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Gragson ties all-time Xfinity wins streak after victory in Playoff opener at Texas

By
Andrew Kim
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FORT WORTH, TEXAS - SEPTEMBER 24: Noah Gragson, driver of the #9 Bass Pro Shops/TrueTimber/BRCC Chevrolet, celebrates in victory lane after winning the NASCAR Xfinity Series Andy's Frozen Custard 300 at Texas Motor Speedway on September 24, 2022 in Fort Worth, Texas. (Photo by Chris Graythen/Getty Images).

Noah Gragson commenced the 2022 NASCAR Xfinity Series Playoffs by making history with his record-tying fourth consecutive victory in recent weeks to claim the Andy’s Frozen Custard 300 at Texas Motor Speedway on Saturday, September 24.

The 24-year-old Gragson from Las Vegas, Nevada, led three times for 85 of 200-scheduled laps and executed a pit stop under the green flag with less than 50 laps remaining to his advantage. He reassumed the top spot with 12 laps remaining and beat Austin Hill by more than a second to claim his seventh NASCAR Xfinity Series victory of the season.

Above all, Gragson became the first Playoff contender to punch his ticket into the Round of 8 in the 2022 Xfinity Series Playoffs.

With on-track qualifying that determined the starting lineup occurring on Saturday, Playoff contender Brandon Jones secured his fourth pole position of the 2022 season after posting a pole-winning lap at 185.637 mph in 29.089 seconds. Joining him on the front row was Playoff contender Noah Gragson, who posted the second-best qualifying lap at 185.363 mp in 29.132 seconds.

Prior to the event, Playoff contender Ty Gibbs, as well as, Bayley Currey, David Starr, Akinori Ogata, Tommy Joe Martins, Stefan Parsons and JJ Yeley dropped to the rear of the field due to unapproved adjustments made to their respective cars. Garrett Smithley also dropped to the rear of the field due to an engine change.

When the green flag waved and the race began, Brandon Jones surged ahead with a brief advantage over Gragson entering the first turn. Then, he slipped sideways below the apron in Turn 1 off the front nose of Daniel Hemric’s No. 11 DaaBIN Store Chevrolet Camaro. As Jones tried to straighten his No. 19 Menards Toyota Supra below the apron, the field fanned out to avoid Jones and Gragson pulled away with the lead. He went on to lead the first lap by eight-tenths ahead of John Hunter Nemechek followed by Justin Allgaier, Hemric and Landon Cassill. Meanwhile, Jones, who managed to keep his car intact without drawing a caution, was all the way back in 20th behind Alex Labbe.

Through the first 10 scheduled laps, Gragson was leading by a tenth of a second over Nemechek, who challenged Gragson for the lead before claiming it during the following lap. He was followed by Allgaier, Hemric and Cassill while Ryan Sieg, Brandon Brown, AJ Allmendinger, rookie Austin Hill and Josh Berry, rounding out the top 10. Playoff contender Sam Mayer was in 11th, Jeremy Clements was in 13th, Riley Herbst was scored in 15th ahead of Brandon Jones as Ty Gibbs was mired back in 24th behind Brennan Poole.

Nine laps later, the first caution of the event flew when Jeffrey Earnhardt, who was battling Poole for a spot outside of the top 20, got into the side of Poole’s car entering the backstretch and his No. 26 YesWav/ForeverLawn Toyota Supra darted to the inside wall and wrecked hard, which ended Earnhardt’s event early. By then, Nemechek was still leading Gragson, Brandon Jones had recovered to 14th and Ty Gibbs was up in 18th behind Creed.

During the first caution period, some like Creed, Alex Labbe, Matt Mills, David Starr, Joey Gase, Garrett Smithley and Joe Graf Jr. pitted while the rest, led by Nemechek, remained on the track.

When the race restarted under green on Lap 24, Nemechek and Gragson dueled for the lead until Nemechek managed to clear Gragson for the top spot while the field jostled for positions. Behind the leaders, Sam Mayer, who got loose beneath Cassill entering Turn 1 and lost a handful of spots, hit the wall entering Turn 4 and fell to 16th. With the race proceeding under green, Gragson kept the runner-up spot ahead of Hemric, Allgaier and Allmendinger while Nemechek retained the lead.

At the Lap 35 mark, Nemechek’s No. 18 Romco Equipment Toyota Supra was ahead by nearly six-tenths of a second over Gragson’s No. 9 Bass Pro Shops Chevrolet Camaro while Hemric, Allgaier and Allmendinger remained in the top five. By then, Gibbs carved his No. 54 Interstate Batteries Toyota Supra into 10th place while Berry, Weatherman, Hill and Nicholas Sanchez were in sixth through ninth, respectively.

Two laps later, the caution returned when CJ McLaughlin spun in Turn 2, though he managed to keep his car intact without hitting the wall. During the caution period, some of the drivers, led by Nemechek who slid through his pit box, pitted, while the rest, led by Hemric and Allgaier remained on the track. Playoff contenders Gragson and Gibbs were among the front-runners who also pitted along with Nemechek.

With three laps remaining in the first stage, the race restarted under green. At the start, Hemric retained the lead on the inside lane while teammate Allmendinger battled Allgaier for the runner-up spot. In Turn 3, however, Allmendinger got loose and fell back to fourth behind Allgaier and Hill. Behind, JR Motorsports’ Berry and Gragson battled for fifth while Hemric held on to the top spot.

When the first stage concluded on Lap 45, Hemric claimed his third stage victory of the 2022 season. Allgaier settled in a close second place followed by Hill, Gragson, Allmendinger, Berry, Nemechek, Ryan Sieg, Gibbs and Kyle Weatherman. By then, Playoff contenders Brandon Jones, Clements, Herbst and Mayer were in 12th, 13th, 26th and 27th, respectively.

Under the stage break, some of the drivers, led by Hemric, and including Allgaier, Hill, Gragson, Allmendinger, Berry, Ryan Sieg, Anthony Alfredo, Joey Gase, Matt Mills, Weatherman, Clements, Poole, Yeley, Mayer and Currey pitted while the rest, led by Nemechek, remained on the track.

The second stage started on Lap 51 as teammates Nemechek and Gibbs occupied the front row. At the start, Nemechek pulled ahead with the lead on the inside lane followed by Gibbs and Nicholas Sanchez while Brandon Jones was in fourth ahead of Cassill, Brown, Creed and Ryan Sieg.

Two laps later, Gibbs, who started the event at the rear of the field due to unapproved adjustments to his car, assumed the lead for the first time. Another two laps later, however, Nemechek reclaimed the top spot. Behind, Gragson, who was trying to navigate his way back toward the front, overtook Creed for seventh place while Hemric was mired back in 12th.

By Lap 60, Nemechek was leading by half a second over teammate Gibbs while teammate Jones trailed by more than a second in third place. Cassill was in fourth followed by a hard-charging Gragson while Sanchez, Brown, Creed, Hemric and Hill, who reported a vibration to his No. 21 Bennett Chevrolet Camaro, were in the top 10. By then, Allmendinger was in 11th ahead of Berry and Allgaier, Herbst was back in 16th, Clements was in 20th, Mayer was in 22nd and Sieg was in 24th.

Fifteen laps later and at the Lap 75 mark, Nemechek continued to lead by six-tenths of a second over teammate Gibbs while Gragson was up in third place and trailing the two Joe Gibbs Racing leaders by more than a second. Jones and Cassill remained in the top five while Hemric battled teammate Allmendinger for sixth ahead of Hill, Sanchez, Allgaier and Berry.

Three laps later, the caution flew when veteran David Starr lost a right-front tire and pounded the outside wall in Turn 2 and slowly limped his car back to pit road. During the caution period, the No. 51 Straitline Chevrolet Camaro piloted by Playoff contender Jeremy Clements received a push from a wrecker after losing power as he fell out of the lead lap category. The issue was eventually enough for Clements’ crew to push the car to the garage area for further analysis. Once pit road opened for the field, some of the drivers, led by Nemechek, pitted, while the rest, led by teammates Hemric and Allmendinger, remained on the track. Following the pit stops, Berry was sent to the rear of the field due to an uncontrolled tire violation along with Cassill, who sped on pit road.

With five laps remaining in the second stage, the race restarted under green. At the start, teammates Hemric and Allmendinger dueled for the lead until Allmendinger managed to navigate his No. 16 Andy’s Frozen Custard Chevrolet Camaro into the lead. In Turn 3, Hemric was locked in a battle with Sieg for the runner-up spot while Sanchez, who briefly made a bid towards the front, got loose up the outside lane as he fell out of the top 10. Soon after, Akinori Ogata spun off of Turn 4, but the race remained under green.

Back at the front, Allmendinger continued to lead while Hemric led a four-car battle for the runner-up spot, featuring Sieg, Gragson and Nemechek.

When the second stage concluded on Lap 90, Allmendinger, the 2022 Xfinity Series regular-season champion, captured his third stage victory of the season. Gragson muscled his way into the runner-up spot while Nemechek, Hemric, Gibbs, Hill, Allgaier, Sieg, Brandon Jones and Mayer were scored in the top 10. By then, Herbst was in 12th and Berry was back in 22nd.

Under the stage break, some of the drivers pitted, led by Allmendinger and Hemric, while the rest, led by Gragson, remained on the track.

With 104 laps remaining, the final stage started. Gragson secured the lead on the inside lane as he slid in front of Nemechek and was followed by Gibbs, Hill and Allgaier while Brandon Jones challenged and overtook Creed for sixth place. With the battles around the circuit ensuing, Gragson stabilized a narrow advantage over the field with Nemechek slowly closing in.

At the halfway mark with 100 laps remaining, the battle for the lead between Gragson and Nemechek ensued with the latter attempting to intimidate the former as Gibbs, Hill and Allgaier remained in the top five. By then, seven of 12 Playoff contenders were running in the top 10 on the track and all but one were running in the top 16.

Four laps later, the caution returned when Akinori Ogata spun in Turn 2. With the field remaining on the track and the race proceeding under green with 91 laps remaining, Gragson rocketed with the lead followed by Nemechek and Hill while Gibbs and Allgaier battled for fourth. Not long after, the caution quickly returned for a multi-car wreck entering Turn 3. It began when Allmendinger got into Brown as Brown clipped Cassill and sent Cassill into the outside wall while Mayer barely escaped the carnage. Also involved in the carnage were Myatt Snider, Anthony Alfredo, Weatherman, Joey Gase, Sieg and Brown.

When the race restarted under green with 81 laps remaining, Hill dipped his No. 21 Chevrolet below Gragson as both, along with Nemechek, went three wide for the lead. Then in Turn 2 and entering the backstretch, the caution flew when Nemechek got loose as he slipped sideways and clipped Allgaier, who was trying to make it a four-wide battle for the lead. Both collided against one another hard alongside the outside wall. The carnage did not stop there, however, as pole-sitter, Brandon Jones, collided into both with Poole, Joe Graf Jr., Weatherman, Josh Williams, Joey Gase and Sieg while Hemric smacked the inside wall. The wreck eliminated Jones, Nemechek, Allgaier and Hemric from further competition. Allmendinger, who dodged the wreck, moved back up to 14th as Gragson managed to keep the lead ahead of Hill, Berry, Gibbs and Herbst.

With 74 laps remaining, the race restarted under green as Gragson engaged in a tight battle with Hill for the lead before clearing him while Gibbs started to challenge Hill for the runner-up spot. Shortly after, however, the caution returned when Garrett Smithley got bumped and turned off the front nose of Weatherman through the backstretch while Stefan Parsons and Myatt Snider sustained damage after clipping Smithley.

Six laps later, the race restarted under green. At the start, Gragson retained the lead while Gibbs engaged in a tight side-by-side battle for the runner-up spot alongside Hill and Herbst battled Sanchez for fourth place.

With less than 60 laps remaining, Gragson was leading by eight-tenths of a second over Gibbs followed by Hill and Herbst while Allmendinger carved his way back into the top five in fifth. Sanchez was in sixth followed by Berry, Creed, Ryan Sieg and Mayer, rounding out the top 10. By then, eight of 12 Playoff contenders were running in the top 15.

A few laps later, Gibbs washed up the racetrack in Turn 3 and toward the outside wall as he lost momentum and was overtaken by Hill.

With 50 laps remaining, Gragson extended and stabilized his advantage to two seconds over Hill, who had Gibbs closing in for another challenge for the runner-up spot. Behind, Allmendinger was in fourth followed by Berry and Herbst while Creed, Sanchez, Mayer and Sieg were in the top 10.

Six laps later, Gragson surrendered the lead to pit under green followed by Gibbs. Once Hill pitted during the following lap, Allmendinger, who has yet to pit, assumed the lead followed by Berry, Herbst, Sanchez and Mayer. By then, Gragson, Hill and Gibbs were lapped by the field.

With less than 30 laps remaining, Allmendinger continued to lead followed by Berry, Mayer, Currey and Jeb Burton, all of whom had yet to pit. By then, Sanchez, Creed, Herbst and others had already pitted under green while Gragson was still a lap down, but running in the top 10 on fresh tires and with enough fuel for the finish.

Down to the final 20 laps of the event, Allmendinger retained the lead as one of four competitors who have not yet made a pit stop while Gragson was up in fifth and still a lap down, but gaining ground. Four laps later, however, Allmendinger surrendered the lead to pit along with Berry while Jeb Burton assumed the lead followed by a hard-charging Gragson, who un-lapped himself and went to work on closing back in on Burton for the lead. 

Then with 11 laps remaining, Gragson reassumed the lead as Jeb Burton pitted. By then, Hill made his way up to second followed by Gibbs, Allmendinger and Berry while Herbst was back in sixth.

Down to the final five laps of the event, Gragson extended his advantage to more than a second over Hill, with Hill losing ground to the leader, while third-place Gibbs trailed by more than three seconds. 

When the white flag waved and the final lap started, Gragson remained as the leader by more than a second over Hill. With Hill unable to close on the leader, Gragson was able to navigate his No. 9 Chevrolet back to the frontstretch and claim his unprecedented seventh checkered flag of the season and his fourth in a row in recent weeks.

With his accomplishment, Gragson joined the late two-time Xfinity champion Sam Ard as the only competitors to win four consecutive Xfinity events. Gragson also secured his 12th career victory in the Xfinity circuit, his first at Texas and the 13th victory of the 2022 season for JR Motorsports. With an automatic ticket to the Round of 8, which will commence in October at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, Gragson continues his pursuit to win the 2022 Xfinity title before moving up to the NASCAR Cup Series in 2023 for Petty GMS Motorsports.

“This No. 9 team, man, they’re on fire,” Gragson said on USA Network. “The pit crew’s done awesome. Our car was as fast as Xfinity internet all day. Just so thankful for the opportunity. Such a relief. We lost this race in 2020. Just executed a great race. [Crew chief] Luke Lambert and the rest of the boys, they did a great job. Last year, I was standing with Justin Haley and saw John Hunter [Nemechek] raising the Andy’s Frozen Custard trophy over his head. He said, ‘Man, I would’ve tried a little bit harder if I would’ve seen that trophy and knew what it was.’ That made me motivated. I was like, ‘Damn, I want that [trophy], too.’ We came back and the team did a great job. We’re on fire as a team right now.”

Playoff rookie Austin Hill notched a strong runner-up result for his 11th top-five of the season while Ty Gibbs emerged as the lone Joe Gibbs Racing competitor to finish the event by ending up in third place. Hill leaves Texas in fourth place in the Playoff standings and 30 points above the top-eight cutline to transfer to the Round of 8 while Gibbs is currently in third place and with a 46-point advantage.

“We were faster than [Gragson],” Hill said. “I don’t know if he was just kind of pacing there or not, but [I] just got too tight there at the end. I’m sure I could’ve done a better job coming to that green flag pit stop. The guys did an excellent job all day on pit road. Pit stops were fantastic. It’s nice to start the Playoffs like this and start it off right, but at the same time, we know that if we would’ve won the race, we wouldn’t have to worry about [Talladega] or the [Charlotte] Roval. A little frustrated, but at the same time, happy with the performance. We showed speed. We just needed that little bit more.”

“Honestly, we were a little bit tight,” Gibbs said. “[We were] fighting that all day. We fired off one run really free and just kept it tight for the rest. [The crew] adjusted what I asked for, but I asked for a little bit too much and that’s what we went to. It’s my fault. Thank you to my team. We’ll keep moving on to Talladega, which is a yard sale.”

Meanwhile, Allmendinger survived his late incident and made his late pit strategy work to perfection as he finished fourth while Herbst completed the top five. 

“I wished we could’ve won that race,” Allmendinger, who is 47 points above the top-eight cutline, said. “I thought we had a shot, but the way it could’ve been and the way it actually ended up to have a really good points day, we’ll take it.”

“This was our game plan,” Herbst, who is a single point below the cutline, added. “Just fall back on what we’ve been doing all year, consistency. We need to execute tremendously better if we want to advance. To come away out of Texas with a top five, it’s good and we’ll go battle with the Monster [Energy] guys at Talladega.”

Berry, Creed, Mayer, Ryan Sieg and CJ McLaughlin completed the top 10 on the track, with eight of 12 Playoff contenders finishing in the top 10.

There were 14 lead changes for seven different leaders. The race featured nine cautions for 52 laps. Only eight of 38 starters finished on the lead lap.

Results.

1. Noah Gragson, 85 laps led

2. Austin Hill, one lap led

3. Ty Gibbs, three laps led

4. AJ Allmendinger, 34 laps led, Stage 2 winner

5. Riley Herbst

6. Josh Berry

7. Sheldon Creed

8. Sam Mayer

9. Ryan Sieg, one lap down

10. CJ McLaughlin, one lap down

11. Nick Sanchez, one lap down

12. Bayley Currey, one lap down

13. Stefan Parsons, one lap down

14. Tommy Joe Martins, one lap down

15. Jeb Burton, one lap down, five laps led

16. Matt Mills, two laps down

17. Alex Labbe, three laps down

18. Joe Graf Jr., three laps down

19. Anthony Alfredo, three laps down

20. Myatt Snider, four laps down

21. Parker Retzlaff, 10 laps down

22. Kyle Weatherman – OUT, Accident

23. Garrett Smithley – OUT, Dvp

24. Brandon Brown – OUT, Accident

25. Joey Gase – OUT, Dvp

26. Josh Williams – OUT, Accident

27. Brandon Jones – OUT, Accident

28. John Hunter Nemechek – OUT, Accident, 60 laps led

29. Justin Allgaier – OUT, Accident

30. Daniel Hemric – OUT, Accident, 12 laps led, Stage 1 winner

31. Brennan Poole – OUT, Accident

32. Mason Massey – OUT, Accident

33. Landon Cassill – OUT, Accident

34. JJ Yeley – OUT, Water pump

35. Akinori Ogata – OUT, Suspension

36. Jeremy Clements – OUT, Ignition

37. David Starr – OUT, Accident

38. Jeffrey Earnhardt – OUT, Accident

*Bold indicates Playoff contenders

Playoff standings

1. Noah Gragson – Advanced

2. AJ Allmendinger +47

3. Ty Gibbs +46

4. Austin Hill +30

5. Josh Berry +24

6. Justin Allgaier +20

7. Sam Mayer +1

8. Ryan Sieg +1

9. Riley Herbst -1

10. Daniel Hemric -8

11. Brandon Jones -13

12. Jeremy Clements -29

With the 2022 NASCAR Xfinity Series Playoffs underway, the battle for the series championship in the Round of 12 will continue next weekend at Talladega Superspeedway. The event is scheduled to occur on Saturday, October 1, at 4 p.m. ET on the USA Network.

Keselowski Earns Pole at Texas

By
Official Release
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18th Cup Pole for 2012 Champion, Fourth Overall for Roush at TMS

FORT WORTH (Sept. 24, 2022) – Coming off a week where RFK Racing saw its first win under the new banner, Brad Keselowski kept the momentum rolling Saturday at Texas Motor Speedway posting the fastest time of the field to earn the pole in the No. 6 ROUSHParts.com Ford.

“That was a heck of a lap,” Keselowski said. “I was proud to show my speed and be starting on the front row on pole. This is a tough track to qualify at because the speeds are so high and the track is so slick and hot. Three and four was one of those gutsy laps where you hold it wide open through there and hope it sticks. It was really close but we made it through. That was probably the difference maker.”

It marks the 18th pole of Keselowski’s career and first since 2019, and second overall at Texas (2015 – fall). It is the first pole for the famed No. 6 car since July 2011 when David Ragan posted quick time in Indianapolis.

“Credit to Matt McCall and the team here who worked on the car,” Keselowski added. “We made two good changes and here we are. It is a super exciting time for me and for our company here at RFK with a lot of the progress we have made over the last few months and now it is actually starting to show up. I am proud of our lap. It didn’t come unearned but we have a long way to go tomorrow for 500 miles here in Texas.”

Overall the pole is No. 91 in the Cup Series for Jack Roush’s team, and fourth at Texas Motor Speedway. RFK teammate Chris Buescher posted the 13th-quickest lap time on the day.

Keselowski enters Sunday’s race with three-straight top-10s at the 1.5-mile track and will lead the field to green in the 500-mile, 334-lap race. Race coverage is set for 3:30 p.m. ET on USA, and can also be heard on PRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.

Ford Performance NASCAR: Ford Claims the Front Row at Texas behind Pole from Keselowski

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

FORD QUALIFYING RESULTS
1st – Brad Keselowski
2nd – Joey Logano
5th – Micahel McDowell
11th – Austin Cindric
13th – Chris Buescher
14th – Ryan Blaney
20th – Harrison Burton
23rd – Kevin Harvick
24th – Cole Custer
25th – Aric Almirola
28th – Todd Gilliland
30th – Chase Briscoe

BRAD KESELOWSKI, No. 6 RoushParts.com Ford Mustang — Qualified 1st – POLE WINNER PRESS CONFERENCE

“That was a heckuva lap. I was proud to show my speed and be starting on the front row on pole. This is a tough track to qualify at because the speeds are so high and the track is so slick and hot. We were able to put a lap together. Three and four was one of those gutsy laps where you hold it wide open through there and hope it sticks. It was really close but we made it through. That was probably the difference maker. I haven’t gone back and seen all the data but I just committed to running through it wide open and it made it. Credit to Matt McCall, the crew chief of the team here who worked on the car. We unloaded a little bit with that warmup session and we weren’t bad but we weren’t good enough. We made two good changes and here we are. We had a great test in Miami here this week and learned a lot and we applied some of that here to what we have today and got some results from it. It is a super exciting time for me and for our company here at RFK with a lot of the progress we have made over the last few months and now it is actually starting to show up. It has been a painful journey, but a good one. I am proud of our lap. It didn’t come unearned but we have a long way to go tomorrow for 500 miles here in Texas. Obviously, this is a really tough grueling race. I have led a lot of laps here and been in a position to win this race before but it hasn’t come together. Hopefully, tomorrow will be the day. It is certainly a great spot to start from.”

IT HAS BEEN A GOOD WEEK FOR YOU WITH THE WIN LAST WEEK BY CHRIS AND THEN THE POLE TODAY HASN’T IT? “Yeah, it has been a whirlwind with winning at Bristol with Chris and running up front and having some good moments there. Then we were really busy with testing in Miami and trying to get better as a whole. Those have been really healthy for us. It is just a lot of things happening in all directions both personally and professionally with this business and my other business and with our foundation. Everything is wide open in every direction. Sometimes it is hard to stop and reflect on how privileged and blessed I am to be in this position, but a good time nonetheless.”

HOW DID YOU KNOW THE CAR WAS GOING TO STICK? “I didn’t. That is just the reality. You don’t. You commit to it and it either works or it doesn’t. I felt pretty confident that we made some really good gains in our cars in practice and the test session but you don’t know. That is the reality. You really don’t know what these cars are capable of until they spin out. You start to build up a bank of knowledge that you think you can trust and lean on and hope that it is right.”

OF ALL PLACES TO WIN A POLE, THIS PLACE IS HARD TO PASS AT BUT IT IS A LONG RACE. HOW DO YOU MANAGE THE TRACK POSITION HERE? “I think the biggest challenge if you go back and watch the All-Star race, I think Kyle Busch had the pole and really drove away for the first 25 or 30 laps until he blew a tire. I think the biggest challenge is running a fast pace and keeping the lead and not blowing our tires. That will be the big challenge. Last week at Bristol I felt like we had a good pace and had done everything conservative and ran a smart race until the end when we got to the lead and started to push it and blew out a tire. That will be one of the toughest things for tomorrow. The leader will always be, by nature, the hardest on the tires because he is carrying the most speed through the corners. Trying to balance not wanting to give up the lead and wanting to lead every lap in the dang race without blowing tires will be the big challenge not just for me but everyone who gets in that position tomorrow.”

IS THIS A TURNING POINT ORGANIZATIONALLY FOR YOU GUYS AND HOW BIG IS THE ARC? “Yeah, I am living in my own bubble so I am not sure if it is fair for me to answer that question. I think that is a question better answered by those outside my bubble. It is certainly a lot of progress. In the media center last week at Bristol I think I tried to articulate at least that you do things in this sport and it takes six to 12 months for them to be realized. That is the reality. Anything in this sport that you do in one week’s time or two weeks time is probably illegal. The majority of things that come together take months and months of behind-the-scenes work to come together. In that sense, it is super painful. It is really painful. You do things and you don’t get a result and everybody challenges and questions the decisions that were made and you kind of have to stay the course.”

YOUR LAST POLE WAS IN 2019, HOW DOES THIS FEEL AFTER A COUPLE YEARS? “Yeah, I just had that conversation with Claire B and I am not sure that is a fair statistic because we went a year and a half without qualifying. I had a couple poles with the old format of not qualifying but with the qualifying format coming back in full effect this year, you have to go back to 2019 and you take out of the qualifying sessions we have had since then I think it is around 50 or 60 so it doesn’t look quite as bad, at least to me. That said, certainly it has been a bit of a drought from being in that position qualifying up front but I am glad to break through and get it done.”

HOW MUCH HAVE YOU TAPPED INTO YOUR EXPERIENCES AS A DRIVER TO BUILD THE PROGRESS OF RFK RACING, AND ALSO WHEN YOU WON HERE 10 YEARS AGO, DID YOU EVER IMAGINE HOW CHALLENGING THIS TRACK WOULD BE YEARS LATER? “Yeah, it hasn’t gotten any easier that is for sure. It has gotten tougher and when they reconfigured here four or five years ago and then now with the PJ1 on the track it makes it that much tougher. The NextGen car has its own nuances to go with that. It is a tough track. It has its own quirks to it. Some would say those are bad things and some would say they are good things. I think you guys have probably heard all of that all morning long. It is the same for everybody at the end of the day, which is all I think you can truly ask for.”

“From the driver and owner perspective, it has been one of those years where you kind of wear two hats and they look at each other and say, ‘not good enough’. The driver side wants the cars better and the car owner side says to get the finish you can get with the equipment you have. That is all easier said than done on both sides. I probably fell victim to pushing too hard and not having the equipment we needed to have at the start of the year and not always getting the finishes we needed to get to just move on. It was very much a needing to run 15th to 20th because we had 25th place cars and that is what we have. I probably fell victim to trying to get too much out of them and making our days worse than what they needed to be but also pushing them in such a way that it was very clear what the boundaries were with our cars and their performance and what we needed to do to make them better. On the owner side I think our people are maturing and our processes are maturing. We have added some great resources in multiple areas. There are a lot of pieces coming together for sure.”

WHAT HAVE YOU LEARNED AS A CUP OWNER? HOW WOULD YOU COMPARE IT TO WHEN YOU OWNED THE TRUCK TEAM? “I would say the biggest challenge is that the Truck team was a lot easier for me because i was the sole owner. When something was wrong it was easier to be more nimble. Here there are more channels and stakeholders to work through so it is definitely different. At the end of the day, the same things still hold through. You put great people together with great resources and you let them do their thing. I think I look at our company and some of the people we are building up as leaders who are taking hold of that and from the ownership level it is about giving them the resources they need to have the tools they need to fight the competition. That is really not any different. The numbers are bigger. You can add a zero to everything. Add a zero to the revenue and at least one to the costs. I was at Martin Truex Jr.’s charity event here last week and I bid on something at the auction and won it and somebody was joking at me about how much it cost and I told them that, believe it or not, it was the cheapest thing I bought today. That really summarizes what being a car owner is like. You spend a lot of money on stuff you never thought you would spend a lot of money on, but that is what it takes to win.”

IF SOMEONE WATCHED THE ALL-STAR RACE TO PREPARE FOR THIS RACE, WOULD THEY HAVE BEEN WASTING THEIR TIME? “I think the race will be really similar to the All-Star race. I don’t see it playing out much differently. The All-Star race wasn’t cold. It was still pretty warm and the PJ1 was similar. A different tire compound but that remains to be seen how that will affect the track and the race. We saw a handful of tire blowouts in the All-Star race and that was a shorter race. Even with the different tire, I think that is the biggest question for me tomorrow. How hard can you drive the car without blowing a tire out. I don’t know if we have that answer until we run the race.”

“I guess it depends on what side of the coin you are on. If you are a driver who is going to take that hit it isn’t as much fun but if you are a fan who likes to see a race get mixed up with variability it can be fun. I see both sides of that. The races are really unpredictable.”

WHAT MAKES A SUCCESSFUL RACE TOMORROW FOR YOU BESIDES THE OBVIOUS? “Well, there are two hats here. A successful race for a driver is taking whatever you have with the equipment and finish equal to or better than what it is capable of. If you have a fifth place car and you run third, that is usually a pretty successful day and that is what you strive for, to work with your team and execute at that level. On the ownership side it is about providing everyone with the resources they need to run well. Then you hope that they execute. There are two opposing views that you hope come together.”

YOU ARE A CHAMPIONSHIP-CALIBER DRIVER WHO HASN’T HAD THAT OPPORTUNITY TO WIN A POINTS RACE YET THIS YEAR. HOW DO YOU MANAGE THAT? HOW DO YOU NOT BEAT YOUR HEAD AGAINST THE WALL? “Who says I don’t do that? It isn’t fun but what are you going to do? Do you cry in your milk or go to work? I would rather do the latter of the two and we have doing a lot of that, putting the effort in and going to work. Feeling sorry for yourself is easy. Anyone can do that. Being able to look bigger picture and being able to find things to motivate you is hard. That is really my biggest challenge. It isn’t the people, that is a big challenge don’t get me wrong. It isn’t the resources. It is having the ability to take a punch in the stomach and move on to the next race without letting it phase you. It is a little bit like the Muhammed Ali rope-a-dope here. Now we are in a spot where we are ready to play some offense and we are on the field. It is a good feeling. It comes with a pragmatic view and a lot of humility of being able to walk away from some races where you were legitimately 20th or 25th and go to work the next morning and say, ‘Alright, we aren’t going to burn the house down. We are going to repaint the living room and then we are going to go to the next room and work on it piece by piece.’ The easy thing to do is to lose control over yourself. That is the easy thing to do. The hard thing to do is to work through it and be methodical in that approach.”

IS THAT SOMETHING THAT BECOMES NATURAL FOR YOU? “It has gotten easier for me with time. Having grown up in an environment where my family owned a race team and the hardships that went with that certainly built up a case for endurance. Having gone to Team Penske where it wasn’t where I wanted it to be and living through a year and a half of pain and people telling me I made the dumbest move ever in leaving Hendrick and then getting there, it build some confidence that it can happen. Having kids and watching them grow and progress and knowing that things take time and we are maturing and the fun comes from the pain in some ways. It comes from knowing that we can endure through it.”

YOU HAVE BEEN A PLAYOFF DRIVER AND A NON-PLAYOFF DRIVER. IN THE PAST WE HAVE SEEN NON-PLAYOFF DRIVERS HANG BACK AND KIND OF LET THE PLAYOFF DRIVERS DO THEIR THING. HOW EXCITING IS IT FOR YOU AS A DRIVER NOW TO SEE THAT ON ANY GIVEN WEEKEND IT IS ANYBODY’S RACE TO TAKE? “There is more parity now in some ways than ever before. Now the fight is for who is going to get to test at a track. You are looking for any advantage you can get. Now the fights are in different places. They are with pit road stuff, not that we didn’t fight on pit road before. They are in meetings where we argue over who gets to test where. Those things now are everything. The parity is certainly a part of it but then there is a lot of OEM fights. That is really big right now. Whoever gets the most resources from their OEM has a huge advantage. So that stack of the deck is really important as we look to the future. The game is changing. The game is changing not just because of the Next Gen car but all the rules around it. Whether it is limited practice sessions or the single lug nut or the way that the balance of power is really shifted to the OEM’s here with a number of the rules. We are adapting in real-time. I think that is some of the reason why you are seeing so much variance. I would add there are other reasons for it too. Durability and things in the first year of the car and the tires and everyone trying to understand those limits but I expect to some extent for that parity to go away as time goes by and some of the variableness of the racing goes away.”

WHAT IS IT ABOUT THIS TRACK THAT YOU HAVE DIALED INTO? “I have had really good cars, no doubt. You can’t do anything in this sport without good cars. I have had good cars here which makes it a lot easier. I have been able to execute and not get into trouble. I would like to think that this track, 500 miles, it rewards somebody that races methodically but patiently and that has been a strength for me. I would mostly give credit to my teams and the work that they put in and being able to work with them to work on a car and adjust the car through races to track changes. As I look at this race, the track is going to change a lot. What you need to go fast at the beginning is probably not what you will need to go fast at the end. That feedback from the driver is really important and that is something I have worked really hard on.”

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

WHAT DID YOU NEED TO GET THAT TOP SPOT? “I thought I had it until I didn’t. The guys gave me a really fast race car. It is fast in race trim as well. I thought I had a decent 1 and 2 but had to come out of the gas just a touch in 3 and 4. Maybe that was enough to be the difference. It is hard to say. Dang. I wish I could have that lap back. Paul did a great job of getting our car better than what it was the first time we were here to where it doesn’t even feel like we have less grip with the hotter temperatures. I wish we were starting first but we have a Ford from row, so that is good, it is just the wrong Ford.”

TELL ME ABOUT THOSE FORDS. YOU HAVE A TON OF SPEED IT SEEMS. WHAT DOES THAT MEAN FOR FORD IN THE PLAYOFFS? “Hopefully we are peaking at the right time. It is hard to say who is the strongest right now. It is different week by week. You can be great with just a couple of adjustments and be horrible with a couple of adjustments. It is so close and the field is so tight and if your balance is off just a little bit you qualify 15th. It is that close right now.”

CHEVROLET NCS AT TEXAS: Byron Leads Chevrolet to Six Top-10 Starting Spots

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Official Release
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NASCAR CUP SERIES
TEXAS MOTOR SPEEDWAY
AUTOTRADER ECHOPARK AUTOMOTIVE 500
TEAM CHEVY POST-QUALIFYING REPORT
SEPTEMBER 24, 2022

WILLIAM BYRON LEADS CHEVROLET TO SIX TOP-10 STARTING SPOTS AT TEXAS

TEAM CHEVY UNOFFICIAL STARTING LINEUP:
POS. DRIVER

3rd William Byron, No. 24 RaptorTough.com Camaro ZL1
4th Tyler Reddick, No. 8 Lenovo/ThinkEdge Camaro ZL1
6th Chase Elliott, No. 9 NAPA Auto Parts Camaro ZL1
7th Austin Dillon, No. 3 True Velocity Camaro ZL1
9th Kyle Larson, No. 5 HendrickCars.com Camaro ZL1
10th Daniel Suarez, No. 99 Aquas Frescas Camaro ZL1
12th Ross Chastain, No. 1 Renu Camaro ZL1
17th Alex Bowman, No. 48 Ally Camaro ZL1
21st Ricky Stenhouse Jr., No. 47 Kroger/NOS Camaro ZL1
26th Noah Gragson, No. 16 Freedom by Ed Morse Camaro ZL1
27th Erik Jones, No. 43 FOCUSfactor Camaro ZL1
29th Corey LaJoie, No. 7 Shelton Energy Solutions Camaro ZL1
31st Justin Haley, No. 31 LeafFilter Gutter Protection Camaro ZL1
32nd Ty Dillon, No. 42 Black Rifle Coffee Company Camaro ZL1
35th Landon Cassill, No. 77 WearMe Camaro ZL1

TOP-FIVE UNOFFICIAL STARTING LINEUP:
POS. DRIVER

1st Brad Keselowski (Ford)
2nd Joey Logano (Ford)
3rd William Byron (Chevrolet)
4th Tyler Reddick (Chevrolet)
5th Michael McDowell (Ford)

· Following one final lap to determine the starting lineup for tomorrow’s AutoTrader EchoPark Automotive 500; William Byron and the No. 24 RaptorTough.com Camaro ZL1 will lead the bowtie brigade to the green, qualifying in the third position with a lap of 28.601 seconds at 188.805 mph.

· This marks Byron’s 13th top-10 start of the 2022 NCS season.

Post-Practice/Qualifying Notes:

· Chevrolet drivers took the top-three spots on the speed chart following the NASCAR Cup Series practice, led by the 2020 Texas Motor Speedway winner Austin Dillon, clocking in the fastest lap of 28.778 seconds, at 187.643 mph, in his No. 3 True Velocity Camaro ZL1. Dillon’s Richard Childress Racing teammate, Tyler Reddick, No. 8 Lenovo/ThinkEdge Camaro ZL1 was second; and Alex Bowman, No. 48 Ally Camaro ZL1 was third-fastest.

· Six Camaro ZL1’s placed in the top-five of the first round in their respective qualifying groups, securing a top-10 starting spots for the first race of the NCS Playoffs Round of 12 at Texas Motor Speedway.

· Tyler Reddick topped the leaderboard in Round One of Group A of qualifying. Joining Reddick in the top-five to advance to the final round of qualifying included Kyle Larson, who was second-fastest in his No. 5 HendrickCars.com Camaro ZL1.

· In Round One of Group B qualifying, Chevrolet drivers went 1-2-3-4 in their qualifying runs, led by William Byron and the No. 24 RaptorTough.com Camaro ZL1 team in the top spot. Also advancing to the final round of qualifying included Austin Dillon (2nd), Chase Elliott (3rd) and Daniel Suarez (4th).

· USA Network will broadcast the NASCAR Cup Series AutoTrader EchoPark Automotive 500 at 3:30 p.m. ET on Sunday, September 25. Live coverage can also be found on the NBCSports Gold App, PRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Channel 90.

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.

CHEVROLET NCS AT TEXAS: Alex Bowman Press Conference Transcript

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Official Release
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NASCAR CUP SERIES
TEXAS MOTOR SPEEDWAY
AUTOTRADER ECHOPARK AUTOMOTIVE 500
TEAM CHEVY PRESS CONF. TRANSCRIPT
SEPTEMBER 24, 2022

ALEX BOWMAN, NO. 48 ALLY CAMARO ZL1, met with the media in advance of the NASCAR Cup Series practice and qualifying session at Texas Motor Speedway. Press Conference Transcript:

IS IT FAIR TO LOOK AT TEXAS AS A MUST WIN RACE GIVEN WHAT WE HAVE THE REST OF THIS ROUND?

“I don’t think so. I think plenty of people are going to point their way in. It is an uncomfortable round with Talladega being such an unknown and kind of a wild card. A lot of things can happen at the ROVAL and at this place, a lot of things can happen too. So definitely a tough grouping of race tracks as far as being able to control your own destiny or to work on your race car after you unload. I kind of feel like you have what you have here. So, its going to be interesting to see how it plays out, but I think we are in a really good place as a race team and can have a good round here.”

YOU TALKED ABOUT TALLADEGA AND THE ROVAL, BUT HOW DO YOU APPROACH HERE TO MAKE IT THROUGH THOSE TWO?

“I feel like statistically the ROVAL is good for me. That doesn’t make it any easier, but we have had good days there. I feel like we have had good days at Talladega, and we were really strong at Daytona a couple of weeks ago, so that’s good.

And I feel like at the Texas fall race, as a team, we have always performed really well. So, I think we are in a good spot. I don’t hate this round, it’s just not comfortable. Whereas going to places like Kansas; I feel like we are really good, always run well there and I feel like I was super confident. I feel like this place is not that race track for us, but it’s not a bad race track for us either.”

YOU SAID YOU AREN’T COMFORTABLE IN THIS ROUND, BUT WOULD A WIN OBVIOUSLY CHANGE THAT?

“A win is always going to change that, right? Lock you into the next round. I feel like we are capable of winning at all three of these race tracks. I feel like we are capable of winning at any race track we go to the rest of the year if we perform how we need to. So, yeah, I think a win right now would be great. That is everybody’s goal this weekend and we wouldn’t be here if it wasn’t. So, we will do our best to make that happen.”

DO YOU FEEL LIKE ONE OF THE PLAYOFF DRIVERS WILL FINALLY GET A WIN IN THE PLAYOFFS?

“Hard to say. I feel like track position is so key here. I feel like the playoff cars are probably going to qualify pretty well and will definitely have an emphasis on qualifying. It’s a really long race so yeah, I think we are plenty capable of winning. In my opinion, I feel like a playoff guy will win this race, but I think this is a place that we have seen non-playoff guys win here in the past. I think Kyle Busch was eliminated and won here a few years ago. So, we will have to wait and see how it plays out, but hopefully it’s us in victory lane.”

HOW DO YOU FEEL LIKE THE PLAYOFF DRIVERS WILL TRY AND BALANCE STAGE POINTS GIVEN THE DISASTER THAT COULD BE AT TALLADEGA?

“Honestly, stage points are the most important thing going right now. I feel like stage points got us through last week when we lost power steering and got caught in that crash. So, I feel like we are all going to be all in on stage points which could create some interesting situations.

In my opinion in going to Talladega – anytime I have gone there and focused on not crashing, I have crashed. I still tend to crash going for it, but I tend to crash later then. I haven’t figured out how to not crash and hopefully we can get that dialed in. I think you just have to race and be aggressive all day. There has never been a benefit to me to ride because you lose what your car is doing, you lose confidence, and those around you don’t know how your car is going to be. If you are up front racing all day, that is the place you need to be.”

DID YOU KNOW JUSTIN MARKS WELL THAT YEAR YOU GUYS RAN THE GANASSI CAR TOGETHER AND THEN AGAINST HIM LATER?

“A little bit.. not a ton. I had lunch with him and Josh Wise before he started his Cup team a long time ago. Kind of when it was just an idea because he was talking about it. It’s cool to see all the success because he is a really good dude.”

IS THERE ANY SURPRISE TO SEE THAT HE OWNS TWO CARS IN THE PLAYOFFS THIS YEAR?

“No.. I feel like anything he does, he does successfully. I think that is cool because he is super driven and super smart. The little bit that I have been around him, it doesn’t surprise me about the success that they have had. Obviously, it’s happened very quickly, but I think we are at a time in the sport where things like that can happen with a brand-new race car. He has good race car drivers and good people working on them and it’s cool to see their success.”

IS THERE A CHAMPIONSHIP FAVORITE RIGHT NOW OR ARE YOU SURPRISED ABOUT HOW MUCH EVERYONE IS STILL IN IT AT THIS POINT?

“I don’t feel like there is a favorite right now. There are a couple of guys that have been really consistent through the playoffs, but other than that I don’t think there is. Anyone can make it happen still and hopefully it’s us at the end of the year, but it’s cool. I think this car has created a lot of parity right now. Different teams have different strengths right now, which is pretty cool to see. I feel like our stuff is really fast; really fast on the short run. And some other teams – when it comes to long run stuff like we saw at Kansas – they are really good. So, it’s cool to see the differences and see what you are playing against. I think its really good and there is not a clear favorite.”

BEFORE YOU CAME IN HERE, KYLE LARSON SAID HE WOULD TEAR UP THIS PLACE AND TURN IT INTO A THREE-QUARTER MILE BRISTOL. IF YOU WERE GIVEN THE KEYS TO THE KINGDOM OF TEXAS MOTOR SPEEDWAY, WHAT WOULD YOU DO?

“I think if you leave it up to the drivers, then you would have what Kyle (Larson) said.. a short track of some sort. If you leave it up to the fans, I have heard that some people want another Atlanta. I don’t think any of the drivers really want another Atlanta, but we are not here for us. We are here for the fans.

It will be interesting to see if anything does happen. There are a lot of rumors flying around. The race track that we have now has not produced what we want. So, there are a lot of smart people working on it and thinking about how to make it better. Got to do something.”

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.

Ford Performance NASCAR: Texas 2 Media Availability (Chris Buescher)

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

Chris Buescher, a Texas native and winner last weekend at Bristol, met with media members at Texas Motor Speedway Saturday ahead of the opening day of track activity for the series.

CHRIS BUESCHER, No. 17 Fastenal Ford Mustang — WHAT HAS YOUR WEEK BEEN LIKE? “It has been busy, for all the right reasons. It was good. We got to do a big RFK celebration on Monday and it has been neat. I have been around a lot of the employees at Roush for a really long time now, probably a little over 10 years some of them have been at RFK for a really long time and remember when I was working in the shop there. It was pretty cool to see everybody pumped up and get that excitement going and get some of that momentum in our favor. I think we have been heading in the right direction but the win is big. That was really cool. I have had some sponsors over at the shop and they are pumped up right now as well. On Thursday I was right back to mowing the grass just like every other week. So it has it’s highs and its normals.”

WE SAW BRAD (KESELOWSKI) POST ABOUT HOW THE FIRST THING HE DID WHEN HE SIGNED HIS CONTRACT WAS MAKE SURE YOU HAD A RIDE. HOW DOES THAT MAKE YOU FEEL? “That was big when I heard about it way back when. It was neat because that was early on in that year to really be working on contract stuff. To get that tidied up and set really before I had heard the news about what all was going down even, I know some people said it was not a well-kept secret but it was well kept to me. I didn’t have a whole lot of clue of what was going on. It was really neat to have that knowledge and know that he had that confidence that we would be able to get to victory lane together. And since he has come over he has been trying to get us turned and headed in the right direction and I think there has been some good momentum over a few years now but we have been looking for those last few steps. I think we thought we would fire off this season a little bit better but there was no quit in anybody and it just took us a little bit to get traction under our feet. We got going good over the summer and feel like we are in a good place where there are more of these, potentially, this year for us between both cars. I think that was awesome to have two cars that led so many laps at Bristol. That is my favorite race track and it is pretty high up on Brad’s list as well. It helps going to those places you like. It makes it easier to run better. It was a good feeling and feels like we are headed in the right direction and it feels like it was warranted or backed up at this point now.”

HOW DOES IT FEEL TO FINALLY GET THAT BOX CHECKED AND GET THAT BEHIND YOU GUYS? “Yeah, that first one is the tough one, right? It has been a really long time since that Pocono win. I know you all threw some numbers at me that hurt my feelings last week but it has been a long time coming and it has been really cool because everybody at RFK has had some struggles through the years and I have been around through the heyday and through the very absolute highs and I have seen the lows along the way as well. To be turning that corner to get back to where we are competing for wins again and be able to pull off some wins is really special to myself and to everybody back at the company. Like I said, I have so many friends within the organization that I have known for almost my entire time I have been in North Carolina and that is something that means just a little bit more when you get to see those guys and girls that have really put in so much effort through that amount of time to be able to see some progress. Brad is a champion of our sport and has won I don’t even know how many races. I think it is really special to get it started but we are not done. This isn’t our peak. We have a lot of potential going forward and are going to stay after it. We might as well come back to my home track and keep it going right here, right?”

IS THIS THE FIRST YEAR OF YOUR CONTRACT EXTENSION OR IS THAT NEXT YEAR? “I actually don’t even know how to answer that. I honestly don’t know which is kind of embarrassing, what the extension years look like. I signed back at RFK when Brad came over on the ownership side and am signed up to go again. I am looking forward to finishing out this year strong but also being locked in for next year and ready to hit the ground running.”

OK, SO DID YOU DO THAT LAST YEAR OR THIS YEAR? “Both.”

I GUESS MY QUESTION IS, WHY NOT LOOK AROUND? RFK WASN’T RUNNING GREAT, SO IF BRAD THINKS YOU ARE ONE OF THE TOP GUYS OUT THERE, WHY NOT LOOK AROUND? “I think there are two sides to it, but the way I see it I have so much appreciation for Roush, for Jack, for Robbie Reiser and for everybody at RFK and for Brad as well. That has really helped me fire off my professional career. I came from racing legends cars to sign up with Roush to go into a developmental program and run ARCA races up in the Chicago area. I feel a lot of loyalty to RFK and I have friends here that I have known over 10 years that have watched the absolute best days in racing and seen us go through the dip and be on the return side of that as well. It gives me a little extra pride to know we are working on bringing that upswing back and seeing that those rough years and the effort not declining is yielding results. To get that first win at RFK for myself, for the organization this year and to do it in the first year with the K added on to the end, I think it just gives me a little bit more excitement and pride that we are able to get it done here. I think we will get it done here. Like I said, this isn’t our peak. We are actively getting better and I think the potential is here to do better than any of the teams out there. The confidence level is really good and has been all summer long with a few stumbles along the way, but for the most part some awesome races at all kinds of different race tracks and maybe 1.5 mile tracks are not our best at the moment but even those have been competitive. We look at this one as another opportunity. The potential is here. The people are here. The resources are here. I think we can win races and we can compete for championships here.”

WHAT DOES IT SAY THAT THERE HAVE BEEN SO MANY DIFFERENT WINNERS AND THAT THE FIRST THREE RACES OF THE PLAYOFFS HAVE BEEN WON BY NON-PLAYOFF DRIVERS? “It is a pretty wild first round of playoffs and you are a huge fan if you are not in the playoffs right now of how it went. I know there are a lot of playoff drivers that didn’t see that going that way. I think it shows that there was a really high potential for race winners to not make the playoffs this year and it didn’t quite happen in the timeline before the cut. Could you imagine if we got down to it and we had two drivers that had won races that were kicked out of competing for the championship? They would be thinking they had a breakout year and don’t even get to try. We were close to that. It wouldn’t have taken but two or three different races along the way and just a small different moment along the way. A little luck here and there. We had moments where I thought we definitely could have added our name into that playoff potential box. It is cool to see that many different winners across so many different teams. It is really neat to see it across a bunch of two-car teams. It isn’t just the four-car operations and I think that really goes to show the potential with this car is there for everybody and it has been a big deal for everybody in the garage. It has been a large learning curve and without the majority of the testing that we typically would have and with basically zero practice .. I know it is still here but it is hard to get this right off the truck and we had teams that hit it early on the west coast swing and racked up wins early. We had teams that came on during the summer and we have two or three of us that hit it after that cut. So it is cool to see. There was the potential for a heck of a storyline going into the playoffs with people missing. We just needed a few more races to get that accomplished.”

WHAT IS YOUR OPINION ON WHY YOUR 17 CAR HAS BEEN BETTER ALL SEASON THAN THE 6 CAR? “I would like to think that I have had some help along the way. I definitely have gotten things out of Brad that have contributed to our success at tracks like Phoenix or Richmond that are not historically my best. He has been helping;ing me a lot this year. I don’t know how much he knows it but there have been some pretty key moments from that side of things. As far as coming in, I think about my first year at Front Row and I think about my first year at JTG, my first year even on the Xfinity side with Seth Barbour on top of the box and then our first year with Graves on top of the box. That first year between a driver and crew chief has never been instant success for me. I don’t know if that is what it is but I do realize how hard it is to find that chemistry and understanding. Then you tack on the fact that our testing is almost gone and our practices are so short and you really don’t have the opportunity to change anything on the car when you are looking for a feel out of it. We have those small boxes that we can go to, but even then if you don’t have that understanding ahead of time it is hard to get there on a Saturday practice day. I have been a part of the struggles for many years. It feels like we were bouncing around for a while and it is tough to get it right that first year. Then you stack on the fact that it is to a new organization on top of that and that is even harder. It is a new organization for Brad and for Matt (McCall) and trying to get used to different methods, different cars, different manufacturers it all adds up pretty quickly to make it harder to get there. I think Bristol was a good show that we can get there and I won’t say it was easier but being that Scott and I had been at RFK for several years beforehand it made it flow into it easier to where we were able to find our way a little quicker. I don’t have any doubt that they will get there. There have been several weeks prior to Bristol. It is just hard and it is supposed to be at this level. This is the top level of motorsports in the country and getting everything to really flow off the truck is a big deal and takes a lot of effort. They are getting there. Don’t sleep on anybody yet. We are still making progress, it just took us deeper into the season than we had hoped.”

CHEVROLET NCS AT TEXAS: Kyle Larson Press Conference Transcript

By
Official Release
-

NASCAR CUP SERIES
TEXAS MOTOR SPEEDWAY
AUTOTRADER ECHOPARK AUTOMOTIVE 500
TEAM CHEVY PRESS CONF. TRANSCRIPT
SEPTEMBER 24, 2022

KYLE LARSON, NO. 5 HENDRICKCARS.COM CAMARO ZL1, met with the media in advance of the NASCAR Cup Series practice and qualifying session at Texas Motor Speedway. Press Conference Transcript:

COMING INTO TEXAS MOTOR SPEEDWAY, WHAT ARE YOUR THOUGHTS ON HOW YOU GO ABOUT ATTACKING THIS TRACK AND LOOKING FORWARD TO NEXT WEEKEND AT TALLADEGA SUPERSPEEDWAY AND THE ROVAL? IT’S A REALLY DIVERSE SECOND ROUND OF THE PLAYOFFS.

“I think we probably all look at Texas (Motor Speedway) as a good opportunity to hopefully get a win, get locked-in and not have to worry about the next two races. Texas, I feel like it’s a very strategy-driven type of race track. It’s really difficult to pass, so you’ll see some different varying pit strategies going on, whether it be staying out, fuel only, two tires, four tires. So just trying to have a good enough car to play that the right way and keep your track position. Having good pit stops and good restarts I think is important. It seems like all of that has been more important this year with just how difficult it’s been to pass.

Hopefully our car is good. I felt good in the All-Star Race. Just blew a right-front tire pretty early on, so I didn’t really get a fair judge of how we were then to how we’ll be now. It’s much warmer conditions this week too, so I think that will change things a little bit. But yeah, hopefully it goes well.”

WITH THE C-BELL MICRO MANIA, YOU WERE OUT THERE ON THE TRACK THE OTHER NIGHT GIVING KYLE BUSCH SOME POINTERS ON HOW TO DRIVE. YOUR THOUGHTS ON THIS AND HOW IT BUILDS FOR THE YOUNGER DRIVERS, OBVIOUSLY OWEN (LARSON), BREXTON (BUSCH) AND OTHERS OUT THERE?

“It’s a cool event that they put on our there. There were a lot of cars. The race track is really nice, too. They did a great job with it; the grandstands, the dirt, the banking, the shape of the track is all good. There’s like 140 micros racing just in the main division. There’s a lot of great talent out there.. young talent. Guys that have also been racing micros their whole lives too. A lot of experience out there. It’s cool to see Kyle Busch run out there. He’s doing a really good job of it. I feel like he’s got a little bit of tinkeritus and works on his car too much. I told him just focus on driving instead of working on it, but he’s doing a good job. I think he missed the lock-in spot by one, so he should be on the pole of the B-main I would think tonight.

I had fun last night racing myself and we should have a good shot of winning tonight.”

YOU HAD YOUR BATTLE WITH CHRISTOPHER BELL OVER THE YEARS, BUT THIS YEAR IS THE FIRST YEAR THAT HE’S REALLY BEEN A THREAT HERE IN THE CUP SERIES, ESPECIALLY THE LAST FEW MONTHS. WHAT IS HE DOING DIFFERENT?

“I don’t know. I’ve always known his talent and abilities. I’ve been surprised that it’s taken him as long as it has to be consistently in the top three to five because, like I said, I’ve raced with him longer than anybody else has in the field and I know the potential that he’s had. It’s neat to see him run up front; another dirt guy contending for a championship. It’ll be fun going to battle with, not only him, but everybody. I always enjoy seeing dirt guys win, especially from my neck of the woods in dirt racing.”

THERE’S BEEN SOME RUMBLINGS OF A TEXAS MOTOR SPEEDWAY REPAVE UPCOMING. IF IT WERE TO BE REPAVED, WHAT WOULD YOU LIKE TO SEE?

“I would like to see them change it from a 1.5-mile track to something shorter. I don’t know if that means bringing the backstretch in or whatever. If I could build a track, it would probably be a three-quarter mile Bristol, basically; pavement, progressive banking, all of that. But I don’t know if that’s even possible here.

I’m not sure what they have in mind, but anything would be better than what they did.”

THREE RACES IN NOW AND THREE NON-PLAYOFF DRIVERS HAVE WON THOSE RACES. THE STANDINGS ARE STILL SO TIGHT. HAVE WE ESTABLISHED A CHAMPIONSHIP FAVORITE YET AFTER THE FIRST ROUND? WHERE DO YOU SEE THINGS SHAKING OUT?

“I don’t think that there’s a championship favorite. Chase (Elliott) getting through the first round, it wasn’t a great first round for his standards, his team’s and what they had for points going in. So I feel like for him, making it through the round and resetting; as long as he can get through this round, I think he’s probably still the favorite. I think (Christopher) Bell has shown so far in the playoffs that he’s really strong. But I don’t think you can pick a favorite until you get through this round because whoever the favorite is right now could easily not make it into the next round just because how wild this round is. I think three weeks from now, you’ll be able to pick a better favorite. But right now, there’s so many unknowns, as far as craziness that’s going to happen.”

DO YOU THINK ANY OF THE PLAYOFF DRIVERS WILL NOT EVEN WANT TO RACE HARD AT TALLADEGA UNTIL THE FINAL STAGE, GIVEN ALL OF THE WRECKS WE’VE SEEN AT THE SUPERSPEEDWAYS?

“I don’t think so.. just because there’s so many stage points on the line, so I just don’t foresee that. Yes, there might be a couple that do that, but I feel like you typically don’t see that anyways.

I don’t know, we’ll see. I don’t think so. I think there’s so many stage points on the line and if you can get those stage points, then even if you do wreck, you’ll have a decent points day out of it. I foresee everybody racing pretty hard.”

IN TERMS OF TALKING ABOUT THE PLAYOFF POINTS, YOU GUYS GOT VERY FEW PLAYOFF POINTS WITH ALL OF THE NON-PLAYOFF WINNERS TAKING ALL THOSE POINTS AWAY. HOW MUCH OF A CONCERN IS IT THAT SO MANY POINTS WERE LEFT OFF THE TABLE AND HOW DOES THAT CHANGE THINGS GOING INTO THIS ROUND?

“I don’t know.. I mean I’d rather see them win than somebody else win, honestly. If I can’t win, I’d rather see a non-playoff driver win. So I don’t know, I haven’t really looked at it and thought about it much. But I know for us and our team, we didn’t get hardly any stage points at all in the first round, so I feel like that needs to change. We have to do a better job throughout the first two stages to get some points to benefit us through each race and help us transfer into the next round. Stage points are super important and we’re going to try hard to do a better job in the first two stages to get some points.”

ARE YOU STILL GOING TO MEET WITH JOHNNY RUTHERFORD THIS WEEKEND OR DID THAT ALREADY HAPPEN?

“I haven’t yet. He called me yesterday while I was getting ready to race over there, so I’ve got to call him back. Thank you for reminding me (laughs).

But yes, I want to. He wanted me to take a picture with him and sign the picture that we had taken together at the Chili Bowl a long time ago. So, yes thank you for the reminder. Definitely going to hit him up here.”

WHAT DO YOU REMEMBER FROM THE FIRST TIME YOU MET HIM?

“I don’t remember what year it was.. I had to be pretty young. I’m sure my mom set it up. I think they were all sitting around Keith Kunz’s trailer. Like she always is, she probably set the photo up. I’m glad that she did. When he called me, I didn’t have his number at first. This was a few weeks ago. He left me a voicemail and the first thing I did was I copied the voicemail and sent it to my dad and Jon Edwards. It was super cool that Johnny Rutherford had gotten my number and wanted my autograph. So, that was pretty neat and I look forward to meeting up with him here this weekend and getting another photo op.”

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.

Klara Andersson replaces Jutta Kleinschmidt at ABT CUPRA XE in Chile

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Official Release
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24 September 2022, London: Extreme E Championship Driver Klara Andersson will replace the injured Jutta Kleinschmidt for the remainder of the Antofagasta Minerals Copper X Prix.

Kleinschmidt has been ruled out of competing in Chile for the rest of the weekend after suffering an injury following a crash in Free Practice 2. The German was taken to hospital as a precaution and stayed in hospital overnight for further checks. Everyone at Extreme E wishes Jutta a speedy recovery.

In a statement, an ABT CUPRA XE spokesperson said: “After her accident in Free Practice 2 Jutta stayed in hospital overnight for further observation. The entire ABT CUPRA XE team is in close contact with Jutta and wishes her the very best.”

The German’s absence means 22-year-old Andersson steps into the vacant seat at ABT CUPRA XE to partner Nasser Al-Attiyah for Extreme E’s first-ever round in South America.

Getting behind the wheel this weekend marks a long-awaited series debut for Andersson. The ACCIONA | Sainz XE Team introduced the Swedish protégé to the championship during the Rookie Test which followed the Enel X Island X Prix in Season 1, while Andersson was all set to debut for XITE ENERGY Racing in NEOM at the Season 2 opener before being ruled out with COVID-19.

As well as finally getting the opportunity to debut in Extreme E, Andersson is already enjoying a strong 2022 season. She is currently competing in World RX as the first permanent female competitor in WRX history with Construction Equipment Dealer Team.

Last week, Andersson recorded her best WRX result to date by finishing third in Portugal – becoming the first-ever female driver to step on the podium in the championship’s history.

The Swede is also no stranger to several names on the grid. At the halfway point of the World RX season, Andersson sits sixth in the standings just 10 points behind JBXE’s Kevin Hansen in fourth and 14 points behind Genesys Andretti United Extreme E’s Timmy Hansen in third.

Klara Andersson said: “Competing for ABT CUPRA XE this weekend came as an unexpected Friday night surprise to me. While I wish Jutta all the best and a speedy recovery, I am excited to be racing in Extreme E now.

“Nasser [Al-Attiyah] and the team gave me a very warm welcome and a quick course of the car, the regulations and all the procedures. Going straight into Qualifying is of course a tough thing, but I enjoy this challenge and will do my very best to make it a good one for all of us.”

Extreme E’s South American racing debut promises to be a special one. Find out where you can watch the action here.

To learn more about Extreme E, visit – www.Extreme-E.com

Force Continues zMAX Dragway Hot Streak, Claims Provisional No. 1 Spot at Betway NHRA Carolina Nationals

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Official Release
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  • John Force (Funny Car), Doug Kalitta (Top Fuel) and Erica Enders (Pro Stock) won provisional No. 1 qualifier spots during Friday’s first round of qualifying for the Betway NHRA Carolina Nationals at zMAX Dragway
  • Fans can buy tickets to the Betway NHRA Carolina Nationals at the gates or online

CONCORD, N.C. (Sept. 23, 2022) – John Force picked up where he left off on Friday at zMAX Dragway.

Force, the winningest Funny Car driver of all time and the most recent winner at zMAX Dragway, earned provisional No. 1 qualifier honors with a scintillating 330.47-mile-per-hour, 3.854-second pass on the first night of the Betway NHRA Carolina Nationals.

Force edged Matt Hagan by 0.007 seconds and 0.48 mph in taking the early lead ahead of Saturday’s second and third rounds of qualifying.

The 16-time NHRA champion also paid tribute to the late O. Bruton Smith, the founder of Speedway Motorsports and a close friend of Force’s throughout his storied career.

“I’m sad to come here without Bruton Smith,” said Force, the winner of April’s NHRA Four-Wide Nationals at zMAX. “I think all the racers feel that way. He’s given us great race tracks and the chance to run numbers like this, but there’s a lot of quick people behind us.

“(The car) moved around a lot past the half-track mark, but I think it was just the new steering we have in the car. We get to shine for one night, at least. At these conditions, (the time) may not hold. Robert (Hight, Force’s teammate, who was third-fastest) is going to be tough. You’ll see people turning up the wick (Saturday). We’ll see what God has in store for us.”

Doug Kalitta led the way in Top Fuel time trials with a 3.694-second, 326.56-mph pass that held up even as contenders Brittany Force and Antron Brown made later runs with slightly cooler weather in their favor.

“I always love coming here, and the conditions were perfect, really, for what we were doing,” Kalitta said. “My guys were confident that it would run what it ran, which was great. It was a great effort for us on the first day, for sure.

“It left straight and my cars really stay in the groove well. It was pulling good and didn’t move around much. Really, with the Funny Car session, too, it was a lot of side-by-side runs. Hopefully, the fans got a good show.”

Four-time Pro Stock champion Erica Enders kicked off her weekend in style, securing the provisional top spot in Pro Stock with a 6.513-second, 210.93-mph pass during Friday’s first round.

“It definitely felt awesome when I let the clutch out, because you can sometimes tell it’s going to be good,” said Enders, who will chase her fourth No. 1 qualifier of the year Saturday. “Our goal coming in is to accumulate as many points as we can. We have five races left, and they’re the most important races of the season.”

A fantastic forecast awaits fans attending Saturday’s festivities at the Bellagio of drag strips, with clear skies and perfect autumn weather accompanying two all-important rounds of qualifying.

TICKETS:
To purchase Betway NHRA Carolina Nationals tickets, fans can call 1-800-455-FANS (3267) or shop online at www.charlottemotorspeedway.com. Every ticket is a pit pass, and kids 12 and under get in FREE.

MORE INFO:
Fans can connect with Charlotte Motor Speedway and get the latest news by following on Twitter and Instagram, becoming a Facebook fan or downloading the Charlotte Motor Speedway mobile app.

7 Best Racing Series and Movies A Racing Lover Should Watch!

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SM
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If you enjoy cars in general, we can guarantee that you will also adore watching movies about auto racing. Movies about auto racing involve much more merely 20 or more automobiles making continual laps of the racetrack. It’s also the surge of excitement we all get from watching a car race film.

Movies about auto racing have an odd knack for becoming fierce. Even though we have a busy schedule, we can watch auto racing movies at home if we want to. Which one should you watch, and which is the best is the question that now arises.

Media content on streaming platforms, like Netflix, Disney Plus, Hulu, HBO Max and more is geo-restricted and is region specific. If you want to access restricted content, you can use a VPN service to unlock it. You can also try NordVPN free trial for 30 days, it is one of the top VPNs available and can you enjoy streaming your best movies and TV Shows online. 

Who doesn’t enjoy watching car races? particularly when there is much at stake.  The perception of danger that is always present, along with the speed, thrill, and excitement. 

Even while you might like watching an episode of NASCAR or Formula 1, it doesn’t seem as intimate as when you’re rooting for your favorite character to win.

The Top 7 Racing Films and Series to Never Miss

  1. The Fast and The Furious (2001)

The first Fast and Furious movie featured amazing and unique content when it was released initially. The sequel later developed into a popular series because it was a blockbuster.

A happy dream about the brave, the young, and the rich who are having fun while robbing and driving very expensive or extravagant brands of cars. It draws young adults, teenagers, and children from all around the world. The total number of 8 films makes sense.

  1. Rush (2013)

Rush recounts yet another genuine account of Niki Lauda and James Hunt’s fiercest duel in Formula 1 history. With both drivers rising from the lower levels to compete on the 1970s’ highest stage. 

They pushed each other to the limit in their passionate animosity, which ultimately contributed to both their accomplishments and disappointments.

  1. Death Race 2000 (1975)

It’s difficult to think how different the world would be now if Death Race 2000 had been set in the year 2000.

Thankfully, they were totally mistaken. Despite this, the film is still entertaining to watch because it features a lot of violence and some humor. 

Additionally, you get to see a young Sylvester Stallone and David Carradine.

  1. Cars (2000)

Owen Wilson’s character Lightning McQueen is preoccupied with his appearance and daydreams about winning races all the time. By chance, he finds himself in a small town off of Route 66 where the local Cars are friendly toward him but disapprove of his attitude. 

From them, Lightning gains some humility from newly acquired knowledge of life’s precious moments and a few new skills, thanks to The Hudson Hornet, another legendary racer (Paul Neuman).

He enlists veteran racer The Doc Hudson throughout the course of the movie to aid him in winning the Cup. We’re not sure if Muhammad Ali or Lightning McQueen inspired the phrase “Rolling Like A Cadillac, Stinging Like A Beamer” in him. a Netflix family entertainment programme.

  1. Death Race (2008)

Jason Statham plays an innocent guy who is offered the chance to compete in the Death Race as Frankenstein in exchange for his release from prison for a crime he didn’t commit.

He will need to rely on his driving prowess to live amid a field of bloodthirsty criminals facing the same stakes, armed with a vehicle wielding a variety of devastating weaponry.

One can observe vehicles that are prepared for battle, such as a 2006 Ford Mustang GT, a 1966 Buick Riviera, a 2007 Dodge Ram 3500, and a 1979 Pontiac Trans-Am.

The producer of the 1975 cult hit Death Race 2000, Roger Corman, who was known throughout his career for producing low-budget films, also worked on the remake of Death Race. The graphic violence was greatly heightened, and several characters from the original were included, including Machine Gun Joe and Frankenstein.

  1. Turbo (2013)

Where does anything like a snail competing in the Indy 500 occur? A garden snail who longs for more from life unintentionally receives it in this bizarre cartoon. 

Ryan Reynolds, Paul Giamatti, Snoop Dogg, and Samuel L. Jackson, among others, lend their voices to this joyful thriller to bring the characters to life.

  1. McLaren (2017)

Another well-known tale of the underdog, but this one actually happened. Bruce McLaren, the man behind one of the most successful Formula 1 racing teams, is the subject of the documentary McLaren. It overcomes adversity to challenge the finest drivers in auto racing. 

Conclusion

Above are the top 7 racing movies of all time filled with trill and excitement that you can enjoy streaming.

Most of us won’t ever ride in a race car. Many of us never surpass the speed limit by more than 5 to 10 miles an hour. But if you are a racing lover, you can stay updated with us for all the information regarding Nascar Cup Series. 

However, racing makes for some fantastic sports movies with lots of intense action and thrill. 

Even so, not all racing takes place on oval tracks. Here are a few of our all-time favorite racing movies.

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