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John Hunter Nemechek – No. 4 Pye-Barker Fire & Safety Tundra Camping World Trucks Talladega Preview

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John Hunter Nemechek: Driver, No. 4 Pye-Barker Fire & Safety Toyota

NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Overview:
Event: Talladega 250, Race 21 of 23 (Race 2 of 3, Round of 8)
94 Laps – 20/20/54; 250.04 Miles
Location: Talladega (Ala.) Superspeedway (2.66-mile tri-oval)
Date/Broadcast: Oct. 1, 2022, at 12:30p.m. ET on FS1, MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR 90

Neme’chek’ the Facts:
John Hunter Nemechek and the No. 4 Pye-Barker Fire & Safety team head to Talladega (Ala.) Superspeedway for the second race in the Round of 8 in the Camping World Truck Series playoffs nine points below the cutoff line for advancing to the Championship 4. In the last Truck Series event at Bristol, an incident in practice forced the No. 4 team to bring out their backup truck and start from the rear of the field. Despite starting in the rear, Nemechek drove to a 12th-place finish and picked up three stage points with an eighth-place finish at the end of Stage Two.

The 25-year-old driver has made six Truck Series starts at Talladega, with a best result of fourth in last year’s event. He was leading on the final lap last year before being turned as the field came through the tri-oval and sent sliding sideways across the stripe. He finished eighth in each of his Cup Series starts at the Alabama track, both in 2020. In the Xfinity Series, he has finished inside the top 10 in both of his Talladega starts, with a best result of sixth in 2019.

In his most recent superspeedway race in the Truck Series, Nemechek led 50 laps in the 2022 season opener at Daytona (Fla.) International Speedway before a late-race incident relegated him to a 24th-place finish.

With just three races remaining in the 2022 Truck Series season, Nemechek continues to lead Truck Series regulars in poles (six) and driver rating (105.3). He is also second in average running position (8.772) and third in laps led (352) and average starting position (7.9).

The Toyota Racing driver made his tenth Xfinity Series start of the season this past weekend at Texas Motor Speedway, piloting the No. 18 GR Supra for Joe Gibbs Racing. Nemechek qualified fourth and led the second most laps (60) before being caught up in an incident on lap 116, relegating him to a 28th-place finish.

Pye-Barker Fire & Safety, an industry leader in commercial fire protection since 1946, will serve as the primary sponsor for Nemechek at Talladega. Pye-Barker, who acquired Nemechek’s long-term partner Fire Alarm Services in 2021, will also serve as the primary sponsor of the No. 4 Tundra TRD Pro for the season finale at Phoenix Raceway (11/4).

Nemechek is a 13-time winner in Camping World Truck Series action, winning at least one race each season from 2015 to 2018 for his family-owned team, NEMCO Motorsports, and returning to victory lane in 2021 and 2022 with KBM. Across 144 career starts in NASCAR’s third division, he has compiled eight poles, 1,533 laps led, 49 top-five and 80 top-10 finishes resulting in an average finish of 12.3.

Eric Phillips returned to lead the No. 4 team in 2022. His 43 career Truck Series victories make him the winningest crew chief in Truck Series history, with 34 of those coming while at KBM including five last year. Phillips led the No. 18 team at KBM in its debut season in 2010 and helped build the organization into one of the premier teams in all of NASCAR before departing at the end of the 2014 season. Under his guidance, the No. 18 team won eight races in its inaugural campaign and became the Series history to capture an owner’s championship in its first season of competition. In 2014, the Illinois native led the first team in Truck No. 51 team to an owner’s championship and his team’s 10 wins spearheaded KBM to a single-season Truck Series record of 14 wins. At Talladega, Phillip’s drivers have collected one win, two top-five and six top-10 finishes resulting in an average finish of 10.0 across eight starts. He was victorious with KBM owner-driver Kyle Busch at the 2.66-mile tri-oval in 2010.

John Hunter Nemechek, Driver Q&A:
How will you approach Talladega Being nine points below the cutoff with two races remaining in this round?
“You just have to go race. Stage points matter and finishing position matters. Talladega can make or break you.”

You were so close to a win there last year. Do you feel like maybe it owes you one?
“It’s superspeedway racing. All you can do is put yourself in a position to have a shot at the end and control everything you can control. It would be a very good weekend to get back to victory lane and lock ourselves into the Championship 4.”

What do you think makes a good superspeedway racer?
“I think overall, being a good superspeedway racer is recognizing the situations – being able to know when to side draft and when not to side draft and using the air and the run to your advantage. The Trucks are a little bit different than a Cup car or an Xfinity car, they definitely draft different. I feel like it’s more single-file or pack-style racing compared to the other series. There are a lot of new guys to superspeedway racing, with not a lot of experience in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series compared to the other two series. You have to be on the lookout for that as well. I think just recognizing the situations, knowing when to take a run and when not to take a run. Knowing who your drafting partners are – who you can trust and who you can’t trust is what all goes into making a really good superspeedway racer.”

John Hunter Nemechek Career Highlights:

  • 13-time winner in Camping World Truck Series action, winning at least one race each season from 2015 to 2018 for his family-owned team, NEMCO Motorsports. Across 144 career starts in NASCAR’s third division, has compiled eight poles, 1,533 laps led, 49 top-five and 80 top-10 finishes resulting in an average finish of 12.3. Registered a career-high and series-leading five victories in 2021, earned the NCWTS Regular Season championship and finished third in the final standings after qualifying for the Championship Four for the first time in his career.
  • Produced three top-10 finishes and an average result of 22.4 while competing for rookie of the year honors in the NASCAR Cup Series in 2020. He recorded a career-best eighth-place finish twice, both coming at Talladega (Ala.) Superspeedway.
  • Across 66 career XFINITY Series starts, has totaled two wins, one pole, 570 laps led, 17 top-five and 37 top-10 finishes resulting in an average finish of 12.5.

John Hunter Nemechek’s No. 4 Pye-Barker Tundra TRD Pro:
KBM-13: The No. 4 Pye-Barker Fire & Safety team will unload KBM-13 for Saturday’s race at Talladega. Nemechek has raced this Tundra once earlier this season at Daytona where he qualified second and led 50 laps before getting caught up in a late-race incident and finishing 24th. KBM-13 is the same chassis that Nemechek piloted at Talladega last fall, where he was leading on the final lap before being turned and crossing the finish line sideways in the fourth position. KBM owner-driver Kyle Busch won with KBM-13 at Daytona in 2014.

KBM-13 Performance Profile
KBM Notes of Interest:

  • KBM drivers have collected two wins, two poles, 79 laps led, 10 top-five and 18 top-10 finishes resulting in an average finish of 11.1 across 31 starts at Talladega.
  • Raphael Lessard picked up the organization’s most recent victory, collecting his first win of his Camping World Truck Series career in 2020 at the 2.66-mile tri-oval. Owner-driver Kyle Busch was victorious in the 2010 event when he finished 0.002 seconds ahead of Aric Almirola in the closest finish in Truck Series history since electronic scoring was instituted.
  • KBM holds the Camping World Truck Series records for most career wins (98) and most wins in a single season (14 in 2014). With his victory at Atlanta Motor Speedway on March 19, Corey Heim became the 18th different driver to win a Truck Series event for KBM. In addition to collecting a series-record seven Owner’s Championships, the organization has produced two championship-winning drivers: Erik Jones (2015) and Christopher Bell (2017).
  • The No. 4 has 18 career victories at KBM and was the number for both of the organization’s driver championships.

Ford Performance NASCAR: Zane Smith Ready for Talladega Truck Race

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Ford Performance Notes and Quotes
NASCAR Camping World Series
Talladega Advance | Wednesday, September 28, 2022

Zane Smith, driver of the No. 38 Love’s Travel Stops/PEAK Ford F-150 in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series for Front Row Motorsports, is currently second in the series point standings and 21 points above the cut line going into Saturday’s scheduled race at Talladega Superspeedway. Smith was part of a media Zoom call this afternoon and discussed his current situation and how he’s approaching the final two events in the Round of 8.

ZANE SMITH, No. 38 Love’s Travel Stops/PEAK Ford F-150 – HOW ARE YOU LOOKING TOWARDS THIS WEEKEND WITH A BIT OF UNCERTAINTY AROUND THE WEATHER? “I kind of approach it just like any race weekend to say the least. I don’t know. I was honestly really happy with our truck, for the most part, at Daytona and Daytona went really good for us. I felt like I was able to take a push way better than I have been able to in the past. We didn’t have the best speed. I wish we were better in a few areas with our truck, but we’ve made a few small changes. We won’t be able to see those because there’s no practice at Talladega, but I had seen that we were most likely gonna have rain and I was kind of excited about that qualifying-wise because I think I would start second and my qualifying efforts at Daytona weren’t great, but I don’t know. We’ll see. I don’t know where we should qualify. The changes we made may be really good, but I guess time will tell. There’s no doubt I think we’ll race good and that’s what matters.”

DO YOU FEEL LIKE YOU NEED TO GET STAGE POINTS OR WILL YOU GIVE THOSE UP IF THINGS GET TOO CRAZY TO MAKE SURE YOU GET TO THE FINISH? “I’ve been gung ho on just racing the whole time. I’ve been involved in a wreck everywhere at Talladega. I feel like I’ve been wrecked riding and I’ve been wrecked leading, so I wanted to race but a few guys on my team are saying that they think we should ride, but I don’t know. I feel like it’s one of those deals where I want to race and if you’re gonna be up there, then I feel like you take advantage of some stage points, but obviously you just kind of read who is around you and how they’re racing. Obviously, if it’s getting too much, then I think you need to get out of it. We’re above the bubble by 21 points right now and so that’s just something we need to keep in mind and keep track of where we’re at with that. I know there will be a few guys that will be really aggressive that are below the cut line, so you just need to watch them and how they’re racing and hopefully not get involved in someone else’s mess.”

THERE’S BEEN SOME CHATTER ABOUT DGR POTENTIALLY CHANGING MANUFACTURERS. IF THEY DO AND YOU GUYS NEED TO BRING MORE THINGS IN-HOUSE, ARE YOU COMFORTABLE WITH WHAT YOU CAN DO AT FRONT ROW ON YOUR OWN? “Yeah, I am. I don’t know what is done and what is going to happen there, but I’m just mostly focused on our group, but, no, I’m not too concerned. I feel like the attention to detail is the best I’ve ever seen with the group that we have on this 38 truck and so that really matters in that department. It’ll be tough finding the right people if that is the case, but hopefully whatever the case is, we know sooner than later so we know which direction we need to move in.”

ARE YOU AT A DISADVANTAGE WITH THE NUMBER OF FORD TRUCKS IN THE FIELD AT TALLADEGA COMPARED TO THE OTHER MANUFACTURERS? “We had our meeting yesterday of just helping each other. It’s really hard to go into these races just with a set plan and this is what we’re gonna do. Typically, when that happens I think everything possible as far as bad things to mess up that plan happens. I know the 17 truck is chasing the owner’s championship, so I don’t know how much below he is, but I’m sure he’s gonna be aggressive and then the 1 and the 15 will hopefully help with some stage points, whether that’s helping us push and get some or take away stage points from others. I know Parker and I worked well together at Daytona and I’ve worked with Grant some on some superspeedway stuff. I feel like in the beginning chasing stage points, yeah, there is manufacturer help that people work together with, but towards the end I feel like it just becomes all for themselves and whoever lines up behind you on restarts, especially now that it’s in the Round of 8 and if you win you get into the Round of 4, so, yeah, it’s low numbers in the Ford camp, but it didn’t affect us too much at Daytona, so I’m not too worried about it.”

HAVE YOU DEVELOPED A GOOD SENSE OF WHEN A WRECK MIGHT BE COMING ON THE SUPERSPEEDWAYS AND, IF SO, WHAT IS THAT LIKE? “Yeah, I don’t know if I get lucky with just reading other trucks around me. At Talladega, I don’t have a great track record about that, but in most situations I feel like I’ve read those situations very well and got lucky with that, so I feel like some of that is spotter-related, too. I think I have probably the best spotter up there in Josh WIlliams. He’s great at reading those situations. I mean, you see it on Sunday too with Ryan always being up there, so I’m just super confident in the group I have around me and I now have more experience and now, fortunately, a race win on a superspeedway, so that just gives confidence. I’ve just been on every side of situations on a superspeedway in a truck, so I don’t know what Talladega will bring. I don’t think anyone knows, but we’ll do our best and hopefully come out OK and go to Homestead still above the bubble.”

WITH THE LONG BREAKS THE TRUCK SERIES HAS COMING UP IN THE PLAYOFFS IS THERE ANYTHING YOU HAVE PLANNED TO GO RACE, LIKE CARTING OR SOMETHING, TO KEEP YOUR SKILLS SHARP – AND WHAT ARE THESE BREAKS LIKE? “I definitely wish I was able to race more of whatever it is. I have just done my same training routine that I’ve done for the past three years and it keeps me busy, but, yeah, I wish I was racing more. I got really sick after Bristol, but I am all good now and ready to get going again. The long breaks definitely really suck, especially since it’s right after our eight week stretch, so hopefully in the future I hope that’s a little different. I know next year I have hopefully planned a lot of races to keep me busy. I’m excited for that.”

YOU WON AN ARCA RACE AT TALLADEGA IN 2018 AND HOMESTEAD IS AFTER THAT. WHAT ARE YOUR EXPECTATIONS FOR THESE NEXT TWO RACES? “That was a really cool experience winning at Talladega in an ARCA car and a super exciting finish. The ARCA races, back then we still actually raced pretty hard. There was at least two lanes. I feel like now it’s mostly single-file, but the trucks are just way different with how big the runs are that you get and just obviously way more competition. I just got a glimpse of what I had at Daytona and I was happy with my truck for the most part. It played out really good for us, so obviously we’re bringing back that same truck and hopefully do the same thing.”

IS THERE A CHANCE YOU WILL RUN PART-TIME XFINITY IN 2023 AND THE DAYTONA 500? “Yeah, right now I have a few races scheduled on the Cup side with Front Row, starting with trying to make it into the Daytona 500. Other than that, we don’t have any races set in stone yet. We’re waiting on a few other dominoes to fall. It’s the same exact deal on the Xfinity side. I’m not really sure who that will be with or what, but we’re trying to put together some Xfinity races, but that goes back to what I was saying, where we’re just trying to stay busy and race more. That’s my main goal for next year.”

Roush Fenway Keselowski Weekly Advance | Talladega II

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Talladega Superspeedway is the next stop for the NASCAR Cup Series, a track where Jack Roush’s Fords have long had great success at. RFK has eight overall wins at Talladega and five in the NCS, while Co-Owner/Driver of the No. 6, Brad Keselowski, has six wins alone. Chris Buescher is coming off a sixth-place run in this race a year ago.

NASCAR Cup Series Race at Talladega
Sunday, Oct. 2 | 2 p.m. ET
NBC, MRN, SiriusXM Channel 90

Brad Keselowski, No. 6 Kohler Generators Ford Mustang
Chris Buescher, No. 17 Fastenal Ford Mustang

Keselowski at Dega

Brad Keselowski is the winningest active driver at Talladega, tied with Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Jeff Gordon on the all-time wins list. Only Dale Earnhardt Sr. has more with 10 Cup wins.

Photo Finish at the Line

It came down to the final few inches for Ryan Newman three years ago in the fall race, as he finished second behind Ryan Blaney by .007 seconds, the sixth-closest finish in NASCAR history. Newman lined up fifth on the inside line for the final restart with three laps to go. After a four-car group went single-file coming to the white flag, Newman took the lead and led coming out of turn four and through the tri-oval before Blaney snuck to his inside just before the start/finish line. It was a long 188 laps for the entire field as rain set in after 57 laps were completed, postponing the finish to Monday afternoon.

Running Clear Across Alabama

RFK has seen its fair share of success at the Alabama track, amassing 279 starts, eight wins, 44 top-fives and 95 top-10s across NASCAR’s three major touring series. Roush machines have also tallied seven poles, including three in Cup action, and have led more than 1500 laps.

Winning in Greenbow

RFK has won in all three of NASCAR’s major series at Talladega. The team won its first race at Talladega in the NCS event in the spring of 1995. Former RFK driver Mark Martin won for the organization in all three series at the 2.66-mile oval.

Most recently, Ricky Stenhouse Jr. piloted his Fifth Third Bank Ford to victory lane five years ago when the NCS rolled through Talladega for the organization’s eighth win at the historic track.

Fastest Chicken in the South

Former RFK driver Mark Martin won the fastest Cup race ever recorded on May 10, 1997 at Talladega piloting the No. 6 Ford. Martin, who held off NASCAR Hall of Famer Dale Earnhardt, started from the 18th position and led 47 laps en route to the victory. The race saw 26 lead changes and had an average speed of 188.354 mph.

Tale of the Tape

RFK has started 220 NCS races at Talladega with 78 top-10 and 37 top-five finishes along with three poles. Former drivers Mark Martin (1995, 1997), Jamie McMurray (2009), Matt Kenseth (2012) and Stenhouse are responsible for RFK’s combined five Cup wins and overall a Jack Roush Ford has led 1519 laps at the 2.66-mile track.

RFK Talladega Wins

1995-1 Martin Cup

1997-1 Martin Cup

1997 Martin NXS

2006 Martin Truck

2009 Ragan NXS

2009-2 McMurray Cup

2012-2 Kenseth Cup

2017-1 Stenhouse Cup

Corey Heim – No. 51 JBL Tundra TRD Pro Camping World Trucks Talladega Preview

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Corey Heim: Driver, No. 51 JBL Toyota

NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Overview:
Event: Playoff Race at Talladega, Race 21 of 23 (Race 2 in the Round of 8)
100 Laps – 20/20/54; 250.04 Miles
Location: Talladega (Ala.) Superspeedway (2.66-mile, tri-oval)
Date/Broadcast: Oct. 1, 2022, at 12:30 p.m. ET on FS1, MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR 90

The Story on Corey:
Corey Heim and the No. 51 JBL team head to Talladega for the second race in the Round of 8 in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series owner’s playoffs. Saturday’s 100-lap event will mark Heim’s first Truck Series start at the 2.66-mile tri-oval. Heim was victorious in the ARCA Menards Series at the Alabama track in 2021 and finished third in this year’s event. He also has gone two-for-two in ARCA Menards Series races at the other superspeedway, Daytona (Fla.) International Speedway, winning there in 2021 and again this season.

The Georgia driver has put together a stretch of five consecutive top-10 finishes in Camping World Truck Series action, including his 10th-place result at Bristol (Tenn.) Motor Speedway in the series’ most recent event. With two races remaining in the Round of 8, the No. 51 finds themselves sixth on the owner’s playoff grid, 18 points below the cutoff line for advancing to the Championship 4. Heim propelled the team through the Round of 10 with three top-10 finishes, putting them 33 points above the cutoff line for advancing.

The No. 51 team qualified for the owner’s portion of the playoffs via Heim’s two wins this season (Atlanta Motor Speedway and World Wide Technology Raceway at Gateway). They are tied with the No. 18 and No. 38 teams with a series-leading three wins this season. In addition to Heim’s two wins, Kyle Busch was victorious at Sonoma (Calif.) Raceway in June. The No. 51 team has captured the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series owner’s championship three times (2013-2014 & 2019) and as on organization KBM has collected a series-record seven owner’s titles.

Across 13 Truck Series starts this season, Heim has produced two wins, two poles, 64 laps led, five top-five and eight top-10 finishes resulting in an average finish of 14.4. The 19-year-old driver leads the Truck Series rookie of the year standings by 140 points over Lawless Alan. Heim will look to join three other KBM drivers that have won the award, reigning winner Chandler Smith, William Byron (2016) and Erik Jones (2015). Overall, Heim sits 15th in the driver point standings, despite only starting 13 of the 20 events, and is ahead of seven full-time competitors.

The Georgia driver picked up his first career Truck Series victory in just his fifth start earlier this season at Atlanta and won again at Gateway in is ninth start. With two victories across his first 10 Truck Series starts; Heim became one of just 12 drivers in series history to net multiple victories in their first 10 starts. Kasey Kahne and Mike Skinner each produced five victories, Mark Martin collected four wins, Ron Hornaday Jr., Ted Musgrave and William Byron brought home three checkered flags and Heim, Kyle Busch, Erik Jones, Rich Bickle, Clint Bowyer and Tony Stewart all delivered two wins.

Heim picked up his ninth career ARCA Menards Series victory Sept. 10 at Kansas Speedway. Across 43 career ARCA Menards Series starts he has produced 814 laps led, 31 top-five and 41 top-10 finishes resulting in an average finish of 4.3. Heim finished second to Ty Gibbs in the 2021 ARCA Menards Series championship standings.

Mardy Lindley returned to KBM for his second season atop the pit box of the No. 51 team. Lindley has led his team to six wins since coming to KBM at the start of the 2021 season, including two with Heim and one with Kyle Busch this year. In 2021, his drivers produced three victories, two with Busch and one with Martin Truex Jr. Before arriving at KBM, Lindley guided his drivers to 32 wins and four ARCA Menards Series East championships since 2013, including back-to-back titles with Sam Mayer the last two seasons. Additionally, he earned the ARCA Menards Series Sioux Chief Showdown championship with Mayer in 2020. Behind the wheel, the second-generation driver won 11 races on the Pro Cup Series from 2000 to 2006 and was crowned the series champion in 2001. Lindley’s lone race calling the shots at Talladega resulted in a 35th-place finish with Drew Dollar in last year’s race.

JBL, the authority in engineering superior sound, will be onboard with Heim at Talladega in their final primary race of the season. Crescent Tools, a premier hand tool brand from Apex Tool Group, will be the primary sponsor on Heim’s No. 51 Tundra TRD Pro for the final two races of the season.
Corey Heim, Driver Q&A:
You’ve won three times in four starts on superspeedways in the ARCA Menards Series. What has been the key to your success?
“I think just staying patient is the main thing. Lots of people try to jump the gun early in the race. When realistically you can make up 5 to 10 positions in the matter of a few laps if you’re in a good spot. So, placement and timing are everything.”

How much different is racing on superspeedways in the Truck Series than it is in the ARCA Menards Series?
“It’s definitely a lot more intense. The field is much deeper, so mistakes come back to bite you a lot worse.”

How does your preparation for a superspeedway race compare to your preparation for other races?
“Speedway races are the most mentally challenging in my opinion. So doing research and making sure that I’m mentally prepared is going to go a long way.”

Corey Heim Career Highlights:

  • Picked up first career NASCAR Camping World Truck Series victory at Atlanta Motor Speedway March 19, 2022 in just his fifth start. Across 16 career starts has two wins, two poles, 66 laps led, five top-five and eight top-10 finishes resulting in an average finish of 14.8.
  • With two victories across his first 10 Truck Series starts, the 19-year-old driver became one of just 12 drivers in series history to net multiple victories in their first 10 starts. Kasey Kahne and Mike Skinner each produced five victories, Mark Martin collected four wins, Ron Hornaday Jr., Ted Musgrave and William Byron brought home three checkered flags and Heim, Kyle Busch, Erik Jones, Rich Bickle, Clint Bowyer and Tony Stewart all delivered two wins.
  • Finished runner-up in the ARCA Menards Series championship standings in 2021 after collecting six wins, three poles, 406 laps led, 16 top-five and 20 top-10 finishes resulting in an average finish of 3.1 across 20 starts.
  • Across 43 career ARCA Menards Series starts has nine wins, 814 laps led, 31 top-five and 41 top-10 finishes resulting in an average finish of 4.3. Picked up his first career ARCA Menards Series victory at Kansas Speedway Oct. 16, 2020.
  • Corey Heim’s No. 51 JBL Tundra TRD Pro:
  • KBM-26: The No. 51 JBL team will unload KBM-26 for Saturday’s 250-mile race at Talladega. This Tundra TRD Pro has one victory under its belt, which came with Raphael Lessard at Talladega in 2020. It also has one pole at Talladega, with David Gilliland in 2018. Heim drove this Tundra TRD Pro earlier this year at Daytona, where he finished fourth in the opening stage before getting in an incident on pit road and would ultimately exit the race early with a 32nd-place finish.


KBM Notes of Interest:

  • KBM drivers have collected two wins, two poles, 79 laps led, 10 top-five and 18 top-10 finishes resulting in an average finish of 11.1 across 31 starts at Talladega. Raphael Lessard collected the first victory of his NASCAR Camping World Truck Series career at the 2.66-mile tri-oval in 2021 and owner-driver Kyle Busch was victorious in the 2010 event when he finished 0.002 seconds ahead of Aric Almirola in the closest finish in Truck Series history since electronic scoring was instituted.
  • KBM holds the Camping World Truck Series records for most career wins (98) and most wins in a single season (14 in 2014). With his victory at Atlanta (Ga.) Motor Speedway earlier this year, Heim became the 18th different driver to win a Truck Series event for KBM. In addition to collecting a series-record seven Owner’s Championships, the organization has produced two championship-winning drivers: Erik Jones (2015) and Christopher Bell (2017).
  • With 40 victories, the No. 51 is the winningest number in KBM’s Truck Series fleet.

Hardpoint Ready for IMSA Season Finale and Endurance Week at Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta

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Ferriol, Legge and Boulle to Send Off the No. 99 GridRival/de Boulle Porsche 911 GT3 R in 10 Hour Petit Le Mans Endurance Race, with Galante and McAlister Wrapping the Pilot Challenge Season in the No. 22 Racing to End Alzheimer’s Porsche Cayman

BRASELTON, Georgia (September 28, 2022) – Hardpoint will wrap the IMSA season this week at Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta, where Nick Boulle returns to the team to join Rob Ferriol and Katherine Legge in Saturday’s 10-hour Motul Petit Le Mans endurance classic in the No. 99 GridRival/de Boulle Diamond and Jewelry Porsche 911 GT3 R, and Nick Galante and Sean McAlister will cap the season in the No. 22 Racing to End Alzheimer’s Porsche 718 Cayman GT4 RS Clubsport in the IMSA Michelin Pilot Challenge finale.

Friday’s two-hour Michelin Pilot Challenge race can be seen live streaming on Peacock at 1:10 p.m. ET on September 30, and tape delayed on USA Network at Noon ET on Monday, October 10. Petit Le Mans, the WeatherTech Sports Car Championship finale, can be seen in its entirety for 10 hours beginning at noon ET on Saturday, October 1 on Peacock. The opening three hours can be seen on the NBC Network, with the closing three hours, 30 minutes on USA Network beginning at 7 p.m. ET.

Hardpoint News and Notes

Nick Boulle returns to Hardpoint to bookend the season after opening as the team’s fourth driver at the Rolex 24 At Daytona. Boulle qualified the car at Daytona and helped the team to a top-10 finish at the endurance race.

Boulle’s last appearance at Petit Le Mans was in 2018, when he drove an LMP2 car for Performance Tech Motorsports. That day ended early for Boulle’s team, but not before he was able to make up ground for his team in a successful stint.

Legge’s most recent podium at Petit Le Mans came in the same 2018 race, where she finished second in the GTD class.

Likewise, Ferriol owns trophies from Road Atlanta. He was on the podium in 2019 In IMSA Porsche GT3 Cup North America’s Gold Class, and Hardpoint clinched the 2021 Porsche Carrera Cup North America Am Class championship at the track in 2021. He just missed the podium in 2019 in Michelin Pilot Challenge, finishing fourth.

Ferriol, Legge and teammate Andrew Davis finished eighth of 15 entries in the GTD class at Petit Le Mans last season.

Ferriol and Legge participated in the track’s pre-event fan party on Tuesday night in the Suwanee Town Center. Both drivers participated in a fan forum, media interviews and an autograph session during the promotional party.

The Road Atlanta race is the final IMSA race for this model of Porsche 911 GT3 R, with a new version of the car on the way for the 2023 season.

Boulle rejoins the team for Petit Le Mans, filling the role held by Cusick Motorsports driver Stefan Wilson at Sebring and Watkins Glen. Cusick Motorsports and Wilson have redirected their focus toward IndyCar opportunities for the 2023 season after introducing LOHLA SPORT, Gnarly Jerky and Neptune Systems to the IMSA paddock during the 2022 seasons.

Galante and McAlister will represent Racing to End Alzheimer’s on the No. 22 Porsche Cayman for the final time this season in Pilot Challenge GS class.

The “purple Porsche” will carry nearly 200 names in tribute to loved ones around the country who have been touched by Alzheimer’s. The Racing to End Alzheimer’s team, led by founder Philip Frengs, have made recent stops at Porsche dealerships in Nashville and Chattanooga, Tennessee, on the way to Atlanta with a tribute car – a street version of the Porsche Cayman, complete with livery. Dealerships across the country have hosted Frengs, who has spoken with donors and race fans about the charity.

The program has raised nearly $100,000 to date this season through donations that go to Alzheimer’s care and cure programs. All of the donations go directly to the selected causes, with Frengs’ company, Legistics, covering the program overhead and the racing expenses.

If anyone knows the podium location at Road Atlanta, it’s Nick Galante. He was the ST class race winner in 2016, on the ST podium in 2018, and on the TCR class podium in 2019.

His teammate can almost match that success. In five Porsche GT3 Cup races at Road Atlanta during the COVID season of 2020, McAlister earned three podium finishes and finished fourth two additional times.

Hardpoint has been busy away from the IMSA paddock, as well. Brady Behrman scored a pair of Intercontinental GT podiums at Watkins Glen in September, driving his No. 428 TradeCentric Porsche 911 GT3 Cup.

Hardpoint’s eSports team captured the team championship in the Porsche Club of America Pro GT3 Cup series on the iRacing platform. Cameron Martineau and Chris Walsh combined to take home the team title on their rigs, including Asetek Sim Racing pedals, with Martineau second and Walsh fourth in the driver standings.

Hardpoint Quote Board

Rob Ferriol, Driver, No. 99 Porsche 911 GT3 R: “This is the last race of a challenging season, but the one thing that’s apparent is the effort our crew has put into this program. We’ve taken another step forward with a productive test session at Road Atlanta, so we plan to send the season and this model of the GT3 R out on a high note. Nick got back to speed at the test after being away from this car since Daytona, and we’re happy to have him back in our paddock space and a part of the team. Petit Le Mans is always a challenge because it’s busy, it’s long, and there’s historically been a lot of attrition. If we can take care of our business and continue to improve the car throughout the week, we’ll give Katherine an opportunity to bring home a finish for us at the end and launch that momentum into what is shaping up to be a busy 2023 season.”

Nick Boulle, Driver, No. 99 Porsche 911 GT3 R: “I’m really excited to get back behind the wheel of the No. 99 Hardpoint Porsche 911 GT3 R at Road Atlanta to bookend the season! We tested last week here and that helped me to get reacquainted with the Porsche. I’m hoping we can continue that momentum and make a good run at Petit Le Mans next week. I have to give a big thanks to de Boulle Motorsports and the Hardpoint team for a second opportunity in the car to finish the season. Hopefully we can surprise some people this weekend with our performance on what is always a long and exciting race.”

Katherine Legge, Driver, No. 99 Porsche 911 GT3 R: “Road Atlanta is not only my home race, but also one of my favorites! It is so much fun to drive and the 10-hour race adds all the excitement you need for the fans and drivers alike. The conditions are constantly changing and it’s tricky to cool exist with other classes of cars with all the elevation and unsighted turns. It’s great to have Nick back driving with us. We had a great test here last week and we are all buoyed and pumped to get in and give it out all for the last race of the season.”

Sean McAlister, Driver, No. 22 Porsche Cayman: “I really love Road Atlanta. It’s arguably my favorite on the schedule. 2020 was a good year here, I had a couple of podiums and I just missed the pole in qualifying by a few hundredths. I can’t wait to get on track and figure out the Cayman here. Let’s just hope the incoming hurricane doesn’t cancel anything on the schedule, but if it does hit and we’re on track in the rain it should make for some fun, wet driving!”

Nick Galante, Driver, No. 22 Porsche Cayman: “Road America has been kind to me over the years, so this feels like a great time to start a new podium streak. We’re really motivated to get a result with all of these inspiring names on the car, and Phil and the Racing to End Alzheimer’s team have done a fantastic job the last two weeks to make a push for donations, stopping at dealerships across the south to meet with donors. We appreciate the effort the fans and public have made, and I know this team will match that effort this week on the track.”

About Hardpoint:

Hardpoint was founded by Rob Ferriol in 2018 with the vision of combining his experience as a successful entrepreneur with his passion for racing. Headquartered at VIRginia International Raceway, the team captured the 2021 Porsche Carrera Cup North America Pro-Am championship in its inaugural season and competes full-time in the IMSA WeatherTech Sports Car Championship in the No. 99 GridRival Porsche 911 GT3 R with co-drivers Ferriol and Katherine Legge, joined by Stefan Wilson for Michelin Endurance Cup races. In 2022, Hardpoint has added the No. 22 Racing To End Alzheimer’s Porsche 718 Cayman GT4 RS Clubsport driven by Nick Galante and Sean McAllister in IMSA Michelin Pilot Challenge Grand Sport (GS), as well as the No. 428 TradeCentric Porsche 911 GT3 Cup driven by Brady Behrman in International GT. More information on Hardpoint can be found at www.hardpoint.com or through its strong social media presence on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.

JR Motorsports — NXS Talladega II Preview

By
Official Release
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JR MOTORSPORTS TEAM PREVIEW:
TRACK: Talladega Superspeedway
RACE: Sparks 300 (113 laps / 300 miles)
DATE: Saturday, Oct. 1, 2022

Broadcast Information – TV: 4 p.m. ET on USA / Radio: 3:30 p.m. ET on MRN and Sirius XM Ch. 90

Sam Mayer
No. 1 Accelerate Professional Talent Solutions Chevrolet
• Sam Mayer currently sits seventh on the NASCAR Xfinity Series Playoff grid, one point above the eighth and final spot with two races remaining in the Round of 12.
• With his eighth-place result last week, Mayer has now finished inside of the top 10 in three consecutive NXS races dating back to Kansas Speedway last month. His average finish in those events is 7.0.
• Mayer started 14th earlier this year at Talladega Superspeedway and raced as high as first before being involved in a multi-car incident that ended his day shy of the finish.

Josh Berry
No. 8 JARRETT Chevrolet
• Josh Berry started 16th last week at Texas and drove to second before ultimately finishing in the sixth position. With the result, Berry has now finished inside the top 10 in 17 races, including four straight.
• Berry and the No. 8 team currently sit in fifth position on the playoff grid, 24 points above the eighth and final spot with two races remaining in the Round of 12.
• In this event last season, Berry drove the No. 1 for an injured Michael Annett and finished ninth after leading three laps.
• At tracks measuring 2 miles or more in the NXS, Berry has earned three top fives and six top 10s in 11 starts.

Noah Gragson
No. 9 Bass Pro Shops / TrueTimber / Black Rifle Coffee Chevrolet
• Noah Gragson has a shot at history this weekend. Fresh off four consecutive victories, if Gragson wins at Talladega he’ll become the first NXS driver to win five races in a row.
• By virtue of his triumph last week at Texas, Gragson claims the top spot in the point standings and is the first driver locked into the Round of 8.
• Over his last nine NXS starts, Gragson has five victories (at Pocono, Darlington, Kansas, Bristol and Texas), seven top five and eight top-10 finishes.
• With a Talladega victory earlier this year, Gragson has excelled at the facility in seven NXS starts. In addition to the win, he’s added three top-five and five top-10 finishes.

Justin Allgaier
No. 7 BRANDT Professional Agriculture Chevrolet
• When the green flag waves on Saturday afternoon at Talladega, Justin Allgaier will become just the 10th driver in NXS history to make 400 career starts.
• With two races remaining in the Round of 12 in the NXS Playoffs, Allgaier currently sits as the sixth seed, 20 points above the cutline.
• In 14 career NXS starts at Talladega, Allgaier has earned four top fives, seven top 10s and a best finish of second, coming in the spring of 2016.
• In 38 combined starts on the superspeedways of Talladega and Daytona, Allgaier has amassed 10 top fives and 17 top 10s.

Driver Quotes

“Taylor (Moyer, crew chief) and this Accelerate Professional Talent Solutions team always build fast cars, especially for Daytona and Talladega. That gives me a lot of confidence that I can make the moves needed and put myself in the right situations to be battling towards the front on Saturday. You never know what is going to happen at these superspeedways but our goal is to keep the car clean all race and hopefully come out with a solid points day.” – Sam Mayer

“Anything can happen at Talladega. You can go from being in the lead one lap to the back of the back the next. Hopefully, we can avoid any potential trouble out there and find ourselves up front and in contention to win with our BRANDT Professional Agriculture Chevrolet. JRM has always been extremely strong on the superspeedways, and I feel like we couldn’t be coming to a better place than Talladega this weekend to get our playoffs back on track.” – Justin Allgaier

“JRM as a whole usually does well in these types of races and this weekend is going to be more of the same. Hopefully we can qualify up front and work with our teammates on staying there all race. We’re in good shape in points right now, but Talladega is a wild card and anything can happen. I think if we can finish this race, we will be in a good spot for the Roval next week, but our main objective is to go out and win.” – Josh Berry

“This season has just been incredible. Winning four straight is really hard to do in anything, and we’ve done it. This Bass Pro Shops/TrueTimber/Black Rifle Coffee team has been amazing all year, and it’s all coming together at the right time. It was a wild finish last time at Talladega, and it will probably be thatway again this weekend. We’re already in the Round of 8, and that takes some of the pressure off this weekend.”– Noah Gragson

JRM Team Updates:

• Making History: By virtue of last week’s win at Texas Motor Speedway, Gragson has done something that hasn’t been done since 1983. He has won four consecutive races in the NXS and is tied with Sam Ard for the longest winning streak in series history. If Gragson can win at Talladega, a track he won at earlier this year, he would be the only driver to ever win five in a row in the NXS.
• JR Motorsports at Talladega: JR Motorsports has competed at Talladega Superspeedway a combined 57 times in the NXS. Over
the course of those starts at the 2.66-mile facility, the organization has tallied three wins, 16 top fives and 29 top 10s. The
company’s most recent win came earlier this season with Noah Gragson and the No. 9 team.
• Team Chevy Display: JRM drivers Justin Allgaier, Josh Berry and Sam Mayer will appear at the Team Chevy display located in the Talladega fan zone on Saturday, Oct. 1. Allgaier will appear from 11:30 a.m. to 11:45 a.m. and the duo of Berry and Mayer from 12:30 p.m. to 12:45 p.m.
• Souvenir Rig: JRM driver Justin Allgaier will be signing autographs at the JR Motorsports/Hendrick Motorsports souvenir rig on Saturday, Oct. 1 from 11:50 a.m. to 12:20 p.m.

Toyota Racing – Weekly Preview – 09.28.22

By
Official Release
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This Week in Motorsports: September 26-October 2, 2022

· NCS/NXS/NCWTS: Talladega Superspeedway – October 1-2
· ARCA: Salem Speedway (Salem, Ind.) – October 1
· NHRA: World Wide Technology at Gateway (Madison, Ill.) – October 2

PLANO, Texas (September 28, 2022) – It’s the last superspeedway event of the season as all of Toyota’s Playoff drivers look for strong finishes in Talladega, while the NHRA finishes their run of three straight events near St. Louis. ARCA is back in action as well at Salem Speedway as the series closes out its season.

NASCAR National Series – NCS | NXS | NCWTS

Bell plans to rebound… After losing two tires in Texas, Christopher Bell plans to rebound at Talladega Superspeedway. Bell, who has three top-five finishes in the last four races, finished fifth in this race one season ago.

Hamlin continues to show superspeedway strength… Denny Hamlin continues to show his expertise at superspeedway racing. The three-time Daytona 500 champion is also a multi-time winner at Talladega, scoring victories in 2014 and 2020.

Gibbs looks to clinch… Ty Gibbs is looking to clinch his spot in the Round of 8 with a strong run at Talladega on Saturday. After a third-place finish in Texas, Gibbs is third in the point standings – 46 points above ninth.

Jones planning for a bounce back… Brandon Jones had a strong run taken away in Texas when he was involved in a wreck not of his making. Jones, who comes into Talladega 13 points below the cutoff, has two second-place finishes at Talladega, including at this race last season.

Bayne, Griffith return… Trevor Bayne and Derek Griffith are both back behind the wheel of Toyota GR Supras this weekend. Bayne, a former Daytona 500 winner, has been impressive in his six starts this season – scoring four top-five and five top-10 finishes. This is the first of three scheduled starts for Bayne as he will be back with Joe Gibbs Racing in Las Vegas and Homestead-Miami. Griffith is making his fifth career Xfinity Series start and first on a superspeedway.

Majeski breathing easy… Ty Majeski picked the perfect time to score his first career NASCAR victory as the Wisconsin-native proved to have the right strategy on his way to the Bristol Motor Speedway winner’s circle two weeks ago to clinch a berth into the Championship 4. He is making his Truck Series debut at Talladega, although he has a NASCAR Xfinity Series and ARCA Menards Series start at the track.

Smith leads standings with three to go… Despite a ninth-place finish in Bristol, Chandler Smith holds the points lead going into Talladega this weekend on the strength of his two stage wins in Bristol. No driver scored more points in Bristol than Smith, who goes into the race this weekend with a 24-point advantage over the Playoff cutoff. The Georgia-native finished third in his track debut at Talladega in 2020.

NASCAR Regional Series – ARCA

Smith continues to run strong in ARCA… Sammy Smith continues to impress with strong performances in ARCA Menards Series action. Smith, despite competing in only 14 of the 18 events this season, sits sixth in the point standings. He has earned top-five finishes in 13 of his 14 wins, including a victory at ARCA’s last event in Bristol.

Love looks back on his first victory… Jesse Love returns to Salem Speedway as the reigning event winner for the first time in his career. Last season, the Toyota development driver won his first national ARCA Menards Series race at Salem Speedway. He passed Ty Gibbs with 45 laps to go and led the rest of the way to score the win.

NHRA – Top Fuel | Funny Car

Ashley still in the lead… Justin Ashley advanced to his second straight Top Fuel final round to start the Countdown for the championship, which further cements the New York-native as the points leader. Ashley, who has advanced to the semi-finals or better the last six races on tour, holds a 43-point advantage.

Brown, Capps continue to win… Antron Brown and Ron Capps have hit a hot streak recently, while both are in the first season of team ownership. Brown has won three of the last five events to move to second in the point standings, while Capps followed his first U.S. Nationals victory with a triumph at zMax Dragway in Charlotte on Sunday. Capps also sits second in the standings, just 27 markers out of the lead.

Stay Connected

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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.

CORVETTE RACING AT ROAD ATLANTA: Just Win It

By
Official Release
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Endurance Cup title also in play in final race of first GTD PRO season

DETROIT (Sept. 28, 2022) – Winning races is the goal every time out for Corvette Racing. There’s a bit more “want” coming from the team this weekend, however.

The 10-hour Petit Le Mans is the final round of this year’s IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship. It’s the 25th running of the endurance classic at Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta with Corvette Racing looking for its ninth class victory since its first race there in 1999. That doesn’t tell a complete story, unfortunately.

It’s been 12 years – 4,378 days for those counting – since Corvette Racing last won Petit Le Mans. It’s the longest stretch between victories at any event for the program… a situation the team plans to rectify Saturday.

Full-season teammates Antonio Garcia and Jordan Taylor welcome Nicky Catsburg back to the driver’s seat of the No. 3 Mobil 1/SiriusXM Chevrolet Corvette C8.R in the GT Daytona (GTD) PRO class. The two seek their second long-distance victory of the season, having won the Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring in March.

That triumph plus a strong showing at June’s Six Hours of The Glen have propelled Garcia, Taylor and the No. 3 Corvette squad to the lead of the Michelin Endurance Cup – a collection of the four premier long-distance races for the WeatherTech Championship.

The season-opening Rolex 24 At Daytona and Petit Le Mans bookend the Endurance Cup, which sees Chevrolet second in the Manufacturers standings entering Road Atlanta.

The best way to secure the championship is to win the race. Taylor is the one member of the driver trio to accomplish that, having won overall in 2014 and 2018 as part of the Prototype class.

Not that there haven’t been close calls. Corvette Racing has finished second four times and recorded a pair of third-place finishes since 2010. In many of those seasons, the team’s focus was on wrapping up either the American Le Mans Series’ GT championship or the IMSA GT Le Mans (GTLM) title instead of going for outright race wins – 2013, 2016-18 and 2021.

Petit Le Mans sees the end of the first season for Corvette in the new GTD PRO category, and as such is the first at Road Atlanta for the GTD Corvette – which runs with more weight, less power, an anti-lock braking system and a spec Michelin tire compared to the GTLM class. Aside from a win at Sebring in March, the No. 3 Corvette finished second in class at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park and VIR with third-place showings at Long Beach and Road America.

Chevrolet On Display at Road Atlanta

In addition to the many series and events competing during the Petit Le Mans weekend, race fans will have plenty to see and experience from Chevrolet. The Chevrolet Motorsports Display will be full of Chevy vehicles that spectators can learn more about throughout the weekend.

The Chevrolet Motorsports Display opens at 8 a.m. Thursday and Friday plus 8:30 a.m. Saturday and is located in the Fan Zone above the Road Atlanta main paddock. Numerous Chevrolet vehicles and other highlights include:

• The 2023 Corvette Z06 convertible

• Additional Chevrolet products such as Equinox RS AWD, Camaro 2SS coupe, 2023 Blazer RS AWD, 2022 Silverado 1500 Crew ZR2 4WD, 2023 Tahoe 4WD RST and a SEMA-edition Corvette Stingray

• A Corvette C8.R showcar, a Corvette Stingray cutaway chassis and the Chevrolet Corvette LT6.R engine

• An opportunity to receive a 2022 Corvette Racing t-shirt

In addition, a white Chevrolet Corvette Stingray coupe will lead the Petit Le Mans field to the green flag and serve as the official pace car.

The 10-hour Petit Le Mans is scheduled for 12:10 p.m. ET on Saturday, Oct. 1. The race will air live on NBC from noon-3 p.m. ET and from 7-10:30 p.m. ET on USA. Peacock will have live flag-to-flag streaming from noon-10:30 p.m. ET. IMSA Radio will provide live audio coverage Saturday on IMSA.com, XM 207 and SiriusXM Online 992.

ANTONIO GARCIA, NO. 3 MOBIL 1/SiriusXM CHEVROLET CORVETTE C8.R: “It’s both puzzling and frustrating that I haven’t won Petit Le Mans. Of all the big races I’ve done with Corvette, that’s the only one left and I’m reminded of it year after year. The race will be different in many ways so hopefully that’s good for us. Although we are leading the Endurance Cup standings, we are effectively out of the season championship. It’s not a familiar position for us but now we can just go and race for the win this time.

“I’d like to win Petit Le Mans not just for myself but for the team. This has been a very challenging year moving to GTD PRO. It took a lot of work to get the C8.R ready for Daytona. Since then we’ve been in some races and not competitive in others. That’s how it goes with the car we are running. I would say though that the team has worked has hard as it ever has to get whatever results we’ve been able to achieve.”

JORDAN TAYLOR, NO. 3 MOBIL 1/SiriusXM CHEVROLET CORVETTE C8.R: “Petit Le Mans is always a highlight of the year. It brings an amazing crowd and the race itself is always great. I think after our strong showing at VIR and being back in contention for wins, it’s given us a lot of motivation and confidence heading into the weekend. It hasn’t been the easiest year for us. Obviously winning the Sebring 12 Hours was great, but since then we’ve had some tough events. We were able to find a little bit of footing in Canada earlier in the summer, and VIR was the first race in a while where we felt like we could contend. We’re hoping we can keep that up and close this year out on a high.

“I’m fortunate to have won Petit Le Mans multiple times. There are a lot of really good engineers and crew guys on our team – plus Antonio and Nicky – who haven’t won there yet. There has been a lot of effort and preparation put into this race to get them that first win at Petit Le Mans. There wouldn’t be any better way to close this year than Corvette Racing finally winning there.”

NICKY CATSBURG, NO. 3 MOBIL 1/SiriusXM CHEVROLET CORVETTE C8.R: “Honestly this is probably the race everyone wants to win the most! Antonio has never won it and he’s won pretty much every other single event in the States. I’ll add myself to that, especially since last year I didn’t get to drive. For me, this is a big event and one that I want to win. It’s a great event and I’m looking forward to getting back to Corvette Racing. It’s been a long time since I was in the GTD version of the car in March at Sebring, so I’m sure I’ll need some time to get back up to speed. But I can’t wait to be back with the guys and try to win this race.

“This race will be quite a tough one. Road Atlanta doesn’t present the most overtaking opportunities. In the past, there was a clear difference between GTLM and GTD so you had a natural way to overtake. Now every single GTD car you find is potentially just as quick or just a little bit slower than you depending on tire situations. So everything is going to be a fight, plus you have the DPi cars that are so much faster in the high-speed sections. It will be very tough but it’s another reason I love multi-class racing. It’s another aspect where you can make a difference as a driver by being smart in traffic. We will have to stay on our toes the entire time.”

2022 WeatherTech SportsCar Championship – GTD PRO (After nine of 10 events)

Driver Standings

  1. Mathieu Jaminet/Matt Campbell – 3,173
  2. Antonio Garcia/Jordan Taylor – 2,908
  3. Ben Barnicoat – 2,892
  4. Alex Riberas/Ross Gunn – 2,791
  5. Connor De Phillippi/John Edwards – 2,522

Team Standings

  1. No. 9 Pfaff Motorsports – 3,173
  2. No. 3 Corvette Racing – 2,908
  3. No. 14 VasserSullivan – 2,892
  4. No. 23 Heart of Racing Team – 2,791
  5. No. 25 BMW Team RLL – 2,522

Manufacturer Standings

  1. Porsche – 3,173
  2. Lexus – 2,922
  3. Chevrolet – 2,918
  4. Aston Martin – 2,861
  5. BMW – 2,607

CORVETTE RACING AT MICHELIN RACEWAY ROAD ATLANTA: By the Numbers

• 1: As in one team, one manufacturer and one model of car for 24 years: Corvette Racing, Chevrolet and the Chevrolet Corvette.

• 3: Tracks where Corvette Racing has competed in each of its 24 years: Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta, Sebring International Raceway and WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca.

• 4: Generations of Corvette Racing entries at Road Atlanta since 1999 – Corvette C5-R (1999-04) Corvette C6.R (2005-2013), Corvette C7.R (2014-2019) and the new-generation Corvette C8.R (2020-current), which made its Road Atlanta debut at September’s six-hour IMSA race in 2020.

• 10: Number of Road Atlanta victories for Corvette Racing dating back to 2000 – eight of those at Petit Le Mans.

• 10: Petit Le Mans wins for Chevrolet – eight in GT and two in Prototype. That ranks third among manufacturers in event history.

• 14: Manufacturer Championships for Chevrolet and Corvette Racing since 2001

• 27: Tracks at which Corvette Racing has won races – Baltimore, Charlotte Motor Speedway, COTA, Canadian Tire Motorsport Park/Mosport, Daytona, Detroit, Fuji Speedway, Houston, Laguna Seca, Le Mans, Lime Rock, Long Beach, Miami, Mid-Ohio, Monza, Portland, Road America, Road Atlanta, Sebring, Sonoma, St. Petersburg, Texas, Trois Rivieres, Utah, VIR, Washington DC and Watkins Glen

• 32: Number of drivers for Corvette Racing since 1999

• 122: Victories worldwide for Corvette Racing – 113 in North America, eight at Le Mans and one in the FIA WEC

• 264: Event starts by Corvette Racing since 1999

• 40,845.98: Number of racing miles completed by Corvette Racing in its 25 previous trips to Road Atlanta. That represents 16,304 laps or more than 638 trips around Interstate 285 – Atlanta’s Perimeter.

• 347,052.77: Total number of racing miles completed by Corvette Racing since its inception. To put that in perspective, Corvette Racing is more than halfway to the distance traveled by Apollo 13 – the longest manned spaceflight in history: 622,268 miles. That means Corvette Racing has raced to the moon and more than halfway back!

Corvette Racing at Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta

1999

No. 3 Corvette C5-R: Ron Fellows/Chris Kneifel/John Paul Jr. – 5th in GTS

No. 4 Corvette C5-R: Andy Pilgrim/Kelly Collins/Scott Sharp – 4th in GTS

2000

No. 3 Corvette C5-R: Ron Fellows/Chris Kneifel/Justin Bell – 3rd in GTS (Fellows pole)

No. 4 Corvette C5-R: Andy Pilgrim/Kelly Collins/Franck Freon – 1st in GTS

2001

No. 3 Corvette C5-R: Ron Fellows/Johnny O’Connell/Scott Pruett – 9th in GTS

No. 4 Corvette C5-R: Andy Pilgrim/Kelly Collins/Franck Freon – 1st in GTS (Pilgrim pole)

2002

No. 3 Corvette C5-R: Ron Fellows/Johnny O’Connell/Oliver Gavin – 1st in GTS

No. 4 Corvette C5-R: Andy Pilgrim/Kelly Collins/Franck Freon – 3rd in GTS (Pilgrim fastest race lap)

2003*

No. 3 Corvette C5-R: Ron Fellows/Johnny O’Connell – 3rd in GTS

No. 4 Corvette C5-R: Oliver Gavin/Kelly Collins – 1st in GTS

2003

No. 3 Corvette C5-R: Ron Fellows/Johnny O’Connell/Franck Freon – 5th in GTS

No. 4 Corvette C5-R: Oliver Gavin/Kelly Collins/Andy Pilgrim – 3rd in GTS

2004

No. 3 Corvette C5-R: Ron Fellows/Johnny O’Connell/Max Papis – 2nd in GTS

No. 4 Corvette C5-R: Olivier Beretta/Oliver Gavin/Jan Magnussen – 1st in GTS (Gavin pole, fastest race lap)

2005*

No. 3 Corvette C6.R: Ron Fellows/Johnny O’Connell – 1st in GT1 (O’Connell pole, fastest race lap)

No. 4 Corvette C6.R: Olivier Beretta/Oliver Gavin – 2nd in GT1

2005

No. 3 Corvette C6.R: Ron Fellows/Johnny O’Connell/Max Papis – 6th in GT1

No. 4 Corvette C6.R: Olivier Beretta/Oliver Gavin/Jan Magnussen – 1st in GT1 (Beretta pole, Gavin fastest race lap)

2006

No. 3 Corvette C6.R: Ron Fellows/Johnny O’Connell/Max Papis – 4th in GT1 (O’Connell pole)

No. 4 Corvette C6.R: Olivier Beretta/Oliver Gavin/Jan Magnussen – 3rd in GT1 (Gavin fastest race lap)

2007

No. 3 Corvette C6.R: Ron Fellows/Johnny O’Connell/Jan Magnussen – 3rd in GT1

No. 4 Corvette C6.R: Olivier Beretta/Oliver Gavin/Max Papis – 1st in GT1 (Gavin fastest race lap)

2008

No. 3 Corvette C6.R: Ron Fellows/Johnny O’Connell/Jan Magnussen – 1st in GT1 (O’Connell pole, Magnussen fastest race lap)

No. 4 Corvette C6.R: Olivier Beretta/Oliver Gavin/Max Papis – 2nd in GT1

2009

No. 3 Corvette C6.R: Jan Magnussen/Johnny O’Connell/Antonio Garcia – 6th in GT2

No. 4 Corvette C6.R: Olivier Beretta/Oliver Gavin/Marcel Fässler – 4th in GT2

2010

No. 3 Corvette C6.R: Olivier Beretta/Johnny O’Connell/Antonio Garcia – 6th in GT

No. 4 Corvette C6.R: Oliver Gavin/Jan Magnussen/Emmanuel Collard – 1st in GT (Magnussen fastest race lap)

2011

No. 3 Corvette C6.R: Olivier Beretta/Tommy Milner/Antonio Garcia – 17th in GT

No. 4 Corvette C6.R: Oliver Gavin/Jan Magnussen/Richard Westbrook – 4th in GT

2012

No. 3 Corvette C6.R: Jan Magnussen/Antonio Garcia/Jordan Taylor – 2nd in GT

No. 4 Corvette C6.R: Oliver Gavin/Tommy Milner/Richard Westbrook – 12th in GT

2013

No. 3 Corvette C6.R: Jan Magnussen/Antonio Garcia/Jordan Taylor – 6th in GT (Garcia/Magnussen ALMS GT title)

No. 4 Corvette C6.R: Oliver Gavin/Tommy Milner/Richard Westbrook – 10th in GT

2014

No. 3 Corvette C7.R: Jan Magnussen/Antonio Garcia/Ryan Briscoe – 8th in GTLM

No. 4 Corvette C7.R: Oliver Gavin/Tommy Milner/Ryan Briscoe – 4th in GTLM

2015

No. 3 Corvette C7.R: Jan Magnussen/Antonio Garcia/Ryan Briscoe – 6th in GTLM

No. 4 Corvette C7.R: Oliver Gavin/Tommy Milner/Ryan Briscoe – 3rd in GTLM

2016

No. 3 Corvette C7.R: Jan Magnussen/Antonio Garcia/Mike Rockenfeller – 4th in GTLM

No. 4 Corvette C7.R: Oliver Gavin/Tommy Milner/Marcel Fässler – 3rd in GTLM (Gavin/Milner clinch GTLM title)

2017

No. 3 Corvette C7.R: Jan Magnussen/Antonio Garcia/Mike Rockenfeller – 2nd in GTLM (Garcia/Magnussen clinch GTLM title)

No. 4 Corvette C7.R: Oliver Gavin/Tommy Milner/Marcel Fässler – 4th in GTLM

2018

No. 3 Corvette C7.R: Jan Magnussen/Antonio Garcia/Marcel Fässler – 8th in GTLM (Garcia/Magnussen clinch GTLM title)

No. 4 Corvette C7.R: Oliver Gavin/Tommy Milner/Marcel Fässler – 2nd in GTLM

2019

No. 3 Corvette C7.R: Jan Magnussen/Antonio Garcia/Mike Rockenfeller – 4th in GTLM

No. 4 Corvette C7.R: Oliver Gavin/Tommy Milner/Marcel Fässler – 7th in GTLM

2020**

No. 3 Corvette C8.R: Antonio Garcia/Jordan Taylor – 5th in GTLM

No. 4 Corvette C8.R: Oliver Gavin/Tommy Milner – 2nd in GTLM

2020

No. 3 Corvette C8.R: Antonio Garcia/Jordan Taylor/Nicky Catsburg – 2nd in GTLM

No. 4 Corvette C8.R: Oliver Gavin/Tommy Milner/Marcel Fässler – 4th in GTLM

2021

No. 3 Corvette C8.R: Antonio Garcia/Jordan Taylor/Nicky Catsburg – 6th in GTLM (Garcia/Taylor clinch GTLM title)

No. 4 Corvette C8.R: Tommy Milner/Nick Tandy/Alexander Sims – 4th in GTLM (Sims fastest race lap)

  • Two-hour, 45 minute races

** Six-hour race

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 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.

Allgaier to make 400th Xfinity career start at Talladega

By
Andrew Kim
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Photo by Adam Lovelace for SpeedwayMedia.com.

Competing in his 12th full-time season in the NASCAR Xfinity Series, Justin Allgaier is primed to achieve a milestone start. By competing in this weekend’s Playoff event at Talladega Superspeedway, the driver of the No. 7 JR Motorsports Chevrolet Camaro will be making his 400th career start in the Xfinity circuit. 

A native of Riverton, Illinois, Allgaier was a full-time ARCA Menards Series competitor for his family owned team, Allgaier Motorsports, led by his father, Mike, when he made his inaugural presence in the Xfinity Series at Charlotte Motor Speedway in October 2008. Driving the No. 12 Dodge for Team Penske, Allgaier, who started 14th, finished 34th in his series debut after being involved in a multi-car wreck in the second half of the event. He returned for the final three races of the season, where his best on-track result during the stretch was an 11th-place run at Phoenix Raceway in November.

After winning the 2008 ARCA championship, Allgaier was promoted to a full-time racing role in the No. 12 Penske Dodge for the 2009 Xfinity season. Throughout the 35-race schedule, he recorded his first career pole at Memphis Motorsports Park in October. He also recorded a total of three top-five results (all fifth-place finishes), 12 top-10 results and an average result of 16.5 before settling in sixth place in the final standings. At the conclusion of the season, Allgaier was named the 2009 Xfinity Rookie of the Year.

Remaining with the Penske organization in 2010, Allgaier commenced the season on a strong note by finishing in fourth place in the season-opening event at Daytona. Three races later, he achieved his first Xfinity career win at Bristol Motor Speedway in March after fending off teammate Brad Keselowski and leading the final 27 laps. Allgaier went on to earn a total of two poles, eight top-five results, 20 top-10 results and an average result of 11.5 before finishing in fourth place in the final standings. His result made him the highest-finishing Xfinity regular competitor in the standings behind teammate Keselowski, Carl Edwards and Kyle Busch.

At the conclusion of the 2010 season, the No. 12 Penske team ceased operations due to sponsorship issues. In spite of losing his ride at Penske, Allgaier found a new team to call home for the 2011 season as he joined Turner Motorsports to drive the No. 31 Chevrolet Impala. After finishing as high as second place through the first 13 scheduled events, he claimed his first victory of the season at Chicagoland Speedway in June. The victory occurred in a thriller after he overtook Carl Edwards, who had run out of fuel, on the final lap before he too ran out of fuel, but had enough to coast and beat Edwards to the finish line by nearly two seconds. To go along with a total of six top-five results, 17 top-10 results and an average result of 11.8, Allgaier achieved a career-best third-place result in the final championship standings after spending nearly the entire season in the top five while contending for the title. At the conclusion of the 2011 season, Allgaier surpassed 100 career starts in the Xfinity circuit.

In 2012, Allgaier’s achieved his first and only victory of the season at Montreal’s Circuit Gilles Villeneuve in in August after he overtook Jacques Villeneuve, who was sputtering on fuel, on the final lap. Despite claiming his third Xfinity career win along with a total of six top-five results, 19 top-10 results and an average-finishing result of 12.0, Allgaier, settled in sixth place in the final standings behind Michael Annett. The following season marked Allgaier’s first winless season since his rookie campaign in 2009, but he finished one spot better in the championship standings than the previous season in fifth place in a season. During his fifth full-time campaign in the Xfinity circuit, he earned a pole, six top-five results, 16 top-10 results and an 11.2 average-finishing result.

Following the 2013 season, Allgaier moved up to the NASCAR Cup Series to drive for HScott Motorsports. Two years later, however, he returned to the Xfinity Series and teamed up with JR Motorsports to drive the No. 7 Chevrolet Camaro on a full-time basis. In his return to the series, the Illinois native was consistent on the strength of three runner-up results, 11 top-five results and 21 top-10 results throughout the 26-race regular-season stretch to qualify for the inaugural Xfinity Playoffs. After finishing no lower than 14th throughout the Playoffs, Allgaier was able to transfer all the way to the Championship Round at Homestead-Miami Speedway and stand as one of four competitors to contend for the 2016 Xfinity title. During the finale, however, Allgaier finished sixth on the track and in third place in the final standings. Despite concluding the season winless and without the title, he recorded career-high stats in top fives (13) and top 10s (27) along with a personal-best 9.1 average-finishing result. By then, Allgaier surpassed 200 Xfinity career starts.

After finishing 30th during the first two scheduled Xfinity events of the 2017 season followed by a fourth-place run at Las Vegas Motor Speedway in March, Allgaier returned to Victory Lane in the Xfinity Series for the first time in five seasons after beating Ryan Blaney and Erik Jones to win at Phoenix Raceway in March. He went on to earn his second victory of the season at Chicagoland in September before entering in his second consecutive appearance in the Playoffs as a title contender. With four top-10 results throughout the Playoffs, Allgaier also transferred to the Championship Round at Homestead for a second consecutive season despite losing his crew chief Jason Burdett for the finale due to a L1-level penalty that was handed to Allgaier’s team for failing the post-race inspection process the week prior at Phoenix. By finishing in 12th place during the finale while having veterans Billy Wilburn and Chad Knaus calling the shots, he ended up in third place in the final standings for a second consecutive season. Overall, he recorded two victories, one pole, 10 top-five results, 17 top-10 results and an average-finishing result of 13.0 throughout the 33-race schedule.

The 2018 season was a career year for Allgaier, who achieved a career-high five wins (Dover International Speedway in May, Iowa Speedway in June, Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course and Road America in August and Indianapolis Motor Speedway in September) and emerged as the 2018 Xfinity Series regular-season championship. He also earned a career-high 17 top-five results, 24 top-10 results and an average-finishing result of 10.6. Despite the momentum throughout the regular-season stretch and the 2018 Playoffs, respective finishes of 38th, fifth and 24th during the Round of 8 were not enough for the driver of the No. 7 team to transfer to the Championship Round finale at Homestead as he went on to finish in seventh place in the final standings.

The momentum from the previous season carried forth in the 2019 Xfinity opener at Daytona for Allgaier, who finished in the runner-up spot behind teammate Michael Annett and went on to record 16 results in the top 10 before qualifying for the Xfinity Playoffs for a fourth consecutive season. It was not until the penultimate event of the season at Phoenix in November where he won for the first time during the season. The Phoenix victory, however, was enough for Allgaier and the No. 7 team to secure a spot in the Championship Round at Homestead and receive another opportunity to contend for his first title. During the finale, Allgaier cut a tire late in the event and settled in 14th place on the track and in fourth place in the final standings. By then, he surpassed 300 Xfinity career starts in a season where he achieved a new personal-best average-finishing result of 9.0 along with 16 top-five results and 24 top-10 results throughout the 33-race schedule.

In 2020, Allgaier’s first victory of the season occurred during the first of a Dover Motor Speedway doubleheader feature in August. A month later, he swept both Richmond Raceway events in a doubleheader weekend to solidify his spot in the 2020 Xfinity Playoffs for a fifth consecutive season. Despite sustaining two DNFs and three results outside of the top 20 throughout the Playoffs, Allgaier accumulated enough points to transfer all the way to the Championship Round at Phoenix in November. During the finale, Allgaier was in prime position of achieving his first NASCAR Xfinity championship before being overtaken by Austin Cindric on the final lap and during an overtime attempt. He ended up in fifth place on the track and in a career-best runner-up result in the final standings after losing ground to Cindric on the final lap. While he fell one spot short of winning the title, he concluded the season with a career-high 1,008 laps led along with three victories, 11 top-five results, 19 top-10 results and an average-finishing result of 13.4.

This past season, Allgaier scratched two venues off of his bucket list after winning at Atlanta Motor Speedway in March followed by Darlington Raceway in May. The pair of victories along with a total of 10 top-five results throughout the 26-race regular-season stretch were enough for Allgaier to secure a spot in the Xfinity Playoffs for a sixth consecutive season. He then managed to finish no lower than ninth throughout the Playoffs, but he missed the top-four cutline to qualify for the Championship Round by a mere margin as he went on to finish in fifth place in the final standings.

Allgaier commenced the 2022 season with five results in the top 10 through the first 10-scheduled events before collecting his first victory of the season at Darlington in May. Throughout the summer stretch, he achieved his first victories at Nashville Superspeedway in June and at New Hampshire Motor Speedway in July. His three regular-season victories to go along with 18 top-10 results during the 26-race regular-season stretch were enough for him to qualify for his seventh consecutive appearance in the Playoffs. Despite recording a 29th-place result in his latest event at Texas Motor Speedway, which marked the first event of the 2022 Xfinity Playoffs, he is currently ranked in sixth place in the Playoff standings and is 20 points above the top-eight cutline to transfer to the Round of 8 while he continues his pursuit to win his first NASCAR national touring series championship.

Through 399 previous Xfinity starts, Allgaier has achieved 19 victories, seven poles, 124 top-five results, 237 top-10 results, 4,696 laps led and an average-finishing result of 11.7.

Allgaier is set to make his 400th career start in the Xfinity Series at Talladega Superspeedway on Saturday, October 1, with the event’s coverage to occur at 4 p.m. ET on USA Network. 

Ten Things that First Time Drivers Need to Know About Tires

By
SM
-

From 2015 to 2020 there were 15.4 million new drivers on the road, a rate of around 3.08m new drivers per year. In 2022 there are now 238.2 million drivers in the USA, which includes around 89% of adults.

For many new drivers the process of buying your first car, whilst exciting, can be a tricky road to navigate. Even more so, buying new tires for your car can be even more daunting of a prospect.

If you are one of those new drivers, then look no further. Here are ten things that first-time drivers need to know about tires.

Don’t buy used tires

After potentially parting with a significant sum for your first car, you are likely to try and be thrifty when purchasing tires. However, your safety is of the utmost importance when driving, and buying second-hand tires in a bid to save money could risk that.

They are likely to be worn meaning less traction and sidewall blowout is likely. That does not mean however that you cannot save money, so instead looks for the best deals on tires.

Check your tire pressure

After you have purchased both your car and your tires it is important you keep your vehicle safe to operate. One of the most important things to do is to check the inflation on your tires.

The recommendation is that you check your tire pressure once a month. Most cars recommend 32 to 35 psi in the tires; however, it depends on the kind of car you drive so be sure to read your manual.

Check the valve stems

Sticking with tire pressure, valve stems are integral to keeping that pressure at a good level. These caps help keep moisture and dirt out and provide an additional seal to the valve core holding the air in tires.

Know the weather

The temperature can affect the performance of your tire pressure. On average, the tire pressure decreases by about 1 PSI for every 10 degrees Fahrenheit drop in the temperature.

Wet weather can also be dangerous to drive in if your tires are particularly worn.

Check the treads

Your tire tread depth is important for traction and the more you drive the more those treads become worn. The tire tread must be more than 2/32 of an inch deep which can be measured with a tread depth measurer.

Know the limits of your tires

Every tire is designed for a specific performance which depends on the material used. For example, high-performance tires have better grip to make for improved braking distance and handling, mainly used for faster cars, especially on racetracks.

“All season” does not necessarily mean what you think

You see “all season” and automatically think that means you can use them year-round whatever the weather. However, these tires are actually made year-round in moderate weather. It is far safer to install winter tires in icy conditions for example.

Tires have an expiry date

A simple way to check if you need a tire change is to look at the expiry date. Many drivers don’t know that this actually exists, but manufacturers include a born-on date on their tires.

They are usually good for around six years after manufacturing, any longer and it may be time to replace them.

Know when to patch and when to chuck

Nails or screws used to be a death sentence for tires, but thankfully rubber is stronger than it used to be so there are plenty of occasions where this can be patched. A puncture in the middle of the tire is likely able to be repaired but the sidewall or shoulder means it is time to replace it.

Remember your spare tire

Many of us can drive around knowing we have our trusty spare in the trunk. However, just like the tires you are already using, these also have expiry dates.

If it has sat in your trunk for years untouched check for signs of dry rot or cracking before using it and be sure to read your manual as spare tires often differ from the ones, you are using.

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