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Realtree Racing: Kevin Harvick Martinsville Advance

By
Official Release
-

KEVIN HARVICK
Martinsville Advance
No. 4 Realtree/Hunt Brothers Pizza Ford Mustang for Stewart-Haas Racing

Event Overview

● Event: NOCO 400 (Round 9 of 36)
● Time/Date: 3 p.m. EDT on Sunday, April 16
● Location: Martinsville (Va.) Speedway
● Layout: .526-mile oval
● Laps/Miles: 400 laps/210.4 miles
● Stage Lengths: Stage 1: 80 laps / Stage 2: 100 laps / Final Stage: 220 laps
● TV/Radio: FS1 / MRN / SiriusXM NASCAR Radio

Notes of Interest

● Kevin Harvick is on the hunt for his first win of 2023 and the 61st of his NASCAR Cup Series career, so it’s only appropriate that he rolls into Martinsville (Va.) Speedway for Sunday’s NOCO 400 with Realtree on his No. 4 Ford Mustang. The unique car design features Realtree’s Hardwoods 20-200 camouflage pattern, and it’s a throwback to Harvick’s first race with Realtree – an ARCA Menards Series race on Oct. 16, 1999 at Talladega (Ala.) Superspeedway for Richard Childress Racing (RCR) where Harvick finished third. Realtree is the world’s leading designer of photorealistic camouflage and the company has more than 2,000 licensees utilizing Realtree patterns and the brand. Thousands of outdoor and lifestyle products are available in Realtree camouflage patterns. Said Bill Jordan, president and CEO of Realtree: “Realtree has been a proud supporter and friend of Kevin Harvick since he first drove our car 24 years ago. Having Kevin run a Realtree paint scheme for one of his final races only seems fitting. We know the relationship extends far beyond what we’ve done together in NASCAR, and we cannot thank Kevin enough for all he has meant to the Realtree brand for all these years. We wish him the best in retirement and have a feeling we’ll see him in Realtree again – even if it’s not on the racetrack.”

● In his 23-year career as a NASCAR Cup Series driver, Harvick has proven to be incredibly consistent at Martinsville. The driver of the No. 4 Realtree/Hunt Brothers Pizza Ford Mustang for Stewart-Haas Racing (SHR) has made 43 Cup Series starts at the .526-mile oval and recorded 20 top-10s, the third-highest tally among active Cup Series drivers. Only Denny Hamlin (23 top-10s) and Kyle Busch (21 top-10s) have more.

● Among those 20 top-10s earned by Harvick at Martinsville is a win in April 2011. He defeated Dale Earnhardt Jr., by .727 of a second to win the Goody’s Fast Relief 500. It was Harvick’s 20th NASCAR Cup Series start at the track and his 16th career Cup Series victory. Harvick now has 60 career Cup Series wins and is 10th on the all-time win list.

● Harvick’s next best finish outside of that lone Martinsville win in April 2011 is a third-place drive in October 2010, the race that preceded Harvick’s victory. It was the start of a three-race run of top-fives at Martinsville, as Harvick followed his win with a fourth-place effort in the series’ return to the facility in October.

● Harvick’s best Martinsville finish since joining SHR in 2014 is a pair of fifth-place results – Oct. 29, 2017 and March 20, 2018.

● Martinsville is the shortest track on the NASCAR Cup Series schedule, and its tight corners with only 12 degrees of banking means that beating and banging – be it door-to-door or bumper-to-bumper – is commonplace. But that also means accidents are prevalent, and being able to keep one’s car running from start to finish is easier said than done. In Harvick’s 43 career Cup Series starts at Martinsville, he has an impressive lap completion rate of 98.4 percent. That means that of the 21,443 laps available to Harvick, he has failed to complete just 344 of those laps. Among active drivers, only Kurt Busch has completed more laps at Martinsville (21,285), but with one more start than Harvick (44).

● Harvick has tasted success in every type of car he has raced at Martinsville. In addition to his NASCAR Cup Series win, he has a NASCAR Xfinity Series triumph and three NASCAR Truck Series victories.

● Harvick is undefeated in the Xfinity Series at Martinsville. He earned the equivalent of a walk-off home run on July 22, 2006 when in his only Xfinity Series start at the track, he led three times for a race-high 149 laps to take the win by .271 of a second over runner-up Clint Bowyer.

● Harvick’s three Truck Series wins at Martinsville came in 17 starts. He won on March 30, 2009 (defeated Ron Hornaday Jr.), March 27, 2010 (defeated Hornaday again) and March 31, 2012 (defeated Ty Dillon).

● The Truck Series is where Harvick made his first start of any kind at Martinsville – Sept. 26, 1998 when he finished 25th. Harvick earned his first top-10 at Martinsville on April 17, 1999 in a Ford F-150 for team owner Jim Herrick.

● DYK? Harvick tested a NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour car at Martinsville on Jan. 21, 2020. The Modified Tour is NASCAR’s oldest division and it is the only open-wheel series sanctioned by NASCAR. Compared to a NASCAR Cup Series car, a Tour car is 11 inches shorter in height and a little more than 23 inches wider. It also weighs nearly 800 pounds less. Harvick’s test came via Ryan Preece’s No. 6NY Tour car. Preece was the 2013 series champion and he earned the first of his 25 career Modified Tour victories at Martinsville on Sept. 20, 2008, leading 265 of the race’s 300 laps. Harvick and his company, KHI Management, represent Preece, who joined SHR fulltime this season as the driver of the No. 41 Ford Mustang in the NASCAR Cup Series.

Kevin Harvick, Driver of the No. 4 Realtree/Hunt Brothers Pizza Ford Mustang

Martinsville is one of those tracks where you’ve made a lot of starts, dating all the way back to 1998 when you raced there in the NASCAR Truck Series with Spears Manufacturing. The track is celebrating its 76th anniversary and you’ve been racing there for 25 of those years. Does the history of Martinsville resonate with you?

“Martinsville has a deep history in our sport. It’s a place that’s just a part of NASCAR racing, and I think you have to respect that.”

You most recently sampled the new-for-2023 short-track package two weeks ago at Richmond (Va.) Raceway. What are your expectations for it at Martinsville?

“I don’t know if it’ll look much different than it did last year. It depends on the weather and the tire wear. We didn’t have great-handling vehicles at the two races there last year, but sometimes it’s just about doing everything right. The first race, we did everything OK and got a decent finish. But, honestly, I think we’ll just have to kind of wing it. The car doesn’t feel drastically different and it hasn’t raced drastically different, but it’s obviously a little bit different, and I don’t think we’ll really know how it will react at Martinsville until we race there. At Richmond, nothing really seemed that much different.”

Even with a new rules package and the subsequent uncertainty of how the racing will be when you return to Martinsville this weekend, the track has always made drivers feel a bit apprehensive because of its tight confines and close racing. How do you handle racing at Martinsville?

“It’s just a challenging racetrack. Martinsville can eat you up pretty quickly with somebody else’s mistake, or you can get behind pretty quickly. You just have to be able to be aggressive without getting your stuff torn up. If something’s not right, it’ll put you behind in a hurry.”

With all the shifting and braking that you have to do at Martinsville, how physical is 400 laps?

“It’s just so compressed. There are so many upshifts and downshifts, and you have to transition from asphalt to concrete. You kind of get into a rhythm and sometimes you get a little bit lazy and you go over the transition. So, you have to be on your toes all the time. You don’t want to slide the tires and you don’t want the back of the car to start snapping around over those transitions. You’ve got to be pretty methodical because it’s probably going to be as difficult to pass as anywhere we go, so you’ve got to try to minimize the losses on restarts and make your proper lap time as you go through the laps.”

Is Martinsville as mentally exhausting as it is physically exhausting?

“With the way that we race right now, it is mentally exhausting just because you upshift and downshift so often. You don’t race in fifth gear. You race in third and fourth gear, so there a lot of little nuances that are different.”

You’re coming to Martinsville with Realtree on your No. 4 Ford Mustang. Your relationship with Realtree has spanned more than two decades. How did it begin?

“Realtree was my first sponsor on my ARCA car at RCR in 1999. I had to run two races to get approved to move from the Busch Series to the Cup Series, as NASCAR required at the time. Talladega was the first race, and Richard (Childress) went to Bill (Jordan) and said, ‘Hey, I’ve got this kid and we need to run him in an ARCA race.’ Realtree was on the sides of my racecar, and really from that day forward, Bill Jordan and I became great friends. He introduced me to the outdoors – not that I wasn’t an outdoors person, but I grew up in Southern California, and I just wasn’t exposed to hunting. From 1999 forward, Realtree has been on my car or on my helmet for every race I’ve run. It’s a great partnership that has turned into a friendship. I’ve watched his kids grow up. Bill has always been one of those people who, whenever I’ve had a decision to make, he’s one of the people I call. I’ll call him even when I’m sitting in my car driving down the road just to see what he’s going. It’s been that way for a number of years and I’m proud to have Realtree back on my car this weekend at Martinsville.”

What aspects of the outdoors did Bill Jordan expose you to and what has resonated the most with you?

“I went on my first duck hunt, my first elk hunt, my first deer hunt, my first turkey hunt, my first bird hunt – everything I did from a hunting standpoint was with Bill and Realtree. Really, just teaching me how to do things safely, appropriately, what’s right, what’s wrong, whatever that is, Bill taught me. Through the years of Realtree Outdoors and everything that we’ve done together, we’ve been able to go on some really neat hunts at different times with different drivers or athletes – just great people. And part of hunting is the camaraderie and the people that you meet and the time you spend just being outdoors and doing something you enjoy and learning about other people. There really isn’t anything from a hunting standpoint that Bill didn’t introduce me to.”

No. 4 Realtree/Hunt Brothers Pizza Team Roster

Primary Team Members

Driver: Kevin Harvick
Hometown: Bakersfield, California

Crew Chief: Rodney Childers
Hometown: Mooresville, North Carolina

Car Chief: Robert “Cheddar” Smith
Hometown: Whitewater, Wisconsin

Engineer: Stephen Doran
Hometown: Butler, Pennsylvania

Engineer: Dax Gerringer
Hometown: Gibsonville, North Carolina

Spotter: Tim Fedewa
Hometown: Holt, Michigan

Over-The-Wall Members

Front Tire Changer: Daniel Coffey
Hometown: Granite Falls, North Carolina

Rear Tire Changer: Daniel Smith
Hometown: Concord, North Carolina

Tire Carrier: Jeremy Howard
Hometown: Delhart, Texas

Jack Man: Brandon Banks
Hometown: High Point, North Carolina

Fuel Man: Evan Marchal
Hometown: Westfield, Indiana

Road Crew Members

Mechanic: Tyler Trosper
Hometown: Mooresville, North Carolina

Mechanic: Nick DeFazio
Hometown: Orange, California

Tire Specialist: Jamie Turski
Hometown: Trumbull, Connecticut

Engine Tuner: Robert Brandt
Hometown: Mobile, Alabama

Transporter Co-Driver: Rick Hodges
Hometown: Raleigh, North Carolina

Transporter Co-Driver: Stephen Mitchell
Hometown: Woodville, Ohio

No. 10 Smithfield Ford Racing: Aric Almirola Martinsville 1 Advance

By
Official Release
-

ARIC ALMIROLA
Martinsville Advance
No. 10 Smithfield Ford Mustang for Stewart-Haas Racing

Event Overview

● Event: NOCO 400 (Round 9 of 36)
● Time/Date: 3 p.m. ET on Sunday, April 16
● Location: Martinsville (Va.) Speedway
● Layout: .526-mile oval
● Laps/Miles: 400 laps / 210 miles
● Stage Lengths: Stage 1: 80 laps / Stage 2: 100 laps / Final Stage: 220 laps
● TV/Radio: FS1 / MRN / SiriusXM NASCAR Radio

Notes of Interest

● History at Martinsville: In 28 starts, Aric Almirola has earned seven top-10 finishes, one top-five and has led 75 laps on the .526-mile, paperclip-shaped Martinsville (Va.) Speedway oval. He qualified second at Martinsville at last year’s April race.

● In two races this season with the NextGen car’s new short-track aero package, Almirola’s finishes have not been indicative of his speed. On the mile oval at Phoenix Raceway last month, he started from the rear of the field and drove to 13th before a wheel broke off his racecar, sending him to the pits and putting him multiple laps down. On the three-quarter-mile oval at Richmond (Va.) Raceway two weekends ago, he drove from 32nd into the top-10 during the final stage before finishing 13th.

● Last weekend at Bristol (Tenn.) Motor Speedway’s third annual dirt race, Almirola started 19th and consistently climbed through the field to third place in the final stage, his highest running position in three Bristol dirt-race starts. He stayed in and around the top-five until a mechanical failure forced the No. 10 Smithfield team to call him to the pits for repair work that placed him 10 laps down. He finished 31st.

● Almirola had a strong start in the first two outings of the season when he won his heat race and started on the pole during the non-points-paying Busch Light Clash at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. Then, in the points-paying season opening Daytona 500 at Daytona (Fla.) International Speedway, the 38-year-old veteran won his Duel qualifying race and led 16 laps of the 500 – the most laps he’s led at Daytona in 23 starts.

● Driver Points: Almirola arrives at Martinsville 29th in the driver standings, 180 points out of first.

● Almirola’s career: In 432 career NASCAR Cup Series starts, Almirola has three wins, 28 top-five finishes, 91 top-10s, three poles, and has led 1,007 laps.

● Fans will see the iconic white, black, and gold Smithfield Foods scheme adorn Almirola’s Ford Mustang this weekend. Smithfield has been a sponsor of Almirola’s for the entirety of his fulltime NASCAR Cup Series career – making it one of the longest-lasting partnerships in NASCAR. Smithfield is an American food company with agricultural roots and a global reach. Its 63,000 team members are dedicated to producing “Good food. Responsibly.®” Smithfield is one of the world’s leading vertically integrated protein companies. The company has pioneered sustainability standards for more than two decades, including its industry-leading commitments to become carbon negative in U.S. company-owned operations and reduce GHG emissions 30 percent across its entire U.S. value chain by 2030. Smithfield believes in the power of protein to end food insecurity and has donated hundreds of millions of food servings to local communities.

● Beyond the 10 YouTube Series: In 2023, Almirola is continuing to share his life beyond the No. 10 Ford with season five of his award-winning YouTube series. Fans and media can subscribe on YouTube to see Almirola’s personality on and off the track. Episodes have already featured life as a dad, a husband and an athlete, and the show gives fans a unique perspective on what goes on in the life of a professional NASCAR driver. Fans can also follow Almirola’s social media channels: @Aric_Almirola on Twitter and Instagram, and @AricAlmirola on Facebook.

Aric Almirola, Driver of the No. 10 Smithfield Ford Mustang for Stewart-Haas Racing:

Although your finish last weekend at Bristol was not indicative of the top-10 run you had going, do you feel the season is beginning to trend in the right direction?

“I think so. It’s just part of life sometimes. The last seven or eight races just haven’t gone our way, starting at Daytona. We got off to a great start winning our Duel and I felt like we had a chance to win the Daytona 500, then that didn’t play out well for us and it just carried on to the next several weeks. Going to Richmond was a great turn for us. We ran really well, but we had to start in the back due to qualifying getting canceled. We drove from 32nd to the top-10 and looked like we were going to run seventh before the caution came and we had to put on scuffs. Nothing catastrophic happened. We had a good day on pit road. We did all the things we needed to do right, so I felt like it was a good way to turn our season around.”

Are you encouraged by what you’re seeing with the modifications to the short-track package?

“I am. I think it’s still really difficult to pass, but I think it’s because we’re all so close on speed. I think it’s pretty tough to pass another car when you’re only a half-tenth faster than them. You have to be substantially faster to pass another car or you have to have more options on the track. Richmond is a place where you have options. You can move to that middle lane or you can move higher on the racetrack, or guys miss the bottom and you can get under them. Phoenix didn’t seem like there was as big of a difference from the old package. It’s certainly in the right direction in having more off-throttle time and making the cars less aero-dependent.”

How do you expect the aero package to affect the racing at Martinsville?

“I don’t know. Martinsville will be hard because the speeds are down. When speeds go down, the downforce is less of a factor, anyway. The 150 mile-per-hour entry speeds at Phoenix versus Martinsville at 120 miles per hour is a big difference in the way the cars drive in traffic. I don’t know that Martinsville will be a huge difference from the old package, but we’ll see.”

No. 10 Smithfield Ford Team Roster

Primary Team Members

Driver: Aric Almirola
Hometown: Tampa, Florida

Crew Chief: Drew Blickensderfer
Hometown: Decatur, Illinois

Car Chief: Jerry Cook
Hometown: Toledo, Ohio

Engineer: Davin Restivo
Hometown: Asheboro, North Carolina

Engineer: James Kimbrough
Hometown: Pensacola, Florida

Spotter: Joel Edmonds
Hometown: Dobson, North Carolina

Over-The-Wall Members

Front Tire Changer: Ryan Mulder
Hometown: Sioux Center, Iowa

Rear Tire Changer: Trevor White
Hometown: Arlington, Texas

Tire Carrier: Tyler Bullard
Hometown: King, North Carolina

Jack Man: Sean Cotton
Hometown: Mooresville, North Carolina

Fuel Man: James “Ace” Keener
Hometown: Fortuna, California

Road Crew Members

Mechanic: Chris Trickett
Hometown: Grafton, West Virginia

Mechanic: Jacob Cooksey
Hometown: Westbrookville, New York

Engine Tuner: Matt Moeller
Hometown: Monroe, New York

Tire Specialist: Russel Simpson
Hometown: Medford, New York

Transporter Co-Driver: Steven Casper
Hometown: Salisbury, North Carolina

Transporter Co-Driver: Matt Murphy
Hometown: Augusta, Georgia

The Best Car-Themed Video Games

By
SM
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Get your game console ready, these titles are out of this world - Photo by Alexey Savchenko on Unsplash

If you can’t be out driving and there isn’t any racing to watch then what on Earth is there to do with your free time? We think this selection of the best car-themed video games ought to keep you busy for quite some time. Whether you like customizing cars, being behind the wheel, or the culture that surrounds cars, each of these games will have something for you. So, clear your schedule for the weekend and dust off your games console, it’s time to race.

F1 2021

First up is an amazingly dynamic game that allows players to manage their very own F1 team. This is a dream for so many of us and F1 2021 does a brilliant job at keeping things within the realms of realism, whilst allowing players to dream big. You begin in F2 racing, as a young and promising driver called Aiden. Together, you and Aiden will aim to rise through the ranks to make it to Formula 1 level. Once you get there, you can compete in all kinds of different modes, including grudge matches between heroes like Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg. As well as this, you can play races in real-time, allowing you to binge-play for whole days as you battle it out for the title. The ability to change difficulty and physics is really interesting and makes it easier for new players to get started. As you get more used to the game, you can enable the physics to be just like real life, giving you a flavor for what it might actually be like to be out and about on the track for real.

Grand Theft Auto Series

Whilst F1 2021 is all about racing, GTA is about grabbing the best car you can and driving it around until the police inevitably catch up with you. If you like your gaming with a healthy dose of chaos then all of the GTA games will scratch that itch. Playing one of the earlier GTA games is a nostalgia trip for many of us. There are so many side quests that you can pour your hours into, some more difficult than others. The poker side quest was fiendishly difficult and saw many of us heading online to practice our skills on free poker games before unleashing them in the world of GTA. Looking out for the sasquatch in the mountains was another hilarious mission that’s so well-loved it even made its way into some more of Rockstar’s games.

If you want a little of the supercar element of F1 2021 and a heavy dose of the chaos of Grand Theft Auto, then Wreckfest might be just what you’re looking for. This game puts you behind the wheel of a demolition derby car and lets you have at it. The physics in this game are what really set it apart from others of its type. You can dent, scratch, and crumple every tiny detail of the cars, making the car wrecks look incredibly realistic. As well as the endless ability for destruction, there are plenty fo different race modes, including stadium races and races with cars made out of bits of old furniture. It’s a varied game that’s a hilarious amount of fun.

Bikers and Casino – A Match Made in Heaven

By
SM
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Bikers are known for their love of adventure, freedom, and the open road. They thrive on adrenaline, and their lifestyles are often associated with risk-taking and excitement. It’s no surprise that many bikers enjoy the thrill of gambling and the excitement of the casino. In this article, we will explore the connection between bikers and casinos, and how online casinos like House of Jack website cater to this exciting niche market.

Bikers and Casinos – A Natural Connection

Bikers and casinos have always had a natural connection. Casinos offer the same kind of thrill and excitement that bikers seek in their everyday lives. Both involve taking risks, and the adrenaline rush that comes with winning is similar to the rush of riding a motorcycle. Casinos also provide an escape from reality, a chance to let loose and have fun.

Bikers and Online Casinos – The Perfect Match

Online casinos, like House of Jack, are the perfect match for bikers. They offer all the excitement of a traditional casino, with the added convenience of being able to play from anywhere, at any time. Bikers can access their favorite games on their mobile devices, making it easy to play while on the road or during a break from riding.

Biker-Themed Online Casino Games

Online casinos like House of Jack have recognized the appeal of bikers and have created biker-themed games that cater to this niche market. These games often feature themes such as motorcycles, leather, and skulls, and are designed to appeal to the thrill-seeking nature of bikers. Some of the most popular biker-themed games include:

  1. Hell’s Grannies: This slot game features a group of hardcore grannies riding motorcycles and causing chaos on the streets. The game’s symbols include motorcycles, leather jackets, and tattoos.
  2. Motorhead: This slot game is based on the famous rock band Motorhead and features their music, as well as symbols such as guitars, skulls, and amps.
  3. Easy Slider: This slot game is all about motorcycle racing and features symbols such as helmets, speedometers, and engines. The game’s main character is a biker chick who can trigger bonus rounds and free spins.

Bikers and casinos are a match made in heaven, and online casinos like House of Jack are taking advantage of this niche market by offering biker-themed games and catering to the needs of this exciting and adventurous community. Whether you’re a biker looking for a thrill or a casino enthusiast looking for something new, online casinos offer the perfect escape. So, fire up your engines, grab your helmets, and get ready for an adrenaline-fueled ride at House of Jack!

How To Choose The Best Limousine Service In Singapore

By
SM
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Photo by Rene Asmussen

Limousine services are available in plenty in Singapore. You can hire a limousine of your choice for various reasons, including airport transfers, corporate and business purposes, local city tours, weddings, and other events. Visit tridentlimo.sg to gather further insights about limousine hire in Singapore so that choosing the best limousine service becomes easy. 

Companies that provide limousine services offer some of the top vehicle brands and the latest models of vehicles, such as Mercedes, Rolls Royce, and Mercedes, along with various other cars. Not all limo service providers are alike; only the best can ensure the most memorable experience accompanied by top-class hospitality. Here are some tips for choosing the best limousine service in Singapore.

  • Check the track record

Transporting people across the busy city in a massive vehicle with utmost comfort is a challenging job. A lot depends on the experience and attitude of the chauffeur to ensure the most comfortable and smooth ride. Only the most experienced and tested service provider can provide customers the most satisfying limo ride. Do a background check of the service provider to ascertain the number of years they have been in business. It bears enough hints about its capability to provide top-class service consistently to a solid base of satisfied customers.  

  • Check reviews and testimonials

Browse the internet to check reviews and feedback about the service providers. Focus on genuine reviews from actual customers to gather reliable and impartial information about the quality of service. The exercise should evaluate any service provider based on factors like the quality of the fleet, punctuality, safety, comfort, and hospitality. However, if you can talk to some of the customers, it would be the most dependable feedback that you can count upon.

  • Ask for a test ride

There is nothing better than knowing first-hand what awaits you if you hire a limo from that service provider. Despite doing the best exercise in due diligence, things might prove otherwise when you go for a ride. Therefore, to be sure about what you will likely get from the service provider, it is best to request a test ride on your chosen vehicle.

  • Talk to the chauffeur

The chauffeur plays a critical role in determining customer experience. If the chauffeur performs poorly, riding the most expensive vehicle might betray your expectations. Since the chauffeur is responsible for ensuring the most comfortable and relaxed ride, the chemistry between him and the rider is crucial in determining the customer experience. Try to talk to the chauffeur before hiring the vehicle to understand his personality and behavior and how well you can go along with him. 

  • Review the fleet

Review the fleet of vehicles to understand the types of cars available and their condition. Since limousines are available for various occasions, the review should help you know whether the type of vehicle you are looking for is available with the service provider. 

Finally, check the licenses and permits of the service provider and the vehicle you select to ensure that it has all legal clearances. 

NASCAR Top-10 Power Rankings: Bristol Dirt

By
Jeffrey Boswell
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Photo by Chad Wells for SpeedwayMedia.com.

Note: The quotes in this article are fictional.

1. Christopher Bell: Bell led 100 laps and held off Tyler Reddick to win the Food City Dirt Race at Bristol.

“I’m thrilled to get this win,” Bell said. “Not only is it big for the Playoffs, but I also got that big trophy plus a sweet gladiator sword. There are two things I can’t wait to do with that sword: 1, Show it off to my friends, and 2, ship it to Mexico and ask Kyle Busch to bring it back the next time he’s there.”

2. Tyler Reddick: Reddick was on the charge late, attempting to catch Christopher Bell, but ran out of time and had to settle for his second consecutive runner-up finish in the Bristol Dirt Race.

“If you saw my post-race interview with Fox’s Jamie Little,” Reddick said, “then you’re well aware that I’m used to coming up a little short.”

3. William Byron: Byron finished 13th at Bristol.

“My team was penalized again after failing inspection at Richmond,” Byron said. “But let’s be honest, we’re just trying to make our car faster; NASCAR keeps catching us. They’re preventing us from making a ‘fast getaway (with it).'”

4. Martin Truex Jr.: Truex finished seventh at Bristol, as Joe Gibbs Racing teammate Christopher Bell captured the win.

“Bell’s one of the best drivers on tracks like this,” Truex said. “His name has become synonymous with ‘dirt.’ The name ‘Denny Hamlin’ brings up similar associations, because his name is ‘Mud’ when it comes to retaliatory maneuvers on the track.”

5. Ross Chastain: Chastain finished a disappointing 28th at Bristol, one lap down.

“Dirt track racing is not my cup of tea,” Chastain said. “If I did have a cup of tea, I’m sure someone would have a problem with it. And with it being Easter, I’m sure I’d get crucified for it.”

6. Kevin Harvick: Harvick finished ninth at Bristol.

“Michael Waltrip was joined on his Bristol ‘Grid Walk’ by the Easter Bunny,” Harvick said. “From what I understand, the Easter Bunny doesn’t speak, yet he’s still a better interviewer than Waltrip.”

7. Kyle Larson: Larson started on the pole at Bristol and won Stage 1, but was knocked out of the race by Ryan Preece on Lap 177. He finished 35th.

“I think Preece was retaliating for earlier contact between us,” Larson said. “Does he know who I am? Heck. Does he know who he is? Obviously not, because he’s out there trying to make a name for himself.”

8. Joey Logano: Logano had an eventful day, full of spins and contact with other cars, and was finally knocked out of the race on Lap 96. He finished 37th.

“My car was all over the place,” Logano said. “That place was ‘last.'”

9. Kyle Busch: A broken shock with 13 laps to go ended Busch’s night in the Food City Dirt Race. He finished 32nd.

“It wasn’t the finish I was looking for,” Busch said. “On the bright side, though, I got to shake hands with Tim Tebow. That’s probably as close as I’m gonna get to feeling the hand of God. That is, a God-awful NFL quarterback.”

10. Ryan Blaney: Blaney ran near the front for the majority of the night at Bristol, but a spin on a restart with eight laps to go cost him a top-five finish. He finished 23rd.

“The track conditions changed quite a bit over the duration of the race,” Blaney said. “If you took a look at the stands, you noticed that the track was the only thing ‘packed.'”

NASCAR suspends Cody Ware, indefinitely, after arrest

By
Tucker White
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RICHMOND, Va. - APRIL 2: Cody Ware, driver of the #51 Biohaven/Jacob Co. Ford, and Josh Berry, driver of the #9 NAPA Auto Parts Chevrolet, race during the NASCAR Cup Series Toyota Owners 400 at Richmond Raceway on April 2, 2023, in Richmond, Virginia. Photo: Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images

NASCAR suspended Cody Ware, indefinitely, Monday, following his arrest on felony assault charges.

Ware was arrested, Monday, in Iredell County, North Carolina, on charges of “assault by strangulation — inflict serious injury” and “assault on female.” Furthermore, he’s being held on a $3000 bond. At press time, no details were released on the incident(s) that led to his arrest, or if he posted bond.

Ware sat out Sunday’s Cup Series race at Bristol Motor Speedway. Rick Ware Racing said, Saturday, he would miss the race, because he was “focusing on a personal matter.”

Mike Marsal Scores 5th at San Felipe

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Official Release
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San Felipe, Mexico (10 April 2023) – Mike Marsal opened up the SCORE World Desert Championship season this week with the King Shocks 36th SCORE San Felipe 250 fueled by Baja Vida.

Marsal piloted the No. 236 Spy+ Trophy Truck Spec entry with navigator Hudson Hall as the duo opened up the four-event 2023 SCORE championship campaign.

Marsal qualified on Wednesday before Saturday’s race. Ending with a 6:53.786-second qualifying time, Marsal qualified 25th out of 43 entries on a five mile desert course that is separate from the course used for the race.

The original course was set with a 263.50 mile course over a summit, but on Friday the course was reconfigured to go around the Mini Summit due to the danger of the summit for the bigger vehicles. The change added 19.01 miles to the original course for all four wheel vehicles making the race distance 282.51 miles of tough terrain to cover.

Rolling off the starting line a little after 10:00 am PT on Saturday, Marsal took off into the Baja California, Mexico desert. Over the following five hours and fifteen minutes, Marsal and Hall took on every thing that the desert had to challenge them.

“It was a rough race,” said Marsal. “At RM 3 the coms line wiggled out from behind the dash and the navigation screen on the drivers side failed. We were forced to run the race with no communication and no navigation screen on the drivers side. I am thankful we had so many pre-run miles, it really demonstrated just how familiar we were with the course. San Felipe is all about finding the lines and we did exactly that. The time and preparation we put into the race was apparent.”

The Trophy Truck Spec kept an average moving speed of 48.5 mph, Marsal had passed 20 Trophy Truck Spec competitors on the way to taking a strong fifth place class finish to open up the championship campaign.

“We started in the middle of the pack and I think we worked our way up a decent amount on corrected time,” continued Marsal. “The truck ran flawlessly. It has been an awesome race. There was a lot to get through and we hit a couple trees, took out a cactus, but all in all, the Spy truck is in one piece. I want to thank the entire crew and the Grabowski brothers for doing all the pits, the people of Baja and my family, wife and kids back home.”

Marsal will be back in action May 31 – June 4th for the BFGoodrich 55th SCORE Baja 500 presented by 4Wheel Parts.

Check out Marsal’s qualifying on board at https://youtu.be/N6bRcHSBiVk

Meyer Shank Racing Preps for Big Double-Header Weekend in Long Beach

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Official Release
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(Photo by Brian Cleary/bcpix.com)

Pataskala, Ohio (10 April 2023) – For the first time this season Meyer Shank Racing (MSR) will have both of its IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship and NTT INDYCAR SERIES programs competing on the same weekend and on the same circuit.

MSR will kick off the weekend with the IMSA Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach on Saturday, April 15th with live coverage on USA Network / SiriusXM Ch. 207 starting at 5:00pm ET. Then on Sunday, MSR will close out the weekend with round 3 of the IndyCar season starting at 3:00pm ET on NBC / SiriusXM Ch. 160.

Meyer Shank Racing Ready to Tackle the Streets of Long Beach for Round 3 of IMS Competition

After running the two longest races on the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship schedule, Meyer Shank Racing (MSR) with Curb-Agajanian now sets its sights on the shortest with Saturday’s Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach.

Tom Blomqvist and Colin Braun will share the No. 60 Autonation / SiriusXM Acura ARX-06 in the 100-minute sprint in America’s longest-running street race.

This will be MSR’s sixth start on the 1.968-mile circuit. Last year, Blomqvist qualified third and placed fourth in an Acura ARX-05 DPi – missing a podium finish by a mere 0.966-seconds.

Blomqvist’s only other start at Long Beach was in 2019, when he finished seventh in GTLM.

Braun is an eight-time competitor at Long Beach, winning the Prototype Challenge class in 2013 and taking third overall. He also took home a third place finish the previous year in 2012. Braun also finished a lead-lap seventh in his lone Grand-Am start at the circuit.

Braun ran in five WeatherTech Championship races, scoring three top-10 finishes. Braun’s most recent appearance was in 2021, when he was 10th in GTD.

Prior to last year, MSR’s best Long Beach finish was in 2006, when Ozz Negri and Mark Paterson co-drove a Daytona Prototype to a fifth-place finish. The team also finished sixth in 2015 with Negri and John Pew in a Honda HPD Ligier JS P2.

The Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach begins on Saturday at 5:05pm ET. Live television coverage will be on USA beginning at 5 p.m. ET and IMSA Radio coverage on SiriusXM Ch. 207.

IMSA Driver quotes:

Tom Blomqvist:

“Long Beach is a really cool event and it’s a track that I enjoy driving at. It’s just a cool event, especially being right downtown and seeing all of the fans.We had a good showing there last year, but it’s a new track for everyone with the GTP cars. We’re a bit unsure how we will stand, but we’ve had some good pace the first two rounds, so we’ll see what we can do on a street course.”

Colin Braun:

“I am really looking forward to the weekend. Long Beach is a unique circuit and with the prior two IMSA rounds being at very different styles of tracks, I think we are all excited to see what our Acura GTP car will do around this iconic street circuit! It is a huge home race for Acura & HPD, so the pressure will be on, but I know everyone at MSR has been working extremely hard to be prepared and put on a great show!”

MSR Looking to Continue Positive IndyCar Momentum on the Streets of Long Beach

Meyer Shank Racing (MSR) bounced back from a tough 2023 NTT INDYCAR SERIES season opener by posting a top-ten finish at Texas Motor Speedway two weeks ago, as both AutoNation / SiriusXM drivers finished better than they started.

The Ohio-based team looks to continue its climb this weekend at the Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach, one of the signature events of the IndyCar calendar, hosting IndyCar racing since 1984.

Both Helio Castroneves (No. 06 AutoNation / SiriusXM Honda) and Simon Pagenaud (No. 60 AutoNation / SiriusXM Honda) are looking forward to making a start on the second street course of the 2023 IndyCar season. Unfortunately the St. Pete season opener ended on lap 1 for both Castroneves and Pagenaud, but both drivers and MSR feel that they have a strong street course package and are looking forward to showcasing that on Sunday.

Both the team and its drivers have earned solid results at Long Beach, with MSR carding top-10 finishes in each of the last two years, highlighted by a seventh-place run in 2021.

Both Castroneves and Pagenaud have visited Victory Lane in Long Beach, with Castroneves winning in 2011 to go with three other event podiums (2000, 2015, 2016). Pagenaud led 28 laps to win the 2016 race and also finished second in 2012.

The 85-lap Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach will air on NBC on Sunday starting at 3 p.m. ET. Saturday’s qualifying will be shown live on Peacock beginning at 3:05 p.m. ET. SiriusXM will also host live IndyCar Radio coverage of both sessions on XM Ch. 160.

INDYCAR Driver Quotes:

Simon Pagenaud:

“I’m excited for Long Beach, it’s my favorite street course race and I just going to California because that is where my wife is from. We have a really good street course package in St. Pete, so I have a lot of confidence at that track. Obviously with the position that we are at right now, if I am second, I think I am going to go for first. It’s definitely going to be an exciting weekend and I am going to give it my A+ game.”

Helio Castroneves:

“Long Beach is a really great place and it’s been there for so many years. It’s probably one of the oldest street courses in the IndyCar Championship. It’s a challenging place because all street courses are different. We learned a lot from last year and I think we’re going into the weekend with confidence. Now let’s make things happen with the No. 06 AutoNation / SiriusXM car!”

NABC® partners with PPG to raise awareness about distracted driving

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Official Release
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INDYCAR Champion Josef Newgarden urges drivers to keep the focus on the road

PORT CHARLOTTE, FL (April 10, 2023) — The National Auto Body Council® (NABC) today announced the launch of the second year of its campaign to raise awareness about distracted driving with the help of partner PPG (NYSE: PPG) and its NTT INDYCAR® SERIES driver, Josef Newgarden.

PPG will again work with NABC® and utilize the star power of Newgarden, a two-time INDYCAR Champion, to support National Distracted Driving Awareness month, part of NABC’s Drive Out Distraction program, launched in 2021 to raise public awareness about one of the leading causes of traffic collisions.

During Distracted Driving Month, NABC® is running a social media campaign to share the message about the dangers of distracted driving. It also has provided NABC® members with educational materials to use in their locations to inform their customers of ways they can be safer on the road.

“Education and intervention remain critical to promoting safe driving. We want to provide some simple solutions that help eliminate distraction in the vehicle, and by working with PPG, we can amp up the volume on our campaign,” said Scott Sampley, chairman of the NABC® Board of Directors. “For example, by simply turning on your ‘do not disturb’ message, you can greatly reduce interruptions from phone calls, texts and posts that take your attention away from the road.”

“We are excited to be partnering again with NABC® for Distracted Driving Month,” said Tom Wolf, PPG strategic sales account director, Automotive Refinish. “Safety is a core PPG value and we want to promote safe practices whether at work, home, or on the move, to help ensure that everyone returns home safely each day.”

“Focus behind the wheel is key to success, whether driving a personal car or a racecar,” added Newgarden, a 26-time INDYCAR race winner. “We need to make sure we stay focused on the road to help keep everyone safe. Talking and texting on cell phones can create distractions, and so can other activities such as tuning the radio, focusing on GPS, or eating and drinking.”

The NABC® Drive Out Distraction program educates drivers and their passengers about reducing distracted driving with a national campaign that focuses on:

  • Preparing for the road trip by downloading directions, checking weather and traffic conditions, setting the radio station and familiarizing yourself with the vehicle controls
  • Reducing cell phone distractions by setting devices to “do not disturb”
  • Eliminating in-car interruptions by securing pets, buckling in children and reminding passengers not to distract the driver with inappropriate behavior

To learn more about the NABC® Drive Out Distraction program or to take the #NABCDriveOutDistraction challenge, visit https://nationalautobodycouncil.org/programs/distracted-driving/.

ABOUT THE NATIONAL AUTO BODY COUNCIL®

The National Auto Body Council® is the premier organization of collision industry partners dedicated to strategic networking opportunities that positively change lives in the communities we serve. The collaborative membership of the National Auto Body Council® has gifted more than 3,000 vehicles, provided extrication opportunities for more than 5,000 First Responders and is helping educate students and adult drivers in communities around the country through NABC Recycled Rides®, NABC First Responder Emergency Extrication (F.R.E.E.™) and the NABC® Drive Out Distraction program. That effort equates to a 4:1 ROI in dollar value delivered from NABC® membership dollars. The National Auto Body Council® is changing the paradigm of how the collision industry works and is viewed. For more information, visit www.NationalautoBodyCouncil.org.

PPG: WE PROTECT AND BEAUTIFY THE WORLD®

At PPG (NYSE:PPG), we work every day to develop and deliver the paints, coatings and specialty materials that our customers have trusted for 140 years. Through dedication and creativity, we solve our customers’ biggest challenges, collaborating closely to find the right path forward. With headquarters in Pittsburgh, we operate and innovate in more than 70 countries and reported net sales of $17.7 billion in 2022. We serve customers in construction, consumer products, industrial, and transportation markets and aftermarkets. To learn more, visit www.ppg.com.

We protect and beautify the world and the PPG Logo are registered trademarks of PPG Industries Ohio, Inc.

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