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HaasTooling.com Racing: Ryan Preece Fontana Advance

RYAN PREECE
Fontana Advance
No. 41 HaasTooling.com Ford Mustang for Stewart-Haas Racing

Event Overview

● Event: Pala Casino 400 (Round 2 of 36)
● Time/Date: 3:30 p.m. EDT on Sunday, Feb. 26
● Location: Auto Club Speedway in Fontana, California
● Layout: 2-mile oval
● Laps/Miles: 200 laps / 400 miles
● Stage Lengths: Stage 1: 65 laps / Stage 2: 65 laps / Final Stage: 70 laps
● TV/Radio: FOX / MRN / SiriusXM NASCAR Radio

Notes of Interest

● Ryan Preece opened the 2023 points-paying season with a strong showing in Sunday’s 65th running of the Daytona 500 at Daytona (Fla.) International Speedway. Preece and the No. 41 HaasTooling.com Ford Mustang for Stewart-Haas Racing (SHR) qualified 20th and had the best 10-consecutive-lap average in final practice. He finished second in Stage 1 and was running up front for a majority of the second stage until he was caught up in a multicar incident in Turn 2 on Lap 183. Preece was unable to return to the race and finished 36th. Of note, Preece had the fastest lap of the race at 196.468 mph.

● Sunday’s Pala Casino 400 at Auto Club Speedway in Fontana, California, will be Preece’s third Cup Series start at the 2-mile oval. His first came in 2019, when he started 26th and finished 23rd. He second was in 2020, when he started 20th and finished 30th. He has three NASCAR Xfinity Series appearances at Fontana with a best finish of eighth in 2019.

● Returning to the SHR No. 41 Ford Mustang in 2023 is HaasTooling.com, the cutting tool division of Haas Automation led by team co-owner Gene Haas. HaasTooling.com was launched as a way for CNC machinists to purchase high-quality cutting tools at great prices. Haas cutting tools are sold exclusively online at HaasTooling.com and shipped directly to end users. HaasTooling.com products became available nationally in July 2020. Haas Automation, founded in 1983, is America’s leading builder of CNC machine tools. The company manufactures a complete line of vertical and horizontal machining centers, turning centers, rotaries and indexers, and automation solutions.

Ryan Preece, Driver of the No. 41 HaasTooling.com Ford Mustang for Stewart-Haas Racing:

You had a strong showing at Daytona despite the unfortunate finish. What can you take from that and use moving forward?

“Track position is everything at Daytona, we learned that after qualifying and the Duel. It wasn’t the result we had hoped for and worked for, but I just want to focus on the fact that we had such a fast HaasTooling.com Ford Mustang. This opportunity is exactly what I wanted, so it’s unfortunate because I felt like we were going to put ourselves in position to give ourselves the chance to be in contention and win the race, but it just wasn’t meant to be. Hopefully, we keep unloading fast Ford Mustangs like we did this weekend, and we’ll have some fun. I’m looking forward to getting to Fontana and really getting this season started.”

You’re heading to a track with a completely different configuration than what you experienced in the first two races of the season. What are your expectations for this weekend’s race at Fontana?

“Yeah, we’ve gone to two completely different racetracks so far and we’ve had speed at both of them, so I know this weekend is completely different and more of a baseline track that most teams are looking at to see the speed. I feel confident going into it that we’re going to unload fast. Hopefully, we consistently have speed all weekend and start continuing to lay the foundation that we have with our team.”

How is your chemistry with the team?

“The communication is there. It’s really easy to work with Chad (Johnston, crew chief) and our entire group so far. It’s as if we’ve been working together for over a year. Outside of just my race team, whether it’s the fabrication shop, paint shop, the floor guys or parts room, they see me around. I feel like I already earned their respect. I’m there pretty much every day, and they see it. I’m right there with them. I already feel comfortable there, and with the foundation we’ve built. It’s just continuing to build the house and going through the steps. I’m certainly excited going forward and very eager to see how we are off the truck, and really where we’re going to be moving forward.”

No. 41 HaasTooling.com Team Roster

Primary Team Members

Driver: Ryan Preece
Hometown: Berlin, Connecticut

Crew Chief: Chad Johnston
Hometown: Cayuga, Indiana

Car Chief: Tony Cardamone
Hometown: Bristol, Virginia

Engineer: Lee Deese
Hometown: Rockingham, North Carolina

Engineer: Scott Bingham
Hometown: Lawrenceville, Georgia

Spotter: Andy Houston
Hometown: Hickory, North Carolina

Over-The-Wall Members

Front Tire Changer: Devin Lester
Hometown: Bluefield, West Virginia

Rear Tire Changer: Kevin Teaf
Hometown: Tallahassee, Florida

Tire Carrier: Chad Emmons
Hometown: Tyler, Texas

Jack Man: Kapil Fletcher
Hometown: Ft. Lauderdale, Florida

Fuel Man: Dwayne Moore
Hometown: Griffin, Georgia

Road Crew Members

Mechanic: Joe Zanolini
Hometown: Sybertsville, Pennsylvania

Underneath & Interior Mechanic: Clint Leatherwood
Hometown: Rockmart, Georgia

Shock Specialist: Aaron Kuehn
Hometown: Kensington, Connecticut

Tire Specialist: Matt Ridgway
Hometown: Carrollton, Georgia

Engine Tuner: Jimmy Fife
Hometown: Orange County, California

Transporter Co-Driver: David Rodrigues
Hometown: Santa Clarita, California

Transporter Co-Driver: Charlie Schleyer
Hometown: Youngsville, Pennsylvania

JR Motorsports — NXS Fontana Preview

JR MOTORSPORTS TEAM PREVIEW:
TRACK: Auto Club Speedway
RACE: Production Alliance Group 300 (150 laps / 300 miles)
DATE: Saturday, Feb. 25, 2023

Broadcast Information – TV: 5 p.m. ET on FS1 / Radio: 4:30 p.m. ET on MRN and Sirius XM Ch. 90

Sam Mayer
No. 1 Accelerate Professional Talent Solutions Chevrolet
• Sam Mayer heads to Fontana for only his second start at Auto Club Speedway. He earned a sixth-place finish last year in his inaugural run at the 2-mile oval.
• The young driver is coming off a thriving run at Daytona International Speedway where he made a late move for the lead but ended up in a multi-car incident, relegating him to a 27th-place finish in the season-opener.
• In 23 starts on tracks measuring between 1-2 miles in the NXS, the Franklin, Wis. native has recorded six top fives, 11 top 10s and has led 45 laps, the second most of any size track.

Josh Berry
No. 8 Bass Pro Shops/TRACKER Boats & ATVs Chevrolet
• Josh Berry will make his second career start at Auto Club on Saturday. In his only other start on the 2-mile oval, Berry finished fourth last season.
• On 2-mile tracks in his NXS career, Berry has three total starts (two at Michigan and one at Auto Club). In those three events, Berry earned a pair of fourth-place results and one sixth-place effort for an average finish of 4.7.
• In his first start in the No. 8 Bass Pro Shops/TRACKER Boats & ATVs Chevrolet, Berry was vying for the victory at Daytona before running out of fuel in the late going. He finished 26th after leading 17 laps.

Brandon Jones
No. 9 Menards / Patriot Lighting Chevrolet
• Brandon Jones has made six starts at the 2-mile California oval with a best finish of seventh during the 2019 season.
• The 26-year-old Georgian started third and led three laps in this race last season before being involved in a multi-car incident on lap 155, which handed him a 33rd-place finish.
• On NASCAR’s 2-mile ovals at Auto Club and Michigan, Jones has recorded two top fives and seven top 10s.
• Jones was solidly inside the top five last week at Daytona before going for a spin down the backstretch with two laps remaining. The No. 9 battled back to a 14th-place finish in the season-opening race.

Justin Allgaier
No. 7 BRANDT Professional Agriculture Chevrolet
• Justin Allgaier’s third-place finish last weekend at Daytona
was the 100th top-five of his JRM career dating back to 2016.
• In 13 NXS starts at Fontana, the driver of the BRANDT
Professional Agriculture Chevrolet has scored a best finish of
second, coming in this event in 2018.
• To accompany the runner-up result, Allgaier has amassed seven top 10s, including in five of the last six races at the Southern California oval.
• In his NXS career on tracks 2 miles or larger, the Illinois native has recorded one win (Indianapolis – 2018), 21 top fives and 40 top 10s in 78 career starts.

Driver Quotes

“I have really been looking forward to getting back to Auto Club. We had a super fast Chevrolet there last year that allowed us to run up front and ended with a sixth-place finish. Coming off of Daytona, Mardy (Lindley, crew chief)and the No. 1 team gave me an awesome race car and we were really shooting for the win. Unfortunately, landing on our lid on the final lap was not in our plans but we’re learning from it and ready to get to California. “ – Sam Mayer

“Fontana is such a fun track to race on. With its worn out surface and multi-grooves, you can really race anywhere around the track. I can’t wait to get there this weekend and see what we can do with our BRANDT Professional Agriculture Chevrolet. Jim (Pohlman, crew chief) and all the guys on this No. 7 team have done a great job to start the year. We’re sure to have the same speed we showed last week in Daytona when we hit the track Saturday morning.” – Justin Allgaier

“We had a really fast Bass Pro Shops/TRACKER Boats & ATVs Chevrolet last week at Daytona and I’ve been pretty comfortable at 2-mile tracks, so I’m ready to see how we do at Auto Club this weekend. We had a real shot at winning Daytona, and Taylor (Moyer, crew chief) and our No. 8 team are prepped and ready to get it done this weekend in California.” – Josh Berry

“We had a lot of speed last week at Daytona, which gives this Menards/Patriot Lighting team confidence as we head to Auto Club. JR Motorsports was fast here last year and I’ve had speed here in the past, so hopefully, we can get momentum moving our way and be battling for the win at the end of the race.” – Brandon Jones

JRM Team Updates:

• JR Motorsports at Auto Club: JR Motorsports has competed at Auto Club Speedway a combined 49 times in the NXS. Over the course of these 49 starts at the 2-mile facility, JRM has tallied one win, 11 top fives and 29 top 10s. JRM’s only win came during the 2015 season when Kevin Harvick drove the No. 88 to Victory Lane.
• Bass Pro Shops CLUB Card: Earn two percent back in CLUB Points on Bass Pro Shops and Cabela’s purchases and at participating Cenex locations. Earn one percent back everywhere else Mastercard is accepted. You can earn unlimited CLUB Points that never expire for open accounts. Redeem points for merchandise at Bass Pro Shops and Cabela’s or at Bass Pro Shops restaurants and resorts through the mobile app. Apply now.
• Souvenir Rig: All four JRM drivers will be signing autographs at the JR Motorsports/LEGACY M.C. souvenir rig on Saturday, Feb. 25 from 11 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. local time

RISI COMPETIZIONE ANNOUNCES 12 HOURS OF SEBRING DRIVER LINE-UP FOR 2023

Risi Competizione Ferrari 296 GT3 No. 62:
Davide Rigon (ITA)
Daniel Serra (BRA)
Gabriel Casagrande (BRA)

Houston, Texas (February 22, 2023) … Risi Competizione will be competing at the 71st annual Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring race in the IMSA WeatherTech Championship on March 18. As previously announced, the Houston, Texas-based Ferrari team is working to defend its 2022 IMSA Michelin Endurance Cup (IMEC) Championship this season with Ferrari Competizioni GT official drivers Davide Rigon and Daniel Serra.

The new driver being announced for the team at Sebring is Brazilian Gabriel Casagrande. The 28-year-old native of Francisco Beltrão regularly competes in the hugely popular Brazilian Stock Car Pro Series, where he won the championship title in 2021. Prior to entering the Stock Car series, Casagrande competed in Formula 3 and Formula Renault. He’s also raced in the Porsche Cup Brazil and GT Sprint Race Brazil. Casagrande is looking forward to getting his first chance to drive the Ferrari 296 GT3 with Risi Competizione.

Risi Competizione driver, Gabriel Casagrande
“The team will be back at Sebring this year as we race to defend the Michelin Endurance Cup in the GTD Pro class with Davide and Daniel,” said Giuseppe Risi, Team Principal. “We’ve added a young Brazilian driver, Gabriel Casagrande, to drive alongside them. Again, this year will be a double weekend with WEC (World Endurance Championship) and we’re looking forward to getting back to a special track that we have some good memories and victories since our first year racing in 1998.”

The American Ferrari team competed in January at the Rolex 24 At Daytona with the new Ferrari 296 GT3 in its inaugural race but unfortunately suffered a rare DNF when they withdrew after the halfway point due to floorboard damage following an incident.

Last year the No. 62 Risi Competizione team finished ninth in class at the 12 Hours of Sebring with Rigon, Serra and Italian Eddie Cheever III driving the Ferrari 488 GT3 Evo 2020. Serra captured the pole in the GTD Pro class at the 3.74-mile, 17-turn central Florida road course in its 70th annual race.

For more information, please go to www.risicompetizione.com and follow us on Facebook/RisiCompetizione, Twitter @RisiComp and Instagram @RisiComp.

Curtain Rises on 2023 for Silver Hare Duo at Sebring

Connor Zilisch Returns for Sophomore TA2 Season Joined by Newcomer Ben Maier

HIGH POINT, N.C. (Feb. 22, 2023) – It’s time to put the anticipation in the rearview mirror and get down to the business of racing again for everyone in the Silver Hare Racing camp as they head to iconic Sebring (Fla.) International Raceway for Saturday’s season-opening event on the Trans Am Series presented by Pirelli’s newly renamed Big Machine Vodka Spiked Coolers TA2 Series tour.

Saturday’s Sebring SpeedTour, the first of 12 events of 2023, has been circled on the Silver Hare calendar for more than three months. Moments after the checkered flag waved on the 2022 season Nov. 6 at the Circuit of the Americas (COTA) in Austin, Texas, in fact. That’s when 16-year-old Connor Zilisch was last seen hoisting the runner-up trophy after a race-long battle with series veteran Thomas Merrill and crossing the finish line a mere .881 of a second behind the 2022 series champion. It was the best performance of Zilisch’s rookie season as driver of the No. 5 Silver Hare Racing Chevrolet Camaro and immediately set his sights on this weekend’s festivities in South Central Florida.

Zilisch, who hails from Mooresville, North Carolina, will be joined by another highly touted young driving phenom beginning this weekend, 14-year-old Ben Maier from Chester, Maryland, who will be making his TA2 debut behind the wheel of the No. 75 Gel Blaster/Silver Hare Racing Chevrolet Camaro.

It was a rookie season of mixed results for Zilisch in 2022, first highlighted by a pair of solid top-five finishes on back-to-back weekends in the spring at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca near Monterey, California, and Sonoma (Calif.) Raceway. He added another pair of top-10 finishes – sixth at Road America in Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin, on July 4 weekend, and 10th at Watkins Glen (N.Y.) International in early September – before arriving at COTA determined to put together his best race effort of the year and springboard his way into 2023 with some momentum.

Mission accomplished. That momentum helped fuel the team’s intense offseason work in the Silver Hare shop prepping the team’s stable of all-new Howe Racing chassis, as well as upgrading all the necessary parts and pieces and systems, as well as adjustments to the personnel lineup, all expected to set the stage for a laser-focused campaign to not only win races in 2023, but contend for the TA2 championship.

Meanwhile, the addition of Maier gives the Silver Racing driver lineup a youthful one-two punch as it sets sail on the new season. Maier comes to the team and the series as, like Zilisch, one of the most decorated American go-kart racers. He’s shown his penchant for wheeling all varieties of racing machinery during his most recent forays into the Stadium Super Trucks series, where he was 2022 Rookie of the Year, and in Travis Pastrana’s Nitro Rallycross series, among others.

Thus, it’s no surprise that confidence abounds in the Silver Hare camp as it heads to Sebring for Saturday’s 27-lap, 75-minute race around the grueling 3.74-mile, 17-turn Sebring circuit. Race time is 12:45 p.m. EST with live streaming video available via the Trans Am and SpeedTour channels on YouTube. And the series has a new television partner this season in MAVTV, which will rebroadcast each race in a 60-minute format on the Thursday that follows it.

Silver Hare Racing leverages its Trans Am effort to promote its arrive-and-drive program, where aspiring racers and even tenured professionals hone their road-racing skills on some of the most revered tracks in North America. NASCAR Cup Series drivers Daniel Suárez, Christopher Bell, William Byron and Harrison Burton have all wheeled Silver Hare Racing-prepared cars to burnish their road-racing abilities in top-flight equipment.

The team offers six, professionally built and maintained TA2 chassis from Howe Racing for both competition and private testing. Silver Hare Racing has a dedicated, fulltime crew and operates out of a state-of-the-art facility in High Point, North Carolina. At the track, two 53-foot Featherlite transporters serve as the team’s base, each outfitted with a lounge and smart TVs for data and video review, as well as for hospitality.

“With NASCAR having so many more road-course races, it’s our goal for Silver Hare Racing to be the preferred team for drivers to get that road-course experience,” said Laura Hull, Silver Hare Racing co-owner and team manager. “We want to be that important step in the ladder for the young, up-and-coming drivers like Connor and Ben. We want people to know we have an arrive-and-drive program, where for people who want to run this track or another, we provide the opportunity to do that and be successful.”

Connor Zilisch, driver, No. 5 Silver Hare Racing Chevrolet Camaro:

“Obviously, we ended the year well at COTA, so really we’re just trying to build on that momentum and move into this year with the same mindset we had at that race – keep it calm, smooth, finish the race and we’ll get ourselves a good finish. It’s more so about finishing than ever. As long as we finish and have a good car and I do everything I need to do, it will be a good finish if we can just stay up at the front.

“It’s going to be a good year. I’m excited for it. We have a new car. I’m just hoping for a good, clean weekend at Sebring and get out of there with some good points and move on to the next race at NOLA (Motorsports Park outside New Orleans), which is a new race on the schedule.

“I’ve known Ben for a long time, ever since I was a kid karting. I’ve been fortunate to see him grow up as a person and as a driver up through the karting ranks, and even in amateur car racing. I see a lot of myself in him, and I’m super excited to have him join the team as he has a long history of winning. He’s young, so he is going to have a learning curve ahead of him, but I can’t wait to help guide him through it all and hopefully we can end up at the front together as teammates.

“Our goal this season is to run for a championship. So the mindset changes from just going out to and trying to win every single race to trying to get consistent finishes and not have DNFs or bad races because that’s what’ll take you out of a championship. We have new cars, I have a new teammate. A lot of stuff changing but a lot of stuff is the same, too. I’m excited to be back with Maurice and Laura (Hull, co-owners) and working with Gil (Martin) and Jeff (Holley) and all the same core people.

“I learned last year that you don’t need to take those big risks, just let the race come to you, and if I let the race come to me, the results will come. And as long as we have a good car that is capable of running at the front keeping me in the situations where I can stay at the front without having to overwork what the car is capable of, that’s what’ll lead to success for us. We’ve got to get everything dialed in and be good at all these races. As long as we’re able to do all that, I think we are definitely ones to watch for the championship. I feel like we had a lot of speed at COTA at the end of last year. If we’re able to carry that speed into this year, and I’m able to do my part, I think we’ll have a good chance to run at the front all year and contend for the championship.”

Ben Maier, driver, No. 75 Gel Blaster/Silver Hare Racing Chevrolet Camaro:

“I’m excited about the start of the season in TA2 with Silver Hare Racing. Hopefully I’m fast, and hopefully I avoid any trouble out there and everything goes well. I sat in the Silver Hare car and it feels like home. There are a lot more switches in there than all the other cars I’ve been in (laughs). But I’m pretty confident about it. I’m very familiar with Trans Am, being around it for a few years with my dad.

“On the power end, the Stadium Super Trucks, with 600 horsepower, are the closest thing I’ve driven to the TA2 car, and as far as road-course racing, my Spec Miata. We went to Sebring twice in the last month in the Miata, learning the track, and I’ve been doing iRacing a bunch, so I’m pretty confident about the track. I’m going to take it easy the first couple of laps to try and get used to the car and the track, to feel it out, then start ramping it up from there, go faster with more throttle.

“There are almost 50 TA2 cars in the race at Sebring, but traffic like that is something that happens a lot in karts. And in our last two Miata races, we had 60 and 90 cars all racing together at Sebring. It’s a cool track. I like turn one because it’s high speed and you’re so close to the wall. There’s more runoff than most of the rest of the track. The last turn, 17, that’s a cool turn. I also like the hairpin.

“Connor and I have known each other since go-karts, and Miatas, too. We weren’t in the same karting class, but on the same team. I’ll definitely get some pointers from him with the TA2 car. The cars have a lot of body roll. That’s something the supertruck has a ton of, so that’ll probably help. Nitro Rallycross is mostly about just racecraft, so that’ll be good if I go off track or get out of shape on the track. Overall, this is going to be amazing.”

About Silver Hare Racing:

Silver Hare Racing is a fulltime competitor in the TA2 division of the Trans Am Series presented by Pirelli. The multicar team has won the TA2 masters class championship three times (2018, 2019 and 2020) with driver and team co-owner Maurice Hull. Under the leadership of Hull’s wife, co-owner and team manager Laura Hull, Silver Hare Racing provides a variety of services that includes private testing and arrive-and-drive programs. The team offers six, professionally built and maintained TA2 chassis from Howe Racing and operates from a state-of-the-art facility in High Point, North Carolina. For more information, please visit SilverHareRacing.com.

Ford Performance – Auto Club Speedway Advance

AUTO CLUB SPEEDWAY NOTES
Saturday, February 25 – NASCAR Xfinity Series, 5 p.m. ET (FS1)
Sunday, February 26 – NASCAR Cup Series, 3:30 p.m. ET (FOX)

The annual West Coast swing begins this weekend as Auto Club Speedway hosts the NASCAR Cup and NASCAR Xfinity Series. This will mark the final event on the two-mile oval, which made its NASCAR Cup Series debut on June 22, 1997, as plans for a new short track configuration continue to take shape.

LOGANO AND BUESCHER 1-2 IN CUP STANDINGS

Two Ford drivers lead the NASCAR Cup Series standings after the first week as Team Penske’s Joey Logano and Roush Fenway Keselowski’s Chris Buescher hold down the first and second spots, respectively. Logano finished second to race-winner Ricky Stenhouse Jr. in Sunday’s Daytona 500 while Buescher scored points in all three stages before ultimately finishing fourth. Ryan Blaney is seventh in the point standings with Kevin Harvick one spot behind as Ford features four drivers in the top 10.

CHASE BRISCOE ON THE FINAL CUP RACE AROUND THE 2-MILE AUTO CLUB OVAL

“Auto Club is just so fun from a driver’s standpoint because it’s so slick. It’s wore out. It’s rough. You just bounce around. You literally run wherever on the racetrack, especially with the Next Gen car. I thought that it was just a really well put together racetrack for those cars, so I’m bummed. It’s one of my favorite tracks for sure to go to just because I feel like that’s one of the tracks where you as a driver can make quite a bit of a difference.”

RYAN BLANEY ON WHY DRIVERS ENJOY RACING AT AUTO CLUB SPEEDWAY

“It is a big, slick, multiple lane groove race track. It is bumpy and rough and drivers love that stuff. The reason why all of us loved Atlanta before they repaved it. Why all of us loved Texas before they repaved it. Chicago, we don’t even go there anymore but all of us loved that place. Old worn out tracks with a bunch of grooves and lanes are what drivers like. It is challenging and you are sliding around and there is room to race. Drivers enjoy that.”

KEVIN HARVICK

Bakersfield native Kevin Harvick goes into this weekend with 60 career NASCAR Cup Series victories and two of those have come on tracks in his home state. Harvick has one career NASCAR Cup Series win at Auto Club Speedway (2011) and another one at Sonoma Raceway, which happened to be his first win with Ford in 2017.

COLE CUSTER

Cole Custer grew up in Ladera Ranch, which is about 70 miles north of San Diego, and has enjoyed success at NASCAR’s top levels. He’s won two of the last three NASCAR Xfinity Series events at Auto Club Speedway (2019, 2022) and in four starts has an average starting position of 3.3. In addition to his two victories, Custer also has a sixth-place finish in 2018.

FOUR TIRES PROPELS KESELOWSKI

Thanks to a pair of cautions that resulted in two green-white-checker restarts, and a gamble by crew chief Paul Wolfe in the closing laps, Brad Keselowski came out of nowhere to win the Auto Club 400 in 2015. Kurt Busch looked ticketed for victory as he led the field coming to the white flag, but caution for debris came out before he crossed the start-finish line, resulting in a green-white-checker finish and a flurry of action on pit road. The decision for crew chiefs was whether to take two or four tires, and most of the leaders decided on two. Wolfe saw that and felt the only way his team could win was if they did something different, so he ordered four. Even though it put them back in 17th on the ensuing restart, the fresh tires enabled him to charge up to sixth on the restart. When the rear bumper of Kyle Larson’s Chevrolet flew off and brought out another caution, it set up Keselowski who had the freshest tires and made all the right moves on the restart to get past Harvick and Busch to win for the 17th time in his career.

KENSETH GOES 2-FOR-2 TO START 2009

Matt Kenseth followed up his first Daytona 500 victory by taking the checkered flag in the Auto Club 500 one week later on Feb. 22, 2009. Kenseth became the fifth driver in NASCAR Cup Series history to follow a Daytona 500 victory with another win the following week. On this day, he and Jeff Gordon had the two best cars on the track, but Kenseth’s advantage came on pit road, where his crew continually got him out first. Kenseth led a race-high 84 laps as he went on to post his third all-time win at the two-mile track.

BIFFLE RALLIES FROM ONE LAP DOWN

Despite falling a lap down, Greg Biffle found a way to not only get back to the front, but hold off a charging Jimmie Johnson to win the Auto Club 500 on Feb. 27, 2005. Biffle led a parade of four Roush Fords in the Top 10 as Kurt Busch finished third, Carl Edwards fifth and Mark Martin seventh. Biffle put himself in position to win when he stayed out on what proved to be the final caution of the day. Busch had the lead on the restart with 29 laps to go, but Biffle was able to pass him six circuits later.

ON THE MARK

Ford got its first checkered flag at Auto Club Speedway in the track’s second year of existence when Mark Martin won the NASCAR Cup Series race on May 3, 1998. Martin was in a class by himself that afternoon as he led 165 of the 200 laps en route to what was his 25th career victory. In all, six Fords finished in the top-10 as Jeremy Mayfield finished second, Chad Little, Geoffrey Bodine, and Johnny Benson were sixth, seventh and eighth, respectively, while Jeff Burton ended up 10th.

HERBST BECOMES FIRST FORD DRIVER SINCE…

Riley Herbst will likely never forget his NASCAR Cup Series debut. That’s because after being involved in a 13-car accident on lap 204 of Sunday’s Daytona 500, Herbst recovered to finish 10th driving the No. 15 Mustang for Rick Ware Racing. That came on the heels of a sixth-place effort in Saturday’s NASCAR Xfinity Series event with Stewart-Haas Racing. As a result, Herbst became the first full-time NXS driver since Austin Cindric in 2021 to have a top-10 run in both of NASCAR’s top two series in the same weekend. Cindric won the Indianapolis Road Course NXS event on Saturday and followed that up with a ninth-place Cup effort the following day.

FORD’S AUTO CLUB

CUP SERIES WINNERS

1998 – Mark Martin

2000 – Jeremy Mayfield

2001 – Rusty Wallace

2003 – Kurt Busch

2004 – Elliott Sadler

2005 – Greg Biffle

2006 – Matt Kenseth

2007 – Matt Kenseth

2008 – Carl Edwards

2009 – Matt Kenseth

2015 – Brad Keselowski

FORD’S AUTO CLUB

XFINITY SERIES WINNERS

2002 – Scott Riggs

2003 – Matt Kenseth

2004 – Greg Biffle (Sweep)

2005 – Mark Martin and Carl Edwards

2006 – Greg Biffle (1)

2007 – Matt Kenseth (1)

2018 – Joey Logano

2019 – Cole Custer

2022 – Cole Custer

TeamSLR: Mosack, Wood Back in M1 Racecars for Sebring TA2 Opener

They’re Back!
Fresh Off Daytona Speedweek Outings, Connor Mosack and Jack Wood Return to M1 Racecars Equipment for TA2 Season Opener at Sebring

ST. AUGUSTINE, Fla. (Feb. 22, 2023) – It was a busy Daytona Speedweek for Connor Mosack and Jack Wood. But the young driving prodigies aren’t thinking twice about getting right back in the saddle just days later with a chance to continue honing their road-course race craft. They’ll strap themselves into a pair of M1 Racecars for this weekend’s Sebring SpeedTour at the iconic Sebring (Fla.) International Raceway circuit.

It’s the 2023 season opener for the Trans Am Series presented by Pirelli’s newly renamed Big Machine Vodka Spiked Coolers TA2 Series, where Mosack raced in M1 equipment fulltime in 2021 and 2022, netting a pair of wins, eight podium finishes and 14 top-10s in 24 starts, with finishes of third and fourth in the championship, respectively.

That level of consistency helped earn the 24-year-old from Charlotte, North Carolina, a slate of 23 NASCAR Xfinity Series races with Joe Gibbs Racing and Sam Hunt Racing in 2023, along with another six ARCA Menards Series outings with the Gibbs team.

Meanwhile Wood, the 22-year-old from Loomis, California, who began his second fulltime season in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series at Daytona, returns to M1 equipment for the seventh time in the last three seasons this weekend at Sebring.

Mosack will be behind the wheel of his familiar No. 28 Open Eyes/SLR-M1 Racecars entry while Wood will be strapped into the No. 8 SLR-M1 Racecars entry for Saturday’s 27-lap, 75-minute race around the 3.74-mile, 17-turn Sebring layout. Race time is 12:45 p.m. EST. As with all races this season, it will be streamed live on the Trans Am and SpeedTour channels on YouTube. And Trans Am has a new TV partner this year, MAVTV, which will broadcast TA2 events in a one-hour package set for 8 p.m. ET on the Thursday following each race.

Scott Lagasse Jr., who co-owns TeamSLR, an exclusive supplier of M1 Racecars chassis worldwide, welcomes Mosack and Wood back to the fold for their first cameo appearances of 2023 after feeling particularly proud of their performance in last Saturday’s ARCA season opener at Daytona. Mosack finished second in his Gibbs Toyota while Wood rallied for an eighth-place finish after having to start in the back of the pack. There were stretches during the race that the two were seen working together as drafting partners.

“I was pretty happy to see those two work together,” Lagasse said. “That’s the kind of thing you hope to end up with out of a deal like this, the culture of your drivers coming through your system being about helping each other and making each other better. Really, all the guys who have come through our system have a pretty decent relationship and work together. It’s fun to watch. When you still hear from a Sam Mayer and still hear from a Sammie Smith, and you ask a favor of one of them to help the next young guy coming through and have a conversation with them, and then you see Connor and Jack working together and you know how that relationship grew, for me, it’s pretty neat. And when Connor and Jack want to come back and stay fresh and keep evolving, that’s a huge honor. It’s fun to be a part of and I’m enjoying it.”

With some 40 race weekends on his calendar between his Xfinity Series, ARCA and Late Model commitments, Mosack believes it’s a no-brainer to fill in the available gaps with opportunities to improve.

“Scott Sr., and Jr., both have really invested in me and have really helped me develop as a driver,” said Mosack, whose recent Speedweek also included six nights of racing Late Models at nearby Volusia Speedway. “I certainly wouldn’t be the driver I am today without either one of them, not just from race craft, but off-the-track stuff, as well, and I think that’s really paid off. I’m happy to race with them. They’re a fun group to run with, and obviously it’s paid off in some of the road-course races I’ve done in Xfinity, so far. Hopefully we can continue to build off that for this year.”

Without a TA2 championship on the line, Mosack’s goal for this weekend has become quite simple.

“Our goal going into it is definitely to win – that’s the only reason we’re showing up this time,” he said. “Sebring hasn’t been a great place for us, luck-wise. We blew a tire the first year while running third, and blew an engine last year running third, as well. We’ve had good speed, so hopefully we’ll have good luck and finish the race. And if we do, I know we’ll have a really good shot at it.”

For Wood, who moved to the powerhouse Kyle Busch Motorsports team in the Truck Series this season, this weekend marks his first return trip to a track he’s raced on previously in TA2 in M1 equipment, which he expects will be a huge benefit. He’s also looking forward to his latest opportunity to work with the Lagasse organization.

“The cool thing for me is they’re heavily involved in road racing, but both of them also have heavy NASCAR backgrounds, so they might understand my feedback better than they would a pure road-course guy,” he said. “Racing in TA2 is fun for me because with all the Truck Series stuff being so high-intensity, to go down to a place like Sebring with two guys who just love racing, it makes it fun for me. Everybody has the same goal – you still want to go down there and win and be fast, but it’s just a little bit more laid-back of an environment and definitely not as much pressure, so it’s good for me to have that seat time and that experience. It makes me fall back in love with racing, for sure. And it’s a good confidence-booster to get in a car like that and to be able to find the speed I need to be close to Connor, or as fast as Connor, and I think the Lagasses do a good job of building my confidence behind the wheel, which then goes on and applies to the Truck Series side.”

About M1 Racecars:

M1 is an Official Chassis Supplier to the Trans Am Series presented by Pirelli. M1 Racecars are professionally engineered for the Big Machine Spiked Vodka Coolers TA2 Series, SCCA Competition, and Track Day events. We offer chassis only, rolling chassis and complete race-ready builds in Camaro, Mustang, and Challenger body styles. We utilize only the highest quality materials and our race winning technology to produce the most stable and predictable racecar on the track today. The proprietary chassis design by M1 has been CAD-perfected by our engineering staff to ensure that each completed chassis is identical and performs as expected. Our chassis materials are CNC Mandrel bent and cut to our exacting standards, which results in the most precise and cost-effective build. M1 has selected Scott Lagasse Racing to be the exclusive distributor for M1 Racecars worldwide. The race team also provides M1 with vital technical assistance and on-track feedback to support our performance development efforts. This combination is a powerful asset to M1 and to every M1 customer.

Ben Maier Joins Silver Hare Racing Driver Lineup

14-Year-Old Steps Up to TA2 Class After 11 National Karting Titles, Success in SCCA, Nitro Rallycross and Stadium Super Trucks

HIGH POINT, N.C. (Feb. 22, 2023) – The youth movement continues in full force in the Silver Hare Racing stable for 2023 with the addition of Ben Maier to its driver lineup that’s set to contend for the championship in the Trans Am Series by Pirelli’s newly renamed Big Machine Vodka Spiked Coolers TA2 Series.

The 14-year-old from Chester, Maryland, whose resume includes 11 national karting titles, as well as tastes of success in racing disciplines that include Stadium Super Trucks, Nitro Rallycross and NASA’s Spec Miata championship, joins 16-year-old Connor Zilisch, a fellow up-and-coming driving phenom who returns to Silver Hare Racing for the second year in a row.

It will be Maier’s first foray into the hotly competitive TA2 class after earning rookie of the year honors while running just a partial schedule in 2022 in Robby Gordon’s Stadium Super Trucks series, which is a frequent undercard during IndyCar event weekends. He scored a best finish of third during Music City Grand Prix weekend last August on the streets of Nashville, Tennessee.

Maier proved his ability to excel in pure road-racing equipment last year, as well, finishing second or better in his first five SCCA Spec Miata races. And his brief taste of competition in Travis Pastrana’s popular Nitro Rallycross last year included a runner-up finish in the SXS class during the November round at Wild Horse Pass Motorsports Park outside Phoenix.

“I’m super excited about the opportunity to join Silver Hare Racing and race in TA2,” said Maier, a two-time representative of Team USA in the European karting championships, as well as the youngest driver to ever win at the prestigious Supernats karting event in Las Vegas. “I think my experience in different types of racing will all help me get up to speed in the TA2 car. There are things about the 650-horsepower supertrucks, the Spec Miata and the racecraft that it takes to be good in rallycross will all come in handy. We have Gel Blaster as our primary sponsor, which is exciting, and we’re hoping our commitment to this series helps us attract additional partners. I’m really looking forward to it.”

Maier will pilot the No. 75 Gel Blaster/Silver Hare Racing Chevrolet Camaro beginning with this weekend’s Trans Am season-opening Sebring SpeedTour on the iconic Sebring (Fla.) International Raceway circuit. It’s the first of 12 events on the TA2 calendar for 2023.

“Like Connor did for us a year ago, Ben adds another impressive resume to our lineup, and at such a young age,” said Laura Hull, Silver Hare Racing co-owner and team manager. “Our goal is to be an important step in the ladder for young, up-and-coming drivers like Ben and Connor, and we are proud to offer the resources and the experience to help them reach their goals. It’s amazing to see the huge influx of young driving talent in not only Trans Am, but seemingly all forms of professional racing. We are certainly looking forward to watching Ben’s talents grow with us this year, and to watch him and Connor do everything they can to help us contend for the championship.”

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About Silver Hare Racing:

Silver Hare Racing is a fulltime competitor in the TA2 division of the Trans Am Series presented by Pirelli. The multicar team has won the TA2 masters class championship three times (2018, 2019 and 2020) with driver and team co-owner Maurice Hull. Under the leadership of Hull’s wife, co-owner and team manager Laura Hull, Silver Hare Racing provides a variety of services that includes private testing and arrive-and-drive programs. The team offers six, professionally built and maintained TA2 chassis from Howe Racing and operates from a state-of-the-art facility in High Point, North Carolina. For more information, please visit SilverHareRacing.com.

Moffitt, Machavern Set for Full-Season TA2 Run

TeamSLR Duo Takes Over the Reins with Championship Hopes in 2023 Beginning with Saturday’s Trans Am Season-Opening Sebring SpeedTour

ST. AUGUSTINE, Fla. (Feb. 22, 2023) – The dawning of a new racing season brings an interesting new dynamic in the driver’s seat for TeamSLR and its two-car pursuit of the season-long championship in the Trans Am Series presented by Pirelli’s newly renamed Big Machine Vodka Spiked Coolers TA2 Series.

In the No. 43 Safety-Kleen Chevrolet Camaro for TeamSLR will be Thad Moffitt, the 22-year-old grandson of racing legend Richard Petty who embarks on his rookie TA2 campaign after six seasons competing in stock cars on primarily oval tracks in the ARCA Menards Series. In the No. 17 Heritage Automotive/Unifirst SLR-M1 Racecars Chevrolet Camaro will be 27-year-old Dillon Machavern, the seasoned road racer who’s made his mark in IMSA and Trans Am since joining the professional ranks in 2012.

They’ll kick off their respective runs for the 2023 TA2 championship at this weekend’s Sebring SpeedTour on the iconic Sebring (Fla.) International Raceway 3.74-mile, 17-turn circuit. Saturday’s 27-lap, 75-minute race, set for a 12:45 p.m. EST start, features 47 entries and is the first of 12 events on the schedule. As with all races this season, it will be streamed live on the Trans Am and SpeedTour channels on YouTube. And Trans Am has a new TV partner this year, MAVTV, which will broadcast TA2 events in a one-hour package set for 8 p.m. ET on the Thursday following each race.

“It’s a great dynamic and, in some regards, one that can bring us a lot of success this season – that’s our hope,” said TeamSLR co-owner Scott Lagasse Jr., whose lone fulltime driver in 2021 and 2022, Connor Mosack, graduated to the ARCA and NASCAR Xfinity Series ranks this season. “Any time you can pair somebody of the caliber of a Dillon Machavern with a Thad Moffitt, who’s obviously talented but hasn’t done much of the road-race stuff, that’s going to make them both better and is going to lead to really good things. I like the dynamic a lot.”

In 49 outings the past six seasons in ARCA’s National, East and West series, Moffitt posted 10 top-five finishes and 29 top-10s. He also ran a limited NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series schedule last year. After pair of successful preseason test sessions with TeamSLR in his Safety-Kleen Camaro at Sebring and NOLA Motorsports Park outside New Orleans, where Round 2 of the season will be contested March 11, Moffitt is eager to begin perfecting his road-course race craft in earnest this weekend.

“This will be my first-ever TA2 race, and the road-course stuff is pretty brand new to me,” said the native of Trinity, North Carolina, whose grandfather will serve as grand marshal during this weekend’s festivities at Sebring. “I ran a few road-course races in ARCA at Mid-Ohio, Watkins Glen and Daytona, so it’s not totally new. But Sebring this weekend, with almost 50 cars in the field, is going to be a whole, new animal. This place with these cars is going to be a lot of fun. I really enjoyed learning the track and the TA2 car during our test days. It’s been great for me to work with such a refreshing group. They’re just racers and they want to win as badly as I do. They’re very knowledgeable, and just being part of their team has been incredible already. For me to have such a great group behind me, getting me up to speed, I think that will accelerate the learning curve a little bit. Of course, it’s not something you can just jump into and figure out right away, but I think we’re off to a good start.”

Machavern, who hails from Charlotte, Vermont, is set for his first fulltime TA2 season since finishing runner-up in the championship in 2019. His most recent TA2 start at Watkins Glen (N.Y.) International last September was his third in the No. 17 TeamSLR Camaro and the 50th of his career. The four-time TA2 race-winner has enjoyed the lion’s share of his road-racing success in IMSA’s SportsCar Challenge and LMP3 divisions, netting a pair of championships and 10 race wins. He relishes the opportunity to return to TA2’s single-driver, sprint-race format for a full-season run, as well as the opportunity to work with Moffitt.

“My whole goal is to try to have fun this year while trying to win a championship this season,” Machavern said. “Racing with the Lagasses is an ideal place to do that. They’re all so passionate about finding the speed but also enjoying it. It’s exciting knowing that everybody is on the same page like that, working toward common goals. As for Thad, I think he’s going to pick it up pretty fast. He’s obviously a talented driver, so he just needs to work on the tracks more than anything else. Feel is feel. I know there’s a little bit of a different discipline to it, but I think he’ll pick it up pretty fast.”

Machavern also is confident his abundance of experience turning race laps at Sebring will pay off during Saturday’s season opener. He scored the TA2 victory there from the pole in 2017, and in 2018 added a podium finish in the IMSA SportsCar Challenge Series.

“I think experience there is a big advantage because I think it’s a hard track to learn, especially with all the nuances and the bumps and stuff like that,” he said. “I’ve been fast there. It’s one of my favorite tracks. I like the old-school, fast tracks that aren’t the overly technical, modern tracks. I love it because it’s so different from anything else on the schedule. It’s so rough, you really have to have your car dialed in, on top of the fact that there are multiple surface changes, so it’s difficult to get your car right.”

Moffitt, meanwhile, is sticking to a big-picture approach of his own as he makes his Trans Am debut this weekend alongside Machavern and under the guidance of Scott Lagasse Jr., and his dad and team patriarch Scott Lagasse.

“First of all, I feel like a championship run is realistic,” he said. “The biggest thing about racing against 40 or 50 cars out there is not being part of an issue. If we can finish all the races and finish them where we’re running, I think we’ll have a good shot at it. I know there’s a lot of experience in the field. You’ve got your Mike Skeen, your Thomas Merrill and your Rafa Matos, guys who are proven road racers who have made a living at this, and the only thing I’ve ever known since I was 8 is circle track stuff. It’s not going to be easy by any means, and there’s definitely a lot of talent in the Trans Am field, but running with the Lagasses gives me a great opportunity to run solid, points-wise, and I think just finishing these races and not being part of the attrition is going to be a big deal. Goals for me this year: I want to win at least one race and I want to be in the championship talk, top-five in points at the end of the year, at least.”

Riding along with TeamSLR again this season is ScreenYourMachine.org, an initiative created in 2016 by Scott Lagasse Jr., a colon cancer survivor, in partnership with the American Gastroenterological Association (AGA) to educate individuals about the importance of getting age-appropriate screenings for all types of cancer.

“I was still in my early 30s when I was diagnosed, but I knew something was wrong so I didn’t waste any time and I went and saw my doctor,” said Lagasse, whose quick decision paralleled his quickness in a racecar. “They caught it early and that was my saving grace. The treatment worked, but young-onset colorectal cancer is rising. I wasn’t some outlier. About 12 percent of incidents occur in people under the age of 50.”

About TeamSLR:

TeamSLR (Scott Lagasse Racing) competes fulltime in the Trans Am Series presented by Pirelli in a multifaceted effort that includes dedicated entries in the TA2 division, customer programs, driver coaching and car construction. Its history dates back to 1985 and covers a wide spectrum of motorsports, including NASCAR, IMSA, SCCA, ARCA and ASA. TeamSLR is a family-owned organization run by Scott Lagasse Sr., and Scott Lagasse Jr. The father-and-son duo have combined to win more than 120 races and seven championships across a variety of series and styles of racecars, from paved ovals to road courses to dirt tracks. For more information, please visit us online at www.TeamSLR.com, on Facebook, on Twitter, on Instagram and on LinkedIn.

About the AGA Institute:

The American Gastroenterological Association is the trusted voice of the GI community. Founded in 1897, the AGA has grown to more than 16,000 members from around the globe who are involved in all aspects of the science, practice and advancement of gastroenterology. The AGA Institute administers the practice, research and educational programs of the organization. For more information, please visit www.gastro.org.

Heart of Racing Grows SRO Race Program for 2023

Newell and James building on strong 2022 as O’Meara-Hunt and Grisham prepare for rookie GT4 campaign

Phoenix, AZ. (22 February 2023) – Heart of Racing (HOR) will return to SRO with an expanded race program for the season, fielding two Aston Martin entries in Pirelli GT4 America, as well as a third Aston Martin in the 2023 GT America powered by AWS championship campaign.

The newest additions to HOR’s program are Rianna O’Meara-Hunt and Hannah Grisham, who will co-pilot the No. 26 Heart of Racing Aston Martin Vantage GT4 in Pirelli GT4 America Am class The duo earned their seats on the team after impressing in an international all-female shootout hosted by HOR in November. The GT4 campaign is the first full season of racing at this level for the young rookie lineup.

HOR regulars Gray Newell and Ian James will share the No. 24 Heart of Racing entry in Pirelli GT4 America, which features two 60-minute races each weekend with a two-driver format. The 2023 season marks the third for Newell and James, having earned two Pro/Am class podiums together in their 2021 campaign. In 2022 the duo claimed back-to-back pole awards at Road America and Indianapolis Motor Speedway, as well as five podiums in the ten-race season including a breakthrough victory at Watkins Glen.

In addition to his Pirelli GT4 America program, Newell will kick off his third season in the No. 25 Heart of Racing entry in GT America powered by AWS. His first two seasons (2021 and 2022) saw the Washington native race to nine top-five finishes in GT America including his first win in 2021’s season finale at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

The Heart of Racing’s SRO season will start with Newell and the GT America powered by AWS series at the Grand Prix of St. Petersburg on March 3rd and 4th as part of the INDYCAR season opener. James, O’Meara-Hunt, and Grisham will start their season at Sonoma Raceway starting March 31st through April 2nd. All SRO races can be watched live on SRO Motorsports Group’s YouTube channel (https://www.youtube.com/@GTWorld/featured) or SRO Motorsports Group’s Twitch channel, with delayed broadcasts airing on CBS Sports.

Quote board

Ian James:
“Heart of Racing has learned so much by competing in SRO over the past two years so we had no doubt that expanding our entry would be a fun challenge for our team. Adding another car to our program is a great way to push our team and foster the talents of up-and-coming drivers like Rianna and Hannah.”

Hannah Grisham:
“‘Excited’ is an understatement! Rianna and I have been waiting for this season to start since Ian told us we won the shootout. I’m most looking forward to getting to Sonoma and feeling the buzz of energy you get when something awesome is about to happen.”

Rianna O’Meara-Hunt:
“This season is all about development: learning the tracks, learning the car, learning the team. Racing in the U.S. is a big stepping stone for every Kiwi driver so to think that I’ll be in the midst of it is really cool. I am pumped to share this opportunity with Hannah and HOR and honestly just can’t wait to get started.”

About The Heart of Racing

The Heart of Racing races to raise funds and awareness for Seattle Children’s Cardiology Research. The team competes internationally with concurrent campaigns in IMSA, SRO, Formula Drift and the 24H SERIES. Last season The Heart of Racing won the IMSA GTD Championship title in the No. 27 Aston Martin Vantage GT3. The Heart of Racing team hosted their first all-female driver shootout in November of 2022, bringing to the team Hannah Grisham and Rianna O’Meara-Hunt for the 2023 SRO GT4 America season. To contribute to The Heart of Racing’s fundraising efforts please visit: https://give.seattlechildrens.org/fundraiser/3642390

VistaJet and Ferrari expand long-standing partnership

  • VistaJet proudly celebrates its fifth year as Scuderia Ferrari’s partner for the 2023 Formula 1 season;
  • As Ferrari returns to the World Endurance Championship after 50 years, VistaJet unveils a new partnership with Ferrari in its Hypercar Programme;
  • All Ferrari drivers participating in international GT races continue to enjoy access to a Vista Members’ fleet of over 360 aircraft.

London, February 22, 2023: With the herculean 2023 race calendar, VistaJet, the first and only global business aviation company, continues to proudly support Ferrari in its global competitions and optimize its teams’ travel and transfer times, allowing all involved to further utilize time off track to arrive to the Formula One, FIA World Endurance Championship (WEC) rounds and 24 Hours of Le Mans, and GT races in optimum condition.

Ahead of the first Grand Prix race in Bahrain the first weekend of March, VistaJet celebrates a fifth year as Scuderia Ferrari’s partner. The long-standing partnership helps the team to reach high-performance through efficiency and a safe and seamless flying experience, as they travel around the world to compete in the 2023 Formula One Season.

In a sport where speed and endurance are fundamental, VistaJet is delighted to support esteemed VistaJet brand ambassadors and Ferrari F1 drivers Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz as they travel to and from racetracks. The VistaJet company logo continues to feature on the cars, kits and helmets driven by Leclerc and Sainz as they head for victory.

As Ferrari returns to the FIA WEC after 50 years, VistaJet also unveils a brand-new partnership with Ferrari in its 499P Hypercar. The group of drivers is as expected, a mixture of proven GT masters and ex-F1 talent, charged with getting the Prancing Horse an overall triumph, including at Le Mans, for the first time in five decades. Having raced competitively with Ferrari for many years and as an official driver in the WEC, VistaJet’s Founder and Chairman Thomas Flohr knows the demands of racing and the intense focus required to perform under such pressure.

VistaJet’s Founder and Chairman, Thomas Flohr said: “I am incredibly proud to continue supporting the most iconic and successful racing company in the world. Innovation, technology and a focus on efficiency are core values we are glad to share with Ferrari. Racing has not only been a passion of mine for many years, but many of our clients’ too. I have experienced first-hand the demands and intensity of racing required to consistently deliver a winning performance. VistaJet is excited to be able to support all Ferrari drivers, from Formula One to WEC and GT races, to get where they need to be, safely and in optimum condition and time so they can focus on what is the most important — the competition and performance on track.”

All Ferrari drivers participating in international GT races and in the Prancing Horse mono-brand championship Ferrari Challenge continue to have access to a Members’ fleet of over 360 aircraft. Announced in 2021, this service helps all Ferrari international drivers enjoy a safe and seamless flying experience with VistaJet as they travel globally to compete in the races.

Ferrari’s CEO, Benedetto Vigna said: “We are pleased to renew our partnership with VistaJet as its attention to detail and tailor-made approach to meeting its clients’ needs is a perfect fit for us. With the Formula 1 team about to embark on a season featuring 23 Grands Prix, and our 499P programme making its debut on the endurance racing scene, time management is fundamental. The partnership with VistaJet means team personnel can fly to airports very close to the race venues and benefit from personalised take-off slots, an important factor that can translate into a competitive edge on track. ”

About VistaJet

VistaJet is the first and only global business aviation company. On its fleet of silver and red business jets, VistaJet has flown corporations, governments and private clients to 187 countries, covering 96% of the world.

Founded in 2004, the company pioneered an innovative business model where customers have access to an entire fleet whilst paying only for the hours they fly, free of the responsibilities and asset risks linked to aircraft ownership. VistaJet’s signature Program membership offers customers a bespoke subscription of flight hours on its fleet of mid and long-range jets, to fly them anytime, anywhere.

VistaJet is part of Vista — the world’s first private aviation ecosystem, integrating a unique portfolio of companies offering asset-light solutions to cover all key aspects of business aviation.

More VistaJet information and news at vistajet.com.

VistaJet Limited is a European air carrier that operates 9H registered aircraft under its Maltese Air Operator Certificate No. MT-17 and is incorporated in Malta under Company Number C 55231. VistaJet US Inc. is an Air Charter Broker that does not operate aircraft. VistaJet and its subsidiaries are not U.S. direct carriers. VistaJet-owned and U.S. registered aircraft are operated by properly licensed U.S. air carriers, including XOJET Aviation LLC.