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CHEVROLET NCS AT KANSAS: Post-Race Notes and Quotes

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NASCAR CUP SERIES
KANSAS SPEEDWAY
ADVENTHEALTH 400
TEAM CHEVY POST-RACE REPORT
MAY 7, 2023

TOP TEAM CHEVY UNOFFICIAL TOP-10 RESULTS:
POS. DRIVER
2nd Kyle Larson, No. 5 HendrickCars.com Camaro ZL1
3rd William Byron, No. 24 Liberty University Camaro ZL1
5th Ross Chastain, No. 1 AdventHealth Camaro ZL1
7th Chase Elliott, No. 9 UniFirst Camaro ZL1
10th Austin Dillon, No. 3 BetMGM Camaro ZL1

TOP-FIVE UNOFFICIAL RESULTS:
POS. DRIVER

  1. Denny Hamlin (Toyota)
  2. Kyle Larson (Chevrolet)
  3. William Byron (Chevrolet)
  4. Bubba Wallace (Toyota)
  5. Ross Chastain (Chevrolet)  
    The 2023 NASCAR Cup Series season continues at Darlington Raceway with the Goodyear 400 on Sunday, May 14, at 3 p.m. ET. Live coverage can be found on FS1, MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Channel 90.

TEAM CHEVY POST-RACE QUOTES:

Ross Chastain, No. 1 AdventHealth Camaro ZL1

Finished: 5th

There’s a lot of physical racing out there today, Ross. Like, I mean, there’s lots of contact through the field. What do you attribute that to?

“I think everybody is evolving the new car. It’s not so new and we’ve got a good handle on it. There’s times where we’re running 20th-ish and I can’t get by people. Then a couple of restarts and some good adjustments by Phil Surgen and the boys and girls at Trackhouse, we’re back up there fighting for a top-five. Yeah, it’s some of the best drivers in the world and totally equal cars, and putting on heck of good racing.”

Knowing you guys are coming back here for the Playoffs, seeing how aggressive everything was today, do you expect that same level of intensity when you’re back here.

“The main thing I’ll focus on is getting our car faster for us and our Advent Health Chevy. It’s still lacking a bit of grip. If we can get the balance good, I feel like we can go. That last run we about nailed it the best we were all day. So, proud of the boys and girls at Trackhouse to do that because that was the money stop and money adjustment. We just need more raw speed and grip. I’m just sliding the front, or the back, too much. Aside from everything else, that’s what I’ll focus on between now and the fall.”

Kyle Larson, No. 5 HendrickCars.com Camaro ZL1

Finished: 2nd

“I was really loose. I was trying to do what I could to manage it. I was really loose at that end and, yeah, (Denny Hamlin) was just a little better than me at the end. I haven’t seen a replay either, but obviously, he was side-drafting really aggressively like he would but he was touching me, it felt like. It just had me out of control, so I wish we could see what we could do.”

Kyle Busch, No. 8 Cheddar’s Scratch Kitchen Camaro ZL1

Sidelined by damage sustained in an accident at the conclusion of Stage Two.

Finished: 35th

Kyle, what happened out there?

“Just tried to get below the No. 6 (Brad Keselowski) off of (turn) two. I wasn’t quite clear, got clipped and spun out. I feel bad for my guys. We’ve been fighting hard all day long to get ourselves up there and get further up with track position. We finally got it and then all of the cautions kind of came to kind of throw off strategy. We weren’t able to get stage points and then ruined our race there with getting clipped.

Just bad luck situations. A lot of guys up there on older tires – you’re trying to get by them, make the most of your stage and then stuff like this keeps happening.”

Chase Elliott, No. 9 UniFirst Camaro ZL1

Finished: 7th

“I feel fine. We didn’t really show it with the results, but I was excited about how the day went for our No. 9 UniFirst Chevy team. We had a couple of high spots. Got the lead there when we were racing with Kyle (Larson). That’s better than normal for me, so we’ll just try to build on that and get better.

We fired off tight there a couple of times and then lost the track position. I thought we were pretty decent again that last run. Ryan (Blaney) and I got together off (turn) four and I hit him pretty good with my right-front, and I don’t think that was doing me any favors.”

AJ Allmendinger, No. 16 Action Industries Camaro ZL1

Finished: 14th

“I felt like we fought hard all day. We got the car closer overall, but we were still kind of fighting back and forth between loose and tight. The No. 16 Action Industries crew did a good job on strategy, making adjustments, and our pitstops were really good. We were able to get some stage points as well. Today was definitely something we can build on.”

William Byron, No. 24 Liberty University Camaro ZL1

Finished: 3rd

“It was an amazing effort by our No. 24 Liberty University Chevy team. We all but wrecked twice, went three laps down and came back to finish third – it’s just incredible. It’s just a testament to the strength of this race team. The tail wasn’t exactly right there at the end. It was knocked over and the car was really loose towards the end of any longer run. A tough situation, but really happy with that effort. Just a great job by this whole Liberty University Chevy team. They gave us a really hard fight, so good to come home third.”

Justin Haley, No. 31 Celsius Camaro ZL1

Finished: 18th

“We had an up and down day today. We fired off a little tight, but I was pretty optimistic about our No. 31 Celsius Camaro ZL1. Unfortunately, some pit road issues and a flat tire were indicative of our day. My crew chief, Trent (Owens), had a great strategy to get us back on the lead lap, but I felt like the flat tire did some damage early on to the splitter, so we just struggled the rest of the race. We will take a top 20 and head to Darlington next week where we had a great run last year.”

Erik Jones, No. 43 Allegiant Camaro ZL1

Finished: 21st

“It was an okay day for the No. 43 Allegiant Chevy team. Just kind of up and down and kind of a lot of chaos. Got wrecked and ended up just finishing farther back than we wanted. We’ll take it, learn from it, and hopefully be better for next week.”

TEAM CHEVY RACE HIGHLIGHTS:

Stage One

· Team Chevy drivers took the top-three starting positions in today’s NASCAR Cup Series AdventHealth 400 at Kansas Speedway, led by William Byron and the No. 24 Liberty University Camaro ZL1 team from the pole position.

· Outside front-row starter Kyle Larson drove his No. 5 HendrickCars.com Camaro ZL1 to the lead on lap five, but was spun while making the pass on the frontstretch, bringing out the first caution of the race. Making no contact with the wall, Larson was able to come down pit road for four tires and fuel, ultimately restarting at the tail end of the field.

· Running steady in the top-10, Byron started the green-flag pit cycle on lap 36 with crew chief Rudy Fugle calling Byron down pit road for four tires, fuel and a round of chassis and air pressure adjustments. Byron was hit with a speeding penalty on pit road entry, forcing the No. 24 Liberty University Camaro ZL1 team to return to pit road for a pass-through.

· The green-white checkered flew on lap 80 marking the end of Stage One. Daniel Suarez led Team Chevy at the end of the stage in the fifth position.

· After restarting in 36th after an early-race accident, Larson drove his No. 5 HendrickCars.com Camaro ZL1 back up to a 10th-place finish in Stage One.

· Team Chevy Stage One: Top-10

5th Daniel Suarez, No. 99 Worldwide Express Camaro ZL1

9th Ross Chastain, No. 1 AdventHealth Camaro ZL1

10th Kyle Larson, No. 5 HendrickCars.com Camaro ZL1.

Stage Two

· Driving back up through the field to a top-10 finish in Stage One, crew chief Cliff Daniels brought Larson down pit road for four tires and fuel. The No. 5 HendrickCars.com Camaro ZL1 pit crew powered off a fast stop with the team gaining two spots in the race off pit road.

· The No. 48 Ally Camaro ZL1 substitute driver Josh Berry entered the top-10 early in Stage Two. Running steady in the top-10, a multi-car accident took place, involving Team Chevy’s Berry and Erik Jones. Both teams were able to make repairs to their Camaro ZL1’s to return to competition.

· Nearing the end of Stage Two, a caution flew on lap 159 to setup a three-lap dash to the end of the stage. With pit strategy coming into play, a handful of drivers came down pit road, while others opted to stay out for track position.

· Battling back from an early pit road penalty, crew chief Randall Burnett called Kyle Busch down pit road for a four-tire stop, putting the No. 8 Cheddar’s Scratch Kitchen Camaro ZL1 in the 15th-position for the restart.

· In the three-lap race to the end of Stage Two, Busch was turned down the backstretch, sustaining damage from contact with the inside wall that ultimately ended the team’s day. The caution – the seventh of the day – brought the race to the conclusion of Stage Two.

· The top-nine drivers who opted not to pit at the earlier caution were able to gain valuable stage points from track position gained through pit strategy, including LEGACY MOTOR CLUB teammates Noah Gragson (third) and Erik Jones (fourth), and Richard Childress Racing’s Austin Dillon (seventh).

· Team Chevy Stage Two: Top-10

3rd Noah Gragson, No. 42 Sunseeker Resorts Camaro ZL1

4th Erik Jones, No. 43 Allegiant Camaro ZL1

7th Austin Dillon, No. 3 BetMGM Camaro ZL1

9th Kyle Larson, No. 5 HendrickCars.com Camaro ZL1

Final Stage / Post-Race Notes

· Kyle Larson led Team Chevy to the checkered flag, driving his No. 5 HENDRICKCARS.COM Camaro ZL1 to a runner-up finish.

· Five drivers from three different Chevrolet teams were represented in the top-10 of the finishing running order including Hendrick Motorsports’ Larson (second), William Byron (third) and Chase Elliott (seventh); Trackhouse Racing’s Ross Chastain (fifth); and Richard Childress Racing’s Austin Dillon (10th).

· In 12 points-paying NASCAR Cup Series races complete, Chevrolet continues to lead the series in wins (seven), top-fives (28) and top-10s (51).

 

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.

Ford Performance Notes and Quotes – NCS Kansas 1 Post-Race Quotes

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Ford Performance Notes and Quotes
NASCAR Cup Series
AdventHealth 400 | Sunday, May 7, 2023

FORD FINISHING RESULTS

6th – Joey Logano

11th – Kevin Harvick

13th – Aric Almirola

16th – Ryan Blaney

17th – Chris Buescher

19th – Brad Keselowski

23rd – JJ Yeley

24th – Todd Gilliland

26th – Michael McDowell

27th – Ryan Preece

28th – Brennan Poole

30th – Harrison Burton

31st – Austin Cindric

32nd – Chase Briscoe

JOEY LOGANO, No. 22 Shell Pennzoil Ford Mustang (Finished 6th) – “Well, if we had the right tires on, it’s pretty good. Seems like it’s an inconsistency in tires. We’ve been fighting that the last few weeks. So we got to get to the bottom of that to understand it a little better. Overall, the stage points were big. Getting a stage win was a big one – decent points with the 10 points as well. Probably with a better restart, I could have finished top-two or three. But, oh well. We just need more horsepower – all of us.”

ARIC ALMIROLA, No. 10 Smithfield Ford Mustang (Finished 13th) – “We had an okay day. We got up there and I thought we were going to run top-10, and then out of nowhere, spun off of Turn 2. Our cars are really knife-edge right now. We’re having a lot of trouble getting our cars balanced where we need it to be. There is such a small window to get the balance where we need it to be, that it just makes it really difficult to race. We can be really tight, we can be really loose, but we can’t get it in the window where we need it to be – consistent. So, we’ll just keep working.”

Toyota Racing – NCS Kansas Post-Race Report – 05.07.23

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DENNY HAMLIN SCORES MILESTONE WIN FOR JOE GIBBS RACING

Second straight victory for the team

KANSAS CITY, Kan. (May 7, 2023) – Denny Hamlin was able to get past Kyle Larson on the final lap to earn his first win of the season. The victory was Joe Gibbs Racing’s 400th NASCAR victory, and second consecutive, following Martin Truex Jr.’s victory on Monday at Dover Motor Speedway. Hamlin led four Toyotas in the top-10 finishers – Bubba Wallace (fourth), Truex (eighth) and Tyler Reddick (ninth).

Toyota Post-Race Recap
NASCAR Cup Series (NCS)
Kansas Speedway
Race 12 of 36 – 400 miles, 267 laps

TOYOTA FINISHING POSITIONS

1st, DENNY HAMLIN

2nd, Kyle Larson*

3rd, William Bryon*

4th, BUBBA WALLACE

5th, Ross Chastain*

8th, MARTIN TRUEX JR.

9th, TYLER REDDICK

34th, TY GIBBS

36th, CHRISTOPHER BELL

*non-Toyota driver

TOYOTA QUOTES

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

Finishing Position: 1st

Can you walk us through that last lap?

“It’s the new NASCAR – it’s what everyone cheers about when someone else does it. I was just trying to side draft him there and miscalculated. It was great for us to get back into position to get close to him and get him loose through (turn) one and two. I’ve got to thank FedEx, Toyota, TRD, Coca-Cola, Sport Clips, Interstate Batteries, Jordan Brand, Logitech and Shady Rays. I had such a fast car, just couldn’t get long enough runs for it to materialize. Finally, we had just enough time.”

Can you describe the execution today to get you where you needed to be?

“This is a team win. These team guys, this pit crew, stepped up in a huge way this week. I’m proud of them.”

How important was it for you to get a win here today?

“It is so important. It is a big win for Joe Gibbs Racing, for myself. Every win is very, very hard to get, so you have to take everyone you can get.”

BUBBA WALLACE, No. 23 Dr. Pepper Zero Sugar Toyota Camry TRD, 23XI Racing

Finishing Position: 4th

What were you lacking in the last part of the race?

“I don’t know. I was terrible on restarts. We would lose spots in (turns) one and two and gain about 50 back in (turns) three and four. Just a grind all day trying to figure out what we needed for our Dr. Pepper Zero Sugar Toyota Camry. Happy for Dr. Pepper. All four corners of the car, we were just missing a little something. Good day, we have to keep climbing the ladder. It’s been a frustrating start to the season, when you are thinking it is going to be your best start. We’ve got to do a little personal reset, mental reset and come out and fight and claw for everything and put together a solid race. This is our second clean race (this season). This is what happens when we have good clean races.

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

Finishing Position: 36th

What happened?

“I think I made a mistake trying to get off of turn two and got into the 1 (Ross Chastain) and spun out. Disappointing day. I felt like our SiriusXM Camry was everything I needed to compete for a good finish at least and I’m out of the race.”

Do you know what caused the incident?

“Yeah, just trying to get a little too aggressive on the side draft and got into the 1 (Ross Chastain) and spun out.”

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.

GMS Racing NCTS Race Recap: Kansas Speedway I

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Photo by Ron Olds for Speedwaymedia.com

Grant Enfinger, No. 23 Chevy Military Appreciation Chevrolet Silverado RST

START: 11TH
FINISH: 1ST
POINTS: 5TH

Post-Race Quote: Grant Enfinger, you have been so close here in the past at Kansas, what was different for you tonight with this dominant win?

“Kansas has been a good track for us, but we haven’t had a dominant truck like this in a long time. Jeff Hensley did this for me a few years ago. But lights out, we had the best Chevy Silverado out here. Thank you to Champion Power Equipment for sticking with me. It’s been a dismal year and a half. I know we came up with a win last year but overall, the season has been a little sluggish. Our first seven races was a little sluggish. I was disappointed in our execution, but Jeff talked to me before the race and gave me some encouragement. He did a heckuva job tonight but the biggest thing was these guys brought me an unbelievable Chevy Silverado. Thank you to GM and their Military Appreciation Initiative. It’s pretty special, we’ve got a red white and blue truck so definitely very very cool. Thank you to Dayne and everyone at Chevrolet, thank you to Dennis Trine, Todd, Marty, everybody at Champion Power Equipment that’s stuck with me. I definitely think this team is capable of doing this each and every week and I’m glad we sealed the deal today.”

Grant, can you break down the pass that you made with about 30 laps to go? You did a two for a pass, passed two guys for the lead. Walk me through that.

“You know Zane helped me out there they side drafted each other a little bit there, but at the end of the day, what made that pass possible was we had the best truck out here so thank you to Jeff Hensley, everyone at the fab shop, Jerry, GMS Fabrication, everybody that’s worked so hard on these things. I don’t think we’ve truly showed it but a few times in the year and a half I’ve been over here, but we’re going to show a lot more of it this year. They got side-by-side, and made it a little bit easier on us, but I feel like we had the best truck anyway.”

Rajah Caruth, No. 24 Wendell Scott Foundation Chevrolet Silverado RST

START: 13TH
FINISH: 34TH
POINTS: 17TH

Post-Race Quote: You told me what you may lack in experience in this field, you more than make up for it in passion and work ethic. Can you assign fault on this one?

“Yeah, I mean it was really close. We had a long way to go. Our No. 24 Wendell Scott Foundation Silverado was really good. I was trying to cover the top and he just kind of hooked me there. Good to know. I didn’t double-move or anything. I picked the top there and he just hooked me.

It really stinks. Our No. 24 Wendell Scott Foundation Silverado was really sporty tonight. We were going to be in a really good spot there. We were one of the first few guys on tires to go and make those guys look like they were sitting still. We had a really fast truck tonight and it sucks to not get a result for GMS Racing, BUTLERBuilt seats, Bell racing, Alpine Stars, Competition Cleaning and Shady Rays.”

Daniel Dye, No. 43 Race To Stop Suicide Chevrolet Silverado RST

START: 10TH
FINISH: 13TH
POINTS: 20TH

Post-Race Quote: “Yeah, it was a good race for sure. Pretty good showing for our Race to Stop Suicide No. 43 GMS Chevy. Pretty cool to see Grant Enfinger the No. 23 team get the win. Looking forward to going to Darlington.”

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.

Ford Performance Notes and Quotes – NCTS Kansas 1 Post-Race Quotes

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Ford Performance Notes and Quotes
NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series
Heart of America 200 | Saturday, May 6, 2023

Ford Finishing Results:
3rd – Zane Smith
11th – Matt Crafton
12th – Hailie Deegan
16th – Ben Rhodes
19th – Johnny Sauter
24th – Josh Reaume
25th – Ty Majeski
27th – Mason Maggio

ZANE SMITH, No. 38 Love’s/Speedco Ford F-150 (Finished 3rd) – FROM THE FIRST TO LAST STAGE, YOU ENGAGED IN SOME INTENSE BATTLES FOR CONTENTION. WHAT CONTRIBUTING FACTORS HELPED? “There were a lot of people out there who shouldn’t have been out there. But, the pit crew did a fantastic job of always getting us track position. Just couldn’t really choose the right lane there, and that final restart, just probably should have protected the bottom a little bit better. Just didn’t think he was going to be able to clear me while we were wide-open. It is what it is. Fast forward: Kind of gave it to the No. 23 there.”

WHAT WAS THE PIT STRATEGY IN STAGE 1, WHEN YOU STAYED OUT DURING THE PIT CYCLE? “I don’t think we assumed that many people would come down. But, it worked out for us. I hate to see the other Ford have a bad day, Ty [Majeski]’s day. But, we fortunately capitalized on stage points and had a good day at the end of the day. So, it was a good points day.”

MATT CRAFTON, No. 88 Black Label Bacon/Menards Ford F-150 (Finished 11th) – “All-in-all, it was a pathetic day from the start – from practice, to qualifying 21st, to having an oil leak and going the wrong way on adjustments. We were off on the balance all night. It’s the worst we’ve ever been here at Kansas for whatever reason. We know we had a little bit of different stuff than we’ve had in the past. We’ll keep going. Keep fighting.”

HAILIE DEEGAN, No. 13 Dible Dough Ford F-150 (Finished 12th) – WHERE DOES THIS PERFORMANCE STACK-UP IN YOUR SEASON SO FAR? “Kansas has been one of those tracks that I’ve always liked. I’ve always felt pretty confident moving around here, and knowing what I need – how to start and finish it, and how the trucks transition at nighttime. I think it’s just because I’ve done a lot of races here compared to other tracks. Overall, I think we had a pretty solid day. I used up my stuff trying to race down the No. 16 and the No. 88. They were battling with each other, drawing one another back. I saw it as an opportunity for me to jump on it, and I used up my stuff a little bit getting there. Then, I got put behind a lapped car that was on the bottom, got sandwiched there, and lost my momentum. Just from there, I couldn’t get back to them. It wasn’t turning as well – a little worn out. It is what it is. Overall, pretty solid day. There were a lot of guys that weren’t able to finish that were in front of us in points. So, I think it was overall a good points day.”

BEN RHODES, No. 99 Bommarito Ford F-150 (Finished 16th) – WAS YOUR STAGE 1 PERFORMANCE REASSURING, LEADING 17 LAPS AND BATTLING FOR THE WIN? “We had a truck that could have won today. Our Bommarito Auto Group F-150 was phenomenal – one of the best trucks I’ve had all year. One of the best trucks I’ve had in a long time. So, we’re finding innovations with our notebook and this program, getting better and better. We showed a lot of strength tonight. It’s just a shame Kyle Busch knocked the wall down and involved us in… whatever that was. Ruined our night completely. There was nothing we could have done to avoid it. We were on the same strategy as the race winning team tonight, and as we were both coming through the field, he was in a different situation and I was in the wrong spot. When Busch lost control of his truck, it just collected us. What do you do, right? You think you’re following somebody who is going to be good and not wreck their stuff. We just can never seem to finish one of these out. It seems like no matter what, I’m in the wrong place at the wrong time. Focusing on the beginning of the race, we had a lot of strengths and even with the terrible finish, we were still able to explore things under pit-stops with the truck, and we can still notebook off of that. So, that is some good news.”

TY MAJESKI, No. 98 Road Ranger Ford F-150 (Finished 25th) – WHAT HAPPENED IN THE INCIDENT WITH THE NO. 24? “We had a good truck. We got back up front there with a little bit of strategy. Thought we may have made a wrong adjustment when we were racing the No. 24 there. He was ultra aggressive blocking. So, he blocked once, then twice, and I had a run and he was a little late.”

WHAT WAS CLICKING DURING YOUR STAGE 2 VICTORY? “Yeah, we weren’t very good the first run – missed our balance from practice a little bit, and we got a good adjustment and we had two-lap fresher tires than everyone else, which made the truck better. It was a combination of both things – having a little bit fresher tires, but also making those adjustments. Overall, I think we had a good, capable truck to win tonight. It just wasn’t meant to be.”

Toyota Racing – NCTS Kansas Post-Race Report – 05.06.23

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HEIM, FRIESEN EARN TOP-FIVE FINISHES IN KANSAS
Toni Breidinger scores impressive top-15 in debut

KANSAS CITY, Kan. (May 6, 2023) – Corey Heim (second) and Stewart Friesen (fourth) finished inside the top-five to lead Toyota in the NASCAR Truck Series race at Kansas Speedway on Saturday evening. In her Truck Series debut, Toni Breidinger finished 15th, which makes the California-native the highest finishing female driver in her first Truck Series start.

Toyota Racing Post-Race Recap
NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series
Kansas Speedway
Race 8 of 23 – 134 Laps, 201 Miles

TOYOTA FINISHING POSITIONS
1st, Grant Enfinger*
2nd, COREY HEIM
3rd, Zane Smith*
4th, STEWART FRIESEN
5th, Ross Chastain*
9th, TAYLOR GRAY
10th, TYLER ANKRUM
15th, TONI BREIDINGER
18th, TANNER GRAY
20th, BRENNAN POOLE
22nd, TYLER HILL
23rd, JUSTIN CARROLL
32nd, DEAN THOMPSON
36th, TIM VIENS
*non-Toyota driver

TOYOTA QUOTES

COREY HEIM, No. 11 Safelite Auto Glass Toyota Tundra TRD Pro, TRICON Garage

Finishing Position: 2nd

What more did you need in that last stage?
“I think that last caution put a hole in our strategy a little bit. If we had that last run go green and we had the same tires as the 23 (Grant Enfinger), I thought we could beat him straight up. As soon as we got that last caution and we were on uneven tires, I knew it was going to be all track position. I got hung up trying to block the 38 (Zane Smith) and kind of took a step back from there and lost track position. Huge thank you to TRICON Garage, Toyota Racing, Safelite, everyone who makes it happen. We’ve been working really hard on our mile-and-a-half program and we have already taken a big leap in a short period of time.”

STEWART FRIESEN, No. 52 Halmar International Toyota Tundra TRD Pro, Halmar Friesen Racing

Finishing Position: 4th

How happy are you with the performance tonight?

“Yeah, this is what we needed. We need a solid run. Just had a little bit of a slow stop there at the end. We lost some track position, but great Tundra TRD Pro. Big thanks to Chris (Larsen, team owner), big thanks to Halmar, big thanks to all of our guys. Just really, really proud of our guys tonight. We have something we can build on. We are back in it. It feels good.”

TONI BREIDINGER, No. 1 Victoria’s Secret Toyota Tundra TRD Pro, TRICON Garage

Finishing Position: 15th

What did you take away from today?

“There was so much to take away. There was so much thrown on me that I haven’t got to experience before – just the aero, and being in dirty air. I feel like you experience that in ARCA, but in Trucks its amplified a million times. That was a hole new experience. I feel like everyone is really good out here. I could feel everyone side-drafting me. Nobody gives an inch. There’s a massive learning curve, but I finished a clean race and it was pretty solid in my Victoria’s Secret Tundra.”

Did you talk to anyone on what to expect?

“I bugged all of my teammates. I texted Tanner (Gray) last night, I was bugging Corey (Heim) this morning. I was talking to Dean (Thompson) all day today. I definitely asked them as many questions as possible.”

What did you take away from those discussions?

“Everyone just says drive the heck out of it. The harder you drive, the better the truck will feel. I feel like I took that away from them.”

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.

RED BULL’S SERGIO PEREZ TAKES POLE POSITION FOR THE FORMULA 1 CRYPTO.COM MIAMI GRAND PRIX 2023

By
Official Release
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  • Mexican racer starts from pole position for only the third time in his Formula 1 career
  • Qualifying comes to a dramatic end when Charles Leclerc spins his Ferrari into the wall
  • American-based Haas F1 Team claim a surprise fourth in qualifying at their home race
  • Three native Spanish speakers claim the top three positions as Fernando Alonso and Carlos Sainz clinch second and third for tomorrow’s race

MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. – Qualifying for the FORMULA 1 CRYPTO.COM MIAMI GRAND PRIX 2023 came to a dramatic conclusion at the Miami International Autodrome on Saturday afternoon when Charles Leclerc spun off the track in the dying seconds to trigger a red flag stoppage. With just over a minute left on the clock, the session was not restarted and to the delight of the Red Bull fans and Mexican contingent in the crowd, Sergio Perez claimed his third pole position in Formula 1. Leclerc’s second off-track excursion of the weekend meant no driver could improve their lap times resulting in an exciting grid for Sunday’s race.

World Champion Max Verstappen will start tomorrow’s 57-lap event in ninth after he aborted his first lap in the final Q3 qualifying period after pushing too hard in his Red Bull heading towards Turn 7. Leclerc’s spin in the same section of the racetrack was the Ferrari man’s second error this weekend — following contact with the wall yesterday — and he’ll start in seventh tomorrow.

The biggest beneficiary of the red flag was Kevin Magnussen who recorded the fourth quickest time of the session to give the American-owned Haas team a day to remember in Miami. Three native Spanish-speaking drivers on the grid took the top three positions with Fernando Alonso second in his Aston Martin ahead of Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz. With ‘Checo’ Perez only six points behind his team-mate in the title race and starting eight places higher up the grid, it will make tomorrow’s race an unmissable spectacle.

Verstappen had been favorite to take top spot after finishing the morning’s third free practice session fastest and was again quickest in the first two sessions of qualifying. But on his first run in the top ten shootout, he made a mistake around the high-speed sequence of corners before the picturesque MIA Marina and aborted his lap. It was then unfortunate the red flag prevented him from having another shot at pole.

Perez set a lap two seconds quicker than last year’s P1 time, and said: “It has been one of those weekends where I was struggling for balance and confidence. I just couldn’t figure out how to put those tenths [of a second] that I was missing all the time to Max and the Ferraris. With a small change in qualifying everything came alive and we put the lap together when it mattered.”

The two Alpines made the final Q3 shootout, along with Mercedes’ George Russell, but in contrast his team-mate Lewis Hamilton struggled and could only manage an unlucky 13th on the grid. Meanwhile local hero Logan Sargeant will start his first-ever home race in 20th place in his Williams.

Saturday’s Formula 1 action at the Miami International Autodrome took place in glorious sunshine and the crowds who visited Miami Gardens were entertained both on and off the track. Looking on from the garages were world famous guests including the tech entrepreneur Elon Musk and Jeff Bezos, the founder of Amazon. Meanwhile the party was in full swing at Hard Rock Beach Club on the outside of Turn 12 with global pop icons Jonas Brothers performing on stage and their headlining act broadcast around the whole of the Miami Campus.

More entertainment is planned on and off the track tomorrow at the FORMULA 1 CRYPTO.COM MIAMI GRAND PRIX 2023 as the action gets underway with lights out in Miami Gardens at 3.30pm local time.

About FORMULA 1 CRYPTO.COM MIAMI GRAND PRIX

The inaugural FORMULA 1 CRYPTO.COM MIAMI GRAND PRIX – recognized as Best New Event of 2022 by Sports Business Journal – made its debut on 6-8 May, 2022. Located in Miami Gardens, Florida, the 5.41km Miami International Autodrome is located within the complex of Hard Rock Stadium, the home of the legendary Miami Dolphins NFL team and features 19 corners, three straights and has top speed of 320km/h.

The 2022 race provided an additional tourist boost and economic impact to local businesses in the greater Miami region totalling $350 million. Formula 1 and South Florida Motorsports worked closely with the local community to provide 1500 tickets for the residents of Miami Gardens, ensuring they had the opportunity to experience the thrill of the sport. Additionally, South Florida Motorsports launched a programme to support both local businesses and the community to ensure they got the full benefits of the race being held in Miami Gardens. This included a STEM education programme through F1 in Schools, 12 event internships for Miami Gardens students and featured 14 minority owned restaurants on campus over the weekend.

Why is There a Suicide Clause in Life Insurance?

By
SM
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Photo by Scott Graham on Unsplash

Your life insurance policy will generally pay your beneficiaries the full death benefits the moment they file a claim upon your passing. 

However, certain causes of death, such as suicide, may impact a beneficiary’s eligibility for the life insurance payout. The death benefit could also be impacted if the policyholder passes away too early in the policy term.

This article will explain how life insurance suicide clauses work and how they can affect your death benefits and, therefore, your beneficiaries.

What is a Suicide Clause?

A suicide clause is a section of a life insurance policy that may limit the death benefit payout if the insurer determines the policyholder’s cause of death was suicide.

The suicide clause is meant to protect the insurer if an emotionally distressed policyholder purchases a policy and commits suicide to provide beneficiaries with a death benefit payout. 

Suicide Clause Timeline

Suicide clauses take effect when you pay your first premium. However, they don’t last the entire policy term. Instead, there is usually a period of a few years where the insurer can restrict death benefit payment if a suicide occurs. Some states legally limit suicide clause length.

That said, changing your policy may impact or restart the suicide clause’s timeline.

Suicide Clause vs. Contestability Period

The contestability period is when the insurer can deny a claim if the insurer discovers the policyholder failed to disclose known health conditions or other critical information on the application. This is meant to protect the insurer if the policyholder lies about a critical health condition to secure coverage for beneficiaries.

Contestability periods often last two years, overlapping with suicide clauses. However, they separate from the suicide clause.

How Beneficiaries May Be Impacted Financially

Here’s how beneficiaries could be impacted financially based on when the policyholder passes away:

Suicide Clause

If a policyholder passes away by suicide during the suicide clause period, this can prevent beneficiaries from receiving any death benefit payout. However, the insurer may refund the policyholder’s premiums to the beneficiaries.

However, if the policyholder passes away by suicide after the clause expires, their beneficiaries are still eligible to receive the full death benefit.

Contestability Period

If the policyholder passes away during the contestability period, the insurer may scrutinize the cause of death and the policyholder’s application more closely. The insurer could potentially deny claims if it finds application inaccuracies, even if they aren’t related to the cause of death. 

Alternatively, if the error is minor — such an error that would raise premiums — the insurer may reduce the death benefit payout by the amount of premiums it lost out on. 

If there are no errors, the beneficiaries receive a full payout.

If the policyholder passes away after the contestability period, the insurer will usually pay out the full death benefit unless the application contains a major error that would have impacted the policy’s underwriting.

The Bottom Line

Suicide clauses and contestability periods could pose risks to your beneficiaries by letting the insurer deny claims based on the cause of death. This protects the insurer and potentially deters policyholders from committing suicide so that they instead seek the help they need.

With that in mind, the specific terms of a policy’s suicide clause and contestability period could vary by insurer. Gather and compare quotes and speak to insurers about these clauses before proceeding with a policy.

Grant Enfinger claims first Truck Series win of the season at Kansas

By
Angie Campbell
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Photo by Ron Olds for SpeedwayMedia.com.

Grant Enfinger led 65 laps in the Heart of America 200 at Kansas Speedway Saturday night to capture his first CRAFTSMAN Truck Series win of the season. It was his first victory at the 1.5-mile track and the eighth of his Truck Series career.

After the race, Enfinger gave much of the credit to his GMR Racing team and crew chief, Jeff Hensley.

“Kansas has been a good track for us but we haven’t had a dominant truck like this in a long time.” He paused a moment, then said, “But lights out, we had the best Chevy Silverado out here. Thank you to Champion Power Equipment for sticking with me.

“It’s been a dismal year and a half,” he continued. “I know we came up with a win last year but overall the season was a little sluggish, first seven races this year were a little bit sluggish. I was disappointed in our execution

“But Jeff talked to me before the race. He gave me some encouragement. He did a heck of a job tonight. So the biggest thing is these guys just brought me an unbelievable Chevy Silverado.”

Corey Heim finished second followed by Zane Smith, Stewart Friesen, Ross Chastain, Nick Sanchez (highest-finishing rookie), Kyle Busch, Jake Garcia, Taylor Gray and Tyler Ankrum to round out the top 10. Toni Breidinger finished 15th in her series debut.

Heim thought he had a chance at the win until the final caution.

“I think that last caution (for Kris Wright’s second spin) put a hole in our strategy a little bit,” he said. “If we had that last run go green and we had the same tires as the 23 (Enfinger), I thought we could beat him straight up.

“As soon as we got that last caution and we were on uneven tires, I knew it was going to be all track position. I got hung up trying to block the 38 (Smith) and kind of took a step back from there and lost track position.”

Zane Smith and Ty Majeski are currently leading the driver standings with 323 points each with the advantage going to Smith who has two race wins and one stage win. Ben Rhodes (-41) is third followed by Corey Heim (-47) and Grant Enfinger (-56), Christian Eckes -82, Matt Crafton -88, Tanner Gray (-103), Nick Sanchez (-118) and Matt DiBenedetto (-130) rounding out the top 10 in the driver standings.

Next up for the CRAFTSMAN Truck Series is the Buckle Up South Carolina 200, next Friday at Darlington Raceway at 7:30 p.m. ET on FS1 with radio coverage by MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.

Results:

Truck-Series-Kansas-results-32308_UNOFFRES

William Byron wins Cup Series pole, Kyle Larson second, for all-Hendrick front row at Kansas

By
Angie Campbell
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Photo by Ron Olds for SpeedwayMedia.com.

William Byron topped qualifying at Kansas Speedway with a 179.206 mph lap in the No. 24 Chevrolet to claim his second pole of the season and his 10th career NASCAR Cup Series pole. The Hendrick Motorsports driver will be joined on the front row by teammate, Kyle Larson, who came up a little short with a 179.17 mph lap.

“Yeah, it feels great,” Byron said. “It feels really good to get a pole. Kansas (Speedway) is where I got my first truck win and that was really exciting, and I’ve never won here again (laughs). Hopefully, tomorrow can be a little bit better.

“We’ve been kind of inching up on it in the Cup Series at this race track. We had good runs here last year – leading the race in the spring and got a flat tire, and then finished I think sixth in the fall race. So we’ve been pretty good here, it’s just a matter of putting it all together and hopefully, tomorrow is the day.”

Larson was disappointed that he could not find enough speed to claim the pole but said, “Cool to be there on the front row with William. Wish I could have went just a little bit better. I need to look at the data to see where I gave up a little bit of time to him. Overall, I felt good about my lap and happy to be on the front row.”

He also indicated that there was still work to be done on the Hendrick cars before the race.

“Stil feel like we got to work on our cars quite a bit for race trim. I thought the Toyotas were much better.”

Chevrolet and Toyota each claimed four of the top 10 starting positions with Ford earning two.

Trackhouse Racing’s Ross Chastain was third fastest in his No. 1 Chevrolet with Toyota drivers Martin Truex Jr. and Tyler Reddick completing the top-five. Joey Logano (Ford), Ty Gibbs (Toyota), Denny Hamlin (Toyota), Daniel Suárez (Chevrolet) and Ryan Blaney (Ford) rounded out the top 10.

The AdventHealth 400 at Kansas Speedway is set for Sunday at 3 p.m. ET and will be televised on FS1 with radio coverage provided by MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.

Starting Lineup:

Kansas-Cup-Series-May-2023-starting-lineup12312_STARTROW

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