Home Blog Page 1491

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

By
Official Release
-

Ford Performance Notes and Quotes
NASCAR Cup Series
Würth 400 | Monday, May 1, 2023

FORD FINISHING RESULTS
3rd – Ryan Blaney
8th – Brad Keselowski
9th – Chris Buescher
17th – Ryan Preece
19th – Kevin Harvick
20th – Harrison Burton
22nd – Michael McDowell
24th – Aric Almirola
25th – Todd Gilliland
26th – Austin Cindric
28th – JJ Yeley
30th – Chase Briscoe
31st – Joey Logano
33rd – Brennan Poole

RYAN BLANEY, No. 12 Wabash Ford Mustang (Finished 3rd) – WAS TWO TIRES AT THE END A GOOD CALL? “Either two or we’re staying out was the call, and we came in and took two. It got us on the front row. I think if we had taken four, we would have lined-up fourth. So, it really wouldn’t have been much different. But, being on the front row gave us a shot to win. I tried to send it into [turn] three to clear the No. 19, and he did the same thing and was able to get around us. It was a really smooth day for us honestly. We ran third all day. Just didn’t have quite enough speed for those top-two guys at the end there. Overall, really great effort – especially for how we’ve been here in the past. It’s kind of been a struggle track for us, and I’m proud of the gains we made.”

DO YOU FEEL LIKE YOU AND THE TEAM ARE CATCHING YOUR STRIDE AFTER BACK-TO-BACK TOP-THREE FINISHES? “Oh, I have no idea. It’s nice to get good finishes, but we just need to keep working on it, keep running up front, and hopefully the wins come soon.”

BRAD KESELOWSKI, No. 6 Wyndham Rewards Ford Mustang (Finished 8th) – WHAT HELPED YOUR RECOVERY BACK TO THE FRONT IN THE FINAL STAGE? “We had a good recovery. Had top-five in the first stage, had a pit road issue, and we recovered from that. Solid top-10 day – drove back through. We’re not far off here. Just looking for a little more, and I felt like we were pretty close. Excited about that, proud of our day – especially Chris [Buescher] running well. Just a strong showing.”

THAT’S TWO STRAIGHT RACES THAT BOTH RFK RACING MUSTANGS HAVE PLACED INSIDE THE TOP-10. HOW REASSURING IS THAT TO YOU AND THE TEAM? “It was just a big day for us. We’re just grinding. The whole company is just grinding and committed to taking us to the next level to get both these cars in the playoffs.”

CHRIS BUESCHER, No. 17 Fastenal Ford Mustang (Finished 9th) – IS THIS FINISH A STEP IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION? “Yeah, it was a solid day. I’m really proud of our group. This Fastenal Mustang had good speed in it all day – probably fifth to 10th is probably where we were going to be. Ended up ninth with the late restart, and had a lap-down car racing us pretty hard. Jacked us up there, but at the end of the day it was solid. Everyone did a good job on pit road, kept track position, worked hard on-track, and it’s a solid one. Just wanted to be a little more free on that last race restart to see if we could drive forward a little bit more, but it was good to stay up there all day and in contention.”

RFK RACING PLACED BOTH CARS IN THE TOP-FIVE AT TALLADEGA AND NOW THE TOP-10 AT DOVER. WHAT’S BEEN CLICKING? “We knew we were going to have fast cars at Talladega, and fortunately we were able to get the good result there that probably would reflect the speed in our cars. But, it’s hard to say if that’s the one you’re going to take momentum from. This one is. This was a really good day. Especially when it’s eight or nine cars on the lead lap at the end. We stayed in it that whole time. That’s strong. I think this was about the time we hit our stride last year. I feel like we’ve had a little bit of a stronger start to the season, but not always had the results. But, we have speed, and we were able to work steadily today and be solid. We got the result we deserve and worked for.”

CHEVROLET NCS AT DOVER: Post-Race Report

By
Official Release
-

NASCAR CUP SERIES
DOVER MOTOR SPEEDWAY
WURTH 400
TEAM CHEVY POST-RACE REPORT
MAY 1, 2023

TOP TEAM CHEVY UNOFFICIAL TOP-10 RESULTS:
POS. DRIVER
2nd Ross Chastain, No. 1 Jockey Camaro ZL1
4th William Byron, No. 24 RaptorTough.com Camaro ZL1
10th Josh Berry, No. 48 Ally Camaro ZL1

TOP-FIVE UNOFFICIAL RESULTS:
POS. DRIVER
1st Martin Truex Jr. (Toyota)
2nd Ross Chastain (Chevrolet)
3rd Ryan Blaney (Ford)
4th William Byron (Chevrolet)
5th Denny Hamlin (Toyota)

The 2023 NASCAR Cup Series season continues at Kansas Speedway with the AdventHealth 400 on Sunday, May 7, 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 Jockey Camaro ZL1

Finished: 2nd

Were you surprised that the two-tire call by the No. 19 held you off with four?

“No – whoever got in the lead was going to have a shot at it.

First, I want to say so sorry to Brennan Poole and everybody at Rick Ware Racing. I owe them a big apology and a bit more. I’ll head over there tomorrow and talk to those guys, and make some of that right.

We were just so close again for our No. 1 Jockey Chevy team and everybody at Trackhouse Racing, Advent Health, Moose Fraternity, Worldwide Express. It’s surreal to continue to do this and get to race against my heroes. I guess I told him (Martin Truex Jr.) too many of my secrets last year after we went fishing.”

William Byron, No. 24 RaptorTough.com Camaro ZL1

Finished: 4th

“The middle section – I don’t know, I need to maybe do a little better job on the feedback, and then just us communicating the adjustments there. We took off, had clean air and the car was just too loose. I couldn’t load the rear tires and we were just hanging on. That run was obviously really bad – we fell from first to seventh. We just had to work our way up from there.

Proud of the effort. Getting a top-five is great. The No. 24 RaptorTough.com Chevy was really good today. Definitely needed some more, but we’re having speed at all different kinds of tracks. In our history, this hasn’t been our best track. We came with something a little bit different to try and help that. I think it did for the majority of the race, but just got too loose.”

Justin Haley, No. 31 LeafFilter Gutter Protection Camaro ZL1

Finished: 23rd

“We showed a lot of promise early on in our No. 31 LeafFilter Gutter Protection Camaro ZL1. We fired off so well and had a ton of speed. Unfortunately, as the track built up rubber and I got in dirty air, we just couldn’t find the grip we needed. The first five laps on tires we would be so good, but then we would lose grip and get super free. By the end of the race i felt like we had improved and learned so much — we just couldn’t get the track position back. We will keep focusing to get back where we need to be starting next week in Kansas.”

Noah Gragson, No. 42 Sunseeker Resorts Camaro ZL1

Sidelined by damage sustained in an accident on lap 27.

Finished: 34th

“I don’t know what happened. I tried to get to the top and search for clean air. It was a mistake on my part. The air was tricky in the back of the pack. It was tight and it got loose – I don’t know, I need to go back and look at it. It’s just been a disappointing year overall. I’m thankful for all of the guys’ efforts on our No. 42 LEGACY MOTOR CLUB team, we’ll take our Sunseeker Resorts Chevy off to Kansas next week and move on from here.”

Erik Jones, No. 43 Allegiant Camaro ZL1

Finished: 16th

“It’s a good day for our No. 43 Allegiant Chevy, you know, we were kind of back and forth on the balance throughout the day just trying to get some stuff better, but we came a long way from where we were in practice. Obviously, we were pretty off there from when we unloaded, but we got quite a bit better, quite a bit closer, but we just needed to get the balance. We missed one run and kind of got mired back and lost a lap, so we couldn’t really come back from it that late in the race. We’ll take it, move on and learn from it, and take it to Kansas next week!”

Josh Berry, No. 48 Ally Camaro ZL1

Finished: 10th

“Happy to get another top-10. I think it was a really solid day for the No. 48 Ally Chevy team. We needed a little bit more there to be a little bit better, but overall with the amount of experience I have in Cup cars, I feel like to run about where we did was really solid. Just proud of Blake (Harris, crew chief) and everybody on this team for a great job.”

Daniel Suarez, No. 99 Pitbull/Freeway Insurance Camaro ZL1

Sidelined by damage sustained in an accident on lap 34.

Finished: 35th

Suarez said he just snapped loose and got into the wall. What were the conditions like out there in the first 30 laps?

“The conditions were perfect. I don’t think it had anything to do with the track. The track was good, the car was really good. For how quick I lost the car, I think I had a tire going down or something because it happened instantly. My car wasn’t loose and I didn’t have a warning or anything. It’s unfortunate to be out of the race this early at a race track that we normally run very well at.”

TEAM CHEVY RACE HIGHLIGHTS:

Stage One

· With the starting lineup set by the NASCAR rule book, last weekend’s NASCAR Cup Series winner Kyle Busch and the No. 8 Lenovo Camaro ZL1 team led the field to the green in today’s Wurth 400 at Dover Motor Speedway.

· Busch continued to pace the field until a competition caution that flew on lap 20. The field came down pit road for the race’s first round of pit stops with crew chief Randall Burnett calling Busch down pit road for four tires, fuel and an air pressure adjustment. Busch ultimately had to restart at the rear of the field due to a speeding penalty on his pit road entry.

· Starting from 23rd, the No. 48 Ally Camaro ZL1 crew chief Blake Harris made an early pit strategy call to bring Josh Berry down pit road for right-side tires and fuel only to give Berry a top-five restart position.

· Noah Gragson spun on lap 27 to bring out the caution. The No. 42 Sunseeker Resorts Camaro ZL1 team came to pit road to make repairs on a broken toe link. Unable to make minimum speed, Gragson was forced to retire early from the race.

· The race’s second caution came at lap 34 involving Team Chevy’s Daniel Suarez and Ty Dillon. Both drivers sustained damage that was unable to be repaired, ultimately ending their day.

· Kyle Larson was involved in an accident on lap 80, sustaining right-front damage. Larson brought his No. 5 HENDRICKCARS.COM Camaro ZL1 to pit road for repairs, returning to the field in the 27th position for the restart.

· Larson returned to pit road on lap 100 for further evaluation. Having already met minimum speed, Larson was able to take his Camaro ZL1 to the garage for additional repairs.

· William Byron took the lead on two separate occasions in Stage One, leading a combined 90 laps en route to the stage win – his series-leading sixth stage win of the season.

· Team Chevy Stage One Top-10:

1st William Byron, No. 24 RaptorTough.com Camaro ZL1

5th Ross Chastain, No. 1 Jockey Camaro ZL1

10th Ricky Stenhouse Jr., No. 47 Kroger / Icy Hot Pro Camaro ZL1

Stage Two

· Under the stage break, Stage One winner William Byron came down pit road for four tires, fuel and an air pressure adjustment. The No. 24 RaptorTough.com Camaro ZL1 crew got Byron off pit road first to take a front-row starting position for the start of Stage Two.

· The race continued under green-flag conditions, forcing the field to begin a green-flag pit cycle nearing the halfway point of the stage.

· As the field cycles through green-flag pit stops, Ross Chastain drove his No. 1 Jockey Camaro ZL1 to the lead on lap 201.

· Stage Two continued caution-free with Chastain leading the field to the green-white checkered for his fourth stage win of the season.

· With 250 laps in the book at the conclusion of Stage Two, four Chevrolet drivers had led a combined 239 laps (Byron – 162 laps led; Chastain – 51 laps led; Busch – 25 laps led; and Josh Berry – 1 lap led).

· Team Chevy Stage Two Top-10:

1st Ross Chastain, No. 1 Jockey Camaro ZL1

2nd William Byron, No. 24 RaptorTough.com Camaro ZL1

9th Chase Elliott, No. 9 NAPA Auto Parts Camaro ZL1

Final Stage / Post-Race Notes

· Ross Chastain led Team Chevy to the checkered flag, driving his No. 1 Jockey Camaro ZL1 to a season-best runner-place finish.

· Four drivers from three different Chevrolet teams led a combined 319 of the 400-lap event, including William Byron (race-high 193 laps led), Ross Chastain (98 laps led), Kyle Busch (25 laps led) and Josh Berry (three laps led).

· Byron and Chastain drove Team Chevy to a sweep of the stage wins, bringing the manufacturer to a series-best 13 stage wins in 22 NASCAR Cup Series stages thus far.

· In 11 points-paying NASCAR Cup Series races complete, Chevrolet continues to lead the series in wins (seven), top-fives (25), top-10s (46), stage wins (13) and laps led (1,509).

 
 
 

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.

Toyota Racing – NCS Dover Post-Race Report – 05.01.23

By
Official Release
-

TRUEX TAKES THE CHECKERS FOR TOYOTA AT DOVER
Home Track Sweep for Truex Toyotas

DOVER, Del. (April 30, 2023) – Martin Truex Jr. claimed his first NASCAR Cup Series win since September 2021 in Monday’s postponed race at Dover Motor Speedway. Truex’s brother Ryan earned his first NASCAR Xfinity Series win on Saturday to complete the family sweep this weekend. Toyota teammates, Denny Hamlin (fifth), Christopher Bell (sixth) and Tyler Reddick (seventh) also claimed top-10 finishes, with all six Toyota Camry TRDs finishing inside the top-15.

Toyota Post-Race Recap
NASCAR Cup Series (NCS)
Dover Motor Speedway
Race 11 of 36 – 400 miles, 400 laps

TOYOTA FINISHING POSITIONS

1st, MARTIN TRUEX JR.

2nd, Ross Chastain*

3rd, Ryan Blaney*

4th, William Byron*

5th, DENNY HAMLIN

6th, CHRISTOPHER BELL

7th, TYLER REDDICK

12th, BUBBA WALLACE

13th, TY GIBBS

*non-Toyota driver

TOYOTA QUOTES

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

Finishing Position: 1st

How’d you pull it off?

“Just preserved. Just worked hard all day. James (Small) and all of the guys did a really great job. Stage two started – we were 21st or something like that restarting and had to work our way through the field and be patient. Our car came to life the second half of the race, and then once we got track position it was really good. Just fortunate to get the lead on that green flag cycle. I don’t think I would have ever passed the 1 (Ross Chastain) car if it wasn’t for that. We were both really, really equal. Enjoy racing up there today. The track was fun. Our car was really good. I just have to thank all of our partners – Bass Pro, Auto Owners, Resers, Toyota, TRD, Noble Aerospace, ROC, Textron, Flight Safety, Sherwin Williams and Oakley. It’s hard to remember all of those – all of our partners make this happen. Coach (Joe Gibbs) and our pit crew did a good job today after that first little hiccup. It takes everything to win these things, and today we had all of that and no bad luck, which we have fought for over a year now.”

How does it feel to be in the Playoffs?

“It feels great. After last year, such a disappointing year with not being able to win and all of the disappointing races where we felt like we had the best car, and it just wouldn’t come together. Things just kept happening and happening. We just kept talking about it. We’re not doing anything wrong. We just had to tighten up a couple loose ends here and there and keep our heads down and keep working hard, and that’s what all of these guys have done. Just really proud to be here today, and love this race track. Love all of the fans up here. We have a lot of friends and family up this way. It is always so special to win at this place. With Ryan (Truex) winning on Saturday – his first win – aside for sitting around in the rain for way too long, this has been an awesome weekend.”

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

Finishing Position: 5th

Solid day for you, Denny. Can you talk about your top-five finish?

“Yeah, our car was really fast. Long run was pretty good. I’m proud of this FedEx team for bringing me a car capable of winning today, but sometimes you can’t get those last few spots. It is what it is. We will work hard and try to get better.”

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.

DISAPPOINTING WEEKEND FOR No. 93 HARRISON CONTRACTING COMPANY ACURA NSX GT3 EVO22 TEAM AT NOLA MOTORSPORTS PARK

By
Official Release
-

(Deland, Fla.) May 1, 2023 — Returning to the site of the pair’s first win in 2022, Ashton Harrison and Mario Farnbacher had their sights set on repeating last year’s success in the No. 93 Harrison Contracting Company Acura NSX GT3 Evo22 with Racers Edge Motorsports and Wayne Taylor Racing with Andretti (WTRAndretti) at NOLA Motorsports Park.

The driver pairing displayed impressive speed inside the No. 93 Rely on Red Acura as Harrison qualified third for Saturday’s Race 1 and Farnbacher claimed pole position for Sunday’s Race 2 in the Fanatec GT World Challenge PRO class. As the field finally saw the green for Race 1 after a two-hour delay due to rain and standing water, track conditions played a heavy hand in the action on track. Harrison held steady in the first stint before handing over the car to Farnbacher. At first, the wet track conditions appeared manageable, but as the track began to dry, an unfortunate mistake occurred when Farnbacher hit a puddle, causing the car to go off the track and into the gravel trap, ultimately resulting in the team’s elimination from Race 1.

Sunday’s Race 2 brought better weather conditions and Farnbacher led the PRO class to the green flag from pole position. First lap contact created difficulties for the Farnbacher, but he was able to work his way back up into the lead of the PRO class. Once Harrison took over inside the No. 93 Rely on Red machine, it looked to be a promising result, possibly even a class win, before contact with the second-place class competitor forced the No. 93 Rely on Red Acura off track and into the gravel, placing the team multiple laps down and out of podium contention.

The No. 93 Harrison Contracting Company Acura NSX GT3 Evo22 with Racers Edge Motorsports and WTRAndretti team next head to the Circuit of the Americas on May 19 for Rounds 5 and 6 on the Fanatec GT World Challenge schedule.

No. 93 Harrison Contracting Company Acura NSX GT3 Evo22 DRIVER QUOTES:

Ashton Harrison:
“Obviously, not the way we expected the weekend to go. I’m really proud of everyone’s efforts at Racers Edge Motorsports, HPD and the support from Harrison Contracting and WTRAndretti because we came into the weekend really strong, and we obviously had high expectations, but I know we went into each race full push the whole time and I think we did our absolute best. Even though the results aren’t what we wanted, I do believe that we continue to showcase the performance of Racers Edge, Mario and I and the competition that we have the rest of the season. I’m looking forward to regrouping and getting ready for COTA in a few short weeks.”

Mario Farnbacher:
“It wasn’t our weekend. We had good pace, not our strongest car, but I think we had good overall pace to perform. We were able to collect some good points through the race week. Unfortunately, with the wet track in Race 1 drying, I personally made a mistake. Ashton did a fantastic opening stint, her first time in this car in the rain, so that was a very good start for her, and she gave the car to me in a good position to fight on track. Unfortunately, I had a slight mistake but that’s what happens sometimes. We’re all human and there is always room for error, even as a pro driver. Really sorry to the team and the points lost. In Race 2, we had contact from a competitor that caused damage to the car and I drove the entire stint with the effects of that damage. Ultimately, even with not the best car, we were able to get by the leading class car. Then I gave the car over to Ashton, and she did a really good job defending the lead from the second-place class car before unfortunately he made contact and took the position away and we ended up in the gravel. Very disappointed about the outcome of this weekend. We had a good car, just couldn’t make a lot of it. Sometimes you win, sometimes you lose. Obviously, this weekend wasn’t meant to be. We’ll put our heads up, learn from our mistakes and focus on Texas where we are going to come back strong and turn around from what we lost this weekend”

About Harrison Contracting
Harrison Contracting Company, Inc. (HCC) is a commercial painting and facility maintenance contracting company headquartered in Villa Rica, GA with divisional offices in Florida and Texas. HCC provides repainting/reimaging and facility maintenance services nationwide, and new construction painting across the southeastern US. At HCC, red is more than the company color, its culture. RED stands for Reliable, Experienced, and Diligent, and is the cornerstone for all we do. We are more than just your painter; we are your partner.

About the HPD Driver Academy Program
The Honda Performance Development (HPD) Driver Academy Program was developed to enable qualified racers to accelerate their racing career via ‘on-track’ and ‘off-track’ training from experienced Acura/Honda professional drivers, HPD-supported teams, and HPD personnel. The program includes sessions in the championship winning Acura NSX GT3 Evo or Honda Civic Type R TCR teaching the special knowledge and various skills required for professional sports car racing. The program is available by application-only and is limited to eight students per year.

About Honda Performance Development
Honda Performance Development, Inc., (HPD) has a rich heritage creating, manufacturing, and supporting Honda Racing and Acura Motorsports customers since 1993 from pinnacle racing in INDYCAR and IMSA to commercial racing programs. HPD is a wholly owned subsidiary of American Honda Motor Co., Inc. and leads all of Honda and Acura’s high-performance racing programs in North America, specializing in the design and development of race engines, chassis and performance parts, as well as technical and race support.

Iowa Lottery Named Official Partner of Knoxville Raceway

By
Official Release
-

KNOXVILLE, Iowa (May 1, 2023) – Fans of Knoxville Raceway hit the jackpot when officials from the “Sprint Car Capital of the World” announced that Iowa Lottery has been named an Official Partner of the legendary half-mile dirt oval located on the Marion County Fairgrounds.

Iowa Lottery will activate its partnership with Knoxville Raceway by rewarding VIP lottery players with one-of-a-kind, at-track experiences throughout the 2023 season. Meanwhile the lottery will partner with track as the presenting sponsor of the July 14 Sara Evans and Walker Montgomery concert. Finally, the partnership will reach a fever pitch August 10 with Iowa Lottery Qualifying Night for the 62nd running of the NOS Energy Knoxville Nationals.

Since the lottery’s start in 1985, Iowa Lottery players have won more than $5.4 billion in prizes while raising more than $2.3 billion for the state programs that benefit all Iowans. Today, lottery proceeds help Iowa in multiple ways. They help Iowa veterans and their families through the Iowa Veterans Trust Fund. They help the families of Iowa peace officers, firefighters and corrections employees who die in the line of duty. And they provide help for a variety of significant projects through the state General Fund.

“The Iowa Lottery seeks out exclusive experiences it can offer to its players as premium prizes, and this opportunity to partner with Knoxville Raceway delivers on that front,” said Jon Roth, Iowa Lottery Chief Revenue Officer. “We’re glad to highlight an Iowa racing institution through our work. It will be an exciting summer of racing – and winning – for lottery players and race fans.”

The Knoxville Raceway calendar of events stretches from the middle of April through mid-September and includes weekly championship racing for 410, 360 and Pro Series Sprint Cars. In addition to the famed Knoxville Nationals, the World of Outlaws, United States Auto Club (USAC), All Star Circuit of Champions and Lucas Oil Dirt Late Model Series all make regular stops at the iconic venue, drawing crowds from across Iowa and around the globe.

“Knoxville Raceway has been fortunate to build relationships with an incredible group of partners, both locally and at a national level and we’re thrilled to add Iowa Lottery to that family,” said Knoxville Raceway General Manager Jason Reed. “Our partnership with Iowa Lottery is a win-win and affords both the track and the lottery rich opportunities to grow our customer bases. We’ve been handicapped by the weather recently but we can’t wait to get the season started and introduce new fans to Knoxville Raceway and the Iowa Lottery.”

Tickets for Knoxville Raceway’s 2023 season are now available online. Suite availability, camping and parking information is also available at track’s website, Facebook, Twitter and Instagram platforms as it becomes available.

About Iowa Lottery …
Since the Iowa Lottery’s start in 1985, its profits have helped make Iowa a better place to live, work and raise a family. The Lottery provides entertainment and prizes to its players while at the same time raising billions of dollars for the state programs that benefit all Iowans. Through the years, Lottery funds have been used in a variety of ways to enhance the state, including projects to create new recreation areas, support research at Iowa’s public universities, benefit Iowa veterans, support surviving family members of Iowa peace officers and fire fighters who die in the line of duty, develop new products and techniques for agriculture, and promote tourism. For that, the Iowa Lottery thanks its players. When you play the Lottery, Iowa wins.

About Knoxville Raceway…
Located on the Marion County Fairgrounds in Knoxville, Iowa, Knoxville Raceway is a half-mile dirt track that hosts winged CT525, 360- and 410-winged sprint car racing Saturday nights from April to September. The “Sprint Car Capital of the World” also hosts the Knoxville Nationals, sprint car racing’s most prestigious event, every August. Additionally, the storied venue hosts the 360 Knoxville Nationals as well as the Late Model Knoxville Nationals. Knoxville Raceway is the third-largest outdoor stadium in Iowa with 20,377 seats and 33 luxury suites.

CORVETTEPARTS.NET TO HONOR KEVIN HARVICK WITH NO.43 CHEVY THROWBACK SCHEME

By
Official Release
-

KeenParts.com / CorvetteParts.net will run a special throwback scheme honoring NASCAR legend Kevin Harvick at the upcoming NASCAR Throwback Weekend at Darlington Raceway. Ryan Ellis and the No.43 Chevy Camaro will run a scheme inspired by Kevin Harvick’s infamous GM Goodwrench Quicksilver scheme he ran in 2005 in the NASCAR All-Star race.

Harvick announced earlier this year that the 2023 season would be his last full-time season in the NASCAR Cup Series. His Hall-of-Fame caliber career has been highlighted by a NASCAR Cup Series championship in 2014, a Daytona 500 win in 2007, two NASCAR Xfinity Series championships (2001 and 2006), and 60 NASCAR Cup Series victories.

Keen Parts is a leading manufacturer and retailer of Corvette parts and accessories. We have over thirty years of happy customers all over the world and look forward to helping you with your Corvette needs. We are not an anonymous Corvette website. Our retail shop and warehouses are located in Cleves, Ohio, just north of Cincinnati. We are right off Interstate Highway I-74 and only six minutes from Cincinnati. We stock parts available for Corvettes from 1953 to the present. If you own a Corvette, we have the Corvette parts and accessories that you need! Visit www.CorvetteParts.net or call 1-800-757-KEEN (5336).

“I’ve been racing in NASCAR now for about eleven years now, and Kevin is one of those guys I’ve looked up to since before I even entered the sport,” said Ryan Ellis, driver of the No.43 CorvetteParts.net Chevy Camaro. “He’s an old-school driver who has earned respect through hard work and has done a phenomenal job representing our sport. He’s definitely one of my favorite drivers, and I know he is also one of TJ Keen’s favorites. I really hope we can do a great job on track carrying this beautiful scheme around Darlington Raceway, and I hope that fans love this scheme as much as we do. Tom and TJ Keen have always been so big on giving drivers and teams the opportunity to choose throwback schemes. TJ even let me honor my grandfather a few years ago with a throwback scheme that meant nothing to anyone outside of

my family, so for us to be able to race a scheme that honors a driver we’re both a big fan of, hopefully, gives her some of the joy that she and Tom have been able to provide for us for years. And hopefully, it helps draw attention to their Corvette Parts business CorvetteParts.net because they work so hard to support teams like ours.”

Ellis briefly stepped away from the driver’s seat in 2016 as a career to become the Director of Marketing and Public Relations for Go Fas Racing. It was there that he met Tom and TJ Keen of CorvetteParts.net. When Go Fas closed its doors at the end of the 2020 season, Ellis took the leap back into the driver’s seat, primarily supported by the long-time sponsor of the GFR team, CorvetteParts.net / Keen Parts. Since then, the Keen’s have backed Ellis, leading to him joining the Alpha Prime Racing team in 2022. They’re scheduled to be the primary sponsor for Ellis and the No.43 Chevy for six races this season, with Darlington being the first of the six.

TUNE-IN INFORMATION:
The Shriner’s Children’s 200 will be broadcasted live on FOX beginning at 1:30 pm ET Saturday, May 13th. A brief 30-minute practice for Saturday’s 200-mile race will take place Friday at 5:05 pm, with single-car qualifying following at 5:35 pm. Radio coverage will be on the Motor Racing Network and SiriusXM.

ABOUT KEEN PARTS / CORVETTEPARTS.NET
Keen Parts is a leading manufacturer and retailer of Corvette parts and accessories. We have over thirty years of happy customers all over the world and look forward to helping you with your Corvette needs. We are not an anonymous Corvette website. Our retail shop and warehouses are located in Cleves, Ohio, just north of Cincinnati. We are right off Interstate Highway I-74 and only six minutes from Cincinnati. We stock parts available for Corvettes from 1953 to the present. If you own a Corvette, we have the Corvette parts and accessories that you need! Visit www.CorvetteParts.net or call 1-800-757-KEEN (5336).

ABOUT ALPHA PRIME RACING:
Alpha Prime Racing is a NASCAR Xfinity Series team co-owned by NASCAR driver Tommy Joe Martins and Alpha Prime Sports Founder and CEO Caesar Bacarella. The team was initially founded in 2009 under the name Martins Racing and has since grown into a three-car Chevrolet team, adding the No. 43 Chevrolet in 2023, primarily piloted by Ryan Ellis.

Blake Bainbridge Joins GMS Racing as Crew Chief for the No. 43 NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series Team

By
Official Release
-

STATESVILLE, NC (May 1st, 2023): GMS Racing today announced a shift in leadership for the No. 43 NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series team, effective immediately ahead of the next race at Kansas Speedway.

Blake Bainbridge will assume the role of Crew Chief for Daniel Dye, replacing Travis Sharpe, who has amicably parted ways with the organization. Bainbridge joins the team from Halmar-Friesen Racing, where he most recently served as Crew Chief on the No. 52 NCTS entry driven by Stewart Friesen.

Bainbridge’s experience in the NASCAR industry runs far and wide spanning over two decades, holding a career both on top of the pit box and behind the wheel. In addition to his knowledge of the NCTS garage, the Hueytown, AL native has also spent time competing in the ARCA Menards Series and NASCAR Xfinity Series, where in 2004, he won at Darlington Raceway for Rusty Wallace Racing with driver Jamie McMurray.

“You know, I’m really looking forward to taking on a new challenge with all the talented people at GMS Racing. I haven’t really known Daniel all that well, but from looking at how well he was able to run in ARCA last year, I can tell that he is hungry to prove himself. Having the chance to guide a rookie is something that I’ve thoroughly enjoyed during my career, so working Daniel is going to be fun. I’m thankful for the opportunity and am ready to make the most out of this season with our No. 43 team.” remarked Bainbridge.

Daniel Dye continues to challenge for Sunoco Rookie Of The Year honors during his freshman season. The second-generation driver from Deland, Florida, made the move up the development ladder following a successful year-and-a-half stint in the ARCA Menards Series in which he won at Berlin Raceway in 2021 and finished runner up in the series points standings in 2022. In seven NCTS races ran this year, Dye ranks 21st in points with a best finish of 16th place at Atlanta Motor Speedway.

“We are always looking at the ways we can improve our program and believe that bringing Blake onto the team will do just that. Blake is well-known in the garage area and has a ton of talent, so he will be a perfect fit for Daniel as he continues to learn the ropes of the Truck Series in his rookie year. We are appreciative of everything that Travis has done for our organization in helping build our third truck team, and definitely want to wish him the best moving forward in his career.” stated Tom Ackerman, Technical Director for GMS Racing.

The next event for the NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series will be held at Kansas Speedway on Saturday, May 6th. Fans can tune-in to FOX Sports 1, MRN Radio, and Sirius XM NASCAR for live coverage of the Heart of America 200. Continued updates on GMS Racing will be shared via the team’s social media handles, @GMSRacingLLC.

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.

Spectacular Spa one-two for TOYOTA GAZOO Racing

By
Official Release
-

Toyota City, Japan, May 1, 2023 – (JCN Newswire) – TOYOTA GAZOO Racing won an exciting one-two victory in the 6 Hours of Spa-Francorchamps after a spectacular third round of the 2023 FIA World Endurance Championship (WEC) in Belgium.

Mike Conway, Kamui Kobayashi and Jose Maria Lopez won the race from pole position in the #7 GR010 HYBRID to earn a Hypercar hat-trick for TOYOTA GAZOO Racing from the opening three races of 2023, following the team’s victories in Sebring and Portimao.

A remarkable fightback from a back-row start saw Sebastien Buemi, Brendon Hartley and Ryo Hirakawa, in the #8 GR010 HYBRID, earn an unexpected second place. They now lead the drivers’ World Championship by five points over the #7 crew.

Its seventh consecutive Spa victory means TOYOTA GAZOO Racing takes a 33-point World Championship lead over Ferrari into the centenary edition of the Le Mans 24 Hours on 10-11 June, the mid-point in the seven-race season.

Multiple incidents, changing weather and close battles throughout the 37-car field entertained a 72,000-strong crowd as a record 13 Hypercars fought for supremacy around the spectacular 7.004km Spa circuit, located just 120km from the team’s base in Cologne, Germany.

The action began right from the start when Mike led away on dry tyres, despite light rain. He dropped to seventh against competitors on wet tyres, but soon had a grip advantage and took sixth prior to a safety car period. Sebastien, also on dry tyres, made up an impressive 15 places on the opening lap.

The GR010 HYBRIDs charged through the field at the restart. Mike went from sixth to the lead in just over a lap whilst Sebastien cleared the LMP2 field and took seventh by lap 10. He maintained that momentum, passing the Glickenhaus and #5 Porsche on his way to fourth before the first pit stops.

Mike extended his lead to 30secs until the second-placed #3 Cadillac crashed after the 90-minute mark, and the resulting safety car closed the field. That incident put Sebastien into third and the GR010 HYBRIDs were soon running one-two after the Porsche #6 suffered a technical issue early in the third hour.

Jose took the wheel of the #7 and stretched his lead over Ryo, who was struggling with balance issues in the #8. He led by around a minute at half distance, but the gap was again reduced by another safety car period, midway through the fourth hour.

Jose held a slender lead when he handed the #7 to Kamui with just under two hours remaining. Brendon replaced Ryo in the #8 and briefly led, until Kamui overtook thanks to his hotter tyres, but the battle was put on hold moments later due to yet another safety car.

That set up a grandstand finish between the GR010 HYBRIDs with little separating the pair in the closing stages. With 45 minutes remaining, they made their final pit stops and Kamui resumed just behind Brendon, but closing fast after setting the fastest lap of the race.

A thrilling overtake at Raidillon put the #7 back in front and Kamui stretched his lead, taking the chequered flag after 148 laps to earn the #7 GR010 HYBRID’s second win of the season, by 16.637secs from Brendon in a perfect preparation for the Le Mans 24 Hours on 10-11 June.

Kamui Kobayashi (Team Principal and driver, car #7):

“That was a fantastic job from the whole team to get the maximum result possible from this race. Thank you to the team and everyone who supports us for their big effort to achieve this. It was absolutely amazing to drive the GR010 HYBRID here at Spa, especially in front of a such a crowd. I really felt a big support today; I have never seen so many spectators around here. It has been a challenging week, particularly in terms of tyre management. When you have new tyres you have massive grip but you get degradation so it was not easy to decide how much to push. We can be very happy to be here with a one-two after no issues during the race, considering how challenging it has been. In my stint I was fighting with the #8 car and it is never easy to fight against your team-mate but I think we made a good show. Now we aim to keep this going for Le Mans.”

Kamui Kobayashi (Team Principal and driver, car #7):

“That was a fantastic job from the whole team to get the maximum result possible from this race. Thank you to the team and everyone who supports us for their big effort to achieve this. It was absolutely amazing to drive the GR010 HYBRID here at Spa, especially in front of a such a crowd. I really felt a big support today; I have never seen so many spectators around here. It has been a challenging week, particularly in terms of tyre management. When you have new tyres you have massive grip but you get degradation so it was not easy to decide how much to push. We can be very happy to be here with a one-two after no issues during the race, considering how challenging it has been. In my stint I was fighting with the #8 car and it is never easy to fight against your team-mate but I think we made a good show. Now we aim to keep this going for Le Mans.”

Mike Conway (Driver, car #7):

“It was a crazy race but a great result for both cars. It was a tricky call at the beginning on the tyres but we knew it probably wasn’t going to rain again. We just had to survive as best we could. I lost a lot of positions but when the track dried, we had the right tyres and I picked off the guys ahead. The race went well but it was hard because as soon as we built a gap, it was eroded by a safety car. We made some good calls and Kamui and Jose did mega stints, pushing all the way to the end. Car #8 did well to finish second, so I am really happy to get such a result for the team.”

Jose Maria Lopez (Driver, car #7):

“I am very happy for the team to get a one-two from such a difficult race. As usual here at Spa the track conditions were challenging. We made a tough call to start with slicks on a damp track but it really paid off, thanks to Mike’s great stint. There were different emotions during the race; endurance racing is always like this. At one point I had a comfortable lead then the safety car reset it to zero. I had cars behind me on better tyres so had to deal with that. It was a brilliant performance by everyone on the team; the engineers, pit crew, Mike and Kamui, and of course the #8 car. I am so happy for everyone who worked very, very hard this weekend. It has not been easy but it paid off.”

Sebastien Buemi (Driver, car #8):

“Second place is a great recovery drive. Starting 36th on the grid and coming back to second place, after actually fighting for the win, is a real achievement. The win for car #7 makes it a perfect day and I am really happy for the team. It was an eventful race, particularly at the beginning with the rain, but I tried to stay out of trouble and just continue to move up the field. This is a good preparation for Le Mans; now we can get ready for June.”

Brendon Hartley (Driver, car #8):

“It is an amazing result for the whole team and a big recovery job from our car. Sebastien made an amazing start in tricky conditions and got through the field cleanly, after the team made the right call on tyres. That was a big decision, but it was the right one. Car #7 deserved the victory because they had a little more pace than us today, particularly in the middle part of the race. We went in a different direction on set-up; I couldn’t challenge Kamui in the final stint. We were one set of tyres down after what happened in qualifying so we can be very happy to finish second and take these points.”

Ryo Hirakawa (Driver, car #8):

“Considering our starting position, I am quite happy with this result. It was not easy all week, but we kept fighting and never gave up. Big thanks to the engineers, mechanics and of course Sebastien and Brendon who drove really well, for making it possible to recover a strong result after the disappointment in qualifying. A one-two for the team is the perfect result and the best preparation for Le Mans. Now I am looking forward to that.”

6 Hours of Spa-Francorchamps – Result:
1st #7 TOYOTA GAZOO Racing 148 laps
2nd #8 TOYOTA GAZOO Racing +16.637secs
3rd #51 Ferrari AF Corse (Pier Guidi/Calado/Giovinazzi) +1min 14.439secs
4th #5 Porsche Penske (Cameron/Christensen/Makowiecki) +1min 17.264secs
5th #2 Cadillac Racing (Bamber/Lynn/Westbrook) +1 lap
6th #38 Hertz Team Jota (Da Costa/Stevens/Ye) +1 lap

News URL: https://www.acnnewswire.com/press-release/english/83444/

URL: https://plus.google.com/+toyotaglobal | Facebook : https://www.facebook.com/ToyotaMotorCorporation/ | Twitter : https://twitter.com/TOYOTA_PR/ | Youtube : https://www.youtube.com/user/toyotajpchannel/ | Linkedin : https://linkedin.com/company/toyota |

Toyota Gazoo Racing North America NHRA Charlotte Post-Race Report — 4.30.23

By
Official Release
-

TWO TOYOTA GR SUPRAS MAKE CHARLOTTE FUNNY CAR FINAL ROUND APPEARANCE
Torrence Takes Toyota Top Fuel Dragster to Final Round

CHARLOTTE (April 30, 2023) – Two Toyota GR Supra Funny Cars made their way into the final quad in Sunday’s Four-Wide Nationals at zMax Dragway in Concord, N.C. Alexis DeJoria and Ron Capps transferred into the final round after weather wreaked havoc on the overall race schedule. DeJoria was able to secure a runner-up result with a pass at 3.872 seconds. Capps would claim semi-final points with a pass at 3.923 seconds.

In Top Fuel dragster competition, Steve Torrence advanced to the final quad, but would red light and his time disallowed in the last round.

The NHRA Drag Racing Series will enjoy two off-weekends before returning to competition at Route 66 Raceway in Joliet, IL, May 19-21.

Toyota Post-Race Recap
NHRA Camping World Drag Racing Series
zMax Dragway
Race 5 of 21

TOYOTA TOP FUEL FINISHING POSITIONS

NameCarFinal ResultRound-by-Round
Steve TorrenceCapco Contractors Toyota Top Fuel DragsterSemi-FinalW. 3.697 vs. J. Hart (W) 3.702 vs. T. Schumacher 3.753 vs. D. Mercier DNS W. 3.705 vs. J. Hart (W) 3.706 vs. D. Foley 3.791 vs. B. Force 7.420 L. 3.717 (red light) vs. A. Prock (W) 3.684 vs. L. Pruett 3.708 vs. J. Hart 3.756
Justin AshleyPhillips Connect Toyota Top Fuel DragsterRound TwoW. 5.820 vs. A. Prock (W) 3.686 vs. J. McNeal 4.607 vs. M. Salinas 5.853 L. 4.224 vs. A. Prock (W) 3.715 vs. L. Pruett 3.753 vs. P. Dakin 3.774
Shawn LangdonCMR Construction & Roofing Toyota Top Fuel DragsterRound OneL. 6.932 vs. L. Pruett (W) 3.702 vs. P. Dakin (W) 3.757 vs. D. Kalitta 5.799 
Antron BrownMatco Tools Toyota Top Fuel DragsterRound OneL. 6.346 vs. B. Force (W) 3.694 vs. D. Foley (W) 3.779 vs. C. Millican 5.268
Doug KalittaMac Tools Toyota Top Fuel DragsterRound OneL. 5.799 vs. L. Pruett (W) 3.702 vs. P. Dakin (W) 3.757 vs. S. Langdon 6.932

TOYOTA FUNNY CAR FINISHING POSITIONS

NameCarFinal ResultRound-by-Round
Alexis DeJoriaBandero Tequila Toyota GR Supra Funny CarFinal RoundW. 3.854 vs. C. Green (W) 3.951 vs. M. Hagan 4.343 vs. D. Creasy Jr. 4.469 W. 3.883 vs. R. Capps (W) 3.881 vs. B. Tasca III 5.302 vs. C. Green 4.228 L. 3.872 vs. R. Hight (W) 3.888 vs. R. Capps 3.923 vs. J. Force 3.924
Ron CappsNAPA Auto Parts Toyota GR Supra Funny CarSemi-FinalW. 3.885 vs. B. Tasca III (W) 3.891 vs. T. Wilkerson 5.276 vs. D. Richards 7.659 W. 3.881 vs. A. DeJoria (W) 3.883 vs. B. Tasca III 5.302 vs. C. Green 4.228 L. 3.923 vs. R. Hight (W) 3.888 vs. A. DeJoria 3.872 vs. J. Force 3.924
J.R. ToddDHL Toyota GR Supra Funny CarRound OneL. 5.530 vs. R. Hight (W) 3.926 vs. M. McIntire Jr. (W) 3.940 vs. A. Laughlin 4.155

TOYOTA QUOTES

RON CAPPS, NAPA Auto Parts Toyota GR Supra Funny Car, Ron Capps Motorsports

Final Result: Semi-Final

How challenging is a weekend like this with weather issues and four-wide racing?

“These are tough weekends, and these four-wide races add so many different elements on top of everything else. Not to mention, to have the weather like we had and working around that all weekend, it was challenging, but I’m so proud of my team because we worked hard and were able to turn things around on race day. Of course, it hurts not to win the race. We really felt like we were going to run an .85 or an .84, and that’s what Guido was trying to do, but not a bad weekend overall considering where it started.”

JUSTIN ASHLEY, Phillips Connect Toyota Top Fuel Dragster, Davis Motorsports

Final Result: Round Two

After an exciting advancement out of round one, how did you feel about round two?

“We qualified really well and we stole one in round one so we felt good going into round two. We couldn’t capitalize on that round, but we’ll learn from it and will move on to Chicago. I enjoy the four-wides, but I’m looking forward to getting back to the more traditional style of racing. We’ll go back to the shop and look at everything to continue to find ways to improve just like everyone else out here. I feel good about having a fast and consistent race car at this point in the year. We’re happy with where we are right now and there is going to be a lot of shuffling in the points between now and when the countdown starts.”

ANTRON BROWN, Matco Tools Toyota Top Fuel Dragster, AB Motorsports

Final Result: Round One

Coming off of the win in Las Vegas, how frustrating is it to get eliminated first round in Charlotte?

“This certainly wasn’t the race day we were looking for here at Charlotte coming off the win at (Las) Vegas two weeks ago and here last fall, but it just wasn’t meant to be today. This zMax track was tough to tame after the rains overnight and we just had too much power in that first round. We’ll learn from this and lick our wounds and get ready for Joliet (Ill.) in a few weeks. And we’re excited to get back to Route 66 (Raceway) and the Chicagoland area for the first time in a few years. That’s a great market for Matco Tools and FVP and Factory Motor Parts and the home track for FDC Coffee and we want to put on a good show for our partners. And, we get to race in the Mission 2Fast 2Tasty Challenge on Saturday for the first time. It’s a long season, we’ll regroup and hit it hard at Joliet.”

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.

Mercedes-AMG GT3 Teams and Drivers Secure Three Overall Race Wins and a Podium Lockout in Fanatec GT World Challenge and GT America Competition at NOLA Motorsports Park

By
Official Release
-

NEW ORLEANS, Louisiana – Mercedes-AMG Motorsport Customer Racing teams and drivers across three racing series delivered another winning performance in SRO Motorsports America Competition at NOLA Motorsports Park this weekend. Three Mercedes-AMG GT3 teams combined to secure three overall race wins and a podium lockout to highlight a string of additional class wins, podium finishes and a Mercedes-AMG GT4 runner-up result decided in a photo finish.

For the second-straight SRO Motorsports America event, the weekend’s overall race winners were the No. 04 CrowdStrike Motorsports with Riley Mercedes-AMG GT3, co-driven by George Kurtz and Colin Braun, and the No. 101 TKO Motorsports Mercedes-AMG GT3 of Memo Gidley.

Both teams factored into the most impressive result of the weekend which was a top-three podium lockout in Sunday’s second GT America powered by AWS 40-minute sprint race. Gidley took the victory to sweep the NOLA weekend with his third and fourth GT America victories in this season’s first six races. He was joined on the podium by Kurtz in second and a resurgent Jason Daskalos who finished third in the No. 27 CRP Racing Mercedes-AMG GT3.

After just missing out on a podium finish last month at Sonoma Raceway, Daskalos also followed Gidley to the finish line in Saturday’s opening GT America race for a top-two Mercedes-AMG GT3 finish that was topped only by Sunday’s result. The strong NOLA finishes provisionally keep both Gidley and Daskalos first and second in the GT America early-season championship standings after the first half-dozen of this year’s 18 scheduled races.

Kurtz closed out the NOLA weekend with a convincing overall and Pro-Am class victory in Sunday’s featured Fanatec GT World Challenge America 90-minute race. Co-driving with longtime teammate Colin Braun, Kurtz stayed clear of several late-race incidents to secure his and the team’s second victory in this year’s first four GT World Challenge races.

Saturday’s rain-delayed GT World Challenge opener saw co-drivers Scott Smithson and Bryan Sellers step up for the best Mercedes-AMG results of the race with a second-place Pro-Am finish and top-five overall result in the No. 08 DXDT Racing Mercedes-AMG GT3.

In Pirelli GT4 America competition, co-drivers Michai Stephens and Jesse Webb couldn’t have come closer to their first overall race win together in the No. 34 Conquest Racing/JMF Motorsports Mercedes-AMG GT4 on Sunday. The 60-minute race was the only Pirelli GT4 race of the NOLA weekend after Saturday’s scheduled opener was postponed after a lengthy rain delay.

On Sunday, Stephens and Webb appeared to take their third-straight class win and maiden overall victory after co-driving to a pair of Silver-division victories in their first race weekend together last month in Sonoma. Stephens muscled past the race leader on the final lap of the race, but a drag race down the front straight to the checkered flag was too close to call.

Although race timing reports list Stephens as taking the No. 34 across the finish line .004 of a second ahead, officials awarded the victory and Silver-class win to their competitor by a similar margin after an apparent photo-finish review.

Saturday’s scrubbed race is expected to be added as third make-up race on a scheduled Pirelli GT4 doubleheader event weekend later in the season.

Additional NOLA weekend winners included Anthony Bartone and Andy Pilgrim in the No. 43 Bartone Bros. Racing with RealTime Mercedes-AMG GT3. The team and drivers secured uncontested Am-class wins in both Fanatec GT World Challenge races to highlight an otherwise up-and-down weekend that was considered a learning experience.

Next up for Mercedes-AMG Motorsport Customer Racing teams in SRO Motorsports America competition is an all-series weekend of competition at Circuit of The Americas (COTA) in Austin, Texas, May 19 – 21. Mercedes-AMG Motorsport customer GT Daytona (GTD) and GTD Pro teams in turn next compete in the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship race at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca, May 12 – 14.

Memo Gidley, Driver – No. 101 Flying Lizard/TKO Motorsports Mercedes-AMG GT3: “Frankly, I didn’t think we had it this weekend until Saturday morning. We made a couple of changes and went out in qualifying, and it shocked me. The car was feeling really good, and I knew we had a good chance then. On new tires, we were fastest again. We got caught in traffic, and second place was closing, but our car was better with the tires. The longer we went, I could just keep peeling off the laps without trying to hustle the car too much. On Sunday, I just put my head down and tried to get a little bit of a gap so that those guys would battle each other, and ultimately that’s what I think hurt them and allowed me to have some clear laps. The TKO Mercedes-AMG GT3 was hooked up and really great. The foundation of this group comes from Flying Lizard, which is awesome. TKO Motorsports stepped in and sponsors my car and provides people as well, and it’s the same thing. The entire group is very competitive.”

George Kurtz, Driver – No. 04 CrowdStrike Motorsports with Riley Mercedes-AMG GT3: “You’ve got to give credit to the CrowdStrike Riley team. They did a fantastic job, the strategy was amazing, they kept Colin out for as long as possible and gave me a great lead. We had a perfect pit stop. We made it interesting with a few restarts, but we were able to pull it out and it was a picture-perfect win. The Mercedes-AMG GT3 was so good here, it just did everything really well. The GT America race was great for Mercedes-AMG, one-two-three. We came from behind two spots to get P2, really battled hard with Jason, and I just had to pick my spot at the end. There were only a few minutes left, so we got it done in the esses through traffic and were able to put it away. We’re happy to be a part of the Mercedes-AMG family and look forward to the next race.”

Colin Braun, Driver – No. 04 CrowdStrike Motorsports with Riley Mercedes-AMG GT3: “I’m super proud of the strategy from the guys on the box. They are the best in the business. It was full push and I think we dropped a second a lap and put some good laps in to build the gap. It looked like it was going to be a relatively straightforward day and then we got all those yellows at the end. George did a fantastic job surviving the restarts each time and it was just very good execution all around.”

Bryan Sellers, Driver – No. 08 DXDT Racing Mercedes-AMG GT3: “We’re really close as a team. I think you can see a lot of potential from both cars. You can see some speed from both cars. Now it’s trying to get things to fall in our direction a little bit. For sure, we have a little bit more work to do in terms of speed to get the last little bit out, so we have to figure out how to get there to get a win. But I’m very happy with how the team is progressing. Each week we continue to build more and more continuity and more and more confidence and knowledge. I’m really looking forward to the next couple here and seeing what the future brings.”

Anthony Bartone, Driver – No. 43 and No. 427 Bartone Bros. Racing with RealTime Mercedes-AMG GT3: “We had some ups and downs this weekend. At the end of the day, as long as we learned something, that’s the objective. In GT America race one, I made a mistake and then in race two we got a penalty. I just went back out and worked on my race craft and got some guys. In Fanatec GT World Challenge we keep refining the car and getting more seat time for the future.”

Michai Stephens, Driver – No. 34 Conquest Racing/JMF Motorsports Mercedes-AMG GT4: “The racing just goes to show how wonderful this series and the car itself is. All due credit to the Mercedes-AMG GT4 platform with the support of JMF/Conquest Racing and a tremendous teammate in Jesse Webb. It was nice to be there on the final step, and we tried to put it across the line nose first and we just got edged out at the end. So be it. We’re here, we’re enjoying all that we can, and it was neat that the Mercedes-AMG GT4 was still under us at the end of the race.”

Jesse Webb, Driver – No. 34 Conquest Racing/JMF Motorsports Mercedes-AMG GT4: “This Mercedes-AMG GT4 is a beautiful platform to drive. It’s so balanced and a driver’s car. It was an unfortunate end to the day, but P2 is still a great result for us. What an incredible finish to be side by side across the line, and the entire race was a scrap the whole way through. It was one that kept you on the edge of your seat and I can’t complain. It was a good day at the office.”

1...1,4901,4911,492...6,650Page 1,491 of 6,650