ALTON, Va. (October 9, 2022) – Raoul Hyman continued his march toward the Formula Regional Americas Championship Powered by Honda (FR Americas) 2022 title with his second win of the weekend during the Andy Scriven Memorial at the Mission Foods VIR SpeedTour. Starting from pole, Hyman never wavered in his No. 27 Bethesda Holdings Limited / Solomon Capital Enterprises / Oaklands / Kinross Ligier JS F3, and instead led the race from lights out to checkered flag.
Hyman lined up next to championship rival Dylan Tavella (No. 14 Crosslink Kiwi Motorsport Ligier JS F3) for the final race of the weekend. Tavella put up a good fight, staying within a half-second of Hyman for the first four laps. However, he was relegated to pit road and put a lap down before being able to return to competition.
Some of the best battles on track were those between Cooper Becklin (No. 91 Crosslink Kiwi Motorsport Ligier JS F3), Ryan Yardley (No. 78 Crosslink Kiwi Motorsport Ligier JS F3) and Mac Clark (No. 25 Future Star Racing Ligier JS F3). The three played cat and mouse throughout the early stages of the race, until Becklin and Yardley were finally able to pull away from Clark and duke it out to the finish.
Hyman led the field to the checkered flag for his ninth victory of the season. Becklin followed in second, scoring his best career finish in FR Americas. Yardley was third for his fifth podium of the season.
“That was tough,” said Hyman after climbing from the car. “I locked it up into Turn 13 on the first lap. We really struggled for tire temperature—even yesterday during the first laps. I knew if I could get it done on the first lap and hold position, that we would have the pace of the car to go through the rest of the race. I was pushing, and I just locked up into Turn 13. I decided to stay on the brake and hold the lock-up and get all the way in. From there, I had a massive vibration. It made every braking zone quite tricky. Really, the pace of the car—TJ Speed has done an amazing job. It’s a real privilege to be on pole, to win the race. I’m grateful to be back here.”
For his efforts during the Andy Scriven Memorial at the Mission Foods VIR SpeedTour weekend, Cooper Becklin was awarded the Omologato Perfectly-Timed Move of the Race, and given a bespoke Omologato timepiece embossed with FR Americas branding.
FR Americas will return to the track for their final round of the 2022 season at Circuit of The Americas next month. Contested November 3-5, tickets for Mission Foods Austin SpeedTour are available now at SpeedTour.net. Follow along for all the latest FR Americas news Facebook, Instagram and Twitter, or visit framericas.com.
About Formula Regional Americas Championship & Formula 4 United States Championship, Powered by Honda:
The FIA-certified Formula 4 United States Championship & Formula Regional Americas Championship are designed as entry-level open-wheel racing series offering young talent the opportunity to demonstrate their skills on an international platform while keeping affordability and safety as key elements. The Championships align with the global FIA development ladder philosophy of using common components to provide a cost-efficient, reliable and powerful racing structure as drivers ascend through the levels on their way to U.S. or global racing success.
ALTON, Va. (October 9, 2022) – Noah Ping (No. 65 Velocity Racing Development Ligier JS F4) won his third Formula 4 United States Championship Powered by Honda (F4 U.S.) race of the 2022 season on Sunday morning at VIRginia International Raceway.
Rolling off third for Race 3 of the Andy Scriven Memorial at the Mission Foods VIR SpeedTour, Ping trailed polesitter Gabriel Fonseca (No. 76 Crosslink Kiwi Motorsport Ligier JS F4) and second-place starter Louka St-Jean (No. 98 Jay Howard Driver Development / CSU One Cure / Lucas Oil / Pelican Ligier JS F4) as the field entered Turn 1. However, when the top two starters made contact, Ping capitalized on the situation to take over the point position on his Hankook tires. The Buford, Ga., native was able to hold off advances by championship contenders Lochie Hughes (No. 6 JHDD / CSU One Cure / Lucas Oil / Pelican Ligier JS F4) and Bryson Morris (No. 39 Crosslink Kiwi Motorsport Ligier JS F4) on a restart past the halfway point.
As the field worked their way through the uphill esses on the same lap, the championship battle took a dramatic turn as Morris lost control of his Ligier JS F4 and backed into a tire barrier, which brought an early end to his day.
As they crossed the finish line, Ping was scored first, followed by Hughes in second, and Andre Castro (No. 8 Future Star Racing Ligier JS F4) in third.
“It was a bit chaotic,” said Ping after climbing from his car. “We were warned in our drivers meeting to take it safe this morning. After the safety car, there was some oil out on the track; I spun my tires when we went full-course yellow. It was right on line, so you almost had to run the wet line. The cold weather didn’t help, either. There were a lot of variables out there.”
For his efforts enduring a tough weekend at the Mission Foods VIR SpeedTour, Alex Berg was awarded the Omologato Perfectly-Timed Move of the Race at the Andy Scriven Memorial. After climbing from a 19th-place starting position in Race 3, Berg crossed the finish line fifth and was presented with a bespoke Omologato timepiece embossed with F4 U.S. branding during the podium celebrations.
F4 U.S. will return to the track for their final round of the 2022 season at Circuit of The Americas next month. Contested November 3-5, tickets for Mission Foods Austin SpeedTour are available now at SpeedTour.net. Follow along for all the latest F4 U.S. news on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter, or visit f4uschampionship.com.
About Formula Regional Americas Championship & Formula 4 United States Championship, Powered by Honda:
The FIA-certified Formula 4 United States Championship & Formula Regional Americas Championship are designed as entry-level open-wheel racing series offering young talent the opportunity to demonstrate their skills on an international platform while keeping affordability and safety as key elements. The Championships align with the global FIA development ladder philosophy of using common components to provide a cost-efficient, reliable and powerful racing structure as drivers ascend through the levels on their way to U.S. or global racing success.
If you’re keen on motorsports, but don’t are living near a track, you could be wanting to know the way to see races on the web. While it’s not necessarily possible to catch every motorsports event, there are a few alternatives available to you. You will find three ways to watch motorsports events online.
Option 1: Utilizing a dedicated streaming service
One way to see motorsports on the Internet is through a dedicated streaming service provider. There are a few various companies that offer you this type of service, and they usually have a very good variety of pricing options to pick from. Price ranges may vary according to the service, but it’s generally affordable.
Option 2: Making use of cable tv or satellite TV provider
Apart from using a dedicated streaming service, you may also watch motorsports on the web through cable television or a satellite television service provider. Most of these providers often provide various motorsports packages, giving you access to multiple events. The downside is that you must pay for any registration or monthly subscription. Of course, the upside is that you’ll usually get a wide range of motorsports events to watch on the go.
Finding the right package often depends on which companies service your specific neighborhood and what channels they include in their sports tiers. Since availability varies significantly by zip code, it is helpful to compare the different cable tv providers in my area to see which ones offer the best value for racing fans. Many of these companies now bundle high-speed internet with their television plans, making it easier to switch between traditional broadcasts and online streaming apps. Taking the time to research these options ensures you don’t miss out on high-definition coverage of major events like NASCAR or Formula 1. This localized approach helps fans secure the most reliable connection for a seamless viewing experience throughout the racing season.
Option 3: Free streaming websites
Lastly, you can watch your favorite motorsports events online through free streaming websites available on the Internet. These websites typically have a smaller selection of shows and events, but they’re usually free to watch. The downside is that some of the streams might be touch and go, but you can usually find a few good alternatives by searching online.
Regardless of what option you choose, there are different ways to view your favorite motorsports events on the Internet.
How to watch your favorite motorsports events by utilizing a VPN?
It’s possible to watch motorsports events online even if you’re living in a country that doesn’t have race coverage. This is accomplished through a VPN, which will allow you to hook up to a web server within a region that does have coverage for the particular motorsports event. To get started, simply search for terms like “vpn free pc download“, or check for options compatible with your streaming device. The process of setting up a VPN is rather simple, and most VPNs offer quite guides regarding how to set it up.
Once you have a VPN set up, you must connect to the correct server and open up the streaming service. You should then be able to watch the event as if you lived in the country where the race is currently held.
How much does a VPN service cost?
The fee for a VPN can differ according to the provider, but it’s generally very reasonable. Some really good options cost less than $5 monthly, and that is a small price to pay for the capability to watch motorsports races on the Internet.
If you’re looking for a more comprehensive answer, you might want to consider getting a superior or premium VPN service. These services usually cost much more, but they offer more capabilities and features.
Do I require a VPN if I’m just viewing motorsports?
If you’re just interested in observing motorsports, you likely won’t need to have a VPN. However, if you want to have the capacity to access other motorsports content that is unavailable in your region, or maybe you’re interested in Internet security, then this VPN is a good idea.
Would it be dangerous to watch motorsports events on a VPN?
It’s rather risk-free to watch motorsports on the web by having a VPN and it is one of several most dependable ways to do this. This is because your traffic and IP address will probably be encrypted, which means that they can’t be intercepted or supervised by any person.
Do I need a special form of VPN for seeing motorsports?
No, you don’t require a unique sort of VPN for watching motorsports. Nonetheless, we suggest using a more reliable VPN service, since they tend to offer you greater speeds and more functions.
Is ESPN+ not working with VPN? Here’s the way to fix that?
If you’re attempting to watch motorsports on ESPN+ but are having problems, it’s likely due to your VPN setup. ESPN+ uses geo-blocking to constrain access to certain countries around the world.
To solve this problem, you’ll need to connect with a hosting server in the region that has ESPN+ VPN. After you’re connected, you will be able to access the assistance and watch any motorsports events.
If you’re still experiencing difficulty, we suggest contacting your VPN’s customer care. They should be able to assist you in troubleshooting the matter and have your VPN working right away.
Summary
There are a variety of ways to view motorsports on the Internet, and the best option often depends upon your needs and tastes. If you’re looking for the best possible experience, we recommend using a premium streaming service like F1 TV Pro. However, if you’re on a budget, you can find some good free options as well.
No matter which option you choose, you can find a way to watch motorsports online. So, get out there and enjoy the races!
Late-Race Incident Sweeps Away Top-10 finish for No. 6 Team
CONCORD, N.C. (Oct. 9, 2022) – Brad Keselowski used a meticulous blend of speed and strategy to work his No. 6 Castrol Ford through the field in Sunday’s race at the ROVAL. He was poised for a top-10 finish before being forced through the chicane after a wild and wooly restart on a green-white-checkered overtime finish, forcing the team to settle for a 14th-place finish.
Keselowski and teammate Chris Buescher were both forced to start at the rear of the field after an unapproved adjustment to the steering rack after Saturday’s qualifying session. He was able to move up to as high as 26th before pitting under green near the end of stage one. The No. 6 team started the second stage in the 18th position and cracked the field’s top-10 halfway through stage two.
Keselowski started the final stage in the 15th position, and moved inside the top-10 just before pitting with 36 laps remaining. He had moved his Ford back inside the top-15 with 20 laps remaining and moved back inside the top-10 with five laps remaining in the event, before restarting 10th for the final green-white-checkered run.
Unfortunately, contact from the No. 2 would result in the Castrol Ford losing a good amount of positions, placing Keselowski in 14th to finish out the race.
Las Vegas Motor Speedway is the next stop for the NASCAR Cup Series. Race coverage next Sunday is set for 2:30 p.m. ET on NBC, with radio coverage on PRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.
Fifth Top-10 Finish on a Road Course for No. 17 Team in 2022
CONCORD, N.C. (Oct. 9, 2022) – Track position would prove to be tough in this year’s NASCAR Cup Series race on Charlotte Motor Speedway’s ROVAL configuration, but a few late race cautions would help provide an opportunity for the Fastenal Ford Mustang to shine.
Starting from the rear of the field after an unapproved adjustment, Chris Buescher made quick work of almost a dozen cars to crack the top-30 by lap five. Reporting that the car needed more lateral grip after the first run, crew chief Scott Graves exercised the option to short-pit before the stage end, putting Chris in 24th to end the first stage.
Cycling through to 15th for the start of stage two, Chris hovered around the top-15 until the No. 17 team short-pitted again with eight laps to go in the stage. This would once again put Chris 24th to end the stage, lining him up 14th for stage three once all cars cycled through pit stops.
In a mostly uneventful stage three, the No. 17 Fastenal Ford Mustang made it up to the 12th position with ten laps remaining, followed by a caution for debris with under ten laps to go. Electing to take four tires and fuel under caution, Buescher would line up outside the top-10 for a three lap dash to the finish.
The caution would fly for incident twice in the final run to the finish, even seeing a red flag for cleanup on the backstretch chicane. Buescher would pull through the madness to come home with a sixth-place finish, his fifth top-10 of the season on a road course.
Las Vegas Motor Speedway is the next stop for the NASCAR Cup Series. Race coverage next Sunday is set for 2:30 p.m. ET on NBC, with radio coverage on PRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.
Christopher Bell capitalized on a late strategic pit call for fresh tires followed by two late-race restarts by winning a wild conclusion to the fifth annual running of the Bank of America ROVAL 400 at the Charlotte Motor Speedway Road Course on Sunday, October 9.
The 27-year-old Bell from Norman, Oklahoma, led the final two of 112 over-scheduled laps en route to the victory. Prior to his victory, he was initially appeared to be eliminated from the 2022 NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs. When the caution flew due to debris being reported on the track with six laps remaining, an opportunity struck for Bell, who pitted for four fresh tires. Amid two late-race restarts, including the second that sent the event into overtime, and a bevy of carnage and chaos that affected a number of Playoff contenders, Bell managed to carve his way to the front as he claimed the lead from Kevin Harvick with two laps remaining. From there, he rocketed away from the field and smoothly navigate his way around the circuit for a final time to claim his second checkered flag of the 2022 Cup Series season.
With the victory, Bell, who came into the event 54 points below the top-eight cutline to transfer to the Round of 8 in the Playoffs, was one of eight competitors to transfer and continue to pursue this year’s title while another group of four competitors, including reigning Cup Series champion Kyle Larson, were left on the outside and out of the Playoffs.
With on-track qualifying that determined the starting lineup occurring on Saturday, Playoff competitor Joey Logano claimed his third pole position of the 2022 season and the 25th of his career after posting a pole-winning lap at 103.424 mph in 80.755 seconds. Joining him on the front row was Playoff competitor William Byron, who posted the second-best qualifying lap at 103.300 mph in 80.852 seconds.
Prior to the event, Playoff competitor Ross Chastain along with Brad Keselowski, Chris Buescher, Loris Hezemans and newcomer Conor Daly dropped to the rear of the field due to unapproved adjustments to their respective cars. Aric Almirola also dropped to the rear of the field due to an engine change along with Josh Williams, who failed pre-race technical inspection and was assessed a pass-through penalty through pit road upon starting the race.
When the green flag waved and the race started, Logano fended off Byron to lead the field through the first two turns followed by the infield, road course turns while Byron was being challenged early by Suarez for second place. As the field returned to the oval turns before entering the backstretch chicane and returning to the frontstretch chicane, Logano was able to lead the first lap ahead of a four-car battle for the runner-up spot that included Byron, Suarez, Tyler Reddick and Ryan Blaney. Behind, Austin Dillon missed the frontstretch chicane and was later assessed a pass-through penalty through pit road for failing to comply to missing the chicane by coming to a full stop on the track.
Through the second lap of the event, Logano’s No. 22 Shell/Pennzoil Ford Mustang remained out in front by more than a second over Byron’s No. 24 Valvoline Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 while Suarez, Reddick, Blaney, Austin Cindric, Christopher Bell, AJ Allmendinger, Bubba Wallace and Chase Elliott were scored in the top 10.
During the following lap, Bubba Wallace missed the frontstretch chicane after locking up the front tires of his No. 45 Root Insurance Toyota TRD Camry while running in the top 10 as he came to a full stop before proceeding to avoid a penalty. Wallace eventually pitted under green for four fresh tires after flat-sotting his original tires.
Through the first five scheduled laps, Logano stabilized his advantage to more than a second over Byron followed by Suarez, Reddick and Blaney while Cindric, Bell, Allmendinger, Elliott and Michael McDowell were running in the top 10. By then, seven of 11 Playoff competitors participating in the event were racing in the top 10 while the remaining Playoff competitors that included Kyle Larson, Chase Briscoe, Denny Hamlin and Ross Chastain were in 12th, 14th, 17th and 26th, respectively. Meanwhile, Noah Gragson, who was filling in for Alex Bowman for a second consecutive weekend, was in 22nd behind Erik Jones.
At the Lap 10 mark, Logano’s advantage decreased to seven-tenths of a second over Byron, who started to close in on Logano for the lead, while Suarez remained in third place and nearly four seconds behind. While Reddick and Blaney remained in the top five, Cindric, Allmendinger, Elliott, Bell and McDowell were scored in the top 10.
By the Lap 20 mark, pit strategy commenced as Chastain, Chris Buescher and Mike Rockenfeler pitted along with Martin Truex Jr., Erik Jones, Gragson, Almirola, Joey Hand, Justin Haley, Ty Gibbs, Harrison Burton, Kyle Busch, the Dillon brothers, Stenhouse, Keselowski, McDowell, Cole Custer, Christopher Bell, Kevin Harvick, AJ Allmendinger and Elliott. During the pit stops, rookie Todd Gilliland missed his pit box and cycled around the circuit for another lap before pitting again. Meanwhile, Logano remained as the leader by half a second over a hard-charging Byron while Suarez was trying to defend Reddick for third place.
When the first stage concluded on Lap 25, Logano held off Byron by half a second to capture his sixth stage victory of the 2022 season. Suarez, who prevailed in his battle with Reddick after Reddick pitted under green a few laps earlier, settled in third followed by Blaney, Cindric, Larson, Briscoe, Hamlin, Reddick and Allmendinger. By then, eight of 12 Playoff competitors were scored in the top 10 while the remaining Playoff competitors that included Elliott, Bell and Chastain were in 11th, 14th and 17th, respectively. In addition, all but one of 39 starters were scored on the lead lap while Daniil Kvyat was in the garage and scored in 39th place, dead last.
Under the stage break, some led by Logano pitted while the rest led by Reddick remained on the track.
The second stage started on Lap 29 as Reddick and Allmendinger occupied the front row. At the start, Reddick managed to fend off Allmendinger to retain the lead through the first two turns and through the infield turns while the field behind jostled for positions. Behind, Justin Haley made his way into third while Bell, Elliott and McDowell battled for fourth in front of Cole Custer and Kevin Harvick.
During the following lap, Allmendinger, winner of Saturday’s Xfinity Series event at the Roval, muscled his No. 16 Action Industries Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 around Reddick’s No. 8 3Chi Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 while re-entering the oval turns to take the lead for the first time.
With the event surpassing the Lap 35 mark, Allmendinger was leading by nearly a second over Reddick followed by Haley, Elliott and McDowell while Bell, Custer, Harvick, Chastain and Erik Jones were in the top 10. By then, Ty Gibbs was in 11th while Truex, Burton, Corey LaJoie, Gragson, Keselowski, Buescher, Kyle Busch, Austin Dillon and Briscoe occupied the top 20. Stenhouse was scored in 21st ahead of Logano, Suarez, Larson and Byron while Blaney, Almirola, Hamlin, Cindric and Gilliland were running in the top 30. Notably, Wallace, who made contact with Suarez on pit road during the first stage’s break period, was mired in 32nd ahead of Joey Hand, Loris Hezemans was in 35th, Mike Rockenfeller was back in 37th and Conor Daly was mired in 38th.
Five laps later, Allmendinger extended his advantage to more than a second over Reddick while Haley, Elliott and McDowell remained in the top five. By then, only three of 11 Playoff competitors were scored in the top 10 while the remaining eight were scored outside of the top 15, with Briscoe being the highest of the eight in 17th place. As Logano and Larson battled for 21st place, Suarez was mired in 24th in front of Byron, Blaney and Hamlin. In the midst of the Playoff competitors jockeying for positions, both Gragson and Corey LaJoie missed the backstretch chicane and both were forced to come to a full stop before proceeding.
A few laps later, Chastain missed the backstretch chicane while running in ninth place and was forced to come to a stop before proceeding under green. Despite missing the chicane, he only lost one spot as he was back in 10th behind Erik Jones and Harvick.
In the closing laps of the second stage, another cycle of green flag pit stops commenced as names including Kyle Busch, Ty Dillon, Hamlin, Gilliland, Stenhouse, Keselowski, Erik Jones, Reddick, Elliott, Wallace, Gragson, Austin Dillon, Truex, McDowell, Bell, Harvick, Custer, Haley and the leader Allmendinger pitted. In the midst of the cycle, Chastain, who opted for stage points, moved into the lead.
When the second stage concluded on Lap 50, Chastain, who started at the rear of the field in a backup car after wrecking his primary car during Saturday’s qualifying session, captured his sixth stage victory of the 2022 season. Harrison Burton settled in second while Larson, Allmendinger, Reddick, Suarez, Logano, Briscoe, Blaney and Elliott were scored in the top 10. By then, seven of 11 Playoff competitors were scored in the top 10 on the track while the remaining Playoff competitors that included Byron, Cindric, Bell and Hamlin were mired in 11th, 12th, 16th and 31st, respectively. In addition, all but one of 39 starters were running on the track and on the lead lap.
Under the stage break, some led by Chastain pitted while the rest led by Allmendinger and Reddick remained on the track.
With 55 laps remaining, the final stage started as Allmendinger and Reddick occupied the front row. At the start, Reddick and Allmendinger dueled for the lead until Reddick used the outside lane to his advantage as he rocketed to the lead. Behind, Elliott overtook Haley for third followed by Harvick as the field jostled again for positions. Through the infield turns and back to the oval turns, Reddick managed to remain ahead of Allmendinger as the event surpassed its halfway mark.
Five laps later and down to the final 50 laps of the event, Reddick was leading by six-tenths of a second over Allmendinger while Elliott, Haley, Harvick, McDowell, Custer, Bell, Kyle Busch and Austin Dillon occupied the top 10. Gragson was up in 11th followed by Erik Jones, Buescher, Truex and Gibbs while Keselowski, Hamlin, Briscoe, Almirola and Byron were running in the top 20. Wallace was mired back in 21st ahead of Ty Dillon, LaJoie, Suarez and Chastain while Cindric, Larson, Logano, Blaney and Stenhouse rounded out the top 30.
Another 10 laps later, Reddick continued to lead by six-tenths of a second over Allmendinger followed by Elliott, Haley and Harvick while McDowell, Custer, Bell, Kyle Busch and Austin Dillon remained in the top 10. By then, Elliott and Bell, who was placed in a “must-win” situation to advance in the Playoff’s Round of 8, were the only Playoff competitors running in the top 10 on the track while Briscoe, Hamlin, Byron, Larson, Chastain, Cindric, Blaney, Logano and Suarez were running in 17th, 18th, 19th, 21st, 23rd, 25th, 26th, 27th and 36th, respectively. Based on their current positions, Briscoe, who overcame contact with LaJoie at the start of the final stage in the backstretch chicane, held sole possession of the eighth and final transfer spot to the Round of 8 by 15 points over Suarez, who was having power steering issues to his No. 99 CommScope Chevrolet Camaro ZL1, with Cindric also trailing outside of the cutline.
Not long after, Bell and Larson pitted under green along with Elliott and Buescher, Ty Dillon, Stenhouse, Logano and Cindric. Then under the final 36 laps of the event, Reddick surrendered the lead to pit along with Harvick, Custer, Truex, Briscoe, Byron and Cindric. By then, Allmendinger cycled into the lead while Suarez was lapped by the leaders.
With 35 laps remaining, Allmendinger pitted under green while McDowell moved into the lead. By then, Hamlin, Blaney, Gibbs, Austin Dillon, Kyle Busch, Gragson and Haley made their respective pit stops under green.
Three laps later, Elliott, who emerged as the highest-running competitor on the track who recently pitted under green, cycled his way into the lead after overtaking Erik Jones, who still had to pit. By then, McDowell pitted under green as Reddick and Allmendinger closed in on Jones for the runner-up spot.
A few laps later, a pair of issues struck for Trackhouse Racing’s two-car entries. The first was when Suarez, who was scored two laps behind the leaders, pitted under green to have his power steering issue diagnosed as his hopes of advancing to the Round of 8 took a hit. The second was for Chastain, who made contact with the wall and was slipping sideways through each and every turn, but continued to run under minimum speed for another pair of laps before pitting under green. Chastain, who came into the event 28 points above the Round of 8 cutline, would eventually reserve his No. 1 Worldwide Express Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 back to the garage due to an issue with his toe link and right rear suspension. His issues garnered the attention of Cindric, who rallied from getting into Joey Hand entering the backstretch chicane and was scored one spot outside of the cutline, while Briscoe continued to occupy the eighth and final transfer spot in the Playoff standings.
With less than 20 laps remaining, Elliott extended his advantage to more than four seconds over Reddick and five seconds over third-place Allmendinger while Harvick, Haley, McDowell, Bell, Gragson, Austin Dillon and Custer occupied the top 10. By then, Elliott and Bell remained as the only Playoff competitors to be running in the top 10 on the track while Larson, Briscoe, Byron, Cindric, Hamlin, Blaney, Logano, Suarez and Chastain were scored in 14th, 15th, 17th, 21st, 22nd, 23rd, 25th, 36th and 37th, respectively.
Nearly five laps later, Chastain returned to the track and he was mired in 37th place, nine laps behind the leaders, but still in contention of transferring to the Round of 8. Teammate Suarez, however, returned to pit road for more steering fluid. Back at the front, Elliott stabilized his large advantage to more than four seconds over Allmendinger. Reddick, meanwhile, was forced to stop on the frontstretch for missing the backstretch chicane, but he managed to proceed in third place ahead of Harvick and Haley.
With 14 laps remaining, more issues encountered Suarez, who made contact with LaJoie as LaJoie spun towards the frontstretch chicane. Despite the incident, both competitors proceeded without drawing a caution as Elliott continued to lead by nearly four seconds over Allmendinger.
Down to the final 10 laps of the event, Elliott was leading by nearly four seconds over Allmendinger. Reddick remained in third in front of Harvick and Haley while McDowell, Bell, Austin Dillon, Gragson and Custer were in the top 10. By then, Briscoe, who was in 13th, continued to hold sole possession of the eighth and final transfer spot to the Round of 8 by a mere margin over Suarez, who was back in 36th and five laps behind the leaders. In the midst of this, Larson pitted and spent extra time in his pit box after reporting a toe link and right rear suspension issue to his No. 5 HendrickCars.com Chevrolet Camaro ZL1, an issue that stemmed from him getting into the wall in Turn 7 earlier.
Then with six laps remaining, the caution flew due to debris reported on the track. By then, Elliott was ahead by more than four seconds over Allmendinger. In addition, Larson returned to the track following his mechanical issues as he was scored in 35th place, five laps down and one spot ahead of Suarez. During the caution period, some led by Bell pitted while the rest led by Elliott remained on the track
When the race restarted under green with three laps remaining, Elliott and Allmendinger dueled for the lead as Gragson made contact with McDowell and spun entering the first turn. Back at the front, Allmendinger rubbed and moved Elliott up the track in Turn 3 to clear himself for the lead. Through Turn 4, however, Harvick bumped and got Allmendinger loose as he muscled his No. 4 Mobil 1 Ford Mustang into the lead. Two turns later, Reddick got into Elliott in a battle for second place as Elliott spun and plummeted below the leaderboard. Through the backstretch chicane, Briscoe spun after getting hit by Austin Dillon while Logano, Erik Jones and Byron also wrecked. Amid all the chaos, the race proceeded under green as Harvick continued to lead.
When the field returned to the frontstretch, Harvick was leading by seven-tenths of a second over Reddick followed by Bell, Allmendinger and Haley. Not long after, more carnage ensued as Almirola and Ty Dillon collided and spun. Following the incident, the caution returned and the event was sent into overtime due to curbing that came loose on the backstretch chicane, which caused NASCAR to display the red flag and pause the event for six minutes to repair the curbs in the chicane.
Once the field proceeded under a cautious pace after the repairs to the chicane were made, names like Byron, Gragson, Briscoe, Almirola, LaJoie, Ty Dillon, Burton, Logano, Cindric and Almirola pitted while the rest led by Harvick remained on the track.
During the first overtime attempt, Harvick and Bell battled for the lead until Bell used the fresh tires to his advantage as he assumed the lead and cleared the field approaching the infield turns. Amid a multi-car wreck in the first turn that collected Blaney, the race remained under green as Bell started to pull away from Harvick and the field. Then through the backstretch chicane, Cindric, who was trying to fight his way into the Round of 8, locked up his front tires and sent Keselowski out of the racing groove before he spun, which all but evaporated his hopes of transferring to the next round.
When the white flag waved and the final lap started, Bell remained as the leader by a second over Harvick and Allmendinger. As the field behind continued to jostle for last-minute positions, Bell was able to navigate his way around the circuit for the final time and cycle back to the frontstretch to win the race and earn a one-way ticket to the Round of 8.
In addition to maintaining his championship hopes of this season by transferring to the Round of 8, Bell captured his second Cup Series victory of this season, his first since winning at New Hampshire Motor Speedway in July and the third of his career. The victory was also the 199th Cup victory for Joe Gibbs Racing, overall, as Bell became the fourth different competitor to win at the Roval.
“Oh, man, I don’t even know,” Bell, who was beaming, said on NBC. “Whenever I came off pit road and I was the first car with tires, I was just trying to wait and see where I stacked up. I saw there were 11 cars that stayed out on old tires, I was the first one on new tires. I said I guess we’re going to roll the dice here and see what happens. When I got into turn one, my spotter did an amazing job. They all started wrecking. He told me to stay tight to the middle, and that kept me out of all the junk in turn one. Really proud of everyone on this DeWalt team. They deserve it, man. We’ve been trying so hard to get DeWalt in Victory Lane. We finally got this Camry here.”
“Man, you just got to be there at the end of these things,” Bell added. “I keep watching all these races where the fastest car doesn’t always win. No secret that road courses have not been our strength year. We were just there at the right time. We obviously weren’t in position to win, we rolled the dice, gambled, it paid off for us. I feel really good about [us], that’s for sure. I knew that the whole time going into this second round of the Playoffs this was the troublemaker, with Talladega and then the road course being in here, when we weren’t strong on the road courses. I was really nervous about this round. I felt good about Texas. When we got out of there with no points, I thought it was going to be a really tough road. It was a really tough road. But there was an end to it.”
Amid the late carnage and turn of events, Harvick came home in second place followed by Kyle Busch, Allmendinger and Haley. Buescher, Wallace and Reddick finished sixth, seventh and eighth, respectively, while Briscoe claimed ninth place on the track and the eighth and final transfer spot to the Playoffs by two points over Larson, who ended up 35th and out of the Playoffs as his hopes of winning a second consecutive Cup title evaporated.
“Man, what a wild day,” Briscoe, who was left relieved, said. “I told my guys before we took the initial green [flag] of the race, ‘There’s a difference between thinking we can move on and knowing we can move on.’ I knew we could move on. This team just never gives up. I told them I was never gonna give up. It took every bit of it there at the end. To be easily in, then that debris caution comes out and still, I thought we really had a good shot of making it in. Get wrecked on the backstretch and just crazy at the end of these races, especially the road course race. Just how much can change so quickly. I had no idea we were even gonna have a shot. Truthfully, I knew that we were probably out and I saw [Cindric] wreck. I was like, ‘Maybe, there’s still a chance.’ Just so proud of this race team. Just a really cool day. Looking forward to the Round of 8. It’s a lot of really, really good racetracks for me. If we get to Phoenix, we know we got a good car there too. Just overall, awesome day. Proud of my team and just move on.”
Photo by Kevin Ritchie for SpeedwayMedia.com.
“[I was worried] As soon as I hit the wall,” Larson, who was left disappointed, said. “You give up that many spots, you know that you’re gonna be close. I just made way too many mistakes all year long and made another one today and ultimately, cost us an opportunity to go chase another championship. Just extremely mad at myself and let the team down a number of times this year. [I] Let them down in a big way today. We’ll keep fighting. We’ll come back stronger and I’ll definitely come back stronger and smarter. Make better moves out there. Just mad at myself. Bummer, but just got to move on.”
Photo by Kevin Ritchie for SpeedwayMedia.com.
Larson was not the only competitor left dejected with having championship hopes of this season diminished as Suarez, Cindric and Bowman (who did not compete due to concussion-like symptoms) were eliminated from the Playoffs.
“It was tough,” Suarez, who ended up 36th, said. “It was very, very tough. We did what we needed to do in the first half of the race: getting stage points and everything. Once we lost the [power] steering, it was pretty much just hoping for a little bit of luck, which we almost got right there at the end. It is what it is. We have to continue to get better. We have to come back to the shop and look at what went wrong and try to get better.”
“We were in a position where I needed one more spot,” Cindric, who fell back to 21st said. “I was working to try to get that spot. I haven’t seen the replay, but it sounds like I got hit from behind. Locked the rears [tires] and got set back. No, I just screwed that up. I think [Erik Jones] hit me there at the end. Doesn’t matter. Just trying to drive probably a little desperate for 30-lap older tires than every car around me. Just tried to make something happen. We were golden there if that red flag wouldn’t have come out. We were in a great spot to make it in. It’s the way these [races] go. Just frustrating, but that’s Playoff racing. I learned a lot in my rookie season and proud to be able to have a shot to finish out the season strong and have some fun the next couple of weeks.”
In addition to Bell and Briscoe, Elliott, Logano, Chastain, Byron, Blaney and Hamlin have transferred to the Round of 8 in the 2022 NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs.
There were 10 lead changes for eight different leaders. The race featured four cautions for 10 laps. In total, 37 of 39 starters finished the race, with 27 finishing on the lead lap.
Results.
1. Christopher Bell, two laps led
2. Kevin Harvick, four laps led
3. Kyle Busch
4. AJ Allmendinger, 24 laps led
5. Justin Haley
6. Chris Buescher
7. Bubba Wallace
8. Tyler Reddick, 21 laps led
9. Chase Briscoe
10. Austin Dillon
11. Erik Jones, one lap led
12. Corey LaJoie
13. Denny Hamlin
14. Brad Keselowski
15. Aric Almirola
16. William Byron
17. Martin Truex Jr.
18. Joey Logano, 27 laps led, Stage 1 winner
19. Ricky Stenhouse Jr.
20. Chase Elliott, 30 laps led
21. Austin Cindric
22. Ty Gibbs
23. Noah Gragson
24. Cole Custer
25. Ty Dillon
26. Ryan Blaney
27. Michael McDowell
28. Harrison Burton, one lap down
29. Mike Rockenfeller, one lap down
30. Todd Gilliland, one lap down
31. Josh Williams, two laps down
32. JJ Yeley, two laps down
33. Loris Hezemans, two laps down
34. Conor Daly, three laps down
35. Kyle Larson, five laps down
36. Daniel Suarez, five laps down
37. Ross Chastain, nine laps down, three laps led, Stage 2 winner
38. Joey Hand – OUT, Accident
39. Daniil Kvyat – OUT, Engine
*Bold indicates Playoff contenders
Playoff standings
1. Chase Elliott – Advanced
2. Christopher Bell – Advanced
3. Ryan Blaney – Advanced
4. Joey Logano – Advanced
5. Denny Hamlin – Advanced
6. William Byron – Advanced
7. Ross Chastain – Advanced
8. Chase Briscoe – Advanced
9. Kyle Larson – Eliminated
10. Daniel Suarez – Eliminated
11. Austin Cindric – Eliminated
12. Alex Bowman – Eliminated
The Round of 8 in the 2022 NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs will commence next weekend at Las Vegas Motor Speedway on Sunday, October 16. The event’s coverage is scheduled to start at 2:30 p.m. ET on NBC.
Christopher Bell celebrates after winning Sunday's Bank of America ROVAL™ 400, his third career NASCAR Cup Series victory. (HHP/Chris Owens photo)
CONCORD, N.C. (Oct. 9, 2022) – With NASCAR Playoff mayhem unfolding behind him at every turn, Christopher Bell kept his cool, sped to the lead on a restart with two laps to go and emerged with an unexpected victory in Sunday’s Bank of America ROVAL™ 400.
Bell needed a win to advance into the Playoffs’ Round of 8, and a series of late-race cautions created a golden opportunity for the driver of the No. 20 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota. Bell took advantage of fresh tires and an excellent restart, passing Kevin Harvick and driving away for the third win of his NASCAR Cup Series career.
Defending series champion and reigning ROVAL™ winner Kyle Larson was in safe position to advance in the Playoffs before he encountered a broken toe link with 10 laps to go. Larson’s team repaired the damage and gave Larson a fighting chance to advance to the Round of 8.
His luck ran out in the final turns of the last lap, when fellow Playoff contender Chase Briscoe used new tires and two last-lap desperation moves to finish ninth and knock Larson out of the Playoffs. Larson finished 35th and missed out on advancing by two points.
Alex Bowman — who didn’t race on Sunday after sustaining a concussion two weeks earlier — was eliminated along with Larson, Austin Cindric and Daniel Suarez.
Harvick lost out on a Round of 12 bid after he was one of the first four out of the Playoffs at Bristol Motor Speedway in September.
He nearly responded with a win on Sunday.
Harvick made contact with then-race leader A.J. Allmendinger on a restart after the race’s third caution, took the lead and was primed to win, but another caution erased his advantage, bunched up the field and gave Bell the opportunity he needed to punch his ticket into the Round of 8. Harvick settled for second with Kyle Busch third.
Allmendinger, who won Saturday’s Drive for the Cure 250 presented by Blue Cross Blue Shield of North Carolina, ended up three spots short of a weekend sweep in fourth. Justin Haley finished fifth with Chris Buescher sixth, Bubba Wallace seventh, Tyler Reddick eighth, Briscoe ninth and Austin Dillon 10th.
CHRISTOPHER BELL, NO. 20 JOE GIBBS RACING TOYOTA (Race Winner): “Really mind-blowing. The whole race went green-flag (until the last 10 laps) and I thought we were just biding our time, waiting for the end of the race. I was thinking about getting out of here with a top-10 and focusing on trying to get fifth in points (after getting eliminated). I feel extremely good about what we have going on in the next three races. Since the schedule came out, we felt like the Round of 16 were great tracks for us, just like the Round of 8, but this round, with Talladega and here, we felt pretty nervous. I still felt like we could advance, but it wasn’t going to be easy. We needed to hit a home run. These last two weeks, I’ve just been extremely deflated. I was down in the dumps. I can promise you now, though, that I’m as excited as I’ve ever been for these next three races. I didn’t see (a win) coming. We haven’t been good on road courses this year. With that being said, you see races all the time where the fastest car doesn’t win. We weren’t expecting to be a dominant car, but as long as you’re there at the end and you put yourself in position, you never know what’s going to happen.”
JOE GIBBS, NO. 20 JOE GIBBS RACING TOYOTA (Winning Car Owner): “The amazing thing is, if there was a type of cutoff race we didn’t want, it was going to be a road race. You wouldn’t think things would play out the way they played out, but we’re thankful for it. I think this really shows how this sport is totally about teamwork. This is a big deal for us, very emotional. We love being a part of this and getting the chance to compete against the best race teams in the world, so it’s a thrill to win a race like this.”
ADAM STEVENS, NO. 20 JOE GIBBS RACING TOYOTA (Winning Crew Chief): “I mean, really, if you look at it, our road-course stuff hasn’t been where we needed it to be. We needed a caution at the end, we needed to do something different than what those guys were going to do. If (the leaders) came and got tires, we were going to stay out. We didn’t fall too far in the field, Bell got a tremendous restart and he made it happen.”
KEVIN HARVICK, NO. 4 STEWART-HAAS RACING FORD (Runner-Up): “I knew we were in a bit of a pickle there with Christopher on new tires. I just didn’t want to blow the (first) corner, I wanted to give us a chance, but he was able to roll more speed than we were, and from there it was just damage control and bringing the thing home. That’s what we did. The (crew) did a good job getting us the track position, but that last caution killed us. We were a half-lap from getting the white flag and then on the restart there, Christopher did a good job. This is a tough race track to get a good finish, because it turns really rough at the end. We were really a half-lap from getting a win, but Christopher did a good job on new tires. It was still a great day.”
KYLE BUSCH, NO. 18 JOE GIBBS RACING TOYOTA (Third-Place Finisher): “We just lucked into jumping a few cars during that middle stage, and then there at the end it was just trying to keep it on track and stay straight. We were losing rear tire grip and got that late caution, then we took advantage of new tires.”
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BELL SCORES ROVAL VICTORY IN MUST-WIN SCENARIO TO ADVANCE TO ROUND OF EIGHT Two Camry TRDs Advance to Round of 8 to Battle for 2022 Cup Championship
CHARLOTTE (October 9, 2022) – Christopher Bell took the checkered flag in Sunday’s NASCAR Cup Series race at the Roval road course at Charlotte Motor Speedway to advance to the Round of 8 in the NASCAR Playoffs. Bell’s crew chief, Adam Stevens, brought the No. 20 Camry to pit road for fresh tires allowing him a chance to chase down the leaders in the closing laps – knowing they were in a must-win scenario to advance to the next round. Bell was able to make his way from seventh to second in a matter of a lap before a red flag came out forcing an overtime restart. Bell would pass race-leader Kevin Harvick and lead the final two laps to collect his second win of the season.
In addition to Bell, Denny Hamlin also transferred to the Round of 8 with his 13th place finish giving Toyota two Camrys advancing and still alive to battle for a championship.
Toyota Post-Race Recap NASCAR Cup Series (NCS) Charlotte Motor Speedway Road Course Race 31 of 36 – 252.88 miles, 109 laps
TOYOTA FINISHING POSITIONS
1st, CHRISTOPHER BELL
2nd, Kevin Harvick *
3rd, KYLE BUSCH
4th, AJ Allmendinger*
5th, Justin Haley*
7th, BUBBA WALLACE
13th, DENNY HAMLIN
17th, MARTIN TRUEX JR.
22nd, TY GIBBS
39th, DANIIL KVYAT
*non-Toyota driver
TOYOTA QUOTES
CHRISTOPHER BELL, No. 20 DeWalt Toyota Camry TRD, Joe Gibbs Racing
Finishing Position: 1st
At what point did you think you would be in position to get the victory and advance in the Playoffs?
“Oh, man, I don’t even know. Whenever I came off pit road and I was the first car with tires, I was just trying to wait and see where I stacked up. I saw there were 11 cars that stayed out on old tires, I was the first one on new tires. I said, I guess we’re going to roll the dice here and see what happens. When I got into turn one, my spotter did an amazing job. They all started wrecking. He told me to stay tight to the middle, and that kept me out of all the junk in turn one. Really proud of everyone on this DeWalt team. They deserve it, man. We’ve been trying so hard to get DeWalt in Victory Lane. We finally got this Camry here.”
What does this win say about not giving up and the determination of this race team?
“Man, you just got to be there at the end of these things. I keep watching all these races where the fastest car doesn’t always win. No secret that road courses have not been our strength year. We were just there at the right time. We obviously weren’t in position to win, we rolled the dice, gambled, it paid off for us.”
How dangerous can this team be in the Round of 8 and to contend for this championship?
“I feel really good about it, that’s for sure. I knew that the whole time going into this second round of the Playoffs this was the troublemaker, with Talladega and then the road course being in here, when we weren’t strong on the road courses. I was really nervous about this round. I felt good about Texas. When we got out of there with no points, I thought it was going to be a really tough road. It was a really tough road. But there was an end to it.”
KYLE BUSCH, No. 18 M&M’s Toyota Camry TRD, Joe Gibbs Racing
Finishing Position: 3rd
How was your race overall today?
“It was definitely a good day for our M&M’S Camry. There at the end, before everything happened, we were just trying to keep it on the track and stay straight. We were really losing rear tire grip and losing time. But we got that late caution, made a pit stop and took advantage of new tires – came up with a third-place finish. Vegas is next week and we always look forward to it. We were fast there in the spring so hopefully we can do the same thing.”
DENNY HAMLIN, No. 11 FedEx Freight Toyota Camry TRD, Joe Gibbs Racing
Finishing Position: 5th
What type of race was this for you today?
“It was the type of day where basically wherever you got placed on the track was where you were going to run, unless someone made a mistake in front of you. We preferred that kind of day even though it is what it is even though our FedEx team did a great job with strategy and making sure that we junked stage two when we saw we weren’t going to get stage points there. Those guys that were in front of us most of the day ended up behind us and nobody could pass so it worked out nicely for us.”
How do you feel about your chances moving into the next round of the Playoffs?
“All of them are P1 for me and I like all of them. All of them are just perfect for what our strength is, especially with the Toyotas and myself. I’m excited. We had a good test at Martinsville and even though we finished bad there in the spring. We’re going to have to qualify well there and track position is going to be huge. We’re going to go to work and really excited about our prospects in this next round.”
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.
Date: Oct. 9, 2022 Event: Bank of America Roval 400 (Round 32 of 36) Series: NASCAR Cup Series Location: Charlotte (N.C.) Motor Speedway Roval (2.28-mile, 17-turn road course) Format: 109 laps, broken into three stages (25 laps/25 laps/59 laps) Note: Race extended three laps past its scheduled 109-lap distance due to a green-white-checkered finish. Race Winner: Christopher Bell of Joe Gibbs Racing (Toyota) Stage 1 Winner: Joey Logano of Team Penske (Ford) Stage 2 Winner: Ross Chastain of Trackhouse Racing (Chevrolet)
● Chase Briscoe (8th with 3,104 points, two points above top-eight cutoff… advances to Round of 8) ● Kevin Harvick (16th with 2,006 points) ● Aric Almirola (20th with 685 points) ● Cole Custer (25th with 550 points)
Playoff Standings to Begin Round of 8:
Chase Elliott (4,046 points) +31
Joey Logano (4,026 points) +11
Ross Chastain (4,021 points) +6
Christopher Bell (4,018 points) +3
William Byron (4,015 points) -3
Ryan Blaney (4,015 points) -3
Denny Hamlin (4,013 points) -5
Chase Briscoe (4,009 points) -9
Failed to Advance to Round of 8:
Kyle Larson (3,102 points) -2
Daniel Suárez (3,095 points) -9
Austin Cindric (3,091 points) -13
Alex Bowman (3,015 points) -89
SHR Notes:
● Harvick earned his eighth top-five and 15th top-10 of the season. It was his second top-five and third top-10 in five career NASCAR Cup Series starts at the Roval.
● Harvick’s second-place result bettered his previous best finish at the Roval – third, earned in 2019.
● Harvick led once for four laps to increase his laps-led total at the Roval to 38.
● Harvick has now led 11,475 laps since joining SHR in 2014. He has led 15,991 laps in his entire NASCAR Cup Series career.
● Briscoe earned his seventh top-10 of the season and his first top-10 in two career NASCAR Cup Series starts at the Roval.
● This was Briscoe’s third straight top-10. He finished fifth Sept. 25 at Texas Motor Speedway in Fort Worth and 10th last Sunday at Talladega (Ala.) Superspeedway.
● Briscoe’s ninth-place result bettered his previous best finish at the Roval – 22nd, earned in his first start at the track last October.
● Briscoe finished seventh in Stage 1 to earn four bonus points and eighth in Stage 2 to earn three more bonus points.
● Almirola earned his 15th top-15 of the season and his second top-15 in five career NASCAR Cup Series starts at the Roval.
Race Notes:
● Christopher Bell won the Bank of America Roval 400 to score his third career NASCAR Cup Series victory, his second of the season and his first at the Roval. His margin over Harvick was 1.790 seconds.
● There were four caution periods for a total of 10 laps.
● Twenty-seven of the 39 drivers in the Bank of America Roval 400 finished on the lead lap.
Sound Bites:
“This is a tough racetrack just to get a good finish because of the fact that it turns into being rough at the end. We were half a lap from getting to the white (flag) and probably winning the race, but just not quite as good on the restart compared to Christopher (Bell) and his new tires, but still a great day. I knew we were gonna have to have a perfect corner there with Christopher having such fresher tires. He was able to get through traffic and was able to roll through a little bit more speed in turn one, turn two, turn three and turn four and just got in front of me, but we were able to hold off Kyle (Busch), so it’s still a good day. Our Mobil 1 Ford Mustang guys did a great job of putting us in position and having a chance.” – Kevin Harvick, driver of the No. 4 Mobil 1 Ford Mustang
“What a wild day. I told my guys before we took the initial green in the race, there’s a difference between thinking we could move on and knowing we could move on. This team never gives up. I told them I was never going to give up. It took every bit of it there at the end. To be easily in, then that debris caution comes out, still I thought we had a really good shot of making it in. Get wrecked on the backstretch. Crazy at the end of these races, especially the road-course race, how much can change so quickly. I had no idea we were even going to have a shot. Truthfully, I knew we were probably out. I saw the 2 (Austin Cindric) wreck, I thought maybe there’s still a chance. We had so much fresher tires than anybody. Johnny (Klausmeier, crew chief) pumped them way up to qualifying pressures, let me go attack, have the ball in my hands. Super proud of this race team. Pretty cool day for Ford Performance Racing. Looking forward to the Round of 8. A lot of really, really good racetracks for me. If we can get to Phoenix, we know we’ve got a good car there, too. It’s weird (in these slick conditions). Seems like dirt guys, especially sprint car guys, Tony Stewart, Jeff Gordon, (Christopher) Bell, you’re slipping and sliding so much. You have more power than you can typically put down. It’s similar to a sprint car. The sprint car background definitely helps when you come to a place like this. Cool to see a sprint car guy win and another one move on in the playoffs.” – Chase Briscoe, driver of the No. 14 Ford Performance Racing School Ford Mustang
Next Up:
The next event on the NASCAR Cup Series schedule is the South Point 400 on Sunday, Oct. 16 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. It is the seventh race of the 10-race NASCAR Playoffs and the first race in the Round of 8. The South Point 400 starts at 2:30 p.m. EDT with live coverage provided by NBC and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.
TOP FIVE UNOFFICIAL RACE RESULTS: POS. DRIVER 1st Christopher Bell (Toyota) 2nd Kevin Harvick (Ford) 3rd Kyle Busch (Toyota) 4th AJ Allmendinger (Chevrolet) 5th Justin Haley (Chevrolet)
The NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs Round of 8 will get underway next Sunday, October 16, at Las Vegas Motor Speedway with the South Point 400 at 2:30 p.m. ET. Live coverage can be found on NBC, the NBCSports Gold App, PRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Channel 90.
TEAM CHEVY POST-RACE NOTES AND QUOTES:
ROSS CHASTAIN, NO. 1 WORLDWIDE EXPRESS CAMARO ZL1
Finished: 37th
What are you thinking when you have to go to the garage to make some repairs?
“Really nothing going through my head.. just a testament to the No. 1 Worldwide Express Chevy team to get my car back out there that quick. They got the suspension fixed and got us back out there to finish.”
You go onto the next round. How are you feeling?
“I’m human, so it hurts to make the mistakes that I made today and yesterday. I’ll take some time here with my guys and when I drive out of this parking lot, I’m going to make a big effort to leave the ROVAL here. Normally, it’s Monday morning when I’m done with it and look through everything, but we’re onto another round.
It’s a testament to our season and our finish in points today. The strategy by Phil Surgen (Crew Chief) and our strategy with Trackhouse and Team Chevy to get the stage win in Stage Two is ultimately the difference that gave me the buffer when I needed it the most. I will drive off the property here in Concord and leave this here. It’s number one priority.”
Take me through the incident that caused the damage?
“Lack of awareness of car placement in turn two and hit the wall.”
“As soon as I hit the wall. Yeah, you just give up that many spots; you know it’s going to be close and then the caution there. So, yeah, I just made way too many mistakes all year long. Made another one today and it ultimately cost us a chance to go chase another championship. Just extremely mad at myself because I let the team down a number of times this year and let them down in a big way today. We will keep fighting and we will come back stronger. I will definitely come back stronger, smarter and make better moves out there. Just mad at myself. Bummer.”
Seems like you take a lot of the blame for this. How do you make it up to the team?
“Go race hard. There is no other person to blame than myself for today. I feel like our team put ourselves in a position as well as we could on points today. We got as many stage points as we could and I think we were plus 27 or 28 at the time when I screwed up. Just for no reason either. I wasn’t even pushing all that hard at that moment. It got loose and caught me off guard.
So yeah, just keep working on my craft, get better and make a lot less mistakes. Like I said, I made way too many mistakes this whole year and you can’t win a championship like that.”
CHASE ELLIOTT, NO. 9 NAPA AUTO PARTS CAMARO ZL1
Finished: 20th
You led the most laps today, but chaos there at the end of the race. How do you describe it from your perspective?
“I’m not 100 percent sure.. I haven’t seen a replay yet.
I thought I had a pretty good launch and thought I got through (turns) one and two good. I thought I gave AJ (Allmendinger) enough room through one and two to not run into the fence. I don’t know if he just got loose, overdrove turn three or whatever, but I ended up on the outside. Whatever the reason, he ran wide and I ended up the track in a super compromised situation.
Bummer. Alan (Gustafson, crew chief) called a great race. Our No. 9 NAPA Chevy wasn’t great, but it was plenty good enough to win. Our team called a perfect race to get us the lead, and our pit stops were really good to not to have any mistakes and get us a really nice cushion. We had a lot of laps on our tires, but I could maintain my pace out there with having a nice gap. We’ll try again next week.”
We restack things next week with Las Vegas, Homestead and Martinsville. How is your confidence level in the Round of 8?
“I think it’s going to be a really tough round. Vegas was a struggle for us in the spring. Homestead, we’ve just been really hit-or-miss there. We did have a test there a couple weeks ago, so hopefully we’ve learned from that. Martinsville, it’s just going to be about how you qualify because I don’t see anybody passing there. We’ll see how it goes. Try to bring our A-game. It would have been nice to have some more points from today, but we didn’t and we’ll try again out in Las Vegas.”
AJ ALLMENDINGER, NO. 16 ACTION INDUSTRIES CAMARO ZL1
Finished: 4th
How are you feeling with the crazy way that race finished?
“When you are that close to winning, it’s for sure disappointing. But I’m happy with the way this No. 16 Action Industries Chevy was. It was really fast. We just need to work a little bit on pit road. We lost that little bit of track position, and it was a track position game. Once I got around the 8 (Tyler Reddick), I was burning my stuff up trying to catch the 9 (Chase Elliott). With those restarts, I knew I was kind of used up already. I got a good restart there and when Chase and I touched kind of through (turn) two, I went to set up for three and it turned me sideways and I slid a little more. That was unfortunate because that allowed the 4 (Kevin Harvick) to get to my bumper and we know Kevin is going to do that if he gets any chance. That’s a part of racing and going for the win. That second restart there, it was just a couple of guys with better tires, and you are just a sitting duck.”
WILLIAM BYRON, NO. 24 VALVOLINE CAMARO ZL1
Finished: 16th
“Give enough room, try to not barrel it into the chicane and get hooked in the left- or right-rear. Certainly, just not how you want to race there at the end, but it was just crazy racing with the green-white-checkered and the way that guys are able to get into each other, make contact, guys spin out and the track gets blocked. It just gets wild there at the end.
But we did what we needed to do, which was to get some stage points and finish the race. We’ll move on and get ready for Las Vegas.”
DANIEL SUAREZ, NO. 99 COMMSCOPE CAMARO ZL1
Finished: 36th
How hard was today for you?
“Very tough. The second-half of the race was probably the most difficult race I’ve driven in my life, but it is what it is. Unfortunately, me as a driver, that’s something that’s out of my control.”
As you look back on this year, certainly there is a light at the end of the tunnel. It’s a very encouraging year, isn’t it?
“It’s been good. Certainly we have to continue to work and continue to get better.”
It was hard to pass out there. What did it look like from inside the race car?
“The first-half of the race was good; and then we had a mechanical failure with the steering and after that, it was game over. It’s very disappointing to lose a race like that. Our No. 99 CommScope Chevy was good; it was fast. I felt like it was going to be an easy transition based on the speed that we had, but once we lost the steering, I was just trying to survive. My arms are destroyed right now. My hands are destroyed. It’s just unfortunate.”
TEAM CHEVY RACE QUICK NOTES
Stage One:
· William Byron led Chevrolet to the green in the NASCAR Cup Series Round of 12 playoffs elimination race at the Charlotte Motor Speedway Road Course, taking a front row starting spot in his No. 24 Valvoline Camaro ZL1.
· Chevrolet playoff contender, Ross Chastain, moved to the rear of the field in the starting lineup after damage sustained in an accident in yesterday’s qualifying session forced the team to make repairs to his No. 1 Worldwide Express Camaro ZL1.
· The 25-lap Stage One went caution free, with five Chevrolet drivers taking spots in the top-10 of the stage. Leading the Bowtie brigade was William Byron, driving his No. 24 Camaro ZL1 to a second-place finish in the stage.
10th AJ Allmendinger, No. 16 Action Industries Camaro ZL1
Stage Two:
· Crew chief Randall Burnett called the No. 8 3CHI Camaro ZL1 to pit road with two laps remaining in Stage One, allowing Tyler Reddick to stay out during the stage break to give the No. 8 Camaro ZL1 a front row restart position for the start of stage two.
· Stage Two also went caution-free, with pit strategy atop the No. 1 Worldwide Express Camaro ZL1 pit box putting Chastain into position to be at the top of the leaderboard and take the stage win. This marks Chastain’s sixth stage win of 2022.
· Stage Two Team Chevy Top-10:
1st Ross Chastain, No. 1 Worldwide Express Camaro ZL1
4th AJ Allmendinger, No. 16 Action Industries Camaro ZL1
5th Tyler Reddick, No. 8 3CHI Camaro ZL1
6th Daniel Suarez, No. 99 CommScope Camaro ZL1
10th Chase Elliott, No. 9 NAPA Auto Parts Camaro ZL1
Final Stage / Post-Race Notes:
· Chevrolet drivers took four of the top-10 finishing positions, led by AJ Allmendinger and the No. 16 Action Industries Camaro ZL1 team in fourth. Allmendinger’s Kaulig Racing teammate, Justin Haley, rounded out the top-five in his No. 31 LeafFilter Gutter Protection Camaro ZL1.
· Rounding the Team Chevy top-10 was Richard Childress Racing teammates Tyler Reddick and Austin Dillon, who placed eighth and tenth, respectively.
· Three Chevrolet drivers advanced to the NASCAR Cup Series Round of 8, including Hendrick Motorsports’ Chase Elliott and William Byron; and Trackhouse Racing’s Ross Chastain.
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.
