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FOOD CITY DIRT RACE A PERFECT FIT AS PART OF NASCAR’S 75TH ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATION

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In sport’s early days, majority of Cup Series schedule featured races on clay surface racetracks

BRISTOL, Tenn. (Feb. 24, 2023) – As NASCAR celebrates its 75th Anniversary in 2023, one race on the Cup Series schedule will serve as a gritty reminder of how the popular sport firmly planted its roots and has blossomed into a fan-favorite in the United States.

For most of the sport’s first two decades, the Cup Series’ races were held primarily on dirt tracks across the Southeast. NASCAR’s first Cup Series race, known then simply as “Strictly Stock,” was held in 1949 at a .750-mile dirt track called the Charlotte (N.C.) Fairgrounds Speedway and won by Jim Roper. Dirt was a prevalent option for track operators until the 1970 season. Starting in 1971, and for 50 years until 2021, all of the races in the Cup Series were held on either asphalt or pavement.

All totaled, the NASCAR Cup Series sanctioned more than 450 dirt races during its first two decades. In fact, the Food City Dirt Race on April 9 will be the 460th dirt race for the Cup Series in its history. Lee Petty was the sport’s winningest driver on dirt, bringing home 42 career victories. Cup pioneers Herb Thomas and Buck Baker were right on his dusty heels, capturing 40 dirt victories apiece in the NASCAR Cup Series.

In 2021, the bold move was made by NASCAR and Speedway Motorsports executives to bring dirt racing back to the Cup Series to honor its roots in grand fashion by holding a race on the iconic high banks of the dirt-transformed Bristol Motor Speedway.

This April will mark the third time that Bristol has put down the clay for the NASCAR Cup Series (and fifth time overall including non-NASCAR dirt races in 2000 and 2001), and this time will be extra-special as it takes place during a season that is being celebrated in honor of NASCAR’s history. When the Food City Dirt Race takes the green flag on Sunday night, April 9 it will be a throwback to all those years of hard-fought battles on rough and tumble dirt bullrings of the 1950s and 1960s that were a bit more rustic than what today’s Cup drivers will face at BMS.

On Saturday night, April 8, the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series also will make a return to dirt racing and will compete in its only dirt race of the season, the WEATHER GUARD Truck Race on Dirt.

Speedway Motorsports Sr. Vice President of Operations and Development, Steve Swift, says the dirt-transformation is nearly complete at BMS. After a few weeks of work by the team at Baker’s Construction Services and other vendors, the track is totally covered in Tennessee red clay, but Swift says there’s still some dirt to spread in both turns. A few rainy days have slowed progress but he says everything is on schedule – if Mother Nature will cooperate that is – to have the track race-ready by the end of March. Swift says the dirt layout will be the same as the configuration from last year, with 19-degrees of banking in the turns and a 50-foot wide racing surface.

Last year’s surprise winner, Kyle Busch, is with a new team in 2023 and will try to defend his title by ironically driving the car he beat for the trophy last year, Richard Childress Racing’s No. 8 Chevy. At the time Tyler Reddick appeared on his way to taking the victory but famously got tangled up with Chase Briscoe in turn four on the final lap. The two drivers spun in different directions and Busch powered through to take the checkered flag just as Reddick got his car back on track and was approaching the finish line.

The intense closing laps of the 2022 Food City Dirt Race led to the race being named one of Bristol’s top 10 wildest finishes of all time.

“The guys in front of me were running hard, racing for the win,” Busch said in Victory Lane with his ninth BMS Cup Series trophy in hand. “On the final corner chaos ensued and then we were able to make it through and steal a win, back into one. It feels good to get one here in a Next Gen racecar. Also feels good to win on dirt.”

Busch said that Briscoe clearly had the fastest car all night and was charging hard at the end. As the cars saw the checkered flag waving in the distance, Briscoe said he was too close not to make a move as the cars charged into Turn 4.

“I didn’t realize until I went into that corner that a 3,400-pound stock car can’t pull off a slider like other dirt cars can,” Briscoe said. “As soon as I was in the corner I knew I wasn’t going to clear him like I thought I was. I tried to stay off him. I didn’t want to just go in there and wreck him, that was never my intention, I wanted to clear him. I just held it wide open. I barely nicked him on the rear quarter-panel. I was hoping he was going to get back to the finish line before anyone else, but that obviously didn’t happen…Kyle beat him.”

Reddick took some of the responsibility for the outcome on his own shoulders, saying he should’ve not let Briscoe get that close to him.

“Briscoe was able to run me down back there,” Reddick said afterwards. “Just looking at it, I should have done a little bit better job of just — I don’t know. I shouldn’t have let him get that close. He ran me back down. Worked really hard to do that. I mean, you’re racing on dirt, going for the move on the final corner. It’s everything that as a driver you hope to battle for in his situation. Made it really exciting for the fans, so… It does suck, but we were able to finish second still. I’m being honest. I should have done a better job and pulled away so he wasn’t in range to try to make that move. That’s how I look at it.”

With the win, Busch joins the other modern-day dirt winner Joey Logano on NASCAR’s elite list of all-time Cup Series dirt winners, which is now at 78.

A year earlier, Logano proved that a driver doesn’t have to have a distinguished dirt racing resume to take the victory at the Food City Dirt Race and become the modern-era’s first Cup winner on dirt. He guided his No. 22 Team Penske machine to the win by leading 61 of the race’s 253 laps while noted dirt experts like Kyle Larson, Christopher Bell, Austin Dillon and Alex Bowman had issues.

“How about Bristol on Dirt? This is incredible!” Logano yelled to the crowd after climbing from his car. “There is nothing like winning at Bristol, but putting dirt on it and being the first to do it is very special.”

Who will win the Food City Dirt Race in its third edition? There are a lot of good candidates, including the past two winners and the list of challengers from those races. Once thing is for certain, when the lights come on at Bristol Motor Speedway all kinds of crazy things tend to happen. Madness, chaos and unpredictability most always reign supreme.

The Bristol race weekend is highlighted by the NASCAR Cup Series returning to its roots with the Food City Dirt Race on Sunday evening, April 9 (FOX and PRN Radio). The WEATHER GUARD® Truck Race on Dirt will see the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series take to the clay-covered track on Saturday (FS1 and MRN Radio) and will be preceded by Bush’s Beans Qualifying, which offers four heat races to set the starting lineups in each series. On Friday, teams in both the Cup Series and Craftsman Truck Series will be able to fine-tune their machines during Bush’s Beans Practice Day.

To purchase tickets for the Food City Dirt Race, WEATHER GUARD® Truck Race on Dirt, Bush’s Beans Qualifying or Bush’s Beans Practice Day, please visit the BMS website, or call the BMS Ticket Sales Center at (866) 415-4158.

About Bristol Motor Speedway
Forged amid the scenic mountains of Northeast Tennessee near the Virginia state line, Bristol Motor Speedway is The Last Great Colosseum, a versatile multi-use venue that hosts major auto races, football games, concerts and many other captivating events. The facility features a 0.533-mile concrete oval race track with 28-degree corner banking and 650-feet straightaways that offers racing in several NASCAR touring series, highlighted by two major Cup Series weekends each year. In 2020, the track also served as host of the prestigious NASCAR All-Star Race, and in 2021 began converting to a temporary dirt track each spring to take the Cup Series back to its racing roots. While at the track, fans are offered a unique viewing experience courtesy of Colossus TV, the world’s largest outdoor center-hung four-sided video screen with a 540,000-watt audio system. The adjacent quarter-mile dragstrip, Bristol Dragway, offers more than 50 events annually, including the marquee NHRA Thunder Valley Nationals. The Thunder Valley Amphitheatre presented by Ballad Health transforms Bristol Dragway into a premier outdoor concert venue for the world’s greatest music performers. Three football games have kicked-off inside the oval, most notably the 2016 Pilot Flying J Battle at Bristol, where border rivals the University of Tennessee and Virginia Tech met before an NCAA-record crowd of 156,990. In existence since 1961, Bristol Motor Speedway was purchased in 1996 by Speedway Motorsports, a leading marketer and promoter of motorsports entertainment in the United States.

Mullins Racing drivers survive Daytona after chaotic qualifying run

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Official Release
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#03: Brayton Laster, Indy Auto Recyclers-autorepairvinstickers.com Ford Fusion

Mullins finishes 20th, Laster 27th in Daytona ARCA 200

Mullins Racing drivers Willie Mullins and Brayton Laster both survived a chaotic qualifying run and all 80 laps in Saturday’s Daytona ARCA 200 to score a 20th and 27th place respectively.

The ARCA Menards Series utilized group qualifying at the 2.5-mile Daytona International Speedway on Friday afternoon. Mullins and Laster both qualified in the same group, and were the only two cars to escape an incident, triggered by mechanical problems on two other cars.

“Qualifying was a catastrophic, epic failure, just because, once again, we got the short end of the stick,” Mullins, who owns the cars driven by himself and Laster, said. “We didn’t get torn up but we were part of everybody else’s mess which put us toward the back of the field. With only two cars in our group, and we only got two laps at speed, it completely shot our chances to have a top-10 qualifying effort. We didn’t have a chance to have a good qualifying lap.”

Mullins and Laster both tried to work their way up through the field, often drafting together, but often found themselves either in the wrong line, or their momentum would be stalled as a handful of drivers played pinball toward the front of the pack.

“You get in the wrong line and, instead of going forward, we were going backward because of wrong line and wrong choices,” Mullins stated. “The line would get choked up. It was frustrating the whole time because we never got through where we were trying to get to go forward.”

Laster’s race played out the same as Mullins’ run.

“It was definitely a weekend that didn’t go the way we expected,” Laster said. “The Mullins Racing team prepared an awesome hot rod for me to go out there and run up front, but it just seemed like the race never went our way. We’d hope in one lane and fall back or just get a really badly timed caution.”

Despite the misfortune, Laster was relieved to be running at the end of the 80-lap, 200-mile race.

“We’re just going to kind of keep our heads up and move on,” Laster explained. “I don’t think there was anything out there I could’ve done different. It’s always a good thing when you can load up a racecar with minor damage after a superspeedway race like this. We’ll just take our losses and learn.”

The Daytona ARCA 200 was won by Greg Van Alst, an independent driver who made a handful of starts in 2002 before having to walk away from the series the same year, returning nearly two decades later.

“It’s awesome, us small guys finally got one,” Mullins remarked. “That’s how I look at it. The guys who work at home in their garage day and night finally got one. We finally got one of these guys to win and we’re very proud of him and his team.”

Mullins Racing will return to action when the ARCA Menards Series East heads to Five Flags Speedway in Pensacola, Florida, on March 25. The team will also compete in the ARCA Menards Series race at the Talladega Superspeedway in Alabama on April 22 with Mullins and Laster both behind the wheel.

For more information about Mullins Racing, visit MullinsRacing.net, or follow Mullins Racing on Facebook, Twitter (@Mullins_Racing), and Instagram (@MullinsRacing).

INDYCAR Prepares for Record-Making Season with Rising Momentum

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Official Release
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Felix Rosenqvist car 06, during INDYCAR testing at Sebring International Raceway.

NTT INDYCAR SERIES, INDY NXT by Firestone Ready To Roll in St. Petersburg

INDIANAPOLIS (Friday, Feb. 24, 2023) – Another winter is about to give way to a thrilling launch of NTT INDYCAR SERIES and INDY NXT by Firestone seasons along the palm tree-lined streets of St. Petersburg, Florida, as the Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg presented by RP Funding on Sunday, March 5 will see the most entries in each series in over a decade.

That’s only the beginning of the 2023 storylines:

Must-See TV

For the second consecutive season, the NTT INDYCAR SERIES will appear on NBC network television a record 15 times, including two days of qualifying for the 107th Indianapolis 500 presented by Gainbridge. The first seven races of 2023 will be featured on broadcast TV and six of the final seven leading to the climactic season finale at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca. Once again, all INDYCAR SERIES races will be simulstreamed via Peacock. For the second consecutive year, Telemundo Deportes on Universo will provide Spanish-language coverage of the season-opening race, the Indianapolis 500 and the season finale.

In addition, fans will see a new side to INDYCAR with a first-of-its-kind broadcast series, “100 Days to Indy,” via the VICE Media Group and The CW Network. Cameras and crews already are capturing and chronicling the bold and brash storylines leading up to “The Greatest Spectacle in Racing” on Sunday, May 28. The premiere episode will air Thursday, April 27 on The CW Network.

“This is a year of unprecedented coverage of the stars of the NTT INDYCAR SERIES,” Penske Entertainment Corp. President and CEO Mark Miles said. “Between the front row seat that The CW Network will provide fans and the best seat in the house provided by NBC, there won’t be a storyline without a spotlight. We look forward to taking INDYCAR’s fierce and intense competition to a new and more youthful audience throughout 2023.”

A Sustainable Present and Future

This will be the most sustainable season in INDYCAR SERIES history, as the series and its teams continue to work to develop renewable technologies.

Among the highlights are the first use of Shell’s 100% Renewable Race Fuel and continued use of renewable diesel for all INDYCAR team transporters supporting the series. The use of the Firestone Firehawk alternate race tire with a green sidewall, made from guayule rubber, will expand to all street circuit races after its successful debut last August in the Big Machine Music City Grand Prix on the streets of Nashville, Tennessee.

Finally, the NTT INDYCAR SERIES will continue to prepare for a more sustainable future as development continues with Chevrolet and Honda for the 2024 engine package. Testing of the 2.2-liter turbocharged V-6 with hybrid technology will take place throughout 2023.

Records Meant To Be Broken

2022 was a record-breaking season, with two-time NTT INDYCAR SERIES champion Will Power becoming the sport’s all-time leader in pole positions (68). In addition, the Indianapolis 500 featured the fastest pole speed in history, fastest front row in history and fastest field in history. The most competitive open-wheel racing series on the planet was highlighted by the most on-track passes in seven seasons. The finish at the Big Machine Music City Grand Prix – Scott Dixon edged Scott McLaughlin by .1067 of a second – was the closest on a street circuit in INDYCAR SERIES history.

More records are in sight in 2023. Six-time INDYCAR SERIES champion Scott Dixon looks to add his name to the Astor Challenge Cup for a record seventh time – tying the legendary A.J. Foyt. Helio Castroneves returns to Indianapolis Motor Speedway in May for a second attempt at a record fifth “500” victory.

“2022 was another record-setting season in the NTT INDYCAR SERIES,” INDYCAR President Jay Frye said. “Each offseason, in collaboration with our owners, teams and drivers, we evaluate all aspects of competition-related initiatives and believe our updates will make 2023 even more competitive. Our growing paddock is a testament to the energy and momentum, and we are excited to get the season started.”

Improved Safety, More Technological Choices

A number of adjustments are being made for the upcoming INDYCAR SERIES season with an eye on safety and technical performance.

  • From a safety perspective, 2023 will feature:
  • In partnership with Indiana University Health, a new INDYCAR Medical Unit providing an environment for consistent and accessible care during each INDYCAR event
  • Mandatory rain vanes to wick water from the aeroscreen in wet conditions
  • New safety-inspired rear attenuator and stronger rear-wheel tethers
  • New highly visible LED rain lights on the rear of the race cars
  • New and higher headrest protection
  • A new mandatory and more forgiving steering arm designed to take more punishment without breaking

For the first time in NTT INDYCAR SERIES history, alternate-compound tires will be used on an oval. The Sunday, Aug. 27 race at World Wide Technology Raceway will feature the Firestone Firehawk alternates. Teams will follow the same rules as road and street circuits, with mandatory use of a new set of the alternate tire compound during the race.

Also new for 2023 is the addition of EM Motorsports Telemetry to the EM Marshalling System, which debuted in 2022. The new telemetry system will give all race teams the ability to quickly receive reliable information and react with split-second decision making. It will also introduce more over-the-air features new to INDYCAR.

From an aerodynamic standpoint, the 2023 NTT INDYCAR SERIES rulebook is allowing:

  • Optional short oval barge boards on road and street course events
  • At Texas Motor Speedway, the underwing sidewall has been made optional

On the IMS oval:

  • New optional underwing flap wicker
  • New mandatory stability wickers
  • The option of a new additional underwing inner bargeboard (also optional at other ovals)
  • Optional underwing road and street course strakes
  • Speedway infill wicker made optional (also at Texas Motor Speedway)

Additionally, a new pillar specification will allow 3 degrees more range for the adjustable rear wing on the IMS oval. It will increase the options for teams looking for additional or less downforce.

“At the Indy 500, drivers in the pack can run up to 10% more downforce than last year,” said Tino Belli, INDYCAR director of aerodynamic development. “With the increased rear wing range, teams can still try and trim out the rear wing for end of race speed – and go for the win – if they have worked their way up into the lead group.

“Overall, INDYCAR wants to give race teams more options going into 2023. The optional barge boards give them a crucial tool when they consider, strategically, what it will take to get to victory lane.”

Recently announced, single points will be awarded for the Indianapolis 500 presented by Gainbridge. The change comes after a review of the double points system, first used in 2014. Analysis showed full-time championship teams were overly penalized for poor performance in the “500.”

Popular “second groove” practice sessions on the ovals at Texas Motor Speedway and World Wide Technology Raceway will continue in 2023. The additional practice, designed to help “rubber in” a higher racing line, will be available for all entries.

From an officiating standpoint, the first red flag during Segments One and Two of road and street course qualifying will stop the 10-minute clock. The clock will continue to run for the second and subsequent red flags during Segments One and Two. The Firestone Fast Six will continue to feature six minutes of guaranteed time.

Also new, to maximize time during the segments, the qualifying clock will not start until the first car during the session passes the alternate start-finish line on the racetrack.

Next Up: INDY NXT by Firestone

INDYCAR’s developmental series enters 2023 with a reimagined look. INDY NXT by Firestone is a more youthful and energetic pathway to North America’s premier open-wheel racing series. This season, 19 drivers from nine countries will pursue the 2023 championship and an increased $1.4 million purse.

The INDY NXT by Firestone champion will receive $850,000 to be applied to an oval test at Texas Motor Speedway, the Indy 500 Open Test and Rookie Orientation Program, an entry for the 2024 Indianapolis 500 presented by Gainbridge and an entry for an additional 2024 NTT INDYCAR SERIES event. For the first time, the championship team will receive a prize of $35,000.

After an expansion of teams and car count in 2022, the 2023 season will feature the highest entry list for the developmental series since 2009.

“Incorporating this series with the rest of the INDYCAR paddock has increased the profile and excitement for the drivers and teams,” INDY NXT Director Levi Jones said. “Firestone’s enthusiastic return also is another important step in developing the new generation of racers and growing the series to new levels.”

All 14 INDY NXT races again will be available in the United States via Peacock with coverage on INDYCAR LIVE, INDYCAR’s direct-to-consumer streaming service, in those countries not covered by international agreements.

Looking Ahead

Other developments to watch during the 2023 NTT INDYCAR SERIES season, include the return of the hugely popular PeopleReady Force for Good Challenge. The first entry to win on all three types of circuits – road course, street circuit and oval – will split $1 million with the race team and the driver’s chosen charity. In 2022, two-time NTT INDYCAR SERIES champion Josef Newgarden claimed the grand prize with wins at Texas, Long Beach and Road America.

PeopleReady is continuing to offer an additional $10,000 to the winner of every race this season, also to be split with the driver’s favorite charitable organization.

INDYCAR’s season begins March 3-5 with the Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg presented by RP Funding. Coverage of the NTT INDYCAR SERIES season debut, Sunday, March 5 will be available at noon ET on NBC with a simulstream available on Peacock.

Peacock also will provide coverage of the INDY NXT season opener that same day beginning at 9:50 a.m. ET. The INDYCAR Radio Network will provide coverage of both races, with audio available on the INDYCAR App powered by NTT DATA.

WARD BURTON TAKES A BRIEF TURN BEHIND THE WHEEL OF A LATE MODEL STOCK CAR AT SOUTH BOSTON SPEEDWAY

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Official Release
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Photo Courtesy Joe Chandler/South Boston Speedway

By Joe Chandler
Director, Public Relations
South Boston Speedway

SOUTH BOSTON, VA….The busiest pre-season testing day of the new year at South Boston Speedway ended late Wednesday afternoon with something of a surprise.

Former NASCAR Cup Series star, 2002 Daytona 500 winner Ward Burton, took a brief turn behind the wheel of a Late Model Stock Car co-owned by his son, NASCAR Xfinity Series driver Jeb Burton of Halifax, Virginia and H.C. Sellers of Danville, Virginia.

“It was really fun,” the elder Burton said with a smile. “I appreciate Jeb and H.C. Sellers allowing me to play for a moment. It brings back a lot of memories because I was immediately telling them what I need to get myself comfortable and feeling right. I know what I need to go faster.”

Burton, the winner of two of NASCAR’s most prestigious Cup Series races, the 2002 Daytona 500 and the 2001 Southern 500 at Darlington, admitted it had been quite awhile since he last piloted a Late Model Stock Car.

“I think it was 1991,” he replied when asked when he last drove a Late Model Stock Car. “The late “Goo” Fallen had me go to Orange County Speedway with him. Eddie Hatcher was still working for him. He wanted me to drive the car. The car was fine. It was just the motor wouldn’t run.”

Burton explained it was hard to compare the experience of driving a Late Model Stock Car years ago with driving one on this afternoon.

“I raced once (NASCAR) Busch Series race here in 1995 when the front pit wall was built,” noted Burton. “The track has been reconfigured a little bit since then.”
It was Burton’s son, Jeb, that persuaded him to climb behind of the wheel of the Late Model Stock Car.

“Jeb has been after me pretty hard to get back racing and run some races somewhere,” Burton explained. “We’ll see what it leads to down the road.”

Jeb Burton and Sellers had spent the day at South Boston Speedway working with driver Andrew Patterson of Statesville, North Carolina. Patterson is scheduled to drive the car in the twin 75-lap Sentara Healthcare Late Model Stock Car Division races that will headline the Danville Toyota ’23 Opener racing program on Saturday afternoon, March 18, at South Boston Speedway. The first race of the day will get the green flag at 2 p.m.

The season-opening event will also include twin 30-lap races for the Budweiser Limited Sportsman Division, a 25-lap race for the Southside Disposal Pure Stock Division and a 20-lap race for the Virginia State Police HEAT Hornets Division.

Patterson is a member of the Jordan Anderson Racing Team, the NASCAR Xfinity Series team for which Jeb Burton is driving this season.

South Boston Speedway will host its first spectator event of the 2023 season, SoBo Drifts powered by Barlow’s Tire, on Saturday, March 4. Drifting will begin at 11 a.m.

The event day schedule has pit gates opening at 9 a.m. A drivers meeting is set for 10:30 a.m. Spectator gates will open at 10:45 a.m. and drifting will begin at 11 a.m.

Admission is $12 for adults with children ages 12 & under admitted free. Tickets will be sold only on the day of the event.

Driver pit passes as well as pit passes for crew members, non-drivers, and infield spectators may be purchased in advance using the Pit Pay app or purchased on the day of the event. Anyone can buy a pit pass.

The latest news and information about all South Boston Speedway 2023 season events can be found on the South Boston Speedway website, southbostonspeedway.com, and through the track’s social media channels.

TOYOTA GAZOO Racing ready for 2023 with revised GR010 HYBRID

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Official Release
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TOKYO, Feb 24, 2023 – TOYOTA GAZOO Racing has revealed a revised GR010 HYBRID Hypercar for the 2023 season, when it will defend its number one status against new competitors at the start of an exciting era for the Le Mans 24 Hours and the FIA World Endurance Championship (WEC).

The team’s incredible run of success, which so far includes five consecutive Le Mans wins and four straight WEC title doubles, will be challenged by more Hypercar participants than ever before in a seven-race 2023 season, which includes the centenary edition of the Le Mans 24 Hours.

Cadillac, Ferrari, Porsche and Vanwall join existing Hypercar competition from Peugeot and Glickenhaus to form a 13-car grid in WEC, with even more cars likely at Le Mans in what is expected to be a closely-fought contest for the biggest prize in endurance racing.

The GR010 HYBRID was the first Hypercar to break cover back in January 2021 and it has undergone a programme of detail evolutions in key areas, as it did for 2022, to optimise reliability and efficiency.

Adjustments have been made to the high-performance Racing Hybrid powertrain, which consists of 520kW (707PS) 3.5litre engine and 200kW (272PS) electric motor, to reduce weight and improve reliability, exploiting the unique knowledge gained from more than a decade of experience with Hybrid powertrains at Le Mans.

The most visible changes on the 2023 evolution GR010 HYBRID concern the bodywork. New dive plane aerodynamic devices on the front corners and a smaller rear wing end plate, as well as other detail changes, have been implemented to enhance drivability and aerodynamic consistency.

Modifications have also been made to the bodywork with the target of improving brake cooling and allowing quick changes to cooling options during a race, achieved through new vents at the front and rear. Additionally, a revised headlight lay-out has been implemented to optimise visibility during night driving.

Under the bodywork, the GR010 HYBRID has gone undergone a weight saving programme to bring the overall weight down to the minimum 1040kg allowed by regulations. That addresses compromises made during the car’s design phase in 2020, which were the result of how the Hypercar regulations evolved.

The GR010 HYBRID will again use 100% renewable biofuel fuel, made from wine residues and agricultural material, which reduce CO2 emissions by at least 65% and contribute to ongoing efforts to increase sustainability in endurance racing.

To compliment those efforts, the pre-heating of tyres before use is no longer permitted, which reduces energy consumption and emissions. As a result, Michelin has introduced a new range of tyre compounds, designed to reach peak operating temperature quickly, whilst retaining durability and performance.

Once again, the GR010 HYBRID benefits from the technical expertise of TOYOTA GAZOO Racing’s long-term partners, who continue to contribute significantly to its success. DENSO supplies radiators and spark plugs whilst also contributing to the front motor alongside AISIN. RAYS delivers lightweight magnesium alloy wheels, Akebono provides mono-block alloy brake callipers and Mobil 1 is the lubricant of choice.

TOYOTA GAZOO Racing is unique on the 2023 grid thanks to a driver line-up exclusively consisting of proven Le Mans winners and WEC champions. Mike Conway, Kamui Kobayashi and Jose Maria Lopez will team up for the sixth successive season in the #7 car, while last year’s Le Mans and world title winners Sebastien Buemi, Brendon Hartley and Ryo Hirakawa join forces in the #8 GR010 HYBRID.

The test and reserve driver role will be taken by Kazuki Nakajima, who retired from racing at the end of 2021 following a career which included three Le Mans wins and a World Championship, as well as two Super Formula titles. He will conduct the role in parallel to his position as Vice Chairman of TOYOTA GAZOO Racing Europe.

The season begins on 11-12 March with an official Prologue test, followed on 17 March by the 1000 Miles of Sebring, before trips to Portimao (16 April) and Spa-Francorchamps (29 April). The highlight of the season, the centenary edition of the Le Mans 24 Hours, takes place on 10-11 June, prior to the final three races at Monza (9 July), Fuji Speedway (10 September) and Bahrain (4 November).

Kamui Kobayashi, Team Principal:

“This is the season we have been waiting for. It’s amazing for the fans to see so many manufacturers competing in Hypercar, and as a team we are excited by the new competitors. We want to be part of a big fight at the front, one which will entertain the fans and produce many great memories, particularly for the 100th anniversary of Le Mans. At TOYOTA GAZOO Racing, we never stand still and we are always pushing to make ever-better cars. So, just like last year, we have introduced some evolutions to our GR010 HYBRID for the 2023 season. These updates are the result of strong cooperation between team members in Higashi-Fuji and Cologne, as well as our partners and suppliers, so I would like to thank everyone for their hard work so far. The drivers’ first impressions of the revised car from the roll-out and our pre-season tests are positive, which gives us confidence that together we can fight to retain our Le Mans and WEC titles.”

Pascal Vasselon, Technical Director:

“We have made evolutions to our car to further improve reliability, drivability and serviceability, part of our normal long-term plan for continuous improvement. We implemented a big evolution for 2022 with the change of wheel size, which was necessary to address some issues we were suffering from, and it delivered the benefits we expected. The modifications we have made for 2023 are the normal next step in this process, and we have seen encouraging results in pre-season testing. It is exciting to compete against new entrants in Hypercar this year, particularly for the fans, but our approach doesn’t change. The job remains the same; we aim to win, so we must get the maximum out of our package, without mistakes. That is how we always approach racing. Reliability and global pace consistency, as well as the reduction of accident risks, are critical factors which we have continued to focus on with the updated GR010 HYBRID and our approach to the 2023 season.”

For more information, visit https://toyotagazooracing.com/wec/release/2023/0224-01/.

NCS AT AUTO CLUB SPEEDWAY: Team Chevy Advance

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Official Release
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TEAM CHEVY ADVANCE
Pala Casino 400
Auto Club Speedway
Fontana, California
February 26, 2023

GOING FOR THE THREE-PEAT

The 2-mile oval of Auto Club Speedway will be the first of three stops on the NASCAR Cup Series’ (NCS) west coast swing. Sunday’s Pala Casino 400 will mark the final time that NASCAR will take on the track’s 2-mile configuration as the venue will undergo a major reconfiguration to bring a short-track layout to southern California.

Chevrolet has a winning history at Auto Club Speedway with the Bowtie brand leading the series with 16 wins at the track. Those triumphs include the series’ debut at the track in 1997, where career Chevrolet driver Jeff Gordon captured the win behind the wheel of the No. 24 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet. Gordon’s win at the inaugural event was the start of Hendrick Motorsports’ success at the southern California track, with the Chevrolet team leading the series with 12 victories heading into Sunday’s race. Hendrick Motorsports has proven its strength at Auto Club Speedway in recent years: Alex Bowman (2020) and Kyle Larson (2022) powered Chevrolet to victory lane in the series’ past two events at the track.

Larson and the No. 5 Hendrick Motorsports Camaro ZL1 team’s win at Auto Club Speedway last season marked the Next Gen Camaro ZL1’s first win since making its points-paying competition debut at the Daytona 500 just one week prior. That monumental victory for the Next Gen Camaro ZL1 went along with a sweep of the top four positions by Team Chevy drivers from four different Chevrolet teams.

 
STENHOUSE JR., HILL WITH EARLY PLAYOFF BERTHS

Chevrolet’s Ricky Stenhouse Jr. and Austin Hill not only took home the trophies in the NCS and NASCAR Xfinity Series (NXS) season-openers at Daytona International Speedway, but also claimed a playoff berth in their respective series.

Stenhouse Jr. and the No. 47 JTG Daugherty Racing Camaro ZL1 team overcame two overtime attempts and a battle with reigning series champion Joey Logano to capture his first Daytona 500 and third career win in NASCAR’s premier series. The 35-year-old Mississippi native also delivered JTG Daugherty Racing’s first Daytona 500 victory, marking the first time that a single-car team won the crown jewel event since Trevor Bayne and Wood Brothers Racing accomplished that feat in 2011. Stenhouse Jr. also drove Chevrolet to a milestone 25th Daytona 500 victory and 50th all-time NCS win at Daytona – both of which are series-leading accomplishments.

A win in the series’ season-opening race also made Stenhouse Jr. the first driver to take a spot in the 16-driver NCS playoff field. Stenhouse Jr. – who is a back-to-back Xfinity Series champion (2011-12) – will look to make a run for his first career NCS championship title.

“Now for us to kind of take that next step – this is our second season with this new car and we’ve got more help from Chevrolet,” said Stenhouse Jr. “We’ve been in the simulator way more in this offseason than we were all of last year. Things like that… the resources that Chevy is going to help us out with and our alliance that we’ve built with Hendrick Motorsports.”

Just one night prior to Stenhouse Jr.’s monumental triumph, another Chevrolet made its way to victory lane. For the second-straight season, Richard Childress Racing’s Hill took the NXS season-opener victory at Daytona. The 2.5-mile Florida superspeedway was the site of Hill’s first career NXS victory (February 2022). The 28-year-old Georgia native went on to score a second victory (Atlanta Motor Speedway; July 2022) and advance to the NXS Playoffs Round of 8, ultimately ending his rookie season sixth in the final points standings.

Stenhouse Jr. and Hill’s victories brought Chevrolet to 98 all-time victories at Daytona across all three NASCAR national series, extending the manufacturer’s record as the winningest manufacturer in NASCAR history at the track. When the NCS and NXS return to Daytona for the series’ regular-season finales in August, Chevrolet will have another milestone feat on the horizon. A sweep of both races would bring the manufacturer to 100 all-time victories between the NCS, NXS and the NCTS combined at Daytona.

 
HOMESTATE HERO

A handful of Chevrolet drivers have made their mark in NASCAR’s history at Auto Club Speedway, including El Cajon, California, native Jimmie Johnson. Of Johnson’s 83 career victories in NASCAR’s premier series, the career Chevrolet driver leads the series with six trips to victory lane at his home track. He claimed his first career NCS win in April 2002 at the circuit, just 10 races into his rookie season. To date, Johnson is one of just two drivers in series’ history to score their first career NCS win at Auto Club Speedway, with fellow Chevrolet driver Kyle Busch joining Johnson on that elite list. In addition to leading in the ‘wins’ category, Johnson also continues to lead the series in runner-up finishes (five), top-fives (13), top-10s (18) and average finishing position (7.577) at the track.

 
BOWTIE BULLETS:

· NASCAR Cup Series victories by active Chevrolet drivers at Auto Club Speedway:

Kyle Busch – 4 (2005, 2013, 2014, 2019)

Alex Bowman – 1 (2020)

Kyle Larson – 1 (2017)

· Of the 32 NASCAR Cup Series races held at Auto Club Speedway, Chevrolet has recorded a series-leading 16 wins, giving the manufacturer a winning percentage of 50 percent at the 2-mile southern California venue.

· Chevrolet team Hendrick Motorsports has recorded a series-leading 12 NASCAR Cup Series victories at Auto Club Speedway; including the series’ inaugural event with Jeff Gordon (1997), as well as the series’ past two races at the track (Kyle Larson – 2022; Alex Bowman – 2020).

· Auto Club Speedway is the home of the Next Gen Camaro ZL1’s first win – by Kyle Larson and the No. 5 Hendrick Motorsports Camaro ZL1 team – after making its points-paying competition debut in NASCAR’s premier series just one week prior. Larson led Chevrolet to six top-10 finishes in that race, including a sweep of the top-four.

· Career Chevrolet driver Jimmie Johnson leads the series in a variety of statistical measures at Auto Club Speedway, including race wins (six), runner-up finishes (five), top-fives (13), top-10s (18) and average finishing position (7.577).

· The first two drivers to claim a playoff berth in the NASCAR Cup Series and NASCAR Xfinity Series come from the Chevrolet camp: Ricky Stenhouse Jr. (No. 47 JTG Daugherty Racing Camaro ZL1) and Austin Hill (No. 21 Richard Childress Racing Camaro ZL1).

· With its 41 NASCAR Cup Series Manufacturer’s Championships, 33 NASCAR Cup Series Driver’s Championships, and 834 all-time NASCAR Cup Series wins, Chevrolet continues to hold the title of winningest brand in NASCAR Cup Series history.

TUNE IN:

· NASCAR Cup Series – Pala Casino 400; 3:30 p.m. ET on Sunday, February 26 (FOX, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Channel 90).

· NASCAR Xfinity Series – Production Alliance 300; 5 p.m. ET on Saturday, February 25 (FS1, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Channel 90).

 
QUOTABLE QUOTES:

Ross Chastain, No. 1 Kubota Camaro ZL1

When you look back at how things went at Auto Club last year and then how the season ended, what do you think?

“I thought I better figure out how not wreck racecars. It was such a tough way to start the year last year. The cars supply was so limited then and I wrecked two that weekend. I’m so happy we were able to regroup, and everybody continued to believe in me. We got the ship righted and went on to get a couple of wins and have a shot at a championship. That was awesome. I certainly lived through all kinds of emotions last year.”

How do you feel your season is going so far?

“Making the main event at the Clash was an improvement over last year and I have to say that not destroying a car at Daytona and finishing the race felt great. Looks like the weather will be pretty challenging for us this weekend, but I’m looking forward to a less eventful weekend this year at Auto Club compared to last year. I’m focused with the great group of people around me and it’s been a good start to the season so far.”

Austin Dillon, No. 3 Dow Coatings Camaro ZL1

What are your thoughts on racing at Auto Club Speedway?

“I enjoy the West Coast swing, and can’t wait to kick it off at Auto Club Speedway. It gives us the chance to see where we’re at compared to the competition because the tracks are so different. We get three completely different tracks with a big, two-mile oval at Auto Club Speedway, a traditional 1.5-mile speedway at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, and a short track at Phoenix Raceway. Because the tracks are so different, the West Coast swing gives us a chance to really evaluate our overall program and see how we compare to the competition. Last year at Auto Club Speedway, we finished second in the Dow Coatings Chevrolet, and my teammate also had a strong run and led a lot of laps. I’m hoping we can add one spot to that on Sunday and get the trophy. Auto Club Speedway is a fun place to race. There’s a lot you can do with that track with the multiple lanes you can race. Kyle Busch is good there and he will bring something to the table this weekend to help RCR as a whole.”

Describe the racing at Auto Club Speedway …

“Tire wear is the biggest part. You’re running all the way against the fence, and all the way against the bottom. There’s a good mixture. You have to have speed at the beginning of a run and then hold it for a long run. If you can’t take off you get beat on the restarts and if you can’t hold on they’re going to lap you at the end of a run. You have to have a good balance between the short and the long run. If you can do that, you’ll be pretty good. We’ve done pretty well in the past there, including a second-place finish last year. I love the track, and feel pretty good about it. The fans are amazing at Auto Club Speedway. Actually, the fans are amazing at all of the races during this west coast stretch so I’m looking forward to getting out there.”

Where does Auto Club Speedway rank for you among the West Coast swing races?

“I think my favorites now are between Las Vegas Motor Speedway and Auto Club Speedway. I like Phoenix Raceway, too, but between Vegas and Fontana it’s a tight race.”

Kyle Larson, No. 5 HENDRICKCARS.COM Camaro ZL1

Larson on trying to defend his victory at Auto Club Speedway:

“We seem to be really good on that style racetrack. It’s a place that I really love with the line changes and the (way the) tires wear out. I remember last year you could draft pretty well down the straightaways. It was a fun race. Hopefully, we can be fast again and win in my home state again.”

Cliff Daniels, Crew Chief, No. 5 HENDRICKCARS.COM Camaro ZL1

Daniels on the difference in strategy this year compared to last year at Auto Club:

“During the race last year, everyone was still trying to get their bearings on the new car. The race was more survival than it was strategy. There just was no strategy to be had in the race. I want to say the longest green flag that we had was around 15-20 laps. I would expect the race to play out a lot more similar to a standard intermediate race with longer green flag runs and potential green flag pit stops. That is where we will have to get into some strategy. We are doing our homework to prepare for whatever is going to come in that regard. I feel like it will play out much differently this year than what we saw last year.”

Kyle Busch, No. 8 Lucas Oil Camaro ZL1

This will be the final race on the superspeedway configuration at Auto Club Speedway. How special would it be to win this race?

“I love Auto Club Speedway. I’ve known it as California Speedway for a long, long time since I was a kid. I obviously love the layout. I like the two-mile oval. I think it’s unique, I think it’s special. We only have two of those on the calendar already so it’s not that it’s that big of a deal that we have two that we’re getting rid of it for another short track on the west coast. If we want to race in California more there’s Irwindale Speedway right down the street that’s a fantastic half-mile racetrack that’s a great short track. I would certainly love to win the last one on the big track. That would be awesome. I was the last one to win on the Bristol surface before they redid it in 2008.”

You won your first Cup race and pole at Fontana. What about that track has suited your driving style so well?

“I think Auto Club Speedway has been a really good track for me over the years just because I like the track. I like going out there, I like the west coast, it’s a fun track. It’s a driver’s track. You can really move around. There’s five lanes and you can run all of ‘em but one of my favorite lines to run is obviously up against the wall, that fifth lane. It’s a really cool track to be able to do that and you’re always trying to set yourself as fast as you can right up against the wall as close as you can and that’s where you get to make your most time. It’s really a fun track for the drivers.”

Why does the worn out pavement at Fontana make for such good racing?

“A worn-out surface is fun for drivers because you get a chance to work the track and find different grooves and find different lines that your car will work in. You can change the balance of your car tighter or looser by moving in different grooves and going higher in the turns or coming off lower in the turns or whatever it might be. It’s a guessing game really sometimes where your car will work best and trying to find that and it even changes throughout the run whether it’s the beginning of the run you run low and at the end of the run you run high. That’s typical. Sometimes I’ve been fast or been able to be fast right up along the wall or in lane four right off the get go on new tires.”

Chase Elliott, No. 9 NAPA Auto Parts Camaro ZL1

Elliott on starting the West Coast swing:

“I’m looking forward to kicking off the West Coast swing at Fontana. I really enjoy going out there. The track is unique and it’s just a cool place. It’s one of those places you kind of forget about until it comes up on the schedule because you only race there once a year and it’s so early in the season. I felt like we had a pretty good run going there towards the end last year but didn’t end up with the finish to show for it. Hopefully, we’re able to improve upon that this weekend.”

Alan Gustafson, Crew Chief, No. 9 NAPA Auto Parts Camaro ZL1

Gustafson on returning to the site of his first win as a crew chief:

“Fontana is kind of special for me. It’s where I got my first win and I just really enjoy going there. It’s a really fast track and it’s super unique. It’ll be interesting this weekend with the weather. Hopefully, it holds off and we’re able to get some practice time in, but it could be a situation where we’re starting the race on Sunday without any track time.”

William Byron, No. 24 RaptorTough.com Camaro ZL1

Byron on his thoughts for this weekend in Auto Club:

“Last year’s race I think was the best race I’ve had there in the Cup Series. I know we didn’t finish well, but we were up front all race. Even after having a flat tire while leading, we still had a shot at it. Hopefully, this weekend will be about the same for our team. I know weather will play a factor, though, so we’ll see how that goes. Our plan is to go in and control what we can control. That’s all we can do. I think we showed in Daytona that we’ve made strides as a team, and I think we will do that again in California.”

Rudy Fugle, Crew Chief, No. 24 RaptorTough.com Camaro ZL1

Fugle on why he enjoys racing at Auto Club:

“This is the last time we get to race on the big track in Fontana, unless they change their mind on reconfiguring it, which I hope they do. As a crew chief, that track makes the hair on the back of your neck stand up. Seeing them rip the fence with such little grip up there – it’s unnerving. I’m always excited to go there and race. Even in practice, it’s hairy because there tends to be wrecks just because everyone is on such a fine line. I’m really excited to get there and see what we can do.”

Justin Haley, No. 31 LeafFilter Gutter Protection Camaro ZL1

“Auto Club is a track we actually kind of struggled at last year, as well as the other two-mile racetracks. We have definitely put some time into figuring out what we need arrow-wise to be faster, so I feel like we got a good grasp of it going into the weekend. Multi-groove racetracks are extremely fun to race on and have a lot of character to them, so this a fun one I’m looking forward to.”

Noah Gragson, No. 42 Sunseeker Resort Camaro ZL1

“It’s pretty cool that the first race I’ll race a Cup car at Auto Club is the final race for this configuration. There have been a lot of really good races here in the past but the new plans for this track look really fun too. Last year we came up one spot short in the Xfinity Series after having a strong car. Late in the race I slid through the pit box and struggled with the handling with the cloud cover. It’s not been one of my better tracks so a second-place finish was pretty good for us last year. Luke (Lambert, crew chief) and I learned a lot and last year Erik (Jones) and Dave (Elenz) had a great car there last year so we have a good baseline.”

Erik Jones, No. 43 Allegiant Camaro ZL1

Looking ahead into the season – Fontana, last race on the 2-mile configuration there. Your thoughts? “Yeah, I don’t know, I’m kind of sad about it in a way. I’ve had a lot of fun racing there. Just been fast there, too, which probably makes it harder, right? But I think it’s a really good track. It’s been a really racy intermediate (track) for us.. it’s more of a speedway almost. But it’s been a really racy track for a lot of years, so I’m sad to see it go, but obviously we will be coming back there on a short track. Hopefully we can get the short track program a little better with the Next Gen car and put on a good show there, too.”

What do you think about it being a short track? Do you think that is what it needs?

“Yeah, I don’t know. I thought the last couple of years, we’ve had a good turnout at that race and I thought the racing was phenomenal last year. We had a really good show there, so I think there will be a good crowd out there this year. But I’m sure the short track people are still going to show up, especially at first. If the racing is good, they’re going to come back again. I don’t have anything against it, necessarily. I’m just going to miss what we have there now.”

Alex Bowman, No. 48 Ally Camaro ZL1

Bowman on his fast start to the 2023 season:

“I think this team has a lot of momentum right now. With bringing on Blake (Harris, crew chief), Ally re-signing with Hendrick Motorsports, my extension, two really solid finishes and another pole at the DAYTONA 500, there are a lot of reasons to be excited. It is easy to get ahead of yourself. However, Blake does a great job of keeping the team focused on the details and not letting other things around us take away from what we need to do to be successful on Sundays. We are going to keep focused, get the details right and hopefully go compete for a win this Sunday in Fontana.”

Blake Harris, Crew Chief, No. 48 Ally Camaro ZL1

Harris on the momentum the team has heading to Auto Club:

“Auto Club (Speedway) is a track that Alex (Bowman) has won at and dominated in 2020. I have had a lot of success there in the past with other drivers and it’s honestly one of my favorite tracks on the schedule. Coming off the momentum we have had the last couple of weeks with back-to-back top-fives, we are looking to continue to build on it. It will be interesting to see how the weather impacts the weekend. Hopefully we get on track Saturday, because if we don’t, it will be straight into the race on Sunday. If that’s the case, it will be all about hitting on all the small details. I am just ready to get into the more normal processes that our team will have this season. This weekend will start the foundation for the 2023 season.”

Daniel Suarez, No. 99 Freeway Insurance Camaro ZL1

How was your Daytona 500?

“It was a little bit crazy, but I told the team they did a hell of a job. We lacked track position most of the day, and when it mattered the most, we had it. We just spun out there and I was just struggling with loose balance when people would get to the rear bumper for some reason. That one, the 2 came very close to me, very tight and the car behind me came very close as well and got me loose. We recovered and we are getting better at this kind of racing and we are going to get one of these one day.”

Do you enjoy racing in Fontana?

“I love racing there. The track is so fast and wide. The restarts are amazing. We were so close there last year despite hitting the wall. We are very optimistic for Sunday.”

 
Chevrolet NASCAR Cup Series Statistics

Manufacturers Championships:

Total (1949-2022): 41

First title for Chevrolet: 1958

Highest number of consecutive titles: 13 (2003-15)

Years Won: 1958, 1959, 1960, 1961, 1972, 1973, 1974, 1976, 1977, 1978, 1979, 1980, 1983, 1984, 1985, 1986, 1987, 1988, 1989, 1990, 1991, 1993, 1995, 1996, 1998, 2001, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2021, 2022

Drivers Championships:

Total (1949-2021): 33

First Chevrolet champion: Buck Baker (1957)

Highest number of consecutive titles: 7 (2005-11)

Most Recent: Kyle Larson (2021)

Years Won: 1957, 1960, 1961, 1973, 1976, 1977, 1979, 1980, 1984, 1985, 1986, 1987, 1990, 1991, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 2001, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2013, 2014, 2016, 2020, 2021

Event Victories:

Record for total race wins in single season: 26 (2007)

2023 STATISTICS:

Wins: 1

Poles: 1

Laps Led: 44

Top-five finishes: 2

Top-10 finishes: 5

Stage wins: 1

· Ross Chastain – 1 (Daytona)

CHEVROLET IN NASCAR CUMULATIVE STATISTICS:

Total Chevrolet race wins: 834 (1949 to date)

Poles won to date: 735

Laps led to date: 245,588

Top-five finishes to date: 4,223

Top-10 finishes to date: 8,717

Total NASCAR Cup Wins by Corporation, 1949 to Date:

       General Motors: 1,168

       Chevrolet: 834

       Pontiac: 154

       Oldsmobile: 115

       Buick: 65



       Ford: 820                                                           

       Ford: 720

       Mercury: 96

       Lincoln: 4



       Fiat Chrysler Automobiles: 467

       Dodge: 217

       Plymouth: 191

       Chrysler: 59



       Toyota: 170

 
Team Chevy high-resolution racing photos are available for editorial use.

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.

WEC preview with Cadillac Racing driver Earl Bamber

By
Official Release
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Transcript: Co-driver of No. 2 Cadillac in Hypercar class weighs in on Sebring opener

Earl Bamber, co-driver with Alex Lynn and Richard Westbrook of the No. 2 Cadillac that will make its FIA World Endurance Championship debut March 17 in the Hypercar class of the 1000 Miles of Sebring, participated in a panel Q&A with the media via Zoom today hosted by the WEC. His time was limited because of a concurrent test session for the Intercontinental GT Challenge’s Kyalami 9 Hour.

Bamber co-drove to victory in the 2022 Twelve Hours of Sebring in a Cadillac DPi-V.R.

Transcript of his Q&A:

This is your first time in the WEC in a number of years. What have you missed most?

“I think the biggest thing and the most exciting is to go for a world championship again. Obviously, pitting ourselves against the best teams, the best manufacturers and going for the outright Le Mans win is a big target for everyone at Cadillac Racing. We’re bringing an American brand and American team to Le Mans and try to get an outright victory after so many years.”

How are your going to deal with tire pressures at Sebring compared to Daytona?

“When you’re running so high a minimum pressure at Daytona, it was difficult to get a read on the car. I know our IMSA team did some testing there the other day and I think they made some good steps forward. Being the development team, we didn’t work on performance stuff so now we can start on that, and I think we are making some good steps. Unfortunately, we haven’t managed to get there as a WEC team, so we have to work well together with both the Cadillac groups (Chip Ganassi Racing and Action Express Racing). But I think it will be a bit of an advantage for us by having both IMSA and WEC teams running on the same weekend. I think the tires will be very durable; we saw some great double stints at Daytona and I see quite possibly double stints at Sebring. I think it will be a very interesting race.”

Do you think Sebring is the best shot for Cadillac to score a race win this year?

“The Cadillac has been really strong in the past at Sebring in the DPi era. We were really good at the American-style street tracks – Long Beach, Detroit. I think it will be a good event because we’ve run there a lot. Obviously, a big target for us is to have great success at Le Mans, and then when we go to the other tracks we’ll have a chance to test. It’s such a new category I think it’s a learning curve for everyone. As the season goes on, people will have different strengths at different tracks. We’ve seen that in GT and I think you’ll see that here. It will be very close. You saw that at Daytona with the regulations. I think the ACO and IMSA have done a great job getting especially the LMDh cars so close together, so I think it’s going to be a dogfight. For us, we’re going to have to learn the style of WEC racing. We know the American stuff with what we did last year, but we have to learn the WEC style. It’s going to be a challenge. We’ll also lean on our friends at Chevy, who did the last couple of seasons in the WEC. We’re building a whole new team based in Germany as well so it’s a big challenge for us.”

Does Cadillac have an advantage at Sebring because of its history there and because it raced with car without tire warmers?

“Toyota, I would say, would have the upper hand in general. They are the benchmark. The tire warmer is something new that all teams will have to deal with, but I still say they would be the favorites because they won there last year. It’s going to be an interesting first race with balancing LMDh and LMH for everyone.”

About Cadillac

A leading luxury auto brand since 1902, Cadillac is growing globally, driven by an expanding product portfolio that features distinctive design and technology. More information on Cadillac appears at www.cadillac.com.

Auto Mirror Replacement Company, Burco Inc. Expands Sponsorship with Spencer Boyd

By
Official Release
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Mooresville, NC (February 23, 2023) – The company that is revolutionizing the way a broken vehicle mirror is repaired has signed an extension with NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series Driver, Spencer Boyd. The new agreement includes Burco stepping up into a primary sponsorship role.

Spencer Boyd commented on the new deal, “We had a lot of fun together last year. Burco is awesome on social media and I know they cheer for me as loudly as my Mom does. It is so great to see them have their own paint scheme this year and to see their business expanding. They truly do have a great alternative to replacing the entire mirror assembly.”

In case you were wondering, Burco Inc.’s paint scheme does include the phrase ‘Objects in Mirror are Closer Than They Appear.’

“Spencer is our guy!” said President of Burco Inc., Bill Castleberry. “He is a great ambassador for our brand and a completely down to earth individual. NASCAR is a natural fit for us to get the word out about our product and have seen great results since partnering with Spencer last year. We are looking forward to getting to Kansas Speedway!”

Burco Inc. will be the primary sponsor for the May 6, 2023 race at Kansas Speedway and again be the rear view mirror sponsor for every race this season.

Burco, Inc. was founded in 1979 in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Their fully functional manufacturing and warehousing facility supplies over 4,500 mirror glass and related products to various automotive and consumer markets. They are also an original equipment supplier to various specialty mirror head manufacturers.

Burco’s Redi Cuts® and Redi-Set-Go™ automotive mirror replacement product lines were originally created to make it simpler for industry professionals to replace mirrors without having to cut custom shapes, hence the name “Redi Cuts.” Burco mirror replacements continue to be used and trusted by glass professionals throughout North America.

PPG TO SPONSOR APRIL 2 NTT INDYCAR SERIES RACE TO OPEN TEXAS MOTOR SPEEDWAY’S 2023 RACING SCHEDULE

By
Official Release
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  • PPG serving as primary entitlement sponsor for Texas Motor Speedway’s opening race of its 2023 schedule.
  • PPG 375 will be the second race of INDYCAR’s 17-race season.

FORT WORTH, Texas (JAN. 23, 2023) – PPG has been named the entitlement sponsor for the NTT INDYCAR SERIES race on Sunday, April 2, that kicks off Texas Motor Speedway’s 27th season.

PPG will serve as the primary entitlement sponsor for the INDYCAR race that delivered last season’s closest finish in the NTT INDYCAR SERIES. It came as a result of Josef Newgarden’s thrilling final-turn pass of Team Penske teammate Scott McLaughlin for a 0.0669-of-a-second margin of victory.

“Texas Motor Speedway is proud to welcome PPG to our family of race entitlement partners,” said Texas Motor Speedway Executive Vice President and General Manager Mark Faber. “The speedway has utilized PPG products for years to paint the many race and series logos on the front straightaway’s grass ballfield as well as many other areas throughout the facility. We look forward to bringing our race fans another exciting and action-filled weekend of NTT INDYCAR SERIES competition.”

The PPG 375 will be the second race of the NTT INDYCAR SERIES season and first of five ovals on the 17-event schedule. The partnership will provide PPG with significant brand visibility, an opportunity to engage with a very loyal fan base and the ability to leverage the event weekend with employees, vendor partners, customers and other key stakeholders.

“PPG is proud to serve as the primary entitlement sponsor at the NTT INDYCAR SERIES race at Texas Motor Speedway,” said Bryan Iams, PPG chief communications officer. “Our paints, coatings and specialty materials have a long history with racing, including our valued nearly 40-year partnership with Team Penske.”

The NTT INDYCAR SERIES PPG 375 headlines a two-day race weekend that also features the SpeedyCash.com 250 NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series race on Saturday, April 1 (3:30 p.m. CT, TV: FS1, Radio: MRN, SiriusXM). The weekend culminates Sunday, April 2, with the running of the PPG 375 beginning at 11:30 a.m. CT (TV: NBC, Radio: SiriusXM, INDYCAR Radio Network).

Texas Motor Speedway’s 2023 events schedule consists of everything from the April 1-2 NTT INDYCAR SERIES/NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series doubleheader and the Sept. 23-24 NASCAR Playoffs weekend. Other significant events include the Ducks Unlimited Expo, the four-day Hwy 30 Music Fest and Bandas y Trocas Hispanic concert and truck show, C-10 Nationals, Fuel Fest, Goodguys, LS Fest and finally wrapping up the year with the family-favorite and speedway tradition Gift of Lights holiday light show.

Season tickets and camping for Texas Motor Speedway’s 2023 major event season are on sale now. Save up to 33 percent versus buying individual tickets, get the best seat selection and more. All-new reduced rates are available for the GEICO Infield, GEICO VIP and WinStar World Casino and Resort Lone Star Circle camping areas. Click HERE for more information and to purchase season tickets.

ABOUT PPG
PPG: WE PROTECT AND BEAUTIFY THE WORLD®
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Texas Motor Speedway is among the largest sports stadiums in the United States and features an array of amenities such as the world’s largest TV that make it one of the premier venues in the world of sports. The 1.5-mile superspeedway located in Fort Worth hosts all three NASCAR national series as well as the NTT INDYCAR SERIES among its various races and specialty events throughout the year. Since opening in 1997, Texas Motor Speedway has generated an annual economic impact of approximately $300 million to the North Texas region. Texas Motor Speedway is owned and operated by Speedway Motorsports, LLC, a leading marketer and promoter of motorsports entertainment in the United States. For more information, please visit texasmotorspeedway.com.

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John Hunter Nemechek Returns to NCTS with TRICON at Las Vegas

By
Official Release
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Thirteen-Time Truck Series Winner Joins Team for Two-Race Foray

MOORESVILLE, N.C. (February 23, 2023) — TRICON Garage (TRICON) announced this afternoon that NASCAR Xfinity Series driver John Hunter Nemechek will join its NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series (NCTS) lineup for the series’ next two events at Las Vegas Motor Speedway and Atlanta Motor Speedway.

Nemechek returns to the Truck Series having been a consistent threat to win over the course of his 147 NCTS starts, tallying 13 victories, four top-10 points finishes and a round of four playoff appearance across four full-time seasons.

The Mooresville, North Carolina native will be the second Xfinity Series regular to fill in behind the wheel of the No. 17 as fellow Joe Gibbs Racing teammate Sammy Smith piloted the Tundra to a 14th-place finish in the season opener at Daytona (Fla.) International Speedway.

The 25-year-old will carry sponsorship from longtime partner Berry’s Manufacturing at Las Vegas, while sponsorship and paint scheme details for Atlanta will be revealed at a later date.

The Truck Series will take the green flag Friday, March 3, at Las Vegas Motor Speedway for the Victoria’s Voice Foundation 200. Coverage is set to air at 9:00 p.m. ET on FOX Sports 1, MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.

About TRICON Garage

TRICON Garage is Toyota Racing Development’s flagship NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series organization. Under ownership by former NASCAR veteran David Gilliland and businessman Johnny Gray, TRICON is actively involved in three different industries – racing, fabrication and transportation. The team operates out of three buildings totaling 60,000 square feet in Mooresville, North Carolina.

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