Offroad car jump in the mountains. Pollen, swamp and snow. Affortation, suspension, tires
The term ‘race car’ refers to vehicles that are modified to move faster than regular cars. Certain race cars may have even been constructed from the ground up with the purpose of increasing their maximum speed. Hence, it makes sense that to most people, a fast car is usually a race car.
However, any fan of racing, or motorsports in general, will know that there are other types of vehicles that also boast relatively high speeds. A prime example of this is offroad vehicles, which, like race cars, often consist of modifications like 4Runner lift kits that increase their speed and torque control. But if that’s the case, what makes race cars any different from offroad vehicles? Read on as this article goes over six key differences between the two.
1. Types
Though it’s understandable to wonder about the differences between race cars and offroad vehicles, it actually makes more sense to ask what’s not different between the two.
They’re simply too different, from their general definition to their specifications. Perhaps the only similarity between the two is they’re both usually beefed up to some extent. But one of their main differences lies in their types.
Let’s first take a look at the types of race cars:
Open seaters: As the name implies, an open-seater race car doesn’t have a roof, only consists of a single seat, and has two large wheels on the back and two smaller wheels on the front. Two of the most popular open-seater race cars are Formula One and IndyCar, which are also two of the fastest. Open-seater race cars are the fastest type of the bunch.
Touring cars: A touring car is essentially a regular car, but every part of it has been modified for racing. These include brakes, wheels, tires, suspension, and engines.
Dragsters: As the name implies, a dragster is a car designed for drag racing. And since drag racing involves covering only a quarter mile (402 meters), a dragster is built with a focus on acceleration. A dragster is characterized by a narrow body, long front end or nose, large rear wheels, a nitro-burning V8 engine, and the driver’s seat at the back.
Drag race cars: A drag race car is similar to touring cars in that it’s just a standard car body with a bunch of modifications. This time, however, rather than focusing on its endurance, the car body is modified to maximize the vehicle’s acceleration. It usually consists of superchargers, and the unnecessary parts are removed to reduce their weight.
Rally cars: This type is the closest you can get to an offroad vehicle. A rally car is designed to drive on the road with snow, tarmac, mud, and gravel. So, while it’s not a full-blown offroad car, its design allows it to drive on a not-so-smooth surface.
Offroad race cars: Though there are offroad vehicles like SUVs, not all of them are designed to drive on rough surfaces quickly. Offroad race cars are vehicles that boast not only high torque and horsepower to pass over obstacles but also high speeds so they can do so quickly. The racing version of offroad vehicles often has more modifications.
Drift cars: There’s not much difference between the appearance of drift cars and regular race cars. The difference lies in their technological features. To be precise, drift cars have unique features like a special handbrake and a negative suspension camber.
The different types of race cars usually have different specifications. Some focus on either endurance, acceleration, and maximum speed while others have a balance between the three.
For comparison, here’s a look at the most common types of offroad vehicles:
ATV: All-terrain vehicles have a similar appearance and construction as a motorcycle, except it has four wheels rather than two. It’s not as fast as offroad race cars, but it’s fast enough to compete in certain types of races like quad racing. An ATV is arguably the smallest offroad vehicle and can only seat, at most, three people.
UTV: Utility task vehicles are pretty similar to ATVs, but with two main differences: (1) UTVs are relatively larger, and (2) they have a different seating arrangement. Due to its size, it can seat more people than an ATV (at most six people).
4×4 Truck: This is perhaps the most popular type of offroad vehicle. 4×4 truck, also known as 4WD, short for four-wheel drive, gets its name from the fact that it can provide torque to all four wheels. Since torque is necessary to give wheels the power to grip the ground, it naturally improves a vehicle’s ability to drive offroad on rough surfaces. Examples of 4×4 trucks include Ford F150 1948 and 4Runner. Anyone with this type of vehicle may want to look into 4×4 accessories sydney, for example, to see what they can do for their truck.
Unlike race cars, each type of offroad vehicle has vastly different appearances. Of course, their specs still vary, but they all have high torque, and their speed and acceleration aren’t as far apart.
2. Passenger Seats
While there are offroad vehicles with only a few passenger seats like ATVs, most of them can seat more than four people. Meanwhile, race cars can only seat at most two passengers. Put simply, vehicles for offroading can typically seat more people than race cars.
3. Performance Parameters
There are several performance parameters as far as vehicles are involved. These include the maximum speed they can reach, the time it takes to reach that speed, and the maximum climbing angle. The climbing angle is often associated with torque, which is the specific parameter in vehicles that gives them the ability to move the vehicle’s entire weight.
While torque is a vital parameter to a race car, speed and acceleration are often more important. But as far as offroad vehicles are concerned, torque is the most important parameter.
That’s why offroad vehicles often have high torque but not necessarily high speeds while race cars have high speeds and acceleration but not necessarily high torque.
You can even book your ATV adventure tour today and enjoy all the perks of an offroad vehicle. This experience is far different from that of a race car as you’ll be driving on mountainous terrain and experiencing the adrenaline rush of conquering nature’s obstacles.
4. Wheel Drive System
In vehicles, there’s what we call the wheel drive system. It refers to how many wheels the engine can power. When it comes to four-wheeled vehicles like cars and trucks, there are generally four types of wheel drive systems.
Here’s a look at each type:
A front-wheel drive (FWD) system provides power only to the front wheels. A vehicle using an FWD system is relatively lighter than those that use other wheel drive systems.
A rear-wheel drive (RWD) system provides power only to the rear wheels. An RWD system features greater handling, braking, and higher initial acceleration than FWD.
A four-wheel drive (4WD) system provides power to all four wheels. When doing so, it locks the front axle that holds the front wheels and the rear axle that holds the rear wheels. That means all wheels will receive the same amount of power.
An all-wheel drive (AWD) system provides power to all four wheels independently. That means, unlike a 4WD system, each wheel can have different levels of power.
Race cars usually have either an FWD or RWD system, though a few models use a 4WD system for increased traction. On the other hand, offroad vehicles typically use 4WD or AWD systems.
5. Weight
It’s common for racers to reduce the weight of their cars as much as possible. The idea is that the lighter the vehicle, the faster it can go. It also reduces the torque required to move the vehicle while still maintaining traction. That’s why, compared to regular vehicles, race cars are often lighter. Offroad vehicles, however, are significantly heavier than race cars for several reasons.
One, certain parts are larger like the large tires with deep treads and the body. And two, an offroad vehicle typically consists of additional parts like the suspension or a winch bumper.
For those venturing into offroading with pickup trucks, considering additional protective measures, such as a Toyota Tacoma catalytic converter shield, is prudent to guard against potential damage to essential components when navigating through challenging terrains.
However, people fond of offroading do try to minimize the weight of the vehicle since, as stated earlier, it’s easier to drive a lighter car. If the rear is too heavy, then the vehicle may struggle to move uphill. It also reduces the vehicle’s ability to turn quickly.
6. Tires
One of the most apparent differences between race cars and offroad vehicles is their tires. Apart from the size, the tread design of their tires also differs. Most race cars have slick tires which have no grooves and feature smooth tread. The idea behind it is that the rubber has direct contact with the ground, which allows the car to accelerate without being hindered by traction.
Offroad vehicles follow the opposite principle, which is to maximize traction with their tires that feature deep treads. The deep treads can grip unpaved surfaces like mud and gravel more easily.
Of course, they cannot grip smooth surfaces as well as slick tires, but the deep and wide grooves of the tires make it easier for them to sink into the gravel, mud, or loose dirt surfaces.
Key Points
While it makes sense to compare race cars with offroad vehicles as they both have a need for speed, you should realize now that they have more differences than similarities. Not only does each term refer to completely different types of vehicles, but their specifications also differ. Their components, like the tires and seats, or their construction, in general, are also far from the same. If you want to get a car, then at least you now know a thing or two about both.
Three weeks after executing on a “must-win” situation to transfer to the Playoff’s Round of 8 by winning at the Charlotte Motor Speedway Road Course, Christopher Bell rose to the occasion once again by claiming a late dominant victory in the Xfinity 500 at Martinsville Speedway on Sunday, October 30. Only on this occasion, the victory awarded Bell a spot to the Championship 4 round and with an opportunity to contend for his first NASCAR Cup Series championship.
The 27-year-old Bell from Norman, Oklahoma, led three times for 150 of 500-scheduled laps and benefitted during a 24-lap dash to the finish on fresh tires to overtake Chase Briscoe with five laps remaining and pull away en route to his third Cup victory of the 2022 season and with a championship finale spot all to his for next weekend’s season finale at Phoenix Raceway. As a result, Bell will square off for the 2022 title against Joey Logano, Chase Elliott and Ross Chastain, who executed a bold “video game” move by riding his car against the outside wall on the final lap to finish in the top five and claim the final transfer spot to the finale while knocking veteran Denny Hamlin out of title contention at the last second.
With on-track qualifying that determined the starting lineup occurring on Saturday, Kyle Larson secured his fourth pole position of the 2022 season after posting a pole-winning lap at 96.078 mph in 19.709 seconds. Joining him on the front row was teammate and Playoff competitor Chase Elliott, who posted the second-best qualifying lap at 96.019 mph in 19.721 seconds.
When the green flag waved and the race started, Larson took off with the advantage on the outside lane and had both lanes to his control through the first two turns while teammate Elliott and Ryan Blaney battled for second in front of Chase Briscoe and Brad Keselowski. As Larson went on to lead the first lap, Elliott and Blaney continued to duel for second as Briscoe joined the battle.
Through the first 10 scheduled laps, Larson was leading by nearly eight-tenths of a second over teammate Elliott followed by Blaney, Briscoe and Keselowski while Cole Custer, Daniel Suarez, Ross Chastain, Denny Hamlin and Kevin Harvick were in the top 10. Behind, Joey Logano was in 11th ahead of Corey LaJoie, rookie Harrison Burton, Michael McDowell and Austin Dillon wile Aric Almirola, Kyle Busch, Christopher Bell, Noah Gragson and Chis Buescher. Meanwhile, William Byron was in 24th in between Bubba Wallace and Erik Jones while Martin Truex Jr. was in 26th in front of rookie Austin Cindric, Tyler Reddick and Ty Gibbs.
Fifteen laps later, Larson, who started to approach lapped traffic, retained the lead nearly a second over teammate Elliott while Blaney, Briscoe and Keselowski remained in the top five. By then, five of eight Playoff competitors were running in the top 10 on the track while remaining Playoff competitors that included Logano, Bell and Byron were mired back in 11th, 18th and 24th, respectively.
Another 25 laps later on the Lap 50 mark, Larson continued to lead by two-tenths of a second over teammate Elliott followed by Briscoe, who battled hard against Blaney and bumped him for third place earlier. Meanwhile, Cole Custer battled Keselowski for fifth place while Chastain, Suarez, Hamlin and Harvick were scored in the top 10.
On Lap 71, Elliott muscled his No. 9 NAPA Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 into the lead over teammate Larson’s No. 5 HendrickCars.com Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 as Briscoe and Blaney started to close in on Larson for the runner-up spot. By then, Kyle Busch, who was making his penultimate Cup start for Joe Gibbs Racing, was lapped by the leaders.
Nineteen laps later, Elliott was leading by more than a second over teammate Larson followed by a two-car battle between Custer and Hamlin for third place while Briscoe was in fifth ahead of Keselowski, Blaney, Chastain, Suarez and Harvick.
At the Lap 100 mark, Elliott continued to lead by less than a second over a hard-charging Hamlin, who overtook Larson and Custer a few laps earlier, while Briscoe remained in fifth. Meanwhile, Blaney was back in seventh behind Keselowski as he was losing ground of the leaders with his tires wearing out. By then, big names that included Cindric, Reddick, Allmendinger and Truex were lapped by Elliott.
Ten laps later, a heated battle for the lead ignited between Elliott and Hamlin as Hamlin drew his No. 11 FedEx Toyota TRD Camry alongside Elliott’s Chevrolet and tried to clear him for the lead through the frontstretch and entering Turn 1. Despite Elliott’s attempt to stall his momentum, Hamlin prevailed during the following lap through Turns 3 and 4 as he became the third different leader of the event with the clean air to his advantage.
When the first stage concluded on Lap 130, Hamlin, who came into Martinsville five points below the top-four cutline to advance to the Championship 4 round, claimed his fourth stage victory of the 2022 season as he received critical stage points to keep his title hopes alive. Elliott settled in second while Custer, Larson, Briscoe, Keselowski, Bell, Blaney, Chastain and Suarez were scored in the top 10. By then, six of eight Playoff competitors were scored in the top 10 and received the first wave of stage points while the remaining Playoff competitors that included Logano and Byron were in 13th and 18th, respectively. By then, Byron had been lapped by Hamlin as only 17 of 36 starters were scored on the lead lap.
Under the stage break, the field led by Hamlin pitted for the first time of the event. Following the pit stops, Hamlin retained the lead after exiting pit road first followed by Elliott, Larson, Custer, Keselowski and Bell. In addition, Briscoe, who came into the event 44 points below the cutline and in a “must-win” situation, was penalized for his gas can out of his pit box while Playoff competitors Blaney and Bell made slight contact on pit road.
The second stage started on Lap 139 as Hamlin and Elliott occupied the front row. At the start, Hamlin retained the lead over Elliott and Larson as the field behind jostled for positions. In the process, Bell, who came into the event 33 points below the cutline and in a “must-win” situation, moved his No. 20 DeWalt Toyota TRD Camry into the top five in fifth behind Custer and in front of Keselowski.
Twenty-one laps later, Hamlin was out in front by more than a second over Elliott followed by Larson, Custer and Bell while Keselowski, Blaney, Suarez, Logano and Chastain were running in the top 10. Meanwhile, Harvick was in 11th ahead of teammate Almirola, Burton, Wallace and rookie Todd Gilliland while McDowell, Byron and Briscoe rounded out the competitors running on the lead lap. By then, LaJoie and Austin Dillon, both of whom were the first two competitors a lap behind the leaders, rounded out the top 20.
Another 10 laps later and by Lap 175, Hamlin continued to lead by six-tenths of a second over Elliott while Larson, Custer and Bell remained in the top five. By then, all eight Playoff competitors continued to run no lower than 18th place and on the lead lap, with six scored in the top 10 on the track.
Just past the Lap 190 mark, Tyler Reddick took his No. 8 3Chi Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 into the garage due to feeling under weather as he was transported to the infield care center.
At the Lap 200 mark, Hamlin retained the lead by more than two seconds over Elliott while Larson, Custer and Bell continued to run in the top five. By then, Playoff competitors Hamlin, Elliott, Bell, Blaney, Logano and Chastain were scored in the top 10 while Byron and Briscoe were mired back in 17th and 18th.
By Lap 225, Hamlin stabilized his advantage to more than three seconds over runner-up Elliott and more than five seconds over Larson. By then, Byron and Briscoe, both of whom remained in 17th and 18th, were lapped by the leaders.
At the halfway mark on Lap 250, Hamlin continued to lead by more than four seconds over followed by Larson, Custer and Bell while Blaney, Keselowski, Logano, Suarez and Chastain were in the top 10. Behind, Wallace was in 11th ahead of Almirola, Harvick, Burton and Gilliland wile McDowel, Byron, Briscoe, Austin Dillon and LaJoie rounded out the top 20. Meanwhile, Erik Jones, Truex, Stenhouse, Gibbs and Buescher occupied the top 25 in front of Gragson, Cindric was mired in 29th and Kyle Busch was back in 34th and six laps down while dealing with an ill-handling No. 18 M&M’s Toyota TRD Camry.
When the second stage concluded on Lap 260, Hamlin captured his fifth stage victory of the 2022 season as he swept both stages and earned another round of critical stage points to his championship hopes. Elliott settled in second while Larson, Custer, Bell, Blaney, Keselowski, Logano, Suarez and Chastain were scored in the top 10. By then, 13 competitors were scored on the lead lap. In addition, six of eight Playoff competitors earned a second wave of Playoff points while Byron and Briscoe were not on the lead lap and mired back in the top 20.
Under the stage break, the field led by Hamlin pitted for the second time of the event. Following the pit stops, Hamlin retained the lead after exiting pit road first with a large advantage followed by Larson, Elliott, Blaney, Custer and Logano.
With 229 laps remaining, the final stage started as Hamlin and Larson occupied the front row. At the start, Hamlin rocketed with the lead and Elliott challenged teammate Larson for the runner-up spot after Larson struggled to come up to speed at the start. Behind, Custer and Blaney battled for fourth in front of Bell while Logano battled Keselowski and Chastain for seventh.
Two laps later, the first caution not related to a stage break flew when Chastain got into Keselowski as Keselowski, who was vying for eighth place, spun and made light contact with the outside wall. During the caution period, names that included Logano, Byron, Chastain and Keselowski pitted while the rest led by Hamlin remained on the track. Logano would return to pit road for a second time to address a fire to the left front of his No. 22 Shell/Pennzoil Ford Mustang.
When the race restarted under green with 220 laps remaining, Hamlin retained the lead over Elliott and the field.
With 200 laps remaining, Hamlin was out in front by seven-tenths of a second over Elliott followed by Bell, Custer and Blaney while Larson, Suarez, Wallace, Almirola and Burton were scored in the top 10. Behind, Harvick, Keselowski, Chastain, Logano and Byron rounded out the top 15 and as the last round of competitors scored on the lead lap while Playoff competitor Briscoe was mired a lap down in 16th in front of Gilliland, McDowell, Austin Dillon, Gibbs, Erik Jones, Truex, LaJoie, Ricky Stenhouse Jr. and Justin Haley.
Nineteen laps later, the caution flew when Austin Dillon got loose and pounded the outside wall entering Turn 4 hard due to a front rotor issue, though he emerged uninjured. During the caution period, the leaders led by Hamlin pitted. Following the pit stops, Bell emerged as the new leader after exiting first just ahead of Blaney and Elliott while Hamlin exited in fourth place ahead of Larson and Custer.
During the following restart with 171 laps remaining, Bell took off with the lead followed by a side-by-side battle against Blaney and Elliott for the runner-up spot while Larson and Hamlin dueled for fourth place. Not long after, Elliott cleared Blaney for second while Larson moved into fourth over Hamlin as Custer joined the battle.
With 150 laps remaining, Bell was leading by nine-tenths of a second over Elliott followed by Blaney, Hamlin and Larson while Suarez, Custer, Wallace, Almirola and Logano occupied the top 10. By then, all eight Playoff competitors were scored on the lead lap and no lower than 16th place, which was occupied by Briscoe, while Chastain and Byron were in 13th and 14th.
Twenty-five laps later, Bell, who remained in a “must-win” situation to maintain his title hopes, continued to lead by two-and-a-half seconds over Elliott while Blaney, Hamlin and Larson remained in the top five.
Then with 107 laps remaining, the caution flew when JJ Yeley spun in Turn 3. Under caution, the leaders led by Bell returned to pit road. Following the pit stops, Bell retained the lead after exiting pit road first followed by Blaney, Elliott, Larson, Wallace and Hamlin.
Down to the final 97 laps of the event, the race proceeded under green as Bell and Blaney, both of whom were placed in a “must-win” situation to transfer to the championship finale round, occupied the front row. At the start, Bell and Blaney dueled for the lead in front of Elliott, Larson and Hamlin while Logano and Keselowski marched to the front on the outside lane as they challenged Wallace for sixth. As the field jostled for late spots, Bell managed to clear Blaney and retain the lead.
With 75 laps remaining, Bell retained the lead by a second over Blaney followed by Elliott, Larson and Hamlin while Wallace, Keselowski, Logano, Custer and Briscoe were scored in the top 10. By then, all eight Playoff competitors were running no lower than 13th, which was occupied by Chastain as Byron was in 11th.
Twenty-five laps later and with 50 laps remaining, Bell continued to lead by three-tenths of a second over Blaney while Elliott, Larson and Hamlin remained in the top five. The remaining Playoff competitors that included Logano, Briscoe, Byron and Chastain were running eighth, 10th, 11th and 12th, respectively, as a total of 17 of 36 starters were currently scored on the lead lap.
Then with 34 laps remaining, the caution flew when Landon Cassill pounded the outside wall hard in Turn 3 as his damaged No. 77 Nations Guard Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 came to a halt with the driver emerging uninjured. During the caution period, the majority of the field led by Bell returned to pit road and Larson exited first following a two-tire pit stop followed by Keselowski, Byron, Bell, Blaney and Elliott. Bacon the track, however, Stewart-Haas Racing’s Briscoe and Custer remained on the track as they emerged as the new leaders. During the pit stops, Hamlin endured a slow pit stop as he was mired back in 12th behind Chastain.
Down to the final 24 laps of the event, the race restarted under green. At the start, Briscoe retained the lead while teammate Custer was able to fend off Larson and Keselowski to hold the runner-up spot ahead of a hungry pack of competitors running through two tight lanes.
A few laps later, a heated side-by-side battle for a spot for the Championship 4 round ensued between Hamlin and Chastain as both made contact and refused to give an inch to one another. With Hamlin eventually prevailing for 11th and needing to finish within four spots ahead of Chastain to transfer to the finale, Briscoe continued to lead by half a second over teammate Custer. Soon after, Keselowski, Bell, Larson and Blaney began to challenge one another for third place as both Blaney and Bell were placed in deficits of not transferring to the finale along with Byron and Hamlin.
Down to the final 10 laps of the event, Briscoe was leading by half a second over Keselowski and eight-tenths of a second over third-place Bell. Behind, Hamlin overtook Logano for eighth place, which made him above the cutline by a single point over Chastain, who was in 12th.
Two laps later, Bell rocketed past Keselowski for the runner-up spot as he had his sights on Briscoe for the lead and a spot to the championship finale. Another three laps later, Bell shoved his No. 20 Toyota beneath Briscoe’s No. 14 Ford with contact ensuing as he reassumed the lead and moved back into the cutline, thus kicking Briscoe back below the cutline. Meanwhile, Chastain challenged Elliott for 11th, which he prevailed as he moved back into the cutline in a tie-breaker over Hamlin. Hamlin, however, responded back by overtaking Logano, Briscoe and Byron to move into fifth place, which put him back into the cutline by two points.
When the white flag waved and the final lap started, Bell remained as the leader by eight-tenths of a second over Larson. Having four fresh tires to his advantage and executing when it mattered most, Bell was able to cycle his way back to the frontstretch and claim his spot for the championship finale with his third checkered flag of the 2022 season.
Just then, Chastain, who was running in 10th place and on the verge of being eliminated from title contention by two points, floored his No. 1 Moose Fraternity Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 against the outside wall through Turns 3 and 4, which he rode and scraped his car against the wall at full speed as he gained five spots in the process. In addition, Chastain also overtook Hamlin as he finished in fifth place, which was more than enough for the Floridian to grab the fourth and final transfer spot to the Championship 4 round by four points over Hamlin.
With his bold move and the spots gained on the final lap and final corner, Chastain will make his first career appearance in the Championship 4 round as he will contend for his first NASCAR Cup Series championship along with Trackhouse Racing, which is in its second year of NASCAR competition. Hamlin, meanwhile, ended up being the first competitor to be eliminated from title contention as he still pursues his first elusive Cup title.
“[I] Played a lot of NASCAR 2005 on the game cube with [brother] Chad growing up and you could get away with it,” Chastain said on NBC. “I never knew if [the move] would actually work. I did that [move] when I was eight years old. I grabbed fifth gear. I asked off of [Turn] 2 on the last lap if we needed it and we did. I couldn’t tell who was leading. I made my choice, I grabbed fifth gear down the [backstretch] and full committed. Once I got up against the wall, I basically let go of the [steering] wheel and just hoped that it didn’t catch the Turn 4 access gate or something crazy, but I was willing to do it for this Trackhouse group. Today for our Moose Chevy, we didn’t have what we needed. Just glad we could do whatever we could do. All we asked for is a chance…To be here fighting for a championship now, it’s just so surreal. I just cannot believe that we have a chance to fight for a championship. We kept our world small today and this year so far. We’ll do the same thing going into Phoenix.”
Photo by John Knittel for SpeedwayMedia.com.
“You gotta execute all day,” Hamlin, who finished sixth, said. “We just didn’t control the race when we had control of it. Each caution, we just kept losing some spots. It’s the way it is, but thank [crew chief] Chris Gabehart and [the] whole FedEx Camry team for giving me a really fast car today. It was just unbelievable when it was out front. [I] Couldn’t quite hang on to it there on pit road. Hopefully, [Bell] can carry the [championship] banner for us…It’s what racing is here at Martinsville. [I’m] Actually pretty happy with how somewhat clean it was there towards the end as crazy as it was with guys on different tires. [I] Can’t say enough for my team to give us a shot. We were in the 20s for most of this season in points just because of our up-and-down execution, but we’re gonna end up fifth in points. It is what it is. Great move [for Chastain]. When you have no other choice, it certainly is easy to do that, but well-executed.”
Photo by John Knittel for SpeedwayMedia.com.
While Chastain celebrated on pit road, Bell celebrated his race victory on the track as he claimed his fourth Cup Series career victory and first at Martinsville. In the process, Bell recorded the 200th NASCAR Cup career win for Joe Gibbs Racing as he also will make his first appearance in the Championship 4 round as a title contender.
“Mom and dad, we did it!” Bell, who fought back tears of joy, exclaimed. “I can’t believe it, man. To come here to Martinsville. This place has always been so tough on me. [During] pre-race, I was looking up and seeing all the fans. This place is packed. I don’t even know what to say. Thank you so much to DeWalt, Rheem, Toyota, everyone on this Joe Gibbs Racing No. 20 team. They believe in me since day one. Very appreciative to be here. I don’t even know what to say…This entire No. 20 group. They never give up. [When] Our backs [are] against the wall and it looks like it’s over, they show up and give me the fastest car out here. Words can’t describe this feeling.”
Photo by John Knittel for SpeedwayMedia.com.
Also transferring to the Championship 4 round was Chase Elliott, who finished 11th as he will square off against Joey Logano, Bell and Chastain for his second Cup title.
“We just got back a little further than we had been throughout the day,” Elliott, who transferred by four points, said. “Track position was everything unless you were just a couple of guys. I thought it was really a solid day. We did what we needed to do, I guess, on the driver’s side. Nice to have a shot at the driver’s championship next weekend. Nonetheless, [I’m] Excited to get out there [to Phoenix] and give it our best shot to try to get another big trophy. We’ll be ready to go come next weekend. I don’t have any doubt about that.”
Hamlin joins William Byron, Ryan Blaney and Chase Briscoe as the remaining four competitors to be eliminated from title contention and not moving past the Round of 8 in the Playoffs.
“We didn’t start off very good,” Blaney, who rallied to finish third but missed the cutline by 26 points, said. “I think we kind of faded at the end of the first stage. We got better and better all night, which is good. We had a shot to grab the lead there before the last caution. I just couldn’t get around [Bell] and kind of burned my stuff off trying to pass [Bell]. Then, just a wild restart and just didn’t get through the traffic as quickly as Bell did and he ended up winning the race. Proud of the Discount Tire guys. I put us in a bad spot the first two races of this round and we almost had a really good night to where we could move on. Appreciate their support. It stinks not making it to the Final Four, but we’ll learn and hopefully apply the good things next year.”
“I needed probably eight less laps,” Briscoe, who fell back to 10th and missed the cutline by 61 points, added. “That would’ve been nice. If I would have known that move that Ross did worked, I would have just done that for eight more laps. I just fell off a cliff pretty hard. Just couldn’t hold them guys off with new tires. I just didn’t have the forward-drive or getting the side bite to hold them off. Proud of our team. We were in position there at the end to potentially capitalize on it. Win as a team, lose as a team. [We’ll] Go to Phoenix next week and see if we can win.”
“We just didn’t have it, unfortunately,” Byron, who ended up 11th and missed the cutline by 21 points, said. “[We] Put a lot of effort in and it just wasn’t anything like we had here in the spring. Just struggled. The first couple stages, I knew it was gonna be a grind. The best thing we could do was try to put ourselves in a position in the top five late where, hopefully, the leaders get together. Just unfortunately not enough all day. That’s just the way it goes sometimes…Just got to learn from it. It’s been a good run for us. Unfortunately, it wasn’t our best.”
Larson, who will contend for an owners’ title next weekend at Phoenix, came home in second place on the track behind Bell while Blaney, Keselowski and Chastain finished in the top five. Hamlin, Logano, Byron, Wallace and Briscoe completed the top 10 while Elliott settled in 11th. Following the race and the post-race inspection process, Keselowski was disqualified due to his car failing to meet minimum weight as he was demoted to 36th place, dead last.
There were eight lead changes for five different leaders. The race featured six cautions for 53 laps.
Results.
1. Christopher Bell, 150 laps led
2. Kyle Larson, 68 laps led
3. Ryan Blaney
4. Ross Chastain
5. Denny Hamlin, 203 laps led, Stage 1 & 2 winner
6. Joey Logano
7. William Byron
8. Bubba Wallace
9. Chase Briscoe, 25 laps led
10. Chase Elliott, 54 laps led
11. Harrison Burton
12. Daniel Suarez
13. Todd Gilliland
14. Cole Custer
15. Aric Almirola
16. Kevin Harvick
17. Michael McDowell
18. Erik Jones, two laps down
19. Ty Gibbs, two laps down
20. Martin Truex Jr., two laps down
21. Corey LaJoie, two laps down
22. Ricky Stenhouse Jr., two laps down
23. AJ Allmendinger, two laps down
24. Chris Buescher, three laps down
25. Noah Gragson, three laps down
26. Austin Cindric, three laps down
27. Justin Haley, three laps down
28. Cody Ware, five laps down
29. Kyle Busch, six laps down
30. JJ Yeley, 12 laps down
31. Ty Dillon – OUT, Brakes
32. Landon Cassill – OUT, Accident
33. Austin Dillon – OUT, Accident
34. BJ McLeod – OUT, Fire
35. Tyler Reddick – OUT, Accident
36. Brad Keselowski – Disqualified
*Bold indicates Playoff contenders
Playoff standings
1. Joey Logano – Advanced
2. Christopher Bell – Advanced
3. Chase Elliott – Advanced
4. Ross Chastain – Advanced
5. Denny Hamlin – Eliminated
6. William Byron – Eliminated
7. Ryan Blaney – Eliminated
8. Chase Briscoe – Eliminated
With the Championship 4 field set, the 2022 NASCAR Cup Series season is set to conclude at Phoenix Raceway on Sunday, November 6, where a champion will be crowned. The event is scheduled to start at 3 p.m. ET on NBC.
TODD HAS STRONG RUN ON A MILESTONE DAY Several Team Toyota drivers in contention for the championship
LAS VEGAS (October 30, 2022) – J.R. Todd had a milestone day in Las Vegas as the Indiana-native earned his 300th round win before leading Toyota with a semi-final finish. Ron Capps goes into the season finale in second, still in contention for this third championship
In Top Fuel, Shawn Langdon, Antron Brown and Steve Torrence all scored first round wins. Justin Ashley, Brown and Torrence are all still within championship contention heading into Pomona.
Toyota Post-Race Recap
NHRA Camping World Drag Racing Series
The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway
Race 21 of 22
TOYOTA TOP FUEL FINISHING POSITIONS
Name
Car
Final Result
Round-by-Round
Shawn Langdon
DHL Toyota Top Fuel Dragster
Second Round
W. 3.770 v. 3.879(Baldwin) L. 3.762 v. 3.764(Holeshot Loss – Schumacher)
Antron Brown
Matco Tools Toyota Top Fuel Dragster
Second Round
W. 3.709 v. 3.751(Kalitta) L. 4.156 v. 3.732(B. Force)
Steve Torrence
Capco Contractors Toyota Top Fuel Dragster
Second Round
W. 3.690 v. 3.719(Hart) L. 3.733 v. 3.732(Prock)
Justin Ashley
Phillips Connect Toyota Top Fuel Dragster
First Round
L. 3.754 v. 3.695(Millican)
Doug Kalitta
Mac Tools Toyota Top Fuel Dragster
First Round
L. 3.751 v. 3.709(Brown)
TOYOTA FUNNY CAR FINISHING POSITIONS
Name
Car
Final Result
Round-by-Round
J.R. Todd
DHL Toyota GR Supra Funny Car
Semi-Finals
W. 3.944 v. 3.992(Pedregon) W. 3.889 v. 3.957(J. Force) L. 3.898 v. 3.878(Hight)
Ron Capps
NAPA AUTO PARTS Toyota GR Supra Funny Car
Second Round
W. 3.891 v. 4.008(Campbell) L. 3.938 v. 3.914(Tasca)
Alexis DeJoria
Bandero Tequila Toyota GR Supra Funny Car
Second Round
W. 3.906 v. 9.415(Lee) L. 3.907 v. 3.894(Hight)
TOYOTA QUOTES
J.R. TODD, DHL Toyota GR Supra Funny Car, Kalitta Motorsports
Final Result: Semi-Finals
How do you feel going into the last race of the year?
“I’m really proud of the effort the guys put forth this weekend. I’m mad at myself for the semifinals. Rounds like that, late in the day – you have to be on your game on the starting line. I can be way better than that. I messed up on my part, but at the end of the day, we’ve got a good DHL Toyota heading into Pomona. It would be nice to close the season with a win for sure.”
ANTRON BROWN, Matco Tools Toyota Top Fuel Dragster, AB Motorsports
Final Result: Second Round
How was your race?
“Certainly not the weekend we wanted here at Las Vegas for the fall race. We wanted to get back to the final round like we did here at the spring race. We have to qualify better. That’s key. We had a solid opening round lap with that 3.70 against Dougie (Doug Kalitta) with the tool wars and that’s always important to us and our Matco family. Round two was tough. Brittany (Force) was a juggernaut all weekend in qualifying and we were just a tad too aggressive. Our Matco dragster was trucking early, but the track just wouldn’t hold it. It’s tough. We’ve still got a shot going into Pomona (Calif.) in two weeks and that’s all you can ask for. We’re going to test here tomorrow and dial our tune-up in for the Pomona Finals.”
# # #
About Toyota
Toyota (NYSE:TM) has been a part of the cultural fabric in North America for more than 60 years, and is committed to advancing sustainable, next-generation mobility through our Toyota and Lexus brands, plus our more than 1,800 dealerships.
Toyota directly employs more than 48,000 people in North America who have contributed to the design, engineering, and assembly of nearly 43 million cars and trucks at our 13 manufacturing plants. By 2025, Toyota’s 14thplant in North Carolina will begin to manufacture automotive batteries for electrified vehicles. With the more electrified vehicles on the road than any other automaker, more than a quarter of the company’s 2021 North American sales were electrified.
Through the Start Your Impossible campaign, Toyota highlights the way it partners with community, civic, academic and governmental organizations to address our society’s most pressing mobility challenges. We believe that when people are free to move, anything is possible. For more information about Toyota, visit www.ToyotaNewsroom.com.
NASCAR CUP SERIES MARTINSVILLE SPEEDWAY XFINITY 500 TEAM CHEVY POST-RACE NOTES & QUOTES OCTOBER 30, 2022
ELLIOTT, CHASTAIN ADVANCES TO NASCAR CUP SERIES CHAMPIONSHIP 4 Chevrolet looking for 34th NCS Driver’s Championship
TOP TEAM CHEVY UNOFFICIAL RACE RESULTS: POS. DRIVER 2nd Kyle Larson, No. 5 HENDRICKCARS.COM Camaro ZL1 5th Ross Chastain, No. 1 Moose Fraternity Camaro ZL1 8th William Byron, No. 24 Liberty University Camaro ZL1 11th Chase Elliott, No. 9 NAPA Auto Parts Camaro ZL1 13th Daniel Suarez, No. 99 Worldwide Express Camaro ZL1 19th Erik Jones, No. 43 U.S. Air Force Camaro ZL1
TOP FIVE UNOFFICIAL RACE RESULTS POS. DRIVER 1st Christopher Bell (Toyota) 2nd Kyle Larson (Chevrolet) 3rd Ryan Blaney (Ford) 4th Brad Keselowski (Ford) 5th Ross Chastain (Chevrolet)
The NASCAR Cup Series Championship Racew will get underway next Sunday, November 6, at Phoenix Raceway at 3 p.m. ET. Live coverage can be found on NBC, the NBCSports Gold App, MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Channel 90.
TEAM CHEVY POST-RACE NOTES AND QUOTES:
ROSS CHASTAIN, NO. 1 MOOSE FRATERNITY CAMARO ZL1
Finished: 5th
What were your thoughts on those final laps?
“For me, I back up to the last pit stop and just having a chance. My pit crew gained us a few of spots and gave us a chance. We got in front of the No. 11 (Denny Hamlin) there and he missed turn three a bit. He fired the first shot and then I returned it. He returned it, I returned and I was finally like ‘you know what, I’m going to wreck’ so I’m just going to let him go and I’ll run right with him. He gained a few spots; he was just better.
I did everything I could. I couldn’t keep pace and I couldn’t pass. I really struggled to pass all race long. I double-checked off turn two that we had to have two spots. We were out and I couldn’t see who the leader was. I grabbed fifth gear, got up against the wall and came to the finish.”
Would you call that a hail mary?
“I don’t know what you want to call it. I’m proud that we had a chance. That’s all that we ask for. Like I said, it was the combination of the last few weeks and the previous 34 races to get us here. That’s all we ask for.
Yeah, I took a crazy move that nobody would have ever thought. When I committed, I had no idea if it would work. With the access gate off turn four, I didn’t know if it would catch me and stop me. But I knew that I would try and it wasn’t going to hurt us.”
Are you exhilarated right now or are you exhausted?
“I’m over the moon excited. This is a life accomplishment, a career accomplishment, for everybody at Trackhouse Racing, Justin Marks and Pitbull and the vision of this team. For our partners that came on board – Worldwide Express, Moose Fraternity, Jockey, AdventHealth and Kubota.
All we asked for was a chance.”
You were second at Phoenix Raceway earlier this year. A career accomplishment, but now you have another big career accomplishment ahead of you.
“Yeah, we do. I don’t know what to think about it yet. I have to digest this first.
Our No. 1 Moose Fraternity Chevy wasn’t good enough for what we needed to go race for a win, but we’re racing for a championship.”
Larson on the ability to pass in this race versus the spring race:
“It must have been a little bit easier. The No. 11 (Denny Hamlin) was able to drive to the lead there. The leaders lapped a lot of cars today. To me, it seemed to be very close to normal Martinsville, but maybe still a little bit harder to pass when you got within a car length.”
You’re in a unique position going into Phoenix. You’re not in the championship on the driver’s side, but you are on the owner’s side. Do you assess it like last year, just go into the championship all-out?
“There is a lot on the line for us and our team. Two opportunities to bring Mr. H (Rick Hendrick) a championship and we would love to do that.
We were decent at Phoenix (Raceway) earlier this year, but I’m sure we’ll be a lot better than we were the last time.”
Larson on Christopher Bell’s win:
“It’s pretty cool to see Christopher (Bell) earn those two wins to advance; into the Round of 8 and now into the Championship 4. That’s a pretty spectacular job with what he did there today to get to the lead earlier around the midway point, and there again late. It was fun to be a part of the battle. I was hoping I could edge him out, but it’s really cool to see the job that him and his team did the last month or so.”
CHASE ELLIOTT, NO. 9 NAPA AUTO PARTS CAMARO ZL1
Finished: 11th
You ran second or third most of the day up until the very end.
“We just need to finish it off better. We have a shot at the championship next week and that’s a big deal. We’ll be ready.”
Are you happy with what you did today? You got the stage points you needed and put yourself in position.
“Making it to the Championship 4 is obviously a big deal. I wish we could have finished better there at the end. We ran first, second or third there all day and just kind of slipped there at the end. It’s frustrating, but like I said, it’s nice to make it through.”
At Phoenix earlier this year, you ran well until a stint there with about 10 laps to go. How do you feel about going in there?
“We’re ready to go.”
WILLIAM BYRON, NO. 24 LIBERTY UNIVERSITY CAMARO ZL1
Finished: 8th
“Unfortunately, we weren’t really in the game. I knew that early on in the race, we were making some progress, but we just struggled all day. The first three-quarters of the race were pretty miserable. Nothing like what we had in the spring. We were just tight with not a lot of pace. The No. 24 Liberty University Chevy team kept their heads down and got a decent finish out of it, so that was a good lesson for the day.”
TEAM CHEVY RACE QUICK NOTES
Stage One:
· Kyle Larson scored his fourth NASCAR Cup Series pole win of 2022 at Martinsville Speedway, leading the field to the green in the Round of 8 elimination race. Hendrick Motorsports teammate, Chase Elliott, was second-fastest in qualifying to give Chevrolet a sweep of the front row starting spots.
· Stage One went caution-free, with Hendrick Motorsports teammates Kyle Larson (68 laps led) and Chase Elliott (52 laps led) leading a combined 120 of the 130 laps in the stage.
· Chevrolet playoff contender, Chase Elliott, led Team Chevy to the end of the stage in the second-position.
· Stage One Team Chevy Top-10:
2nd Chase Elliott, No. 9 NAPA Auto Parts Camaro ZL1
9th Ross Chastain, No. 1 Moose Fraternity Camaro ZL1
10th Daniel Suarez, No. 99 Worldwide Express Camaro ZL1
Stage Two:
· In similar fashion, Chase Elliott and the No. 9 NAPA Auto Parts Camaro ZL1 team scored valuable stage points, recording a second-place finish in Stage Two.
· Elliott led Chevrolet to four top-10 finishes in the stage for the second time of the race.
· Stage Two Team Chevy Top-10:
2nd Chase Elliott, No. 9 NAPA Auto Parts Camaro ZL1
9th Ross Chastain, No. 1 Moose Fraternity Camaro ZL1
10th Daniel Suarez, No. 99 Worldwide Express Camaro ZL1
Final Stage / Post-Race Notes:
· Two Chevrolet drivers will make up the 2022 NASCAR Cup Series Championship 4, with Hendrick Motorsports’, Chase Elliott, and Trackhouse Racing’s, Ross Chastain, set to compete for the NCS driver’s championship title next weekend at Phoenix Raceway.
· This marks Elliott’s third consecutive appearance in the NASCAR Cup Series Championship 4, with his first in 2020 delivering the Georgia native his first career championship title in the series.
· Chastain’s berth into the NASCAR Cup Series Championship 4 comes in his first career appearance in the series’ playoffs. This is also Trackhouse Racing’s first Championship 4 appearance in the organization’s second season in NASCAR’s premier series.
· Chevrolet – who already clinched its series-leading 41st NASCAR Cup Series Manufacturer’s Championship – will head to Phoenix Raceway looking for its 34th NASCAR Cup Series Driver’s Championship.
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.
BELL CLAIMS MARTINSVILLE VICTORY TO ADVANCE TO CHAMPIONSHIP 4 Second Must-Win Scenario for Bell Pays off with Championship Berth
MARTINSVILLE, Va. (October 30, 2022) – Christopher Bell needed to win today’s NASCAR Cup Series race at Martinsville Speedway in order to advance to the final four and battle for the championship. For the second time this season, Bell and his DeWalt Camry TRD team was able to deliver in a clutch scenario and claim the victory. Bell led 150 laps (of 500) in today’s race and his Joe Gibbs Racing teammate, Denny Hamlin led 203 laps, but on the final lap was passed by Ross Chastain and ultimately fell out of the top four in points. Hamlin would finish sixth in the race and was joined in the top-10 by Bubba Wallace in the ninth position.
Toyota Post-Race Recap NASCAR Cup Series (NCS) Martinsville Speedway Race 35 of 36 – 263 miles, 500 laps
TOYOTA FINISHING POSITIONS 1st, CHRISTOPHER BELL 2nd, Kyle Larson* 3rd, Ryan Blaney* 4th, Brad Keselowski* 5th, Ross Chastain* 6th, DENNY HAMLIN 9th, BUBBA WALLACE 20th, TY GIBBS 21st, MARTIN TRUEX JR. 30th, KYLE BUSCH *non-Toyota driver
TOYOTA QUOTES
CHRISTOPHER BELL, No. 20 DeWalt Toyota Camry TRD, Joe Gibbs Racing
Finishing Position: 1st
What were you thinking on the final restart trying to catch Chase Briscoe?
“Mom and dad, we did it, wow. I can’t believe it, man. To come here in Martinsville, this place has always been so tough on me. Just pre-race looking up, seeing all the fans, this place is packed.
I don’t even know what to say. Just thank you so much to DeWalt, Rheem, Toyota, everyone on this Joe Gibbs Racing 20 team. They believed in me since day one. We went to Xfinity and did pretty well, struggled on the Cup side for the first little bit. They stayed with me. Very appreciative to be here. I don’t even know what to say.”
What is it about this race team that you can come through like this in back-to-back rounds?
“I say it all the time, but the driver is just a small piece of the puzzle for these races. The reason why this car won today is because it was the best car on the racetrack. Adam Stevens, Tyler William, this entire 20 group, they just never give up. When our back is against the wall, looks like it’s over, they show up and give me the fastest car out here. I don’t know, man. Words can’t describe this feeling.”
DENNY HAMLIN, No. 11 FedEx Freight Direct Toyota Camry TRD, Joe Gibbs Racing
Finishing Position: 6th
It was an unbelievable move that cost Denny a chance for his fifth chance to go to the Championship 4. Can you believe it came down that way?
“You got to execute all day. We just didn’t control the race when we had control of it. Each caution we just kept losing some spots. That’s the way it is. But thank Chris Gabehart (crew chief), the whole FedEx Camry team for giving me a fast car today. It was unbelievable when it was out front. Yeah, just couldn’t quite hang on to it there on pit road. But congrats to Chris (Christopher Bell), those guys just did an amazing job, really capitalizing and doing well, winning races when they needed to. Hopefully they can carry the banner for us.”
What can you say about the move that Ross Chastain made on the final lap?
“Certainly. We’re trying to battle. Obviously, I was trying to get in there. But it’s racing. It’s what racing is here as Martinsville. Actually pretty happy with somewhat how clean it was there towards the end, as crazy was it was with guys on different tires. Can’t say enough for my team to give us a shot. We were in 20s for most of the season in our points because of our up-and-down execution. We’re going to end up fifth in points. That is what it is. Great move. Brilliant. Certainly a great move. When you have no other choice, it certainly is easy to do that. But well executed.”
About Toyota
Toyota (NYSE:TM) has been a part of the cultural fabric in North America for more than 60 years, and is committed to advancing sustainable, next-generation mobility through our Toyota and Lexus brands, plus our more than 1,800 dealerships.
Toyota directly employs more than 48,000 people in North America who have contributed to the design, engineering, and assembly of nearly 43 million cars and trucks at our 13 manufacturing plants. By 2025, Toyota’s 14th plant in North Carolina will begin to manufacture automotive batteries for electrified vehicles. With the more electrified vehicles on the road than any other automaker, more than a quarter of the company’s 2021 North American sales were electrified.
Through the Start Your Impossible campaign, Toyota highlights the way it partners with community, civic, academic and governmental organizations to address our society’s most pressing mobility challenges. We believe that when people are free to move, anything is possible. For more information about Toyota, visit www.ToyotaNewsroom.com.
Ford Performance Notes and Quotes NASCAR Cup Series Xfinity500 Post Race | Sunday, October 30, 2022
FORD FINISHING RESULTS 3rd – Ryan Blaney 4th – Brad Keselowski 7th – Joey Logano 10th – Chase Briscoe 12th – Harrison Burton 14th – Todd Gilliland 15th – Cole Custer 16th – Aric Almirola 17th – Kevin Harvick 18th – Michael McDowell 25th – Chris Buescher 27th – Austin Cindric 29th – Cody Ware 31st – JJ Yeley 35th – BJ McLeod
BRAD KESELOWSKI, No. 6 Kohler Generators Ford Mustang – “We were solid all day. We had the spin there early and recovered from that. We had a good call at the end by Matt McCall to take two tires, but we just weren’t quite strong enough. We kept locking up the left-front and had a good shot at it. I was gonna cross over the 14 and he parked it and then everybody ran over me from behind and just never got another shot at it, so that was unfortunate, but, overall, it was a really good race for our team and another day of solid progress.”
DID YOU HAVE ANY IDEA THE 1 WAS COMING THAT FAST? “No.”
WHAT MORE DID YOU NEED TO WIN? “We were that fifth to tenth place car and just needed a little bit more speed out of it to make something happen.”
CAN YOU RECAP YOUR DAY? “We had some ups-and-downs for sure and at the end we rebounded with a nice top five. I’m proud of our recovery and our effort. We had a good day on pit road and a good call there at the end to take two tires, but just needed a little bit more speed out of our car to make that count.”
IS RFK GETTING STRONGER? “It feels like progress. It’s hard to say it’s not, so we’re happy with that.”
THE LAST FOUR RACES HAVE BEEN PARTICULARLY GOOD. “Yeah, it’s just nothing is as fast as you want it to be, but we’re still digging and trying to get all we can get.”
RYAN BLANEY, No. 12 Discount Tire Ford Mustang – “It just wasn’t quite enough. It was a wild day. I didn’t think we were great to start. We kind of faded at the end of that first stage, but we got better throughout the night, which is good, and found ourselves in second on the second-to-last run and kind of ran the 20 down. I got to him and then you burn your stuff up trying to pass somebody. There weren’t many passes for the lead tonight and then the last restart I thought I was in a good spot on the bottom. I thought more pandemonium was gonna happen than that and the 20 got down and he was able to kind of go to work and I couldn’t really get going as good. It’s unfortunate not to transfer, but proud of the effort. I didn’t do a great job the last two weeks and put us in a bad spot, but I’m proud of everyone all year and we’ll try to go run well at Phoenix.”
YOU WERE REELING IN THE 20 AND THEN THE CAUTION CAME OUT. HOW DID THAT CHANGE THINGS? “I ran him down by a little ways and got closer, but I just couldn’t pass him. You kind of burn your stuff off trying to pass somebody and he kind of drove away from me. We still had a shot at it there with the last caution and just didn’t get through the traffic as good as he did and once he was able to get the lead. I’m proud of the effort tonight by everybody, but it just wasn’t quite enough.”
DID YOU SEE THE MOVE THE 1 MADE? WHAT DID YOU THINK? “I just saw it and I guess I wish I should have done it. I guess we’ll all start doing it now coming down to the end of the race.”
IS THAT GOOD OR BAD? “I don’t care. That’s for you all to say.”
CHASE BRISCOE, No. 14 Rush Truck Centers/Cummins Ford Mustang – STAYING OUT WAS THE ONLY OPTION. “Yeah, that was kind of the only play I felt like we really had. I was honestly surprised nobody else stayed out in front of me. We couldn’t really pass all day long, so we knew if we restarted eighth, where I think we were running, we probably would have run seventh or eighth. I thought it was gonna work for a second. I thought if the race was 10 less laps I was probably gonna win, but I just fell off a cliff really hard there at the end. It’s unfortunate, but I had a shot. The penalty early in the race killed us. Like I said, it was really hard to pass and had to scrap and claw position by position and it took us a really long time to get back up there, but I thought our car was pretty good towards the end. It would have been nice to be on even tires, for sure. I felt like we had a car capable of running up front and battling for the win, but that was really the only play we had left.”
AFTER THE PENALTY YOU RESTARTED STAGE 2 IN 18TH PLACE AND STAYED THERE FOR THE ENTIRE STAGE AND COULDN’T MAKE UP GROUND. WHAT’S IT LIKE TO BE IN THAT SITUATION? “It’s frustrating. It felt like when I was back there I was probably better than the 10 cars in front of me, but you just can’t pass them. You’re just stuck. We definitely need to figure out the short track package. It’s a struggle. You literally can’t pass. I’d say maybe the 11 on the long run was good enough. He could pass, but you had to be almost a half-second better than the guy in front of you to even have a chance, so it was definitely frustrating from that standpoint. I just wish we didn’t get the penalty. If we would have stayed in the top four or five, we probably would have ran in the top four or five all day and then at the end you have a chance to do four tires and maybe win the race. I thought our car was good enough to battle for the win, but the penalty really killed us.”
WHAT DID YOU THINK OF CHASTAIN’S MOVE? “I wish I would have done it the last eight laps. I would have won the race. I knew he was almost a point out I thought I heard them say, so I knew down the backstretch he was probably about seven car lengths back from me I knew I was probably gonna get drove through, so I was watching my mirror and I saw how fast he was coming and I gripped the wheel because I thought this is gonna hurt pretty bad, and then luckily I saw him go to the wall. It was well-executed on his part. I think all of us have thought about that, just none of us have ever been brave enough to ever try it. I’m very curious to see what kind of hole that opens up because I think now if it’s the last lap at Martinsville and maybe even Richmond, just go wide-open on the wall. I think you’ll see the whole field do it. I mean, it’s that big of an advantage, so it’ll be interesting to see what happens now because now that we all know it’s that big of an advantage, I mean, at the end if you’re running second or third even you’re gonna do that because you’re gonna win the race. I’m curious to see what plays out after that.”
AS STOUT AS YOUR CAR WAS HOW HARD IS THIS TO SWALLOW AND WHAT DID YOU LEARN GETTING THIS FAR? “It’s frustrating. The penalty really took us out of it. You just couldn’t pass. We were running third or fourth and got the penalty and went back to 18th and literally ran 18th pretty much the rest of the day until we were able to get one spot at a time on restarts, so win as a team, lose as a team. Those pit crew guys kept me in the playoffs a lot of the time, so it’s unfortunate that I don’t think we really had a pit road penalty all year long and it came at this race, but we’ll go on to Phoenix and try to redeem ourselves. I felt like in the last six races we’ve had five top 10s, so this is the kind of speed and momentum we need to have going into the start of next year. I feel like we’re really hitting our stride, so that’s encouraging. I feel like we’re more than capable of being a top 10 team every week, it’s just a matter of putting it all together and we’ve been doing that a lot better at the end of the year.”
WAS ROSS’ MOVE GOOD SPORTSMANSHIP? “I don’t know. That’s a great question. I mean, we could have all done it, so, I mean, I guess it’s fair in that sense. It’s not like he was the only guy that was able to do it. I wish that I would have done it now, obviously, looking back on it. It’s like a 50/50 deal because any of us could have done it, but is it fair to those seven guys he passed? Probably not, but all seven of us could have done the same thing. Like I said a second ago, I’m very curious to see how this changes the complexion at the end of these short track races because you could for sure do it here, it’s been proven. You could do it at Richmond probably. There are a couple other racetracks – the Coliseum you could do it. There are a lot of racetracks we could probably do this now every time, so it’ll be interesting to see. I don’t think they’re gonna penalize him, but maybe it’s something to look at going into next year just with the rulebook. I think it’s a pretty black and white thing to put in the rules, but kudos to him for doing it. We could have all done it. We just didn’t do it.”
JOEY LOGANO, No. 22 Shell/Pennzoil Ford Mustang – “It was interesting. We were OK. I thought we were capable of running in the top five for sure. We had that fire and had to pit to fix the fire and we lost our track position and then it’s just hard to pass. You get a couple spots here. You get a couple on a restart. You get a couple on pit road and then we kind of found ourselves in the spot you don’t want to be in – you are the point person. If the 11 passes me, he’s in. If he stays behind me, he’s out. That’s like the last guy you want to be, so I figured I was gonna get knocked out of the way at some point. We accomplished our goal. We did a really good job on pit road. We needed some good stops and got some momentum there. We had a solid race car. I didn’t make any enemies and I still have my crew chief next week. Those were the goals and we did that.”
Devon Morgan brought home a victory in the World Short Track Championships at the Dirt Track at Charlotte Motor Speedway on Saturday. (Photo: Jacy Norgaard)
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE – Concord, N.C. (Oct. 30, 2022) – Devon Morgan’s fantastic 2022 campaign continued Saturday in the World Short Track Championships located at Charlotte Motor Speedway’s Dirt Track.
Despite facing heavy odds from the start of his heat race, Morgan persevered through the adversity and drove up to the front of the field in the main event to add a World Short Track Championships victory to his growing resume.
Morgan had always wanted to claim a win at Charlotte’s dirt track ever since his racing career began. Accomplishing that feat on Saturday proved to be more nerve wracking for Morgan than he initially anticipated, but that only made his victory even more rewarding.
“It means a lot to win this race,” Morgan said. “We ran the [World Short Track Championships] in 2018, 2019 and 2020, so to come back this year driving for Mitchell Henderson in the Street Stock and get the win means so much. Charlotte had such an unreal atmosphere this weekend with so many great cars, but just having the opportunity to race there is unreal.”
A random draw ended up determining the lineups for each heat in the World Short Track Championships. Morgan selected the number 54 on his draw, which placed him seventh in his heat race.
Morgan was not going to let the circumstances deter his confidence and he proceeded to climb his way to third by the time the checkered flag flew. That effort ultimately put Morgan 11th on the grid for the Street Stock feature.
Once the green flag was displayed in the main event, Morgan managed to find a rhythm on the bottom groove and methodically worked his way into the Top 5 before taking control of the race during its closing stages to earn one of the biggest victories of his career to date.
Morgan relied on his experience across different disciplines of dirt racing to stay composed and put himself in a great position to win.
“I knew we were going to be pretty good since I felt we had one of the best cars all weekend,” Morgan said. “With so many fast cars starting up ahead of us, I initially wasn’t sure if we were going to win, but I made up a lot of ground on the bottom. Once we reached the halfway point, I knew I had a shot, so I kept my head down and kept digging on the bottom.”
The win in the World Short Track Championships is one of many highlights for Morgan this year. Along with claiming a checkered flag in the Dash for Cash championship at Hartwell Speedway, Morgan also joined Coltman Farms Racing as a driver for the team’s Limited Late Model program.
For Morgan, the 2022 season has been about enjoying the moment and improving after each race. He feels confident about his current trajectory in dirt racing and looks to build upon his triumph in the World Short Track Championships.
“It feels great to have a year like this, especially after the one we had last year,” Morgan said. “I feel like I’m on top of the world, but I’m taking everything on a race-to-race basis. We want to stay on top of the world and we’re hoping to carry over this momentum into the next race.”
Morgan is not sure of when his next race will be, but he plans to assist Coltman Farms Racing teammates for the World Finals at Charlotte’s Dirt Track. He also hopes to contest the Georgia State Championships at Lavonia Speedway.
Devon Morgan would like to thank his mom, dad, crew, his fans, Mitchell Henderson, Coltman Farms Racing, MPM Marketing and all his sponsors in Jiffy Lube, ML Performance, KRC Power Steering, Team SRI Motorsports, Morgan Motor Company Inc., AutoBank & RV Sales, Strange Oval, FK Rod Ends, Acrylics Plus LLC, Buffalo Grill of Greenwood, Stevens Towing & Recovery, Jimmy’s Family Restaurant, Seymore Towing, Meredith Battery, Armour Metals, RAC 4×4 Off Road, Masters Performance, Franklin Enterprise, Done Right Construction, Wiley X and Chicken Bone Alley.
About McCallister Precision Marketing
McCallister Precision Marketing (MPM) focuses on assisting up-and-coming race car drivers with career advancement and promotion. McCallister Precision Marketing helps drivers build confidence in front of and behind the camera, giving them the tools they need to advance to the next level. The company also provides companies with a strategic plan for their sales, marketing and promotional needs. We believe in building positive relationships with our clients so that we may provide them with the most professional, yet personal guidance they need, in order to achieve their racing goals. Our clients include race car drivers, race team owners, companies and racing series’. We also work closely with charities and charity events. For more information on McCallister Precision Marketing, visit www.MarketWithMPM.com, email TonyaMac44@MarketWithMPM.com or call 803-361-6199.
FRASER McCONNELL TOPS GROUP E BATTLE BRACKETS, EARNS TOP QUALIFIER POSITION BRIAN DEEGAN EDGES OUT TRAVIS PASTRANA IN SIDE-BY-SIDES FINAL; GEORGE MEGINNIS WINS NRX NEXT FINAL
Competition Continues Sunday with Full Slate of High Stakes Finals
(Los Angeles, CA / Saturday – October 29, 2022)Nitro Rallycross returned to Southern California Saturday, kicking off a wild weekend of racing at iconic Glen Helen Raceway as part of its inaugural global series. The disruptive new motorsport with, “cars that fly and tracks that thrill,” delivered the goods Saturday with gripping head-to-head action, tight passes and nail-biting finishes, all on a challenging course punctuated by a 100-ft gap jump.
In Group E, fast-rising Jamaican phenom Fraser McConnell took Top Qualifier position in an exciting Battle Brackets final against Oliver Eriksson (SWE). It marked McConnell’s first win in Nitro RX’s new top class.
Both drivers had to advance through Nitro RX’s heavy-hitters in order to reach the final, with Eriksson beating defending 2021 series champion and Minnesota 2022 winner Travis Pastrana (USA) as well as Sweden 2022 winner Andreas Bakkerud (NOR), while McConnell dispatched UK 2022 winner Robin Larsson (SWE).
In Saturday’s final, Eriksson bolted out of the start and held McConnell off at the first turn. McConnell hung tight however and soon pulled off a brilliant pass, swinging high before dropping down to overtake Eriksson on the inside. McConnell then held back Erkisson, with the two getting sideways in the corners, before McConnell pulled away to seal the win.
As top qualifier, McConnell goes into Sunday with pole position in his choice of the first two heats.
Group E Qualifying Order (Round 4):
Position
Car #
Name
Nation
Team
1
35
Fraser McConnell
JAM
DRR
2
16
Oliver Eriksson
SWE
OMSE
3
23
Kevin Eriksson
SWE
OMSE
4
13
Andreas Bakkerud
NOR
RX Cartel / DRR JC
5
199
Travis Pastrana
USA
Vermont SportsCar
6
21
Conner Martell
USA
Vermont SportsCar
7
4
Robin Larsson
SWE
RX Cartel / DRR JC
8
42
Oliver Bennett
GBR
XITE Energy Racing
In NRX NEXT, George Megennis (USA) claimed the top of the podium with a solid win after third place finishes at round four in Sweden as well as rounds five and six in Minnesota. Jimmy Henderson and Lane Vacala combined to make it an American sweep of the NEXT podium Saturday.
In a double-header weekend, the full NRX NEXT field will compete again on Sunday with another opportunity to earn hardware.
NRX Next Final (Round 7):
Finish
Car #
Name
Nation
Team
1
9
George Megennis
USA
#YELLOWSQUAD
2
44
Jimmy Henderson
USA
BAK 40 Motorsport
3
55
Lane Vacala
USA
DRR
4
36
Casper Jansson
SWE
OMSE
5
99
Eric Gordon
USA
BAK 40 Motorsport
For Nitro RX’s special Side-By-Side contest, Pastrana pulled double duty while renewing his longtime rivalry with fellow moto legend Brian Deegan (USA). Deegan and Pastrana traded first place Side-By-Sides finishes earlier this month during Nitro RX’s US launch, and that pattern continued at Glen Helen with the two battling throughout Saturday. Neither refused to settle for second, taking the Side-By-Side final all the way to the wire, with Deegan getting the better of Pastrana – on this day – by less than four-hundredths of a second. Canada’s Gregoire Michaud rounded out the podium.
Pastrana will have an opportunity for a rematch though, with the full Side-By-Sides roster set to square off once more on Sunday.
Side-By-Sides Final (Round 1):
Finish
Car #
Name
Nation
1
38
Brian Deegan
USA
2
199
Travis Pastrana
USA
3
27
Gregoire Michaud
CAN
4
67
Ben Maier
USA
5
49
Robin Shute
GBR
6
111
Jeff Matiasevich
USA
7
57
Lia Block
USA
8
13
Leticia Bufoni
USA
More finals trophies – in all three classes – are on the line Sunday. For Southland fans, tickets are still available for purchase at nitrorallycross.com. General admission tickets are $25 each while VIP Club Nitro RX passes offering premium amenities and exclusive experiences are $125 each (all prices plus additional taxes and fees). Camping passes are also available. Kids 12 and under can even enjoy all of the high-speed action for free.
Event partners for Nitro RX Los Angeles include A SHOC Energy – Thrill One Sports & Entertainment’s Official Energy Drink – Yokohama Tire, Smirnoff Ice Smash, Myenergi and Guaranteed Rate.
ABOUT NITRO RALLYCROSS
Launched in 2018 by motorsports icon Travis Pastrana and the innovators of Nitro Circus, Nitro Rallycross has revolutionized motorsport. With innovative purpose-built courses, banked turns inspired by the wide-open action of Supercross and short-form, head-to-head competition, Nitro RX creates high-impact, thrill-packed racing. Nitro RX’s custom-built tracks – featuring the biggest jumps seen in motorsports – create unrivalled racing excitement. The full-throttle competition is now set to go global with Nitro Rallycross’ expansion into a full standalone championship series. Nitro RX is also adding Group E, an electric circuit featuring the all-new FC1-X, the most powerful Rallycross vehicle ever built. For more information, visit NitroRallycross.com.
Hagan and Dodge Power Brokers Funny Car Qualify No. 2 at Nevada Nationals, the Penultimate Event of NHRA ‘Countdown to the Championship’
Tony Stewart Racing (TSR) driver Matt Hagan qualified his Dodge Power Brokers Funny Car No. 2 for the 22nd edition of the Nevada Nationals and heads into the penultimate event of the National Hot Rod Association (NHRA) “Countdown to the Championship” still in contention for the crown
Hagan earned the second place position on the eliminations ladder with the quickest run of the final qualifying session
A three-time event winner in the last five years at Las Vegas, Hagan goes into race day 83 points behind the points leader Robert Hight
TSR Top Fuel pilot Leah Pruett qualified her Dodge Power Brokers dragster 11th in a competitive field for Sunday’s eliminations
Defending Funny Car event winner Cruz Pedregon qualified 13th aboard his Snap-on Tools Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat
October 29, 2022, Las Vegas, Nevada – Just two race days remain in the National Hot Rod Association (NHRA) “Countdown to the Championship” and Tony Stewart Racing (TSR) driver Matt Hagan showed he is determined to stay in the heat of the battle for the Funny Car crown by qualifying his Dodge Power Brokers charger SRT Hellcat No. 2 for the 22nd annual Nevada Nationals at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, the penultimate event of the six-race playoff series.
The three-time world champion sits third in the Funny Car standings going into Sunday’s elimination rounds after finishing runner-up to Ron Capps (second in points) at the previous race in Texas to put himself within 78 markers of the category leader Robert HIght heading into the weekend.
Following a pair of qualifying passes on Friday, the Dodge Power Brokers Funny Car was provisionally fifth after setting the third-best run of the first session with a 3.898-second lap at 333.25 mph to earn a bonus point. But Hagan, who has three wins (2017, 2019 and 2020) in the last five fall editions of the Las Vegas event, pressed even harder on Saturday to record a strong 3.862 sec./330.23 mph final qualifying run and earn three additional bonus points for the quickest pass of Q4. More importantly, that also put his Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat in the No. 2 spot on the eliminations ladder behind Hight who leads Hagan by 83 points heading into race day. Hagan’s opening round opponent will be No. 15 seed Steven Densham.
TSR Top Fuel pilot Leah Pruett and her Dodge Power Brokers dragster were provisionally ninth after two Friday qualifying laps with a best run of 3.746 sec./329.18 mph, then improved their performance in the third session with a strong 3.716 second pass at 331.69 mph in a competitive field. That run put Pruett 11th on the eliminations ladder and paired her with No. 6 seed Mike Salinas for Sunday’s first round. Pruett is focused on going rounds on Sunday to help her break back into the Top Fuel top-ten as the team’s first season nears an end.
Last year’s Nevada Nationals Funny Car event winner Cruz Pedregon comes into the weekend ninth in points and while his team may not be in the championship hunt the way they were last season coming into Las Vegas, the team continues to make performance gains with the Snap-on Tools Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat and is ready to play spoiler. Pedregon qualified 13th with the 3.945 sec./ 318.77 mph pass he made on his first qualifying pass and will battle No. 4 seed J.R. Todd in the first round.
Two shows with qualifying highlights from the NHRA Nevada Nationals at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway will air on FS1 on Sunday, Oct. 30, at 9:30 a.m. ET (Q1 and Q2) and 12:30 p.m. ET(Q3 and Q4). Race day coverage on FS1 will begin at 5 p.m. ET.
ADDITIONAL NOTES:
Leah Pruett, Tony Stewart Racing Dodge Power Brokers Top Fuel Dragster
(No. Qualifier – 3.716 seconds at 331.69 mph)
Qualifying 1: 12.009 seconds at 55.93 mph
Qualifying 2: 3.746 sec./329.18 mph
Qualifying 3: 3.716 sec./331.69 mph
Qualifying 4: 3.960 sec./228.15 mph
Matt Hagan, Tony Stewart Racing Dodge Power Brokers Charger SRT Hellcat Funny Car
(No. 2 Qualifier – 3.862 seconds at 330.23 mph)
Qualifying 1: 3.898 seconds at 333.25 mph (1 bonus point for third quickest of session)
Fans can follow all the NHRA action this season at DodgeGarage, the one-stop portal for Dodge//SRT and Mopar drag-racing news. The site includes daily updates and access to an online racing HQ, news, events, galleries, available downloads and merchandise. For more information, visit www.dodgegarage.com.
@DodgeMoparMotorsports on Instagram
The @DodgeMoparMotorsports Instagram channel continues to share content capturing Dodge//SRT Mopar drivers on the track. Fans can see action from the NHRA Camping World Drag Racing Series and NHRA Sportsman grassroots racers, competing in classes such as Factory Stock Showdown, Stock and Super Stock, as well as additional motorsports series.
Dodge//SRT
For more than 100 years, the Dodge brand has carried on the spirit of brothers John and Horace Dodge. Their influence continues today as Dodge shifts into high gear with a lineup that delivers unrivaled performance in each of the segments where they compete.
Dodge drives forward as a pure performance brand, offering SRT Hellcat versions of the Dodge Challenger, Dodge Charger and Dodge Durango, as well as an R/T plug-in hybrid electric vehicle (PHEV) version of the all-new 2023 Dodge Hornet, representing the brand’s first-ever electrified performance vehicle. Dodge delivers the drag-strip dominating 807-horsepower Dodge Challenger SRT Super Stock; the 797-horsepower Dodge Charger SRT Redeye, the most powerful and fastest mass-produced sedan in the world; and the 710-horsepower Dodge Durango SRT Hellcat, the most powerful SUV ever; and best-in-class standard performance in the compact utility vehicle segment with the Dodge Hornet. Combined, these four muscle vehicles make Dodge the industry’s most powerful brand, offering more horsepower than any other American brand across its entire lineup.
In 2022, the Dodge brand ranked No. 1 in the J.D. Power APEAL Study (mass market), making it the only domestic brand ever to do so three years in a row. In 2020, Dodge was named the “#1 Brand in Initial Quality,” making it the first domestic brand ever to rank No. 1 in the J.D. Power Initial Quality Study (IQS).
Dodge is part of the portfolio of brands offered by leading global automaker and mobility provider Stellantis. For more information regarding Stellantis (NYSE: STLA), please visit www.stellantis.com.
Mopar
This year marks the 85th anniversary of Mopar.
A simple combination of the words MOtor and PARts, Mopar offers exceptional service, parts and customer-care. Born in 1937 as the name of a line of antifreeze products, Mopar has evolved over 85 years to represent both complete vehicle care and authentic performance for owners and enthusiasts worldwide.
Mopar made its mark in the 1960s during the muscle-car era with performance parts to enhance speed and handling for both on-road and racing use. Later, Mopar expanded to include technical service and customer support, and today integrates service, parts and customer-care operations in order to enhance customer and dealer support worldwide.
Complete information on Mopar is available at www.mopar.com and the newly redesigned Mopar blog at blog.mopar.com. For more information regarding Stellantis (NYSE: STLA), please visit www.stellantis.com.
Follow Dodge, Mopar and Stellantis news and video on:
ASHLEY LOOKS TO EXTEND POINTS LEAD FROM THIRD STARTING SPOT
Former champ J.R. Todd leads the Toyota Funny Car contingent
LAS VEGAS (October 29, 2022) – Justin Ashley saved the best for last as he moved inside the top half of the ladder in the final qualifying session. The points leader ran a 3.686 to move up to third and draw Clay Millican. Shawn Langdon also had a strong qualifying effort inside the top-five.
In Funny Car, former Las Vegas winner and Funny Car champion J.R. Todd qualified a season-best fourth. Ron Capps, who began the weekend just 10 points out of the Funny Car points lead, qualified his GR Supra in sixth.
Toyota Post-Qualifying Recap NHRA Camping World Drag Racing Series The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway Race 21 of 22
TOYOTA TOP FUEL QUALIFYING POSITIONS
Name
Car
Qualifying Position
First Round Opponent
Brittany Force*
Flav-R-Pac Top Fuel Dragster*
1st (3.665)
Bye
Justin Ashley
Phillips Connect Toyota Top Fuel Dragster
3rd (3.686)
C. Millican
Shawn Langdon
DHL Toyota Top Fuel Dragster
5th (3.696)
K. Baldwin
Steve Torrence
Capco Contractors Toyota Top Fuel Dragster
7th (3.698)
J. Hart
Doug Kalitta
Mac Tools Toyota Top Fuel Dragster
8th (3.708)
A. Brown
Antron Brown
Matco Tools Toyota Top Fuel Dragster
9th (3.710)
D. Kalitta
(*non-Toyota driver)
TOYOTA FUNNY CAR QUALIFYING POSITIONS
Name
Car
Qualifying Position
First Round Opponent
Robert Hight*
AAA of Southern California Funny Car*
1st (3.857)
T. Haddock
J.R. Todd
DHL Toyota GR Supra Funny Car
4th (3.870)
C. Pedregon
Ron Capps
NAPA AUTO PARTS Toyota GR Supra Funny Car
6th (3.889)
J. Campbell
Alexis DeJoria
Bandero Tequila Toyota GR Supra Funny Car
8th (3.919)
P. Lee
(*non-Toyota driver)
TOYOTA QUOTES
JUSTIN ASHLEY, Phillips Connect Toyota Top Fuel Dragster, Davis Motorsports
TF Qualifying Result: 3rd
How much confidence does that run in the final session give you going into tomorrow?
“A lot of confidence. To wrap up qualifying with a nice solid run like that – and to be truthful – no matter how we ran in that last session, I would have had a tremendous amount of confidence, and rightfully so, because this team has gotten up on race day every time, no matter where we qualified, but that is a really good base for us. Conditions are going to be similar tomorrow, so it gives us more data and information to overlay going into race day.”
What are your goals for tomorrow?
“For right now, my goals are to win round one. I will take it from there. Every race we come into trying to win, so that goal is not going to change – not that we are now in the Countdown, we are not going to change what we do. We are going to keep everything consistent and the same. Our goal tomorrow is to make it a long day and to put this Phillips Connect Toyota in the winner’s circle, but right now we are focused on Clay Millican. He’s a really tough competitor and we want to put our best foot forward in the first round.”
J.R. TODD, DHL Toyota GR Supra Funny Car, Kalitta Motorsports
FC Qualifying Result: 4th
How much are you looking forward to race day?
“That Friday night run was really encouraging. We’ve been trying to run like that for a while, just need to work on our consistency a little bit. We were definitely trying to run better tonight, and for whatever reason, it slowed down. The car is going down the track. I feel like we definitely have a really good DHL Toyota GR Supra that is capable of winning here. We’ve won here in the past – a few times – and it would be nice to leave here with a trophy on Sunday.”
About Toyota
Toyota (NYSE:TM) has been a part of the cultural fabric in North America for more than 60 years, and is committed to advancing sustainable, next-generation mobility through our Toyota and Lexus brands, plus our more than 1,800 dealerships.
Toyota directly employs more than 48,000 people in North America who have contributed to the design, engineering, and assembly of nearly 43 million cars and trucks at our 13 manufacturing plants. By 2025, Toyota’s 14th plant in North Carolina will begin to manufacture automotive batteries for electrified vehicles. With the more electrified vehicles on the road than any other automaker, more than a quarter of the company’s 2021 North American sales were electrified.
Through the Start Your Impossible campaign, Toyota highlights the way it partners with community, civic, academic and governmental organizations to address our society’s most pressing mobility challenges. We believe that when people are free to move, anything is possible. For more information about Toyota, visit www.ToyotaNewsroom.com.
