The Florida-based team secures second position in the season-long Michelin Endurance Cup, capturing podiums in three of the four endurance races including a victory at Sebring
BRASELTON, Ga. (1 October 2022) – Sean Creech Motorsport (SCM) brought home a third-place finish in the 25th annual Motul Petit Le Mans Saturday, a hard-fought 10-hour endurance classic that saw the team score its third podium of the season.
With the third-place finish, SCM secured second place in the Michelin Endurance Cup, a championship-within-the-championship that awards points in each of the four endurance races (the Rolex 24 at Daytona, the Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring, the Sahlen’s Six Hours of the Glen and Petit Le Mans). The team finished second at Daytona and scored the win at Sebring.
Team veterans João Barbosa and Malthe Jakobsen were joined by European Le Mans Series points leader Nico Pino, subbing for Lance Willsey in the No. 33 SCM Exelixis/Focal One/Alta Equipment Ligier JS P320. The weekend got off to a difficult start in first practice on Thursday, as a DPi car hip-checked the Ligier as it came out of pit lane, damaging the left side of the car and taking the car out of the bulk of the practice session. Recovering quickly, the team arrived at a solid setup for Friday’s qualifying.
Jakobsen, 18, took the wheel for the 15-minute qualifying session and placed the No. 33 second on the starting grid after a lap-for-lap seesaw battle with the No. 74. At the drop of the green flag on Saturday’s race, Jakobsen stapled himself to the leader’s rear wing. But with the day much warmer than either of the two previous days on track, Jakobsen (and the rest of the field) battled tire pressure issues through the first stint, which was resolved as soon as he came into pit lane for four new Michelins under the race’s first caution period. He used those new tires well, easily passing the No. 36 to take the lead.
After 27 laps out front, Jakobsen came to pit lane under caution and handed to Pino, heading out for his first stint at Road Atlanta in fifth. Much of that stint came under yellow, however, as an incident between a prototype and a GT car resulted in wall damage that required extensive repair. Pino, and then Barbosa, made carefully calculated passes after each round of pit stops, pacing most of the mid-race in third position while managing oversteer and – with 43 cars on track – increasing traffic.
Jakobsen jumped in with 2:25 remaining, taking to the track in fourth. When the No. 74 ahead went to pit lane, Jakobsen took over third position – and held that position through a pit stop for fuel and tires. The fight for the final podium spot recommenced, until the second and third-place DPi cars came together in turn one which brought out another full course caution. The team brought Jakobsen to pit lane for a fast change of tires and a refuel, with the young Dane heading back on track once again in fourth.
Fighting hard, Jakobsen climbed to within five seconds of second but as traffic increased over the final laps he wisely held his ground to bring the No. 33 Ligier home in third – sealing a podium finish for the team in all three Michelin Endurance Cup races and bringing home second place in the IMEC championship.
QUOTEBOARD
João Barbosa
“The race didn’t start that well, but the team kept adjusting tire pressure and the car got very competitive. We were able to get some speed during the night but unfortunately, we just lacked raw speed this weekend. But we had a plan for the race, and we did that: no mistakes and keep the car out of pit lane for anything but regular stops. Everything went smoothly, and the team really deserved this podium. We did our best and we know where we can improve before Daytona.”
Malthe Jakobsen
“That first stint was tough with the tire pressures – but that’s the way the race went, really. We got behind a few times but were able to catch back up on the cautions. The car got better and better through the night and though it wasn’t the best car we had all season, we were good at the end. I think that’s what we could get today, so a good finish.”
Nico Pino
“We weren’t the fastest in terms of pace but the entire team worked hard throughout the race and we were able to bring home a podium and second place in the endurance championship. It was a tough race in terms of pace, we were just lacking a bit in the last 20 minutes. I enjoyed working with the team, there are some good champions on this team, everyone had the same goal. And this is an amazing track – a lot of ups and downs, it’s like a roller coaster. It’s really tricky to get up to speed with the bumps and to understand the flow, but I got up to speed quickly and it was fun.”
Sean Creech
“Getting hit in that first practice session cost us an hour of practice – people just don’t have any patience. The guys did a good job to get it back together and get it going for qualifying. The race went well, though it certainly had its ups and downs. But we ended up on the lead lap and on the podium, back from two laps down. The team did great, the drivers did great – it’s great to have two younger drivers have the chance to learn from a driver with the kind of resume that Joao has. We’ll see what happens with driver rankings and testing over the next month or so (the team had planned a test next week at Daytona International Speedway, but the recent hurricane flooded the infield). But prep for the Rolex 24 starts now.”
SCM thanks partners Alta Equipment Company, Focal One and Exelixis for their continued support.
Sean Creech Motorsport will begin the 2023 WeatherTech SportsCar Championship season next January 20-23 in the Roar Before the Rolex 24 at Daytona International Speedway.
About SCM
Team leader Sean Creech has competed in a multitude of sports car series from 1990 until the present day, including Group C, IMSA GTP, WSC, Grand-Am, SRO World Challenge, and IMSA. SCM will contest the full WeatherTech SportsCar Championship in 2022 with João Barbosa and Lance Willsey. http://seancreechmotorsport.com/
About Alta Equipment
An industry-leading material handling and construction equipment company, Alta Equipment is an innovator of solutions, delivering diverse products and unrivaled support centered on building lasting customer relationships. Alta Equipment began in 1984 with a single location in Detroit and has grown to 57 locations throughout the Midwest, Northeast, and Florida.
One in eight men will be diagnosed with prostate cancer during their lifetime in the United States. The Focal One® HIFU Prostate treatment offers patients a non-invasive outpatient procedure to target prostate tissue while avoiding the common side effects such as loss of urinary continence and sexual function. The Focal One treatment uses high performance, high intensity focused ultrasound (HIFU) to precisely target and ablate the prostate, allowing patients to quickly return to normal activities. http://www.focalone.com/
Braselton, Ga (2 October 2022) – After ten hours of intense racing, Jr III Racing (“Junior three”) brought home a second-place LMP3 class finish in the 25th annual Motul Petit Le Mans at Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta on Saturday. The season-ending race saw the team execute with outstanding driver performances, strong strategy calls from the pit box, and flawless pit stops through the duration of the IMSA event.
The podium result saw the team close out its first full-season of IMSA WeatherTech competition third in the points championship as full-season pilots Garret Grist and Ari Balogh were joined by Nolan Siegel for the final enduro of the year.
Balogh started the No. 30 AirBnB Ligier JS P320 from the third row of the class grid, moving to fifth in the opening stanza of the race before turning the car over to Siegel on lap 104.
Siegel continued his forward charge, moving up to race in podium position for an extended stint before handing the Ligier over to Grist as the race reached the halfway mark. Grist kept the podium pace while running second. California native Siegel resumed the controls on lap 213, continuing the pursuit of the leading No. 36 entry, closing to within seconds on multiple occasions before turning the No. 30 AirBnb back over to Grist on lap 299. The young Canadian closed out the 2022 season with a second place result for the Jr III Racing entry which brings the team to four podiums this season.
“You always have to be happy with a second-place finish,” said Grist, who scored second with the team in the 2021 edition of the race. “Jr III is two-for-two on second place finishes at Petit Le Mans. It’s good to know that we’ve been within 10 seconds of the win in both years. We are proud to earn third overall in the championship in our first year, especially against teams like Riley and Core. We have a long off-season ahead of us, and we have a lot to work on and to improve in several aspects, including me. If we can start next year where we finished this year, we’ll be in a better spot. Big thanks to Billy (Glavin) and Ari (Balogh) for allowing us to do this.”
After starting the season at Sebring International Raceway with a second-place finish in the 12 Hour, the No. 30 team brought home their fourth second-place finish to end the season at Michelin Raceway.
“It was a great weekend running both IPC and WeatherTech,” said Siegel. “In the IPC race, we didn’t get the result we wanted, but I think it was still a really strong showing for the team, and we ended up with the fastest lap of the race by quite a bit. In WeatherTech, we scored second, which is a huge accomplishment. Everyone wanted to win, but it’s still incredible to be on the Motul Petit Le Mans podium.”
The team is looking forward to announcing plans for the 2023 season in the off-season.
Prototype Challenge:
The Motul Petit Le Mans weekend got started early for Jr III Racing with its IMSA Prototype Challenge (IPC) program, closing out the season on Friday with a 90-minute race with two team entries. Jr III Racing drivers Ari Balogh and Nolan Siegel pulled double duty, driving the No. 30 AirBnB Ligier JS P320 as the sister team entry of Courtney Crone and Terry Olson fielded the No. 3 Jr III Racing Ligier.
Balogh took the green flag from sixth on the grid, and was on a quick run when he and another competitor made contact as they dueled for position through the tricky 10a and 10b complex. Unfortunately the contact sent the No. 30 Ligier off track before being able to return to action in 12th. The team worked to put strategy to use and make up the lost track position, with Siegel making a strong charge to the finish to come home ninth.
Olson took on the first stint of the race onboard the No. 3 Jr III entry. Approaching the 30-minute mark, Olson put his heads up driving on display as he deftly avoided a spinning car ahead of him on the daunting final fast downhill corner on the circuit. But the incident cost track position, leaving Olson to restart from eleventh.
He charged through the field to put the No. 3 Ligier as high as fourth before pitting for a driver change. Crone continued to set steady lap times but an unfortunate spin saw her fall down the order briefly before recovering to bring the car home twelfth at the line.
“There are mixed feelings there,” said Crone. “The Jr III Racing guys brought a great car. The first half of my stint wasn’t the best with the spin. I made a mistake trying to turn the traction control off, and the Ligier wasn’t quite ready for that. The last half of the race was pretty decent; I kept pace with the mid-pack. Overall, it’s been a great season with Jr III.”
“The track was chilly, and a little bit slippery, but it was set up great,” said Olson. “I thought we had some good momentum going from our position, starting closer to the back, but unfortunately, I got caught up behind somebody that spun in front of us, and we had to take some major action to avert a big crash. It was a great way to end the year. Michelin Raceway is such an amazing track that being out there in the car is something you’ll always remember.”
The Crone – Olson duo finished the IPC season fifth in provisional points championship. The No. 30 team was not far behind, finishing the season in seventh out of a twenty-four-car field.
BRASELTON, Ga., (October 2, 2022) – When Wright Motorsports secured their monumental victory at the Rolex 24 At Daytona in January, the Porsche customer racing team immediately showed they would be a championship contender for the 2022 IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship. Sunday at Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta, the battle for the GTD class title came down to the final laps, and with a fourth-place finish, the Wright Motorsports Porsche finished as runner-up in the championship standings.
“This is the second time in two years that we’ve come just a handful of points shy of the championship,” said Team Owner John Wright. “While it’s heartbreaking, it makes me so proud that each year, we’re right there in the fight to the very end. Ryan and Jan drove an incredible season, and really showed some true grit against such a competitive field. The crew consistently gained positions in pit lane, and the Porsche’s power and stability have no match in this series. We executed flawlessly and I’m proud of everyone.”
Petit Le Mans, the 10-hour season finale endurance racing event gifted competitors with perfectly sunny autumn days each day of the weekend. Drivers Ryan Hardwick, Jan Heylen, and endurance addition Zacharie Robichon made the most of each practice session, working with the team to develop the optimal race pace for Saturday’s final event.
Robichon started the 25th Annual Motul Petit Le Mans from ninth place, behind the No. 21 Ferrari of Simon Mann and the No. 57 Mercedes of Russell Ward. He gained a position on the start, intent on staying close to the No. 27 Aston Martin of Roman De Angelis. A majority of the field pitted within the first 65 minutes following the first full-course caution of the event. The No. 16 Porsche pitted from eighth, undergoing a full-service stop with fuel, tires, and a new driver. Hardwick took over the driving duties of the 1st Phorm Porsche, taking his first stint of the race. With over nine hours of racing remaining, Hardwick kept his pace fast and kept his moves risk-free, running near the top-ten under perfectly sunny conditions. The second full course caution came out with 90 minutes of racing complete.
The Atlanta, Georgia resident gained some ground to sit eighth at the next set of full course cautions, when a GTD battle sent two cars off course. The team pitted Hardwick for fuel only on lap 69, giving him a full tank for the restart. He took the green from eighth place, clocking in consistent lap times to maintain pace and position to save the car for the night racing. He slid to ninth, running about six seconds behind the No. 21 of Luis Perez Companc.
The field went back to green with three hours complete, and Hardwick had a trouble-free conclusion to his stint before passing the No. 16 1st Phorm Porsche over to Jan Heylen. As Road Atlanta encountered the warmest temperatures of the day, Heylen experienced a slight loss of overall grip during his stint. Despite the hindrance, he climbed from seventh place to fifth, closing in on Ward’s Mercedes. On the following pit stop, the team brought him into pit lane under caution for a scheduled pit stop from fourth place, where they made some quick adjustments on the car to help with performance.
Just before the halfway point, Heylen pitted from sixth place for a full-service stop, and the No. 16 Porsche 911 GT3 R took on new tires and a tank of fuel, and traded drivers from the Belgian to Canadian Robichon. Robichon had a quiet and drama-free stint as dusk settled on the track, maintaining seventh place behind the No. 21 of Luis Perez Companc. The overall balance of the Porsche continued to improve with the cooler temperatures and with each setup adjustment by the team. Aided by speedy work from the Wright Motorsports crew in pit lane, the Porsche had an advantage over the No. 42 NTE/SSR car.
The track fell under full darkness and with less than two hours to go, and Heylen passed Luis Perez Companc to break back into the top ten, with the No. 57 machine 53 seconds ahead. With 40 minutes to go, the eighth full course caution occurred, bringing the field back together. The tension was palpable, as every team surveyed positions and counted potential points. The field went back to green with 30 minutes to go. The 1st Phorm Porsche restarted from sixth position, behind the No. 1 BMW of Bryan Sellers.
Heylen made the pass on Sellers and continued to climb in the final hour. In the final ten minutes of the race, the No. 57 Mercedes went off course and into the tire wall, causing a shakeup in the potential points possibilities. Sadly, the incident brought out a final full-course caution ending the race under yellow. The Wright Motorsports effort finished in fourth place, just one position shy of clinching the 2022 championship.
With two wins and five top-five finishes across 12 races, the team remained solidly in the championship hunt throughout the season. The team will carry this momentum into the 2023 season, the details of which will be announced at a later date.
DRIVER QUOTES
Ryan Hardwick
In the end, we were one position short for the championship, but while it’s frustrating to come up short by such a small margin, it was an unbelievable experience to compete for this championship all year long. From the first race at Daytona all the way here to the final race at Petit Le Mans. I couldn’t be more proud of our entire team. We made no mistakes on pit lane, and no mistakes on track. Everybody did their part. We did the best we could today. Ultimately, it was one position short of where we needed to be. I’m excited to compete in this field, with these teams and these drivers, and I look forward to next year and the challenges that lie ahead. One year, this championship will be ours.
Jan Heylen
A big thank you goes to the whole team for a great season. Thanks to Ryan Hardwick and 1st Phorm for putting this program together and for all of the support from our partners. John Wright, Bobby Viglione, and all the guys here. We just came a little bit short today. It’s disappointing to be that close and not get it, but we just didn’t have the speed today. There were cars out there that were so much quicker on the front straight that we couldn’t put up a fight today because of the BOP. I’m happy with everything we’ve achieved this year, and I’m looking forward to Daytona. We have an incredible crew here and we’ll be ready for another run next year.
Zacherie Robichon
It was a very difficult race from the beginning. I don’t think I’ve ever done a race where we worked on the car and on the set up so much throughout the race. It was incredible the amount of work the guys were doing in pit lane. We were doing sway bar adjustments and diff adjustments. Ultimately, we got the car in a much better place where we could really keep up with the cars around us. They turned our car around. Ryan and Jan missed the championship by one position, but it wasn’t for lack of effort. We should be super proud of the fact that we came home fourth in this race, given the way it started. We’re disappointed right now, but we can’t be disappointed with the performance of the team today.
Porsche Carrera Cup North America Presented by the Cayman Islands
The season finale for the Porsche Carrera Cup North America Presented by the Cayman Islands also took place over the weekend for John Goetz, Hutton McKenna, and Varun Choksey. The trio of Wright Motorsports-prepared Porsche 911 GT3 Cup race cars participated in the final doubleheader of the season and after securing the win in race one, Goetz came runner-up in the 2022 Am driver championship. Varun Choksey celebrated a strong seventh-place finish in race one, closing the year out seventh in the Pro Driver championship.
1st Phorm 1st Phorm is a sports nutrition company based in St. Louis, MO. In 2009, CEO Andy Frisella and his business partner Chris Klein started the brand, and since then, it has become the fastest growing supplement company in the world. 1st Phorm has set the standards in the industry for quality and helping people reach their goals. This new racing partnership is not their first time in the exotic car scene either. 1st Phorm has been the title sponsor for the Gold Rush Rally for six years running. With over a million followers across social media, 1st Phorm has amassed a huge cult-like following known as, “The Legion of Boom.” They stand for a movement in the fitness world. To turn it back to what it was meant to be. Helping others improve their lives, to be a good human… and to drop the excuses and do the work. 1st Phorm is a winning brand and they don’t expect anything less when it comes to their race team. For additional info: www.1stphorm.com
Mountain Motorsports Mountain Motorsports is a group of motorcycle and powersports dealerships with multiple locations in the southeastern United States. The company was founded by lifelong friends Ryan Hardwick and Justin Price when they opened their first location as a single-line Honda dealership in Sevierville, Tennessee in 1999. The company has since grown into one of the largest retailers of motorcycle and powersports vehicles in the nation, spanning nine dealership locations representing eleven of the industry’s most well-known brands. For additional info: www.mountainmotorsports.com
Una Vida Tequila Una Vida translates to One Life. That is how this brand started. By people who want to live their “One Life” to the absolute fullest and to their highest potential. A group of guys from the Midwest who love great quality tequila, and want their One Life to have meaning and impact others.
One Life, One Tequila is our CORE BELIEF. We’re building the only tequila brand you will ever need to drink. Una Vida is bigger than just tequila we’re also building a culture of people who want to live their life to their utmost potential.
Our story begins and continues to grow bottle by bottle. It’s a life mission for us to create a community of people who all raise a glass knowing they’re living their ONE LIFE! For more information, visit unavidatequila.com
Wright Motorsports Wright Motorsports is the premier Porsche race engineering facility in Ohio and a multi-series and international racing team known for superb car preparation, expert race strategy, and driver development. Located in Batavia, Ohio, it is owned and directed by John Wright, a certified Porsche factory-trained technician. As a crew chief John Wright has played a key role in winning eight driver and seven team championships in World Challenge, IMSA (ALMS) and the Grand-Am Rolex Series. Wright Motorsports won the team championship in Porsche GT3 Cup USA in 2012, 2013, and 2015, and went on to win the Pirelli World Challenge Overall, Sprint, Team, and Manufacturer’s titles in 2017. In 2020, the team captured the GT World Challenge America Am championship. In 2021, Wright Motorsports had a wildly successful season, capturing nine championships across their five racing efforts.
Risi Competizione Ferrari 488 GT3 Evo 2020 No. 62: Davide Rigon (ITA) Daniel Serra (BRA) James Calado (GBR)
(Braselton, Georgia, October 1, 2022) … The No. 62 Risi Competizione Ferrari 488 GT3 team had a heart-breaking finish in today’s 25th annual Motul Petit Le Mans IMSA WeatherTech Championship Series finale at Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta. The three Ferrari factory drivers, Brit James Calado, Italian Davide Rigon, and Brazilian Daniel Serra, drove the race of their lives and crossed the finish line first in class, only to be penalized by a drive time violation and moved to the back of the class. The penalty, too long of a drive time for Serra during a six hour time period, negated the Petit Le Mans GTD Pro class victory. However, the team still secured winning the IMSA GTD Pro Team IMSA Michelin Endurance Cup with its seventh place class finish today.
Up until the tear-jerking final result disappointment, the team had put together an incredible race with good pit strategy, smooth pit stop, and impressive drives by all three drivers.
The Risi Competizione team celebrated 25 years since their first win at Petit Le Mans in 1998 during their inaugural season with a full team photo. Team Principal Giuseppe Risi is at the center.
QUOTES
James Calado, driver, No. 62 Ferrari 488 GT3 Evo: “I feel like we poured our heart into this one. I was quite aggressive in my stint to try to make up some positions. I knew I had to because I wanted to win. Daniel did an amazing job and did sort of the same thing. The car was quick. It’s just one of those things. We take it on the chin and move on to the next one. Thanks to the team; they put a lot of effort in for this weekend. We crossed the line in first, but it wasn’t to be this time.”
Davide Rigon, driver, No. 62 Ferrari 488 GT3 Evo: “We did our best together with the team and my teammates, Daniel and James, we did our best. We are sad to lose for being over in the driving time. It’s a big disappointment. We deserve this victory and the endurance championship. It was hard for us to have this end result after all the effort by everyone. Although we did not get the race victory, at least the team won the GTD Pro Endurance Cup. And now we must look forward to coming back someday.”
Daniel Serra, driver, No. 62 Ferrari 488 GT3 Evo: “It’s difficult to understand what happened. I have mixed emotions. The last two stints were probably one of the best of my life. I didn’t know until the checkered flag and then when I crossed, I said ‘so this is it, we won’, and they said ‘no, we had a problem with the driving time’. So, it’s still quite difficult to say what I’m feeling. It’s just strange because we won the race and because of our mistake we lose it. We did what we had to do to win but we made a mistake and lose and that’s it. At least we won the Endurance Cup.”
The Risi Competizione team has not made any official announcements for 2023 racing plans yet but stay tuned for future announcements. For more information, please go to www.risicompetizione.com and follow us on Facebook/RisiCompetizione, Twitter @RisiComp and Instagram @RisiComp.
Cadillac concludes DPi era with two podium finishes
No. 31 Whelen Engineering Cadillac DPi-V.R is runner-up for second year in a row
No. 48 Ally Cadillac DPi-V.R claims third place in final endurance race for the team
BRASELTON, Ga. (Oct. 1, 2022) – Cadillac began the Daytona Prototype international (DPi) era with two podium finishes and closed the books on the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship classification with a pair of podium finishes.
The No. 31 Whelen Engineering Cadillac DPi-V.R, co-driven by Pipo Derani, Olivier Pla and Mike Conway, was runner-up for the second consecutive year in the 25th edition of the Motul Petit Le Mans at Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta. The No. 48 Ally Cadillac DPi-V.R, co-driven by Jimmie Johnson, Kamui Kobayashi and Mike Rockenfeller, finished third.
Overall, the Cadillac DPi-V.R recorded 27 victories – tops among all manufacturers – and 84 podium finishes in 59 races since 2017. Additionally, Cadillac earned three Manufacturer Championships and three Team and Driver Championships. A Cadillac DPi-V.R claimed four wins, 18 podiums and four pole starts in 10 races this season.
Derani started the 10-hour race from the seventh position and closed out the daylight-to-darkness race 4.369 seconds behind the winning Acura. The No. 31 Whelen Engineering Cadillac DPi-V.R also claimed the trophy for the fourth round of the endurance championship.
“Ups and downs, but in the end we were there to fight for the win,” said Derani, the 2021 DPi champion. “Unfortunately, I got really unlucky with traffic at the last restart, so I lost a lot of time and then I was catching them back. But that’s part of multi-class racing. The Cadillac was amazing. Most of my wins and the championship have been with this car. A great era that comes to an end, but I’m glad I am here to be fighting for the win.”
The No. 48 Ally Cadillac DPi-V.R, which has competed in the eight endurance races over the past two seasons, started sixth.
“This has been great; what an awesome opportunity,” said Johnson, the seven-time NASCAR Cup champion. “I’m so thankful to Ally, Action Express and Hendrick Motorsports. I’ve been able to meet and race with a lot of great people. It’s really been a fun two years.”
The No. 02 Cadillac Accessories Cadillac DPi-V.R, which Earl Bamber drove to a front-row starting position on the 2.54-mile, 12-turn natural-terrain road course, was involved in an incident with the sister No. 01 V-Performance Academy Cadillac DPi-V.R in Turn 1 with 51 minutes left, essentially eliminating both cars from contention for the victory. The No. 01, co-driven by Renger van der Zande, Sebastien Bourdais and Scott Dixon, placed fourth. The No. 02 car finished fifth.
The No. 5 Mustang Sampling Cadillac DPi-V.R finished seventh in class after it was involved in an incident with a GTD car with 5 hours, 42 minutes left and did not return. Eighteen minutes earlier, race leader Richard Westbrook picked up five points to put the JDC-Miller MotorSports group in the Team/Driver Endurance Championship lead.
While five Cadillac DPi-V.R entries contested the Motul Petit Le Mans to close one chapter of the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship, Cadillac Racing is simultaneously preparing for the next level of competition in 2023.
The Cadillac V-LMDh race car — a collaboration between GM designers, GM’s Performance and Racing propulsion team, chassis manufacturer Dallara and suppliers for the spec hybrid energy recovery system – has successfully completed early stage on-track testing in preparation to compete in the new IMSA Grand Touring Prototype (GTP) category and FIA World Endurance Championship (WEC) Hypercar class in 2023.
On-track testing will continue into the new year, with IMSA-sanctioned testing on Oct. 3-5 and Dec. 6-7. The Rolex 24 At Daytona on Jan. 28-29 opens the 2023 IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship season. The WEC season commences with the 1,000 Miles of Sebring on March 17.
Cadillac Racing finishing positions and driver quotes
Pipo Derani, Olivier Pla, Mike Conway (start seventh, finish second)
Derani: “Ups and downs, but in the end we were there to fight for the win. Unfortunately, I got really unlucky with traffic at the last restart, so I lost a lot of time and then I was catching them back. But that’s part of multi-class racing. I’m glad we had a fantastic time with the DPi car. The Cadillac was amazing. Most of my wins and the championship have been with this car. A great era that comes to an end, but I’m glad I am here to be fighting for the win.”
Pla: “It’s never over (until it’s over). We had some problems on the pit stop and we lost quite a bit of time. At that time, the car was starting to come alive. It was getting colder (outside). I think we had a really good car for the end. But, as you can see, the race is never finished until the last lap. It’s a great result for the team.”
Conway: “(My stints) were quite good. Then, I went back out in the night, I just had some crap traffic for about five or six laps in a row. I thought I couldn’t do anything right out there. Then, it seemed to be OK after that. Pipo pushed really hard to the end and that was pretty cool. He brought home a good result. It was crazy with the two Cadillacs coming together somewhat and then what happened to the No. 10 Acura. It was a crazy finish.”
Jimmie Johnson, Kamui Kobayashi, Mike Rockenfeller (start sixth, finish third)
Johnson: “It was a very challenging day. But, at the end of the race, we finally got some breaks to come back our way and ended up on the podium. It’s really tough trying to work traffic. I was brave sometimes, but I just needed to be more brave all of the time. I was just trying to be smart and cautious with the car. Ultimately, I left some speed on the table in my stint. But, I got two full stints in the car each time I was in. This has been great, what an awesome opportunity. I’m so thankful to Ally, Action Express, and Hendrick Motorsports. I’ve been able to meet and race with a lot of great people. It’s really been a fun two years.”
Kobayashi: “For of all, that you to Cadillac, Action Express and my teammates, Jimmie and Mike. We did our best. Unfortunately, we didn’t have the pace in the beginning of the race. But, finally, something came to us and we got this podium in the last race. This is only one podium for this year, but we all worked really hard and it’s good to end the season like this. Thanks to all the guys.”
Rockenfeller: “We earned the podium in the last race of the season and of the DPis, which is satisfying. But it just wasn’t our season for the 48 and not really our race. We didn’t have the pace early and with the penalties we were always on the back foot. It was a tough day, but nice to get a podium.”
No. 01 V-Performance Academy Cadillac DPi-V.R (Chip Ganassi Racing)
Renger van der Zande, Sebastien Bourdais, Scott Dixon (start fifth, finish fourth)
Bourdais: “Obviously, that is not the end of the championship that anybody wanted for Cadillac Racing and the Chip Ganassi Racing team. It’s a shame; there was a race win on the line, and everybody wants to go out on the high note. We’re disappointed to finish like that with the new era ahead of us. The team worked very hard this year and we can only thank them for all their efforts. We will see what the future brings.”
van der Zande: “We came to Petit Le Mans to win and to finish the race like this is really difficult. There’s never any intention to come together out there and we’ll reflect on this and regroup as a team. We can look back on a season where we had great success with wins in Long Beach, Detroit and Mosport. Chip Ganassi Racing and Cadillac put out a really fast car all year and to do that is no easy feat. It takes a lot of really talented people to make this all work.”
Earl Bamber, Alex Lynn, Ryan Hunter-Reay (start second, finish fifth)
Bamber: “I think we had a fantastic race all day and had a really good car with the No. 02 Cadillac. We managed to lead a lot of laps and hours and that’s something to be proud of. Obviously, I’m quite disappointed with what happened and mostly for everyone at Cadillac and Chip Ganassi Racing. We come here to win as a team, whether it’s the No. 01 or the No. 02, and that is a tough scenario to be in. I think this was a season to be proud of and I believe we’ve scored the most pole positions, as well as a lot of race wins. Now, it’s on to what’s next which is testing for GTP.”
Lynn: “We had a very strong car today, so it was a disappointment to not get the result that the team deserved. I think Ryan, Earl and myself were driving really well and it’s sad that we haven’t brought home the result that we wanted.”
Tristan Vautier, Richard Westbrook, Loic Duval (start fourth, finish seventh in class after incident)
John Church, JDC-Miller MotorSports managing partner: “It’s been an awesome experience to race in the DPi category these years. Everybody at Cadillac, GM and Dallara have been wonderful to work with. It’s sad that it’s the end of an era and disappointing to end the season this way. Racing has a way of going full circle and I’m sure we’ll be back together some day and looking forward to that.”
About Cadillac
A leading luxury auto brand since 1902, Cadillac is growing globally, driven by an expanding product portfolio that features distinctive design and technology. More information on Cadillac appears at www.cadillac.com.
Fifth-place GTD PRO finish for Garcia, Taylor, Catsburg in No. 3 Corvette C8.R
BRASELTON, Ga. (Oct. 1, 2022) – Corvette Racing closed its season in the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship on Saturday with a fifth-place finish in the GT Daytona (GTD) PRO class after the 10-hour Petit Le Mans at Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta.
Antonio Garcia, Jordan Taylor and Nicky Catsburg entered Saturday hoping to replicate their victory from earlier this year at the Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring. Ultimately, two separate incidents of contact didn’t help the No. 3 Mobil 1/SiriusXM Chevrolet Corvette C8.R’s quest for its second victory of the season.
The result was enough for Garcia and Taylor to take third in the GTD Drivers Championship and Chevrolet to finish third in the final Manufacturers standings.
The day began strong with Garcia moving forward from the green flag. He picked up two positions to third on the opening two laps of the race and moved to the lead just past the hour mark. He drove the first 92 minutes before handing off to Taylor, who ran first or second for the first 90 minutes of his time in the Corvette.
The day’s first setback came near the three-hour mark when Taylor’s right-rear Michelin went down while leading on a restart following contact with the No. 9 Porsche. He was able to dive directly into the pits for four fresh tires but fell down to sixth.
The march back toward the front came over the next two hours as two more full-course yellows and penalties to some of its competitors allowed the Corvette to make up track position. By the time Catsburg took over near the four-and-a-half-hour mark, the No. 3 was back with the lead back in GTD PRO and ran as high as second before Garcia returned to the driver’s seat near the seven-hour mark.
Things came undone for the No. 3 Corvette with a little more than two hours to go as Garcia spun at Turn 11 after contact with the 62 Ferrari. He dropped from third to fifth and then down to sixth as Corvette Racing engineers immediately went on an alternate pit strategy in hopes of a yellow to get the C8.R back into contention.
The race’s final yellow came with 52 minutes remaining and brought Garcia to within five seconds of the lead inside the final 30 minutes but couldn’t draw closer at the end.
Corvette Racing closes its 2022 program with the Eight Hours of Bahrain and the final race of the FIA World Endurance Championship on Nov. 10-12.
ANTONIO GARCIA, NO. 3 MOBIL 1/SiriusXM CHEVROLET CORVETTE C8.R – FINISHED FIFTH IN GTD PRO: “It’s difficult when you have GTD cars fighting for the same thing as you and their performance is completely opposite of yours. It’s impossible to race when one car achieves a lap time in one way and the rest do it another. I must say it’s the story of the season. We showed at the beginning of the race that if we are up front and can do our own pace, we’re good and we can race. As soon as you have someone in front of you that you can’t pass and another car gets to you, they will go past because you have nothing to help you defend. That’s been the thing this year. Frustrating day, frustrating season… but the effort from everyone at Corvette Racing has been great all season. We couldn’t ask for more from the team. That’s 110 percent.”
On the start: “The start of the race was easy and relaxed in a way. We had good pace to the other cars in front of those and managed to jump most of those in the pits. Then the pace was really good. I had to catch the 79, which seemed doable and got into the lead. But one more year where I’ve won many stints at Petit Le Mans but never the whole race.”
JORDAN TAYLOR, NO. 3 MOBIL 1/SiriusXM CHEVROLET CORVETTE C8.R – FINISHED FIFTH IN GTD PRO: “I feel like we put ourselves in some good spots today. At the end of it, we just didn’t have the pace to battle guys. After that last restart we were kind of in a position to fight again but got motored by. That was pretty much our season in one race. Hopefully we can go into the offseason, figure out what all we learned and come back stronger next year.”
Opening stint: “Our car was decent. We had a little bit of contact, which was unfortunate. It kind of cycled us to the back but we were still in a good position. It’s really hard to pass around here with the traffic. I wasn’t going to give the position (to the 9 Porsche). I was trying to be aggressive and hold him off. We were racing for the Endurance Cup so I think that’s why we were racing that aggressively that early on.”
NICKY CATSBURG, NO. 3 MOBIL 1/SiriusXM CHEVROLET CORVETTE C8.R – FINISHED FIFTH IN GTD PRO: “It was a tough race. We didn’t have the pace at the end. It seems like everyone else had something left and we didn’t. I had fun but unfortunately this was the maximum we could do.
“Honestly there wasn’t a lot of crazy action. It was quite fun. Unfortunately on both pit entries, I got held up by a couple of stints and lost some time. But that didn’t mean so much for our pace. It just means that all the effort you put in during the stint is then lost for no reason, which is very annoying.”
About Chevrolet Founded in 1911 in Detroit, Chevrolet is now one of the world’s largest car brands, available in 80 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.
Sheldon Creed and the No. 2 Whelen Chevrolet Team Claim Respectable 12th-Place Finish at Talladega Superspeedway
Finish: 12th Start: 3rd Points: 14th
“Overall it was a good day. Our Whelen Chevrolet is in one piece and we can make it better for Daytona next year. I thought the first part of the race went how we planned it. We were trying to keep the No. 21 safe and try to do most of the blocking for him to keep him up front. I thought that worked really good in the first two stages. I got dropped there at the end of Stage 2, but I wasn’t too worried about that. I was just focused on keeping the No. 21 out front at that point. That might have hurt us because I only got back to like fifth or sixth. After we made our green flag stop, I got in line in seventh and I thought we were in a really good spot. The end just didn’t play out like I thought it was going to. I thought we were going to get a caution at one point. I thought they were going to wreck so I was just trying to be in a spot where if they did start wrecking, I could be safe. Even on the last lap I thought it was going to play out way different. We got the bottom line rolling really good off of Turn 2 down the backstretch and it just stalled out. I was boxed in the last few laps and couldn’t really move. It just didn’t play like Talladega normally plays out.” -Sheldon Creed
Austin Hill and the No. 21 Bennett Transportation & Logistics Chevrolet Team Lead Laps and Earn Stage Points at Talladega Superspeedway
Finish: 14th Start: 1st Points: 4th
“We were so close. Our Bennett Transportation & Logistics Chevrolet was crazy fast. We started on the pole and led a lot of laps today, but at Talladega Superspeedway you just never know what’s going to happen. My guys brought me a rocket ship and my pit crew was on it for every stop. I was really preparing for this race, studying and in the simulator. The guys at RCR and ECR deserve all the recognition for the cars they’ve put together every week. My team and I talked about strategy and my spotter, Derek Kneeland, and I had a really strong game plan at the start of the race. We went into this race wanting to win the stages and get as many points as we could, and we did just that, so that’s a positive. We just got shuffled out of the mix at the end and I couldn’t get the push I needed to get back to the lead. I’m bummed for my team because we were dominant all day, but we are heading to the ROVAL next weekend with a pretty good points buffer. Everyone knew we were there today, and everyone saw the speed and the car we had. I’m proud of this team and we’ll go get it at the ROVAL.” -Austin Hill
Herbst Finishes 11th at Talladega Monster Energy Driver Perseveres Despite Ill-Handling Racecar
Date: Saturday, Oct. 1 Event: Sparks 300 (Round 28 of 33) Series: NASCAR Xfinity Series Location: Talladega (Ala.) Superspeedway (2.66-mile oval) Format: 113 laps, broken into three stages (25 laps/25 laps/63 laps) Start/Finish: 23rd / 11th (Running, completed 113 of 113 laps) Point Standing: 11th (2,060 points, 10 points below the top-eight cutoff) Race Winner: A.J. Allmendinger of Kaulig Racing (Chevrolet) Stage 1 Winner: Austin Hill of Richard Childress Racing (Chevrolet) Stage 2 Winner: Austin Hill of Richard Childress Racing (Chevrolet)
Overview:
Riley Herbst brought home an 11th-place finish despite an ill-handling No. 98 Monster Energy Ford Mustang in Saturday’s Sparks 300 at Talladega (Ala.) Superspeedway. In the second race of the Round of 12 of the NASCAR Xfinity Series Playoffs, Herbst started 23rd and made quick work of utilizing the draft to move his way forward. He was 14th by the day’s first caution on lap three, and then entered the top-10 on lap 12. In typical superspeedway fashion, the field was shuffled forward and backward during the opening two stages, which Herbst finished 11th and 12th, respectively, just missing out on scoring bonus points each time. He restarted the final stage 16th and worked his way up to seventh when the field went single file during the early laps of the run. Crew chief Richard Boswell opted to bring his driver down pit road in the second wave of green-flag pit stops on lap 68 for a quick, fuel-only stop. When the field cycled through the round of stops, the 23-year-old driver was ninth. The final stage went caution-free, and Herbst struggled to find speed in his racecar and ultimately finished just outside the top-10. It left him 10 points below the top-eight cutoff with one race to go in the Round of 12.
Riley Herbst, driver of the No. 98 Monster Energy Ford Mustang for Stewart-Haas Racing:
“It was a weird superspeedway race, to be honest. I feel like we just lacked overall speed, which isn’t like us at these tracks. We couldn’t jump above the cutline for the playoffs, but we’re going to another unpredictable track next Saturday. The Roval will be tough, too. We know what we have to do and we’ll do it.”
Notes:
● Herbst’s 11th-place finish was his third consecutive top-12. He finished fifth in the regular-season finale Sept. 16 at Bristol (Tenn.) Motor Speedway, and fifth in last Saturday’s playoff opener at Texas Motor Speedway in Fort Worth.
● AJ Allmendinger won the Sparks 300 to score his 14th career Xfinity Series victory, his fourth of the season, and his first at Talladega. His margin over second-place Sam Mayer was .015 of a second.
● There were three caution periods for a total of 11 laps.
● Twenty-three of the 38 drivers in the race finished on the lead lap.
Next Up:
The next event on the NASCAR Xfinity Series schedule is the Drive for the Cure 250 on Oct. 8 on the Charlotte (N.C.) Motor Speedway Roval. It will be the third race of the seven-race playoffs and the final of the Round of 12. The race starts at 3 p.m. EDT with live coverage provided by NBC and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.
AJ Allmendinger saved his absolute best for the last and kept his championship hopes for this season alive after beating Sam Mayer in a photo finish to win the Sparks 300 at Talladega Superspeedway on Saturday, October 1.
The 40-year-old Allmendinger from Los Gatos, California, led three times for a total of three of 113-scheduled laps. Prior to the finish, he was running in second place behind pole-sitter Austin Hill under the final 10 laps. Following a shuffle amongst the front-runners, he made his way to the front of the field with two laps remaining before being overtaken by Sam Mayer prior to the final lap as he was shuffled back to third. Allmendinger then overtook Sieg through the backstretch and tucked in behind Mayer for the following two turns until he seized an opportunity entering the frontstretch to pull a slingshot move on Mayer with drafting help from teammate Landon Cassill. From there, Allmendinger was able to surge ahead and edge Mayer by a nose to claim his fourth checkered flag of the 2022 NASCAR Xfinity Series and a spot to the Playoff’s Round of 8.
With on-track qualifying that determined the starting lineup occurring on Friday, Playoff contender Austin Hill claimed his first career pole position after posting a pole-winning lap at 182.036 mph in 52.605 seconds. Joining him on the front row was Playoff contender Ty Gibbs, who posted the second-best qualifying lap at 181.981 mph in 52.621 seconds.
Prior to the event, names like Jesse Iwuji, Caesar Bacarella, Jeremy Clements, BJ McLeod, Mason Massey and Noah Gragson dropped to the rear of the field due to unapproved adjustments to their respective cars. Joey Gase also dropped to the rear of the field due to an engine change along with Bayley Currey, Timmy Hill and Howie Disavino III, all of whom missed driver introductions.
When the green flag waved and the race started, Hill battled Allmendinger dead even for the lead, but managed to retain the top spot and pull away from the field entering Turns 3 and 4 as he proceeded to lead the first lap with drafting help from teammate Sheldon Creed.
During the third lap, the first caution of the event flew when Ty Gibbs got bumped off the front nose of Justin Allgaier’s No. 7 BRANDT Chevrolet Camaro as his No. 54 Sport Clips Toyota Supra slipped sideways before spinning across the backstretch. Despite making light contact with the outside wall, Gibbs managed to continue as he was dodged by the field. Under the caution period, names like Gragson, Sam Mayer, Ryan Vargas, Clements and Caesar Bacarella pitted while the rest led by Hill remained on the track.
When the race restarted under green on the sixth lap, Hill retained the lead followed by teammate Creed, Allgaier, Brandon Jones and the field. Not long after, Allgaier launched a bid for the lead on the outside lane before rocketing to the top on the eighth lap. By then, he had drafting help from AJ Allmendinger and a number of competitors running on the outside lane while Hill attempted to fight back on the inside lane.
Through the first 10 scheduled laps, Allgaier was leading ahead of Allmendinger, Hill, Daniel Hemric and Trevor Bayne while the field behind fanned out to three tight-packed lanes.
By Lap 15, Hill, who reassumed the lead a lap prior, was out in front followed by teammate Creed and Bayne while Anthony Alfredo, Myatt Snider, Brandon Jones, Allmendinger, Gragson, Riley Herbst and Hemric were in the top 10. In addition, 10 of the 12 Playoff contenders were running within the top 20 with Sam Mayer running in 21st and Jeremy Clements mired back in 25th.
Nearing the first stage’s conclusion on Lap 20, Hill continued to lead as he was out in front of a long line of competitors running towards the outside lane. Creed settled in second followed by Alfredo, Allmendinger, Hemric, Allgaier, Brandon Brown, JJ Yeley, Brandon Jones and Ryan Sieg while Bayne, Snider, Derek Griffith, Gibbs, Gragson, Jeb Burton, Parker Kligerman, Herbst, Berry and Mayer were in the top 20.
Then with two laps remaining in the first stage, a number of competitors led by Allmendinger dipped to the bottom lane in an attempt to overthrow Hill, but Hill also moved below the bottom lane as he retained the lead.
When the first stage concluded on Lap 25, Hill captured his second stage victory of the 2022 season. Teammate Creed settled in second followed by Hemric, Brandon Jones, Bayne, Allmendinger, Allgaier, Gibbs, Brown and Mayer. By then, seven of 12 Playoff contenders were scored in the top 10 while Herbst, Ryan Sieg, Josh Berry, Gragson and Clements were running within the top 22.
Under the stage break, some led by Hill pitted while others that included Currey, Timmy Hill, Howie Disavino III, Joey Gase, Ryan Vargas, David Starr, Joe Graaf Jr., Iwuji, McLod and Caesar Bacarella remained on the track. All the competitors who remained on the track under caution eventually pitted prior to the restart, giving Hill back the lead.
The second stage started on Lap 30 as Hill and Bayne occupied the front row. At the start, Hill retained the lead on the inside lane before Bayne assumed the top spot on the outside lane with drafting help from teammate Brandon Jones, Mayer and a bevy of competitors. As Bayne continued to lead on the outside lane, Hill remained as the lead competitor on the inside lane followed by teammate Creed.
Ten laps later, Bayne retained the lead followed by teammate Brandon Jones while Creed emerged as the first competitor on the inside lane while launching his bid for the lead followed by Brown. By then, the field started to fan out to three tight-packed lanes.
Another five laps later, Hill, who made a bold move beneath Bayne through the frontstretch to reassume the lead three laps earlier, was out in front followed by Alfredo and Brown while Bayne, Mayer and Sieg were running three wide while battling for fourth in front of the pack.
When the second stage concluded on Lap 50, Hill, who navigated his way through both lanes while also fending off a late surge from Allgaier, captured his third stage victory of the 2022 season and second of the day. Allgaier settled in second followed by Allmendinger, Bayne, Jeb Burton, Mayer, Brown, Brandon Jones, Sieg and Berry. By then, seven of 12 Playoff were scored in the top 10 while Gibbs, Herbst, Gragson, Hemric and Clements were running in 11th, 12th, 14t, 23rd and 31st, respectively.
Under the stage break, the leaders led by Hill returned to pit road for service while names like Currey, Joey Gaase, Jeffrey Earnhardt, David Starr, Joe Graf Jr., Iwuji, Caesar Bacarella, Disavino, Timmy Hill, Ryan Vargas, McLeod and Mike Harmon remained on the track. All eventually pitted prior to the restart, giving Bayne the lead followed by Mayer, Gragson, Brandon Jones and Gibbs.
With 58 laps remaining, the final stage started. At the start, Bayne and Gragson dueled for the lead before Gragson muscled his way into the lead while Bayne settled in second in front of teammates Brandon Jones and Gibbs. A lap later and with the field fanning out to three tight-packed lanes, Ryan Sieg emerged with the lead followed by a fast-charging Allmendinger and Hill.
With 50 laps remaining, Sieg was the leader of the race and ahead of a long line of competitors running towards the outside wall followed by Allmendinger, Hill, Brandon Jones and Gragson while Gibbs, Herbst, Landon Cassill, Snider and Jeb Burton were in the top 10.
Nearing the final 45 laps of the event, green flag pit stops commenced as teammates Jeb Burton and Anthony Alfredo pitted before another wave of competitors, including Gragson, pitted, mainly for fuel. During the pit stops, Myatt Snider turned across the front nose of Blaine Perkins while trying to enter his pit stall as Snider ended up looping his car backwards inside his pit stall.
With 40 laps remaining, Currey, who was one of 11 competitors who had yet to pit, was leading while Hill, the first competitor who pitted, led a bevy competitors in 12th place as he tried to close in on the lead group.
Eight laps later, Hill reassumed the lead when the rest of the competitors who had yet to pit led by Currey pitted. By then, Hill led a 14-car breakaway at the front followed by Allmendinger, Gragson, Cassill, Mayer, Kligerman, Creed, Sieg, Herbst, Berry, Gibbs, Bayne, Brandon Jones and Hemric. Behind, the next six competitors trailed by more than four seconds with Jeb Burton in 15th ahead of Allgaier, Alfredo, Derek Griffith, Yeley and Brandon Brown. With all but one of 12 Playoff competitors running within the top 20, Clements was the lone Playoff contender running outside of the top 20 in 25th.
With 25 laps remaining, Hill retained the lead ahead of Allmendinger, Gragson, Cassill and Mayer while the top-14 competitors remained four seconds ahead of the 15th-place competitor Jeb Burton. In addition, the top-19 competitors were ahead by nearly 23 seconds over the 20th-place competitor Blaine Perkins.
Five laps later and down to the final 20 laps of the event, Hill continued to lead ahead of Allmendinger, Gragson, Cassill and Mayer while Kligerman, Creed, Sieg, Herbst, Berry, Gibbs, Bayne, Brandon Jones and Hemric remained within the 14-car lead pack.
With 10 laps remaining, Hill remained as the leader ahead of the 14-car lead pack followed by Allmendinger, Gragson, Cassill, Mayer, Kligerman, Creed, Sieg, Herbst, Berry, Gibbs, Bayne, Brandon Jones and Hemric.
Then with six laps remaining, Mayer was the first competitor to fan out and start a second lane followed by Sieg and others as they launched a bid for the lead on Hill, who remained on the inside lane. During the following lap, Gragson made a move on the outside lane before he was blocked by Hill through the frontstretch. This then caused the field to fan out to three lanes as Hill was shoved out of the lead draft while Mayer and Allmendinger moved up and battled dead even for the lead ahead of the pack.
With two laps remaining, Allmendinger was out in front with drafting help from teammate Cassill while Mayer fought back on the outside lane with drafting help from Sieg. Through the backstretch, Mayer gained a strong run as he cleared the field and assume the lead with both lanes to his control. While Snider spun behind the leaders in the backstretch, the race remainder under green flag conditions.
When the white flag waved and the final lap started, Mayer remained as the leader ahead of Sieg, Allmendinger, Cassill and the pack. He continued to lead through three turns until he started to pull away from the pack. This allowed the pack led by Allmendinger and Sieg to gain a momentum and close back in on Mayer entering the frontstretch. Then, Allmendinger, who had teammate Cassill behind him, made his move to the outside of Mayer. With the momentum on his side, Allmendinger was able to beat Mayer by 0.015 seconds to steal the victory.
As a result, Allmendinger achieved his fourth Xfinity Series victory of the season, the 14th of his career and his first on a superspeedway venue. The victory awarded Allmendinger and his No. 16 Kaulig Racing Chevrolet Camaro team a one-way ticket to the Round of 8 in the 2022 Xfinity Series Playoffs, where he joins Noah Gragson as the only competitors to be guaranteed a spot for the next Playoff round. It also marks the seventh Xfinity victory for Kaulig Racing on a superspeedway venue (Daytona International Speedway and Talladega Superspeedway).
Photo by Chad Wells for SpeedwayMedia.com.
“I still hate [restrictor plate racing]!” Allmendinger exclaimed on USA Network. “Gosh, we’ve been so close to winning one and I feel like I keep giving them away. I’m still learning, trying to know what too big of a lead is, but honestly, all the credit to [teammate] Landon Cassill. He kept shoving me. He stuck with me. That’s what’s great about Kaulig Racing. When you got teammates like Landon and Daniel [Hemric], that you know no matter where you go, they’re gonna go with you. [It] Makes it a little bit easier. [Cassill]’s gonna share [the win] with me, but I wish we could both be the winner because he deserves it more than I do. Man, I just wanted to win a superspeedway [event]. Finally got it.”
Mayer, who came within inches of claiming his first Xfinity career victory, settled in a career-best second place for his 10th top-five finish of the season. With the result, Mayer, who came into Talladega a single point above the top-eight cutline, leaves Talladega with a 13-point advantage above the cutline as he is in seventh place in the Playoff standings.
“This is my first time getting to the end of a speedway race, coming to the checkered [flag],” Mayer said. “It was a good first experience, I guess. [I will] Take a top five [finish] at a place like this any day. Going into today, we were just like get some stage points and hopefully, survive to the end. Obviously, we survived at the end and we did everything right. We were just three feet shy…I’m looking forward to [the Charlotte Roval]. I’m just happy to get through this one, but our Accelerate Chevrolet Camaro probably should be in Victory Lane right now.”
Cassill came home in third place followed by Ryan Sieg and Josh Berry. Kligerman, Gibbs, Hemric, Brandon Jones and Gragson completed the top 10 on the track. Notably, eight of 12 Playoff competitors finished in the top 10 on the track while Herbst, Hill, Allgaier and Clements finished 11th, 14th, 15th and 20th, respectively.
There were 20 lead changes for 11 different leaders. The race featured three cautions for 11 laps. All 38 starters finished the event while 23 finished on the lead lap.
The 2022 Sparks 300 event marks the third and final time the fall Xfinity Talladega event will occur, with the series’ scaling back to competing at Talladega once annually in 2023.
Results.
1. AJ Allmendinger, three laps led
2. Sam Mayer, three laps led
3. Landon Cassill
4. Ryan Sieg, 11 laps led
5. Josh Berry
6. Parker Kligerman
7. Ty Gibbs
8. Daniel Hemric
9. Brandon Jones, one lap led
10. Noah Gragson, one lap led
11. Riley Herbst
12. Sheldon Creed, two laps led
13. Trevor Bayne, 13 laps led
14. Austin Hill, 60 laps led, Stage 1 & 2 winner
15. Justin Allgaier, six laps led
16. Anthony Alfredo
17. Jeb Burton
18. JJ Yeley
19. Josh Williams
20. Jeremy Clements
21. Joey Gase
22. Joe Garaf Jr.
23. Derek Griffith
24. Bayley Currey, one lap down, 12 laps led
25. David Starr, one lap down
26. BJ McLeod, one lap down
27. Timmy Hill, one lap down, one lap led
28. Jesse Iwuji, one lap down
29. CJ McLaughlin, one lap down
30. Ryan Vargas, one lap down
31. Caesar Bacarella, one lap down
32. Howie Disavino III, one lap down
33. Brandon Brown, one lap down
34. Mike Harmon, two laps down
35. Myatt Snider, two laps down
36. Blaine Perkins, three laps down
37. Jeffrey Earnhardt, four laps down
38. Mason Massey, 18 laps down
*Bold indicates Playoff contenders
Playoff standings
1. Noah Gragson – Advanced
2. AJ Allmendinger – Advanced
3. Ty Gibbs +49
4. Austin Hill +43
5. Josh Berry +27
6. Justin Allgaier +25
7. Sam Mayer +12
8. Ryan Sieg +6
9. Daniel Hemric -6
10. Riley Herbst -10
11. Brandon Jones -10
12. Jeremy Clements -47
The 2022 NASCAR Xfinity Series Playoffs will continue next weekend at the Charlotte Motor Speedway Road Course for a 250-mile feature and where the first round of eliminations will occur. The event is scheduled to occur on Saturday, October 8, at 3 p.m. ET on NBC.
If Daniel Hemric has an extra skip in his step this weekend, there’s a reason for it. He will climb into his No. 16 Kaulig Racing Cup Series machine with a new primary sponsor: Celsius Energy.
However, the organization has been a longtime partner with Kaulig Racing, and the company recently served as Justin Haley’s primary partner during the Coke Zero Sugar 400 at Daytona International Speedway. Now, it’s Hemric’s turn to showcase its sugar-free content while trying to score his second career top-five finish at Talladega Superspeedway.
“First and foremost, it’s an honor to carry them on our No. 16 Kaulig Racing car at Talladega this weekend. They’ve been a partner with Kaulig long before I came along. In fact, this is my first time actually being active with them, wearing their brand on my uniform, and having a full sponsorship on the car at the Cup level,” Hemric told Speedway Media.
“It’s cool to see them, to be able to take that next step in our partnership. Being a primary sponsor on a Cup car is a big deal for any company to take, so it’s a big deal. It’s a beautiful car. It’s gonna be special to spend time with them this weekend and hopefully, we’ll give them a good showing.”
Kaulig Racing is in its first full season at the Cup level, but the team has exemplified that its superspeedway program is up to par. Haley finished seventh at Atlanta Motor Speedway earlier this season, and Hemric qualified third at Talladega in the spring. However, reminiscent of most teams, being there at the end of a superspeedway race is a common struggle. Hemric finished 36th in that race after an engine issue triggered a multi-car incident.
Similarly, both Haley and Hemric, the reigning Xfinity Series champion were contenders at Daytona during the regular-season finale when the pair became casualties of the infamous rain crash that took out 13 cars. Now the two teammates will try to keep their noses clean until the end of Sunday’s YellaWood 500. If all goes to plan, the Kaulig wheelmen could find themselves within the grasp of victory.
“I wouldn’t say I’m one of the few, but put me on the side of thoroughly enjoying the thrill of superspeedway racing and the chaos of not knowing what’s next. In superspeedway races, it’s a lot of the same guys [winning]. As much as people get caught up in hearing people talking about the unknown of plate racing and not being able to control your own destiny.
“A lot of the same guys win a lot of these races and that’s not by coincidence. To be able to go and hone and develop your craft to be one of those guys, that’s what I thoroughly enjoy about it. This is a big opportunity for us. I approach it the same as any other weekend, and that’s a chance to go win a race.”
In seven Cup series starts in 2022, Hemric has an average finish of 23rd.
