in the week, Hocevar had some of the most laps at the historic track.

When the green flag waved to begin the Tyson 250, Hocevar fell in line behind pole-sitter, Corey Heim, and rode there before he took the lead on lap 44. A late caution in Stage One would create various strategy calls throughout the field and Phil Gould directed the No. 42 down pit road for tires, resulting in the fifth-place finish in the stage.

Stage Two created a very similar scenario with another late yellow flag flying while Hocevar runs inside the top-five. But, Hocevar would use the outside line on the restart to secure a second-place finish in the second stage.

The final stage created carnage throughout the field as six cautions were thrown in the final 110 laps of the race. Ultimately, Hocevar would finish 4th at North Wilkesboro Speedway, his second top-five in as many weeks.

About Niece Motorsports:

Niece Motorsports is owned by United States Marine Corps Veteran Al Niece. In 2023, Niece Motorsports enters its eighth season in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series. Niece also owns Niece Equipment, which has for over 40 years provided clients with reliable products at competitive prices. Niece Equipment’s reputation is built on service, integrity and dependability. The company provides water and fuel/lube trucks that are engineered with quality and durability in mind for the construction and mining industry. Follow the team on Facebook and Instagram @NieceMotorsports as well as Twitter @NieceMotorsport.

Media Inquiries: media@niecemotorsports.com

About Worldwide Express:

The WWEX group of brands, which comprises Worldwide Express, Unishippers and GlobalTranz, offers full-service logistics expertise to more than 115,000 customers across the country. With access to industry-leading small package, truckload, less-than-truckload and managed transportation solutions, its customers benefit from enhanced visibility and value for their supply chains. The company is the second-largest privately held freight brokerage and largest non-retail UPS Authorized Reseller® in the U.S. , with an annual systemwide revenue nearing $5 billion through a network of company-owned, franchise and agent locations. A highly selective carrier portfolio, proprietary technology, unique data assets and business intelligence capabilities provide clients with unmatched options and flexibility to meet their shipping needs. The WWEX Racing initiative was borne of a desire to address the complex but underserved logistic needs of the performance motorsports industry, using the unique combination of capabilities offered by the three brands’ combined 80+ years of insight. To learn more about the WWEX Racing program, visit www.wwexracing.com. For media inquiries, contact racing@wwex.com.

Ross Chastain – Tyson 250 Race Recap

By
Official Release
-

Ross Chastain – Tyson 250 Race Recap
Team: No. 41 Worldwide Express Chevrolet Silverado
Driver: Ross Chastain (Alva, Florida) | Crew Chief: Mike Hillman Jr.
Follow the Team: Twitter: @NieceMotorsport | Instagram: @NieceMotorsports | Facebook: /NieceMotorsports | Web: www.niecemotorsports.com
Follow Ross Chastain: Twitter: @RossChastain | Instagram: @rosschastain | Facebook: /RossChastainRacing | Web: www.rosschastain.com/
Start: 12th | Finish: 9th | Owner’s Points Standings: 15th

Race Recap: Similar to Niece Motorsports teammate, Carson Hocevar, Ross Chastain took part in the late model races earlier in the week at North Wilkesboro Speedway. Chastain, who struggled with the handling of the car for most of the weekend, finished 19th in practice, 12th in qualifying, and 9th in the race.

Chastain was able to move his Worldwide Express Silverado into the top-ten early in the first stage and ride there for a majority of the segment. As the Goodyear Racing tires began to lose grip, Chastain’s experience showed as he navigated his way through the field until a caution flew late in Stage One. After pitting under this yellow, Chastain would finish the stage in 14th.

The second stage provided more of the same for the No. 41 team as a caution would fly with five laps remaining in the stage to create a one-lap shootout to the stage finish. Chastain would collect stage points in this stage with an eighth-place finish.

In the end, Chastain avoided carnage with some of the front-runners to bring his bright-blue machine home in ninth, while falling the 15th in the Owner’s championship standings.

Chastain on Saturday’s Race at North Wilkesboro Speedway: “We fought all day with lots of adjustments from the WWEX Racing crew on pit road. We were tight from the time we unloaded in practice through qualifying and to the race; we were just never able to get the turn we wanted in the center of the corner. We got it freed up in different parts of the corner, but never that true center-roll that the guys I was racing around had. A simple answer to a complex problem but I know Mike [Hillman Jr.] and the Niece Motorsports guys will be able to fix that in the future.”

About Niece Motorsports:

Niece Motorsports is owned by United States Marine Corps Veteran Al Niece. In 2023, Niece Motorsports enters its eighth season in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series. Niece also owns Niece Equipment, which has for over 40 years provided clients with reliable products at competitive prices. Niece Equipment’s reputation is built on service, integrity and dependability. The company provides water and fuel/lube trucks that are engineered with quality and durability in mind for the construction and mining industry. Follow the team on Facebook and Instagram @NieceMotorsports as well as Twitter @NieceMotorsport.

Media Inquiries: media@niecemotorsports.com | www.niecemotorsports.com

About Worldwide Express:

The WWEX group of brands, which comprises Worldwide Express, Unishippers and GlobalTranz, offers full-service logistics expertise to more than 115,000 customers across the country. With access to industry-leading small package, truckload, less-than-truckload and managed transportation solutions, its customers benefit from enhanced visibility and value for their supply chains. The company is the second-largest privately held freight brokerage and largest non-retail UPS Authorized Reseller® in the U.S. , with an annual systemwide revenue nearing $5 billion through a network of company-owned, franchise and agent locations. A highly selective carrier portfolio, proprietary technology, unique data assets and business intelligence capabilities provide clients with unmatched options and flexibility to meet their shipping needs. The WWEX Racing initiative was borne of a desire to address the complex but underserved logistic needs of the performance motorsports industry, using the unique combination of capabilities offered by the three brands’ combined 80+ years of insight. To learn more about the WWEX Racing program, visit www.wwexracing.com. For media inquiries, contact racing@wwex.com.

Meyer Shank Racing Qualifies Pair for Indianapolis 500

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

Indianapolis, Ind. (21 May 2023) – Meyer Shank Racing (MSR) drivers Helio Castroneves (No. 06 AutoNation / SiriusXM Honda) and Simon Pagenaud (No. 60 AutoNation / SiriusXM Honda) cemented their positions in the field for next Sunday’s 107th Running of the Indianapolis 500 through four-lap qualifying at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway on Saturday.

Castroneves used a strong mid-afternoon run to claim the 20th position for Sunday’s Memorial Day Classic, with his four-lap average of 231.954 mph putting the Brazilian in the middle of row seven at the start of his 23rd Indianapolis 500.

Pagenaud also used a second qualifying run to improve his time, posting a four-lap average speed of 231.878 mph to claim the inside position of row eight for the 200-lap battle at the historic 2.5-mile oval on May 28.

The MSR duo started its day early on Saturday as low-number lottery spots put both Castroneves and Pagenaud on track in the opening hours of Saturday’s qualifying. Usually a coveted time slot, early runs yielded slower times among much of the 34-car field, encouraging most teams to make follow-up qualifying runs as temperatures climbed later in the afternoon.

Castroneves, who is chasing history by becoming the only driver to win five Indianapolis 500 crowns, gained more than 1.5 mph on his second run, vaulting him into the 20th spot on the grid. Pagenaud was also faster during his second run, but the result didn’t effect his 22nd starting position. Both Castroneves and Pagenaud did begin one final qualifying attempt in the last hour of the session, but did not complete the run as the times didn’t promise any improvement.

The MSR drivers will have two final practice sessions next week on Monday and Friday as they prepare for Sunday’s 200-lap Indianapolis 500. Fans can follow the practices on Peacock. Sunday’s race will air on NBC on Sunday starting at 11am ET. SiriusXM will also host live IndyCar Radio coverage on XM Ch. 160.

Meyer Shank Racing Driver Quotes:

Helio Castroneves:
“It wasn’t really a strong day for us, but we feel that we are strong for the race. We were very consistent over each run, but the speed just wasn’t there and sometimes that’s just the way it goes. The MSR team and crew have been working really hard and I know we will come back for the race and be strong – it’s going to be a fun one.”

Simon Pagenaud:
“What a thrilling day it is every year, it’s incredible. Going 243 mph and turning into Turn 1 is always such a special thing. I must say, I had a great car. We had the least tire degradation over the four laps, but unfortunately we just don’t have the speed to create a big average lap time. First lap and last lap are very similar for us which is a very good sign of an amazing race car, but it’s just not allowing us to get into the Fast 12. It’s a very tight field and I know we have a great race car which gives me a lot of hope. I look forward to getting back into race trim and come back in good form for the race.”

1...1,4631,4641,465...6,651Page 1,464 of 6,651