Franco and Balzan Combine to Win Poles, Lead Race Laps and Score Class and Overall Second-Place Finish in Solid Weekend of Competition in the No. 34 Conquest Racing/Corsa Horizon Ferrari 488 GT3 at Sebring International Raceway
SEBRING, Florida (September 26, 2022) – Conquest Racing and co-drivers Manny Franco and Alessandro Balzan made a grand debut in the Fanatec GT World Challenge America powered by AWS series in the No. 34 Conquest Racing/Corsa Horizon Ferrari 488 GT3 this weekend at Sebring International Raceway.
In Franco’s first-ever race weekend in GT3 competition, and Conquest Racing’s debut in top-tier SRO Motorsports America competition, the No. 34 team and its drivers combined to win a pair of poles, lead race laps and score fourth-place and second-place finishes in the weekend’s pair of 90-minute Fanatec GT World Challenge races.
“I think we couldn’t have dreamed of a better weekend for our GT3 debut in the GT World Challenge series,” said Conquest Racing President and CEO Eric Bachelart. “The team did a fantastic job, no mistakes, and everything went very nicely. I was very impressed with Manny. For his first race at this level, he has been outstanding, and Alessandro has been 100% on it. Very professional and the perfect teammate for Manny. I couldn’t be happier. Our goal was to do these two races to learn for next year, and to finish second overall on our very first race weekend is unbelievable.”
Franco and Balzan were on pace from the first practice sessions at Sebring and followed it up with a pair of pole-winning qualifying efforts. Franco was fourth fastest overall in qualifying for Saturday’s first race but earned the Pro-Am class pole in the process. Balzan in turn clocked in fastest overall in his qualifying session and led the field to the green flag for Sunday’s second and final 90-minute race of the weekend.
No doubt taking the No. 34 team’s practice and qualifying results into account, series officials elevated the Conquest/Corsa Horizon Ferrari to the Pro class prior to Saturday’s first race. Undeterred, Franco and Balzan co-drove to a fourth-place class and overall finish, but the drivers and all on the Conquest ream were determined to earn a podium result on Sunday.
Balzan led every lap from the pole in his race-opening stint and handed the No. 34 Ferrari off to Franco after pitting from the lead. As the field cycled through pit stops, Franco found himself in the middle of a top-five fight that proved to be the battle of the race.
“I couldn’t have asked for a better weekend, to be honest, for our first time out here,” Franco said. “It was kind of last-minute for everything, it could have gone smoother for sure, but it could have gone a lot worse. I appreciate the effort from everyone on the team, and I am just so grateful that they are part of this team. Definitely, the biggest thing I learned in Sebring race two was the aero push. In Ferrari Challenge, we really don’t have much of that, so the push just from following a car was the biggest learning curve for me on track. I adjusted accordingly to be able to attack some of the cars that I passed Sunday.”
Franco’s passes proved to be the key to the second-place finish. While the race leader and eventual winner checked out while the four other cars fought in the top five, Franco ultimately emerged from the pack to lead the group to the checkered flag.
“It’s a great way to end a perfect weekend and our first weekend with Conquest Racing and Corsa Horizon,” Balzan said. “Saturday we spent a lot of time reviewing data, watching video and we really want to thank the team for some changes on the setup that worked out really well. We fixed some issues from Saturday but really had a strong car for everyday here. The Ferrari 488 is always great around Sebring, and really for me it was about running 50 minutes of qualifying laps to open Sunday’s race. Manny then put on an incredible show, it was great racing, and really fun to watch. Every day I am more impressed with Manny’s racecraft.”
Next up for Conquest Racing in Fanatec GT World Challenge competition is the season-ending 8-Hour race weekend at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, October 6 – 9.
MOORESVILLE, N.C. (Sept. 26, 2022) – Howie DiSavino III Racing announced today that the Travis Mills Foundation will adorn the No. 44 Chevrolet for Alpha Prime Racing for the Sparks 300 at Talladega (Ala.) Superspeedway.
During his third tour of Afghanistan, U.S. Army SSG (Ret.) Travis Mills, set his bag down on an IED causing an explosion where he lost portions of all his limbs. He woke up on his 25th birthday to learn of his injuries, later becoming a quadruple amputee; one of only five from the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan to survive his injuries.
Mills spent 19 months at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center where he learned to feed himself, drive a car, and walk again. During recovery, Mills and his wife Kelsey attended adaptive sports programs. During that time, Mills began to refer to himself as a “recalibrated veteran.” He didn’t like the term wounded warrior; his wounds had healed. He came to the realization that he had to reexamine his thinking and correct it in accordance with his new way of life.
With this new mission, the Travis Mills Foundation was founded in 2017 and offers recalibrated veterans and their families a week-long retreat, where they enjoy kayaking, tubing, canoeing, fishing, a ropes course, arts and crafts, skiing, snowshoeing, dog sledding, and more. Families also can connect with other families and relax and reset with one another.
“I am extremely humbled by Howie’s support,” Mills said. “He’s helping spread the good work done by the Travis Mills Foundation and the support it offers to our nation’s heroes and their families. He’s a true champion for veterans.”
“I am excited to be partnering with the Travis Mills Foundation this weekend at Talladega,” said DiSavino. “As the son of an Army veteran, the work that the Travis Mills Foundation does to help veterans and their families recalibrate to life is important and necessary work. With a good run at Talladega, I hope to raise awareness and funds to support the mission of the Travis Mills Foundation.”
Coverage of the Sparks 300 begins Saturday, Oct. 1 at 4 p.m. ET on USA Network, Motor Racing Network, and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.
About Alpha Prime Racing:
Alpha Prime Racing is a NASCAR Xfinity Series team owned by Craig and Tommy Joe Martins as well as Alpha Prime Sports Founder and CEO Caesar Bacarella. The team was originally founded in 2009 under the name Martins Racing.
The team announced in 2022 that they will run the No. 44 and No. 45 Camaro’s full-time, with multiple drivers splitting driving duties including Martins, Bacarella, Josh Bilicki, Rajah Caruth, Howie DiSavino III, Ryan Ellis, Kaz Grala, Sage Karam, Andy Lally, Julia Landauer, and others.
Front Row Motorsports (FRM) went west to Texas Motor Speedway with seven races left in the 2022 NASCAR Cup Series season.
Todd Gilliland and the No. 38 First Phase team battled the handling early in the race but played strategy towards the end to fight up front. Unfortunately, a tire issue sent Gilliland to the back for a 28th-place finish.
Michael McDowell and the Love’s Travel Stops, Speedco Ford Mustang team ran well inside the top-ten all race. From starting in the fifth position, leading ten laps, and finishing both stages with stage points, the team would finish eleventh after a series of late race cautions.
Todd Gilliland started the 334-lap event at Texas Motor Speedway in the 28th position with the No. 38 First Phase Ford Mustang and was quickly fighting handling issues in the early stages.
Complaining of a loose race car, the pit crew worked throughout the evening, making the right adjustments to get the car better. Fighting inside the top 20, the team made a strategy call to inherit track position in the final stage during a late-race caution.
Gilliland would fight inside the top-5 and even battle for the lead as the laps were winding down. Unfortunately, Gilliland suffered a flat tire on the next restart, a common issue that plagued many teams on Sunday night. The No. 38 First Phase team finished in the 28th position.
“We were really fast there at the end,” said Gilliland. “It has been really encouraging to see the speed out of this No. 38 group the past few weeks, even if the results don’t show it. Seth (Barbour) made a great call to get us that track position, a lot of teams had tire issues during this race, and we were one of them. We’ll move on and shift our focus to Talladega.”
Like most of the cars in the field, McDowell fought a loose handling car early in the race, as the intense heat mixed with the slick patch of traction compound threw the competition a curve ball. Starting fifth and working up into fourth, is were the Love’s Travel Stops, Speedco team would remain for a large chunk of stage one, prior to strategy variations later in the stage.
Finishing stage one in tenth, and working on the loose handling through stage two, the team would work their way back up from the mid-field to finish stage two in tenth as well. While many cautions began to arise as tire issues came up, McDowell would gain track position and place himself as the leader as the red flag would fly after an hour long rain/lightning delay.
With track position and a good handling car, the Love’s team would have to fight off cars with fresher tires on numerous occasions while being on a differing strategy. Knowing places would be lost, their target was to hold station until the tires would level out. As the track cooled, the car became much looser than it was previously. While McDowell also was fought transmission issues, the team would finish outside the top-ten, in eleventh.
“We had a great Love’s Travel Stops, Speedco Ford Mustang all day, while leading laps and having great track position. We were right there, but just too loose, and out of sequence with everyone else on older tires after those late cautions. We missed the top-ten by one position again, but it’s good to be disappointed with finishing eleventh, and we can be proud of the night we had starting in the top-five.”
FRM will head to Talladega Superspeedway this weekend with both the Truck and Cup Series with action starting on Saturday.
ABOUT FRONT ROW MOTORSPORTS Front Row Motorsports (FRM) is a winning organization in the NASCAR Cup and Camping World Truck Series and the 2021 Daytona 500 champions. The team was founded in 2004 and is owned by successful entrepreneur, Bob Jenkins. FRM fields the No. 34 and the No. 38 NASCAR Cup Series teams along with the No. 38 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series team– from its Mooresville, N.C. headquarters. Visit teamfrm.com and follow FRM on social media: Twitter at @Team_FRM, Instagram at @team_frm and Facebook at facebook.com/FrontRowMotorsports.
Closing out first full-season IMSA WeatherTech Campaign
Braselton, GA (26 September 2022) – Jr III ( “Junior-Three”) Racing will head just three hours south to Braselton, Georgia, for the IMSA season finale this weekend at Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta.
The 25th annual Motul Petit Le Mans event weekend will not only feature Saturday’s 10-hour race (12:00pm ET, NBC), but it will also see the final event of the IMSA Prototype Challenge (IPC) season (Friday, 8:00am ET, Peacock TV). Jr III will look to be a factor in both series events as the Charlotte-based team has three entries fully prepared for the traditional season-ending IMSA weekend.
Jr III Racing will field the No. 30 Airbnb Ligier JS P320 in the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship as well as the No. 3 and No. 30 LMP3 Ligier JS P320s for Friday morning’s IPC finale.
The event marks the close of the growing team’s first full-season competing at the IMSA WeatherTech level, having first made an IMSA entry and scoring the Bronze Cup in the 2019 IPC finale. The team, which also maintains an active racing program in vintage competition for a range of clients, has continued to build from that promising first IMSA start. The return to Road Atlanta is the second outing for the team in the 10 hour Petit Le Mans, having raced to second place in its debut outing in the 2021 edition of the race.
The No. 30 Airbnb WeatherTech entry will be driven by team regulars Ari Balogh and Garett Grist, with young Nolan Siegel returning to the driver roster for the 10 hour enduro. Siegel, who joined the team for the six-hour event at Watkins Glen International, recently made his Indy Lights debut closing out a promising rookie effort in Indy Pro 2000, where he finished fourth in point standings which include wins in St. Petersburg and Barber Motorsports Park.
“I am really excited to be back with the team for Petit,” said Siegel. “I think that we all worked really well together at Watkins Glen and we’ve made a lot of progress through the tests that we’ve done together. It will be my first time running this race, but I think that we will have a fast car and a good shot at a strong result!”
The Jr III Racing WeatherTech entry has earned three podium finishes this season, including an impressive run to the podium in the team’s first foray in the grueling Sebring 12 Hour in March. Heading into the finale, the team sits third in the point standings and will look to move up the championship with a return to the IMSA podium on Saturday night.
“The team is excited to get to work at Petit,” said Grist. “We’ve had three test days at the track and feel like we have a great car. Now it’s just a matter of putting finishing touches on it. I have a good feeling going into the weekend; we had success here last year in our WeatherTech debut and have a chance at the championship this year.”
It will be a busy string of days for the Billy Glavin-led squad, with IPC practice kicking off the action on Wednesday morning with practice ahead of Thursday’s qualifying and the race on Friday morning.
Behind the wheel of No. 30 Jr III IPC entry will be Ari Balogh and Siegel, pulling double duty for both WeatherTech and IPC. Courtney Crone and Terry Olson will once again share the driving duties onboard the No. 3 Jr III Racing entry.
“Over the last couple weeks, Terry and I were able to test at Road Atlanta,” said Crone. “I’m feeling comfortable going into the season finale, we made some new changes to the car and everything has been super positive. I love this track, it’s one of my top five favorites. I’m ready to get back at it! I think we will end the season on a high note.”
“Courtney and I tested well over our three days testing at Road Atlanta,” said Olson. “We have high confidence going into the finale. Let’s go!”
The final round of IPC will see the green flag Friday, September 30th at 8:00am ET with live coverage on Peacock. Saturday’s IMSA WeatherTech Motul Petit Le Mans will begin at noon ET, broadcasting on NBC until 3 pm ET; the full 10-hour race will be live on Peacock.
Jr III Racing at Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta:
Jr III first debuted in IPC at Michelin Raceway in 2019 with Kris Wilson behind the wheel. The veteran driver brought home his second Bronze Cup award in his second start in IPC. The team returned in 2020 with Eric and Greg Palmer behind the wheel. In 2021, they entered the IPC competition with two entries. The No. 3 with Terry Olson and Mike Skeen earned a podium finish. The team scored an impressive second place result in the 2021 Motul Petit Le Mans with drivers Ari Balough, Spencer Pigot, and Garret Grist.
Most recently, both IPC Ligiers competed at Virginia International Raceway last month, bringing home a top-five finish.
INDIANAPOLIS (26 Sept. 2022) – A leading rapid-response life insurance company has signed on to utilize the upcoming Indianapolis 8 hour presented by AWS as part of a comprehensive marketing effort by partnering with the No. 39 Hero Life / Kids for Kids Mercedes-AMG GT3 effort set to be piloted by Chris Cagnazzi, Shane Lewis and Guy Cosmo. The effort will be fielded by Stephen Cameron Racing in the Pro-Am division of the Intercontinental GT Challenge.
From the cockpit to the pit lane, quick decisions are critical to success in motorsport and that is also a key differentiator for Hero Life, which uses lightning-fast, proprietary algorithms to underwrite applicants in seconds for high-value term life insurance where traditional carriers can take weeks. Hero Life is an affordable and flexible way to help financially protect loved ones, and provides protection much more quickly than more traditional routes.
The Hero Life effort will feature three drivers that have strong histories at the fabled Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Cosmo returns to Indianapolis Motor Speedway as a defending class winner, while Cagnazzi has raced to the Indianapolis podium in Ferrari Challenge competition and is looking forward to making his professional debut next weekend in the prestigious Intercontinental GT Challenge. Lewis’s history at Indianapolis includes a run to the podium in Trans Am competition as he looks to add to that history next weekend.
The Hero Life partnership is part of a range of new ambitions for the campaign as the Indianapolis weekend sees the trio move to the GT3 class for the North American round of competition.
“This is a new adventure for us,” Cosmo said of the step up to Intercontinental GT Challenge in the GT3 ranks. “Chris (Cagnazzi) has raced GT3 cars before, and last year Shane (Lewis) and I shared an AMG GT3 Mercedes in IMSA. Shane has been racing a Mercedes in the Creventic 24H Series for several seasons, and recently won the championship. We’re all pretty experienced in these cars, but it’s a new endeavor for the team, and for all of us as a group. It is a thrill to have Hero Life come on board-they are all about speed and hopefully we can deliver for them with this new program.”
With previous experience at the Speedway, Cagnazzi is looking forward to making his Intercontinental GT Challenge debut at a track that he knows and loves.
“Indy is a special place, especially when you can podium there and kiss the bricks,” Cagnazzi said. “I think we know what kind of challenge there is with this level of competition and the 8 hour format, but we’ve got a good team behind us and this driver line up has lots of speed and experience so we are looking forward to this next step for us.
Lewis recently clinched the Creventic 24H European championship with a class victory and third-place overall finish in the CP Racing Mercedes at Barcelona. A 33-year veteran, he is a former class winner in the Rolex 24 At Daytona and was a race winner on many levels, ranging from IMSA Supercar to SCCA Trans Am and the ALMS.
“Driving a GT car at Indy will be a completely unique experience,” Lewis said. “I’m honored to be invited to come to Indianapolis with these guys. It’s a great synergy with the drivers and the team, and it’s going to be a very special program.
After taking delivery of the car in mid-September, the team did a shakedown test at Carolina Motorsports Park in Kershaw, S.C. to become familiar with the systems for the advanced machine that has proven potent in endurance events around the globe.
In addition to the partnership with Hero Life, the effort will also look to raise awareness for Kids for Kids, a community of friends, families, and colleagues raising money for organizations that support children and families struggling with medical challenges. Kids for Kids family-focused events celebrate all that we have to be grateful for and serve to inspire the next generation of humanitarians – our children.
Practice for the Indy 8 Hour begins on Thursday, Oct. 6, with qualifying on Friday at 1:55 p.m. (all times ET). The race takes the green flag at noon on Saturday.
Tyler Reddick, driver of the #8 Lenovo/ThinkEdge Chevrolet, leads the field during the NASCAR Cup Series Auto Trader EchoPark Automotive 500 at Texas Motor Speedway on September 25, 2022 in Fort Worth, Texas. (Photo by Sean Gardner/Getty Images)
Note: The quotes in this article are fictional.
1. Denny Hamlin: Denny Hamlin finished 10th at Texas.
“I had a late run-in with William Byron,” Hamlin said. “He said he didn’t mean to spin me. I can tell you my response to that will be ‘pre-meditated,’ because I’m definitely going to think very spiritually about it before I do it.”
2. Chase Elliott: Elliott slammed the wall with 27 laps remaining in Stage 2, and his No. 9 NAPA Chevy caught fire before coming to rest in the infield grass.
“At the time,” Elliott said, “I was leading the race. I was smoking the field, and continued to do so.”
3. Joey Logano: Logano started second at Texas and tried to chase down Tyler Reddick over the closing laps, but couldn’t get close enough and settled for the runner-up spot.
“It’s a great points day for us,” Logano said. “For a lot of playoff drivers, it was a great finger points day.”
4. Ryan Blaney: Blaney won Stage 2 at Texas and finished fourth at Texas.
“This race had it all,” Blaney said. “Heat, rain, lighting, as well as high winds from all the air leaving tires.”
5. William Byron: Byron posted a solid seventh in the EchoPark Automotive 500.
“I honestly didn’t mean to spin Denny Hamlin,” Byron said. “I’m ‘positive’ of that, and that’s also the same result I’d get on a lie detector test.”
6. Kyle Larson: Larson posted a solid ninth at Texas, joining Hendrick Motorsports teammate William Byron in the top 10.
“Despite my good result,” Larson said, “I’m not a big fan of this track. I said earlier they should tear it to the ground and start over. You know, like I did with my career that time.”
7. Ross Chastain: Chastain finished 13th at Texas, and is 18 points above the cut line as the series heads to Talladega.
“I won at Talladega in the spring,” Chastain said, “so I feel pretty confident I can leave there still in good playoff standing. I’m going to Talladega with the mindset of ‘just stay out of trouble.’ And since no other driver wants to be near me on the track out of fear I’ll wreck them, it should be smooth sailing for me.”
8. Christopher Bell: Bell suffered a variety of issues at Texas, all of which contributed to his retirement on Lap 136. He finished 34th.
“I went from 4 points above the cut line,” Bell said, “to 29 points below it. Much like tires at Texas, this blows.”
9. Tyler Reddick: Reddick led 70 laps and won the EchoPark Automotive 500 at Texas, his third win of the year.
“The name of the race was quite fitting,” Reddick said. “Apparently, the ‘echo’ in that race name obviously referred to all of the drivers saying ‘I blew a tire.'”
10. (tie) Martin Truex Jr.: Like many other drivers, Truex blew a tire and slammed the wall on Lap 268. He finished 31st.
“Once upon a time,” Truex said, “there was a thing called the ‘tire wars.’ I suggest we revisit that because I declare war on Goodyear.”
10. (tie) Chase Briscoe: Briscoe finished fifth at Texas, posting his fourth top-five of the season.
“After a race like that at Texas,” Briscoe said, “I’ve just got one question: Were the jets used in the pre-race flyover transporting any immigrants anywhere?”
No. 17 Team Loses Tire Late in Texas Race While Running Third
FORT WORTH (Sept. 25, 2022) – Coming off a breakthrough win at Bristol Motor Speedway, Chris Buescher returned to his home state of Texas with some much-needed momentum.
Starting 13th after a respectable qualifying effort, the Fastenal Ford made its way into the top-10 before lap 50. With the opening stage seeing five cautions for incident, crew chief Scott Graves elected to keep the No. 17 on the track until the final caution of stage one, placing Buescher 28th at the green-checkered flag.
A select amount of cars pitted under the stage break, placing Buescher 19th to begin stage two. Once again, there would be five cautions for incident in the stage with numerous drivers having tire issues. The Fastenal Ford went for a slide off turn 4 just shy of lap 200, but managed no damage. On lap 210, Buescher would finish the stage P19.
Graves kept the No. 17 Ford on the track under the stage break, lining Buescher up sixth for the restart. A rain delay around lap 220 would find Chris in the fifth position.
When the race resumed on lap 223, the No. 17 drove up to the third position with the leader in his sights. Unfortunately, the Fastenal Mustang succumbed to a flat right rear tire with 92 laps to go. The pit crew worked vigorously to make repairs, but Buescher would ultimately retire from the race to finish 30th.
Next up on the schedule is Talladega Superspeedway, as Sunday’s action is set for 2 p.m. ET on NBC. Race coverage can also be heard on MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.
Tyler Reddick recorded his third NASCAR Cup Series win of 2022.
Camaro ZL1’s 17th NCS Win of 2022
· 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.
· 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 sits at a season-leading 17 wins.
FORT WORTH, Texas (Sept. 26, 2022) – Tyler Reddick and the No. 8 Richard Childress Racing Camaro ZL1 team entered the Texas Motor Speedway race weekend with only winning on their minds. Coming off a heartbreaking finish at Bristol Motor Speedway that ultimately ended their championship title hopes in the NASCAR Cup Series (NCS) Playoff Round of 16 elimination race; Reddick proved that the No. 8 Camaro ZL1 team is still a team to beat by taking the victory in the AutoTrader EchoPark Automotive 500 at Texas Motor Speedway. The triumph was Reddick’s third victory of the 2022 season, but his first win in NASCAR’s premier series on an oval track.
“This will make that, the pain of not making it through, a little bit easier,” said Reddick. “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.”
Taking the green flag under the scorching Texas sun, the 500-mile race ended under the lights after drivers and teams endured a race filled with a record-breaking 16 cautions and 36 lead changes. Taking the lead from playoff contender Joey Logano with just 24 laps to go, Reddick retained control of the race all the way to the checkered flag to deliver Chevrolet its 17th win of 2022 in NASCAR’s premier series. The victory also marked Chevrolet’s 16th all-time NCS win at Texas Motor Speedway, bringing the Bowtie brand to the lead in wins among all manufacturers at the 1.5-mile Texas oval.
Five Chevrolet drivers – from four different Chevrolet teams – took top-10 finishing positions in the opening round of the NCS Playoffs Round of 12. For the second time this season, Kaulig Racing’s Justin Haley took a podium result, driving his No. 31 LeafFilter Gutter Protection Camaro ZL1 to a third-place finish. Petty GMS’s Erik Jones and the No. 43 FOCUSfactor Camaro ZL1 brought their Chevrolet-powered machine home in sixth. Hendrick Motorsports teammates and Chevrolet playoff contenders William Byron, No. 24 RaptorTough.com Camaro ZL1, and Kyle Larson, No. 5 HendrickCars.com Camaro ZL1, recorded seventh- and ninth-place finishes, respectively.
Up next is NASCAR’s longest oval and arguably one of biggest wildcard races of the 10-race playoff stretch: the 2.66-mile Talladega Superspeedway. Entering race two of the Round of 12, five Chevrolet playoff contenders remain above the playoff cutline. Leading the Bowtie brigade in the playoff standings is Talladega Superspeedway’s defending winner Ross Chastain in the second-position, with the No. 1 Trackhouse Racing Camaro ZL1 team 18-points ahead of the cutline. Joining Chastain in the top-eight of the playoff standings include Byron (3rd; +17 points), Larson (4th; +16 points), Daniel Suarez (7th; +4 points) and Chase Elliott (8th; +4 points). Alex Bowman and the No. 48 Hendrick Motorsports Camaro ZL1 team sits 12th in the playoff standings – 30 points below the cutline – after suffering damage in Stage One that ultimately resulted in a 29th-place finish.
Chevrolet also is one race closer to defending its NCS Manufacturer Championship title. Here is a look at where the winningest manufacturer in NCS history sits in the points standings, including its numbers at Talladega Superspeedway.
Rank
OEM
Points
Behind
Wins
1
Chevrolet
1107
–
17
2
Ford
1015
-92
7
3
Toyota
993
-114
6
Chevrolet at Talladega Superspeedway:
· In 106 NCS races at Talladega Superspeedway, Chevrolet has amassed 42 wins to lead all manufacturers.
· The most recent triumph came from Chastain and the No. 1 Trackhouse Racing Camaro ZL1 team, who recorded their second NCS win of 2022 in the April event.
· Other victories by active Chevrolet drivers in the NCS at Talladega Superspeedway include:
· Chevrolet leads the NCS in consecutive wins at Talladega Superspeedway with 13 straight victories among five drivers from April 25, 1999 to May 1, 2005.
Race Two of the NCS Playoffs Round of 12 will get underway Sunday, October 2, at Talladega Superspeedway with the YellaWood 500 at 2 p.m. ET. Live coverage can be found on NBC, the NBCSports Gold App, MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Channel 90.
Chevrolet Drivers in the NASCAR Cup Series Playoff Standings:
Ross Chastain, No. 1 Trackhouse Racing Camaro ZL1 – 2nd in Playoff Standings (+18 points above cutline)
Victories: 2
Top-Fives: 10; Top-10s: 16; Laps Led: 585
Average Finish: 14.2; Stage Wins: 5
Of Note:
The 2022 season marks Chastain’s first career appearance in the NCS playoffs.
Chastain has already scored a win at one of the Round of 12 tracks in 2022, with his second-career NCS win coming at Talladega Superspeedway in April.
William Byron, No. 24 Hendrick Motorsports Camaro ZL1 – 3rd in Playoff Standings (+17 points above the cutline)
Victories: 2
Top-Fives: 5; Top-10s: 9; Laps Led: 713
Average Finish: 16.5; Stage Wins: 4
Of Note:
The 2022 season marks Byron’s fourth consecutive appearance in the NCS playoffs.
Bryon’s career-best finish in the NCS playoffs came in 2021, finishing the season 10th in the final standings.
Byron scored top-10 finishes in all three races of the Round of 16 including an eighth-place at Darlington Raceway; sixth-place at Kansas Speedway; and third-place at Bristol Motor Speedway.
The 2022 season marks Larson’s sixth appearance in the NCS playoffs, with 2021 bringing Larson his first trip to the Championship 4.
During the playoff era (2004-present); Larson leads the series in ‘multiple playoff race wins in a single season’ with five in 2021 (Bristol, Charlotte ROVAL, Texas, Kansas, Phoenix).
In 2021, Larson took the wins at two of the three tracks that are in the Round of 12, including both the playoff and All-Star races at Texas Motor Speedway; and the annual race at the Charlotte ROVAL.
Daniel Suarez, No. 99 Trackhouse Racing Camaro ZL1 – 7th in Playoff Standings (+4 points above the cutline)
Victories: 1
Top-Fives: 6; Top-10s: 11; Laps Led: 247
Average Finish: 16.3; Stage Wins: 2
Of Note:
The 2022 season marks Suarez’s first career appearance in the NCS playoffs.
Suarez has three top-five finishes on road course circuits in 2022 including his first-career NCS win at Sonoma Raceway; and fifth-place finishes at Road America and Watkins Glen Chase Elliott, No. 9 Hendrick Motorsports Camaro ZL1 – 8th in Playoff Standings (+4 points above cutline)
2022 NASCAR Cup Series Regular Season Champion
Victories: 4 (series-leading)
Top-Fives: 11; Top-10s: 18; Laps Led: 763
Average Finish: 11.8; Stage Wins: 5
Of Note:
The 2022 season marks Elliott’s seventh consecutive appearance in the NCS playoffs.
Elliott has advanced to the Championship 4 the past two seasons, winning his first career NCS Driver Championship in 2020.
Six of his 17 career NCS wins have come in the playoffs.
Elliott has won at two of the three tracks in the Round of 12, including Talladega Superspeedway (2019); and a two-time winner at the Charlotte ROVAL (2019 and 2020).
Alex Bowman, No. 48 Ally Camaro ZL1 – 12th in Playoff Standings (-30 points below the cutline)
Victories: 1
Top-Fives: 4; Top-10s: 12; Laps Led: 136
Average Finish: 16.1; Stage Wins: 2
Of Note:
The 2022 season marks Bowman’s fifth consecutive appearance in the NCS playoffs.
Bowman has raced his way into the Round of 12 in each of his NCS playoff appearances; making it to the Round of 8 in the 2020 season to score a career-best sixth in the final standings.
Two of Bowman’s 12 top-10 finishes of 2022 came in the Round of 16, recording a 10th-place finish at Darlington Raceway and a fourth-place finish at Kansas Speedway.
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Cody Webb and Cooper Abbott in Moto One. Photo courtesy of Jack Jaxson
Redmond, OR – Round two of the AMA EnduroCross season saw a pair of podiums, and some pileups, for team FactoryONE Sherco. Cody Webb was able to secure a P2 finish with moto scores of 3-4-1. Louise Forsley also took home P2 honors in the women’s pro main. Cooper Abbott was the victim of a first turn pileup in moto two, which ended his bid for a podium after a strong moto one.
Cody Webb got the night started off right by setting a blistering pace in the hot lap qualifiers with a time :56.653. He was the only rider to go sub :57 seconds on the much longer track than round one. He was fourth off the line in the hot lap qualifier, which meant he had anxiously wait as rider after rider tried to knock him out of the “hot seat,” but alas, no one was able to do it giving him the first gate pick.
“I knew I had the pace, I just wanted to put round one behind me and focus on a good qualifying lap to set myself up for success,” said Cody Webb. “I was forced to qualify into the night show this morning, so I got a bit more track time. That helped but my SEF 300 Factory was dialed in thanks to Cody R (Richelderfer).” Cooper Abbott would finish P5 in the qualifier setting himself up for a row one start for moto number one.
Cooper Abbott would rocket out to the gate in moto one, just missing the Moose Racing hole-shot by the slightest of margins behind points leader Taddy Blazusiak. The five time champion would go down in the first turn however, allowing Abbott to take the early lead. Right off his rear wheel were the likes of Colton Haaker, Cody Webb and Ryder Leblond. Cooper would battle with this set of riders for a few laps, eventually settling for a fourth place in the moto. Cody Webb managed to get around his teammate about mid moto putting him in a P3 position where he would finish the moto. Both riders were setting themselves up for a good night.
As is customary in EnduroCross, the gate order would be reversed with the bottom eight riders lining up on row one. As the gate dropped and the riders got away, Cory Graffunder would get out of shape causing chaos coming into the first turn. He and Nick Thompson were fighting for space which caused Graffunder to crash in front of Thompson, which unfortunely caused him to veer directly into the path of Cooper Abbott, who was charging hard from the back row, almost sending him into the stands. Abbott was now P16 but by the end of lap one, he would move up to P13 and continue to move forward. Cody Webb was stuck behind riders from row one, but was making calculated passes. He would hit the timing stripe in P5 after one full lap. Jonny Walker would make his way into p1 with Webb, Blazusiak, and Ryder Leblond battling for the other moto podium spots. Webb would finish P4 giving him seven points in the Olympic scoring system. He would be tied for P3 overall with Colton Haaker coming into the final moto.
The final EX Pro moto of the night would have fans on the edge of their seats. Ryder Leblond would take the hole-shot with Jonny Walker, Colton Haaker and Cody Webb in tow. With Haaker and Webb being tied for the final podium spot, it would come down to a head to head result between the pair. Abbott meanwhile, had to settle for a back row start due to his misfortune in the second race.
LeBlond would continue to lead midway through lap one when Haaker would make a pass on Jonny Walker in the rock garden. This wasn’t great news for Webb who was just off their rear wheel in p4 but his luck changed when Walker stuffed his front end into the side of Haaker, sending him to the ground for a moment. This allowed Webb to get around Haaker. He now had his sights on Walker and LeBlond. A bobble in the matrix by Walker on lap 3 allowed Webb to move into P2, but Haaker was lurking on his rear wheel. As the riders approached the next corner, it was Haaker who returned pleasantries to Walker with an aggressive move. This caused the duo to lose all momentum as they returned the rock garden. LeBlond and Webb were now able to put in a small gap on the pair behind. Webb would push and push to try and get past LeBlond, but the running order would remain the same until the last half lap when lapped riders would play a factor.
As the leading pair entered the “cement corner” after the first rock garden, lapper Blake Gutzeit, got in the way of LeBlond allowing Webb to make the pass into P1 where he would finish the last half lap for the moto win.
“I honestly feel bad for Ryder (LeBlond) as that would have been his first EX moto win, but that is racing,” said Webb. “The racing was intense so I am really happy with the result. The night started off well with the hot lap win and I think I showed I can run the pace that is needed to win. I am already looking forward to round three in Denver,” concluded Webb.
“The first turn melee in moto two ended my chances of having a great night,” exclaimed Cooper Abbott. “Moto one showed that I had the pace but what can you do? That second moto finish had me on row two for the last race and that isn’t where you want to be with the world class talent we have racing this series. I am ready for Denver,” concluded Abbott.
In The EX Pro Women’s race, FactoryONE Sherco’s Louise Forsley would finish P2 which was enough to keep her points lead in the overall championship. The rock garden seemed to be the differentiator in the race for the top three women. Louise and Rachel Gutish would battle for the first two laps, before the rocks would be the undoing of Gutish. The three stayed in this running order for the remainder of the race. Seventeen year old Insider Enduro Sherco’s Hallie Marks would finish P4.
About FactoryONE Sherco: FactoryONE Sherco is a multi-time United States AMA championship observed trials team and multi-discipline Championship enduro team led by some of the top riders in the business. The Enduro team is led By Cody Webb who is a multi-time champion that competes in Extreme Off-Road, EnduroCross and FIM SuperEnduro. He is also the 2010 AMA Mototrials Champion. The Trials team is led by 13x AMA Champion Pat Smage (Smah-gee) on the men’s side; and 6x AMA Champion Louise Forsley (fours-lee) on the Women’s side. The trials team consists of four professional riders and two development riders.
Keselowski Notches Fifth Top-10 after Starting from Pole
FORT WORTH (Sept. 25, 2022) – Brad Keselowski led the field to green and survived what was a chaotic, 500-mile race at Texas Motor Speedway Sunday afternoon to finish eighth in the ROUSHParts.com Ford.
The race spanned well over four hours as a record 16 cautions flew for 91 laps, and an unexpected thunderstorm caused a lightning delay midway between stage two and three. In total 19 different drivers led a lap for 36 lead changes, with Keselowski leading the fourth-most laps with 31.
He paced the field to green after earning the pole in Saturday’s qualifying session. The 2012 Cup Champion went on to lead the first 31 laps before settling into what was an eventful afternoon.
An early speeding penalty under the first yellow of the afternoon put Keselowski to the tail end of the field, but he wasted no time in charging back through. In total five cautions flew in the opening stage of 105 laps with Keselowski crossing the stripe eighth.
He began the second stage from 22nd after taking right-side tires in the stage break. The strategy paid off as he improved eight positions in a span of 26 laps, and had worked his way to 12th at lap 168. A flurry of three yellows occurred in a stretch of just 30 laps as Keselowski again used a restart and short-run speed to improve from 15th to seventh in just seven laps.
After advancing to sixth with 10 laps remaining in the second stage, he crossed the stripe fourth. From there, light rain fell across the racing surface and lightning ultimately caused a red flag and delay that would last just under an hour in length.
The Michigan native would restart 16th once the weather cleared, but again had worked his way back inside the top-10 just 12 laps into the green-flag run. He pitted from the sixth position with 92 to go and lined up 16th on the ensuing restart. Another four caution flags stood between there and the checkered flag as Keselowski worked his way back to seventh with 66 to go. Following the final pit stop of the night with 65 to go, Keselowski restarted 17th with 57 to go and picked off multiple positions in the closing laps for the eighth-place finish.
Talladega Superspeedway – where Keselowski is the winningest active driver – is the next stop on the Cup Series schedule next weekend. Race coverage next Sunday from Alabama is set for 2 p.m. ET on NBC, MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.
