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Hardpoint Scores Top 10 Finish With Racing to End Alzheimer’s Porsche Cayman at Road America

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Official Release
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Galante, McAlister and Capestro-Dubets Ran With the Leaders for the Four-Hour Race, with Owen, Gibbons and DeBoer Leading Bronze Cup Before Early End to the Day

ELKHART LAKE, Wisconsin (August 7, 2022) – Hardpoint was in the mix for the four-hour IMSA Michelin Pilot Challenge race at Road America on Saturday afternoon, with the No. 22 Racing to End Alzheimer’s Porsche 718 Cayman GT4 RS Clubsport ultimately finishing ninth while the No. 9 Valkyrie Intelligence/Phoenix Global Health Porsche Cayman leading the Bronze Cup before an early end to its day.

Hardpoint Race News and Notes

Nick Galante, Sean McAlister and John Capestro-Dubets combined for the ninth-place finish in the No. 22 Racing to End Alzheimer’s Porsche. Sam Owen, Sean Gibbons and Derek DeBoer drove the No. 9 machine in a Hardpoint partnership with OGH Motorsports.

Owen qualified and began the race for the OGH Motorsports program 17th overall in the GS class and second in the Bronze Cup subclass for cars with a full line-up of Bronze-rated drivers. McAllister started the No. 22 car 12th overall and in class.

Owen took the lead in the Bronze Cup under yellow with a fuel-only stop for both Hardpoint cars. Unfortunate contact with a barrier just past the 35-minute mark ended the day for the No. 9 Porsche Cayman, with Owen treated and released from the track medical center.

As the opening driver in the No. 22 Porsche Cayman, McAlister held serve from his starting position before passing the car over to Galante following a 65-minute stint.

Galante again held his position through the ebb and flow of a variety of fuel strategies and lengthy full-course caution periods.

With two hours to go and Capestro-Dubets in the car, the team found themselves in the mix. Despite running on old tires, Capestro-Dubets was holding tight in fifth position with a line of established drivers behind him. He was squeezed off the track to drop four positions, but immediately came to pit lane for fresh tires and a full tank of fuel with just over 90 minutes to go.

The No. 22 Racing to End Alzheimer’s Porsche cycled back to the lead battle and climbed as high as second before diving to pit lane with 50 minutes remaining in the race for enough fuel and a fresh set of Michelin tires to get to the finish.

A final lengthy full course caution squeezed the pack together with under 15 minutes remaining, with Capestro-Dubets finishing in a solid ninth place. That possibly cost a few positions, as others near the top would have had to pit for fuel without the slower safety laps.

Hardpoint returns to action with IMSA Michelin Pilot Challenge and the WeatherTech SportsCar Championship No. 99 GridRival Porsche 911 GT3 R at their home race of Virginia International Raceway, August 26-28. Hardpoint’s shop is located in the Motorsports Technology Park on the grounds of VIR.

Hardpoint Quote Board

Nick Galante, Driver, No.22 Porsche Cayman: “People rising to the occasion was exactly what happened this weekend. The whole team dug in, the pit stops were great, Hardpoint was awesome, the engineer side was awesome and working with JCD really helped in our car development. Having the courage to try something new with the setup and have it work out was just great. The confidence Sean is showing, he did an amazing job in qualifying with all the heavy hitters out there for the four-hour race. The car is filling up, we’re getting close to our goal of 222 names on the car. Everyone is coming through, and that’s what Team Hardpoint does.

Sean McAlister, Driver, No. 22 Porsche Cayman: “It was a great weekend. We moved up three positions throughout the race. The car felt much better than it’s ever felt, so that was a big bonus. We were able to execute a good plan to move up a couple of positions. We got caught out by some yellows at the end that probably cost us a couple more spots because people didn’t have to pit again. Some people got lucky and we didn’t but it was a great weekend.”

John Capestro-Dubets, Driver, No. 22 Porsche Cayman: “It’s an absolute honor to drive for a cause like Racing to End Alzheimer’s and be in a family of such good people and unity. We all came together this weekend and made some big changes to the car and we saw the reward in the times. That last stint, we caught the yellow and we knew we were running out of tire on the front axle. I gave it my all and we lost one spot on the restart but we were able to get it home without anything else happening, which was a win. It was a hard fought battle that whole two hours and 20 minutes for me.”

Derek DeBoer, Driver, No. 9 Porsche Cayman: “it wasn’t the ending that we wanted, of course. The 22 car had a nice top-10 finish, but our No. 9 was running first in class when Sam had his incident. Most importantly, he’s back at home, he’s ok. It’s a testament to how safe these Porsches are. We’ll come back fighting the next time.”

About Hardpoint:

Hardpoint was founded by Rob Ferriol in 2018 with the vision of combining his experience as a successful entrepreneur with his passion for racing. Headquartered at VIRginia International Raceway, the team captured the 2021 Porsche Carrera Cup North America Pro-Am championship in its inaugural season and competes full-time in the IMSA WeatherTech Sports Car Championship in the No. 99 GridRival Porsche 911 GT3 R with co-drivers Ferriol and Katherine Legge, joined by Stefan Wilson for Michelin Endurance Cup races. In 2022, Hardpoint has added the No. 22 Racing To End Alzheimer’s Porsche 718 Cayman GT4 RS Clubsport driven by Nick Galante and Sean McAllister in IMSA Michelin Pilot Challenge Grand Sport (GS), as well as the No. 428 TradeCentric Porsche 911 GT3 Cup driven by Brady Behrman in International GT. More information on Hardpoint can be found at www.hardpoint.com or through its strong social media presence on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.

Erik Jones Foundation Marks One-Year Anniversary with Donation to Melanoma Research Foundation

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Official Release
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$20,000 Raised by 3 Reasons to Race Event in May at Birch Run Speedway Benefits Largest Independent Organization Devoted to Melanoma

BROOKLYN, Mich. (Aug. 7, 2022) – It was a year ago when NASCAR Cup Series driver Erik Jones launched his own charitable foundation in his home state of Michigan. Today, with Jones back in the Great Lake State to race at Michigan International Speedway in the FireKeepers Casino 400, the Erik Jones Foundation proudly made a $20,000 donation to the Melanoma Research Foundation (MRF), the largest independent organization devoted to melanoma.

Encouraging early cancer detection and care is one of the three pillars of the Erik Jones Foundation, along with advocating for literacy and promoting animal welfare. But cancer detection and care have been a priority for Jones since his father, Dave, succumbed to the disease in 2016.

“In February of 2016, my dad was diagnosed with metastatic melanoma, and four months later he was gone,” said the 26-year-old Jones. “Even with radiation and immunotherapy, the cancer spread. It was pretty aggressive. And what I’ve learned since then is how important early detection is, because the sooner you diagnose it, the more options you have for treatment.

“That’s how I got to know the Melanoma Research Foundation. They’re committed to supporting the medical research necessary to develop effective treatments and, ideally, a cure for melanoma. They also advocate for the melanoma community and educate patients, caregivers, and the general public about prevention, awareness, diagnosis and treatment. It’s a cause that’s pretty important to me, so when we had our first fundraiser, I wanted the MRF to be the beneficiary.”

On May 19 at Birch Run (Mich.) Speedway, located 40 miles north from Jones’ hometown of Byron, the Erik Jones Foundation held its first fundraising event, 3 Reasons to Race. Through a unique race-gaming experience where guests could win cash and prizes, along with a 50/50 raffle and silent auction that featured mementos from NASCAR personalities, $20,000 was raised for MRF to support mission critical research and educational resources.

Cheryl Stratos, an MRF board member and stage four melanoma survivor, accepted the check from the Erik Jones Foundation.

“It cannot be overstated how important donations like this one from the Erik Jones Foundation are to life-saving research and drug development,” said Stratos, who received her diagnosis in November 2009. “I am here today because of the work of so many people. I enrolled in a phase one clinical trial at UCLA and it saved my life. But the amount of money and work it takes to even have a clinical trial is staggering. That’s why this donation, and this moment, where Erik and I can advocate for prevention, early cancer detection and care, is so valuable. There’s someone today who is in the same position I was back in 2009 who will benefit from the efforts made by Erik and his foundation with this donation to the MRF.”

Committed to the support of medical research and education, MRF is a dedicated advocate for the melanoma community, helping to raise awareness of this disease and the need for a cure. MRF’s website, www.melanoma.org, is the premier source for melanoma information. MRF can also be found on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube and TikTok.

In addition to raising funds for MRF, Jones has raised awareness. During this year’s Coca-Cola 600 on Memorial Day weekend at Charlotte (N.C.) Motor Speedway, Jones partnered with MRF and local dermatologists to promote sunscreen use. Before racing his No. 43 FOCUSfactor Chevrolet Camaro for Petty GMS, which sports an Erik Jones Foundation logo this weekend at Michigan to commemorate its one-year anniversary, Jones joined members of his foundation and distributed 10,000 travel-sized sunscreen containers to fans while encouraging them to schedule annual exams with their dermatologist.

“You can’t just talk about it, you have to go and do it,” Jones said. “That’s why I started the foundation. I wanted to find a way to do more on a larger scale. We’re only a year into it and I already feel like we’re making an impact. But the truth is, we’re just getting started.”

The foundation’s first gift was a donation last June to the Genesee District Library, a public library system with 19 locations serving the residents of Genesee County, Michigan. It was an extension of Jones’ #READwithErik series, which began in the spring of 2020 when COVID-19 forced NASCAR to take a 10-week break and schools transitioned to remote learning. Jones saw an opportunity to share his passion for reading and the first #READwithErik event took place on April 21, 2020 when he sat down in front of a camera and read Dr. Seuss’ iconic “Oh, The Places You’ll Go” via his Facebook page. Since its debut, #READwithErik has featured 70 books – 50 dedicated to youths with 20 other featured titles geared toward adults – all of which have generated more than 200,000 views and a reach in excess of 430,000.

In the past year as COVID-19 restrictions eased, Jones has been able to take his #READwithErik series from the digital realm to in-person gatherings. He has read to students in the campgrounds at NASCAR venues, with his first in-person reading coming last August at Michigan where Jones read “M is for Mitten: A Michigan Alphabet” by Annie Appleford, to kids and their families at the Graves Family Campground. Subsequent visits have included Estrella Vista STEM Academy for Engineering in Avondale, Arizona, last November, where the Erik Jones Foundation donated 100 books to the school library, and Celeste Henkel Elementary School in Statesville, North Carolina, earlier this year where Jones read another Dr. Seuss classic, “The Cat in the Hat”. Jones returned to an at-track campground event in May during the Southern 500 race weekend at Darlington (S.C.) Raceway, reading “Back Roads, Country Toads” by Devin Scillian and illustrated by Tim Bowers to kids and their families. Most recently, Jones joined author Neal Thompson on a panel hosted by North Carolina Humanities on June 23 at the NASCAR Hall of Fame in Charlotte, North Carolina, that discussed Thompson’s book, “Driving with the Devil: Southern Moonshine, Detroit Wheels and the Birth of NASCAR”.

Those wishing to make a tax-deductible contribution to the Erik Jones Foundation can do so via the following address:

Erik Jones Foundation
370 E. Maple Road, 4th Floor
Birmingham, Michigan 48009

McLaughlin Nabs Pole For Big Machine Music City Grand Prix

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Official Release
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  • Team Penske’s Scott McLaughlin earns second NTT P1 Award on the season; Nashville’s Josef Newgarden to start sixth.
  • 14-year-old Brent Crews wins Trans Am race, Nashville’s Scott Borchetta grabs first career podium.
  • Onofrio Triarsi takes first GT America race, Matt Brabham wins Stadium SUPER Trucks opener

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (August 6, 2022) – Team Penske driver Scott McLaughlin captured the pole position Saturday for the Big Machine Music City Grand Prix with a stellar final lap in qualifying on the temporary street circuit in downtown Nashville.

McLaughlin (No. 3 Chevrolet) recorded a final lap of 1 minute, 14.5555 seconds (101.401 mph) on the 2.1-mile, 11-turn layout in the Firestone Fast Six to secure his second pole of the season. His other pole came at the season-opening race on the streets of St. Petersburg, where he went on to his first career NTT INDYCAR SERIES win.

Romain Grosjean (No. 28 Honda) of Andretti Autosport qualified a season-best second with a lap of 1:14.6975 (101.208 mph). Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing rookie Christian Lundgaard Lundgaard (No. 30 Honda) also established a season-best qualifying performance by taking third with a lap of 1:14.7149 (101.185).

Defending NTT INDYCAR SERIES champion Alex Palou (No. 10 Honda) of Chip Ganassi Racing qualified fourth (1:14.9087 | 100.923 mph) and Arrow McLaren SP’s Pato O’Ward (No. 5 Chevrolet) was fifth (1:14.9261 | 100.899).

Nashville’s Josef Newgarden (No. 3 Chevrolet) of Team Penske rounded out the Firestone Fast Six with a lap of 1:15.1461 (100.604 mph).

The NTT INDYCAR SERIES will return to the track at 9:15 a.m. CT Sunday for a 30-minute warm-up session. The 80-lap Big Machine Music City Grand Prix, Round 14 of the 17-race NTT INDYCAR SERIES, will take the green flag at 2:30 p.m. NBC television coverage begins at 2 p.m.

Saturday Notebook: Fourteen-year-old Brent Crews (No. 70 Ford), who became the youngest Trans Am winner in history last race at Road America, made it two in a row with a win in Saturday’s race. Crews, who started second, earned a 1.54-second victory over Connor Mosack (No. 28 Chevrolet) in the 70-minute timed race. Nashville’s Scott Borchetta (No. 48 Ford), who finished 3.213 seconds back of Crews, finished third for the first podium of his career. … Indy Lights Presented by Cooper Tires qualifying was cancelled due to inclement weather. The starting line-up will be based off entry points. Points leader Linus Lundqvist of HMD Motorsports with Dale Coyne Racing will start on the pole while Hunter McElrea of Andretti Autosport will start second. Lundqvist leads McElrea by 76 points coming into Sunday’s race that begins at 12:10 p.m. … Onofrio Triarsi went wire to wire to take the win in the SRO GT America opener of the weekend doubleheader. Justin Wetherill finished runner-up to give Ferrari the top two spots. Jason Daskalos, in an Audi, was third with SRO3 drivers sweeping the podium. Robb Holland was the top GT4 finisher in a Porsche, taking 10th overall. The weekend finale is a 40-minute, timed race that starts at 10:55 a.m. Sunday. … Matt Brabham won the opening race of the Speed Energy Stadium SUPER Trucks doubleheader weekend, edging Gavin Harlien by 0.7009 of a second in the 10-lap event. Max Gordon finished third. Brabham’s win was his first of the season and 24th of his career, which ranks third all time.

McLaughlin Wins NTT P1 Award in Frantic Nashville Qualifying

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Official Release
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NASHVILLE, Tenn. (Saturday, Aug. 6, 2022) – Scott McLaughlin won the NTT P1 Award for the Big Machine Music City Grand Prix on Saturday, grabbing his second career pole on his last flying lap in the Firestone Fast Six.

McLaughlin’s best lap was 1 minute, 14.5555 seconds in the No. 3 DEX Imaging Team Penske Chevrolet on the 11-turn, 2.1-mile temporary street circuit that includes two trips per lap over the Korean War Veterans Memorial Bridge. The pole came after New Zealand driver McLaughlin led practice earlier in the day at 1:15.4609.

“The car was phenomenal,” McLaughlin said. “We did that on one lap, used tires. One of those good laps.”

The start of qualifying was delayed by 90 minutes due to thunderstorms and lightning that rumbled through downtown Nashville this afternoon. The rain changed the grip level of the tricky, bumpy street circuit.

2021 NTT INDYCAR SERIES Rookie of the Year McLaughlin’s previous pole came this February at the season-opening Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg, which he won from the top spot for his first career series victory. He also won The Honda Indy 200 at Mid-Ohio Presented by the All-New 2023 Civic Type R in early July from the second starting spot.

“Tell you what, this DEX car is really good, man,” McLaughlin said. “We’ve been going really fast in this car. Won the St. Pete opener with it. Won Mid-Ohio and now we’re pole at Nashville, which is an amazing racetrack.”

Live coverage of the 80-lap race starts at 3 p.m. ET Sunday on NBC and the INDYCAR Radio Network. A 30-minute warmup starts at 10:15 a.m. ET, with live coverage on Peacock Premium and the INDYCAR Radio Network.

Romain Grosjean will join McLaughlin on the front row for Sunday’s race after his best lap of 1:14.6975 the No. 28 DHL Honda. This was the best qualifying effort of the season for the Frenchman, whose previous-best start was fifth in the season opener at St. Petersburg.

Rookie Christian Lundgaard continued his impressive weekend by qualifying a career-best third at 1:14.7149 in the No. 30 Shield Cleansers Honda. The Dane’s previous-best start was fourth last August in the road race at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

Lundgaard, who led practice Friday, came to Nashville after earning a career-best second-place finish last Saturday in the Gallagher Grand Prix on the IMS road course.

Joining Lundgaard in Row 2 is reigning series champion Alex Palou, who qualified fourth at 1:14.9087 in the No. 10 NTT DATA Chip Ganassi Racing Honda.

Pato O’Ward qualified fifth at 1:14.9261 in the No. 5 Arrow McLaren SP Chevrolet. Two-time series champion and Nashville-area native Josef Newgarden rounded out the Firestone Fast Six at 1:15.1461 in the No. 2 PPG Team Penske Chevrolet.

Newgarden made an interesting gamble that didn’t pay off. He was the only driver in the Firestone Fast Six to qualify on Firestone primary tires. The other five drivers used Firestone alternate tires, which this weekend are constructed with rubber derived from the drought-resistant guayule shrub native to the American Southwest. The primary tire lasts longer but isn’t as grippy as the alternate tire.

Still, Newgarden, O’Ward and Palou are the trio among the top six drivers in the series standings who will start the treacherous street race from the first three rows. Points leader Will Power, 2022 Indianapolis 500 presented by Gainbridge winner Marcus Ericsson and six-time series champion Scott Dixon weren’t so lucky.

Power, who leads Ericsson by nine points with four races to go, will start eighth in the No. 12 Verizon Team Penske Chevrolet. He lost his quickest lap of the second round of qualifying, which would have advanced him into the Firestone Fast Six, when he was penalized for causing a local yellow that affected the lap of the trailing O’Ward late in that session. Power ran long into a run-off area.

“It’s always tough in quali with track position and penalties and getting caught by reds (flags),” Power said. “That’s just the way it is. It’s hard.”

Chip Ganassi Racing teammates Dixon and Ericsson didn’t make it out of the first round of qualifying. Dixon will start 14th in the No. 9 PNC Bank Chip Ganassi Racing Honda as he pursues his record-tying seventh season championship.

Ericsson will start 18th in the 26-car field in the No. 8 Huski Chocolate Chip Ganassi Racing Honda. But he can take heart knowing he won the inaugural race on this circuit last year from the same starting spot.

“We need to come up with a good strategy and play the race how it comes,” Ericsson said. “There have been a lot of incidents this weekend, again like last year. I think there are still going to be opportunities. We’re just lacking a bit too much speed at the moment.”

Qualifying Saturday for the Big Machine Music City Grand Prix NTT INDYCAR SERIES event on the 2.1 mile-Streets of Nashville circuit, with qualifying position, car number in parentheses, driver, engine, time and speed in parentheses:

  1. (3) Scott McLaughlin, Chevrolet, 01:14.5555 (101.401)
  2. (28) Romain Grosjean, Honda, 01:14.6975 (101.208)
  3. (30) Christian Lundgaard, Honda, 01:14.7149 (101.185)
  4. (10) Alex Palou, Honda, 01:14.9087 (100.923)
  5. (5) Pato O’Ward, Chevrolet, 01:14.9261 (100.899)
  6. (2) Josef Newgarden, Chevrolet, 01:15.1461 (100.604)
  7. (18) David Malukas, Honda, 01:14.9616 (100.852)
  8. (12) Will Power, Chevrolet, 01:14.9818 (100.824)
  9. (15) Graham Rahal, Honda, 01:15.3112 (100.383)
  10. (21) Rinus VeeKay, Chevrolet, 01:15.3897 (100.279)
  11. (45) Jack Harvey, Honda, 01:15.9758 (99.505)
  12. (4) Dalton Kellett, Chevrolet, 01:16.5600 (98.746)
  13. (60) Simon Pagenaud, Honda, 01:19.4039 (95.209)
  14. (9) Scott Dixon, Honda, 01:15.3179 (100.375)
  15. (7) Felix Rosenqvist, Chevrolet, 01:21.1784 (93.128)
  16. (14) Kyle Kirkwood, Chevrolet, 01:15.4382 (100.214)
  17. (27) Alexander Rossi, Honda, 01:21.4579 (92.809)
  18. (8) Marcus Ericsson, Honda, 01:15.4501 (100.199)
  19. (77) Callum Ilott, Chevrolet, 01:57.6982 (64.232)
  20. (51) Takuma Sato, Honda, 01:15.5935 (100.009)
  21. (16) Simona De Silvestro, Chevrolet, No Time (No Speed)
  22. (20) Conor Daly, Chevrolet, 01:16.3955 (98.959)
  23. (26) Colton Herta, Honda, No Time (No Speed)
  24. (06) Helio Castroneves, Honda, 01:16.5898 (98.708)
  25. (29) Devlin DeFrancesco, Honda, No Time (No Speed)
  26. (48) Jimmie Johnson, Honda, 01:17.5888 (97.437)

Herbst Nabs Another Top-10 at Michigan

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Official Release
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Monster Energy Driver Scores 14th Top-10 of Season and Second Straight

Date: Saturday, Aug. 6

Event: Michigan 250 (Round 21 of 33)

Series: NASCAR Xfinity Series

Location: Michigan International Speedway in Brooklyn (2-mile oval)

Format: 125 laps, broken into three stages (30 laps/30 laps/65 laps)

Start/Finish: 13th / 9th (Running, completed 125 of 125 laps)

Point Standing: 8th (583 points, 252 out of first)

Race Winner: Ty Gibbs of Joe Gibbs Racing (Toyota)

Stage 1 Winner: Noah Gragson of JR Motorsports (Chevrolet)

Stage 2 Winner: Noah Gragson of JR Motorsports (Chevrolet)

Overview:

Riley Herbst drove his No. 98 Monster Energy Ford Mustang to another top-10 finish Saturday at Michigan International Speedway in Brooklyn. By finishing ninth in the 125-lap race around the 2-mile oval, Herbst scored his 14th top-10 in the 21 NASCAR Xfinity Series races held this season. It was also his second straight top-10, as the 23-year-old racer from Las Vegas finished sixth last Saturday on the road course at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. In fact, this was Herbst’s second consecutive top-10 at Michigan. He finished seventh in last year’s race. Despite those solid statistics, Herbst was disappointed with his run. His No. 98 machine was too loose coming off the track’s sweeping corners but too tight in the center. By the time Herbst and the team got a better handle on their racecar, the race was over.

Riley Herbst, driver of the No. 98 Monster Energy Ford Mustang for Stewart-Haas Racing:

“We just struggled with balance all day. It sucks we ran this bad but, all in all, another top-10. We’ll move onto The Glen.”

Notes:

● Ty Gibbs won the Michigan 250 to score his ninth career Xfinity Series victory, his fifth of the season and his first at Michigan. His margin over second-place Justin Allgaier was 1.160 seconds.

● There were four caution periods for a total of 19 laps.

● Only 12 of the 38 drivers in the race finished on the lead lap.

● AJ Allmendinger remains the championship leader after Michigan with a 19-point advantage over second-place Allgaier.

Next Up:

The NASCAR Xfinity Series enjoys a rare off-weekend before returning to action on Aug. 20 at Watkins Glen (N.Y.) International. The race starts at 3 p.m. EDT with live coverage provided by USA and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.

Ty Gibbs cruises to fifth Xfinity victory of 2022 at Michigan

By
Andrew Kim
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Photo by Tim Jarrold for SpeedwayMedia.com.

After assuming command of the field at the start of the final stage, Ty Gibbs never looked back as he cycled his way to a dominant victory in the New Holland 250 at Michigan International Speedway on Saturday, August 6.

The 19-year-old Gibbs from Charlotte, North Carolina, rallied from starting ninth to lead twice for a race-high 54 of 125-scheduled laps, including the final 16, as he beat runner-up Justin Allgaier by more than a second to claim his fifth Xfinity Series victory of the 2022 season at the Irish Hills.

With on-track qualifying that determined the starting lineup occurring on Saturday, Noah Gragson started on pole position for the second time this season after recording a pole-winning lap at 190.370 mph in 37.821 seconds. Joining him on the front row was AJ Allmendinger, winner of last weekend’s Xfinity event at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Road Course who clocked in his best lap at 190.340 mph in 37.827 seconds.

Prior to the event, names like Bayley Currey, David Starr and CJ McLaughlin started at the rear of the field due to unapproved adjustments to their respective cars. Blaine Perkins and Matt Mills also dropped to the rear due to an engine change made to their cars.

When the green flag waved and the race started, Gragson and Allmendinger dueled early for the lead until Gragson gained a strong run on the outside lane to pull ahead through the backstretch. As Brandon Jones issued a three-wide challenge on Allmendinger and Justin Allgaier for the runner-up spot, Gragson proceeded to lead the first lap. Behind, Allmendinger retained second ahead of Jones while Daniel Hemric challenged Allgaier for fourth place.

Three laps later and with the field jostling early for positions, Josh Berry, who was battling Joe Gibbs Racing’s Sammy Smith and Ty Gibbs for spots in the top 10, washed up the track and scrapped the outside wall in the backstretch as Kyle Weatherman made the slightest contact against Berry while quickly moving to the left to avoid hitting Berry. Then entering Turn 3, Weatherman got loose underneath Berry as Berry’s No. 8 Harrison’s Chevrolet Camaro washed up the track towards the outside wall again. Despite the contact, both proceeded at full race pace as Berry was mired back in the top 15.

Through the first five scheduled laps, Gragson was leading by six-tenths of a second over Allmendinger followed by Brandon Jones, Allgaier and Hemric while Sammy Smith, Ty Gibbs, rookie Sheldon Creed, rookie Austin Hill and Landon Cassill were in the top 10.

At the Lap 10 mark, Gragson extended his advantage to more than a second over Allmendinger, who was fending off Allgaier and Brandon Jones for the runner-up spot, while Sammy Smith moved his No. 18 Pilot Flying J Toyota Supra inside the top five. Meanwhile, Berry was in 12th in between Riley Herbst and Brandon Brown while Myatt Snider and Ryan Sieg occupied the top 15.

By Lap 20, Gragson, who remained as the leader, had his advantage decreased to less than half a second with the latter closing in on the former and bidding for the lead. Meanwhile, Allmendinger, Sammy Smith and Brandon Jones were in the top five followed by Ty Gibbs, Hemric, Hill, Creed and Cassill.

When the first stage concluded on Lap 30, Gragson carved his No. 9 Bass Pro Shops Chevrolet Camaro through lapped traffic and to his ninth stage victory of the 2022 season. Teammate Allgaier, who could not navigate his way around Gragson for the lead, settled in second followed by Sammy Smith, Allmendinger, Gibbs, Brandon Jones, Hemric, Hill, Cassill and Berry.

Under the stage break, the leaders led by Gragson pitted and Gragson retained the lead following quick service from his pit crew followed by Allmendinger, Smith, Allgaier, Hill and Hemric.

The second stage started on Lap 36 as Gragson and Allmendinger occupied the front row. At the start, Allgaier pushed Allmendinger to the lead until Allgaier issued a challenge for the lead entering the first turn. Allmendinger, however, pulled away on the outside lane followed by a fast-charging Gragson, Allgaier, Smith, Gibbs and the field. 

Then as the field entered the frontstretch, Gragson made his move beneath Allmendinger in his bid for the lead, but a bold three-wide move on the outside lane moved Allgaier to the lead entering the first turn followed by Smith and Ty Gibbs while Allmendinger and Gragson fell back to fourth and fifth. 

On Lap 40, the caution flew when CJ McLaughlin got loose and pounded the outside wall in Turn 2 as he spun below the apron while being dodged by the competitors running towards the rear of the field. At the same time, Matt Mills spun and backed his car into the outside wall while trying to brake and dodge McLaughlin.

When the race proceeded under green on Lap 45, Allgaier and Ty Gibbs dueled for the lead until Allgaier used the outside lane to his advantage and pulled ahead with the lead through the first two turns. Behind, Smith moved back into the runner-up spot followed by Gibbs, Allmendinger and Brandon Jones while Gragson was back in sixth.

At the Lap 50 mark, Allgaier continued to lead by a tenth of a second over a hard-charging Sammy Smith followed by Gibbs, Allmendinger and Gragson while Brandon Jones, Sam Mayer, Landon Cassill, Hemric and Riley Herbst were in the top 10. Behind, Berry was in 11th followed by John Hunter Nemechek, Creed, Hill, Anthony Alfredo, Kaz Grala, Ryan Sieg, Myatt Snider, Kyle Weatherman and Kyle Sieg.

Three laps later, the caution returned when Dillon Bassett made contact with David Starr entering the backstretch as Starr got into the outside wall and spun below the backstretch without hitting the inside wall. During the caution period, some led by race leader Allgaier and Smith pitted while the rest led by Allmendinger and Gragson remained on the track.

With two laps remaining in the second stage, the race restarted under green as teammates Allmendinger and Cassill occupied the front row. At the start, teammates Cassill and Allmendinger dueled for the lead while their other teammate, Hemric, washed up the track and nearly got into the outside wall entering the backstretch. After dueling with Cassill throughout the backstretch, Allmendinger pulled ahead entering the frontstretch to retain the lead and commence the final lap of the second stage. Meanwhile, Gragson overtook Cassill for the runner-up spot as he bolted his way towards the front.

When the second stage concluded on Lap 60, Gragson, who gained a strong run through the backstretch before drawing himself alongside Allmendinger’s No. 16 Action Industries Chevrolet Camaro through the frontstretch, edged Allmendinger by 0.035 seconds to capture his 10th stage victory and second of the day on Lap 60. Allmendinger settled in second followed by Berry, Cassill, Ryan Sieg, Anthony Alfredo, Kaz Grala, Myatt Snider, Gibbs and Hill.

Under the stage break, some led by Gragson and Allmendinger pitted while the rest led by Ty Gibbs remained on the track. During the pit stops, Berry was penalized for speeding on pit road.

With 59 laps remaining, the final stage started as teammates Gibbs and Sammy Smith occupied the front row. At the start, Gibbs launched his No. 54 Monster Energy Toyota Supra to the lead on the outside lane. Shortly after, Hill moved into the runner-up spot while Smith was being pressured by Allgaier, Sam Mayer and Brandon Jones for positions in the top five for nearly a full lap. 

Four laps later, Sam Mayer ran into the rear of Smith’s No. 18 Toyota as Smith was engaged in a fierce battle with Allgaier for third place, which damaged the left-front fender of Mayer’s No. 1 BUSDX Chevrolet Camaro and caused a tire rub as he began to slide below the leaderboard. During the following lap, he made an unscheduled pit stop under green while Smith remained on the track in fourth place.

Back on the track and down to the final 50 laps of the event, Gibbs was leading by more than two seconds over Allgaier, who overtook Hill for the runner-up spot. Teammates Smith and Brandon Jones were in the top five while Herbst, Allmendinger, Gragson, Creed and Cassill occupied the top 10. Behind, John Hunter Nemechek was in 11th while Brandon Brown, Hemric, Berry and Alfredo were in the top 15.

Ten laps later, Gibbs, who reported debris on his grille, continued to lead by more than two seconds over Allgaier while Smith, Hill and Jones, who had Allmendinger and Gragson closing in, were in the top five. Shortly after, however, Gibbs was able to use the lapped car of Blaine Perkins to remove the debris from his grille and retain the lead.

Another 10 laps later, Gibbs retained the lead by nearly two seconds over Allgaier. Behind, Smith, Gragson and Hill were scored in the top five followed by Brandon Jones, Allmendinger, Herbst, Berry and Hemric.

Four laps later, a late cycle of green flag pit stops occurred as Brandon Jones pitted his No. 19 Menards Toyota Supra along with Allgaier. During the following lap, Gibbs surrendered the lead to pit for four fresh tires and fuel along with Creed, Gragson and Smith, who led a lap for himself prior to pitting. During the pit stops, Sammy Smith’s strong run was spoiled when he was penalized for speeding on pit road.

With 20 laps remaining, Berry, who has yet to pit, was leading by more than 13 seconds over Alfredo followed by Sieg, Weatherman and Gibbs. Meanwhile, David Starr experienced a scary moment while pitting as the right-front tire on his car exploded amid a fire.

Five laps later, Gibbs cycled his way back to the lead after Ryan Sieg and Kyle Weatherman pitted. By then, Berry and Alfredo had pitted while Allgaier was in the runner-up spot followed by Gragson, Jones and Hill. 

Down to the final 10 laps of the event, Gibbs was leading by more than a second over Allgaier, who was experiencing difficulties navigating his way through lapped traffic, followed by Gragson, Jones and Hill while Allmendinger, Berry, Hemric, Herbst and Cassill were in the top 10. Creed was back in 11th ahead of Sammy Smith, Ryan Sieg, Brandon Brown and Anthony Alfredo, all of whom were on the lead lap.

With five laps remaining, Gibbs, who was trying to navigate and lap Ryan Sieg and Alfredo, continued to lead by more than a second over Allgaier while Gragson, Jones and Hill stabilized themselves in the top five.

When the white flag waved and the final lap started, Gibbs remained as the leader by more than a second over Allgaier. With Allgaier unable to narrow the deficit, Gibbs, who was proceeding to lap Brandon Brown, cycled his way back to the frontstretch as he streaked his No. 54 Toyota to the finish line and captured his fifth checkered flag of the 2022 season. 

In addition, Gibbs, who last won at Road America during the Fourth of July weekend, captured his first NASCAR national touring series victory at the Irish Hills and his ninth career win in his 39th overall start in the Xfinity circuit. He also recorded the sixth victory at Michigan for Joe Gibbs Racing and the fifth for the Toyota nameplate as he trails the regular-season points lead by 28 points with five races prior to the start of the 2022 Xfinity Series Playoffs.

“We had a very fast Monster Energy Toyota GR Supra,” Gibbs said on USA Network. “I’m so excited. I think this style of racing shows the strategy and the pit stops. It’s pretty spread out. My guys did a great job. My pit crew, they work so hard. I work out with them during the weekend. I see how hard they work, so every one of them did a good job. All glory to God. My car was faster than Xfinity high speed internet. Just kidding it wasn’t that fast. I just race, week in and week out, but [there’s] people who get all excited and think they’re making a huge statement and then they get in the playoffs and suck. I’m just doing what I can, week in and week out.”

Allgaier, who led 17 laps, settled in the runner-up spot while Gragson, who led 39 laps and won the first and second stage, came home in third place after he was unable to charge his way back to the lead during the final stage.

“I just had a couple of errors today that really kept us from racing [Gibbs],” Allgaier said. “Hats off to Ty. He did a great job. This team, our BRANDT Professional Agricultural Camaro was really good all day. We chose to play the right strategy. We gave up some points in the regular-season points, but I think it was the right strategy. I picked the wrong lane on one of the restarts and that was just kind of the difference maker, but all in all, a good day. A hot day, but a good day. Proud of our team. Proud of the effort.”

“I felt like we had a good enough car to be able to get back up there,” Gragson said. “[I] Just kind of struggled on the short run. We won the first stage and then, kind of got shuffled back on the restarts on the second stage. [I] Decided to stay out, ended up winning the second stage. Once everything cycled through and we pitted after this stage, those guys started up front and on the tires they took. Just struggled, but really proud of the effort by all the guys sticking behind us. You’re damned if you do, damned if you don’t. We got two Playoff points, but I felt like we were good enough to win.”

Brandon Jones and Hill finished in the top five while Berry, Allmendinger, Hemric, Herbst and Cassill completed the top 10 on the track. Following his late pit road penalty, Sammy Smith ended up in 12th place, the final competitor on the lead lap.

There were 12 lead changes for nine different leaders. The race featured four cautions for 19 laps. Only 12 of 38 starters finished on the lead lap.

With five races remaining in the 2022 NASCAR Xfinity Series regular-season stretch, AJ Allmendinger continues to lead the regular-season standings by 19 points over Justin Allgaier, 28 over Ty Gibbs, 87 over Noah Gragson and 98 over Josh Berry.

Ty Gibbs, Noah Gragson, Justin Allgaier, AJ Allmendinger, Josh Berry, rookie Austin Hill and Brandon Jones are currently guaranteed spots for the 2022 Xfinity Playoffs based on winning once throughout the regular season stretch while Riley Herbst, Sam Mayer, Daniel Hemric, Landon Cassill, and Ryan Sieg occupy the remaining vacant spots to the Playoffs based on points. Rookie Sheldon Creed trails the top-12 cutline by 52 points, Anthony Alfredo trails by 75, Brandon Brown trails by 87, Jeb Burton trails by 155, Myatt Snider trails by 156 and Jeremy Clements trails by 170.

Results.

1. Ty Gibbs, 54 laps led

2. Justin Allgaier, 17 laps led

3. Noah Gragson, 39 laps led, Stage 1 & 2 winner

4. Brandon Jones

5. Austin Hill, one lap led

6. Josh Berry, three laps led

7. AJ Allmendinger, seven laps led

8. Daniel Hemric

9. Riley Herbst

10. Landon Cassill

11. Sheldon Creed

12. Sammy Smith, one lap led

13. Brandon Brown, one lap down

14. Anthony Alfredo, one lap down, one lap led

15. Ryan Sieg, one lap down, two laps led

16. Kyle Weatherman, one lap down

17. Myatt Snider, one lap down

18. Kaz Grala, one lap down

19. John Hunter Nemechek, one lap down

20. JJ Yeley, one lap down

21. Kaz Grala, one lap down

22. Jeb Burton, one lap down

23. Joe Graf Jr., one lap down

24. Mason Massey, one lap down

25. Patrick Emerling, one lap down

26. Alex Labbe, one lap down

27. Ryan Ellis, one lap down

28. Josh Bilicki, one lap down

29. Ryan Vargas, two laps down

30. Bayley Currey, two laps down

31. Jeremy Clements, two laps down

32. Blaine Perkins, two laps down

33. Sam Mayer, two laps down

34. Dillon Bassett, three laps down

35. David Starr – OUT, Hub

36. Josh Williams – OUT, Electrical

37. CJ McLaughlin – OUT, Accident

38. Matt Mills – OUT, Accident

Next on the 2022 NASCAR Xfinity Series schedule is Watkins Glen International in Watkins Glen, New York, which will occur on August 20 at 3 p.m. ET on USA Network.

Toyota Racing NXS Post-Race Recap — Michigan 8.6.22

By
Official Release
-

GIBBS CLAIMS FIFTH XFINITY WIN OF 2022
Ty Gibbs Captures the Checkers at Michigan

BROOKLYN, Mich. (August 6, 2022) – Ty Gibbs claimed his fifth win of the 2022 season in Saturday’s NASCAR Xfinity Series race at Michigan International Speedway. For Gibbs, it was his second win at the two-mile speedway. Brandon Jones (fourth) also scored a top-five finish for Toyota.

Toyota Racing Post-Race Recap
NASCAR Xfinity Series
Michigan International Speedway
Race 21 of 33 – 250 miles, 125 laps

TOYOTA FINISHING POSITIONS
1st, TY GIBBS
2nd, Justin Allgaier*
3rd, Noah Gragson*
4th, BRANDON JONES
5th, Austin Hill*
12th, SAMMY SMITH
19th, JOHN HUNTER NEMECHEK
25th, PATRICK EMERLING
*non-Toyota driver

TOYOTA QUOTES

TY GIBBS, No. 54 Monster Energy Toyota GR Supra, Joe Gibbs Racing

Finishing Position: 1st

How strong was your race car today?

“We had a very fast Monster Energy GR Supra. I’m so excited. I think this style of racing shows the strategy and the pit stops. It’s pretty spread out. But my guys did a great job and the pit crew worked so hard. I workout with them during the week and I see how hard they work, every one of them. They do a great job and my cousin is pitting now too so it’s cool to see my family involved. All glory to God and thank you to my team, Monster Energy, TRD, Sport Clips, Interstate Batteries. My car was faster than Xfinity high speed internet, just kidding it wasn’t that fast.”

Why kind of momentum does this give you for the Playoffs and does this performance make you a favorite?

“I don’t know, it depends on who you look at. I just race week in and week out, but people can get all excited and think they’re making a huge statement and then go into Playoffs and suck. I’m just doing what I do week in and week out.”

Do your laps in the Cup car help you for this race?

“I’m very thankful for the opportunity and I hope Kurt (Busch) gets better. But at the end of the day it doesn’t really help me. It’s so different and the way the car is different. You think these drive different, just wait until you get to the Cup Series.”

How important was clean air in this race?

“Clean air is great air. We definitely had a very fast Monster Energy GR Supra. First of all, have to say all glory to Jesus. Thank you for this opportunity. It’s super cool to win here at Michigan, second time to win here and it’s super cool to win here. My guys did such a great job and I know how hard they work, I workout with them during the week. They work so hard. I’m very thankful to be part of an organization that motivates me like that week in and week out. Maybe not motivates because that’s temporary, but relentless and I feel like that’s what they showed me.”

What was your progression like throughot the afternoon to stay up front?

“My guys did such a great job on strategy and thank you for that. Thank you to TRD, we feel like we have a simulator that’s really close so it’s helping us out on these tracks. They work really hard over there so thank you to everyone that gets the simulator ready. Thank you to all my crew and maybe we can go win a Cup race tomorrow.”

BRANDON JONES, No. 19 Criterion Appliances/Menards Toyota GR Supra, Joe Gibbs Racing

Finishing Position: 4th

How does it feel to get a top-five finish today?

“It’s a little frustrating too because we came into this race with the mentality that we were going to win this one. In the practice session, I thought we had a car capable of winning. He (Ty Gibbs) was one of the cars that I thought would be competitive, but I also think there were a few more on my list too. We didn’t run with all those guys like we thought we would, we kind of ran at the back of those guys. We missed our balance just by a little bit, but it didn’t take much today. We just needed a little bit more turn off to be better, but all in all I think this is a good momemtum builder. I haven’t had a top-five since our Martinsville win so it’s nice to be back on track with these and then have a weekend off before Watkins Glen.”

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.

Bubba Wallace claims first career Cup Series pole at Michigan

By
Angie Campbell
-
Photo by Tim Jarrold for SpeedwayMedia.com

Bubba Wallace soared to the top of the speed charts in this No. 23 Toyota Saturday afternoon with a 190.703 mph lap to capture the Busch Light Pole Award. It was his first career Cup Series pole and the first for 23XI Racing, now in its second year of competition in the NASCAR Cup Series.

Wallace has three top-10 finishes in the last three races including a third at New Hampshire, an eighth at Pocono and a fifth last week at Indianapolis.

“It’s awesome, proud of my team, Wallace said, “continuing to show up and battle and give it all we got.

“We’ve been one of the best teams these last couple of weeks. I came over the radio after the first run and said, ‘It’s fun to have fun,’ and it’s pretty fun right now. Car feels great in race trim.”

Toyotas were strong during the qualifying session, capturing five of the top-10 spots. Joe Gibbs Racing’s Christopher Bell qualified second, Kyle Busch was third, Martin Truex Jr. was seventh and Denny Hamlin was ninth quickest. Joey Logano and Austin Cindric will start fourth and fifth in their Fords for Team Penske.

Logano felt like the team had made good adjustments but still has work to do.

“We made up some time from practice, which was good. We made some solid adjustments to get our balance better. I’m not sure how much better we made our car, but we made our balance better, which is good. We’ll think a lot overnight to make the car better for race trim, so I’d say a successful day from where we were in practice and getting better for qualifying and having a top-five effort is nice, so we’ll fight from there.”

Tyler Reddick was the fastest Chevrolet, qualifying sixth for Richard Childress Racing, Hendrick Motorsports’ Kyle Larson was seventh and Erik Jones was 10th in the Petty GMS Motorsports Chevy.

Tune in to watch the Firekeepers Casino 400 at Michigan International Speedway Sunday, August 7 on USA Network and the NBC Sports App with radio coverage on MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.

Cup-Series-Starting-Lineup-for-Michigan-August-2022-12223_STARTROW

Ford Performance NASCAR: Logano and Cindric Qualify Top 5 for Michigan Cup Race

By
Official Release
-

Ford Performance Notes and Quotes
NASCAR Cup Series
Michigan Qualifying | Saturday, August 6, 2022

Ford Qualifying Results:
4th – Joey Logano
5th – Austin Cindric
14th – Michael McDowell
16th – Kevin Harvick
17th – Cole Custer
18th – Aric Almirola
19th – Chris Buescher
23rd – Chase Briscoe
24th – Ryan Blaney
27th – Harrison Burton
29th – JJ Yeley
33rd – Brad Keselowski
34th – Cody Ware
36th – BJ McLeod
37th – Todd Gilliland

AUSTIN CINDRIC, No. 2 Discount Tire Ford Mustang – “It was a solid qualifying session for the 2 car. I felt like we made some decent improvements from practice. I feel like qualifying trim at the same time isn’t exactly super representative as to how well you’re gonna race, but I’m definitely hoping and putting our eggs in the basket of trying to race well. I think today was a good surprise for us and hopefully we can put it together tomorrow and try to get a blue oval in victory lane here at Michigan.”

ANY BIG MOMENTS OUT THERE? “No big moments, just you’re going really fast here and when you hit bumps sometimes they’re really big. When you have small corrections sometimes they’re really sketchy, so that’s just the product of driving here.”

JOEY LOGANO, No. 22 Shell/Pennzoil Ford Mustang – “We made up some time from practice, which was good. We made some solid adjustments to get our balance better. I’m not sure how much better we made our car, but we made our balance better, which is good. We’ll think a lot overnight to make the car better for race trim, so I’d say a successful day from where we were in practice and getting better for qualifying and having a top-five effort is nice, so we’ll fight from there.”

Ford Performance NASCAR: Joey Logano Michigan Media Availability

By
Official Release
-

Ford Performance Notes and Quotes
NASCAR Cup Series
Michigan Advance | Saturday, August 6, 2022

Joey Logano, driver of the No. 22 Shell/Pennzoil Ford Mustang, visited the infield media center at Michigan International Speedway and talked about a variety of topics before practice and qualifying.

JOEY LOGANO, No. 22 Shell/Pennzoil Ford Mustang – WHAT WAS HOTTER AFTER THE RACE THE INSIDE OF THE CAR AFTER THE FIRE OR THE DRIVER CHAT? “There was plenty of talking everywhere. It wasn’t just my move. There were plenty of moves out there that was going on. There was lots to talk about from last weekend. Definitely very eventful. A turn one like that on a late-race restart you can kind of see what’s gonna happen and if you’re not the one making the move, the move is gonna be made on you and you kind of get put in a spot, I think, as the whole field kind of gets put in a spot when you have a turn one like that. It’s just an eventful race at the end with everyone seeing opportunity to gain a lot of spots and big moves happen.”

WHAT HAPPENED WITH THE FIRE IN YOUR CAR AFTER THE RACE AND CAN SOMETHING BE DONE ABOUT IT? “Yeah, it’s definitely something we need to look into. It seems like the same thing that happened to my car happened to Buescher’s car with the exhaust getting pushed back into the rocker and essentially melting the panels around there and then lighting the foam up inside the door. So, obviously, we need to look into that. Learning curves with the race car. We still have a brand new race car that we’re in our first year still. We haven’t got to the playoffs yet and interesting things are happening as we go along and it’s hard to call what they’re gonna be until it happens sometimes. How many times in racing have we said, ‘Boy, I’ve never seen that before,’ and we’ve been doing this forever. We still say that, so definitely some new things there, considering it happened to a few cars I’d say it probably needs to move up the list of figuring out a fix to that because you don’t really want the cars burning up from the inside. I don’t want a flammable race car, so if we can figure out how to fix that, it would be great.”

HAVE YOU SEEN THAT HAPPEN BEFORE? “It’s the first I’ve heard of it. I don’t believe it’s the first time it’s happened from the group chat. It seems like it may have happened before, maybe one time, but you can see how it happens. Now that it happened you can really kind of dissect it, and I think there’s a fairly easy fix to it – I think – but we just all have to put our heads together and figure out ways to implement the rule and how everyone is gonna move forward with that. It’s not as easy as you may think to fix some of these things. It sounds simple, but when you have to fix 40 cars it’s not like we just have to fix the Penske cars from this. They’re all the same and all built the same way. They’re all gonna move the same way from the exhaust standpoint and into the rocker and all that, so you’ve got to fix it for everybody and it all has to be done the same way, so it’s a little bit more challenging these days than it used to be.”

ANY CONCERNS THAT NEED TO BE ADDRESSED BEFORE WATKINS GLEN AND THE ROVAL? “Those racetracks don’t seem to be as much of a chaotic moment. It still is. There’s still the opportunity to go three-wide at Watkins Glen for sure. I think with Indy what you see is there’s six lanes wide across the racetrack and then it funnels down to three or two by the time you go through one and two. It gets very wide, where like Road America is a similar situation but the track is only paved three lanes wide from grass to grass. That’s all you can fit in the first place, so it kind of keeps everybody somewhat in line, but when you have a track that wide that funnel is big and the opportunity to gain a few spots in the braking zone is there and everyone just kind of goes where somebody isn’t and just gets wider and it turns into a mess when it gets to the funnel part of it. Watkins Glen, three lanes is all you’ve got there, so you have a similar situation as you did at Road America. The Roval, we’ve already seen where that can be a challenging piece there whether it’s on the front row or the 15th row. It’s kind of hard to say, but it gets three, four lanes wide and then funnels down that chute to turn two, so you may have a similar situation there, but I don’t see us doing anything different for those. I think it just is what it is,”

THE DISCUSSION ABOUT AGGRESSIVE DRIVING. IS IT MORE OF AN ISSUE AMONG THE DRIVERS OR IS IT JUST MORE OF A CONCERN? WHERE IS THIS IN THE BIG PICTURE OF THINGS? “It’s one week. It’s one week at a racetrack that’s asking for it. Like I said, turn one is just asking for it. It would be like us going to Sonoma and looking at turn 11 as turn 1. You would go barreling down in there and it would be a mess. Well, at Indy that’s kind of what happened in turn 1 for us. I think it’s more this year than last year because the cars are more durable. Last year, you didn’t want to push a fender in. You had more fender rubs. Everyone is realized at this point that a little bit harder to cut down a tire, bodies are pretty tough, and so contact isn’t that bad. That is the number one thing that we asked for when we built this Next Gen car was a more durable race car to where we could bump and bang more. We’ve got it and now we’re gonna complain? We asked for it. The fans asked for it. Everybody asked for it. Everyone in here thought about it, so it’s just the fact that everyone is just gonna complain, period. That’s it. It doesn’t matter what we do, someone is gonna complain. That’s just life at this point. Everybody has something to complain about, instead of looking at the positives.”

FORD HAS HAD A LOT OF SUCCESS HERE, BUT NOT SO MUCH THIS SEASON. DOES THAT GIVE YOU HOPE HERE AND WHAT DO YOU THINK ABOUT THE NEW CAR HERE? “We’ll see. It seems like short tracks have been a little bit more of our wheelhouse these days with the Next Gen car, and I can find six different reasons. I know the reasons, but hopefully this racetrack falls into our wheelhouse from an engine perspective. It seems like a lot of times that’s why we’ve seen so much success here is the Roush Yates power, especially on the top end, has been pretty good as this racetrack kind of falls there for us, so I think that’s been a good thing. Hopefully, that’s a big deal when we get out there. This is one of those racetracks where it just takes everything. You’ve got to have power. You’ve got to have the right amount of downforce and right amount of drag out of it. You’ve got to hit that balance just right. You’ve got to call the race just right. Michigan is still MIchigan. I don’t see that being very different than what it’s been in the past. Now, how we get to those points is different, but I think the goals when you’re building the car is still the same. Now, what exactly is the right balance? I don’t know until we race. Even after practice you may not have the perfect car and you won’t know that until the race starts.”

IS THIS A WILDCARD RACE AND IS ANYTHING FROM AUTO CLUB APPLICABLE? “The surface of the track makes them so different. The shape and the size is the same, but once you get past that it’s very different. This track is very smooth. There’s not much tire wear. You don’t have all the seams across. Fontana is its own thing. Michigan is its own track. I don’t think there’s much that really actually crosses over from a setup perspective. You look at the on-throttle time at Fontana compared to Michigan and it’s a lot different, just because there’s more grip here. I don’t if I’d call it quite a wildcard. It has the opportunity to be that. We’ve seen MIchigan turn into fuel mileage before. We’ve seen different strategies work here because the lack of tire fall off, where somebody may take a chance and get themselves up there at the end of the race somehow. We’ve seen wild restarts here. You’re gonna see that again, so I don’t see where it’s different than what it’s been in the past. I guess there’s a possibility for a wildcard winner, possibly, but I don’t think it’s likely. I think probably the same guys you’ve seen that have been fast the past few weeks are gonna be pretty quick.”

IS THERE A SPECIAL BOND WITH THE FORD TEAMS THIS WEEKEND? “It’s the same as it’s always been. There’s a certain level that the teams feel comfortable working together with on certain things. That’s the same every weekend, whether it’s Michigan or wherever the next race is. There’s a certain amount of information that everyone feels comfortable sharing and then there’s also a point that we need to race each other, and everyone kind of knows where those lines are. It doesn’t make it different that we’re at Michigan or any other track because this is Ford’s backyard. It’s the same no matter where we’re at. It just happened to work out to where this track in the past really fell into our wheelhouse to where we were really strong here. I’m not saying it’s not going to this time. It may. There are definitely some things in our cars that, I think, favor this racetrack and there are some thing, I think, may not, so we’ll see how it balances out.”

YOU WERE AT THE HENRY FORD MUSEUM THE OTHER DAY. WHAT ARE YOUR THOUGHTS ABOUT THAT PLACE? “It was fun. A lot of my kids crying is what stood out to me (laughing). It was fun, though. We came up early and went through the Village outside and then went to the Henry Ford Museum. It was a lot of fun, actually. We went for the train ride and did the Model T rides. My son wanted to go on a Model T ride so bad. I said, ‘You know, we can do this at home.’ Like, we’re waiting in line and we can drive the car at home, but he was all about it. He had fun. Jamison likes trains, so he was all about that. Amelia was happy just riding along in the cart, so it was cool. I’ve really enjoyed going there a few times now, just the history that has been preserved there is incredible. I don’t think I’ve been anywhere else that’s like that, where we may not have had a chance to read a lot because we were chasing kids and feeding kids and changing diapers, but in times in the past there it’s been fun to just look at not only the cars, but all the other things that are in there. It’s just nuts to think that all of that is sitting in one place. You look at some of those historic buildings and how they took them apart and rebuilt them there. It’s just incredible and really cool that was able to happen. Someone took the time and dedicated their life to building that thing. That’s pretty spectacular.”

ANY ARTIFACTS THAT REALLY JUMPED OUT TO YOU? “I was hoping my championship car was still there because it has been there, but they just changed it out. I let my son down. I told him, ‘Daddy’s race car is in there.’ No, it wasn’t (laughing). There is so much that it’s hard to pick one thing. You need two full days to do it right is what I think. You really need to take your time and do it. We didn’t get the chance to read everything. We went for all the rides, which was good.”

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