Austin Dillon and the No. 3 Get Bioethanol Chevrolet Team Rally to Top-15 Finish at Kansas Speedway
Finish: 14th Start: 11th Points: 14th
“We fought with the balance on our No. 3 Get Bioethanol Camaro ZL1 all day. It’s the same thing we’ve fought all year, really. We had high hopes because we qualified pretty decent. I’m proud of our guys. We fought hard. We kept ourselves in it and we have a shot at Bristol Motor Speedway. Bristol is going to be wild and anything can happen. We’ve given ourselves a good shot at advancing into the next round of the NASCAR Playoffs. Nobody knows what to expect when we get there, but it’s a long race. If you’re there at the end of the day, you’ve got a good shot to make it.” -Austin Dillon
Cut Tire Sidelines Tyler Reddick and the No. 8 Guaranteed Rate Chevrolet Team Early at Kansas Speedway
Finish: 35th Start: 1st Points: 11th
“The Guaranteed Rate Chevrolet was really strong today and everyone did a great job all weekend. Unfortunately, we didn’t get any warning with the tire. That’s tough. We haven’t had a tire problem in a while. We ran 30-plus laps in practice and everything looked fine. We had an odd vibration in our tire that first run but everything checked out okay. We didn’t have a vibration with that set of tires. It kind of started to get free off of Turn 4, but not anything that would indicate to me that we were going to have an issue. At Auto Club Speedway, I was able to save it, but here, it snapped at the worst possible point and we just killed the wall. It broke the control arm on the right-front and so our day was over. We didn’t get a lot of points today so we’ll have to fight hard at Bristol.” -Tyler Reddick
Research has found that the average person will spend one-third of their life at work. As you have to devote so much of your time to work, doing something that you love simply makes sense. If you are passionate about NASCAR, you might consider starting a NASCAR-based business. If this sounds like something you might be interested in, this guide is here to help you learn the top tips for starting a NASCAR-based business.
1. Define Your Niche
One of the first steps that you will need to take when you are starting a NASCAR-based business is to define what your niche is going to be. There are many possible paths that you could take when it comes to starting a NASCAR-based business. For example, you could become a vendor and sell your products directly at the races’ stadiums. Alternatively, you could sell your products directly to fans online.
When you are looking to define your niche, it is a good idea to spend some time thinking about what you are able to do. While being a vendor who sells at NASCAR stadiums might sound fun, it will involve a lot of traveling, which is not always possible for everybody. Picking a sustainable niche for your lifestyle and catering to consumer demand is essential for long-term success.
2. Find Suppliers
Once you have established a clearer idea of what you will be doing with your NASCAR business, it is a good idea to spend some time contacting suppliers. Organizations like precision sportswear are a great example of what to look for in a high-quality supplier. You can see precision sportswear offers a lot of information upfront, such as past customer reviews, experience levels, and how to contact the team. Taking the time you need to find high-quality suppliers with forthcoming customer support can be essential for ensuring you are able to offer your customers the highest quality products from day one.
3. Establish Your Business
Once you have a clearer idea of who you are as a company and what it is you will be selling, it is time to establish your business officially. The steps you will need to take to establish your business legally will differ depending on what you are selling and where. For example, if you are going to be a vendor at NASCAR events, you will need to obtain local licenses for each state you will be operating in. If you intend to sell or manufacture any NASCAR brand merchandise, you must complete the necessary licensing application. You should make sure to do research into this to ensure you are operating completely above board.
4. Get Involved In The Community
When you are looking to define your brand, it is a good idea to spend some time getting involved in the community. Of course, one of the best ways that you can do this is to go to NASCAR events and talk to people face to face, but that is not always possible. When you are not attending NASCAR events, spending time online talking to people on social media and forums is useful. You should also try to keep up with the news to ensure your business is always able to stay up to date.
Will Power capped off a strong consistent season with his second NTT IndyCar Series championship while Alex Palou capped off an up-and-down season embroiled with off-track drama amid his racing future by winning the season-finale Firestone Grand Prix of Monterey at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca on Sunday, September 11.
Power, the 2014 IndyCar champion from Toowoomba, Australia, commenced the championship weekend on a high note by surpassing Mario Andretti for the most poles in IndyCar history at 68 on Saturday. During the main event on Sunday, he outlasted a variety of strategies and on-track competition from his fellow competitors and teammates to finish in third place behind race winner Palou and runner-up Newgarden, who fell short of overtaking his veteran teammate at Team Penske and spoiling the party of having his shot of winning his title.
With on-track qualifying that determined the starting lineup occurring on Saturday, points leader Will Power claimed his record-setting 68th IndyCar career pole position after posting a pole-winning qualifying lap at 112.505 mph in 71.6127 seconds. Joining him on the front row was rookie Callum Ilott, who recorded the second-best qualifying lap at 112.475 mph in 71.6320 seconds.
When the green flag waved and the race commenced, Power took off with an early advantage through the first two turns. Behind, Alexander Rossi and Pato O’Ward both made a three-wide move on Callot to move up to second and third as the field scrambled and jostled for early positions. Through Turn 2, Helio Castroneves went off the course in the sand, but the event remained under green.
Through the first five scheduled laps, Power was leading ahead of Rossi, O’Ward, Ilott and Romain Grosjean while rookie David Malukas, Alex Palou, Scott McLaughlin, Simon Pagenaud and Marcus Ericsson were in the top 10. Meanwhile, Dixon was in 13th and Newgarden, who started at the rear of the field, was mired back in 19th.
By the ninth lap, the first round of green flag pit stops ensued as Colton Herta, Dixon and Ericsson pitted. Back at the front, Power was still out in front by three-and-a-half second over Rossi followed by O’Ward, Ilott and Grosjean. When Lap 15 struck amid a continuation of green flag pit stops, Power surrendered the lead to pit as Ilott and Palou moved up the top of the leaderboard.
Nearly 10 laps later and with nearly the entire field having made at least one pit stop under green, except for the leader Felix Rosenqvist, another round of green flag pit stops slowly commenced as Rosenqvist pitted. By then, Newgarden also pitted as Power cycled back to the lead over Alex Palou, O’Ward and Ilott. On Lap 26, however, Palou muscled his No. 10 NTT Data Dallara-Honda back into the lead over Power’s No. 12 Verizon 5G Dallara-Chevrolet in Turn 4.
Through the first 30 scheduled laps, Palou was ahead by more than five seconds over Power followed by O’Ward, Ilott and Rosenqvist while Rossi, Grosjean, Ericsson, Ludngaard and Newgarden were in the top 10. Meanwhile, McLaughlin, who was just in the top 10, pitted under green while Dixon was mired back in 23rd.
Five laps later, Palou continued to lead by more than 10 seconds over Power followed by Rosenqvist, O’Ward and Ilott. Another three laps later, the front-runners led by Palou pitted under green as Palou remained in front of Power, Rosenqvist, O’Ward and Newgarden.
Shortly after, the first caution of the event flew when Ilott, who was having a stellar run on the track after starting on the front row for the first time in his career, stopped his No. 77 Juncos Hollinger Racing Dallara-Chevrolet on the track in Turn 2 and retired due to a mechanical issue.
When the event restarted under green on Lap 42, Palou retained the lead ahead of Power, Rosenqvist, O’Ward and the field in spite of Graham Rahal going off the course. While Palou maintained a steady advantage over the field, Power continued to fend off Rosenqvist for second while Newgarden bolted his No. 2 Hitachi Dallara-Chevrolet into fourth place over O’Ward through the Corkscrew section.
By Lap 45 and with the event surpassing its halfway mark, Palou was leading by more than five seconds over Power, who was locked in a tight battle against teammate and title contender Newgarden while Rosenqvist and Grosjean were in the top five. Meanwhile, O’Ward was mired back in sixth while Ericsson, McLaughlin, Rahal and Lundgaard were in the top 10 in front of Dixon.
With 45 laps remaining, Palou continued to lead by more than eight seconds over Newgarden while the championship leader Power settled in third. Grosjean was up in fourth in front of Rosenqvist while O’Ward, Ericsson, McLaughlin, Rahal and Lundgaard occupied the top 10. Meanwhile, Dixon, who just pitted under green, was back in 23rd behind Takuma Sato.
Down to the final 30 laps of the event, Palou, who was navigating his way through lapped traffic, was leading by nearly 19 seconds over runner-up Power, who continued to maintain his lead in the championship standings and had completed a pit stop under green. Grosjean moved up to third in front of Rosenqvist, Newgarden and O’Ward. Lundgaard, the leading Rookie-of-the-Year contender, was in seventh while Rossi, Herta and Malukas were in the top 10. McLaughlin, Ericsson and Dixon were in 11th, 12th and 13th.
Then two laps later and with some of the front-runners pitting under green, including Palou, Newgarden, who has yet to pit, cycled his way into the lead after pulling ahead of Palou as he ignited his final bid to capture his third IndyCar title over teammate Power, who was in third.
With 22 laps remaining, Newgarden surrendered the lead to Palou as he pitted under green. When he returned to the track, he managed to keep his No. 2 Hitachi Dallara-Chevrolet in the runner-up spot ahead of teammate Power, who pitted prior to the final 30 laps.
Seven laps later and with 15 laps remaining, Palou remained as the leader by more than 25 seconds over Newgarden while Power settled in third. By then, Grosjean and Rosenqvist were in the top five while McLaughlin, Ericsson and Dixon were in 10th, 11th and 12th.
Down to the final 10 laps of the event, Palou continued to lead by more than 28 seconds over Newgarden while third-place Power remained in third and maintained the lead in the championship standings. Grosjean and Rosenqvist remained in the top five followed by Lundgaard, Rossi, McLaughlin, Ericsson and Herta while O’Ward, who was in the top 10, pitted his No. 5 Arrow McLaren SP Dallara-Chevrolet before blending back on the track in 12th behind Dixon.
With five laps remaining, Palou stabilized his huge advantage to 29 seconds over Newgarden, who continued to run one spot ahead of teammate Power but was unable to overtake his Team Penske teammate for the lead in the championship standings. Meanwhile, McLaughlin, Ericsson and Dixon were back in eighth, ninth and 11th as their title hopes were slowly evaporating.
When the white flag waved and the final lap started, Palou remained as the leader by over Newgarden with Power pursuing behind. Having no direct competition lingering behind him for a final lap, Palou was able to cruise his way through the circuit for a final time as he captured his first elusive checkered flag of the 2022 season by more than 30 seconds over Newgarden.
With the victory, Palou grabbed his fourth career win in the NTT IndyCar Series, his first at Laguna Seca and first since winning at Portland International Speedway in September 2021. The victory was enough for the reigning IndyCar champion to conclude the season tied with Scott McLaughlin for fourth place in the final drivers’ standings as he enters this off-season period with uncertainty amid his contract dispute with Chip Ganassi Racing.
Photo by James Black (Penske Entertainment).
“We struggled a bit some races, especially last couple of races,” Palou said on NBC. “Today was awesome. Awesome job by all the team. Strategy was on point. It’s good to finish a season with a win. It was just an awesome day. Struggled a bit during the whole weekend, and I don’t know what happened today, but everything clicked, so super happy to win a race this year. We’re gonna enjoy the moment now and we’ll see what happens [next year].”
While Palou celebrated a victory, Power celebrated his second NTT IndyCar Series championship after finishing third, one spot behind teammate Newgarden, who rallied from the rear of the field but fell 16 points shy to his Team Penske veteran. With the accomplishment, Power became the first repeat IndyCar champion since Scott Dixon won his sixth title in 2020 as he recorded his first title since 2014 and the 17th IndyCar title for Team Penske, which extended the team’s record.
Overall, Power concluded the 2022 season with a single victory after winning the Chevrolet Detroit Grand Prix at The Raceway at Belle Isle in Michigan. He also recorded four poles, nine podiums and 13 top-five results throughout the 17-race schedule.
“I couldn’t have [planned a perfect weekend],” Power said. “Let me tell you. In the off-season, my wife said to me, ‘I believe you’re gonna beat Mario’s [Andretti] record [in poles] and you’re gonna win the championship. She said that to me. It actually gave me confidence that I could do it. The fact that she said that, that’s how much confidence I have in her gut feel. I just couldn’t believe that that came true. I just knew I had to get the most out of those stints and not lose any more positions. Man, I had to drive the [car] today. It was on the edge. Very loose. What a relief to get that done. I can’t thank Verizon enough. They’ve been with me for close to 12 years now. Without them, I would never have had this career and obviously, [team owner] Roger Penske, the whole team and Chevrolet.”
Meanwhile, Newgarden remained positive in a season where he achieved a season-high five victories, a pole and six podiums throughout the 17-race schedule.
“You know, I hate to say it, but in a lot of ways, this has been a really tough year,” Newgarden said. “It’s gonna be a welcome off-season. Mentally, it’s been a taxing season. We’ve had a lot of highs, but we’ve had a lot of lows. Just riding the roller coaster this year has brought me to a braking point at a couple points in the year, but I’m proud of the team. This is a big day for everybody. To win the championship, huge congrats to Will [Power] and the entire [Penske] team. This is an effort by everybody, whether it’s the No. 2 car, the No. 12 or No. 3. We all take a lot of pride in it. All these crew members, they work on every single car. The ultimate goal is to win a championship for Team Penske. We did that. There’s a ton to be proud of. We nearly got there. We’re gonna come back stronger next year. We got to be in a different position and I know we can do better than what we did this year.”
Meanwhile, Scott Dixon finished 12th on the track and in third place in the final standings, the highest Chip Ganassi Racing competitor in the standings but 39 points shy of winning his record-tying seventh IndyCar championship. Nonetheless, he capped off the season with two victories, which tallied his wins total to 53 as it marks the second-most victories in American open-wheel competition behind AJ Foyt (67). He also recorded a pole and a total of four podiums throughout the season.
“We ultimately just didn’t have the pace,” Dixon said. “I think it was definitely a strange race in the fact that we tried everything we could. Just frustrating. I think that we couldn’t bring what we needed to today. Congrats to Palou and obviously, a big congrats to Will Power. It was a tremendous year that he ran there. You win some, you lose some. I know this team never gave up. We pushed as hard as we could all year. Unfortunately. we ended up third.”
Scott McLaughlin, who came into the event trailing teammate Power by 41 points, ended up in sixth place on the track and in a tie with Alex Palou for fourth place in the standings, 51 points shy of his first IndyCar title despite claiming his first three IndyCar career victories. Marcus Ericsson, the 2022 Indianapolis 500 champion, fell back to sixth in the standings and 54 points shy of his first title.
Felix Rosenqvist finished fourth on the track followed by rookie Christian Lundgaard while McLaughlin, Grosjean, O’Ward, Ericsson and Alexander Rossi completed the top 10.
Lundgaard, who finished 14th in the final standings, was named the recipient of the 2022 IndyCar Rookie-of-the-Year title by finishing two spots ahead of the second-highest rookie candidate: David Malukas.
Chevrolet wrapped up the manufacturers’ title with 1,510 points, 211 points over Honda, in a season where the manufacturer achieved 11 victories throughout the 17-race schedule.
There were seven lead changes for five different leaders. The race featured one caution for three laps.
Race Results.
1. Alex Palou, 67 laps led
2. Josef Newgarden, five laps led
3. Will Power, 17 laps led
4. Felix Rosenqvist, five laps led
5. Christian Lundgaard
6. Scott McLaughlin
7. Romain Grosjean
8. Pato O’Ward
9. Marcus Ericsson
10. Alexander Rossi
11. Colton Herta
12. Scott Dixon
13. David Malukas
14. Rinus VeeKay
15. Devlin DeFrancesco
16. Jimmie Johnson
17. Simon Pagenaud
18. Graham Rahal
19. Helio Castroneves
20. Jack Harvey
21. Kyle Kirkwood
22. Simona De Silvestro
23. Takuma Sato
24. Conor Daly
25. Dalton Kellett
26. Callum Ilott – OUT, Mechanical, one lap led
*Bold indicates 2022 NTT IndyCar Series champion
Final standings
1. Will Power – 560 points
2. Josef Newgarden – 544 points
3. Scott Dixon – 521 points
4. Scott McLaughlin – 510 points
5. Alex Palou – 510 points
6. Marcus Ericsson – 506 points
7. Pato O’Ward – 480 points
8. Felix Rosenqvist – 393 points
9. Alexander Rossi – 381 points
10. Colton Herta – 381 points
11. Graham Rahal – 345 points
12. Rinus VeeKay – 331 points
13. Romain Grosjean – 328 points
14. Christian Lundgaard – 323 points
15. Simon Pagenaud – 314 points
16. David Malukas – 305 points
17. Conor Daly – 267 points
18. Helio Castroneves – 263 points
19. Takuma Sato – 258 points
20. Callum Ilott – 219 points
The NTT IndyCar Series teams and competitors enter an off-season period before returning to action in 2023 for a new season of competition. The 2023 schedule is yet to be determined.
Bubba Wallace wheeled the No. 45 23XI Racing Toyota TRD Camry to a late victory in the Hollywood Casino 400 at Kansas Speedway on Sunday, September 11. It was the second time in recent weeks that a non-Playoff competitor spoiled the show in the early stages of the 2022 NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs. On this occasion, it was a team that celebrated an automatic transfer to the second round in the owners’ standings.
The 28-year-old Wallace from Mobile, Alabama, led two times for 58 of 267-scheduled laps, including the final 43, and rallied from an early loose wheel that forced him to pit for a second time prior to the start of the second stage as he held off team owner Denny Hamlin amid lapped traffic to score his second career win in NASCAR’s premier series. The victory enabled the No. 45 team to earn an automatic pass to the Round of 12 in the owners’ standings with Wallace not contending for the drivers’ title.
With on-track qualifying that determined the starting lineup occurring on Saturday, Playoff contender Tyler Reddick secured his second pole position of the season after posting a pole-winning lap at 180.608 mph in 29.899 seconds. Joining him on the front row was Playoff contender Joey Logano, who posted the second-best lap sat 180.385 mph in 29.936 seconds.
Prior to the event, Aric Almirola and Ricky Stenhouse Jr. dropped to the rear of the field due to unapproved adjustments made to their respective cars.
When the green flag waved and the race started, Reddick and Logano dueled early for the lead entering the first turn before Logano capitalized on the inside lane to assume the lead. With the field fanning out through the backstretch, Logano went on to lead the first lap while Alex Bowman muscled his No. 48 Ally Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 into the runner-up spot over Reddick’s No. 8 Guaranteed Rate Chevrolet Camaro ZL1.
Two laps later, however, Bowman battled and overtook Logano on the outside lane for the lead. Reddick would soon overtake Logano for the runner-up spot while Christopher Bell and Ross Chastain occupied the top five ahead of a side-by-side battle between Bubba Wallace and Kyle Larson.
Through the first five scheduled laps, Bowman was leading by six-tenths of a second over Reddick followed by Logano, Bell and Chastain while Wallace, Larson, Kevin Harvick, rookie Austin Cindric and Martin Truex Jr. were in the top 10 ahead of Daniel Suarez, William Byron, Chris Buescher, Ryan Blaney and Austin Dillon.
At the Lap 10 mark, Bowman stabilized his advantage to nearly eight-tenths of a second over Reddick followed by Logano and Bell while Wallace muscled his No. 45 Root Insurance Toyota TRD Camry into the top five. By then, half of the 16 Playoff contenders were running in the top 10 while Chase Elliott was the lowest-running Playoff contender in 26th. Meanwhile, Kyle Busch was in 22nd while Chase Briscoe was mired in 17th behind William Byron, Austin Dillon and Denny Hamlin.
On Lap 25, a competition caution was displayed as scheduled by NASCAR. At the moment of caution, Bowman had extended his advantage to more than a second over Reddick while Logano, Bell, Wallace, Chastain, Truex, Larson, Harvick and Cindric were scored in the top 10.
During the competition caution, the leaders led by Bowman pitted and Reddick reassumed the lead after exiting pit road first followed by Bowman, Logano, Bell, Truex and Wallace. Following the pit stops, however, Brad Keselowski, Briscoe and Truex were sent to the rear of the field for speeding on pit road. In addition, Hamlin was penalized for an equipment interference.
When the race restarted under green on Lap 31, Reddick and Bowman dueled for the lead as the field fanned out to multiple lanes through the backstretch and entering Turn 3. As Bowman and Reddick continued to battle dead even for the lead, a three-wide action for third place ignited between Logano, Chastain and Wallace as Harvick closed in.
Two laps later, however, the caution returned when Chastain and Wallace slid up the track and in front of Harvick entering Turn 4. This caused Harvick to get loose before he veered back to the right and smacked the outside wall in Turn 4 as he sustained significant right-side damage to his No. 4 Rheem Ford Mustang. The damage on the No. 4 Ford, which included the right-front suspension, was too extensive for Harvick to continue as he took his car to the garage and retired in 36th place, dead last.
At the start of the following restart on Lap 38, Reddick retained the lead while fending off Blaney and Bowman before Logano challenged Bowman for third place through the first two turns. Behind, Chastain rocketed his No. 1 AdventHealth Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 to fifth after he overtook Wallace and Bell as the field continued to dice for positions towards the front.
By Lap 50, Reddick was ahead by nearly a second over Blaney, Bowman, Chastain, Bell, Wallace, Logano, Buescher, Cindric and Byron. Behind, Stenhouse was in 11th ahead of Larson, Suarez, Kyle Busch, Elliott, Austin Dillon, Erik Jones, Almirola, Truex and Hamlin while Briscoe was in 29th.
Fifteen laps later, however, the caution flew when the race leader Reddick slipped sideways and slapped the outside wall after he cut a right-rear tire in Turn 2. The situation went from bad to worse for Reddick, who then spun below the apron as he was entering pit road and ultimately retired from the race. Under caution, the leaders led by Bowman pitted and Austin Dillon assumed the lead following a two-tire pit stop.
With nine laps remaining in the first stage, the race proceeded under green. At the start, Austin Dillon and Bell dueled until Bell prevailed on the inside lane. Shortly after, Blaney battled and overtook Dillon for third before Truex and Chastain took Dillon three-wide in a bid for fourth followed by Stenhouse and Wallace.
When the first stage concluded on Lap 80, Bell, who was making his 100th Cup career start, captured his third stage victory of the 2022 season. Blaney settled in second while Truex, Stenhouse, Wallace, Elliott, Kyle Busch, Chastain, Logano and Austin Dillon, who fell back on two fresh tires, were scored in the top 10. By then, Hamlin was in 11th ahead of Byron and Larson while Cindric was in 15th followed by Suarez and Bowman. Briscoe was mired back in 25th while Reddick and Harvick were officially out of the event.
Under the stage break, nearly the entire field led by Bell returned to pit road for service while Almirola remained on the track to inherit the lead. Following the pit stops, Blaney and Wallace pitted to address loose wheels on their respective cars.
The second stage started on Lap 86 with Almirola and McDowell, who opted for two fresh tires, on the front row. At the start and with the field fanning out, McDowell pulled ahead with the lead while Almirola, who slid up the track, made the slightest of contact with Bell and Elliott, though all continued to run straight.
During the following lap, Truex muscled his No. 19 Bass Pro Shops Toyota TRD Camry into the lead. Behind, Stenhouse moved in second over McDowell while Bell and Byron were in the top five. In addition, Almirola was in sixth in front of Elliott and Suarez while Kyle Busch and Logano were in the top 10.
Another three laps later, the caution flew for Ty Gibbs, who got loose after making contact with Corey LaJoie and slapped the outside wall in Turn 2 as he flattened both right-side tires and sustained right-side damage to his No. 23 McDonald’s Toyota TRD Camry. During the caution period, Almirola and Ty Dillon pitted while the rest of the field led by Truex remained on the track.
During a Lap 95 restart, Truex and Stenhouse dueled for the lead before Truex managed to clear himself with the lead and with a clear racetrack in front of him two laps later. Meanwhile, Bell and Byron battled for third in front of Kyle Busch and McDowell.
At the Lap 100 mark, Truex was leading by more than half a second over Stenhouse while Bell was the highest-running Playoff contender in third in front of Kyle Busch and Byron. By then, seven of 16 Playoff contenders were running in the top 10 as Briscoe, Cindric, Suarez, Chastain, Austin Dillon, Blaney and Hamlin were mired outside of the top 10 on the track.
Nine laps later, the caution returned when Stenhouse, who was running in second place, slapped the outside wall in the backstretch after he blew a right-rear tire on his No. 47 SunnyD Chevrolet Camaro ZL1. During the caution period, the leaders led by Truex pitted and Truex retained the lead after exiting with the top spot followed by Byron, Bowman, Logano, and Kyle Busch. Following the pit stops, however, Truex limped his way back to pit road to address a loose left-rear wheel. In addition, Austin Dillon, Kyle Busch and Suarez were all penalized for equipment interference.
On Lap 114, the race restarted under green as teammates Byron and Bowman occupied the front row. Entering the first turn and with the field bunched up, however, the caution returned when Erik Jones, winner of last weekend’s Southern 500 at Darlington Raceway, made contact with rookie Harrison Burton and Corey LaJoie while trying to squeeze himself in between both competitors as both LaJoie and Burton went up the track and clipped Almirola, who went spinning before both collided with one another toward the outside wall.
At the start of another restart on Lap 120, Bowman used the inside lane to his advantage as he assumed the lead over teammate Byron while Logano was left in a three-wide battle against Briscoe and Elliott for third as Bell pursued behind.
At the halfway mark in between Laps 133 and 134, Bowman was leading by eight-tenths over Logano, Byron, Elliott, Briscoe, Cindric, Bell, Blaney, Larson and Wallace. Chastain, Kyle Busch and Hamlin were in 12th, 14th and 17th while Suarez was in 21st and Austin Dillon was in 22nd.
Then on Lap 136, the caution flew when Kyle Busch, who was in 12th in front of Truex and Chastain, got loose and spun his No. 18 M&M’s Toyota TRD Camry into the frontstretch grass after he cut a right-rear tire. During the caution period, the leaders led by Bowman pitted and Bowman retained the lead ahead of teammate Byron.
With 22 laps remaining in the second stage, Bowman received a push from Bell on the inside lane to maintain the lead before Byron used the outside lane to overtake Bell for the runner-up spot. In addition, Logano moved up to third while Bell maintained fourth in front of Blaney and Elliott.
With less than 10 laps remaining in the second stage, Bowman remained as the leader by four-tenths of a second over Bell while Byron, Elliott and Wallace were in the top five. Wallace’s owner Hamlin was in sixth in front of Logano, Larson, Blaney and Chastain.
When the second stage concluded on Lap 165, Bowman captured his second stage victory of the 2022 season. Bell settled in a close second place followed by Byron, Wallace, Elliott, Hamlin, Larson, Logano, Blaney and Chastain.
Under the stage break, the leaders led by Bowman pitted and Bowman retained the lead following another strong pit stop from his pit crew while Wallace and Hamlin moved up to second and third.
With 96 laps remaining, the final stage started. At the start, Bowman retained the lead while Wallace challenged Byron for the runner-up spot as the field fanned out through the backstretch. A few laps later, teammates Byron and Larson overtook Wallace for second and third as Logano and Bell closed in while Bowman started to pull away with the lead.
With 87 laps remaining, Larson got loose entering Turns 3 and 4 while running on the outside lane. This allowed Byron and Wallace to go three wide on Larson as Wallace muscled his way into the runner-up spot. By then, Bowman was out in front by more than a second.
Eight laps later and with 75 laps remaining, Bowman stabilized his advantage to more than a second over Wallace followed by Byron, Bell and Larson, who continued to run in the top five despite brushing the wall earlier. Hamlin was in sixth while Blaney, Truex, Chastain and Logano were in the top 10 in front of Cindric, Elliott, Justin Haley, Suarez and Christopher Buescher.
Another eight laps later, Wallace, who slowly tracked Bowman, overtook Bowman to assume the lead for the first time.
Just past the final 55 laps of the event, green flag pit stops ensued as Truex pitted followed by teammate Hamlin and Byron. Shortly after, the leader Wallace pitted along with Bell, Blaney, Larson, Cindric, McDowell, Kyle Busch, Bowman and others.
When the latest cycle of green flag pit stops concluded with 42 laps remaining, Wallace cycled his way back into the lead after Logano and Suarez, who endured a slow pit stop, pitted under green. By then, Bell moved into second followed by teammate Hamlin while Byron and Bowman were in the top five.
With less than 30 laps remaining, Wallace was leading by two seconds over Bell, who was slowly gaining ground on Wallace for the lead as Wallace was navigating his way through lapped traffic. Hamlin was in third followed by Byron and Bowman while Chastain, Larson, Truex, Blaney and Elliott were in the top 10. By then, Playoff contenders Cindric, Austin Dillon, Briscoe, Suarez, Logano and Kyle Busch were in 11th, 12th, 13th, 14th, 18th and 24th.
Down to the final 20 laps of the event, Wallace stabilized his advantage to less than two seconds over Bell while third-place Hamlin trailed by more than two seconds. Another four laps later, Hamlin dueled and overtook teammate Bell on the frontstretch to assume the runner-up spot.
With 10 laps remaining, Wallace continued to lead by two seconds over team owner Hamlin, who was navigating his way through lapped traffic, while third-place Bell trailed by less than three seconds.
Five laps later, Wallace’s advantage decreased to less than a second and a half over Hamlin, though the former retained the top spot.
When the white flag waved and the final lap commenced, Wallace remained as the leader by more than a second over Hamlin. Despite having lapped traffic in front of his windshield, Wallace was able to navigate his way around Kansas for a final time and cycle back to the frontstretch to claim his first elusive checkered flag of the 2022 season by a second over Hamlin.
With his second Cup career victory and by transferring the No. 45 23XI Racing entry into the Round of 12 in the owners’ standings, Wallace also became the 138th different competitor to achieve multiple wins in NASCAR’s premier series, he recorded the third career win for 23XI Racing and he became the 18th different winner through the first 28 scheduled events, which was a record in NASCAR history. The victory also meant that the No. 45 23XI Racing entry swept both Kansas Cup victories of the season after winning in May with Kurt Busch.
This also marks the first time since the Playoffs debuted in 2004 where the first two Playoff events were won by non-title contenders after Erik Jones won at Darlington Raceway a week ago.
Photo by Simon Scoggins for SpeedwayMedia.com.
“Man, just so proud of this team,” Wallace said on USA Network. “So proud of the effort that they put in each and every week. Just thankful for the opportunity, right? Took this jump from an idea two years ago from a text from Denny [Hamlin] before [23XI Racing] all even happened. He was ready to get the deal done. Appreciate him, appreciate [Michael Jordan]…everybody at 23XI. They work their tails off. Just so proud. Pit crew was awesome today. We had one loose wheel. Just thankful. Thankful for the opportunity and thankful to shut the hell up for a lot of people.”
“I knew Denny was gonna be strong,” Wallace added. “That’s the things I look at. He wasn’t that good at the beginning of the day, and he comes up and finishes P2. That’s what I wanna start doing. We don’t have the best days. Just capitalize on moments like that. It’s cool to beat the boss, but man, we were just lights out today once we got to the lead. It was a lot of fun. It was just cool, calm and collective, and here we are. True fans that are out there, thank you, guys. I love you. It’s been a tough road. You [fans] are the best. Let’s keep this train rolling.”
The runner-up result provided mixed emotions for Hamlin, positives from an owner’s perspective but disappointment from a driver’s perspective.
“It’s a good overall day,” Hamlin said. “Just still frustrated about the first half of the race, obviously. We just aren’t executing that well. Really happy for our No. 11 Toyota team. They fought hard. They really stepped up that last half. We made the car quite a bit better. Just really happy about the outcome and really happy for that No. 45 team, Bubba Wallace and [crew chief] Bootie [Barker]. Bubba’s just really worked hard on his craft. We’ve just given him fast race cars and now, he’s showing what he’s got. I nearly wrecked to try to catch him off of [Turn] 4. I got bad loose and hit the fence, but I was driving as hard as I could. Nothing will ever come for free when you’re driving for me. If you think that I’m gonna let you win, you better go get another job. Just what a great day overall for Toyota.”
The third-place finish for Bell felt like a victory for the Oklahoma native as he garnered enough points (58) to become the first Playoff competitor to secure a spot for the Round of 12 in the 2022 Cup Series Playoffs.
“[I] Just got off a little bit on our balance that last run, but overall a great points day and very proud of everyone on this DEWALT No. 20 team,” Bell said. “Great day for Toyota and happy for Bubba to get a win. He was really deserving, really fast all day. Great points day. We’ll move on and try and win one. I’m very happy that we’re finally getting the results that this team deserves. Our speed has been there all year, and I feel like we’ve given up a couple good finishes. Last couple of weeks we’ve been building on it, and hopefully, we can keep the ball rolling.”
Bowman, who led the most laps at 107, came home in fourth place in front of Truex. Byron, Chastain, Larson, Blaney and Daniel Suarez completed the top 10 in the final running order.
There were 16 lead changes for 12 different leaders. The race featured nine cautions for 43 laps.
Results.
1. Bubba Wallace, 58 laps led
2. Denny Hamlin
3. Christopher Bell, 12 laps led, Stage 1 winner
4. Alex Bowman, 107 laps led, Stage 2 winner
5. Martin Truex Jr., 24 laps led
6. William Byron, nine laps led
7. Ross Chastain
8. Kyle Larson
9. Ryan Blaney, two laps led
10. Daniel Suarez, eight laps led
11. Chase Elliott
12. Austin Cindric
13. Chase Briscoe
14. Austin Dillon, three laps led
15. Chris Buescher
16. Michael McDowell, one lap led
17. Joey Logano, one lap down, two laps led
18. Noah Gragson, one lap down
19. Justin Haley, one lap down
20. Ty Dillon, one lap down
21. Aric Almirola, one lap down, three laps led
22. Cole Custer, one lap down
23. Todd Gilliland, one lap down
24. Landon Cassill, one lap down
25. Brad Keselowski, one lap down
26. Kyle Busch, two laps down
27. Cody Ware, two laps down
28. JJ Yeley, three laps down
29. Erik Jones, three laps down
30. Ricky Stenhouse Jr., five laps down
31. BJ McLeod, five laps down
32. Harrison Burton – OUT, Accident
33. Corey LaJoie – OUT, Accident
34. Ty Gibbs – OUT, Accident
35. Tyler Reddick – OUT, Accident, 38 laps led
36. Kevin Harvick – OUT, Accident
*Bold indicates Playoff contenders
Playoff standings
1. Christopher Bell – Advanced
2. William Byron +48
3. Denny Hamlin +47
4. Joey Logano +40
5. Ryan Blaney +36
6. Alex Bowman +30
7. Chase Elliott +28
8. Kyle Larson +27
9. Ross Chastain +26
10. Daniel Suarez +6
11. Tyler Reddick +2
12. Austin Cindric +2
13. Kyle Busch -2
14. Austin Dillon -3
15. Chase Briscoe -9
16. Kevin Harvick -35
Next on the 2022 NASCAR Cup Series Playoff schedule is Bristol Motor Speedway for the Bass Pro Shops Night Race and where the first round of eliminations will occur. The event is scheduled to occur on Saturday, September 17, at 7:30 p.m. ET on USA Network.
Date: Sept. 11, 2022 Event: Hollywood Casino 400 (Round 28 of 36) Series: NASCAR Cup Series Location: Kansas Speedway in Kansas Speedway (1.5-mile oval) Format: 267 laps, broken into three stages (80 laps/85 laps/102 laps) Race Winner: Bubba Wallace of 23XI Racing (Toyota) Stage 1 Winner: Christopher Bell of Joe Gibbs Racing (Toyota) Stage 2 Winner: Alex Bowman of Hendrick Motorsports (Chevrolet)
● Kevin Harvick (Started 14th, Finished 36th / Accident, completed 33 of 267 laps)
SHR Points:
● Chase Briscoe (15th with 2,043 points, nine points below top-12 cutoff)
● Kevin Harvick (16th with 2,017 points, 35 points below top-12 cutoff)
● Aric Almirola (20th with 618 points)
● Cole Custer (24th with 490 points)
Playoff Standings (with one race to go before Round of 12):
Christopher Bell (2,108 points) +58 points
William Byron (2,098 points) +48 points
Denny Hamlin (2,097 points) +47 points
Joey Logano (2,090 points) +40 points
Ryan Blaney (2,086 points) +36 points
Alex Bowman (2,080 points) +30 points
Chase Elliott (2,078 points) +28 points
Kyle Larson (2,077 points) +27 points
Ross Chastain (2,076 points) +26 points
Daniel Suárez (2,056 points) +6 points
Tyler Reddick (2,052 points) +2 points
Austin Cindric (2,052 points) +2 points
Kyle Busch (2,050 points) -2 points
Austin Dillon (2,049 points) -3 points
Chase Briscoe (2,043 points) -9 points
Kevin Harvick (2,017 points) -35 points
SHR Notes:
● Briscoe earned his 12th top-15 of the season and his first top-15 in four career NASCAR Cup Series starts at Kansas.
● Briscoe’s 13th-place result bettered his previous best finish at Kansas – 19th, earned last October.
● Almirola led once for three laps to increase his laps-led total at Kansas to 72.
● Harvick is the only driver who has competed in every NASCAR Cup Series race at Kansas, a run of 34 races dating back to the inaugural race on Sept. 30, 2001.
Race Notes:
● Bubba Wallace won the Hollywood Casino 400 to score his second career NASCAR Cup Series victory, his first of the season and his first at Kansas. His margin over second-place Denny Hamlin was 1 second.
● Wallace was the 18th different winner in the 28 NASCAR Cup Series races run this season.
● There were nine caution periods for a total of 43 laps.
● Only 16 of the 36 drivers in the Hollywood Casino 400 finished on the lead lap.
Sound Bites:
“For us, we definitely started off with our balance way different than in practice. I was worried at the beginning, but our team did a good job of making good adjustments and good pit stops and good restarts to get us up to fourth or fifth there. We were able to run top-five if we could maintain track position. We came down pit road and the 51 (Cody Ware) just buried us and pinned me in. I couldn’t get around him and we went from running fourth to running 15th and I was stuck there the rest of the day. I wish we could’ve gotten our Magical Vacation Planner Ford Mustang up there. I feel like we had top-five speed, we just needed the track position to go with it, and we weren’t quite good enough to drive back through the field again. Going to Bristol not in on points isn’t the end of the world. I would love to be nine points up, obviously, but being nine points out, I feel like we can go there and get some stage points and be in good shape.” – Chase Briscoe, driver of the No. 14 Magical Vacation Planner Ford Mustang
“I thought we had a really good car. Having a motor issue in practice and not getting to qualify really just put us behind because we got given the last pit stall – I was having to come around the 12 (Ryan Blaney) and I kept getting blocked in by the 42 (Ty Dillon). So every time we’d drive from 30th up to 15th, we come down pit road and get blocked in and have to restart 30th. We restarted 30th one too many times, and I got wrecked on a restart and got a lot of damage, and the car was never as good after we got all the damage.” – Aric Almirola, driver of the No. 10 Farmland Ford Mustang
“It was just a battle and we couldn’t really find the balance on the car. We got it better through the race, but we just couldn’t really find it today. But we’ll come back stronger from it and figure out what we need to do the next time. The guys on pit road did an awesome job, so that’s definitely a positive.” – Cole Custer, driver of the No. 41 HaasTooling.com Ford Mustang
“When those two cars came up in front of me, I just got super tight. When I lifted, it grabbed and got loose. I just wasn’t expecting them to come up and my car getting that tight. It is what it is. We were racing to win anyway, today, so that is what we will do again next week.” – Kevin Harvick, driver of the No. 4 Rheem Ford Mustang
Next Up:
The next event on the NASCAR Cup Series schedule is the Bass Pro Shops Night Race on Saturday, Sept. 17 at Bristol (Tenn.) Motor Speedway. It is the third race of the 10-race NASCAR Playoffs and the final race before the Round of 12 begins. The Bass Pro Shops Night Race starts at 7:30 p.m. EDT with live coverage provided by USA and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.
MONTEREY, Calif. (Sunday, Sept. 11, 2022) – It wasn’t easy for differing reasons, but Will Power and Alex Palou both ended up winners Sunday after the season-ending Firestone Grand Prix of Monterey at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca.
Power survived varying tire strategies and challenges from rivals to finish third in the No. 12 Verizon Team Penske Chevrolet and clinch his second NTT INDYCAR SERIES championship, adding to his 2014 title. The championship came just one day after Power set the INDYCAR SERIES career record with his 68th pole, breaking a tie with fellow legend Mario Andretti.
“Man, I had to drive the thing today,” Power said. “It was on the edge, very loose. Man, what a relief. What a relief to get that done.”
Power, 41, from Australia, won just one race this season, but this was his series-leading 12th top-five finish in 17 races – three more than any other driver. Power and Scott Dixon also were the only drivers to finish every lap this season.
That consistency was part of a mental shift this season by Power to take what the car offered each race and not overdrive into mistakes. The newfound, Zen-like focus proved pivotal.
“From the beginning (of the season), it was just playing the long game, not necessarily going for the big wins and all that,” Power said.
This was the 17th INDYCAR SERIES championship by a Team Penske driver, extending the team’s record. Power beat teammate Josef Newgarden to the crown by just 16 points.
Palou ended his reign as series champion with his first victory of the season in the No. 10 NTT DATA Chip Ganassi Racing Honda, dominating the race and beating Newgarden to the checkered flag by 30.3812 seconds, the largest margin of victory this season by more than 24 seconds. Palou delivered a victory after a fraught summer marked by a still-unresolved contractual dispute for his driving services next season between Chip Ganassi Racing and McLaren Racing.
The win came despite a six-spot grid penalty for an unapproved engine change after qualifying Saturday, dropping Palou from fifth to 11th on the starting grid.
“We struggled a bit (at) some races, especially the last couple of races,” Palou said. “But today was awesome. Strategy was on point. It’s good to finish a season with a win. We had some power there and good fuel mileage.”
Palou first took the lead on Lap 16 and proved to be the dominant driver almost immediately. He led 67 of the 95 laps in a race slowed by just three caution periods.
Spaniard Palou’s gap over second-place Power was 8.6287 seconds on Lap 50, but Palou rocketed away during the second half of the race as rivals managed varying tire and pit strategies. Palou used the Firestone alternate tires only from Laps 20 to 38 and then blitzed the field for the rest of the way on Firestone primary tires on the slick, highly abrasive surface of the 11-turn, 2.238-mile circuit.
By Lap 62, Palou’s gap over Power was 20 seconds. It was checkout time.
“We struggled a bit during the whole weekend, and I don’t know what happened today,” said Palou, who won three races last year en route to the title. “But everything clicked. Super happy to win a race this year.”
Newgarden started the day second in the standings, 21 points behind Power, who earned a bonus point for the NTT P1 Award Saturday. He faced long odds for capturing his third championship due to starting 25th in the 26-car field after spinning off track in the No. 2 Hitachi Team Penske Chevrolet during the first round of qualifying.
But Newgarden never relented in his tenacious long shot bid to overhaul teammate Power. He started the race on Firestone primary tires – the opposite approach of title rivals Power, Dixon and Marcus Ericsson – and also made one more pit stop than Power in an attempt to use fresher tires and a full-bore fuel mixture to gain track position.
The gambit nearly worked. Newgarden exited the pits on Lap 36 on new Firestone primary tires and started inhaling rivals, especially with frightening closing speed entering the daunting “Corkscrew” turn complex.
Newgarden passed the No. 5 Arrow McLaren SP Chevrolet of Pato O’Ward for fourth on Lap 43 in the Corkscrew and then repeated that move one lap later for third place, passing the No. 7 Arrow McLaren SP Chevrolet of Felix Rosenqvist.
Power was next on the hit list. Newgarden sailed past his teammate on Lap 46 at the top of the Corkscrew for second place. But Power didn’t panic, again focusing on the long view while doing title arithmetic in his brain at 175 mph.
“I just knew I had to absolutely get the most out of those stints and not lose any more positions,” Power said.
Newgarden had no chance to catch Palou, who already was in a different stratosphere, up by seven seconds just four laps after a Lap 41 restart. The top three cars held station for the rest of the race, sealing the title for Power.
“Even yesterday, with the heartache there, we came back, we fought, and we nearly got there,” Newgarden said. “I’m proud of the effort. We’re going to come back stronger next year.
“But I’m proud of this team. Huge congrats to Will and the entire team.”
Six-time series champion Dixon placed third in the standings, 39 points behind Power, after his 12th-place finish in the No. 9 PNC Bank Chip Ganassi Racing Honda. Scott McLaughlin ended up fourth in points in just his second season of open-wheel racing after his sixth-place finish in the No. 3 XPEL Team Penske Chevrolet.
2021 Indianapolis 500 presented by Gainbridge winner Ericsson finished his best NTT INDYCAR SERIES season fifth in points after placing ninth in the No. 8 Huski Chocolate Chip Ganassi Racing Honda.
Christian Lundgaard earned series Rookie of the Year honors with his fifth-place finish in the No. 30 PeopleReady Honda. Lundgaard ended with an 18-point gap over David Malukas, who finished 13th today in the No. 18 HMD Honda.
Palou will split $10,000 with his Chip Ganassi Racing team and his chosen charity for his victory as part of the PeopleReady Force For Good Challenge.
BUBBA WALLACE CLAIMS SECOND CAREER CUP SERIES VICTORY Four Toyota Camrys Claim Top-Five Finishes at Kansas
KANSAS CITY (September 11, 2022) – Bubba Wallace claimed his second career NASCAR Cup Series win in Sunday afternoon’s race at Kansas Speedway. Wallace led 58 laps (of 267) en route to his dominant victory as he held off his team owner and Toyota teammate, Denny Hamlin in the closing laps. Hamlin scored a second-place finish and was followed to the checkered flag by Camry drivers Christopher Bell (third) and Martin Truex Jr. (fifth).
Toyota Post-Race Recap NASCAR Cup Series (NCS) Kansas Speedway Race 27 of 36 – 400 miles, 267 laps
TOYOTA FINISHING POSITIONS 1st, BUBBA WALLACE 2nd, DENNY HAMLIN 3rd, CHRISTOPHER BELL 4th, Alex Bowman* 5th, MARTIN TRUEX JR. 26th, KYLE BUSCH 34th, TY GIBBS *non-Toyota driver
TOYOTA QUOTES
BUBBA WALLACE, No. 45 Root Insurance Toyota Camry TRD, 23XI Racing
Finishing Position: 1st
What does this win mean to you?
“Man, just so proud of this team, so proud of the effort that they put in each and every week. Just thankful for the opportunity, right? Took this jump from an idea two years ago from a text from Denny before it all even happened. He was ready to get the deal done. Appreciate him. Appreciate MJ, Curtis, Gene. Everybody on that side of things, everybody at 23XI. Men and women there, they work their tails off. Just so proud. Pit crew was awesome today. We had one loose wheel. Just thankful. Thanks for the opportunity, and thankful to shut the hell up for a lot of people.”
What does it mean to race as hard as you had to? The one at Talladega was a little different, and then to have Denny Hamlin chasing you at the end.
“Yeah. I knew Denny was going to be strong. That’s the things I look at, is he wasn’t that good at the beginning of the day, and he comes up and finishes P2. And that’s what I want to start doing. When we don’t have the best days, just capitalize on moments like that. It’s cool to beat the boss, but man, we were just lights-out today once we got to the lead, and it was a lot of fun.”
Were you anxious all day?
“It’s funny. I ran into my old crew chief, Jerry Baxter after the truck race, and I text him. I said, Jerry, I think it’s going to be a good weekend. We called our shot. What a really cool paint scheme on our Toyota Camry root. They’ve done a lot for me in my career in a short amount of time. To throw honor to the people we lost on 9/11 is incredible. To put this in victory lane is really cool.”
How did you stay focused?
“Been doing this for a really long time. I haven’t won a race like that in a really long time, but just knowing getting excited is going to mess you up, so it was just cool, calm, and collected, and here we are.”
Do you want to say anything to the fans, your fans?
“True fans that are out there, thank you, guys. I love you. It’s been a tough road. You guys are the best. Let’s keep this train rolling. Thank you.”
DENNY HAMLIN, No. 11 Acumatica Toyota Camry TRD, Joe Gibbs Racing
Finishing Position: 2nd
What are your emotions right now with Denny Hamlin the driver finishing second, but the owner wins the race?
“It’s a good overall day. Just still frustrated about the first half of the race. We just aren’t executing all that well. Got to thank Acumatica for coming on, if you want to improve your business, they can help you do it. Thank you for coming on for Kansas. Really happy for our 11 Toyota team. They really fought hard and in that last half, they really made the car quite a bit better. Just really happy about the outcome and really happy for the 45 team and Bubba Wallace and Bootie (Barker, crew chief). Bubba’s just really worked hard on his craft and we’ve given him fast race cars and now he’s showing what he’s got.”
How hard were you trying to catch Bubba Wallace in the closing laps?
“I nearly wrecked to try to catch him and then I got bad loose and nearly got in the fence. I was driving as hard as I could. Nothing will ever come free if you’re driving for me. If you think I’m going to let you win, you better go get another job. Just so proud of the whole team.”
CHRISTOPHER BELL, No. 20 DeWalt Toyota Camry TRD, Joe Gibbs Racing
Finishing Position: 3rd
What more did you need to maybe go get the victory?
“Just got off a little bit on our balance that last run, but overall a great points day and very proud of everyone on this DEWALT No. 20 team. Great day for Toyota and happy for Bubba to get a win. He was really deserving, really fast all day. Great points day. We’ll move on and try and win one.”
How proud are you of this race team?
“I’m very happy that we’re finally getting the results that this team deserves. Our speed has been there all year, and I feel like we’ve given up a couple good finishes. Last couple of weeks we’ve been building on it, and hopefully we can keep the ball rolling.”
KYLE BUSCH, No. 18 M&M’s Toyota Camry TRD, Joe Gibbs Racing
Finishing Position: 26th
What happened when you spun?
“Just got really loose and it snapped around me. Then I had damage from going through the grass. Kind of ruined the rest of our day, but it was whatever happened on that pit stop that set us backwards to get us back in traffic there. Tried to make an adjustment to the car to make it faster and it did make it faster, but definitely made it looser.”
Do you feel confident going to Bristol next weekend and advancing to the next round of the Playoffs?
“Not with the luck of this year, nope. We’ll go and try hard and if what Bristol has always been to me occurs, we’ll be fine. With the way this year has been, if that occurs, it’s going to be ugly.”
TY GIBBS, No. 23 McDonald’s Toyota Camry TRD, 23XI Racing
Finishing Position: 34th
What happened that took you out of the race?
“I don’t really know. We were just a little free and got ourselves back running in a bad area. We got a little bit of contact I think, but I haven’t seen the replay yet. We had a really fast McDonald’s Toyota Camry TRD. Thank you Toyota for all the support and McDonalds and Monster Energy. I feel like we should have run really well today and we didn’t. All of my teammates cars were good. I just need to work on my craft and need to make the car a little tighter. We had the right adjustments there and we were good right then, but just didn’t have enough time to go right after the green and then we were in the wall. Not really sure how, just haven’t seen the replay.”
About Toyota
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Toyota directly employs more than 48,000 people in North America who have contributed to the design, engineering, and assembly of nearly 43 million cars and trucks at our 13 manufacturing plants. By 2025, Toyota’s 14th plant in North Carolina will begin to manufacture automotive batteries for electrified vehicles. With the more electrified vehicles on the road than any other automaker, more than a quarter of the company’s 2021 North American sales were electrified.
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NASCAR CUP SERIES KANSAS SPEEDWAY HOLLYWOOD CASINO 400 TEAM CHEVY POST-RACE NOTES & QUOTES SEPTEMBER 11, 2022
TOP TEAM CHEVY UNOFFICIAL RACE RESULTS: POS. DRIVER 4th ALEX BOWMAN, NO. 48 ALLY CAMARO ZL1 6th WILLIAM BYRON, NO. 24 LIBERTY UNIVERSITY CAMARO ZL1 7th ROSS CHASTAIN, NO. 1 ADVENTHEALTH CAMARO ZL1 8th KYLE LARSON, NO. 5 HENDRICKCARS.COM CAMARO ZL1 10th DANIEL SUAREZ, NO. 99 COMMSCOPE CAMARO ZL1
TOP FIVE UNOFFICIAL RACE RESULTS: POS. DRIVER 1st Bubba Wallace (Toyota) 2nd Denny Hamlin (Toyota) 3rd Christopher Bell (Toyota) 4th Alex Bowman (Chevrolet) 5th Martin Truex Jr. (Toyota)
The NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs Round of 16 elimination race will get underway next Saturday, September 17, at Bristol Motor Speedway with the Bass Pro Shops Night Race at 7:30 p.m. ET. Live coverage can be found on the USA Network, the NBCSports Gold App, PRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Channel 90.
TEAM CHEVY POST-RACE NOTES AND QUOTES:
ROSS CHASTAIN, NO. 1 ADVENTHEALTH CAMARO ZL1
Finished: 7th
“Our No. 1 AdventHealth Chevy was on either side of tight or loose all day. It was just really a fine line. We just never really settled into a nice run. Our best run was the second-to-last, with our second-to-best run being our last run. We put the chips where they needed to go at the very end, but all day it was just a handful.”
YOU ENTERED THIS RACE WITH SEVEN FINISHES OUTSIDE OF THE TOP-10. HOW BIG IS IT TO GET A TOP-1O FOR YOU GUYS IN THE PLAYOFFS?
“We all just high-fived. It feels good. It’s been a rough couple of months here. There were times today where I thought we were going to run 14th and I thought we were just going to keep this going. We had a really good day on pit road. Our No. 1 pit crew is just incredible. We cycled ourselves back up there and we were able to stay plugged in between the No. 48 (Alex Bowman) and the No. 5 (Kyle Larson). We were running with the guys we are supposed to be running with; and we finished around the guys we are supposed to finish by. It was a great day for our No. 1 AdventHealth Chevy team.”
AUSTIN DILLON, NO. 3 GET BIOETHANOL CAMARO ZL1
Finished: 14th
“We just fought balance on our No. 3 Get Bioethanol Camaro ZL1 all day. The same thing we’ve fought all year, really. We had high hopes because we qualified pretty decent. I’m proud of our guys, we fought hard. We kept ourselves in it and we have a shot at Bristol (Motor Speedway).
YOU’RE BELOW THE CUTLINE, BUT WITHIN STRIKING DISTANCE. DO YOU FEEL LIKE YOU CAN BATTLE YOUR WAY INTO THE NEXT ROUND?
“Yeah, for sure. Bristol is going to be wild and anything can happen. We’ve given ourselves a good shot. Nobody knows what to expect when we get there, but it’s a long race. If you’re there at the end of the day, you’ve got a good shot to make it.”
KYLE LARSON, NO. 5 HENDRICKCARS.COM CAMARO ZL1
Finished: 8th
IT LOOKED LIKE ONE OF THOSE DAYS WHERE YOU GUYS JUST COULDN’T GET THE HANDLE OF THE CAR.
“It was a little bit of that. For the restarts, I just didn’t have a good balance; but I also didn’t do a good job on the restarts. I think I only had two good ones. Gave up a lot of stage points early on because of that. Even when I thought I was in the right line, I was tight. There at the end, I finally got a good restart and was able to get to third. It was really loose; I tried to go for second and I got really sideways.
After the green flag stop, I felt good but I was just a little bit on the tight side and couldn’t make enough ground in traffic to make a move and had to settle for eighth. Disappointed with that. I thought we had an opportunity to finish a lot better, but we’ll move onto Bristol.”
TYLER REDDICK, NO. 8 GUARANTEED RATE CAMARO ZL1, sidelined by damage sustained after losing a right-rear tire on lap 67.
Finished: 35th
“The right-rear tire just blew like we’ve had a few times. At Fontana (Auto Club Speedway), I was able to save it. But here, it snapped at the worst possible point and we just killed the wall. It broke the control arm on the right-front, so our day was over. We leave here with not a lot of points, so we’ll have to fight hard at Bristol (Motor Speedway).”
CHASE ELLIOTT, NO. 9 NAPA AUTO PARTS CAMARO ZL1
Finished: 11th
“Probably just bad lane choice. I don’t think we were good enough to go win. Bubba (Wallace) was really good, congrats to him and his team. That’s a big win for him and a deserving one, too.
We just had a bad restart there and fell back a lot of spots. Our car wasn’t really driving any differently than it was earlier in the race when we were up front. You just kind of loose momentum, start going the other direction and it’s difficult to rebound from that sometimes”
WILLIAM BYRON, NO. 24 LIBERTY UNIVERSITY CAMARO ZL1
Finished: 6th
“For as far off as we started, we definitely made a really good rally. I just appreciate the adjustments and pit stops by everybody on the No. 24 Liberty University Chevrolet team. At the beginning, I thought if it was a long run, we would have gotten lapped. But we just got our car so much better through the middle part of the race. Towards the end, it was just really hard to know what we needed to be better.
I’m happy with the finish and thankful for the effort. It looks like we’re plus 48-points going into Bristol, which is a tough track. It’s been a good two weeks in a row. We just need to put three weeks together and we’ll advance.”
ERIK JONES, NO. 43 FOCUSFACTOR CAMARO ZL1
Finished: 29th
“Definitely not the day we were looking for at Kansas Speedway with our FOCUSfactor Chevy. We were off in practice yesterday and made some adjustments to help today, but just never had a good handle on our Chevy. We started the day too tight, adjusted to then be too free. Had contact with a couple of other cars racing three-wide in stage two, and then the handling was just never where it needed to be. Not sure if we broke something when we made contact, but struggled the rest of the race. We’ll go back to the shop, look over everything and refocus on Bristol next week.”
ALEX BOWMAN, NO. 48 ALLY CAMARO ZL1
Finished: 4th
“We had a good day for our No. 48 Ally Camaro ZL1. Proud of all of my guys. We had a good weekend – Obviously, we didn’t want to throw those stage points away in stage one like we did, but we overcame that in a hurry. I’m just proud of Greg (Ives) and the guys. We had a great racecar. The last 15-laps of a run is where we would fall off and get beat, but I’m still proud of all of the guys. We ended up with a solid points day.”
DANIEL SUAREZ, NO. 99 COMMSCOPE CAMARO ZL1
Finished: 10th
“Today was very inconsistent. It was a long day. At times, we were OK and then some other times, we weren’t good. We had a couple of situations there on pit road and then we had a tire going down. We had an eventful day. But for a day like that and to finish in the top-10, I’m quite happy. We have some work to do. We are not where we need to be. At times, I felt like we were a top-five car; and at times, we were a 20th-place car. We have to be a little bit more consistent. We don’t really understand why it was so inconsistent, but we’re going to find some answers and move onto Bristol.”
TEAM CHEVY RACE QUICK NOTES
Stage One:
· For the second time this season, Tyler Reddick and the No. 8 Guaranteed Rate Camaro ZL1 led the field to the green from the pole position in Sunday’s Hollywood Casino 400 at Kansas Speedway. Reddick led Team Chevy to five top-10 starting spots in race two of the NCS Playoffs Round of 16.
· From the third starting spot, Alex Bowman powered his No. 48 Ally Camaro ZL1 to the lead on lap three, continuing to pace the field until the competition caution at lap 25. Bowman gave up the lead to come down pit road for a four tire and fuel pit stop.
· Running in the second position at the competition caution, Reddick came off pit road out front, with the No. 8 Guaranteed Rate Camaro ZL1 taking the lead on the restart.
· While at the top of the leaderboard, Reddick blew a right-rear tire, forcing the No. 8 Camaro ZL1 into the wall to bring out the caution on lap 67. Sustaining too much damage to continue, Reddick brought his car to the garage to end his day.
· Under caution, crew chief Justin Alexander brought Austin Dillon and the No. 3 Get Bioethanol Camaro ZL1 to pit road for a two-tire stop, with Dillon gaining 17 spots on pit road to come out first off pit road.
· The conclusion of Stage One saw four Camaro ZL1’s in the top-10, led by Ricky Stenhouse Jr. in the fourth position after starting the race at the rear of the field due to repairs made following wall contact during yesterday’s practice session.
· Stage One Team Chevy Top-10:
4th Ricky Stenhouse Jr., No. 47 SunnyD Camaro ZL1
6th Chase Elliott, No. 9 NAPA Auto Parts Camaro ZL1
8th Ross Chastain, No. 1 AdventHealth Camaro ZL1
10th Austin Dillon, No. 3 Get Bioethanol Camaro Zl1
Stage Two:
· Running in the second position, Ricky Stenhouse Jr. blew a right-rear tire, making contact with the wall to bring out the caution on lap 109. The No. 47 SunnyD Camaro ZL1 team was able to make repairs to replace the toe link and put Stenhouse Jr. back into competition.
· Following a caution on lap 137, the leaders brought their cars down pit road for a round of pit stops. First in on pit road; the No. 48 Ally Camaro ZL1 Crew Chief Greg Ives called for a four-tire stop for Bowman, with the team also winning the race off pit road for a front row restart position.
· Bowman went on to take the Stage Two win, marking the No. 48 Ally Camaro ZL1 team’s second stage win of 2022.
· Stage Two Team Chevy Top-10:
1st Alex Bowman, No. 48 Ally Camaro ZL1
3rd William Byron, No. 24 Liberty University Camaro ZL1
5th Chase Elliott, No. 9 NAPA Auto Parts Camaro ZL1
· Chevrolet drivers took five of the top-10 finishing positions at Kansas, led by Alex Bowman and the No. 48 Ally Camaro ZL1 team in fourth.
· In 28 NASCAR Cup Series points-paying racing, Chevrolet continue to lead all manufacturers in NCS race wins (16), top-fives (66), top-10s (122), and stage wins (23).
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.
Ford Performance Notes and Quotes NASCAR Cup Series Hollywood Casino 400 Post Race | Sunday, September 10, 2022
FORD FINISHING RESULTS 9th – Ryan Blaney (P) 12th – Austin Cindric (P) 13th – Chase Briscoe (P) 15th – Chris Buescher 16th – Michael McDowell 17th – Joey Logano (P) 21st – Aric Almirola 22nd – Cole Custer 23rd – Todd Gilliland 25th – Brad Keselowski 27th – Cody Ware 28th – JJ Yeley 31st – BJ McLeod 32nd – Harrison Burton 36th – Kevin Harvick (P)
RYAN BLANEY, No. 12 Menards/Richmond Water Heaters Ford Mustang (Finished 9th)
“We were okay. We drove up through the field pretty decent there starting off and finished second in the first stage. I was proud of the progress we made. I had to come down pit road there after the first stage and had to kind of reset in the back. From there we just weren’t quite good enough to get back up into the top-five. I was chasing it and adjusting the car after that. Overall, not a bad day. It was a good points day and we are looking pretty decent going into Bristol. We will have to just go there and have a good day.”
AUSTIN CINDRIC, No. 2 Snap on Ford Mustang (Finished 12th)
“I felt like we made the car better all day and we just got hosed at one point on a restart, the final restart there. We lost all the spots that I had gained and we never got those back. I just drove the car too hard trying to make it up and got too loose by the end of the race. Overall, like I said, we didn’t beat ourselves. We check that box the last two weeks. Bristol will be a big unknown and big challenge. We can’t take points for granted. I feel like we gave a few away today.”
WHAT ELSE DO YOU NEED TO ACCOMPLISH NEXT WEEK TO MOVE ON TO THE NEXT ROUND? “Well, a guarantee would be to win. I want to win at Bristol, that would be awesome. I have had a lot of heartache at Bristol, okay?. I would like to change that but maybe I will just take moving on to the next round. I have a lot of work ahead and a lot of really good guys I am going to have to beat.”
“For us, we definitely started off and our balance was way different than in practice. I was worried at the beginning but our team did a good job of making good adjustments and good pit stops and good restarts to get up to fourth or fifth there. We were able to run top-five if we could maintain track position. We came down pit road and the 51 just buried us and pinned me in. I couldn’t get around him and we went from running fourth to running 15th and was stuck there the rest of the day. I wish we could have got our Mustang up there. I feel like we had top-five speed we just needed the track position to go with it and we weren’t quite good enough to drive back through the field again. Going to Bristol not in on points isn’t the end of the world. I would love to be nine points up, obviously, but being nine points out, I feel like we can go there and get some stage points and be in good shape.”
JOEY LOGANO, No. 22 Shell Pennzoil Ford Mustang (Finished 17th)“Not a great day for us. We were hanging in there in the beginning for a little bit and it looked like at one point, in the middle of the race, that we were the fastest car on the track. We were up to second and running down the leader and it was good. Caution came out and we put scuffs on and we lost a little bit of track position. Not much. We put new tires on and it just was not good. The balance was off without changing anything. Beats me.”
BRISTOL NEXT WEEK. YOU ARE IN A GOOD SPOT IN POINTS
“Well, it could be better. We are plus-40 in points so that is a decent spot to go racing. I wish we were positioned first but it is what it is.”
KEVIN HARVICK, No. 4 Rheem Ford Mustang (Accident Quote)
“When those two cars came up in front of me I just got super tight. When I lifted it grabbed and got loose. I just wasn’t expecting them to come up and my car getting that tight.”
NOW YOU WILL BE IN A HAIL MARY SITUATION AT BRISTOL: “Yeah, it is what it is. We were racing to win anyway today, so that is what we will do again next week.”
CHEVROLET RACING IN NTT INDYCAR SERIES FIRESTONE GRAND PRIX OF MONTEREY WEATERTECH RACEWAY LAGUNA SECA IN SALINAS, CALIFORNIA CHAMPION QUOTES – WILL POWER SEPT. 11, 2022
Power earns second INDYCAR driver championship Driver of No. 12 Verizon 5G Team Penske Chevrolet finishes third in final race of season
Pole-sitter Will Power, No. 12 Verizon 5G Team Penske Chevrolet, finished third in the season-ending Firestone Grand Prix of Monterey and earned his second NTT INDYCAR SERIES driver championship. It is the seventh driver championship since 2012 for Chevrolet, which also wrapped up its seventh Manufacturer Championship. Champion quick quotes:
COULD YOU HAVE PLANNED A MORE PERFECT WEEKEND?
“No. It’s so surreal. In the offseason my wife said to me I believe you’re going to beat Mario’s record and you’re going to win the championship. It actually gave me confidence that I could do it. That’s how much confidence I have in her gut feel. I just couldn’t believe that they came true.”
YOU PLAYED THE LONG GAME BY STAYING CALM. WHAT WERE YOU THIKING WHEN YOU SAW JOSEF NEWGARDEN GO PAST YOU?
“I just knew I had to get the most out of those stints and not lose any more positions. I had to drive the thing today. It was on the edge, very loose. What a relief to get that done. I can’t thank Verizon enough. They’ve been with me for close to 12 years now and without them I would never have had this career and obviously Roger Penske and the whole team and Chevrolet.”
HOW MUCH OF YOUR OFFSEASON MENTAL ADJUSTMENT HAS LED TO THIS MOMENT?
“From the beginning it was just playing the long game, not necessarily going for the big wins and all that. As I’ve gotten older, I have a lot more gratitude for my life and what I get to do. Not everyone gets to do this and I’m lucky and I appreciate it a lot.”
HOW MUCH DID YOU RELY ON EXPERIENCE THIS WEEKEND?
“That’s exactly it; you’ve accumulated so much experience, you understand how races go and you understand that you can never give up no matter what it seems like, so you just keep digging and it just kept unfolding. A solid day.”
Jim Campbell, Chevrolet vice president of Performance and Motorsports:
“It’s always exciting to watch Will Power behind the wheel of an INDYCAR. Will started on the pole, led the first lap and managed this race with the No. 12 team to clinch the 2022 championship. It’s been so special to work with Will, Ron Ruzewski, David Faustino and the No.12 Verizon 5G Chevrolet team all season long. We’re proud that both of Will’s championships have been powered by Chevrolet’s 2.2-liter V6.”
ABOUT CHEVROLET
Founded in 1911 in Detroit, Chevrolet is now one of the world’s largest car brands, available in nearly 80 countries with nearly 2.7 million cars and trucks sold in 2021. 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.
