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Toyota NCS Kansas Quotes — Kyle Busch 9.10.22

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Toyota Racing – Kyle Busch
NASCAR Cup Series Quotes

KANSAS CITY (September 10, 2022) – Joe Gibbs Racing driver Kyle Busch was made available to media prior to the Kansas Speedway race this Sunday:

KYLE BUSCH, No. 18 M&M’s Toyota Camry TRD, Joe Gibbs Racing

Are you going to Richard Childress Racing next season?

“I do not have any new news to share. If I did, I guarantee there would be some sort of big announcement. Unfortunately, there hasn’t been one of those yet Bob (Pockrass, Fox Sports). We’re still working on it behind the scenes trying to put it all together. It’s not done.”

How is your mood as it relates to everything going on behind the scenes?

“I’m in a really bad one right now in case anyone is wondering. Just same as it’s been, just stressful. There’s light at the end of the tunnel and it’s not a train. It is sunshine so that’s a positive thing and trying to keep the train on the tracks right now for a little bit longer.”

Is it fair to say that you know what direction you want to go in next season?

“No. I woke up at six in the morning, that’s probably not too early, but it’s really early for me two days ago and I woke up in the middle of the night and I was worried about Brexton (Busch). What are we going to do with Brexton if this happens or if that happens? If this goes, if that goes or if we do that or if we do this? Now I’ve got him thrown in the whole mix. It’s crazy. A clearer picture is developing during the day. Pixels are being worked on.”

What was it like to see Kyle Busch Motorsports win last night?

“I’m proud of the effort, super proud of John Hunter (Nemechek), Eric Phillips and everybody over there at KBM, everybody that has continued to put forth the effort to make us the winningest truck program in history and continue to excel and elevate those numbers. Super cool to see that. There’s three trucks, all three of our trucks moved on last night to the next round of the Playoffs respectively for their own situation. I like what’s coming up next. First of all, Chandler (Smith) has been super fast there as of late and John Hunter is no slouch there either. He should have won last year as well. Good stuff coming from the KBM bunch.”

Do you feel there may be more clarity with where things are with Kyle Busch Motorsports?

“No, I’m definitely not comfortable with where that’s at yet. Trying to put all the right things in the right places simultaneously was the objective and the goal. It’s not going to happen that way, but we will certainly keep fighting for that to make sure that KBM is at the forefront and we have a place to go race trucks next year.”

Do you feel things are moving in a better direction with safety and the dialogue with NASCAR?

“I believe I have an email from the driver counsel lade, but I have yet to read it so it wouldn’t be fair for me to assess my comments on that right now.”

What has Eric Phillips meant to Kyle Busch Motorsports and how would you evaluate his contribution?

“It’s invaluable. I can’t put it into words really, especially the way I speak on things. I’m not very good. Eric is a huge part of and is what Kyle Busch Motorsports history has been about. First guy I probably got was Greg Passen, a buddy of mine who worked with me at Billy Ballew. But past him was Rick Ren and then Eric Phillips was number two or three if you look at it that way. He’s been a huge inspiration to everything that we’ve done there and he’s a racer’s racer. In the truck series you can do that and be successful at that. You don’t have to have the huge engineering influx of the Cup teams and Xfinity teams and all that stuff. When we did go Xfinity racing, we brought on experienced guys from another team and we weren’t as great as I thought we coulda, shoulda won. Kurt (Busch) won and I finished second like six times that year. Eric then took over the reigns of that the next year and I thought they ran very respectful for what they had to endure and deal with. Then he went on to go do his own things at JGR for a few years and then came back for a two-year stint with John Hunter. That was always kind of the understanding between he and I was the John Hunter piece and not knowing what our driver line-up looks like at all right now, I think he sees a clearer picture right now than I do. He got a really good offer to go somewhere else so I told him that I can’t hold you back, go take it, go do it.”

What would it mean to get a championship for Kyle Busch Motorsports?

“That’s not what we want, we want to win a championship this year sure, but we don’t want to be done. We want to keep fighting and race into next year. That’s the intent and that’s everybody’s intentions that we have and the 50 employees that we have at KBM, I’m fighting every damn day for all that stuff and to make sure that we go forward.”

How would you assess Corey Heim’s performance this season?

“Corey’s (Heim) done a really good job. He won early and was fast and had a lot of good results, better results arguably better than I did in the 51. I would say maybe the last couple not as good as we would have hoped, but I think that him carrying on and being smart and being smooth and just doing the job he needs to do for us with the 51 to keep it eligible all the way to Phoenix. If we have three trucks eligible for the owners championship at Phoenix, I’ll feel a lot like Joe (Gibbs) did in 2019, it’s ours to lose. Looking forward to those guys carrying it on with good momentum.”

How do you feel about racing at the All-Star race at North Wilkesboro?

“I think it’s cool. I think a lot of drivers made note of that or made mention of that, but careful, there’s aliens around there. Space ships come in the middle of the night so don’t be there with the lights off. Overall, I think it’s going to be really fun. I think they saw a packed house there last week and they saw great racing Tuesday night and Wednesday night. Real proud of SMI’s involvement and Dale Jr.’s involvement and all those guys that made that come to life and so I think it’s pretty cool. Looking forward to getting there. I’ve never been there so I guess I need to go test.”

Have you had a lot of people supporting you around this process you’re going through?

“A little bit. Yeah, not anything too crazy I would say. There’s been a lot of support and you know, from a few individuals that maybe I thought wouldn’t reach out. It was nice, but other than that, it’s business as usual. Some people are almost leery to say, ‘Hey man, how is it going today?’ Because they know that it ain’t good. They don’t even bring it up. They’re like, ‘Oh, Kyle’s here.”

How did you even get to the moment to talk to Richard Childress about possibly driving for him after the incident here at Kansas 11 years ago?

“Who’s to say he hasn’t punched me again in any of these conversations. Whenever you go into negotiations, it’s never fun so you’re duking the whole time. I think you grow up and you work through things and you talk it over. Really it was fine the first time I sat down with him and everything was okay. The biggest thing about it was just having an opportunity to kind of put that behind us. It was no different than going on the Dale Jr. Download and talking about 2008 and crashing at Richmond, you know what I mean. You get through it and you talk about it and life moves on.”

Do you know what happened with the engine last week and are you concerned it could happen again?

“The best I know is that the issue that happened at Richmond with the 45 car, the issue that happened with the 20 at Watkins Glen and happened with me in practice at Watkins Glen and I think Denny (Hamlin) had one happen somewhere in practice, I’m not sure. Then mine last weekend, they were all the same issue so they keep seeing it over and over and what’s interesting is that the road course package isn’t necessarily the intermediate package. They didn’t think that would transfer over, but it did so they made some adjustments to some internals and hopefully we don’t see it going forward.”

What has been the biggest change in the industry you’ve seen while going through this free agency portion of your career?

“Drivers ain’t making what they used to anymore. It’s fact. I was fortunate to be in a really, really good spot for a long time and had good leverage there to get paid very well. Anytime you look at other opportunities out there, they can only go so far and they can only do so much. They don’t know you and you haven’t spent the time there, but fast forward 15 years from now, wherever the hell I go, will I have a better chance of negotiating a better deal than my current one or whatnot, then I would agree that’s probably a good assessment.”

About Toyota

Toyota (NYSE:TM) has been a part of the cultural fabric in North America for more than 60 years, and is committed to advancing sustainable, next-generation mobility through our Toyota and Lexus brands, plus our more than 1,800 dealerships.

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.

Through the Start Your Impossible campaign, Toyota highlights the way it partners with community, civic, academic and governmental organizations to address our society’s most pressing mobility challenges. We believe that when people are free to move, anything is possible. For more information about Toyota, visit www.ToyotaNewsroom.com.

CORVETTE RACING AT FUJI: Trying to Close the Gap

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Official Release
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Team will dig into its bag of tricks to work forward in Six Hours of Fuji

OYAMA, Japan (Sept. 10, 2022) – Corvette Racing will start fifth among GTE Pro runners Sunday morning in Japan as it tries for a second straight victory in the FIA World Endurance Championship.

Nick Tandy set a lap of 1:37.127 (105.074 mph) in the No. 64 Mobil 1/SiriusXM Chevrolet Corvette C8.R that he will share with Tommy Milner in the Six Hours of Fuji. Only 0.756 seconds separates all of the GTE Pro entries, an interesting prospect for another thrilling race in the category.

Tandy and Milner won in their last time out at the Six Hours of Monza, which was the first victory for Corvette Racing as a full-time FIA WEC entrant.

With Fuji being a much more technical circuit that Monza – another new track for the Corvette program – the bulk of the three practice sessions were spent developing and fine-tuning chassis and aero setups, plus evaluating different tire compounds with an eye toward the race.

Both Milner and Tandy were happy with the long-run prospects of the Corvette after the final practice leading into qualifying.

Fuji is the Corvette program’s 32nd venue during its nearly 25-year run of racetracks around the world with Bahrain still to go in the WEC’s season finale.

The Six Hours of Fuji for the FIA World Endurance Championship is scheduled for 11 a.m. JST Sunday /10 p.m. ET Saturday from Fuji Speedway in Japan. The race will air live on MotorTrend from 9:30-11 p.m. ET on Saturday and the final hour and post-race from 3-4:30 a.m ET on Sunday. Live streaming coverage of the race an on-board feed from the No. 64 Corvette will be available on the MotorTrend Plus app. Radio Le Mans’ RS1 channel will stream play-by-play and race commentary from 9:30 p.m. ET on Saturday through 4:30 a.m. ET on Sunday.

NICK TANDY, NO. 64 MOBIL 1/SiriusXM CHEVROLET CORVETTE C8.R – QUALIFIED FIFTH IN GTE PRO: “Since Free Practice One, we’ve been at a pace deficit that has been similar throughout all the sessions. We’ve been improving the car, but it seems like something fundamentally with the circuit, how the car is working on the tires and other factors aren’t suiting us on single-lap performance. Looking at qualifying, things were better again from Free Practice Three, which was better from Free Practice Two. But of course, everyone else also is going faster. It’s kind of frustrating because we are improving and the Corvette is better to drive, but we are lacking a little bit of single-lap pace.

“Of course this a new track to us and the one where Tommy and I have the least amount of experience on the WEC calendar. There’s something else kind of happening where our car and the tire combination isn’t working with the track surface. We can look again and come up with a few ideas for the race.

“Typically we are better in race pace in this WEC season than we’ve been in qualifying. We haven’t had a pole outside of Le Mans, but we manage to run at the front once the race gets going. There is still a long race to come. The thing with WEC is that you do have to double-stint tires, and up to two hours on a set of tires here is going to be a challenge for every team. Let’s see what happens.”

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.

DGR NCWTS Recap: Kansas Speedway

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Official Release
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Friday, September 9
Track: Kansas Speedway, 1.5-mile oval
Race: 19 of 23
Event: Kansas Lottery 200 (134 laps/201 miles)

Hailie Deegan, No. 1 Odyssey Battery Ford F-150

Start: 17th

Stage 1: 26th

Stage 2: 21st

Finish: 23rd

Hailie Deegan qualified 17th for the Kansas Lottery 200 at Kansas Speedway. The 21-year-old fired off uncomfortable, fighting a tight condition in the race’s opening laps. After settling in, Deegan finished the first stage in 26th. After a big swing by Crew Chief Jerry Baxter calling for a spring rubber and track-bar adjustment heading into Stage 2, Deegan steadily climbed the order, sitting in 21st heading into the race’s final stage. Deegan relayed that the Odyssey Battery Ford F-150 was too loose, as the crew made another round of adjustments for the race’s final 75 laps. The Temecula, CA native climbed as high as 14th in the final stage before tightness in the middle of the corners halted her progress. Following a green flag pit stop on lap 110, Deegan rejoined the field in the 25th – climbing two more spots by race end to earn a 23rd-place finish at the Kansas Lottery 200.

Tanner Gray, No. 15 Ford Performance Ford F-150

Start: 10th

Stage 1: 10th

Stage 2: 17th

Finish: 16th

Tanner Gray qualified 10th for the Kansas Lottery 200 and battled hard in the latter half of the top-10 for much of the opening stage to secure 10th at the green-checkered. The No. 15 pit crew had a lightning-fast pit stop and the Ford driver would restart in sixth for the second stage. A caution flag late in Stage 2 would end the stage under yellow and Gray was in the 17th position as his Ford F-150 had built too tight on the long run. The New Mexico native restarted 12th for the final stage and pitted under green from the mid-pack with 28 laps to go. Gray would cross the finish line in 16th.

Ryan Preece, No. 17 Morton Buildings F-150

Start: 7th

Stage 1: 6th

Stage 2: 3rd

Finish: 3rd

Ryan Preece qualified seventh for Friday’s 200-mile event at Kansas Speedway. The Morton Buildings F-150 was fast from the drop of the green flag and would secure sixth at the end of Stage 1. The team gained an additional spot on pit road during the break and Preece parlayed the fifth-place starting position to third quickly in the second stage – a position he would hold until a caution ended Stage 2 prematurely. The Connecticut driver restarted the final stint of the race from outside the front row and settled into third early on. The remainder of the race would be run under green flag conditions and Crew Chief Chad Johnston elected to call his driver down pit road with 30 laps to go. Preece used the four fresh tires to drive back up to a third-place finish and secure a spot in the Round of 8 for DGR in the NCWTS Owner’s Championship.

Next event: UNOH 200 presented by Ohio Logistics at Bristol Motor Speedway in Bristol, Tennessee on September 15 at 9:00 p.m. ET.

GMS Racing NCWTS Race Recap: Kansas Speedway II

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Official Release
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Grant Enfinger, No. 23 Allegiant Chevrolet Silverado RST

START: 12TH

FINISH: 5TH

POINTS: 7TH

Quote: Well, Grant Enfinger won the first race in this round and brought the same truck back [from last race], so we expected you to be pretty good. You ended up with a Top-5, but what were you guys lacking tonight?

“Yeah, just a little bit of a struggle at the drop of the green flag, but Jeff Hensley and our pit crew made some great adjustments and gained us some great positions on pit road. We got into a Top-5 situation there after that first pit stop, I feel like. I was hoping that we could have contended for a win for our Cancer Heroes, Anastasia and Kären, and also Allegiant Travel, but a Top-5, we’ll take it, and all eyes are on Bristol now, that’s the only race that matters to me now.”

Yeah, you told me that’s the only race that you are thinking about not looking past it. How important is it for you to go out there and get that first race win in this next round of the playoffs?

“Obviously, that’s all of our goals for next week. But really, your strategy changes based on how Bristol goes, so it doesn’t do us any good to look past Bristol at this point. I definitely feel that there’s a great opportunity for us. Bristol has been great for me in the past; I ran second there last year, but it’s been really good for GMS Racing the last few years. They’ve got a couple wins there, so hopefully we can go out and give them another one.”

Jack Wood, No. 24 Sevwins Chevrolet Silverado RST

START: 27TH

FINISH: 26TH

POINTS: 24TH

Quote: “Tonight showed some promise, but it felt that every time we would catch a break, we’d have it taken away from us. Overall, we didn’t quite have the balance that I was hoping for, so it’s a bit frustrating on that end, but I’m proud of the fight of these guys and what they do every week to bring the best trucks that they can. Thankful to everyone at GMS Racing and Sevwins, and now I’m focusing forward on what’s ahead of us at Bristol.”

ABOUT GMS RACING:

GMS Racing competes full-time in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series operating the No. 23 and the No. 24 Chevrolet Silverado RSTs, as well as the ARCA Menards Series with the No. 43 Chevrolet SS. Since the team was formed in 2012, GMS Racing has won five titles across multiple series, including the 2016 and 2020 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series championship, the 2015 ARCA Menards Series championship, as well as the 2019 & 2020 ARCA Menards Series East championships. GMS has grown to occupy several buildings located in Statesville, N.C. including operations for GMS Fabrication. The GMS Racing campus also houses operations for Petty GMS, a two car full-time NASCAR Cup Series team formed in 2021.

SOCIAL MEDIA:

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

Toyota Racing NCWTS Post-Race Recap — Kansas 9.9.22

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Official Release
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NEMECHEK CLAIMS SECOND WIN OF 2022
Six Tundras Punch Ticket to Round Two of Playoffs

KANSAS CITY (September 9, 2022) – John Hunter Nemechek started tonight’s NASCAR Camping World Truck Series race at Kansas Speedway from the pole position, led 88 laps (of 134) en route to his second win of the 2022 season. Nemechek also won both stages to add to his Playoff points heading into round two starting next week at Bristol.

Toyota Racing Post-Race Recap
NASCAR Camping World Truck Series
Kansas Speedway
Race 19 of 23 – 134 Laps, 201 Miles

TOYOTA FINISHING POSITIONS
1st, JOHN HUNTER NEMECHEK
2nd, Carson Hocevar*
3rd, Ryan Preece*
4th, Zane Smith*
5th, Grant Enfinger*
6th, CHANDLER SMITH
7th, COREY HEIM
10th, CHRISTIAN ECKES
11th, PARKER KLIGERMAN
13th, BEN RHODES
14th, TYLER ANKRUM
15th, MATT CRAFTON
19th, TIMMY HILL
20th, STEWART FRIESEN
24th, KADEN HONEYCUTT
25th, CHASE PURDY
29th, TYLER HILL
32nd, MASON MAGGIO
34th, BRENNAN POOLE
*non-Toyota driver

TOYOTA QUOTES

JOHN HUNTER NEMECHEK, No. 4 Mobil 1 Toyota Tundra TRD Pro, Kyle Busch Motorsports

Finishing Position: 1st

What does this win say about your team moving into the next round of the Playoffs?

“It’s huge. I just want to say thank you to our entire team here, just everyone. I can’t thank them enough for the truck that they gave me tonight. This Tundra TRD Pro was absolutely on rails. Qualified on the pole, led a ton of laps, won both stages and won the race. We came in here really good points wise and it flips over and was able to get some more Playoff points going into the next round. Puts us in a good spot and gives us some momentum moving into Bristol. I think this one is even sweeter. It’s been a really tough week for myself mentally, emotionally and things that you can’t control, but it feels good to come out here and cap it off with a win and show who I am.”

How strategic were you in the closing laps to get the win on the final lap?

“I got nervous there for a couple laps actually with all the lapped traffic in front of me and I kept dirtying myself with the dirty air. I had to play it smarter and I didn’t play it smart there for a couple laps. I got myself a little bit behind, but had huge speed and got a huge run off turn four. I knew that the 42 (Carson Hocevar) was saving fuel too and trying to block there. Just proud of all my guys, proud to get back to victory lane for the second time this year. We’re a little behind from last year. But I said I would rather win five races in the Playoffs and win a championship than win five races in the regular season and we’re going to try to do that.”

What was going through your mind on that final run?

“I knew we were fast. I didn’t know if we were going to be good enough to catch him, but I knew that we were fast. I’m proud of all my guys at KBM, they’ve been working their butts off. I feel like we’re finally peaking at the right time so that’s good for us. I thought I lost us the race there for a couple laps as I got us in dirty air and thought that I screwed myself. Luckily, I didn’t. We were able to get to him with one to go and make the pass. Huge accomplishment for me and this team. It’s good to come out here and cap it off with a win.”

About Toyota

Toyota (NYSE:TM) has been a part of the cultural fabric in North America for more than 60 years, and is committed to advancing sustainable, next-generation mobility through our Toyota and Lexus brands, plus our more than 1,800 dealerships.

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.

Through the Start Your Impossible campaign, Toyota highlights the way it partners with community, civic, academic and governmental organizations to address our society’s most pressing mobility challenges. We believe that when people are free to move, anything is possible. For more information about Toyota, visit www.ToyotaNewsroom.com.

Newgarden Leads Slippery Practice as Title Showdown Looms

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Official Release
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Marcus Ericsson - Chip Ganassi Racing

MONTEREY, Calif. (Friday, Sept. 9, 2022) – Josef Newgarden was the first driver among the contenders for the NTT INDYCAR SERIES championship to move chips toward the center of the table in this high-stakes confrontation, leading practice Friday for the season-ending Firestone Grand Prix of Monterey.

Two-time series champion Newgarden, who is second in points, 20 behind teammate Will Power, was quickest with a lap of 1 minute, 11.4103 seconds in the No. 2 Hitachi Team Penske Chevrolet. Scott Dixon (-20 points), Marcus Ericsson (-39) and Scott McLaughlin (-41) are the other drivers eligible for the title this weekend.

Power must finish third or better in the 95-lap race Sunday (live, 2:40 p.m. ET, NBC and 3 p.m. ET, INDYCAR Radio Network) to win the Astor Challenge Cup for the second time.

“I’m always confident,” Newgarden said. “I feel really good about this team. I’m never discouraged showing up to the track. The team really has done an excellent job this year. We’ve got to be good this weekend.”

Among the five title contenders, Power was second quickest and seventh overall at 1:11.9858 in the No. 12 Verizon Team Penske Chevrolet. Ericsson was next, 10th overall at 1:12.0803 in the No. 8 Huski Chocolate Chip Ganassi Racing Honda.

Next was McLaughlin in 11th at 1:12.0877 in the No. 3 XPEL Team Penske Chevrolet. Dixon was the slowest of the title contenders, 17th at 1:12.3911 in the No. 9 PNC Bank Chip Ganassi Racing Honda.

NTT P1 Award qualifying will start at 5:05 p.m. ET Saturday, live on Peacock Premium and the INDYCAR Radio Network. A 45-minute practice session will precede qualifying at 1:15 p.m. ET.

“You’ve definitely got to go get the pole because you can guarantee Newgarden is going for it,” Power said of his teammate. “Absolutely. And he’s going to be there to win the race.”

Following Newgarden in the overall top five was reigning Laguna Seca race winner Colton Herta at 1:11.8266 in the No. 26 Gainbridge Honda as the leader of three Andretti Autosport drivers in the top five. Romain Grosjean was third at 1:11.8697 in the No. 28 DHL Honda fielded by Andretti, followed by Alexander Rossi in Andretti’s No. 27 NAPA AUTO PARTS/AutoNation Honda.

Rookie Callum Ilott rounded out the top five at 1:11.9490 in the No. 77 Juncos Hollinger Racing Chevrolet. Ilott is not a contender for Rookie of the Year honors this weekend, but the two drivers vying for that crown, David Malukas and Christian Lundgaard, ended up ninth and 15th, respectively, in the 75-minute session.

All 26 drivers in the field struggled with the low-grip, very abrasive asphalt on the 11-turn, 2.238-mile Laguna Seca circuit, which also features the famous “Corkscrew” turn complex. Most drivers had at least one off-track excursion during the session, especially on the Firestone alternate tires.

“Tough track, man,” Power said. “Very low grip. You get one lap on tires, and they’re gone. It’s hard to get a read because the car changes so much over a run.”

Said Dixon, “It’s going to be a pretty high-deg (tire degradation) race, man.”

There was one red flag, 47 minutes into the session. Jimmie Johnson went off track and hit the tire barrier in Turn 6 with the rear of his No. 48 Carvana Chip Ganassi Racing Honda. He was unhurt.

BMS FAN ZONE AND FAN MIDWAY OFFERS TONS OF FUN FOR GUESTS; FOOD CITY FAN ZONE STAGE ALIVE WITH ENTERTAINMENT

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The popular FOAM PARTY returns on Friday night, and post-race concerts on both Thursday and Friday will amplify the at-track experience

BRISTOL, Tenn. (Sept. 9, 2022) – Guests who attend the Bass Pro Shops Night Race weekend at Bristol Motor Speedway, Sept. 15-17, will find an abundance of entertainment options in the BMS Fan Zone, located at BMS Entrance 1 (North) near the famed Bristol tower and It’s Bristol Baby monument. The BMS Fan Midway, located in the lot down the hill behind the track’s frontstretch, also has a variety of sponsor displays and activities.

The BMS Fan Zone features a diverse menu of shows, activities and attractions, including the return of the BMS Freestyle bikes, an Axe Throwing station, the Extreme Globe of Death motorcycle stunt act, a Mechanical Bull, a NASCAR race simulator, a Mobile Gaming Trailer, Rock Climbing Tower, the BMS Kid Zone and the ultra-popular Food City Fan Zone Stage.

One of the main attractions in the BMS Fan Zone is the Food City Fan Zone Stage, hosted by Josh Mancuso, with Trackside Live showcased on Saturday with hosts Jose Castillo and Alex Weaver. The Food City Fan Zone Stage offers guests a wide variety of music, driver and celebrity appearances, games, SCC live auctions, driver Q&A chats, prizes and so much fun.

Drivers who are scheduled to make appearances on the Food City Fan Zone Stage include Cup Series drivers Ryan Blaney, Joey Logano, Corey LaJoie, William Byron, Erik Jones, Chris Buescher, Ty Dillon, Cole Custer and Justin Haley. Several Xfinity Series star also will appear, including Justin Allgaier, Noah Gragson, Sam Mayer, Josh Berry, Jeb Burton, Chad Finchum and Bayley Currey. Camping World Truck Series drivers who are scheduled to appear on stage include Hailie Deegan, Grant Enfinger, Matt DiBenedetto, Chase Purdy, Tyler Ankrum, John Hunter Nemechek, Jack Wood and Tanner Gray.

Additional activities for the Food City Fan Zone Stage will be Friday night’s return of the incredible Foam Party. First held at BMS in 2019, the Foam Party thrilled guests by allowing them to party the night away with gallons and gallons of glow-in-the-dark foam with famed TikTok influencer Justin Danger Nunley and the Appalachian Highlands’ own music mixer extraordinaire, DJ Stacie. Prior to the Foam Party on Friday, country music performer Tim Dugger will play the post-race concert. On Thursday night the post-race concert will feature Spank!, an ’80s party band.

Among the popular attractions in the BMS Fan Zone will be a wild bucking Mechanical Bull, which will be available for guests to ride Thursday through Saturday. The BMX Freestyle team will show off their daredevil skills in a pair of shows throughout each day. The amazing Globe of Death will thrill guests as the stunt riders perform inside and oval steel cage with two shows on each day of the weekend, as will the new Extreme Trampoline. Guests can channel their inner lumberjack at the Axe Throwing station and jump inside a state-of-the-art Racing Simulator to test their race driving skills.

There will be tons of fun stuff for kids to do at the track at the BMS Kids Zone. There will be Inflatables, a euro bungie, a challenging rock wall, the cornhole game and coloring stations. To elevate the fun-meter, BMS’s loveable and mischievous raccoon mascots, Bump and Run, are scheduled to make appearances on Friday and Saturday.

The BMS Fan Midway, which sits in the big lot directly between the oval and Bristol Dragway, will have a showcase of Bristol Motor Speedway’s premier sponsors & partners, many of which will have fan activations. Some of those featured sponsors will include Anheuser-Busch, Bass Pro Shops, Bush’s Beans, Ambetter, Chevrolet, Coca-Cola, GEICO, Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Bristol and UNOH. The Appalachian Service Project also will have its “Race To Build” event going on and the University of Nebraska and Iowa State will be competing to build two houses during the course of the weekend. The BMS Fan Midway also will have an Ax Throwing station and a Mechanical Bull.

Schedules for the BMS Fan Zone and the Food City Fan Zone Stage are below. Please visit Bristol Motor Speedway’s website for schedule updates throughout the weekend.

Thursday, Sept. 15
Noon BMS Fan Zone and BMS Kids Zone Opens
Axe Throwing, Mechanical Bull, Race Simulator,
Mobile Gaming Trailer, Rock Climbing Tower
1 p.m. Food City Fan Zone Stage Opens
1:30 p.m. Hailie Deegan and Tanner Gray
2 p.m. Matt DiBenedetto, Chase Purdy and Tyler Ankrum
2 p.m. Globe of Death exhibition
2:15 p.m. John Hunter Nemechek
2:20 p.m. Extreme Trampoline
2:30 p.m. ThorSport Racing Driver TBD
2:40 p.m. BMX Stunt Team
3:30 p.m. Globe of Death exhibition
3:45 p.m. Grant Enfinger and Jack Wood
3:50 p.m. Extreme Trampoline
4 p.m. Richard Petty
4:10 p.m. BMX Stunt Team
5 p.m. Brownie King
11 p.m. Post-Race Concert: Spank! ‘80s Party Band

Friday, Sept. 16
Noon BMS Fan Zone and BMS Kids Zone Opens
Axe Throwing, Mechanical Bull, Race Simulator,
Mobile Gaming Trailer, Rock Climbing Tower
12:30 p.m. Food City Fan Zone Stage Opens
12:30 p.m. Jeb Burton
12:45 p.m. Chad Finchum
1 p.m. Bayley Currey
1:45 p.m. Justin Haley
2 p.m. Ty Dillon and Cole Custer
2 p.m. Globe of Death exhibition
2:20 p.m. Extreme Trampoline
2:40 p.m. BMX Stunt Team
3:30 p.m. Chris Buescher
3:30 p.m. Globe of Death exhibition
3:45 p.m. U.S. Army new recruits swearing in
3:50 p.m. Extreme Trampoline
4 p.m. SCC-Bristol Live Auction with Josh Mancuso
4:10 p.m. BMX Stunt Team
4:45 p.m. Justin Allgaier, Noah Gragson, Josh Berry and Sam Mayer
5:15 p.m. Food City check presentation: Coalition for Kids
10 p.m. Post-Race Concert: Country Music Singer Tim Dugger
11 p.m. The FOAM PARTY with Justin Danger Nunley and DJ Stacie

Saturday, Sept. 17
Noon BMS Fan Zone and BMS Kids Zone Opens
Axe Throwing, Mechanical Bull, Race Simulator,
Mobile Gaming Trailer, Rock Climbing Tower
2 p.m. Globe of Death exhibition
2:20 p.m. Extreme Trampoline
2:30 p.m. Influencer Meet Up with Justin Danger Nunley
2:40 p.m. BMX Stunt Team
3 p.m. Trackside Live with Jose Castillo and Alex Weaver
3 p.m. Marcus Smith and Jerry Caldwell
3:05 p.m. Erik Jones
3:15 p.m. Joey Logano
3:30 p.m. Ryan Blaney
3:45 p.m. Michael Buffer
4 p.m. SCC-Bristol Live Auction with Josh Mancuso
4:10 p.m. Globe of Death exhibition
4:30 p.m. Corey LaJoie
4:30 p.m. Extreme Trampoline
4:45 p.m. William Byron
4:50 p.m. BMX Stunt Team

The action on the track begins with Zane Smith, John Hunter Nemechek, Ben Rhodes and defending winner Chandler Smith battling for the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series victory Thursday night in the UNOH 200 presented by Ohio Logistics (Sept. 15, 9 p.m., FS1, MRN Radio). The rising stars in the ARCA Menards Series also will take on the challenging half-mile bullring in the Bush’s Beans 200 as part of the Thursday night doubleheader (Sept. 15, 6:30 p.m., FS1, MRN Radio).

On Friday, Sparks are sure to fly once again in the Food City 300, as NASCAR Xfinity Series favorites Allmendinger, Allgaier, Noah Gragson, Austin Hill, Ty Gibbs and Josh Berry will be trying to lock in their Playoff positions in the season’s final regular season race (Sept. 16, 7:30 p.m., USA Network, PRN Radio) while others like Ryan Sieg, Landon Cassill and Sheldon Creed are in an intense battle to make one of the 12 Playoff spots. The stars of the NASCAR Cup Series will take to the track on Saturday for the Bass Pro Shops Night Race (Sept. 17, 7:30 p.m., USA Network, PRN Radio), you’ll get to see all of your favorite drivers racing hard to advance in the first elimination race of the Playoffs.

To purchase tickets, please visit www.bristolmotorspeedway.com or call the BMS Ticket Sales Center at (866) 415-4158.

About Bristol Motor Speedway
Forged amid the scenic mountains of Northeast Tennessee near the Virginia state line, Bristol Motor Speedway is The Last Great Colosseum, a versatile multi-use venue that hosts major auto races, football games, concerts and many other captivating events. The facility features a 0.533-mile concrete oval race track with 28-degree corner banking and 650-feet straightaways that offers racing in several NASCAR touring series, highlighted by two major Cup Series weekends each year. In 2020, the track also served as host of the prestigious NASCAR All-Star Race, and in 2021 began converting to a temporary dirt track each spring to take the Cup Series back to its racing roots. While at the track, fans are offered a unique viewing experience courtesy of Colossus TV, the world’s largest outdoor center-hung four-sided video screen with a 540,000-watt audio system. The adjacent quarter-mile dragstrip, Bristol Dragway, offers more than 50 events annually, including the marquee NHRA Thunder Valley Nationals. The Thunder Valley Amphitheatre presented by Ballad Health transforms Bristol Dragway into a premier outdoor concert venue for the world’s greatest music performers. Three football games have kicked-off inside the oval, most notably the 2016 Pilot Flying J Battle at Bristol, where border rivals the University of Tennessee and Virginia Tech met before an NCAA-record crowd of 156,990. In existence since 1961, Bristol Motor Speedway was purchased in 1996 by Speedway Motorsports, Inc., a publicly traded company that is a leading marketer and promoter of motorsports entertainment in the United States. For more information, please visit www.bristolmotorspeedway.com.

Irish Mike’s shows continued improvement at Indy’s Porsche Together Fest

By
Official Release
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INDIANAPOLIS (9 September 2022) – Irish Mike Racing’s Conor Flynn improved three positions in Sunday’s Round 8 of the IMSA Porsche Carrera Cup North America presented by Visit Cayman Islands, while his teammate Craig Conway posted a pair of top-10 finishes at Indianapolis Motor Speedway’s Porsche Sports Car Together Fest this weekend.

Flynn finished 12th in the Porsche Pro class and 18th overall in Sunday’s 40-minute race, driving the No. 95 FlynnCo Cars/ Chillout Systems Porsche 992. On Saturday, he was 15th in class while finishing 20th overall.

Driving the No. 97 Diamond Suzuki Porsche 992 in the Pro-Am class, Conway took 10th in class and 29th overall in both races.

“Indy went OK, we made progress in every session,” Conway said. “I was making up time in every session, so we’re closer to getting it in the park where we’re messing with some other cars. We’ve got work to do, but we’re definitely getting there. We’re not that far off now.”

This season has been a major learning curve for both team and drivers, switching to the newer Porsche 992 after campaigning the 991 a year ago.

“I’ve never had a car that was this difficult to learn before,” said Conway, a veteran of IMSA and Grand-Am competition. “It’s a matter of hanging with these cars. I guess it’s old dogs, new tricks!”

Qualifying 23rd, Flynn passed six cars on the opening lap of Saturday’s race, getting up to 13th position in Porsche Pro. While he dropped two positions during the course of the race, he managed to beat NASCAR superstar Jeff Gordon by one position in class.

“I was focused on moving forward all race long and even though passing was tough in some places, we were able to at least keep improving our lap times and continue learning about how the tire goes through its run,” said Flynn. “It was great that Gordon was in the race to add to the attention but I have to admit even though I’ve followed him since I was very young…he was just another car out there today!”

On Sunday, Flynn was gridded 16th in class and 24th overall – one position behind Gordon. He managed to gain four positions over the 40-minute race, but finished one position in class behind the NASCAR superstar.

Conway was pleased with his progress during the weekend.

“I had good races,” he said. “I got six or seven cars at the start – I was pushing myself way up there. I just didn’t have the raw speed to keep them behind me, but it was good fun passing them!”

Only one weekend remains in the Porsche Carrera Cup North America season, with a pair of races at Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta on Sept. 29-30 during the Motul Petit Le Mans weekend.

“We’ve made progress every single weekend,” Conway said. “We started way off, and now we’re only a few tenths off from where we want to be. We’re getting there – it’s a work in progress.”

John Hunter Nemechek grabs wild last lap Truck Series victory at Kansas

By
Andrew Kim
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Photo by Ron Olds for SpeedwayMedia.com.

John Hunter Nemechek denied an opportunity for Carson Hocevar to win and race his way into the Round of 8 in the 2022 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Playoffs by executing a final lap pass to win the Kansas Lottery 200 at Kansas Speedway on Friday, September 9.

The 25-year-old Nemechek from Mooresville, North Carolina, led five times for a race-high 88 of 134-scheduled laps as he started the day sweeping the first two stages. After opting to surrender the lead and pit under green for four fresh tires and fuel with 32 laps remaining, Nemechek spent the next 31 laps bolting his way through lapped traffic and the field to catch Hocevar, who topped off on fuel on Lap 80 and was trying to stretch his fuel tank to the finish and with an opportunity to both win and advance in the Playoffs. Hocevar’s gamble, however, did not pay off on the final lap as he was overtaken by Nemechek, who proceeded to claim his second checkered flag of the 2022 Truck Series season and secure a spot for the Round of 8 in the Playoffs.

With on-track qualifying that determined the starting lineup occurring on Friday, John Hunter Nemechek claimed his sixth pole position of the 2022 season after posting a pole-winning lap at 175.444 mph in 30.779 seconds. Joining him on the front row was Ty Majeski, who clocked in the second-fastest lap at 175.182 mph in 30.825 seconds.

Prior to the event, names like Brett Moffitt, Mason Maggio, Armani Williams and Brennan Poole dropped to the rear of the field due to unapproved adjustments made to their respective trucks.

When the green flag waved and the race started, Nemechek received a push from teammates Corey Heim and Chandler Smith to assume an early advantage as he went on to lead the first lap. Meanwhile, Majeski retained the runner-up spot ahead of Heim, Christian Eckes and Chandler Smith as the field fanned out and jostled early for positions.

Through the first five scheduled laps, Nemechek was ahead by four-tenths of a second over Majeski and more than a second over Eckes while Heim fell back to fourth in front of teammate Chandler Smith’s No. 18 Safelite AutoGlass Toyota Tundra TRD Pro. Matt Crafton was in sixth while Ben Rhodes, Zane Smith, Ryan Preece and Matt DiBenedetto were in the top 10.

At the Lap 10 mark, Majeski, who inherited the lead from Nemechek three laps earlier, was leading in his No. 66 Road Ranger Toyota Tundra TRD Pro by eight-tenths of a second over Nemechek while Eckes, Heim and Chandler Smith remained in the top five. Meanwhile, Playoff contenders Stewart Friesen, Carson Hocevar and Grant Enfinger were in 13th, 15th and 16th, respectively.

By Lap 20, Majeski continued to lead by a tenth of a second over Nemechek, who relaunched and eventually overtook Majeski for the lead, followed by Eckes and Heim while Zane Smith moved his No. 38 Hamsters USA Ford F-150 into the top five. Ryan Preece also moved his No. 17 Morton Buildings Ford F-150 up to sixth while Chandler Smith fell back to seventh in front of Derek Kraus, Crafton and Rhodes.

When the first stage concluded on Lap 30, Nemechek, who reclaimed the lead on Lap 21, captured his fifth stage victory of the 2022 season. Majeski settled in second while Eckes, Heim, Zane Smith, Preece, Kraus, Chandler Smith, Crafton and Tanner Gray were scored in the top 10. With their results at the conclusion of the first stage, Nemechek and Zane Smith clinched spots for the Round of 8 in the Playoffs, joining Chandler Smith and Grant Enfinger.

Under the stage break, the leaders led by Nemechek pitted and Nemechek exited with the lead followed by Eckes, Majeski, Heim, Preece and Gray.

The second stage started on Lap 37 as Nemechek and Eckes occupied the front row. At the start, Nemechek rocketed with another strong start on the inside lane to retain the lead followed by Majeski while Eckes and Preece battled for third place. Behind, Heim muscled his way into fifth after overtaking Rhodes and Zane Smith through Turns 3 and 4 as the field jostled for positions.

At the Lap 45 mark, Nemechek was leading by eight-tenths of a second over Eckes while Zane Smith, Preece and Majeski were in the top five. Heim fell back to sixth followed by Tyler Ankrum, Ben Rhodes, Crafton and Kraus while Carson Hocevar, Tanner Gray, Enfinger, Chandler Smith, Parker Kligerman, Bret Holmes, Matt DiBenedetto, Brett Moffitt, Colby Howard and Chase Purdy were in the top 20. Meanwhile, Friesen was mired back in 22nd in front of Hailie Deegan.

Then with four laps remaining in the second stage, the caution flew when Bayley Currey spun the No. 44 Niece Motorsports Chevrolet Silverado RST below the apron on the frontstretch entering Turn 1. Currey’s incident was enough for the second stage scheduled to conclude on Lap 60 to conclude under caution as Nemechek captured his sixth stage victory of the season. Zane Smith settled in second followed by Preece, Eckes, Heim, Majeski, Ankrum, Kraus, Crafton and Hocevar were scored in the top 10. With his result in the second stage, Majeski secured a spot for the Playoff’s Round of 8.

Under the stage break, the leaders led by Nemechek returned to pit road and Nemechek retained the lead following another quick pit service from his pit crew followed by Preece, Heim, Zane Smith, Kraus and Enfinger. Following the pit stops, Friesen pitted for a second time for adjustments to his spoiler.

With 70 laps remaining, the final stage started as Nemechek and Preece occupied the front row. At the start, Nemechek retained the lead followed by teammate Heim and Preece as the field fanned out entering the first two turns and through the backstretch. Not long after, the caution returned when Kaden Honeycutt made contact with rookie Dean Thompson before spinning in the backstretch.

During the following restart with 65 laps remaining, Nemechek received a push from teammate Heim to retain the lead while Preece, who restarted as the first competitor on the outside lane, was being overtaken by Heim and Zane Smith. While the field fanned out for positions amid Derek Kraus barely scrapping the outside wall in the frontstretch, Nemechek retained a steady advantage followed by Zane Smith, Heim, Preece and Enfinger while Christian Eckes, who was battling above the top-eight cutline to make the Round of 8 in his No. 98 CMR Construction & Roof Toyota Tundra TRD Pro was in sixth.

Four laps later, the caution returned when the No. 22 AM Racing Chevrolet Silverado RST piloted by Brett Moffitt went up in smoke due to an engine loss entering the frontstretch. As Timmy Hill spun through the frontstretch grass after getting into the spilled oil, Moffitt’s truck erupted in flames as the driver quickly stopped below the apron in the frontstretch and retired. During the caution period, some like Hocevar, DiBenedetto, Colby Howard, Bailey Currey, Kaz Grala, Kaden Honeycutt and rookie Lawless Alan pitted while the rest led by Nemechek remained on the track. Following the pit stops, Hocevar pitted for a second time to top off on fuel.

With 53 laps remaining, the race proceeded under green. At the start, Nemechek received another strong push from teammate Heim’s No. 51 JBL Toyota Tundra TRD Pro to retain the lead as Eckes launched a brief attack on Heim for the runner-up spot before the latter prevailed. With Heim in second, Eckes retained third ahead of Zane Smith, Preece and Enfinger.

Thirteen laps later and with 40 laps remaining, Nemechek was out in front by more than a second over Zane Smith followed by Preece, Heim and Enfinger while Chandler Smith, Eckes, Majeski, Ankrum and Chase Purdy were in the top 10. By then, Playoff contenders Rhodes, Crafton, Hocevar and Friesen were in 12th, 14th, 16th and 17th, respectively.

Then with 32 laps remaining, green flag pit stops ensued as the leader Nemechek pitted his No. 4 Mobil 1 Toyota Tundra TRD Pro followed by teammate Chandler Smith, who won the previous Truck event at Richmond Raceway to secure his spot into the Round of 8. Zane Smith soon followed along with Majeski, Chase Purdy, Rhodes, Preece, Tyler Ankrum, Parker Kligerman, Friesen, Enfinger, Heim, Bret Holmes, Eckes and Crafton. During the pit stops, Purdy was penalized for speeding on pit road.

Back on the track and with 28 laps remaining, Hocevar, who last pitted on Lap 80 to top off on fuel and opted to stretch his fuel tank to the finish, was in the lead followed by teammate Currey while Colby Howard, DiBenedetto and Hailie Deegan were in the top five.

Down to the final 20 laps of the event, Hocevar continued to lead by more than six seconds over teammate Currey while Colby Howard and DiBenedetto retained third and fourth, respectively. Meanwhile, Nemechek, the first competitor racing on four fresh tires and a full tank of gas, was in fifth, trailing Hocevar by 12 seconds but blazing his way through the leaderboard with a fast truck.

Six laps later, Nemechek navigated his way into the runner-up spot after zipping by Currey. By then, he was scored eight seconds behind Hocevar’s No. 42 Worldwide Express Chevrolet Silverado RST.

With 10 laps remaining, Hocevar, who continued to run strong in spite of a low gas tank, retained the lead by five seconds over Nemechek while Zane Smith, Currey and Preece were in the top five.

With five laps remaining, Hocevar, who was carving his way through lapped traffic, was still out in front by nearly two seconds over Nemechek, who was also mired in the lapped traffic, among which included Crafton’s No. 88 Menards Toyota Tundra TRD Pro.

When the white flag waved and the final lap started, Hocevar was leading by a tenth of a second over a hard-charging Nemechek, who cleared the lapped traffic and was right on Hocevar’s bumper. Then entering Turn 1, Nemechek bolted his truck beneath Hocevar and reassumed the lead entering the backstretch. With Hocevar shaking his truck after running out of fuel and losing ground entering the backstretch, Nemechek was able to cruise away with an increasing advantage through the final two turns and cycle back to the frontstretch to capture his second checkered flag of the 2022 season.

With the victory that took him another step closer to achieving his first NASCAR national touring series championship, Nemechek grabbed his second Camping World Truck Series victory of the season, his first since winning at Darlington Raceway in May and his 13th career win in his 143rd series start. He also recorded his second NASCAR national touring series victory at Kansas since winning the Xfinity Kansas event in 2018 and the eighth victory of the season for Kyle Busch Motorsports.

“It’s huge,” Nemechek said on FS1. “I can’t thank [the crew] enough for the truck they gave me tonight. The Toyota Tundra TRD Pro was absolutely on rails. Qualified on the pole, led a ton of laps, won both stages and won the race. We came here really good points-wise. It played out in our favor to go get some more Playoff points going into the next round. [It] Puts us in a good spot. We have some momentum on our side going into Bristol [Motor Speedway]. I think this one is even sweeter. It’s been a really tough week for myself, mentally, emotionally, things you just can’t control. It feels good to come out here and cap it off with a win and show who I am…Just proud of all my guys, proud to get back to Victory Lane. Second [win] of the year. We’re behind from last year, but I said I would rather win five races in the Playoffs and go win a championship than win five in the regular season. We’re gonna try and do that.”

While Nemechek was left smiling on the frontstretch, Hocevar, who ran out of fuel on the final lap while trying to execute his late strategy but managed to coast across the finish line in second place, was left heartbroken on pit road for two reasons: the first was falling one lap short of claiming his first elusive Truck career win and the second was being one of two competitors to be eliminated from the 2022 Truck Series Playoffs. The final standings showed Hocevar missing the cutline to the Round of 8 by three points over Christian Eckes, who finished 10th.

“I don’t know how you’re supposed to handle these,” Hocevar, who led 28 laps compared to Nemechek’s 88, said. “As many times as I’ve come and close, I should be used to this. I’m gonna be my bridesmaid at my own wedding. I don’t know. I thought I saved too much [fuel]. I could have gone harder and built a gap, but into [Turn] 3 coming to take the white flag, I started sputtering. I knew it was game over. [Kraus] had an issue [earlier] and I lost three seconds there. Looking back, I wished I would’ve gotten those back, but [crew chief] Phil Gould made a hell of a call. Even I didn’t see it. Fifty-six [laps] to go. There’s gonna be a yellow [flag], right? Cutoff race. It’s the Truck Series of all things…Just got beat. [I] Had the winning strategy. Just, obviously, didn’t work out.”

Meanwhile, Ryan Preece came home in third place while Zane Smith and Enfinger finished in the top five. Chandler Smith settled in sixth place while teammate, Heim, then, Majeski, Colby Howard and Eckes completed the top 10 on the track.

Zane Smith, Chandler Smith, John Hunter Nemechek, Ben Rhodes, Stewart Friesen, Ty Majeski, Grant Enfinger and Christian Eckes have transferred to the Round of 8 in the 2022 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Playoffs. Carson Hocevar and Matt Crafton have been eliminated from Playoff and championship contention for this season.

“It’s just part of it,” Crafton, who missed the cutline by 10 points, said. “We sucked all year. To even get to the Playoffs was a feat in itself. To be in going into this race, just by three [points], that says a lot. It’s only the second race I’ve worked with [crew chief] Shane [Wilson]. We made the mistake. I’ve never ran some of the setup stuff that we ran tonight and I had [Wilson] jump the fence. I just had him tighten [the truck] up or free it up a little bit too much on the second run, and then we ended up going to the back and tightening it too much.

“Just him learning some of my lingo of what I’m saying and what he’s doing. Put in our notebook and keeping working on it because the truck had a lot of speed earlier today and in qualifying. It is what it is. We were terrible all year. To even get to where we were, I just can’t thank these guys enough for how hard they’ve worked and how hard they’ve been kicked because it’s the baddest we’ve been. We have four of five more [races] to go. We can go out and don’t worry about points anymore and go about worry about wins.”

There were 11 lead changes for six different leaders. The race featured four cautions for 25 laps.

Results.

1. John Hunter Nemechek, 88 laps led, Stage 1 & 2 winner

2. Carson Hocevar, 28 laps led

3. Ryan Preece

4. Zane Smith, two laps led

5. Grant Enfinger, one lap led

6. Chandler Smith

7. Corey Heim

8. Ty Majeski, 14 laps led

9. Colby Howard

10. Christian Eckes, one lap led

11. Parker Kligerman

12. Matt DiBenedetto

13. Ben Rhodes

14. Tyler Ankrum

15. Matt Crafton, one lap down

16. Tanner Gray, one lap down

17. Bret Holmes, one lap down

18. Kaz Grala, one lap down

19. Timmy Hill, one lap down

20. Stewart Friesen, one lap down

21. Derek Kraus, one lap down

22. Hailie Deegan, one lap down

23. Dean Thompson, one lap down

24. Kaden Honeycutt, one lap down

25. Chase Purdy, two laps down

26. Jack Wood, two laps down

27. Bayley Currey, two laps down

28. Jesse Little, two laps down

29. Tyler Hill, four laps down

30. Blaine Perkins, four laps down

31. Lawless Alan, four laps down

32. Mason Maggio, eight laps down

33. Spencer Boyd, 10 laps down

34. Brennan Poole, 11 laps down

35. Armani Williams – OUT, Too slow

36. Brett Moffitt – OUT, Engine

Bold indicates Playoff contenders

Playoff standings

1. Zane Smith – Advanced

2. Chandler Smith – Advanced

3. John Hunter Nemechek – Advanced

4. Ben Rhodes – Advanced

5. Stewart Friesen – Advanced

6. Ty Majeski – Advanced

7. Grant Enfinger – Advanced

8. Christian Eckes – Advanced

9. Carson Hocevar – Eliminated

10. Matt Crafton – Eliminated

The Round of 8 in the 2022 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Playoffs is set to commence next Thursday, September 15, at Bristol Motor Speedway. The event’s coverage is scheduled to occur at 9 p.m. ET on FS1.

NTT INDYCAR SERIES Title Contenders Gather at Iconic Pebble Beach

By
Official Release
-
Portland GP - 2022 - INDYCAR

MONTEREY, Calif. (Friday, Sept. 9, 2022) – The five NTT INDYCAR SERIES drivers still in contention to lift the Astor Challenge Cup made an early-morning pit stop Thursday at one of golf’s most iconic locations – the 17th green at Pebble Beach Golf Links in Pebble Beach, California.

Team Penske drivers Will Power, Josef Newgarden and Scott McLaughlin were joined by Chip Ganassi Racing’s Scott Dixon and Marcus Ericsson for a fitting photo at Pebble’s “Turn for the Championship.” They were flanked by the Astor Challenge Cup and scenic Stillwater Cove.

Pebble Beach, the No. 1-rated public golf course in America and home to some of golf’s greatest championships and champions, sits down the road from WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca, the location of the season-ending Firestone Grand Prix of Monterey for the NTT INDYCAR SERIES (live, 2:40 p.m. ET Sunday, NBC).

Power leads the championship standings by 20 points over Newgarden and Dixon, with Ericsson 39 points back in fourth and McLaughlin 41 points back in fifth. Power can clinch his second series crown with a finish of third or better Sunday. With just 41 points separating five drivers, this is INDYCAR’s closest championship race in 19 years.

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