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REDDICK WINS RECORD-SETTTING AUTOTRADER ECHOPARK AUTOMOTIVE 500 NASCAR CUP SERIES PLAYOFF RACE

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Official Release
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  • Tyler Reddick becomes the fourth consecutive non-playoff driver to win in the NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs.
  • Joey Logano’s runner-up finish leads six playoff drivers who finished among the top 10.
  • Opening race of the Round of 12 Playoffs sets several track records for the NASCAR Cup Series, including most lead changes and race leaders.

FORT WORTH, Texas (September 25, 2022) – Tyler Reddick became the fourth non-playoff driver in as many NASCAR Cup Series Playoff races to win as the Richard Childress Racing driver secured Sunday’s Autotrader EchoPark Automotive 500 at Texas Motor Speedway.

Reddick led the final 24 laps en route to a 1.19-second victory over playoff contender Joey Logano. The win was his third of the season and his career, but first on an oval in the No. 8 Chevrolet. Reddick’s wins earlier this season came at Road America and the Indianapolis Motor Speedway road course.

Reddick led three times for a race-high 70 laps in the 334-lap, 501-mile race that set track records in the Cup Series for most lead changes (36), most leaders (19) cautions (16), caution laps (91) and longest race (4 hours, 21 minutes, 53 seconds).

Reddick, who fell two points of advancing into this second round of the playoffs, continued the streak of a non-playoff driver winning that began in the opening three-race Round of 16. He followed Erik Jones (Darlington), Bubba Wallace (Kansas) and Chris Buescher (Bristol) in continuing the role of spoilers in the NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs.
“This will make that, the pain of not making it through, a little bit easier,” said Reddick, who also won the NASCAR Xfinity Series race at Texas Motor Speedway in May. “Even though, yes, it (this win) would have locked us into the Round of 8. We’re winning races. That’s what we’ll keep trying to do.
“This is a tough race, 500 miles here. Not an easy feat. … So great to be able to win here in a Cup car. Been close a few times. Let’s go!”
Logano paced six playoff drivers among the top-10 finishers, including three among the top five with Team Penske teammate Ryan Blaney taking fourth and Stewart-Haas Racing’s Chase Briscoe fifth. Non-playoff driver Justin Haley of Kaulig Racing equaled his season-best effort by finishing third.

The other playoff drivers who earned top-10 finishes were William Byron (7th), Kyle Larson (9th) and Denny Hamlin (10th).

Nine of the 12 playoff contenders finished among the top 15 while it was a devastating day for the trio of Christopher Bell, Chase Elliott and Alex Bowman in the opening race of the Round of 12. They all finished 29th or worse in the 36-car field and into an early hole in the three-race playoff segment.

Bowman had a costly early spin that he attempted to rebound from but could only manage a 29th-place finish. Elliott and Bell, who both dealt with tire issues that caused car damage and DNFs, finished 32nd and 34th, respectively.

In the opening 105-lap stage, Byron led 41 laps – tops among all drivers – but it was Larson who grabbed the stage win. Playoff drivers swept the top six positions in the stage as Larson was followed by Hamlin, Logano, Daniel Suarez, Ross Chastain and Byron, respectively.

The first playoff driver to incur trouble was Bowman, who was running eighth with eight to go in the stage but the single-car incident dropped him to 34th in the field. He was able to continue but finished five laps down and is last among the 12 remaining playoff drivers.

Elliott and Bell were the next contenders to find trouble, but their issues led to early race retirements. Bell, the only driver in the opening playoff round with top-five finishes in all three races, would not extend that streak at Texas. He was unable to overcome a pair of right-rear flat tires, the second of which caused major damage to his car and ended his day in 34th after completing 136 laps. Bell is 11th in the playoffs, 55 behind Logano.

Elliott, who had led a race-high 44 laps through the first 184 laps, was leading the race when he also had a right-rear tire go down and slammed into the Turn 4 wall. His race was over and would finish 32nd. He currently is on the bubble in the eighth position among the playoff drivers, 26 back of Logano.

Blaney scored his first points of the day by winning Stage 2 as playoff drivers took four of the top five positions. Following Blaney were Chastain, Byron, non-playoff driver and pole sitter Brad Keselowski and Suarez, respectively.

A red flag shortly thereafter due to light rain and lightning in the area would shut down the on-track action. The race was resumed after a 56-minute delay with 111 laps to go in the 334-lap event.

Reddick did not lead a lap nor gain any points in the first two stages, but he saved his best for last. He led for a 17-lap stint following the delay and then again on Lap 281 when he inherited the lead from Ricky Stenhouse Jr., who lost control of his car, hitting the backstretch wall and then clipping playoff driver Austin Cindric.

Reddick would go on to lead 53 of the final 54 laps and was never threatened for the win.

The NASCAR Cup Series Round of 12 segment continues next week at Talladega (Oct. 2) and then onto the Charlotte ROVAL (Oct. 9).

NOTEBOOK: Sunday’s Autotrader EchoPark Automotive 500 broke track records for lead changes (36), most leaders (19), cautions (16), caution laps (91) and longest race (4 hours, 21 minutes, 53 seconds). The previous marks were 33 lead changes (set in 2010 fall race), 17 leaders (2000), 13 cautions (2014 fall race), 73 caution laps (1997) and longest race at four hours, 17 seconds (1997). … Kyle Busch recorded his first DNF in 32 NASCAR Cup Series starts at Texas Motor Speedway when the Joe Gibbs Racing driver exited the Autotrader EchoPark Automotive 500 after completing 48 laps due to a single-car accident. He finished last in the 36-car field. … Three drivers – rookie Harrison Burton (15), Ross Chastain (1) and BJ McLeod (1) – led their first career Cup Series laps at Texas Motor Speedway in Sunday’s race. … Top Gun: Maverick co-star Manny Ramirez (Lt. Mickey “Fanboy” Garcia) served as the Honorary Starter and waved the green flag for the start of the Autotrader EchoPark Automotive 500. Fellow co-stars Jay Ellis (Lt. Reuben “Payback” Fitch) and Lewis Pullman (Lt. Robert “Bob” Floyd) were the co-Grand Marshals and delivered the command to the field. … Following the May 24 tragedy at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas, Big Brothers Big Sisters of South Texas went to work to support those impacted in the community. They are committed to serve as an anchor in the community and have launched a permanent affiliate in Uvalde that will allow them to provide the much-needed mentorship and mental health support systems for the impacted youth. To show public support for the Uvalde community as they continue to grieve and recover from the tragedy, Big Brothers Big Sisters of America (BBBSA) teamed up with Uvalde community leaders to host the “Uvalde Strong/Rise Up Weekend” for the NASCAR Playoffs doubleheader at TMS. The purpose of the weekend was to provide an organized distraction and unique experience for the families, approximately 130 people in all, who lost loved ones as a result of the shooting. BBBSA has also invited a variety of guests, including NASCAR personalities, former NFL football players, and BBBS staff and health counselors to join the families to cheer on their favorite drivers. The families watched both Saturday’s NASCAR Xfinity Series race and Sunday’s Cup Series race from two suites overlooking the action. The speedway also hosted a dinner Saturday evening in the Lone Star Condominium Clubhouse just outside Turn 2 of the facility.

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RCR NCS Post Race Report: Texas-2

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Official Release
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Austin Dillon and the No. 3 True Velocity Chevrolet Team Lead Laps and Earn Stage Points During Strong Texas Motor Speedway Run

Finish: 17th
Start: 7th
Points: 14th

“We had a really fast True Velocity Chevrolet tonight at Texas Motor Speedway, so thanks to everyone at RCR and ECR for working hard to give us great equipment. We led the field in practice on Saturday, had a decent starting spot and were strong for a lot of the race. It was nice to lead some laps and earn some stage points. Strategy just didn’t play our way. We lost some track position at the end of the race and it was really hard to make it up. Congratulations to Tyler Reddick and the No. 8 team on the win.” -Austin Dillon

Tyler Reddick and the No. 8 Lenovo Chevrolet Team Earn Third Victory of 2022 with Texas Motor Speedway Win

Finish: 1st
Start: 4th
Points: 13th

“It was a hot one today at Texas Motor Speedway in the No. 8 Lenovo Chevrolet. Thank you to all of the fans who came out. I really appreciate it. This is a tough race, 500 miles here. Not an easy feat. I know it wasn’t easy on the fans, as well. I was extremely worried about my tires at the end of the race, I’m not going to lie. Unfortunately, just about every time we’ve had fast cars, we’ve had some tire problems. During the last run, the right sides were vibrating really, really hard. I was just trying to maximize and use the gap that I built over Joey Logano, just in case. I mean, every time we’ve had a strong car, we’ve been bit by something, so I’m just really proud to be able to get the Lenovo Chevy to Victory Lane. The win makes the pain of not making it through to the next round of the NASCAR Playoffs a little bit easier. Winning races. That’s what we’ll keep trying to do.” -Tyler Reddick

George Kurtz and the No. 04 CrowdStrike Racing by Riley Motorsports Mercedes-AMG GT3 Team Clinch 2022 GT America Championships with Weekend Sweep at Sebring International Raceway

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Official Release
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SEBRING, Florida – Mercedes-AMG Motorsport Customer Racing Teams secured three season championships, a trio of race wins and six total podium finishes in a successful weekend of SRO Motorsports America competition across three racing series at Sebring International Raceway. The highlight was a weekend sweep of both 40-minute GT America powered by AWS races Saturday and Sunday that saw George Kurtz and the No. 04 CrowdStrike Racing by Riley Motorsports Mercedes-AMG GT3 team seal the 2022 GT America driver, team and manufacturer championships after Saturday’s first victory. The weekend’s other race winner was the No. 34 Conquest Racing/JMF Motorsports Mercedes-AMG GT4 of Michai Stephens and Gavin Sanders which took advantage of a last lap mechanical failure on the race leader’s car to steal the team’s second Pirelli GT4 America victory of the season.

The winning Sebring weekend for Kurtz and the No. 04 team saw them sweep a GT America doubleheader for the third time this season. Kurtz and his Riley Mercedes-AMG GT3 teammates also did the double at Watkins Glen International and VIRginia International Raceway earlier this season.

Along with additional GT America wins in the season-opening event in St. Petersburg and last month at Road America, Kurtz’s eight race wins in the year’s first 14 races were the main factor in clinching the crown before next month’s season-ending race weekend at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

Kurtz and the No. 04 Riley team nearly single-handedly secured the GT America manufacturer championship for Mercedes-AMG. Following a second-place finish by Scott Smithson in the No. 08 DXDT Racing Mercedes-AMG GT3 in the first race of the St. Petersburg opener, Kurtz and the No. 04 earned Mercedes-AMG’s manufacturer championship points as the highest finisher in the following 13-straight races.

Stephens and Sanders appeared in line for a second-place finish in Saturday’s Pirelli GT4 race but closing driver Sanders was quick to pounce when the race leader slowed just as the checkered flag was about to be waved. Sanders dashed by for the win and, combined with a second-place Silver-class finish from the back of the field in Sunday’s race, the No. 34 team and drivers maintain a slim but mathematical chance of winning the top championship in the GT4 series at Indianapolis.

Other top-three showings over the two days of racing at Sebring were turned in by Kurtz and his co-driver Colin Braun who added to a strong weekend for the No. 04 team with a second-place Pro-Am class finish in Saturday’s 90-minute GT World Challenge race.

Heading into the double-points GT World Challenge finale at Indy, Kurtz and Braun are locked in a tight battle for the championship in that series. Kurtz, Braun and the No. 04 team trail the championship leader by 14 points and are one point clear of the third-place competitor.

The Sebring weekend’s final podium player was the No. 34’s sister entry, the No. 35 Conquest Racing Mercedes-AMG GT4, that broke through for the team’s best finish of the season. Co-drivers Custodio Toledo and Paulo Carcasci finished second in the Pirelli GT4 Am-class after missing most of Friday’s practice sessions due to a technical issue that required the Conquest team to replace the No. 35’s engine.

Rebounding from the race-weekend repair, Toledo and Carcasci crossed the finish line a solid 14th overall, just over five seconds and one position behind the Am-class race winner.

Next up for Mercedes-AMG Motorsport Customer Racing teams in SRO Motorsports America competition is the season-ending race weekend at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, October 6 – 9.

George Kurtz, Driver – No. 04 CrowdStrike Racing by Riley Motorsports Mercedes-AMG GT3: “It’s fantastic for the CrowdStrike Riley team and a great win for Mercedes-AMG. I couldn’t be happier with the performance this year. The pressure in GT America is off, so it’s a matter of doing the best we can in collecting more podiums, trophies and hopefully some wins at Indianapolis. I couldn’t be more excited. It’s great to clinch the GT America championship with more races to go. We’re going for more wins! Sebring had two great wins from a great team and great car. I had to pass for the lead in both races, but it was clean racing by everyone there. In GT World Challenge, we gave it our all in both tough races. You have to hand it to all the competitors. It’s so tough. Unless someone makes a bobble, it’s really hard to make a pass. We came in the pits bow to stern in Saturday’s race and left that way. It’s good points for us at Sebring, and anything can happen until the end of a close championship.”

Colin Braun, Driver – No. 04 CrowdStrike Racing by Riley Motorsports Mercedes-AMG GT3: “George did a great job all weekend. We had a great pit stop from the CrowdStrike Riley guys on Saturday. We came in nose-to-tail and left nose-to-tail. It gets down to the point where you’re just waiting for someone to make a mistake because of the competitiveness of this class and how tight it is. You’re waiting for something to happen and keeping the pressure on. We were closer and closer and finished close. I’m proud of the guys. They did a super-good job. The Mercedes-AMG GT3 was good on tire wear but it wasn’t quite enough to make that lunge move I needed to get past. All in all, it’s good for the points and gives us some good confidence going to Indy.”

Michai Stephens, Driver – No. 34 Conquest Racing/JMF Motorsports Mercedes-AMG GT4: “I was absolutely elated to hear Gavin come on the radio with such joy when we won on Saturday. It’s a testament to the team, a testament to the Mercedes-AMG brand itself, and we just try to feed off of one another and the opportunities that we have. We will just keep pressing as the lessons bring it on. There are always little moments along a weekend that either will distract you or motivate you, and this time around it was nice we had the motivation we needed and the hope that the team deserves at Conquest Racing and JMF Motorsports. Sunday’s run through the field felt just incredible and, above all, JMF Motorsports, Conquest Racing and the Mercedes-AMG GT4 continue to keep us in the fight through and through. It’s a tremendous privilege to learn about who we are through what we love.”

Gavin Sanders, Driver – No. 34 Conquest Racing/JMF Motorsports Mercedes-AMG GT4: “When we crossed the line on Saturday, I just asked the crew immediately: ‘did we just win?’ Honestly, I was just as confused as probably everybody else was about what was happening. But we never give up and no matter how high the mountain, we will climb it as a family more or less. At the end of the day, we are going to make the most of all the opportunities that come our way. Sunday was definitely a challenge, but the team helps guide us through the field more than it appears, and at the end of the day that is who we have to give the credit to. It was definitely a very busy first couple of laps, but it wasn’t so bad. The goal coming into this season, and this race, is that if we weren’t in P1 we wanted to be sure to take it down to the wire at the finale. We are going to take it to them as best we can, and there is no better car, team and group of people to all come together and make it happen.”

Custodio Toledo, Driver – No. 35 Conquest Racing Mercedes-AMG GT4: “You never quit. Changing an engine is never an easy thing, the Mercedes-AMG engineers helped us do that with our team, and this is the way you want to finish a weekend. Second place, our first podium and my first season racing any car in anything. I am so happy, and I want to thank my coach and co-driver Paulo Carcasci. This was also my Sebring debut and I love the track! It is a challenging track, but I think it is a driver’s track, so that is what you want. Our Mercedes-AMG GT4 was well balanced all weekend.”

Second Consecutive Semifinal Performance for Hagan and Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat Funny Car in NHRA Countdown to the Championship

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Official Release
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Betway NHRA Carolina Nationals
  • No. 2 Qualifier Matt Hagan of Tony Stewart Racing (TSR) drove his Shelor Motor Mile Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat Funny Car to the semifinals at the Betway Carolina Nationals, the second of six National Hot Rod Association (NHRA) “Countdown to the Championship” playoff series events
  • Hagan’s second semifinal performance of the playoffs keeps him in the Funny Car championship hunt just 60 points behind the category leader Robert Hight
  • TSR Top Fuel pilot Leah Pruett qualified her Code 3 Associates Dodge//SRT dragster 13th for eliminations at the Charlotte, North Carolina, area dragstrip but saw her day shortened by a first round exit 
  • Funny Car driver Cruz Pedregon qualified his Snap-on Tools Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat No. 10 for eliminations but had an opening round loss that dropped him to ninth place in the championship battle

September 25, 2022, Concord, North Carolina – Funny Car driver Matt Hagan drove his Tony Stewart Racing (TSR) Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat from the No. 2 qualifier position to his second straight semifinal performance in the National Hot Rod Association (NHRA) “Countdown to the Championship” at the Betway NHRA Carolina Nationals at zMAX Dragway, the second of six playoff series events.

Sporting the colors of Shelor Motor Mile, his family-owned car dealership, Hagan, a two-time winner (2011,2014) at the Carolina Nationals, earned the second spot on the eliminations ladder with a 3.861-second elapsed time run at 329.99 mph and earned two valuable bonus points for his efforts. He drove his HEMI®-powered Dodge to a first round win against No. 13 seed John Smith and then had a second round bye-run to advance to a semifinal match-up against No. 9 seed Alexis DeJoria.

Hagan had the quicker launch with a 0.068-second reaction time to DeJoria’s 0.072-second start and the lead past the 330-foot mark before seeing his opponent next to him at the 600-foot marker. While Hagan drove his Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat to a solid 3.893 sec./334.07 mph run, DeJoria was able to edge him at the stripe recording a 3.887/332.02 pass to steal the round win with a margin of victory of 0.0028 seconds. 

The pair of semifinal performances to start the playoffs put Hagan within 60 points of the category leader Robert Hight, and while he drops to third place in the standings behind Carolina Nationals winner Ron Capps, only 33 markers separate them as the battle for top spot tightens up with four events remaining in the fight for the Funny Car crown.

TSR Top Fuel driver Leah Pruett had her Dodge//SRT dragster dressed up in the Code 3 Associates paint scheme in support of the organization specializing in animal rescue and recovery in disaster areas and started off the Carolina Nationals weekend with a good run at 3.758 seconds at 316.82 mph, theeighth quickest pass of Friday’s qualifying session. That elapsed time run ultimately put her 13th on the eliminations ladder and paired her with No. 4 seed Mike Salinas for Sunday’s opening round.

Pruett’s 11-thousand horsepower Dodge//SRT dragster had a clean elapsed time run at 3.796-second, but at 314 mph, she didn’t quite have the speed to beat Salinas’ 3.696 sec./331.20 mph pass. With back-to-back first round exits, Pruett drops two positions in the Top Fuel championship standings to find herself battling for the championship from tenth place, 178 points behind leader Justin Ashley.

Funny Car driver Cruz Pedregon, qualified his Snap-on Tools Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat 10th for Sunday’s eliminations with a best run of 3.903 seconds at 326.00 mph to draw No. 5 seed Bob Tasca III for his first round opponent. Pedregon made a good pass with a 3.945-second/ 320.05 mph effort but it wasn’t quite enough to challenge Tasca’s 3.882/330.80 pass and advance further. Unfortunately, the first round loss drops Pedregon to ninth place in the Funny Car playoff rankings, 178 markers behind the category leader.

The NHRA “Countdown to the Championship” moves on to St. Louis next weekend for the Midwest Nationals at World Wide Technology Raceway, Sept. 30- Oct. 2, for the third of six playoff series events. FS1 will present qualifying highlights on Sunday, Oct. 2, at 12:30 p.m. ET with race day coverage beginning at 2 p.m. ET.

ADDITIONAL NOTES and QUOTES: 

Leah Pruett, Code 3 Associates Dodge//SRT Top Fuel Dragster  

(No. 13 Qualifier – 3.758 seconds at 316.82 mph)

Round 1: (0.077-second reaction time, 3.796-second elapsed time run at 314.39 mph) loss to No. 4 Mike Salinas (0.068/3.696/331.20)

“I wish we had better results to report, but I think the biggest frustration for us other than not going past the first round was that this Code 3 Associates team made bigger moves to the racecar than we’ve made all year. We asked it to have quicker speed earlier and it was just extremely unresponsive. We went to some extreme levels from a tune-up standpoint. We were the most tuned-up we’ve been all season long. It’s not necessarily that the weather conditions called for that. We needed to find our ground zero again. We dropped a hole first round 250 feet out. It didn’t quite give us a fighting chance against (Mike) Salinas because he really threw down with the 0.69. For us, we’ve had to recalibrate. You would think over the course of the season, you would just continue to build on what you have. For us, there’s been a horsepower thief somewhere running rampant through our pit. Our parts look great, but the car hasn’t been responsive. The highlight is finally in the first round, we did make some mile-an-hour moves early, which we were looking for. We are a full orbit away from where we need to be. We don’t have the understanding quite yet of why, but we know what the car is asking for. The car is asking to be shoved and we’re going to have to find where that cliff is and shove it off the cliff. Our parts came back healthy, even having a cylinder out, which shows we can put some more tune-up in it. Those have been our efforts. Going into St. Louis, it’s literally going to be everything we have, and parts being ready for everything that they can give.”

Matt Hagan, Shelor Motor Mile Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat Funny Car  

(No. 2 Qualifier – 3.861 seconds at 329.99 mph)

Round 1: (0.086-second reaction time, 3.929 seconds at 315.71 mph) defeats No. 13 John Smith (0.078/4.369/217.70)

Round 2: (0.103/10.423/77.63) bye-run

Round 3: (0.068/3.893/334.07) loss to No. 9 Alexis DeJoria (0.072/3.887/332.02)

“All in all, we had a pretty decent weekend. We were the No. 2 qualifier, which helped being on the top side of the ladder and gave us the bye after Round 1 into the semifinals. Unfortunately, we’re on the back side of good drag racing lately and that was the case today going up against Alexis (DeJoria). We came up a little short in Indy and here in Charlotte. It stinks because I know we’re running good. It always comes down to the last race in the Countdown. We need to just keep digging hard and being aggressive going down the racetrack. We can always look back and say we should’ve done something differently, but you go up there thinking you’re doing the right things and it just wasn’t quite enough today.”

Cruz Pedregon, Pedregon Racing Snap-on® Tools Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat

(No. 10 Qualifier – 3.903 seconds at 326.00 mph)

Round 1: (0.119-second reaction time, 3.945 second elapsed time run at 320.05 mph) loss to No. 5 Bob Tasca (0.078/3.882/330.80)

“After two rounds in the NHRA ‘Countdown to the Championship’, we have some work to do. It was a tough day for us here at Charlotte. We lost first round to Bob Tasca after we didn’t qualify as well as we would’ve liked. We ran a 3.90 at 326 mph to take position No. 10 but ideally you want to be in the top five or six like we were earlier in the year. We know what we have to do. We just have to make some more power and get the car more consistent. That’s gonna be key moving forward. We’ll go on to St. Louis and try to get things dialed in more there. We had a good team meeting with the guys and they’re all upbeat and still excited. There’s still four races to go so we still have some great races left and some great momentum we can build. We just have to get better. We have to get the car to go faster, quicker, and we’re going to work on that.”

NHRA CHAMPIONSHIP POINTS STANDINGS:

Following the Betway NHRA Carolina Nationals at zMAX Dragway

FUNNY CAR (season wins in parentheses)

1.  Robert Hight 2283 (7)

2.  Ron Capps: 2256 (4)

3.  Matt Hagan (Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat): 2223 (3)

4.  John Force: 2209 (1)

5.  Bob Tasca III: 2179 (3)

6.  Alexis DeJoria: 2154

7.  J.R. Todd: 2133

8.  Tim Wilkerson: 2121

9. Cruz Pedregon (Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat): 2105

10. Jim Campbell: 2054

11. Blake Alexander: 2032

TOP FUEL (season wins in parentheses)

1.  Justin Ashley: 2272 (2)

2.  Antron Brown 2229 (3)

3.  Brittany Force: 2200 (4)

4.  Mike Salinas: 2218(4) 

5.  Steve Torrence: 2167 (1)

6.  Doug Kalitta: 2140

7. Josh Hart: 2139 (1) 

8.  Austin Prock: 2129 (1)

9. Clay Millican: 2125

10.  Leah Pruett (Dodge Power Brokers): 2094 (1)

11. Shawn Langdon: 2084

12. Tony Schumacher: 2064 (1)

DodgeGarage: Digital Hub for Drag Racing News

Fans can follow all the NHRA action this season at DodgeGarage, the one-stop portal for Dodge//SRT and Mopar drag-racing news. The site includes daily updates and access to an online racing HQ, news, events, galleries, available downloads and merchandise. For more information, visit www.dodgegarage.com.

@DodgeMoparMotorsports on Instagram

The @DodgeMoparMotorsports Instagram channel continues to share content capturing Dodge//SRT Mopar drivers on the track. Fans can see action from the NHRA Camping World Drag Racing Series and NHRA Sportsman grassroots racers, competing in classes such as Factory Stock Showdown, Stock and Super Stock, as well as additional motorsports series.

Dodge//SRT

For more than 100 years, the Dodge brand has carried on the spirit of brothers John and Horace Dodge. Their influence continues today as Dodge shifts into high gear with a lineup that delivers unrivaled performance in each of the segments where they compete.

Dodge drives forward as a pure performance brand, offering SRT Hellcat versions of the Dodge Challenger, Dodge Charger and Dodge Durango, as well as an R/T plug-in hybrid electric vehicle (PHEV) version of the all-new 2023 Dodge Hornet, representing the brand’s first-ever electrified performance vehicle. Dodge delivers the drag-strip dominating 807-horsepower Dodge Challenger SRT Super Stock; the 797-horsepower Dodge Charger SRT Redeye, the most powerful and fastest mass-produced sedan in the world; and the 710-horsepower Dodge Durango SRT Hellcat, the most powerful SUV ever; and best-in-class standard performance in the compact utility vehicle segment with the Dodge Hornet. Combined, these four muscle vehicles make Dodge the industry’s most powerful brand, offering more horsepower than any other American brand across its entire lineup.

In 2022, the Dodge brand ranked No. 1 in the J.D. Power APEAL Study (mass market), making it the only domestic brand ever to do so three years in a row. In 2020, Dodge was named the “#1 Brand in Initial Quality,” making it the first domestic brand ever to rank No. 1 in the J.D. Power Initial Quality Study (IQS). 

Dodge is part of the portfolio of brands offered by leading global automaker and mobility provider Stellantis. For more information regarding Stellantis (NYSE: STLA), please visit www.stellantis.com.

Mopar

This year marks the 85th anniversary of Mopar.

A simple combination of the words MOtor and PARts, Mopar offers exceptional service, parts and customer-care. Born in 1937 as the name of a line of antifreeze products, Mopar has evolved over 85 years to represent both complete vehicle care and authentic performance for owners and enthusiasts worldwide.

Mopar made its mark in the 1960s during the muscle-car era with performance parts to enhance speed and handling for both on-road and racing use. Later, Mopar  expanded to include technical service and customer support, and today integrates service, parts and customer-care operations in order to enhance customer and dealer support worldwide.

Complete information on Mopar is available at www.mopar.com and the newly redesigned Mopar blog at blog.mopar.com. For more information regarding Stellantis (NYSE: STLA), please visit www.stellantis.com.

Follow Dodge, Mopar and Stellantis news and video on:

Company blog: blog.stellantisnorthamerica.com

Media website: media.stellantisnorthamerica.com

Dodge brand: www.dodge.com

Mopar brand: www.mopar.com

DodgeGarage: www.dodgegarage.com

Mopar blog: blog.mopar.com

Facebook: www.facebook.com/dodge and www.facebook.com/mopar

Instagram: @DodgeMoparMotorsports, @DodgeOfficial and @OfficialMopar

Twitter: @Dodge, @OfficialMopar and @StellantisNA

YouTube: www.youtube.com/dodge, https://www.youtube.com/c/mopar and www.youtube.com/StellantisNA

CHEVROLET NCS: Tyler Reddick Gets Third Win of 2022 at Texas Motor Speedway

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Official Release
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NASCAR CUP SERIES
TEXAS MOTOR SPEEDWAY
AUTOTRADER ECHOPARK AUTOMOTIVE 500
TEAM CHEVY RACE WINNER QUOTE & NOTES
SEPTEMBER 25, 2022

TYLER REDDICK GETS THIRD WIN OF 2022 AT TEXAS MOTOR SPEEDWAY

Chevrolet’s 17th NCS Win of the Season

· Tyler Reddick recorded his third NASCAR Cup Series win of 2022, taking the checkered flag in the AutoTrader EchoPark Automotive 500 at Texas Motor Speedway.

· The win is Reddick’s third career victory in 104 NASCAR Cup Series starts; and his first on an oval track in NASCAR’s premier series.

· Reddick’s victory marks Chevrolet’s 16th all-time NASCAR Cup Series win at Texas Motor Speedway, with Chevrolet now leading all manufacturers in wins at the 1.5-mile Texas venue.

· With 30 NASCAR Cup Series races complete, the Camaro ZL1 now sits at a manufacturer-leading 17 wins this season.

· The winningest brand in NASCAR, Chevrolet now has 831 all-time NASCAR Cup Series victories.

TYLER REDDICK, NO. 8 LENOVO/THINKEDGE CAMARO ZL1, Race Winner Quick Quote:

All this group has been through and yet here they are still winning races and still a team. How about the Texas race fans who stayed here through this long night of racing and Tyler Reddick brings it home to Victory Lane. With all the tire issues, how worried were you on the final run because you went so long on this set of Goodyears?

“I was extremely worried, I’m not going to lie. Unfortunately, just about every time we’ve had fast cars, we’ve had some tire problems. That last run, the right sides were vibrating really, really hard there.

I was just trying to maximize and use the gap that I built over Joey (Logano) just in case. I mean, every time we’ve had a strong car, we’ve been bit by something, man.

Just really proud to be able to get this Lenovo Chevy to Victory Lane. They were at Auto Club earlier this year. They deserve to go to get to Victory Lane. We got them there.”

How did this team stay together through all the adversity this year?

“Well, it was tough. I mean, two points. Every spot matters in this deal. We just had two tough races. We brought a really fast car at Darlington. We were leading at Kansas when we broke and fell out early. It’s tough.

This will make that, the pain of not making it through, a little bit easier. Even though, yes, it would have locked us into the Round of 8. We’re winning races. That’s what we’ll keep trying to do.”

How about the Texas race fans?

“It was a hot one. Thank you fans who came out. I really appreciate it. This is a tough race, 500 miles here. Not an easy feat. I know it wasn’t easy on you guys, as well.

So great to be able to win here in a Cup car. Been close a few times. Let’s go!”

 

About Chevrolet
Founded in 1911 in Detroit, Chevrolet is now one of the world’s largest car brands, available in 79 countries with more than 3.2 million cars and trucks sold in 2020. Chevrolet models include electric and fuel-efficient vehicles that feature engaging performance, design that makes the heart beat, passive and active safety features and easy-to-use technology, all at a value. More information on Chevrolet models can be found at www.chevrolet.com.

Petty GMS Race Recap: Texas Motor Speedway II

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Official Release
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Ty Dillon, No. 42 Black Rifle Coffee Company Chevrolet Camaro ZL1

START: 32nd
FINISH: 16th
POINTS: 29th

Ty Dillon Post-Race Thoughts: “Today was a back-and-forth day with strategy. Our Black Rifle Camaro had good speed. We brought a good piece, and I thought it raced well, just the strategy was kind of back and forth. I think we made the perfect call there at the end of when to pit and it was looking like we were going to get a top 10. I just caught a little bit of the slime in turn one and had a big moment and lost spots unfortunately. I’m proud of our effort, proud of the speed in our Camaro. It’s been a lot of fun to drive these fast cars the last couple of weeks.”

Erik Jones, No. 43 FOCUSfactor Chevrolet Camaro ZL1

START: 27th
FINISH: 6th
POINTS: 18th

Erik Jones Post-Race Thoughts: “It ended up being a solid day for our FOCUSfactor Chevy team. The day started out a little rough, we were just struggling with the balance and got it better late in the race. We ended up taking tires with about 30 laps to go and were able to come back through the field for a sixth-place finish. I’m proud of that. We struggled at Texas in the All-Star race and we got a lot better from then to today. It’s good to have a good week. We needed one after the last few weeks. Hopefully we can carry so momentum to Talladega next weekend and try to close one out there.”

ABOUT PETTY GMS:

Petty GMS competes full-time in the NASCAR Cup Series, operating the No. 42 Chevrolet for Ty Dillon and the No. 43 Chevrolet for Erik Jones. Founded in December 2021, Maury Gallagher, championship team owner of GMS Racing, purchased a majority interest of Richard Petty Motorsports. Inaugural NASCAR Hall of Famer Richard Petty, known as “The King,” remains a key stakeholder of the organization. For more information, please visit www.pettygms.com.

SOCIAL MEDIA:

To keep up-to-date with the latest news, information and exclusive content, follow Petty GMS on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

Kaulig Racing Post-Race Report | Texas Motor Speedway

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AutoTrader EchoPark Automotive 500

Justin Haley, No. 31 LeafFilter Gutter Protection Camaro ZL1

Start: 31st

Stage 1 Finish: 29th

Stage 2 Finish: 19th

Finish: 3rd

“This was a long, challenging race. we finished third at Darlington earlier in the season and started pretty much last there as well, so it’s pretty cool to have another really great run for this Kaulig Racing team. Our No. 31 LeafFilter Gutter Protection Camaro ZL1 definitely wasn’t what I liked, but we kept working on it and actually when it turned dark, we got some good track position and made a heck of a run out of it. I’m really proud of everyone at Kaulig Racing. At the end, I was just worried that the right rear is going to go down, so I was just trying to make it to the end. P3 is everything we could want right now.” – Justin Haley

Noah Gragson, No. 16 Ed Morse Automotive Group Camaro ZL1

Start: 26th

Stage 1 Finish: 18th

Stage 2 Finish: 23rd

Finish: 21st

“Solid run by our No. 16 Freedom by Ed Morse team. We had a lot of fun out there and ran up in the top 10 for a lot of the race. I’m really thankful and grateful for the opportunity with Kaulig Racing, Freedom by Ed Morse, and the entire Morse family. I had a lot of fun out there. It was a long, long race. We had some strong runs there throughout the race and got sent by the 11 late in the race when we were running like 10th or 11th. That’s part of it. You’ll have that, but we’ll keep working hard and try and be better in future.” – Noah Gragson  
 
Andy’s Frozen Custard 300

AJ Allmendinger, No. 16 Andy’s Frozen Custard Chevrolet

Start: 7th

Stage 1 Finish: 5th

Stage 2 Finish: 1st

Finish: 4th

“In the past, Texas has probably been the worst mile and a half that we go to for Kaulig racing, but today, our car was really quick. My teammate, Daniel (Hemric) won the first stage and I was able to win the second stage. I thought if we got back up front we would have at least a good shot. I don’t know if we had the outright speed to beat everybody, but this Andy’s frozen Custard Chevy was pretty good. We used the Goodyear up on that right front there at the end. She was hanging on. I wish we could have won that race, but it actually ended up being a really good points day.” – AJ Allmendinger

Daniel Hemric, No. 11 DaaBIN Store Chevrolet

Start: 3rd

Stage 1 Finish: 1st

Stage 2 Finish: 4th

Finish: 30th

“Every year, the first round of the playoffs is kind of like this. You’ve got to survive, and the best way to do that is to still be on the racetrack at the end. It’s unfortunate that we were not there at the end, but today was a big step in the right direction for everyone at Kaulig Racing. To take one step forward this week was great. Although the finish wasn’t the result we wanted, days like today make us optimistic that we can have a chance to go next week and lock ourselves into the second round of the playoffs.” – Daniel Hemric

Landon Cassill, No. 10 Usio Chevrolet

Start: 12th

Stage 1 Finish: 14th

Stage 2 Finish: 21st

Finish: 33rd

“Not the day we were hoping for in our No. 10 Usio Chevy. We got swept up in one of the big wrecks there at the end. It’s unfortunate, but we will look ahead to Talladega next week, a place Kaulig Racing really excels at.” – Landon Cassill

 
 

About Kaulig Racing™

Kaulig Racing™ is a full-time multi-car NASCAR Cup Series (NCS) and NASCAR Xfinity Series (NXS) team, owned by award winning entrepreneur, Matt Kaulig. Established in 2016, Kaulig Racing™ has made the NXS Playoffs consecutively each season since the playoff system started and made the Championship 4 round in both the 2020 and 2021 seasons. They will continue fielding three, full-time NXS entries; the No. 10 Chevrolet driven by Landon Cassill, the No. 11 Chevrolet driven by Daniel Hemric, and the No. 16 Chevrolet driven by AJ Allmendinger. With multiple wins, Kaulig Racing has come to be one of the top competitors on track each weekend. The team made multiple starts in the NCS in 2021 and won in its seventh-ever start with AJ Allmendinger’s victory at “The Brickyard” for the Verizon 200 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. The young team has acquired two charters for the 2022 NCS season, with Justin Haley competing as its first, full-time driver in the series. The team’s second entry will be shared by part-time teammates AJ Allmendinger, Daniel Hemric and Noah Gragson. To learn more about the team, visit kauligracing.com.

CHEVROLET NCS AT TEXAS: Post-Race Report

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NASCAR CUP SERIES
TEXAS MOTOR SPEEDWAY
AUTOTRADER ECHOPARK AUTOMOTIVE 500
TEAM CHEVY POST-RACE REPORT
SEPTEMBER 25, 2022

TOP TEAM CHEVY UNOFFICIAL TOP-10 RACE RESULTS:
POS. DRIVER

1st Tyler Reddick, No. 8 Lenovo/ThinkEdge Camaro ZL1

3rd Justin Haley, No. 31 LeafFilter Gutter Protection Camaro ZL1

6th Erik Jones, No. 43 FOCUSfactor Camaro ZL1

7th William Byron, No. 24 RaptorTough.com Camaro ZL1

9th Kyle Larson, No. 5 HendrickCars.com Camaro ZL1

TOP-FIVE UNOFFICIAL RACE RESULTS
POS. DRIVER

1st Tyler Reddick (Chevrolet)

2nd Joey Logano (Ford)

3rd Justin Haley (Chevrolet)

4th Ryan Blaney (Ford)

5th Chase Briscoe (Ford)

Race two of the NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs Round of 12 will get underway next Sunday, October 2, at Talladega Superspeedway with the YellaWood at 2 p.m. ET. Live coverage can be found on the USA Network, the NBCSports Gold App, PRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Channel 90.

TEAM CHEVY POST-RACE NOTES AND QUOTES:

ROSS CHASTAIN, NO. 1 RENU CAMARO ZL1

Finished: 13th

“There were just a lot of ups and downs today. We cycled up to get stage points. The balance was neutral all day, but we got loose when we wanted it to be our last pit stop. We pitted and then we were back there in the very back for the second-to-last restart and got involved with the No. 10 (Aric Almirola) there. We just struggled with the balance the last 80 laps or so, but other than that, it was a good day for our No. 1 Renu Camaro ZL1 team.”

KYLE LARSON, NO. 5 HENDRICKCARS.COM CAMARO ZL1

Finished:9th

Kyle, Your crew chief apologized for how the pit crew performed tonight and not giving you what you want. As a driver, how do you handle situations like that?

“You just shake it off and go out there the best that you can and put together some good runs. So, we were able to overcome all the spots that we lost on pit road, and I feel like I drove from the back to the top- five or six almost every run.

We had a really good car and I’m proud of the effort there at the shop and the piece that we brought here to Texas. It’s good that we are above the cutline; but if we are plus 16, I feel like we could have been plus 34 or something at least, so bummer there. We could have potentially won the race. We had the best car and the weather delay hurt for sure. We had the best car on the track when it was hot and when it got cooler, I got loose and everybody seemed to get faster. So, it was just harder to pass. Proud of the effort back at the shop.”

TYLER REDDICK, NO. 8 LENOVO/THINKEDGE CAMARO ZL3

Finished: 1st

All this group has been through and yet here they are still winning races and still a team. How about the Texas race fans who stayed here through this long night of racing and Tyler Reddick brings it home to Victory Lane. With all the tire issues, how worried were you on the final run because you went so long on this set of Goodyears?

“I was extremely worried; I’m not going to lie. Unfortunately, just about every time we’ve had fast cars, we’ve had some tire problems. That last run, the right sides were vibrating really, really hard there.

I was just trying to maximize and use the gap that I built over Joey (Logano) just in case. I mean, every time we’ve had a strong car, we’ve been bit by something, man.

Just really proud to be able to get this Lenovo Chevy to Victory Lane. They were at Auto Club earlier this year. They deserve to go to get to Victory Lane. We got them there.”

How did this team stay together through all the adversity this year?

“Well, it was tough. I mean, two points. Every spot matters in this deal. We just had two tough races. We brought a really fast car at Darlington. We were leading at Kansas when we broke and fell out early. It’s tough.

This will make that, the pain of not making it through, a little bit easier. Even though, yes, it would have locked us into the Round of 8. We’re winning races. That’s what we’ll keep trying to do.”

How about the Texas race fans?

“It was a hot one. Thank you fans who came out. I really appreciate it. This is a tough race, 500 miles here. Not an easy feat. I know it wasn’t easy on you guys, as well.

So great to be able to win here in a Cup car. Been close a few times. Let’s go!”

CHASE ELLIOTT, NO. 9 NAPA AUTO PARTS CAMARO ZL1 – Sidelined by damage sustained in an accident on lap 184.

Finished: 32nd

From your perspective, is there a design issue with these tires?

“I’m not sure that Goodyear is at fault. Goodyear always takes the black eye, but they’re put in a really tough position by NASCAR to build a tire that can survive these types of racetracks with this car. I wouldn’t blame Goodyear.”

Was it a tire that went down?

“Yeah, something came apart. I could hear it flapping in the right rear fender well. I don’t know, but if it wasn’t down, it was certainly coming apart. One of the two.”

You guys have relied on points all year long. As it sits now, just plus six-points above the cutline. How do you now view Talladega and the ROVAL?

“It’s not a great position to be in for sure, but it is what it is now. I hate it for our No. 9 NAPA Auto Parts Chevrolet team. We were actually decent here for once, so that was nice while it lasted. We’ll go to Talladega (Superspeedway) try to get a win and go on down the road.”

NOAH GRAGSON, NO. 16 FREEDOM BY ED MORSE CAMARO ZL1

Finished: 21st

“Solid run by our No. 16 Freedom by Ed Morse team. We had a lot of fun out there and ran up in the top 10 for a lot of the race. I’m really thankful and grateful for the opportunity with Kaulig Racing, Freedom by Ed Morse, and the entire Morse family. I had a lot of fun out there. It was a long, long race. We had some strong runs there throughout the race and got sent by the 11 late in the race when we were running like 10th or 11th. That’s part of it. You’ll have that, but we’ll keep working hard and try and be better in future.”

WILLIAM BYRON, NO. 24 RAPTORTOUGH.COM CAMARO ZL1

Finished: 7th

What happened off turn two between you and Denny Hamlin? Is that something you feel like he could have controlled to not have happen?

“Yeah, he ran me out of room and bent the toe link. We are lucky we finished. It was really hard contact.. it wasn’t like a light contact or something like that. I obviously didn’t mean to spin him out over there, but I am obviously mad and just not going to get raced like that. We have always raced so well together and I don’t know what it was all about. The 19 took it their way and he ran out of racetrack, so he chose to run me out of racetrack completely. And again, look, it was not like it was light contact and I thought we were going to be done.”

You ran into him on purpose off turn four?

“I don’t know. I mean obviously yeah; I went to go show my displeasure and I didn’t mean to spin him out. There are a ton of guys that do this and go do something like that…see it all the time. But yeah, I am just not going to get run like that and there is really no reason. I mean we are running second and third I think and had a shot to win, and it killed our car for sure. That was a bummer.”

Will you talk to him about it?

“Yeah, I guess so. We will probably talk. We have never had issues so I didn’t really get it, but I am also not going to be like ‘oh I don’t normally have issues with this guy and I am not going to be mad about it’. So it was uncalled for and I feel like we handled it.”

JUSTIN HALEY, NO. 31 LEAFFILTER GUTTER PROTECTION CAMARO ZL1

Finished: 3rd

“This was a long, challenging race. we finished third at Darlington earlier in the season and started pretty much last there as well, so it’s pretty cool to have another really great run for this Kaulig Racing team. Our No. 31 LeafFilter Gutter Protection Camaro ZL1 definitely wasn’t what I liked, but we kept working on it and actually when it turned dark, we got some good track position and made a heck of a run out of it. I’m really proud of everyone at Kaulig Racing. At the end, I was just worried that the right rear is going to go down, so I was just trying to make it to the end. P3 is everything we could want right now.”

TY DILLON, NO. 42 BLACK RIFLE COFFE CAMARO ZL1

Finished: 16th

“Today was a back-and-forth day with strategy. Our Black Rifle Camaro had good speed. We brought a good piece, and I thought it raced well, just the strategy was kind of back and forth. I think we made the perfect call there at the end of when to pit and it was looking like we were going to get a top 10. I just caught a little bit of the slime in turn one and had a big moment and lost spots unfortunately. I’m proud of our effort, proud of the speed in our Camaro. It’s been a lot of fun to drive these fast cars the last couple of weeks.”

ERIK JONES, NO. 43 FOCUSFACTOR CAMARO ZL1

Finished: 6th

“It ended up being a solid day for our FOCUSfactor Chevy team. The day started out a little rough, we were just struggling with the balance and got it better late in the race. We ended up taking tires with about 30 laps to go and were able to come back through the field for a sixth-place finish. I’m proud of that. We struggled at Texas in the All-Star race and we got a lot better from then to today. It’s good to have a good week. We needed one after the last few weeks. Hopefully we can carry so momentum to Talladega next weekend and try to close one out there.”

DANIEL SUAREZ, NO. 99 AGUAS FRESCAS CAMARO ZL1

Finished: 12th

“It was a tough day. We got decent points, but the car wasn’t what we were hoping for. The entire weekend, we were kind of off. The car had good speed, but the balance of the car wasn’t good. We just have to continue to work. I think we had a decent points day. We just have to continue to work and get better.”

TEAM CHEVY RACE QUICK NOTES

Stage One:

· Six Camaro ZL1’s took the green flag in the top-10 of the starting lineup in race two of the NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs Round of 12 at Texas Motor Speedway.

· With a caution flying on lap 39, William Byron led the bowtie brigade down pit road for a round of pit stops, with crew chief Rudy Fugle calling for four tires and fuel. The No. 24 RaptorTough.com Camaro ZL1 team got Byron off pit road first for a front row restart position.

· Taking the lead on lap 89, Kyle Larson went on to take the Stage One win; his fourth stage win of 2022. Larson led five Chevrolet to five top-10 finishes in the stage.

· Stage One Team Chevy Top-10:

1st Kyle Larson, No. 5 HendrickCars.com Camaro ZL1

4th Daniel Suarez, No. 99 Aguas Frescas Camaro ZL1

5th Ross Chastain, No. 1 Renu Camaro ZL1

6th William Byron, No. 24 RaptorTough.com Camaro ZL1

Stage Two:

· No. 47 Kroger/NOS Camaro ZL1 Crew Chief Brian Pattie chose pit strategy during the stage break, keeping Ricky Stenhouse Jr. out for a front row starting spot for the beginning of Stage Two.

· NCS point leader Chase Elliott was at the top of the leaderboard when a tire issue and contact with the wall brought out the caution on lap 184. The damage sustained forced the No. 9 NAPA Auto Parts Camaro ZL1 to retire early from the race.

· The 105-lap Stage Two saw four Chevrolet drivers in the top-10, led by Ross Chastain and the No. 1 Renu Camaro ZL1 team .

· Stage Two Team Chevy Top-10:

2nd Ross Chastain, No. 1 Renu Camaro ZL1

3rd William Byron, No. 24 RaptorTough.com Camaro ZL1

5th Daniel Suarez, No. 99 Aguas Frescas Camaro ZL1

6th Austin Dillon, No. 3 True Velocity Camaro ZL1

Final Stage / Post-Race Notes:

· Light precipitation moved into the area, with the threat of lightning putting the race under red flag conditions at lap 220.

· After a 56-minute red flag, Erik Jones and the No. 43 FOCUSfactor Camaro ZL1 team led the field to the green flag from the front row.

· Under caution with 63 laps to go, a majority of the field came down pit road, with No. 1 Renu Camaro ZL1 Crew Chief Phil Surgen electing to bring Chastain down for a fuel only pit stop, gaining 10 positions in the race off pit road.

· Tyler Reddick recorded his third NASCAR Cup Series win of 2022, taking the checkered flag in the AutoTrader EchoPark Automotive 500 at Texas Motor Speedway.

· The win is Reddick’s third career victory in 104 NASCAR Cup Series starts; and his first on an oval track in NASCAR’s premier series.

· Reddick’s victory marks Chevrolet’s 16th all-time NASCAR Cup Series win at Texas Motor Speedway, with Chevrolet now leading all manufacturers in wins at the 1.5-mile Texas venue.

· With 30 NASCAR Cup Series races complete, the Camaro ZL1 now sits at a manufacturer-leading 17 wins this season.

· The winningest brand in NASCAR, Chevrolet now has 831 all-time NASCAR Cup Series victories.

 
Team Chevy high-resolution racing photos are available for editorial use.

About Chevrolet
Founded in 1911 in Detroit, Chevrolet is now one of the world’s largest car brands, available in 79 countries with more than 3.2 million cars and trucks sold in 2020. Chevrolet models include electric and fuel-efficient vehicles that feature engaging performance, design that makes the heart beat, passive and active safety features and easy-to-use technology, all at a value. More information on Chevrolet models can be found at www.chevrolet.com.

Stewart-Haas Racing: AutoTrader EchoPark Automotive 500 from Texas

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Official Release
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STEWART-HAAS RACING
AutoTrader EchoPark Automotive 500

Date: Sept. 25, 2022

Event: AutoTrader EchoPark Automotive 500 (Round 30 of 36)

Series: NASCAR Cup Series

Location: Texas Motor Speedway in Fort Worth (1.5-mile oval)

Format: 334 laps, broken into three stages (105 laps/105 laps/124 laps)

Race Winner: Tyler Reddick of Richard Childress Racing (Chevrolet)

Stage 1 Winner: Kyle Larson of Hendrick Motorsports (Chevrolet)

Stage 2 Winner: Ryan Blaney of Team Penske (Ford)

SHR Race Finish:

● Chase Briscoe (Started 30th, Finished 5th / Running, completed 334 of 334 laps)

● Kevin Harvick (Started 23rd, Finished 19th / Running, completed 334 of 334 laps)

● Aric Almirola (Started 25th, Finished 24th / Running, completed 334 of 334 laps)

● Cole Custer (Started 24th, Finished 35th / Accident, completed 77 of 334 laps)

SHR Points:

● Chase Briscoe (9th with 3,041 points, four points below top-eight cutoff)

● Kevin Harvick (16th with 2,063 points)

● Aric Almirola (20th with 640 points)

● Cole Custer (25th with 521 points)

Playoff Standings (With two races to go before Round of 8):

  1. Joey Logano (3,071 points) +30
  2. Ross Chastain (3,059 points) +18
  3. William Byron (3,058 points) +17
  4. Kyle Larson (3,057 points) +16
  5. Ryan Blaney (3,056 points) +15
  6. Denny Hamlin (3,049 points) +8
  7. Daniel Suárez (3,045 points) +4
  8. Chase Elliott (3,045 points) +4
  9. Chase Briscoe (3,041 points) -4
  10. Austin Cindric (3,034 points) -11
  11. Christopher Bell (3,016 points) -29
  12. Alex Bowman (3,015 points) -30

SHR Notes:

● Briscoe earned his fourth top-five of the season and his first top-five in two career NASCAR Cup Series starts at Texas.

● Briscoe’s fifth-place result bettered his previous best finish at Texas – 15th, earned in his first start at the track last October.

● This was Harvick’s 38th career NASCAR Cup Series start at Texas, the most among all drivers, past and present, in Texas’ 25-year history.

● Harvick led once for nine laps to increase his laps-led total at Texas to a 691.

● Harvick has now led 11,471 laps since joining SHR in 2014. He has led 15,897 laps in his entire NASCAR Cup Series career.

Race Notes:

● Tyler Reddick won the AutoTrader EchoPark Automotive 500 to score his third career NASCAR Cup Series victory, his third of the season and his first at Texas. His margin over second-place Joey Logano was 1.190 seconds.

● There were 16 caution periods for a total of 91 laps.

● Twenty-five of the 36 drivers in the AutoTrader EchoPark Automotive 500 finished on the lead lap.

Sound Bites:

“The first 90 percent of the race we were struggling. We couldn’t get the balance of the car right. We would be too loose or too tight and could never find where we needed to be. After that red flag I think the nighttime coming in kind of helped us a bit. With 80 to go we were hoping to catch more cautions and make it on fuel and we were able to get our track position that way and it ended up working out. We did what we needed to do for our Rush Truck Centers/Cummins Ford. We were not a fifth-place car. We weren’t even a 15th-place car. To steal some points like that is huge. Going to Talladega, we are not in a massive hole and that is the most important thing. We will go there and, hopefully, have a little luck go our way and see what happens.” – Chase Briscoe, driver of the No. 14 Rush Truck Centers / Cummins Ford Mustang

Next Up:

The next event on the NASCAR Cup Series schedule is the YellaWood 500 on Sunday, Oct. 2 at Talladega (Ala.) Superspeedway. It is the fifth race of the 10-race NASCAR Playoffs and the second race in the Round of 12. The YellaWood 500 starts at 2 p.m. EDT with live coverage provided by NBC and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.

Ford Performance NASCAR: Logano’s Runner-Up Finish Leads Ford at Texas

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Ford Performance Notes and Quotes
NASCAR Cup Series
Autotrader 500 Media Availability | Saturday, September 24, 2022

FORD FINISHING RESULTS
2nd — Joey Logano
4th — Ryan Blaney
5th — Chase Briscoe
8th — Brad Keselowski
11th – Michael McDowell
15th – Austin Cindric
18th — Harrison Burton
19th — Kevin Harvick
23rd — Garrett Smithley
24th — Aric Almirola
26th — BJ McLeod
28th — Todd Gilliland
30th — Chris Buescher
33rd — Cody Ware
35th — Cole Custer

JOEY LOGANO, No. 22 AAA Insurance Ford Mustang — Finished 2nd

YOU ARE THE POINTS LEADER HEADING OUT OF HERE, BUT I KNOW YOU WERE MORE CONCERNED WITH THE TIRE ISSUE HERE TONIGHT WEREN’T YOU? “Yeah, the tires, if they aren’t blowing out then they are square. They were shaking like crazy. That is what happened there the last run. The last couple of runs really, just shaking the car. We got tight a couple runs and last time I got one that was off in the rear and we got loose. I think Reddick was fighting the same thing from what I heard there. You get that close to the win and you just know that if you just had that it might have been good enough to win the race. At the same time we should be happy that we scored a bunch of points today. It is bittersweet I guess.”

BUT VERY SUCCESSFUL FROM A POINTS STANDPOINT: “Yeah, it was a successful day for points scored. We got stage points in both stages and we were able to get a bunch by finishing second there. Yeah, it was a sloppy race for everyone on the track. We were just able to position ourselves really good at the end. Paul did a good job calling the race and putting four tires on when we needed to and putting two tires on when we needed to cycle forward.”

RYAN BLANEY, No. 12 Menards/Tarkett Ford Mustang — Finished 4th

“It was a long night for sure. It didn’t start out very good at all. We got better and better through the night and throughout the day we were able to win a stage and claw our way back from pretty far back in the pack there that last run to get to fourth. I thought our Mustang was probably the best car at the end we just couldn’t pass anybody. Overall, not a bad night. A pretty wild night. Luckily we were able to put together a solid race.”

CHASE BRISCOE, No. 14 Rush Truck Centers/Cummins Ford Mustang — Finished 5th

“The first 90 percent of the race we were struggling. We couldn’t get the balance of the car right. We would be too loose or too tight and could never find where we needed to be. After that red flag I think the nighttime coming in kind of helped us a bit. With 80 to go we were hoping to catch more cautions and make it on fuel and we were able to get our track position that way and it ended up working out. We did what we needed to do for our Rush Truck Centers Ford. We were not a fifth-place car. We weren’t even a 15th-place car. To steal some points like that is huge. Going to Talladega, we are not in a massive hole and that is the most important thing. We will go there and hopefully have a little luck go our way and see what happens.”

AUSTIN CINDRIC, No. 2 Discount Tire Ford Mustang — Finished 15th

ALL IN ALL, WOULD YOU CONSIDER THIS A SOLID DAY FOR THIS TEAM? “I guess so. Personally, absolutely not. I felt like we had a really fast Discount Tire Ford Mustang. We made the right changes throughout the day. I would say we didn’t execute very well at the beginning of the race but passed a lot of cars throughout the day and then got caught up in somebody elses mistake that took us out of a top five or top three or even a shot at the win. I am very upset about it. Getting stage points has been our weakness as a race team. We were able to get that both stages today and really grind one out and show a lot of poise but have nothing to show for it so I am pretty upset about it.”

THE NEXT TWO RACES AT TALLADEGA AND THE ROVAL. DOES THAT GIVE YOU ANY EXTRA HOPE?

“We are still on offense. We will put our heart and soul into it just like everyone else does. I have a great team behind me and I believe in myself and believe we can make the Round of 8, whether that is with a race win or on points. But it was a missed opportunity tonight for sure.”

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