Home Blog Page 1752

Would Sponsorship Have Saved Now Defunct Speedway Stadiums?

By
SM
-
Photo by Caitlyn Wilson on Unsplash

The list of one-time popular speedway venues that have sadly now long been closed is huge, and we can only hope and pray that no others get added to that list anytime soon.

As many of them did, of course, double up as greyhound racing tracks, that is also another sport that is in terminal decline, with bookies themselves now choosing to buy and operate a number of greyhound stadiums across the UK to ensure they have live races to show their betting shop punters.

That does pose the question, could the gambling industry have stepped in many years ago to have helped save many speedway tracks by offering to sponsor such events, and even include them in the daily schedule of sporting events they beam live to their betting offices?

No one will know the answer to that question, but what was apparent since 2006 onward was that plenty of bookies did place too much emphasis on their fixed odds betting terminals, which at the time were raking in the cash and neglected to keep the focus on their one-time bread and butter punters.

When the UK Gambling Commission recently announced the maximum stake punters could bet per game on those gaming machines was to be dropped from £100 to just £2, bookies suffered the consequences, and their profit levels dropped dramatically.

By that time it was too late for them to court once more their original sports betting customers, as many of them have made the switch over to betting online, where these days it is possible to get much higher and better odds than a traditional bookie can offer.

The pandemic did also sadly force the hand of some speedway stadium operators to close for good and moving forward there is unlikely to be an upsurge of new tracks being opened.

What has also become apparent is that bookies much prefer offering computer and software-driven games, some of which are actually speedway-themed games to their customers rather than real-life events.

The main reason they do so is the costs of operating those games are negligible compared to sponsoring real speedway events that they could offer betting markets on, and I doubt any bookie will be looking at sponsoring any speedway racing events in large numbers moving forward. 

However, there are of course those who say speedway and gambling should not go hand in hand, but let’s face it these days the only way many sporting events can go ahead and continue is by being sponsored by well-known companies, and sadly many of them who are prepared to sponsor sporting events are gambling-related companies.

If this post has spurred your interest in gambling and you fancy doing so online, then there are many things you need to be aware of other than simply spending some time looking to find a site that suits you.

You need to ensure the ones that you do become a  customer of are fully licensed and regulated, as that way you will always have the peace of mind in knowing no matter what, your funds are safe, and you will always have access to your winnings and will have them out in a timely fashion.

Plus, make sure that before you set about gambling in any shape or form that you always set yourself some limits and make sure that you always stick to them, for gambling online whilst it can indeed be fun and entertaining when things are not going your way it can be an expensive pastime if you end up getting carried away and lose all sense of reality when doing so.

Jeremy Clements – The leash is off and he’s ready to compete

By
Angie Campbell
-
Photo by Debbie Ross for SpeedwayMedia.com.

In the last few weeks, Jeremy Clements has experienced a roller coaster of emotions. He went from the exhilaration of winning at Daytona and advancing to the Xfinity Series Playoffs, to an unexpected penalty that took away the victory. And then, finally, redemption, when the penalty was rescinded.

Heading into the Playoffs for only the second time in his career, his game plan is simple.

“Don’t screw up. Don’t put pressure on yourself and just race like we do every other week.”

Four years ago Clements won at Road America and made the Playoffs but was eliminated after the first round. This time he feels his team is in a much better position to advance as the Playoffs begin.

“Right now we’re way better off than we were that year. So, I’m excited to be in the Playoffs and have a fair shot at it again and see what we can wind up with. Being there the first time we put some pressure on ourselves and this time I’m just saying we have nothing to lose. It’s awesome to be in the Playoffs and we want to make the most of it.”

But while Clements realizes that his small family-owned team doesn’t have the resources of most of the playoff teams, he would love to play David to their Goliath. This year has been one of his strongest in the Xfinity Series with one win, two top-fives and five top-10s, thanks in part to increased funding.

“Every year we’ve kind of held ourselves with a leash and it’s kind of short. To stay in this sport, to do everything we’ve been doing, it takes a lot of money and resources,” he explained. “This year we’ve got the most funding we’ve ever gotten. We’re not running used tires, we’re not running old parts all the time like we used to. It’s just been a lot better on all those ends.

“These races can have some crazy restarts and you never know what can happen. We just got to keep our nose clean and be there at the end and get some top 10s.”

While many may have already counted him out, it would be a mistake to underestimate his desire, heart and determination as the Playoffs begin Saturday at Texas Motor Speedway.

Cadillac Racing 2023 GTP drivers Zoom transcript

By
Official Release
-

CADILLAC RACING 2023 GTP DRIVERS: ZOOM TRANSCRIPT

Cadillac Racing announced Sept. 20 its driver roster for the 2023 IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship season — the first for the Grand Touring Prototype (GTP) class. Reigning IMSA DPi champion Pipo Derani will co-drive an Action Express Racing-prepared Cadillac V-LMDh car with Alexander Sims, while Sebastien Bourdais and Renger van der Zande return as co-drivers of a Chip Ganassi Racing-prepared Cadillac V-LMDh.

Sims and Derani met with the media Sept. 20 via Zoom conference. Full transcript (by driver):

ALEXANDER SIMS

YOU’VE HAD A RELATIONSHIP WITH GM ON THE CORVETTE SIDE. WHAT ARE YOUR THOUGHTS ABOUT THIS OPPORTUNITY WITH THE CADILLAC V-LMDH?

“I’m super-excited about this opportunity. It’s been a bit of a whirlwind situation since Le Mans, which ended in disappointment when things were going the right way for us with Corvette. Speaking to (GM sports car racing program manager) Laura (Wontrop Klauser) after the race about how things went and she put us in touch with Action Express and conversations went pretty positive from the start. I was able to get over to Atlanta to do a test with Pipo and the team. It was a short day in the DPi car, but it was a wonderful thing to drive. Everything went well thankfully, and we were able to agree to things for next year, which is an absolute dream come true from my point of view. I’m really looking forward to the challenge. I’m joining an incredibly experienced group of people at Action Express – a group of engineers and Pipo who have had success in the past – and hopefully I can learn quickly from them and slot in and do a decent job.”

HOW DO YOU FEEL ABOUT PUTTING YOUR SOLE FOCUS ON SPORTS CAR RACING AFTER DOING FORMULA E?

“I’m really looking forward to it. I don’t think I shied away from the fact that Formula E has been an interesting time for me, but ultimately concluded that it’s not the championship that fits with me in a sporting sense. I couldn’t get my head around it and ultimately didn’t want to be there anymore and wanted to get back to IMSA racing. To be in this position to basically get exactly what I wanted and be racing in the top class for the first time is genuinely a dram come true. I loved the two years that I did in IMSA – the most enjoyable form of racing that I’ve done. The rules format tends to keep you in the races if you’re struggling, if you’ve had issues there are so many times where you can get back in the race after a hiccup. And even if you’re in a strong position and you’re fast, it’s unlikely that you’re ever just going to sail away for two hours ahead of the field. There’s always going to be safety cars, there’s always going to be close racing to keep you on your toes.”

ARE YOU NOW EXCLUSIVE TO GM OR DO YOU STILL HAVE A DEAL WITH BMW?

“That’s yet to be fully decided, but my absolute main focus is going to be IMSA with Cadillac.”

WERE YOU PURSUING THIS AS YOUR PRIMARY FOCUS?

“This has been my sole focus, honestly. This year and last year that I raced with Corvette was a great introduction to the GM Racing program. All the people on it were a joy to work with. Obviously, the teams are different but the people at the top are the same and to be able to continue working with them is my goal.”

WAS MAKING THE MOVE TO THE TOP LEVEL A PRIORITY FOR YOU?

“Honestly, it wasn’t the main priority when deciding to leave Formula E. The priority was to get back to racing that I enjoyed, which was racing in IMSA. If that were in GT or prototypes, the same fulfillment in that criteria would have been there. When prototypes were discussed, the opportunity for a race driver is pretty exciting to run in the top class of any championship. It’s been a while since I’ve driven a prototype. I drove LMP2 in ALMS and a few WEC races quite a few years ago. The more higher downforce driving is something that’s not too far away from my current situation, but obviously driving in Formula E is somewhat different. To get back to higher downforce, fast racing where you’re generally always going to be the leader in terms of speed of class, not having to look into your mirrors always – which is a little bit of a challenge in a GT car – is going to be nice and focus forward. I’m going to need that focus because things come up pretty fast in these cars; they’re super quick. It’s a bit of an adjustment period in these test days we’ve got, but that’s the reason why we’ve got them and I’ll get up to speed for the first race.”

ARE THERE SOME THING YOU LEARNED IN FORMULA E THAT MIGHT BE ADVANTAGEOUS TO THE LMDH CAR?

“In terms of not getting my head around it, it’s just in terms of being able to achieve top performance consistently. With four years in Formula E with two different manufacturers, I’ve gone through quite an extensive development process with both of them. Understood quite a few things about the systems that are used in Formula E, which probably gives me just a decent technical base knowledge. I’m under no illusions that LMDh GTP racing is not Formula E. Hybrid systems have some similarities to a full electric drive, but there’s not the same as well. They have their own set of challenges. I’m not coming into this that I know all and can teach people how to do their jobs. I guess it just helps when some engineers are having discussions about various systems and the way some things work, I guess I have a bit of a head start and might the basics of how things are working. There are a lot of challenges. You don’t stop learning. So far, it’s proven useful at times to have some knowledge of electric drive systems.”

HOW HAS PIPO HELPED YOU DURING TESTING?

“It’s one of those things where you’re never quite sure until you start driving, and I tend to have a bit of self-doubt sometimes. Although I raced at a decent level ion F3 some years back, driven GTs and Formula E, I was thinking I hope this comes back to me quickly. Thankfully, it all did. It’s not like I’m a sorted, polished driver in every aspect in high downforce racing just yet but the basics are coming back. Pipo has been really helpful in being able to ask and giving honest answers about some of the challenges and whatever hurdle I’m facing during testing. It generally tends to be small things, but it’s small things that we have to focus on to optimize our performance to be right at the front which is what we want to do.”

ANY MEMORABLE COMPETITIVE RACES AGAINST EACH OTHER IN F3?

“I couldn’t believe when we looked back at the Vallelunga race that I couldn’t remember racing (Derani). We must not have been together on track. But I do remember Macua, following (Derani) for far too many laps not being able to pass. That was quite frustrating.”

PIPO DERANI

HOW EXCITED ARE YOU TO WELCOME ALEX TO THE TEAM AND GET GOING WITH THE CADILLAC V-LMDH?

“Alex has been a guy that I raced against in Formula 3, so we’ve known each other for a little while. Lots of respect, so whenever his name showed up and when he tested it definitely was a no-brainer. Whenever the team asked what I thought about him, I said, ‘Yeah, go for it. He’s very good.’ I think he’s going to help us a lot over the development of the new car with his electric and hybrid experience. That’s a plus as well, having Alex come on board with so much experience. We’ve started testing already the new car and it’s great to see you can develop basically from scratch and put your input into every single detail of what’s going to possibly be the most exciting time in endurance racing over the next few years. Looking forward to it. We have one more race with the DPi, so I’m going to be looking to enjoy. It’s a car that has had so much success. It’s a car that has given me one Sebring win, one Petit, an overall championship and an endurance championship, so it was a great time in my career to have had the chance to drive the Cadillac DPi-V.R. Trying to enjoy the last race at Petit, which is a very special race and nice track to be at for a farewell drive – if I can put it like that. Trying to enjoy that moment and very much looking forward to what the future brings. Me and Alex have had a little experience already driving and going testing with the new car and so far whatever we share has been very positive. And it’s good we can get to do that in a non-pressure environment and get to learn each other, what we want from each other and what we can improve on to become a strong pairing of drivers for the Action Express Cadillac GTP program next year.”

HOW ARE YOU ADJUSTING TO THE VARIETY OF CO-DRIVERS?

“I think it’s going to be great to have Alex onboard. Over the last three years before the beginning of this year it was pretty straightforward with Felipe (Nasr). We developed a relationship form the very beginning testing and even before the season of 2019 started. That relationship as a racing partner just evolved over the three years, and it got to the point where it was very good. I think once you start that relationship from the very beginning, it’s easy to develop and improve as a pair for the better result. It’s definitely much harder to do that in the middle of the season like I had to do this year. It’s not ideal. Looking to the future now with Alex joining us and be able to be involved in the development and testing from the beginning like we have already, it’s just going to help. By the time we get to Daytona, I’m sure it’s going to be smooth, and we’ll be thinking only about performance. At the moment, I think it’s been going very well and we’re already into that phase of our relationship. His driving style is in a way similar to mine, which is a help. We seem to get more or less the same things from the car to go quick and it’s been quite a pleasure to be sharing and learning from him as well things he’s going to bring on to the program from experiences he’s had from other series. And I’m sure from his side as well getting a little updated to the high downforce cars, which I’ve been driving over the last four years. So, I think it’s a plus and plus that we can use from each other and be strong from the very beginning of next season. I’m looking forward to that. Whatever happened over the course of 2022 was not ideal. But, nevertheless, in difficult moments I was always focused on trying to do the best I could for the team, and I believe I was able to do that. Now looking forward to the future.”

HOW CAN YOU HELP OR DOES ALEX NEED TO BE BROUGHT ALONG MORE QUICKLY IN GETTING UP TO SPEED WITH THE PROTOTYPES?

“I think it’s more fine tuning. He’s been driving Formula E, which doesn’t have as much downforce. He was brought up racing Formula 3 in Europe, where it’s a very high downforce car and the driving style is very similar to the DPi and the new Cadillac V-LMDh GTP car. Really, the first test he was asking a couple of things. But you can see that the guy who’s had the formation he’s had in his early days definitely pays dividends whenever he jumps into a high downforce car. It’s almost like riding a bicycle. It took him just a couple of laps and he was up there already. I think he wanted to ask me a few questions just to make me feel important. He’s been doing great. He’s got it pretty much sorted.”

ANY MEMORABLE COMPETITIVE RACES AGAINST EACH OTHER IN F3?

“There’s a funny story we were discussing. 2013 wasn’t an easy year for my team, but I was telling Alex that I had a strong weekend at Vallelunga in Italy. Actually, that was the strongest weekend I had all year. We had three races per weekend back then and I had two podiums and started on the front row over a 32-car grid or something. He said, ‘No way, that was my strongest weekend as well.’ We checked and found pictures of us sharing the podium twice on that same weekend. And in Macau, where I think we finished one after another in 2013. It’s good pictures to have.”

About Cadillac
A leading luxury auto brand since 1902, Cadillac is growing globally, driven by an expanding product portfolio that features distinctive design and technology. More information on Cadillac appears at www.cadillac.com. Cadillac’s media website with information, images and video can be found at media.cadillac.com.

Chris Buescher – Texas II Advance

By
Official Release
-

Team: No. 17 Fastenal Ford Mustang
Crew Chief: Scott Graves

Twitter: @RFK17Team, @RFKRacing and @Chris_Buescher
Race Format: 500 miles, 334 laps, Stages: 105-105-124

NASCAR Cup Race at Texas – Sunday, Sept. 25 at 3:30 p.m. ET on USA, PRN, SiriusXM Channel 90

ADVANCE NOTES

Weekend Format

The traditional weekend schedule is on tap this weekend with practice and qualifying on deck for Saturday in group format, which will determine the starting lineup for Sunday.

Buescher at Texas

Buescher returns to his home state this weekend for his 13th Cup race from Texas. He has a 22.8 average finish and a best finish of 15th (2018).
His average qualifying effort is 24.3 with a career-best 10th-place start last fall.
Buescher also made five Xfinity starts at Texas with a best finish of ninth (2015).

Scott Graves at Texas

Graves will be atop the box for his 11th Cup race at Texas on Sunday. He has a best finish of 11th with Ryan Newman in the 2019 spring race.
Graves has three career top-10 qualifying efforts at TMS including a career-best sixth in 2017, and a 15.9 overall average.
Graves also called six Xfinity races at Texas with two top-10s and a best finish of fifth in 2016.

QUOTE WORTHY
Buescher on racing at Texas:
“We’ve had a great week celebrating and taking in everything associated with the Bristol win, but I’m just as excited to get back to my home state of Texas and see friends and family, and give our Fastenal Mustang another good run this weekend. We put together a solid plan for the All-Star Race this spring and had good success, so our goal is to capitalize on that even more and keep the train rolling this weekend.”

Last Time Out
RFK dominated the Bristol Night Race leading a combined 278 laps, with Buescher leading 169 en route to his second NASCAR Cup Series victory. It marks Fastenal’s first win in the Cup Series, and snapped a five-year winless streak for the company.

On the Car

Fastenal, in its 12th season with RFK in 2022, makes its 16th appearance with the No. 17 this weekend. In its early days with RFK, Fastenal originally was a partner with the No. 99 team before moving over to the No. 17 team since. They were also the primary partner on the No. 60 Xfinity Series entry that captured the owner’s championship in 2011.

Fastenal will feature top suppliers Honeywell, Seco Tools, Krylon, Mechanix Wear and Widia on Buescher’s No. 17 this weekend. For more information on these suppliers, visit Fastenal.com, and stay up-do-date on social @FastenalCompany.

RFK will participate in the Honor A Cancer Hero (HCH) Program this weekend at Texas, which benefits the Martin Truex Jr. Foundation (MTJF) and the NASCAR Foundation. Buescher will run the name of Reuben Heckenlaible on the driver side of his No. 17. Heckenlaible, a native of Pierre, South Dakota, passed away from cancer on April 14, 2014, and was nominated by his grandchild.

About Fastenal
Fastenal [Nasdaq: FAST] is North America’s largest fastener distributor and a ‘one-stop’ source for hundreds of thousands of OEM, MRO and Construction products. With more than 2,600 stores worldwide, the company supports B2B customers with tailored local inventory and dedicated personnel, who visit regularly, quickly respond to emergency needs, and provide efficient inventory management solutions. Fastenal’s service-oriented business network includes the world’s largest industrial vending program, 14 regional distribution centers, 8 custom manufacturing facilities, thousands of delivery vehicles, and industry-leading sourcing, quality and engineering resources.

BUESCHER STILL IN DISBELIEF HE WON THE TRADITION-RICH BRISTOL NIGHT RACE, THE ONE HE SAID WAS AT THE TOP OF HIS LIST

By
SM Staff
-

RFK owner Keselowski says the Night Race is a race that champions win

BRISTOL, Tenn. (Sept. 20, 2022) – Chris Buescher is still pinching himself. He really can’t believe he just won America’s Night Race.

Buescher, who snapped a 222-race winless streak in the NASCAR Cup Series by taking the checkered flag in Saturday’s Bass Pro Shops Night Race, was beaming as he looked at the huge BMS trophy and held up his BMS Gladiator Sword on Bristol’s legendary rooftop Victory Lane.

There was no need to ask Buescher if he considers the Bristol Night Race as one of the sport’s crown jewels. For Buescher, it is THE Crown Jewel.

“This has been No. 1 on my list for a really long time,” Buescher said. “I actually love this racetrack. I’ll take this win over a Daytona 500, a Coke 600, this is my big race, right here.

“I don’t know if I believe this yet.”

The Texas driver held off Chase Elliott, William Byron and Christopher Bell to take the hard-earned victory, in a race that was the cut-off in the Round of 16. Buescher became the season’s 19th different winner and also was the third-straight non-playoff driver to win in the first round of the NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs.

He said for him, it has always been a love at first sight situation with Bristol Motor Speedway.

“This place has that special feel,” Buescher said. “The excitement I got walking through that tunnel yesterday and seeing concrete, clean concrete, was really big.

“It’s always special coming here. Fans were jacked up, and we had fantastic weather. Fans showed up in huge numbers, and it was great to see the fans packing the stands here at Bristol again. All that just adds to this being my favorite racetrack. And I’m not saying that because I’m sitting here at Bristol. I’ve got in trouble at a lot of different racetracks for saying that on their stages beforehand and gotten yelled at, but it’s the truth.

“This is the one, the one we’ve been looking forward to for a really long time, and it’s just a special place, unlike anywhere we go.”

Buescher’s team owner, Brad Keselowski, the 2011 Night Race winner who led two times for 109 laps Saturday and ultimately finished 13th, was very proud of his driver who pilots the No. 17 RFK machine.

“Chris deserves a lot of credit, this is not an easy race to win, it never has been,” Keselowski said. “The Bristol Night Race is a race that champions win.”

“This is a big moment for Chris and a big moment for our company to be able to win races like this,” Keselowski continued. “This is a different type of win. This is a legacy type of win. There’s some tracks that winning is always great, don’t get me wrong, but there’s some tracks that winning is just not as special as others. Bristol is right up there at the top of being special. This is a big moment for us.”

The 2023 Bass Pro Shops Night Race returns to Bristol Motor Speedway on Sept. 16, once again as an elimination race in the NASCAR Cup Series Round of 16 Playoffs. For more information, please visit www.bristolmotorspeedway.com or call 423-BRISTOL to speak to a BMS ticket sales representative.

Brad Keselowski – Texas II Advance

By
Official Release
-

Team: No. 6 ROUSHParts.com Ford Mustang
Crew Chief: Matt McCall

Twitter: @RFK6Team, @RFKRacing and @keselowski

Race Format: 500 miles, 334 laps, Stages: 105-105-124

NASCAR Cup Race at Texas – Sunday, Sept. 25 at 3:30 p.m. ET on USA, PRN, SiriusXM Channel 90

ADVANCE NOTES

Weekend Format

The traditional weekend schedule is on tap this weekend with practice and qualifying on deck for Saturday in group format, which will determine the starting lineup for Sunday.

Keselowski at Texas

Keselowski makes his 27th regular-season Cup start at Texas this Sunday. In 26 starts he has 11 top-10s and a 16.4 average finish.
He’s coming off three-straight top-10s at the track with a P4 finish last fall, and a sixth-place run and ninth-place finish in the two starts prior. His best career finish to date is second, which he’s done twice, in 2012, and again in 2015.
Despite no wins in Fort Worth, Keselowski has led 654 laps at the 1.5-mile track, fourth-most of any track on the circuit in his Cup career.
He carries an average starting position of 14th into the weekend with one pole (2015) and 16 starts inside the top-10.
Keselowski has an additional 23 combined starts in the Xfinity and Truck Series at Texas with two NXS victories (2013, 2015).

Matt McCall at Texas

Texas stands as McCall’s second-best track on the circuit with an average finish of 11.1 and eight top-10s in the Cup Series, behind only Michigan in both.
Sunday marks his 14th Cup race atop the box at Texas. His teams have never finished outside the top-20 with four top-10s in the last five starts.
His best career finish came in 2018 with Jamie McMurray as the No. 1 car finished third.

QUOTE WORTHY
Keselowski on racing at Texas:
“While we’ve had a big week as a company, the work doesn’t stop in continuing the forward momentum, and it starts this week at Texas. We had decent speed there with both cars in the All-Star Race, and definitely feel like we have something to build from entering this weekend. We’re looking forward to the challenge in the ROUSHParts.com Ford.”

Last Time Out
Keselowski finished 13th in the Bristol Night Race after winning the opening stage and leading 109 laps in the Kohler Generators Ford.

On the Car

Keselowski will again carry the Roush Performance banner this weekend and run a scheme that highlights ROUSH Parts. The hood design on the No. 6 is meant to emulate a see-through design that creates an illusion of a ROUSH supercharger on the car.

RFK will participate in the Honor A Cancer Hero (HCH) Program this weekend at Texas, which benefits the Martin Truex Jr. Foundation (MTJF) and the NASCAR Foundation. Keselowski will carry the name of Cody Wulff on the driver side of his No. 6. A native of Gann Valley, South Dakota, Wulff was a big fan of Ford Motor Company, and was nominated by Jerrod Deitchler.

About ROUSH Performance
ROUSH Performance was founded in 1995 by motorsports legend Jack Roush, the winningest name in racing. Combining performance engineering with entrepreneurship, ROUSH began selling designs he had created for his own team to the wider world of motorsports. Based out of Plymouth Township, Michigan, ROUSH Performance, a division of Roush Enterprises, designs, engineers and manufacturers completely assembled pre-titled vehicles, aftermarket performance parts, and superchargers for the global performance enthusiast market. For more on ROUSH, please visit ROUSHperformance.com or call 800.59.ROUSH.

No. 10 Smithfield/IHOP Ford Racing: Texas II Race Advance

By
Official Release
-

ARIC ALMIROLA
Texas Race Advance
No. 10 Smithfield/IHOP Ford Mustang for Stewart-Haas Racing

Event Overview

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

● Time/Date: 3:30 p.m. EDT on Sunday, Sept. 25

● Location: Texas Motor Speedway in Fort Worth

● Layout: 1.5-mile oval

● Laps/Miles: 334 laps / 500 miles

● Stage Lengths: Stage 1: 105 laps / Stage 2: 105 laps / Final Stage: 124 laps

● TV/Radio: USA / PRN / SiriusXM NASCAR Radio

Notes of Interest

● History at Texas: In 21 NASCAR Cup Series starts on the 1.5-mile oval at Texas Motor Speedway in Fort Worth, Almirola has one top-five, five top-10s, and has led 101 laps. His previous start was the NASCAR All-Star Race in May, when he started eighth and finished 12th.

● Last weekend at Bristol (Tenn.) Motor Speedway, Almirola earned his fourth Cup Series pole award and led the opening 36 laps. But misfortune struck by way of a steering failure that took the 38-year-old out of the race with 82 laps to go.

● 2022 Season: Through 29 races this season, in addition to last week’s pole position, Almirola has earned two top-five finishes, seven top-10s, and has led 45 laps. His average finish of 17.7 and seven top-10s have bettered his totals for the entire 36-race 2021 season.

● Driver Points: Almirola arrives at Texas 20th in the driver standings with 627 points.

● Almirola’s career: In 417 NASCAR Cup Series starts, Almirola has earned three wins, 28 top-five finishes, 91 top-10s, four poles, and has led 938 laps.

● IHOP will adorn the No. 10 Smithfield Ford this weekend with a specialty paint scheme for the second time this year. Smithfield Foodsis an American food company with agricultural roots and a global reach. Its 63,000 team members are dedicated to producing “Good food. Responsibly.®” Smithfield is one of the world’s leading vertically integrated protein companies. The company has pioneered sustainability standards for more than two decades, including its industry-leading commitments to become carbon negative in U.S. company-owned operations and reduce GHG emissions 30 percent across its entire U.S. value chain by 2030. Smithfield believes in the power of protein to end food insecurity and has donated hundreds of millions of food servings to local communities. Smithfield boasts a portfolio of high-quality iconic brands, such as Smithfield®, Eckrich® and Nathan’s Famous®, among many others. For more information, visit www.SmithfieldFoods.com, and connect on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and Instagram.

● Back for More: Earlier this year, Almirola announced that he would step down from fulltime racing following the 2022 season.Through the course of the year, Almirola has discovered a new balance between his passion for racing and dedication to his family. His wife Janice, and kids Alex and Abby, join him on most race weekends, oftentimes enjoying once-in-a-lifetime experiences together as they travel the country. His rapport with crew chief Drew Blickensderfer has flourished, and the intense pressure he had put on himself was replaced with the joy of simply being present. Not only did Almirola see a new perspective on the sport, but so did anchor partner Smithfield Foods, who broached the subject of Almirola returning to fulltime racing in 2023. On Aug. 26, Almirola, Stewart-Haas Racing, and Smithfield Foods announced his return with a multi-year agreement and the largest allotment of races since joining the team in 2018.

● Beyond the 10 YouTube Series:In 2022, Almirola is once again sharing his life beyond the No. 10 Smithfield Ford with season three of his award-winning YouTube series. Fans and media can subscribe on YouTube to see Almirola’s personality on and off the track. Episodes have already featured life as a dad, a husband and an athlete, and it gives fans a unique perspective on what goes on in the life of a professional NASCAR driver. Fans can also follow Almirola’s social media channels: @Aric_Almirola on Twitter and Instagram, and @AricAlmirola on Facebook.

● Almirola was the only NASCAR Cup Series driver to finish in the top-10 in this year’s opening three races. He finished fifth in the season-opening Daytona 500 at Daytona (Fla.) International Speedway, sixth at Auto Club Speedway in Fontana, California, and sixth at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. Almirola’s top-10 streak ended with a 12th-place finish at Phoenix Raceway despite running inside the top-10 throughout the race.

Aric Almirola, Driver of the No. 10 Smithfield/IHOP Ford Mustang for Stewart-Haas Racing:

Are the last seven races a building opportunity for 2023?

“Yes. We’re working really hard on 2023. In the last six races before the playoffs, we were really trying to massage on things and take racecars that we felt were capable of running seventh to 12th and hoping that we would hit on that missing ingredient to get where we needed to be. Since we’re out of the playoffs, we’ve really used this opportunity to swing for the fences on stuff that is way outside of the box and it’s also a big learning curve for our organization. We have a lot of great engineers here that have a lot of bright ideas and, oftentimes throughout the middle part of the season, we would shoot them down because we’re like, ‘Man, we can’t try that. We only have 15 minutes of practice and what if it doesn’t work? If it doesn’t work, we can’t get it back out of the car.’ So we weren’t really willing to take that risk and, especially in the early summer months, we were right on the cutoff line for the playoffs on points, so we were just trying to be consistent and we couldn’t really take that risk. Now with not being in the playoffs, we all kind of held hands and don’t really care about finishing 17th, 18th or 19th in points. It doesn’t really matter to us as much as it does to learn all we can going into next year so we can go race for a championship next year. Drew (Blickensderfer, crew chief) and I had that conversation with our team after we missed the playoffs at Daytona. We came back to the shop and we talked and we said, ‘Hey, I remember a handful of years ago the No. 22 car missed the playoffs and came back the next year and won the championship.’ We’re not going to get too upset and hang our heads. We’re just going to look ahead and focus on getting better for next year.”

What are your thoughts heading to Texas this weekend after finding speed at Kansas and Bristol?

“I’m really excited to see what we bring this weekend. We’ve tried some new setups and they’ve worked. At Kansas. I was able to pass a lot of cars from the back and it felt like we had really improved. Getting the pole at Bristol this past weekend gave this 10 team a lot of confidence after a tough year. Texas is a place where we have found a lot of speed, even outside of the playoffs. In 2019, we had a shot at the win in the closing laps. We’ll see what we have, but I feel good about it.”

What do you think of the competitiveness between non-playoff and playoff drivers?

“It’s incredible to see this much competition. It keeps us motivated knowing that the best car and best driver can win on any given weekend. It’s healthy for the sport and makes it that much more difficult for the guys in the playoffs to race for a championship. The remaining races in the season suit us well, so we’re counting on having a shot at a win every weekend.”

No. 10 Smithfield/IHOP Ford Team Roster

Primary Team Members

Driver: Aric Almirola
Hometown: Tampa, Florida

Crew Chief: Drew Blickensderfer
Hometown: Decatur, Illinois

Car Chief: Jerry Cook
Hometown: Toledo, Ohio

Engineer: Davin Restivo
Hometown: Asheboro, North Carolina

Engineer: James Kimbrough
Hometown: Pensacola, Florida

Spotter: Joel Edmonds
Hometown: Dobson, North Carolina

Over-The-Wall Members

Front Tire Changer: Ryan Mulder
Hometown: Sioux Center, Iowa

Rear Tire Changer: Trevor White
Hometown: Arlington, Texas

Tire Carrier: Tyler Bullard
Hometown: King, North Carolina

Jack Man: Sean Cotton
Hometown: Mooresville, North Carolina

Fuel Man: James “Ace” Keener
Hometown: Fortuna, California

Road Crew Members

Mechanic: Chris Trickett
Hometown: Grafton, West Virginia

Mechanic: Robbie Fairweather
Hometown: Westbrookville, New York

Engine Tuner: Matt Moeller
Hometown: Monroe, New York

Tire Specialist: Rusty Davidson
Hometown: Mount Juliet, Tennessee

Transporter Co-Driver: Steven Casper
Hometown: Salisbury, North Carolina

Transporter Co-Driver: Matt Murphy
Hometown: Augusta, Georgia

CAT Trailer Sales to Partner with Brandon Brown at Texas Motor Speedway

By
Official Release
-

Brandon Brown Welcomes Arkansas-based Trailer Sales Company for the Andy’s Frozen Custard 300

 MOORESVILLE, N.C. (September 20, 2022) – Brandonbilt Motorsports (BMS) announces today its newest partnership with CAT Trailer Sales as the primary sponsor of Brandon Brown’s No. 68 Chevrolet Camaro for the NASCAR Xfinity Series race at the Texas Motor Speedway on Saturday, September 24.

CAT Trailer Sales has been serving the residents of Central Arkansas since 2020. The family-owned and operated company strives to provide the best in customer service and top-quality products at an affordable price. CAT Trailer Sales supplies a wide range of trailers to suit any hauling needs, including utility, car haulers, dump trailers, gooseneck, enclosed cargo, and equipment trailers.

“Brandon Brown has proven that he is a talented driver” said Mike Bixler, Co-Owner of CAT Trailer Sales. “Just like we inspire our customers to keep pushing forward, we encourage and support Brandon to do the same in his career.”

Bixler continued by saying, “Our partnership with Brandonbilt Motorsports is a commitment – a commitment to never give up, no matter the hardships one may face. So, Brandon, work hard and stay focused. Chase your dreams, and chase that checkered flag!”

Brandon Brown heads to Texas Motor Speedway confident in his ability at the 1.5-mile quad oval. The Woodbridge, VA., native has a best finish of fifth in the Lonestar state.

“I am proud to partner with CAT Trailer Sales and introduce another family-owned business to NASCAR,” said Brown. “It’s important to surround yourself with positive, uplifting people during trying times, and the CAT (Trailer Sales) team has been just that. I am thankful for their support and encouragement, but most of all, for their belief in me.”

“I love the challenge that Texas (Motor Speedway) presents – it’s one of the fastest tracks on the schedule,” said Brown. “Hopefully, we can have a strong performance and put CAT Trailer Sales in Victory Lane for their first NASCAR race.”

The No. 68 CAT Trailer Sales Chevrolet Camaro will make its NASCAR Xfinity Series debut on Saturday, September 24 at the Texas Motor Speedway, with coverage airing live on USA Network at 3:30 p.m. ET.

For more information about CAT Trailer Sales, please visit www.cattrailersales.com.

About CAT Trailer Sales

CAT Trailer Sales is the next leader in the trailer sales industry. With the company’s inception in 2020, its leadership is intent on providing top-quality products to its customers without the hassle of high-pressure sales tactics and time-wasting negotiations. CAT Trailer Sales has two locations in the state of Arkansas – Conway (AR) and Fort Smith (AR).

About Brandonbilt Motorsports

Brandonbilt Motorsports (BMS) is a race-winning organization that competes in the NASCAR Xfinity Series, and fields the No. 68 Chevrolet Camaro.

For team updates, follow BMS on social media: Twitter at @BMSRaceTeam, Facebook at Brandonbilt Motorsports and Instagram at @bmsraceteam. Visit www.bmsraceteam.com for more team related information.

Rush Truck Centers/Cummins Racing: Chase Briscoe Texas Advance

By
Official Release
-

CHASE BRISCOE
Texas Advance
No. 14 Rush Truck Centers/Cummins Ford Mustang for Stewart-Haas Racing

Event Overview

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

● Time/Date: 3:30 p.m. EDT on Sunday, Sept. 25

● Location: Texas Motor Speedway near Fort Worth

● Layout: 1.5-mile oval

● Laps/Miles: 334 laps/500 miles

● Stage Lengths: Stage 1: 105 laps / Stage 2: 105 laps / Final Stage: 124 laps

● TV/Radio: USA / PRN / SiriusXM NASCAR Radio

Notes of Interest

● Chase Briscoe, driver of the No. 14 Rush Truck Centers/Cummins Ford Mustang for Stewart-Haas Racing (SHR), is riding a wave of momentum heading into the AutoTrader EchoPark Automotive 500 at Texas Motor Speedway near Fort Worth. In only his second year of Cup Series competition, Briscoe has advanced to the Round of 12 of this year’s NASCAR Playoffs, which begins with Sunday’s 334-lap race at Texas, then heads to the 2.5-mile Talladega (Ala.) Superspeedway Oct. 2, and concludes Oct. 9 at the year’s final road-course race on the Charlotte (N.C.) Motor Speedway Roval. Briscoe begins the Round of 12 just four points below the cutline to advance to the Round of 8.

● Briscoe’s lone points-paying Cup Series start on the 1.5-mile Texas oval came last October, when he brought home a 15th-place finish. He also competed there in the 2021 All-Star Open, in which he finished fourth, and the 2022 All-Star Race, which resulted in an 18th-place finish.

● The sum of Briscoe’s results on intermediate tracks this year isn’t indicative of the No. 14 team’s capabilities. Only two of his finishes on tracks that fall in that category were top-five or better – his first Cup Series victory earned in March 13 at Phoenix Raceway in the fourth race of the season, and a fourth-place result on May 29 in the Coca Cola 600 at Charlotte (N.C.) Motor Speedway. However, Briscoe was also a contender at Las Vegas Motor Speedway in March, and the June races at Gateway International Raceway near St. Louis and Nashville (Tenn.) Superspeedway, before a series of events derailed his performances.

● In the NASCAR Xfinity Series, Briscoe has two top-fives in five starts at Texas with a best finish of second in March 2020. He also competed in two NASCAR Camping World Truck Series races at the track, finishing second and fourth in the 2017 events.

● This weekend at Texas, Briscoe’s Rush Truck Centers/Cummins Ford Mustang will carry the name of cancer hero Ann Tidwell, mother of SHR employee Jason Tidwell, as part of the Martin Truex Jr. Foundation’s Honor a Cancer Hero program. Ann’s love and compassion for others was exemplified in everything she did even through her battle with ovarian cancer.

● Rush Truck Centers is proud to employ 2,500 talented service technicians throughout the largest network of commercial truck and bus dealerships in North America, operating in 23 states and Ontario, Canada. At Rush Truck Centers, service technicians are the heartbeat of its dealerships, and the company is always looking to add the best and brightest technicians to its team. Service technician interested in looking for the next step in their careers can find additional information and listings of open positions on the Rush Enterprises Technician Careers page.

● All of the SHR racecars travel from race to race in haulers from Rush Truck Centers, the premier service solutions provider to the commercial vehicle industry. And in October, SHR haulers will sport different mudflaps in honor of Breast Cancer Awareness month. Now through the end of October, Rush Truck Centers is proud to offer limited-edition pink Breast Cancer Awareness mudflaps. And for every mudflap sold, $4 will be donated to the Breast Cancer Research Foundation by Rush Truck Centers and mudflap manufacturer Roechling Industrial Gastonia.

● Indiana-based Cummins, from car owner Tony Stewart’s hometown of Columbus, is a corporation of complementary business segments that design, manufacture, distribute and service a broad portfolio of power solutions. It is best known for its diesel truck engines. Since its founding in 1919, Cummins has grown to employ approximately 61,600 people and serves customers in about 190 countries and territories through a network of some 8,000 wholly owned and independent dealer and distributor locations.

Chase Briscoe, Driver of the No. 14 Rush Truck Centers/Cummins Ford Mustang for Stewart-Haas Racing:

You said before the start of the playoffs that you could make it through the first round on points, but that you would likely have to win in the second round to advance. Why is that?

“The second round has tracks that are wild cards. Talladega is anyone’s race, the Roval really can be the same, and Texas you’re going to have to be good in qualifying to get track position and maintain that all day. I feel pretty good about Texas. Our mile-and-a-half stuff has gotten better, but track position is key. We can’t make mistakes and we’ll have to be good from the start, then race the track. If we can get through Texas and Talladega, I feel good about the Roval, too. You could look back at our finishes and say I wasn’t good at some of these places, but we were in a different situation then and we’ve made a lot of progress.”

You’ve already been to Texas once this year, for the All-Star Race, and there was a lot of feedback from drivers and teams on the way the NextGen car raced there. Do you expect it to be any different with longer runs than we saw during the shorter All-Star Race segments?

“Nobody expects it to be any different. I would say the teams have probably all got their cars handling better since we’ve last been there, but I wouldn’t expect anything different. We’ve tried some different things with PJ1 and resin, but I don’t know if you’re going to all of a sudden see different racing in Texas. At places like Charlotte, where it’s worn out and the track is aged well enough to where we can move around, we put on really good races. Even with the resin at Texas, I just don’t know if it’ll make a difference because the track surface is pretty new.”

No. 14 Rush Truck Centers/Cummins Team Roster

Primary Team Members

Driver: Chase Briscoe
Hometown: Mitchell, Indiana

Crew Chief: John Klausmeier
Hometown: Perry Hall, Maryland

Car Chief: J.D. Frey
Hometown: Ferndale, California

Engineer: Mike Cook
Hometown: Annapolis, Maryland

Engineer: Marc Hendricksen
Hometown: Clinton, New Jersey

Spotter: Joey Campbell
Hometown: Berlin, Connecticut

Over-The-Wall Members

Front Tire Changer: Shayne Pipala
Hometown: Frankfort Square, Illinois

Rear Tire Changer: Dakota Ratcliff
Hometown: Nashville, Tennessee

Tire Carrier: Jon Bernal
Hometown: Shelby, North Carolina

Jack Man: Dylan Moser

Hometown: Monroe, North Carolina

Fuel Man: Corey Coppola
Hometown: Bluefield, West Virginia

Road Crew Members

Underneath Mechanic: Stephen Gonzalez
Hometown: Mooresville, North Carolina

Interior Mechanic: Trevor Adams
Hometown: Naples, Florida

Tire Specialist: Keith Eads
Hometown: Arlington, Virginia

Shock Specialist: Brian Holshouser
Hometown: Charlotte, North Carolina

Engine Tuner: Jon Phillips
Hometown: Jefferson City, Missouri

Transporter Co-Driver: Todd Cable
Hometown: Shelby, North Carolina

Transporter Co-Driver: Rob Fink
Hometown: Mocksville, North Carolina

Formula One reveals record-breaking 24-race schedule for 2023 season

By
Andrew Kim
-

The 2023 FIA Formula One World Championship schedule was revealed in a season that will feature a record-breaking 24 Grand Prix events spanning from early March through mid-November. 

The schedule, which received approval from the World Motor Sport Council, features new date changes for some familiar venues and the return of two countries along with a debutant of another venue in the United States of America while one notable country will not host an event for the upcoming season.

For a third consecutive season, the Bahrain International Circuit in Sakhir will serve as the host of the season-opening Grand Prix event on March 5 to commence a new season of Formula One competition. The Abu Dhabi Grand Prix at Yas Marina Circuit will remain as the season-finale event for a 12th season on November 26.

Notably, the United States of America will host three Grand Prix events in 2023, starting with the second annual Miami Grand Prix at Miami International Autodrome in Miami Gardens, Florida, on May 7. The United States Grand Prix will remain at Circuit of the Americas in Austin, Texas, for an 11th season on October 22. Lastly, the Las Vegas Grand Prix at Las Vegas Street Circuit will be hosting its inaugural Grand Prix event on November 5.

Familiar circuits that are set to return for the upcoming season include the Chinese Grand Prix at Shanghai International Circuit on April 16 and the Qatar Grand Prix at Losail International Circuit on October 8. The Chinese Grand Prix was last held in 2019 while the Qatar Grand Prix occurred for the first time in 2021. Qatar is slated to remain on the F1 calendar on a 10-year contract.

Additional changes for the 2023 season include the Azerbaijan Grand Prix at Baku City Circuit moving up from June to April 30, the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix at Iola Circuit scaling down from April to May 21, the Spanish Grand Prix at Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya also scaling down from May to June 4, the Austrian and British Grand Prixs swapping dates in early July (July 2 & 9, respectively), the Belgian Grand Prix at Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps moving up from late August to July 30, the Dutch Grand Prix at Circuit Zandvoort moving one week early from early September to August 27, the Italian Grand Prix at Monza Circuit moving one week early on September 3 and the Singapore and Japanese Grand Prixs moving up from early October to late September (September 17 & 24, respectively).

The upcoming F1 schedule will be featuring a one-month summer break period for the competitors and teams following the Belgian Grand Prix in Spa on July 30 before returning to action at Circuit Zandvoort for the Dutch Grand Prix on August 27.

Both the Belgian and Monaco Grand Prixs, which were rumored to be removed from the schedule, will remain following contract extension for both countries. The Belgian Grand Prix will be returning to the upcoming schedule following a one-year extension while the Monaco Grand Prix at Circuit de Monaco will span through 2025 under a new deal.

Notably, the French Grand Prix, which occurred at Circuit Paul Ricard this past July, will not be featured on the 2023 schedule.

The full 2023 Formula One schedule is as follows:

1. March 5: Bahrain Grand Prix (Sakhir)

2. March 19: Saudi Arabian Grand Prix (Jeddah)

3. April 2: Australian Grand Prix (Melbourne)

4. April 16: Chinese Grand Prix (Shanghai)

5. April 30: Azerbaijan Grand Prix (Baku)

6. May 7: Miami Grand Prix (Miami)

7. May 21: Emilia Romagna Grand Prix (Imola)

8. May 28: Monaco Grand Prix (Monaco)

9. June 4: Spanish Grand Prix (Spain)

10. June 18: Canadian Grand Prix (Montreal)

11. July 2: Austrian Grand Prix (Spielberg)

12. July 9: British Grand Prix (Silverstone)

13. July 23: Hungarian Grand Prix (Budapest)

14. July 30: Belgium Grand Prix (Spa)

15. August 27: Dutch Grand Prix (Zandvoort)

16. September 3: Italian Grand Prix (Monza)

17. September 17: Singapore Grand Prix (Singapore)

18. September 24: Japanese Grand Prix (Suzuka)

19. October 8: Qatar Grand Prix (Losail)

20. October 22: United States Grand Prix (Austin)

21. October 29: Mexico City Grand Prix (Mexico City)

22. November 5: São Paulo Grand Prix (São Paulo)

23. November 18: Las Vegas Grand Prix (Las Vegas)

24. November 26: Abu Dhabi Grand Prix (Yas Marina) 

“We are excited to announce the 2023 calendar with 24 races around the world,” Stefano Domenicali, President & CEO of Formula One, said. “Formula 1 has unprecedented demand to host races and it is important we get the balance right for the entire sport. We are very pleased with the strong momentum Formula 1 continues to experience and it is great news that we will be able to bring our passionate fans a mix of exciting new locations such as Las Vegas to the Championship with much loved venues across Europe, Asia and the Americas.”

“The presence of 24 races on the 2023 FIA Formula One World Championship calendar is further evidence of the growth and appeal of the sport on a global scale,” Mohammed Ben Sulayem, President of FIA, added. “The addition of new venues and the retention of traditional events underlines the FIA’s sound stewardship of the sport. I am delighted that we will be able to take Formula 1’s new era of exciting racing, created by the FIA’s 2022 Regulations, to a broader fan base in 2023.”

The 2022 F1 season, which introduced new technical regulations towards the cars and for the teams, is currently down to its final six scheduled events. Max Verstappen, the reigning F1 champion for Oracle Red Bull Racing who has won 11 of 17 Grand Prix events that have occurred this season, currently leads the drivers’ standings by 116 points over Scuderia Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc, who has won three Grand Prixs. In addition, Red Bull Racing leads the constructors’ standings by 139 points over Ferrari and 174 over the Mercedes-AMG Petronas F1 Team.

With the 2023 racing schedule unveiled, the 2022 FIA Formula One World Championship season is set to resume at Marina Bay Street Circuit for the return of the Singapore Grand Prix on October 2.

1...1,7511,7521,753...6,648Page 1,752 of 6,648