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GMS Racing NCWTS Race Preview: Lucas Oil Indianapolis Raceway Park

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Grant Enfinger, No. 23 Champion Power Equipment Chevrolet Silverado RST

Lucas Oil Indianapolis Raceway Park Stats

  • Grant Enfinger will make his first NCWTS start at IRP on Friday.
  • ARCA Starts: 4, Best start: 4th, Best finish: 4th (2014), Top 5s: 1, Top 10s: 3, Laps led: 26

2022 NCWTS Season Stats

  • Starts: 16, Best start: 3rd, Best finish: 2nd (Charlotte), Top 5s: 3, Top 10s: 7, Laps led: 30, Current points position: 9th
  • About Champion Power Equipment: Since 2003 Champion Power Equipment has earned a reputation for designing and producing the market’s finest power equipment. From our original headquarters in Santa Fe Springs, California, Champion has expanded its North American footprint to include facilities in Jackson, Tennessee, Milwaukee, Wisconsin and Toronto Canada. Today, Champion’s product line has expanded to include portable generators, home standby generators, inverter generators, engines, winches and log splitters. With over 2.5 million generators sold in North America, Champion is a market leader in the power equipment field. Visit ChampionPowerEquipment.com for more information.
  • Chassis History/Info: Enfinger and the No. 23 team will compete with GMS Racing chassis no. 329 at Lucas Oil Indianapolis Raceway Park. This Chevrolet was built in 2020, and has raced at a few different types of tracks, including intermediates and flat tracks. This season, Enfinger has raced with this chassis twice, posting an eighth place finish at Martinsville, and most recently finishing 11th at Texas.
  • IRP Notebook: It’s been a few years since Grant Enfinger last visited Lucas Oil Indianapolis Raceway Park, but he was no slouch in the races he ran. The veteran competed in four ARCA Menards Series starts at IRP from 2011-2015, and posted top-10 finishes in all but one of those races. A short track racer by trade, Enfinger has had this race highlighted on his calendar since the day the race was announced. Grant looks to use this experience to his benefit, as he is one of only a handful of NCWTS drivers that have previously raced at the facility.
  • FearTheFinger Playoffs Profile: Grant Enfinger will have the chance to race for a championship after successfully qualifying for the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Playoffs for the fourth time in his career. Having previously qualified for the playoffs in 2018, 2019 (where he won the regular season championship), and 2020, the veteran knows what it takes to contend for the title during the final seven races of the year. So far in the 2022 campaign, the driver of the No. 23 Champion Power Equipment Chevrolet has earned three top-fives and seven top-10 finishes, in addition to leading 30 laps. Entering the first race of the postseason, Enfinger is seeded ninth in the standings, three points below the cutline for the Round of 8. Key finishes in the next three events at Lucas Oil Indianapolis Raceway Park, Richmond Raceway, and Kansas Speedway will be at the top of his priority list as he looks to advance further along in the championship hunt. - GE Quote: “Finally, we’ve made it to the start of the playoffs. Our regular season really didn’t go to plan for us on the No. 23 team, but the playoffs give us a great opportunity to completely flip our season. I’m looking forward to getting the Round of 10 started by visiting two short tracks back to back. Personally, I feel like the trucks should have never left racing at IRP, so I’m excited to get back there. Tire wear is going to be huge, so that’s going to give us an opportunity to have some comers and goers. I love racing at tracks that have a lot of fall off, where we’re able to fight for grip, so hopefully that will play to our advantage on Friday night.”

Jack Wood, No. 24 Chevrolet Military Appreciation Chevrolet Silverado RST

Lucas Oil Indianapolis Raceway Park Stats

  • Jack Wood will make his first career start in any series at IRP on Friday.

2022 NCWTS Season Stats

  • Starts: 16, Best start: 10th, Best finish: 13th (Atlanta), Current points position: 25th
  • About The GM Military Appreciation Program: Recognizing your commitment with one of our own. The men and women of the U.S. Military are devoted to giving their all in the line of duty. In recognition of this bravery, the GM Military Appreciation offer is our promise to give service members the special offer they deserve. The special offer on eligible, new vehicles is available to the following: Active Duty members, Reservists, National Guard members, all Veterans and Retirees of the U.S. Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps, and Coast Guard and their sponsored spouse. To learn more about the program, visit www.GMMilitaryDiscount.com.
  • Chassis History/Info: Wood and the No. 24 team will compete with GMS Racing chassis no. 337 in Indianapolis on Friday. This chassis has been raced two previous times this season with Jack behind the wheel, and made its debut in the 2021 race at Gateway, where it dominated with Sheldon Creed. This Silverado RST has been primarily raced on the flat tracks, such as Gateway and Phoenix.
  • Sunoco ROTY Update: Following a crash at Pocono Raceway resulting in a 33rd place finish, Jack Wood has some ground to make up in the chase for Sunoco Rookie of the Year honors. Entering Friday’s race at Lucas Oil Indianapolis Raceway Park, Wood, currently fourth in the rookie standings, 62 points out of the lead and 23 markers back from his nearest competitor in Dean Thompson.
  • JW Quote: “I’m looking forward to racing at IRP for the first time and focusing on the short tracks for the next few weeks. The past three races have definitely been a struggle with our No. 24 team that we did not see coming, but there’s not another group that I would rather have behind my back than the guys that I have on our team. It’s a bummer that we weren’t able to make the playoffs this year, but having the support of everyone at Chevrolet and GMS Racing has been great, and we still have a handful of races left to run this year to end the season on a high note. I want to congratulate Grant and the No. 23 team for making the playoffs; I know they are going to go out there and put up a great fight for the organization. Our number one goal for the rest of the season is to go out there and put together the best seven races that we possibly can, and that all starts with this weekend in Indy.”

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.

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Corey Heim – No. 51 Crescent Tools Tundra TRD Pro Camping World Trucks IRP Preview

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Corey Heim: Driver, No. 51 Crescent Tools Toyota

NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Overview:
Event: TSport 200 presented by Crescent Tools
Race 17 of 23, 200 Laps – 60/60/80; 137.2 Miles
Location: Lucas Oil Indianapolis (Ind.) Raceway Park (IRP) (0.686-mile oval)
Date/Broadcast: July 29, 2022, at 9 p.m. ET on FS1, MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR 90

The Story on Corey:

Corey Heim and the No. 51 team head to Lucas Oil Indianapolis Raceway Park for Friday night’s TSport 200 presented by Crescent Tools. Crescent Tools, a premier hand tool brand from Apex Tool Group, will serve as a primary sponsor on Heim’s Tundra TRD Pro for four of the final seven races this season, beginning with the opening race of the owner’s playoffs Friday night. The No. 51 team qualified for the owner’s portion of the playoffs via Heim’s two wins this season (Atlanta Motor Speedway and World Wide Technology Raceway at Gateway). After the reseed for the playoffs, the No. 51 team enters fifth on the playoff grid with 2013 points, seven markers above the cutoff line for advancing the Round of 8.

The No. 51 team has captured the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series owner’s championship three times (2013-2014 & 2019) and as on organization KBM has collected a series-record seven owner’s titles.

While many drivers in the Truck Series don’t have any experience at IRP, since the series is visiting the Indiana track for the first time since 2011, Heim has made one start there in the ARCA Menards Series. He started second and finished fourth in the 2019 event at the 0.686-mile oval.

Across nine Truck Series starts this season, Heim has produced two wins, two poles, 64 laps led, three top-five and four top-10 finishes resulting in an average finish of 17.8. The Georgia native picked up his first career Truck Series victory in just his fifth start earlier this season at Atlanta (Ga.) Motor Speedway in March and was also victorious in June at World Wide Technology Raceway at Gateway. He’s one of just three drivers to earn multiple pole awards this season. John Hunter Nemechek leads the series with four, while Ty Majeski also has two.

With two victories across his first 10 Truck Series starts, the 19-year-old driver became one of just 12 drivers in series history to net multiple victories in their first 10 starts. Kasey Kahne and Mike Skinner each produced five victories, Mark Martin collected four wins, Ron Hornaday Jr., Ted Musgrave and William Byron brought home three checkered flags and Heim, Kyle Busch, Erik Jones, Rich Bickle, Clint Bowyer and Tony Stewart all delivered two wins.

Heim is competing for the 2022 Truck Series Sunoco Rookie of the Year award. Despite only having competed in nine of the 16 events so far this season, he leads the standings by 24 points over Lawless Alan. Heim will look to join three other KBM drivers that have won the award, reigning winner Chandler Smith, William Byron (2016) and Erik Jones (2015).

In addition to his part-time Truck Series schedule Heim is competing in a six-race schedule for Venturini Motorsports in the ARCA Menards Series. Heim led 74 of 90 laps en route to the victory at Daytona in February to pick up his eighth career ARCA Menards Series victory. Across 40 career ARCA Menards Series starts he has produced 659 laps led, 29 top-five and 38 top-10 finishes resulting in an average finish of 4.4. Heim finished second to Ty Gibbs in the 2021 ARCA Menards Series championship standings.

Mardy Lindley returned to KBM for his second season atop the pit box of the No. 51 team. Lindley has led his team to six wins since coming to KBM at the start of the 2021 season, including two with Heim and one with Kyle Busch this year. In 2021, his drivers produced three victories, two with Busch and one with Martin Truex Jr. Before arriving at KBM, Lindley guided his drivers to 32 wins and four ARCA Menards Series East championships since 2013, including back-to-back titles with Sam Mayer the last two seasons. Additionally, he earned the ARCA Menards Series Sioux Chief Showdown championship with Mayer in 2020. Behind the wheel, the second-generation driver won 11 races on the Pro Cup Series from 2000 to 2006 and was crowned the series champion in 2001. Lindley has crew chiefed two ARCA Menards Series races at IRP, recoding an average finish of 2.5 with Mayer. He has been to victory lane at IRP as a driver, leading 31 laps en route to victory in the 2004 Hooters Pro Cup race at the 0.686-mile oval.

JBL, the authority in engineering superior sound, will be back on the No. 51 as part of their 11-race schedule with Heim when the series returns to action Aug. 13 at Richmond (Va.) Raceway.

Corey Heim, Driver Q&A:
You’ve been able to go out and have a strategy to race for wins this year. Will being in the owner’s playoffs do you have to change your mindset and race for points now?
“I definitely want to put the No. 51 team in a good position to win this owner’s championship. With that being said, points racing is definitely my priority, but it doesn’t change the goal to win races week in and out.”

You’ve raced at IRP in the ARCA Menards Series. How do you think the Truck Series race will be there?
“I think IRP is a great racetrack. The groove should move around, and a full field will make the race very entertaining for the fans. I’m excited to see what kind of racing it produces.”

You’ve taken Crescent Tolls to victory lane already this year in the ARCA Menards Series. What would it mean to also be able to get them to victory lane in the Truck Series?
“I’m super excited to pilot my Crescent Tundra TRD Pro this weekend. It’s been a pleasure to have them on board in ARCA and I’m excited to be a part of their debut in a NASCAR national series race.”

Corey Heim Career Highlights:

  • Picked up first career NASCAR Camping World Truck Series victory at Atlanta Motor Speedway March 19, 2022 in just his fifth start. Across 12 career starts has two wins, two poles, 66 laps led, three top-five and four top-10 finishes resulting in an average finish of 17.7.
  • Made three Truck Series starts in 2021 with a best result of 11th coming at Martinsville Speedway in October.
  • Finished runner-up in the ARCA Menards Series championship standings in 2021 after collecting six wins, three poles, 406 laps led, 16 top-five and 20 top-10 finishes resulting in an average finish of 3.1 across 20 starts.
  • Across 40 career ARCA Menards Series starts has eight wins, 659 laps led, 29 top-five and 38 top-10 finishes resulting in an average finish of 4.4. Picked up his first career ARCA Menards Series victory at Kansas Speedway Oct. 16, 2020.

Corey Heim’s No. 51 Crescent Tools Tundra TRD Pro:

The No. 51 Crescent Tools team will unload KBM-62 for Friday night’s race at IRP. This Toyota has one start in 2022, a third-place finish with KBM owner-driver Kyle Busch at Martinsville (Va.) Speedway in April. KBM-62’s best result across 10 starts was a runner-up finish with Busch at Richmond (Va.) Raceway in 2021.

KBM Notes of Interest:

  • KBM drivers have one top-five and one top-10 finish across two Truck Series starts at IRP resulting in an average finish of 12.0. Owner-driver Kyle Busch’s runner-up finish in 2010 was the organization’s best result.
  • KBM holds the Camping World Truck Series records for most career wins (96) and most wins in a single season (14 in 2014). With his victory at Atlanta Motor Speedway Heim became the 18th different driver to win a Truck Series event for KBM. In addition to collecting a series-record seven Owner’s Championships, the organization has produced two championship-winning drivers: Erik Jones (2015) and Christopher Bell (2017).
  • With 40 victories, the No. 51 is the winningest number in KBM’s Truck Series fleet.

Tony Stewart Racing: Flav-R-Pac NHRA Northwest Nationals Advance

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Official Release
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Leah Pruett & Matt Hagan
Top Fuel | Funny Car
Flav-R-Pac NHRA Northwest Nationals
July 29-31 | Kent, Washington

Event Overview

Friday, July 29 (Nitro Qualifying, streamed live on NHRA.TV)

● Nitro qualifying session (Q1): 6:45 p.m. PDT/9:45 p.m. EDT

Saturday, July 30 (Nitro Qualifying, streamed live on NHRA.TV)

● Nitro qualifying session (Q2): 2 p.m. PDT/5 p.m. EDT

● Nitro qualifying session (Q3): 4:45 p.m. PDT/7:45 p.m. EDT

Sunday, July 31 (Nitro Eliminations, streamed live on NHRA.TV)

● Round 1: 10:30 a.m. PDT/1:30 p.m. EDT

● Round 2: 12:30 p.m. PDT/3:30 p.m. EDT

● Semi-Finals: 2:10 p.m. PDT/5:10 p.m. EDT

● Finals: 3:35 p.m. PDT/6:35 p.m. EDT

TV coverage

● Saturday, July 30: Qualifying show recapping Friday’s action (11 a.m. PDT/2 p.m. EDT on FS1)

● Sunday, July 31: Qualifying show recapping Saturday’s action (11:30 a.m. PDT/2:30 p.m. EDT on FS1)

● Sunday, July 31: Finals show (1 p.m. PDT/4 p.m. EDT on FOX)

Notes of Interest

● The Flav-R-Pac NHRA Northwest Nationals at Pacific Raceways in Kent, Washington, marks the culmination of the NHRA Camping World Drag Racing Series’ three-week long Western Swing and the series’ return to the Seattle area after a two-year absence. The two previous events of the Western Swing were the Dodge Power Brokers NHRA Mile-High Nationals July 15-17 at Bandimere Speedway in Morrison, Colorado, and the DENSO NHRA Sonoma Nationals last weekend at Sonoma (Calif.) Raceway. The Flav-R-Pac NHRA Northwest Nationals is the 13th event on the NHRA’s 22-race calendar.

● Tony Stewart Racing (TSR) will be represented in Top Fuel by 10-time event winner Leah Pruett and in Funny Car by three-time champion Matt Hagan. Pruett and Hagan enter Seattle representing Sparkling Ice +Caffeine and Dodge Power Brokers, respectively.

● Sparkling Ice +Caffeine is a zero sugar, full-flavored sparkling water containing 70 milligrams of caffeine, along with vitamins and antioxidants. Sparkling Ice +Caffeine comes in six refreshing flavors: Black Raspberry, Blue Raspberry, Cherry Vanilla, Orange Passion Fruit, Strawberry and Citrus Twist. Pruett has served as an ambassador for Sparkling Ice since 2014 and the brand has been a part of all 10 of her Top Fuel victories.

● The Dodge Power Brokers program serves as the exclusive source for Direct Connection, Dodge’s factory-backed performance parts program, which is equipped with staff trained to deliver a performance-focused customer service experience. Dodge//SRT and Mopar have supported Hagan since his rookie season in 2009.

● In the first two races of the Western Swing, TSR has delivered. Pruett won the Dodge Power Brokers NHRA Mile-High Nationals to collect her second Wally at Bandimere, while Hagan secured the No. 1 qualifying position for the fourth time this season. Then at Sonoma, Pruett earned her first No. 1 qualifier of the year and her second at the track. It was TSR’s first Top Fuel pole in its inaugural season in the NHRA Camping World Drag Racing Series but its fifth overall No. 1 qualifier, as Hagan has secured the pole four times this season in Funny Car.

● Pruett is currently tied with Shawn Langdon for sixth in the Top Fuel championship standings, 381 points behind leader Brittany Force. Hagan, meanwhile, is second in the Funny Car championship standings, 144 points behind leader Robert Hight.

● The Flav-R-Pac NHRA Northwest Nationals will serve as Pruett’s 184th career Top Fuel start and her fifth at Pacific Raceways. For Hagan, this will be his 306th career Funny Car start and his 12th at the track.

● Pruett is eyeing her first victory in the Flav-R-Pac NHRA Northwest Nationals. She advanced to the final in 2018, where her 3.849 ET at 320.13 mph run was narrowly defeated by Antron Brown’s 3.835 ET at 322.84 mph run. Pruett is seeking her first No. 1 qualifier at the event.

● Hagan won the Flav-R-Pac NHRA Northwest Nationals in 2013. His 4.171 ET at 294.75 mph run defeated Bob Tasca III (5.324 ET at 164.81 mph). Hagan also has one No. 1 qualifier at the event, which came in 2018 (3.913 ET at 324.75 mph).

● On Thursday at 3:30 p.m. PDT at the Fred Meyer in Maple Valley, Washington (26520 Maple Valley Black Diamond Road SE), Pruett will participate in a Sparkling Ice meet and greet.

● DYK? Pacific Raceways was constructed in 1959 and opened in 1960. Since 1988, the track has been home to the NHRA Northwest Nationals. In addition to the drag strip, Pacific Raceways also features a 2.25-mile road course that is utilized by the Sports Car Club of America (SCCA) and other road-racing series.

Leah Pruett, Driver of the Sparkling Ice +Caffeine Top Fuel Dragster

Seattle marks the culmination of the NHRA’s three-week Western Swing. Having completed all the rounds in Denver and following it up with a strong weekend in Sonoma, what are your expectations as you and the team head into Pacific Raceways?

“I believe our performance over the Western Swing is extremely important to the quality of performance we’re going to be able to show in Seattle. We don’t have an extraordinary amount of mechanical work to do on our parts like you would expect going into the last race. We still have our highest performing superchargers and all of our blocks. We probably have the least amount of damage compared to other teams. That means we get to end the swing like we began it, with quality parts. We’re more educated on what our raceday routine is like and have been improving upon that. It’ll be nice to have Seattle be the culmination of our Western Swing and end it solidly. From an energy perspective, it’s a long couple of weeks, but we’re more excited than ever. You go into the Swing with some big question marks and it looks like such a big mountain to climb, but we actually looked forward to it because we know how great we’re capable of running.”

What similarities are there between racing at Sonoma and Seattle?

“It’ll be very similar. If we were able to re-run our raceday in Sonoma, we would throw a lot more power to the car. We didn’t know it was needed, that the conditions would make that power and that the track could hold. With Seattle being so similar, it’s almost like it’s going to be our vindication, a second chance if you will. Having two comparable tracks back-to-back means everything is fresh in our minds from a tuning perspective. We already know where we missed the mark in Sonoma if we could redo our second round, so that just catapults us into the mindset of being set up for Seattle, as opposed to recreating a baseline. Seattle will be Sonoma 2.0 for us and, hopefully, with the results of Denver.”

The headquarters for the Sparkling Ice brand is located 30 miles northeast of Kent in Preston, Washington. Talk about the significance of competing in a home race for Sparkling Ice +Caffeine.

“I couldn’t think of a better race to have Sparkling Ice +Caffeine on the car, with it being their home race. For us, with it being the conclusion of the Western Swing and, hopefully, really good results to show from Seattle, we have yet to celebrate any of our momentum and our win from Denver. We’ve had a couple Sparkling Ice Cocktails here and there, but there is going to be a sigh of relief after the swing and congratulations that are well deserved for the team. We’ve saved that up to experience that with our liveliest bunch of people that really make racing a fun atmosphere. I’m looking forward to all of the colors and all of the win lights.”

Matt Hagan, Driver of the Dodge Power Brokers Charger SRT Hellcat Funny Car

Seattle marks the culmination of the NHRA’s Western Swing. How do you maintain focus and mental strength during this stretch of races?

“The Western Swing is a lot of travel, but it’s what we signed up for. We have to stay focused and stay hydrated. I plan on getting some workouts in this week, which will get me focused for raceday. I know we’re struggling a little bit right now, but in all fairness, this car will be running how we want it to right around the corner. There is not a doubt in my mind that we’ll be right back where we need to be within a race or two. We have four races left before we start this all over in the Countdown, so I’m excited about that. We’re always in the hunt and digging deep. We’re always pushing hard. I believe in my team and in my crew and I think Seattle will be our turning point for getting back on top.”

What similarities are there between racing at Sonoma and Seattle?

“Both tracks are fairly close to sea level, which means we’ll be able to carry information over from this weekend as far as horsepower, tune-up and the way the motor responds. That’ll be nice, but there’s always more to push on and more to be learned. I know we were a little behind the eight-ball in Sonoma, but I feel like we’re going to come out swinging in Seattle.”

Explain your crew’s process of preparing for the final race of the Western Swing.

“The team stays out West throughout all three events, so we’ve been really fortunate that we haven’t had any big explosions the last two races. We don’t have parts that have gotten too beat up. Sometimes you leave Denver with the body blown apart, so it makes it a really hard push for the next two races. My crew chiefs and crew guys have done a great job keeping the parts and pieces together, so I think that takes a lot of stress off the crew and allows them to get caught up pretty quickly and get some rest moving into the last race of the Western Swing.”

Hardpoint Adding Additional Porsche with OGH Motorsports to IMSA Pilot Challenge at Road America

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Official Release
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Sean Gibbons, Sam Owen and Derek DeBoer Will Drive the No. 9 Machine, With John Capestro-Dubets Joining the No. 22 Racing to End Alzheimer’s Porsche Driver Line-Up In the Four Hour Event

ELKHART LAKE, Wisconsin (July 27, 2022) – Hardpoint’s IMSA Michelin Pilot Challenge line-up continues to grow, expanding to two cars and six drivers for next week’s four-hour race at Road America. The No. 9 Valkyrie Intelligence/Phoenix Global Health Porsche 718 Cayman GT4 RS Clubsport joins the team in a partnership with OGH Motorsports with drivers Sean Gibbons, Sam Owen and Derek DeBoer co-driving, while John Capestro-Dubets climbs aboard the No. 22 Racing to End Alzheimer’s Porsche 718 Cayman GT4 RS Clubsport with co-drivers Nick Galante and Sean McAlister for the race.

Gibbons and Owen will make their IMSA debuts after success in GT Americas driving a GT4 Porsche Cayman, joined by long-time successful racer DeBoer. The No. 9 car will be entered into the Bronze Cup of the Michelin Pilot Challenge GS class.

Gibbons is the 2020 GT4 AM Champion in SRO GT4 America and a multi-time race winner. Along with Gibbons, Owen is a co-founder of OGH Motorsport and began his career racing in Porsche Club of America, a trait he shares with Hardpoint owner Rob Ferriol. DeBoer is a racing veteran, with experience in the former ST class and a top 10 finish in the Rolex 24 at Daytona.

“Sam and I are so excited to enter our first IMSA GS race and to have Derek DeBoer join us makes it even better,” Gibbons said. “Our goal is to put the No. 9 OGH Motorsports/Hardpoint Porsche Cayman on the Bronze Cup Podium. Rob, Sam and I approach motorsports the same way and saw this as an opportunity to work together for the first time while achieving one of our goals. We are so thankful for the support Valkyrie Intelligence, Phoenix Global Health, Trattore Farms, BRM Watches and Fastlife TV along with our families that make this possible.”

Hardpoint’s season-long entry, the No. 22 Racing to End Alzheimer’s Porsche Cayman, will be joined by Capestro-Dubets as a third driver at Road America. He comes to the program with experience in the GT4 Cayman, including a pole position at Lime Rock Park three weeks ago in a similar car.

“I’m really looking forward to joining Sean and Nick under the Hardpoint tent at Road America,” Capestro-Dubets said. “I’ve heard amazing things about this outfit and I’m honored to be the third driver in this lineup. The goal for me is to be a team player and help with not only pace but a fresh perspective. As a group I’m confident we can make great progress through the weekend, and like any race, with a little luck, we’re looking to be out front. Thank you to Nick and Hardpoint for bringing me into this picture and all of my partners that have helped me along the way.”

Both teams will work side-by-side at Road America under the Hardpoint tent.

“We’re really excited to welcome Sean, Sam and Derek to the team with the No. 9 car and look forward to the fresh perspective and talent JCD brings to the 22 lineup,” Ferriol said. “It’s been a busy summer for Hardpoint and both of our Pilot Challenge cars are in position to make some noise at Road America. We’ve had some bad luck on track recently, but we know the ingredients are there, so we’re loaded up and ready to change our momentum in a big way.”

Both the No. 22 Racing to End Alzheimer’s Porsche Cayman and the No. 9 Valkyrie Intelligence/Phoenix Global Health Porsche will be in action at Road America, August 4 – 6. Saturday, August 6th four-hour race begins at 1:15 p.m. CDT (2:15 EDT) and can be seen live on Peacock, NBC’s streaming service.

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.

Burton, DEX Imaging Team Looking To Score Points at Indy

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Official Release
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Harrison Burton and the No. 21 DEX Imaging team are headed to the Verizon 200 at the Brickyard, an 82-lap, 200-mile race on the infield road course at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, hoping to build on their successes at the road-course races so far this season.

In the earlier races at Circuit of the America, Sonoma Raceway and Road America, Burton and the No. 21 team earned points in both Stages and came away with good points totals for the day’s efforts.

Indy’s 14-turn, 2.44-mile road course, like most others, has its own distinct characteristics, but Brian Wilson, crew chief of the No. 21 DEX Imaging team, has found success there in the past, including leading Austin Cindric to victory last year in the Xfinity Series.

“Indianapolis has a lot of great memories for me personally, both during my time on Team Penske cars racing the oval, as well as our win on the road course last year in the Xfinity series,” Wilson said. “I look forward to the strategy of the road course and intend to continue our streak of solid points days that we’ve had at all road courses this year.”

Wilson said that the rookie Burton is adapting to racing Cup cars while turning left and right on road courses.

“Harrison has done an excellent job managing the various strategies in addition to the normal challenges that road courses throw your way,” he said. “The road course at Indianapolis has a unique mix of corners. Historically we’ve had to focus on the braking zones as well as having a stable platform in the car for the sweeping switchbacks.

“I look forward to seeing what challenge we have with this year’s car this weekend.”

At Indy, the No. 21 Mustang will carry a special decal honoring the memory of long-time Wood Brothers crew member Mike Hartman, who passed away Monday, July 25th, at the age of 84.

Mr. Hartman worked on the team for 25 years before retiring in 2014.

Eddie Wood said it’s fitting that the No. 21 will carry Mr. Hartman’s decal at Indianapolis Motor Speedway since he was a season ticket holder at the Speedway for many years before he joined the race team.

Practice for the Verizon 200 at the Brickyard is set for Saturday at 9:35 a.m. followed immediately by qualifying.

Sunday’s race is scheduled to start just after 2:30 p.m. with TV coverage on NBC.

Stage breaks are planned for Laps 15 and 35.

About DEX Imaging
DEX Imaging is the digital document imaging division of Staples, the world’s largest business solutions provider. DEX sells and services the broadest selection of copiers, printers and data management solutions, such as HP, Konica Minolta, Canon, Kyocera and numerous others.

COMPETITIVE ADVANTAGES:
Reducing Operating Costs
Reducing Paper Consumption
Increasing Productivity

DEX Imaging has been the recipient of virtually every industry award since the company’s inception, including the JD Power & Associates Award for Best Customer Experience, the prestigious ProTech Service award by Konica Minolta, the Diamond Premier Dealer Award by Kyocera, and the Elite DEALER Award by ‘ENX’ magazine. Other accolades include being named ‘Best Place to Work’ by numerous business journals in the markets DEX serves.

Wood Brothers Racing
Wood Brothers Racing was formed in 1950 in Stuart, Va., by Hall of Famer Glenn Wood. Wood Brothers Racing is the oldest active team and one of the winningest teams in NASCAR history. Since its founding, the team won 99 races (including at least one race in every decade for the last seven decades) and 120 poles in NASCAR’s top-tier series. Fielding only Ford products for its entire history, the Wood Brothers own the longest association of any motorsports team with a single manufacturer. Glenn’s brother, Leonard, is known for inventing the modern pit stop. The team currently runs the Ford Mustang driven by Harrison Burton in the famous No. 21 racer.

JR Motorsports — NXS Indianapolis Road Course Preview

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Official Release
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JR MOTORSPORTS TEAM PREVIEW:
TRACK: Indianapolis Motor Speedway Road Course
RACE: Pennzoil 150 (62 laps / 151.2 miles)
DATE: Saturday, July 30, 2022

Broadcast Information – TV: 3:30 p.m. ET on NBC / Radio: 3 p.m. ET on IMS Radio Network and Sirius XM Ch. 90

Sam Mayer
No. 1 Huck’s Market Chevrolet
• Sam Mayer started 24th and raced as high as fourth during this event last year at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Road Course before an off-track excursion ended his day shy of the scheduled distance.
• Mayer has seven starts on road courses in the NASCAR Xfinity Series and has tallied one top-five and three top-10 finishes.
• Mayer raced to his 10th top-10 finish of the 2022 season by virtue of his sixth-place finish last week at Pocono Raceway.

Josh Berry
No. 8 JARRETT Chevrolet
• Josh Berry heads to Indianapolis this weekend where he’ll make his first start at the 2.439-mile road course.
• In four starts on road courses in the NXS, Berry has two top fives and three top 10s. His best finish of third came earlier this season at Road America.
• The red and black colors of Jarrett Logistics return for the second of three races this season.
• Berry’s average finish of 10.5 on road courses is the best of any style track in the NXS for the 31-year-old.

Noah Gragson
No. 9 Bass Pro Shops / TrueTimber / Black Rifle Coffee Chevrolet
• Noah Gragson has made two starts on the road course at Indianapolis, each of which resulted in a top-five finish. His average finish there is 4.0, the best such mark among road courses for the Nevada native.
• Over his career on road courses in the NXS, Gragson has logged eight top-five and 15 top-10 finishes, including fourth-, eighth- and ninth-place efforts this season.
• Through 19 races, Gragson and the Bass Pro Shops/TrueTimber/Black Rifle Coffee Chevrolet team have compiled three wins, including last week at Pocono, 10 topfive and 13 top-10 finishes.

Justin Allgaier
No. 7 BRANDT/Precision Build Chevrolet
• Justin Allgaier will make his third NXS start on the road course at Indianapolis on Saturday afternoon. In two previous starts, the Illinois native has earned a best finish of seventh, coming in the inaugural event in 2020.
• Allgaier has previously visited Victory Lane at Indianapolis, earning the win in 2018 on the 2.5-mile oval.
• In 42 career starts in the NXS on road courses, Allgaier has recorded three wins (Montreal, Mid-Ohio and Road America), 12 top fives and 25 top 10s.

Miguel Paludo
No. 88 BRANDT Professional Agriculture Chevrolet
• Nova Prata, Brazil native Miguel Paludo returns to the No. 88 BRANDT Professional Agriculture Chevrolet for the final time in 2022 this weekend in Indianapolis.
• In two previous starts this year for JRM, Paludo has earned a best finish of ninth, coming at COTA in March.
• In five previous starts for JRM in the NXS, the seven-time and defending Porsche Carrera Cup Champion has scored a best finish of seventh, scored at the road course at Daytona International Speedway in 2021.
• Saturday will mark the first time that Paludo will compete at Indianapolis.

Driver Quotes

“We had a really fast car last year at Indianapolis but the result doesn’t show it. I’ve learned a lot since then and I know Taylor (Moyer, crew chief) and this entire Huck’s Market team will have a fast car when we unload. We just need to go out and put it all together.” – Sam Mayer

“I’m really looking forward to getting to Indianapolis this weekend with our BRANDT Professional Agriculture Chevrolet. Any time you get a chance to race at a place with as much history as Indy, it’s special. Hopefully we can have a smooth day and be up front fighting for the win. It’s a big weekend for BRANDT with Miguel (Paludo) coming back, so I can’t wait to get there and see what we can do.”– Justin Allgaier

“Going to Indianapolis for the first time is going to be really special. Watching the Indy 500 and Brickyard 400 growing up, I always wanted to race here and this year I am in this Jarrett Chevrolet. We’ve been practicing this track in the sim so hopefully we can go out and have another strong run at a road course.” – Josh Berry

“After winning last week at Pocono, this Bass Pro Shops/TrueTimber/Black Rifle Coffee Chevrolet is ready to get another one at Indianapolis. We’ve been good on the road course there, finishing top five in both our starts. I love the history of Indy, and we’re definitely on a roll as the playoffs approach. Luke Lambert and the No. 9 team have been awesome all year, and we’re in a good spot.”– Noah Gragson

“It’s a great feeling knowing I’m about to get back behind the wheel of the No. 88 BRANDT Professional Agriculture Chevrolet this weekend in Indy. I can’t thank JR Motorsports and everyone at BRANDT enough for this opportunity. This is such a historic and special trackand I can’t wait to get out there and see what we can learn in practice to apply to the race.”– Miguel Paludo

JRM Team Updates:

• JR Motorsports at Indianapolis Road Course: JR Motorsports has competed at the legendary Indianapolis Motor Speedway Road Course a combined eight times in the NXS. Over the course of those starts at the 2.439-mile facility, the organization has tallied three top fives and five top 10s. Noah Gragson holds the best finish for the organization after finishing third during the inaugural race at the road course in 2020.
• Jarrett Race Rally: JR Motorsports driver Josh Berry and team owner Dale Earnhardt Jr. will be making an appearance at Jarrett Logistics headquarters located in Orrville, Ohio on Thursday, July 28 to promote Jarrett’s upcoming race at Indianapolis Motor Speedway on the No. 8 Chevrolet. A fan-facing Q&A will take place from 5 p.m. – 6 p.m. The event is free to the public.
• Spicy Mayo: Hellmann’s Spicy Mayonnaise Dressing is proudly made with real, simple ingredients like real chili peppers, cage-free eggs, oil and vinegar. This spicy mayo is the ideal condiment for spicing up wraps, adding flavor to sandwiches, grilling juicy burgers, mixing creamy dips, and preparing fresh salads. Deliciously Spicy, 100% Hellmann’s. Try a new recipe today.
• Huck’s: Huck’s operates 125 convenience store locations in five Midwest states. Huck’s most recent new-to-industry store opened last month in Hannibal, Mo., the hometown of Mark Twain, who wrote “The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn,” for which Huck’s is named. Twain published the renowned book on Feb. 18, 1885. By coincidence, the Huck’s team planned the store opening Feb. 17, just one day shy of the publication’s anniversary. Check here for a location near you.

John Hunter Nemechek – No. 4 Yahoo! Tundra TRD Pro Camping World Trucks IRP Preview

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Official Release
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John Hunter Nemechek: Driver, No. 4 Yahoo! Toyota

NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Overview:
Event: TSport 200, Race 17 of 23 (Race 1 of 3, Round of 10), 200 Laps – 60/60/80; 137.2 Miles
Location: Lucas Oil Indianapolis (Ind.) Raceway Park (IRP) (0.686-mile oval)
Date/Broadcast: July 29, 2022, at 9 p.m. ET on FS1, MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR 90

Neme’chek’ the Facts:

John Hunter Nemechek and the No. 4 Yahoo! team head into the first race in the Round of 10 in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series playoffs at Lucas Oil Indianapolis Raceway Park as the four seed in the three round, elimination-style format. The 25-year-old driver accumulated eight playoff points throughout the regular season by picking up a win at Darlington in May and tallying three stage wins. He enters Friday’s race at Indianapolis Raceway Park 14 points above the cutoff line for advancing to the Round of 8.

During the 16-race regular season, Nemechek produced one win, four poles, seven top-five and 11 top-10 finishes resulting in an average finish 11.4. The second-generation driver leads Truck Series regulars in poles and average starting position (7.1), second in driver rating (102.4), third in laps led (171), and fourth in average running position (9.454).

The Toyota Racing Driver will be competing in the Camping World Truck Series playoffs for the fourth time in his career. He finished third in 2021 after making the Championship 4 at Phoenix (Ariz.) Raceway after finishing eighth in the standings for his family-owned team, NEMCO Motorsports, in 2016 and 2017.

While he has not competed in a Truck Series event at the IRP, Nemechek has competed at the 0.686-mile oval in both Pro and Super Late Model events. Nemechek went toe-to-toe with Kyle Busch in the 2014 ARCA/CRA Super Late Model race, which saw Busch make a last lap pass for the lead to edge out Nemechek by a mere 0.024 seconds. In 2015, Nemechek earned the pole and led 46 of 100 laps on his way to his first ARCA/CRA Super Late Model victory at the Indiana track.

Global media and tech company, Yahoo!, will adorn the hood of the No. 4 Tundra TRD Pro this Friday at Lucas Oil Raceway. Yahoo! has made two starts this season with KBM, one with owner-driver Kyle Busch when he drove the No. 51 to victory at Sonoma (Calif.) Raceway in June and one with Nemechek last week when he piloted the No. 4 Yahoo! Tundra to a third-place finish at Pocono Raceway.

Nemechek is a 12-time winner in Camping World Truck Series action, winning at least one race each season from 2015 to 2018 for his family-owned team, NEMCO Motorsports, and returning to victory lane in 2021 and 2022 with KBM. Across 140 career starts in NASCAR’s third division, he has compiled six poles, 1,369 laps led, 47 top-five and 77 top-10 finishes resulting in an average finish of 12.4.

Eric Phillips returned to lead the No. 4 team in 2022. His 42 career Truck Series victories make him the winningest crew chief in Truck Series history, with 33 of those coming while at KBM including five last year. Phillips led the No. 18 team at KBM in its debut season in 2010 and helped build the organization into one of the premier teams in all of NASCAR before departing at the end of the 2014 season. Under his guidance, the No. 18 team won eight races in its inaugural campaign and became the Series history to capture an owner’s championship in its first season of competition. In 2014, the Illinois native led the first team in Truck No. 51 team to an owner’s championship and his team’s 10 wins spearheaded KBM to a single-season Truck Series record of 14 wins. Phillips has been atop the box for seven Camping World Truck Series starts at Lucas Oil Raceway. In those seven starts, his drivers have recorded one win (Dennis Setzer – 2005), 256 laps led, four top-five and four top-10 finishes with an average finish of 8.3.

John Hunter Nemechek, Driver Q&A:
John Hunter Nemechek | Lucas Oil Indianapolis Raceway Preview
How do you think the Truck Series race will be at IRP this weekend?
“I feel like it should be a good race. It will be interesting to see what teams hit it right off the truck and what teams have to work hard this weekend. Hopefully, we’re one of the teams that hits it right off the truck and have a fast Yahoo! Toyota Tundra TRD Pro. I’m looking forward to going to IRP, one of my favorite places to go race Super Late Models and Pro Late Models so hopefully some of that experience will pay off and transfer over into the truck this weekend and go get the first win in the playoffs and keep on rolling the momentum that we have.”

Do you think you can attack the playoffs differently this year and be more on the offensive than defensive?
“Yeah, for sure. Being the fourth seed, obviously you want to be number one, but I feel like we don’t have as many playoff points as the other guys in front of us so we have to go out and try to manage expectations and go push as hard as we can. We didn’t want to peak too early this year so let’s go peak in the playoffs and win a bunch of races and lock ourselves into the Championship. But definitely less pressure from last year being the favorite every single week and feeling like we had to perform that way. Now we can go out and do it, we’ve felt like we were underneath the radar a little bit this year, maybe not the best truck every week, but hopefully with the playoffs that will be a different story.”

John Hunter Nemechek Career Highlights:

  • Twelve-time winner in Camping World Truck Series action, winning at least one race each season from 2015 to 2018 for his family-owned team, NEMCO Motorsports. Across 140 career starts in NASCAR’s third division, has compiled six poles, 1,369 laps led, 47 top-five and 77 top-10 finishes resulting in an average finish of 12.4. Registered a career-high and series-leading five victories in 2021, earned the NCWTS Regular Season championship and finished third in the final standings after qualifying for the Championship Four for the first time in his career.
  • Produced three top-10 finishes and an average result of 22.4 while competing for rookie of the year honors in the NASCAR Cup Series in 2020. He recorded a career-best eighth-place finish twice, both coming at Talladega (Ala.) Superspeedway.
  • Across 62 career XFINITY Series starts, has totaled two wins, one pole, 510 laps led, 17 top-five and 36 top-10 finishes resulting in an average finish of 11.9.

John Hunter Nemechek’s No. 4 Yahoo! Tundra TRD Pro:
KBM-60: The No. 4 Yahoo! team will unload KBM-60 for Friday night’s race at IRP. KBM-60 will be making its first start in 2022 and was last driven by Chandler Smith at Pocono in June of 2021. Overall, this Tundra TRD Pro has recorded two wins (Kyle Busch (Las Vegas – 2020) and Brandon Jones (Pocono – 2020), 143 laps led, five top-five and five top-10 finishes across eight starts with an average starting position of 9.5 and average finish of 9.8.
KBM-60 Performance Profile

KBM Notes of Interest:

  • KBM drivers have made just two starts at Lucas Oil Raceway, once in 2010 when owner-driver Kyle Busch finished runner-up and again in 2011 when Josh Richards crossed the stripe in 22nd.
  • KBM holds the Camping World Truck Series records for most career wins (96) and most wins in a single season (14 in 2014). With his victory at Atlanta Motor Speedway on March 19, Corey Heim became the 18th different driver to win a Truck Series event for KBM. In addition to collecting a series-record seven Owner’s Championships, the organization has produced two championship-winning drivers: Erik Jones (2015) and Christopher Bell (2017).
  • The No. 4 has 17 career victories at KBM and was the number for both of the organization’s driver championships.

HighPoint.com Racing: Chase Briscoe Indianapolis Advance

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Official Release
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CHASE BRISCOE
Indianapolis Road Course Advance
No. 14 HighPoint.com Ford Mustang for Stewart-Haas Racing

Event Overview

● Event: Verizon 200 at the Brickyard (Round 22 of 36)
● Time/Date: 2:30 p.m. EDT on Sunday, July 31
● Location: Indianapolis Motor Speedway
● Layout: 2.439-mile, 14-turn road course
● Laps/Miles: 82 laps / 200 miles
● Stage Lengths: Stage 1: 15 laps / Stage 2: 20 laps / Final Stage: 47 laps
● TV/Radio: NBC / IMS Radio Network / SiriusXM NASCAR Radio

Notes of Interest

● Just 85 miles south of Indianapolis sits the town of Mitchell, Indiana. The old railroad town spans 3.6 square miles with a population of less than 4,000. But it was in the center of town at a family shop on 14th Street that a young boy watched his father and grandfather prepare cars for the local dirt tracks while dreaming of his shot of carrying on the family legacy and someday returning back home again to Indiana to race at the most famous venue in motorsports – the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. This weekend, Chase Briscoe, driver of the No. 14 HighPoint.com Ford Mustang for Stewart-Haas Racing (SHR), will have two shots to once again kiss the bricks and climb the fence in victory at the Brickyard – first in Saturday’s NASCAR Xfinity Series race driving the No. 07 Ford Mustang for SS Greenlight Racing, and then on Sunday in the Verizon 200 NASCAR Cup Series race.

● The son of Kevin, an accomplished dirt racer, and grandson of Richard, a renowned car owner and builder, Briscoe aspired to follow in the footsteps of his favorite driver and fellow Hoosier Tony Stewart. Stewart, at the time a Cup Series champion, would return home to race at the local short tracks when not behind the wheel of the No. 14 SHR entry, often competing against Kevin as the youngest Briscoe looked on. He practiced his victory celebration dressed in a replica of Stewart’s uniform and helmet until he was old enough to start racing himself. At the age of 14, Briscoe earned his first sprint car win at Paragon Speedway, marking the end of NASCAR champion Jeff Gordon’s reign as the youngest driver to win in a 410 sprint car. From there, Briscoe blazed a path of his own in the stock car world, dominating his first season in the ARCA Menards Series to become the 2016 champion, then earning his first NASCAR Truck Series win in 2017 in his 23rd start.

● But it was after a breakthrough 2020 season in the Xfinity Series that saw Briscoe visit victory lane nine times that he finally felt like he was overcoming the odds that always seemed to be stacked against him. Just six years after leaving home to pursue a dream, he found himself back in Indiana, sitting next to his idol as he and his family were told he’d be the next driver of the famed No. 14 Ford Mustang for SHR in the Cup Series. Last year, when the series returned to Indianapolis to compete on the road course for the first time, Briscoe was introduced as the pilot of the No. 14 in front of hundreds of friends, family members and residents of Mitchell who had turned up to see him race at his home track, and he made sure to put on a show for the hometown crowd.

● Twenty-four races into his rookie season and determined to earn his first Cup Series win at Indianapolis a year ago, Briscoe qualified second, missing the pole by just .426 of a second, and took the lead on lap two of the race. He finished the first stage in ninth, but from there struggled with a series of flat-spotted tires and green-flag pit stops until a caution on lap 79 set up Briscoe to restart third for the first attempt at a green-white-checkered finish on lap 88. That run was halted by the second multicar incident in a 12-lap span, and Briscoe once again restarted third, behind leader Denny Hamlin, for the second attempt at a green-white-checkered finish. As Hamlin drove wide into turn one and cars bunched up on the restart, Briscoe slid off into the grass. He returned to the track right behind Hamlin and was vying for the lead when contact sent Hamlin’s No. 11 into a spin. Briscoe was subsequently served a penalty for his venture through the grass and making contact with the leader and was parked for the final lap of the race, resulting in a 26th-place finish.

● Briscoe’s move for the lead might have ruffled feathers, but his composure when confronted by Hamlin following the race made many take notice of his commitment to carrying on the legacy of the No. 14. Stewart stood by, observing his driver’s tenacity with pride, a moment that Briscoe has noted as a turning point in his career. “Personally, I felt like I was doing my job,” he said. “I’m there to win. But, to have Tony tell me he was proud of me for standing up for myself, that made me realize I’m doing the right thing. He’s the guy I looked up to as a kid and the driver I always wanted to be. He knew who he was and didn’t let anyone push him around, and it’s time for me to do the same.”

● Briscoe has been a standout on the 2.439-mile, 14-turn Indianapolis road course layout since his first outing there in 2020 during the NASCAR Xfinity Series’ inaugural race on the circuit. He started 12th in the 38-car field and took the lead for the first time on lap 24, eventually leading five times for a race-high 30 laps. Over the final two laps, the Hoosier had to battle road-course ace AJ Allmendinger, who took the lead from Briscoe on lap 59 and sent him to third after the SHR pilot overdrove a corner. But Briscoe set his sights on regaining the lead and repositioned himself at the front of the field with a powerful drive past second-place Austin Cindric and leader Allmendinger on the penultimate lap. Briscoe wheeled his Ford Mustang throughout the hallowed grounds of the Brickyard en route to victory, beating runner-up Justin Haley to the finish line by a 1.717-second margin. It was Briscoe’s fifth of nine wins in 2020.

● It was three months later that Briscoe was announced as the next driver of the No. 14, and he completed the 2021 season having earned Cup Series Rookie of the Year honors. He once again drew attention when he began the 2022 season with a third-place finish in the Daytona 500, then scored his first Cup Series win in the fourth race of the season at Phoenix Raceway.

● With 21 of 36 races complete this season, Briscoe has three top-fives and four top-10 finishes, a career-best for the 27-year-old who earned three top-10s in his rookie season. Briscoe is currently 16th in points and holds a spot in the 16-driver playoff field with five races remaining in the regular season.

Chase Briscoe, Driver of the No. 14 HighPoint.com Ford Mustang for Stewart-Haas Racing:

How are you feeling about returning to Indianapolis this weekend and running double duty?

“I’m excited. There’s a lot of pressure that I put on myself during Indy weekend. I want to go there and win both practice sessions, both qualifying sessions and both races and that’s kind of the mentality I start with weeks out because I know it’s something that is definitely attainable. When you go to Indy being an Indiana guy, you have pressure coming from everywhere. There are a lot of people, friends and just fans, that don’t get to see me race anywhere else that are from that area. So, I’m definitely excited to get there and pull double duty. It looks like the Xfinity race is going to have a lot of Cup guys, so it’ll be a good test for Sunday. I’m really looking forward to getting there and spending a week at home.”

Indy was a great place for you last year even though it didn’t end the way you had hoped. What are your thoughts on the Cup Series race knowing you were strong there last year but are now in the position of having to relearn some things there with the NextGen car?

“Well, it’s for sure going to be different. It’s going to be like learning a whole new racetrack because how this car drives on the road courses is different. Everything, from what you look for in the long run, how you brake, when you start to brake, things like that are going to be different from what we did last year or what we’ve done on some other road courses (this year). Then, you throw in the double duty aspect of it. It’ll be a challenge to go back and forth because your brake markers could be almost 200 feet different and the H-pattern shifter versus the sequential shifter is a big change. So that’s something I am a little nervous about, I guess. But I know it’s going to be the same for everybody. This is the race every year I circle on my schedule knowing it’s one that we can win and, with everything that we’re trying to do right now to make sure we’re in the playoffs, if we can win, it would be huge. There’s always pressure when racing in Indiana, but probably more so this year.”

As the playoff picture unfolds and there’s some uncertainty around who will actually be competing for a title, how do you prepare?

“First, we’ve got to make sure we make the playoffs. With how the winner situation is, we need to try to points race the next couple of weeks. If we can win the race, we need to do that, but with the road courses coming up and Daytona, there’s a lot of opportunities to go for stage points versus track position. It’s tough because of the situation we’re in. But we’re going to focus on getting points and trying to leapfrog some guys in the standings so we aren’t the lowest one-win driver if it comes down to more than 16 winners when we get to Daytona. I want to start getting focused for the playoffs, but we have to make sure we’re in before we get too far ahead on planning for the future.”

Do you feel like you’re on the bubble?

“If guys keep winning, then yes, absolutely. You know, it’s definitely a hairy situation to be in, but I don’t feel like we should be in this situation in the first place. If I would have won Charlotte or won Bristol, then we wouldn’t be talking about this. There are a lot of times where I’ve left a lot of points on the table over the last two or three months. So really, we probably shouldn’t be in this spot, but I’ve kind of put us here so I’ve got to try to get us out of it now. We’ve had speed, we just haven’t done a very good job of capitalizing on that speed throughout the races. There have been a few times where guys a lot worse than us all day long have finished 10 or 15 spots ahead of us, and it’s just because I’ve done something wrong at the end of the race. So I’ve got to clean that up because, come playoff time, you can’t be doing that.”

No. 14 HighPoint.com Team Roster

Primary Team Members

Driver: Chase Briscoe
Hometown: Mitchell, Indiana

Crew Chief: John Klausmeier
Hometown: Perry Hall, Maryland

Car Chief: J.D. Frey

Hometown: Ferndale, California

Engineer: Mike Cook
Hometown: Annapolis, Maryland

Engineer: Marc Hendricksen
Hometown: Clinton, New Jersey

Spotter: Joey Campbell
Hometown: Berlin, Connecticut

Over-The-Wall Members

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

Rear Tire Changer: Dakota Ratcliff
Hometown: Nashville, Tennessee

Tire Carrier: Jon Bernal
Hometown: Shelby, North Carolina

Jack Man: Matthew Schlytter
Hometown: Ponte Vedra, Florida

Fuel Man: Corey Coppola
Hometown: Bluefield, West Virginia

Road Crew Members

Underneath Mechanic: Stephen Gonzalez
Hometown: Mooresville, North Carolina

Interior Mechanic: Trevor Adams
Hometown: Naples, Florida

Tire Specialist: Keith Eads
Hometown: Arlington, Virginia

Shock Specialist: Brian Holshouser
Hometown: Charlotte, North Carolina

Engine Tuner: Jon Phillips
Hometown: Jefferson City, Missouri

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

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

CrowdStrike Racing Extends Championship Leads at The Glen

By
Official Release
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· Four victories in six SRO America races for CrowdStrike Racing program
· George Kurtz, Colin Braun score overall win, runner-up in GT World Challenge America
· Two race wins and pole positions for Kurtz in GT America
· Boehm takes fifth TC win and runner-up in CrowdStrike/AWS HPD Civic
· CrowdStrike also active as Official Cloud and Internet Security Provider of SRO

WATKINS GLEN, New York (July 27, 2022) – CrowdStrike Racing put on another motorsports clinic in SRO Motorsports America competition with four victories in six races at Watkins Glen International.

Drivers George Kurtz, Colin Braun and Kevin Boehm each claimed at least one victory during the two days at The Glen. The results also cemented CrowdStrike Racing teams and drivers into the leads of their respective championships.

Kurtz, CrowdStrike co-founder and CEO, scored three victories on the weekend: an overall win Sunday alongside Braun in GT World Challenge America Powered by AWS, and a pair of pole positions and wins in GT America Powered by AWS. Each win came in separate but familiar No. 04 CrowdStrike/AWS Mercedes-AMG GT3s.

Kevin Boehm also found success with a win and runner-up finish with his No. 9 CrowdStrike/AWS Honda Performance Development Type R TC in the TC America Powered by Skip Barber Racing School.

Just as CrowdStrike Racing was winning on the track, CrowdStrike protected sensitive operational data as the Official Cloud and Internet Security Provider of SRO Motorsports. 

CrowdStrike is on the front line of protecting data and preventing security breaches, while also being on the starting line in many of SRO America’s racing categories – including the premier GT World Challenge America. The company’s powerful Falcon graphic is the dominant feature on all CrowdStrike Racing entries in SRO America competition.

The Falcon was proudly flying around The Glen all weekend. The culmination came Sunday in the 90-minute GT World Challenge America race for CrowdStrike Racing by Riley Motorsports. Kurtz and Braun won in the Pro-Am category for the third time this year and second overall together since moving to the Mercedes-AMG GT3 in 2019.

Braun started second in class Sunday in the No. 04 CrowdStrike/AWS Mercedes-AMG and quickly built a comfortable gap over the third-place car while reeling in the leader. By the time Braun made his mandatory pit stop with 42 minutes to go, he had closed to within 0.7 seconds of the lead.

The CrowdStrike Riley team were perfect on the pit stop as Kurtz emerged from the pitlane with a 10-second lead in class. As good as things were for the CrowdStrike Mercedes, it got better with two laps remaining as Kurtz passed the overall race leader and went on to win by nearly four seconds.

“We kept our heads down, and the CrowdStrike Riley guys gave us a great car,” said Kurtz, who is headed to Belgium to compete in this weekend’s 24 Hours of Spa. “We knew we had the pace and just had to put it together. We had the great stop, and it was a total team effort. It was a really good battle against an excellent field. Our team wasn’t going to let up, we stayed focused and managed to get P1.” 

Sunday’s win combined with a runner-up finish Saturday allowed Kurtz and Braun to maintain their lead in the Pro-Am Championship with three events to go. In the weekend’s first race at The Glen, Kurtz qualified on the Pro-Am pole and Braun finished just 0.179 seconds behind the overall and class-winning car after a strong battle throughout the 90 minutes.

“The Riley guys have been great. They come with a lot of experience with the car and with the format of sports car racing,” Braun said. “You bring that piece together with the experience George and I have for the last handful of years with the Mercedes, we all came in, laid our cards out and just got to work and started down this path. I’m really proud of everyone on this CrowdStrike Riley team. It takes an army, and these guys work really, really hard behind the scenes. We’ve only been together since Sonoma; we didn’t really have much of a chance to do a lot of preseason testing. I’m proud of how quickly we’ve all gelled together. We’re consistently focused on trying to improve and get better. That’s the main focus.”

That also paid off in GT America for Kurtz, who swept a weekend in the series for the second consecutive event, having pulled off the feat at VIR.

Sunday’s race was one of the most exciting in Kurtz’s career, as he won on the last lap with a pass two corners from the finish to make it four victories in a row in the No. 04 CrowdStrike/AWS Mercedes-AMG. He ran second halfway through the race and took advantage of a late-race, full-course caution to pressure the lead car and pounce on the final lap.

“The last lap was incredible,” Kurtz said. “Jason (Harward) overtook me when I had a lot of pick-up on my tires passing the GT4 cars. Fortunately we had the safety car so I was hoping we’d have enough time to get back. I saw where he had a lot of pick-up after the safety car. I wanted to get behind him; I knew I was a little faster coming out turns Seven and Eight, and got it done in Nine.”

Saturday was another banner day for Kurtz. He went flag-to-flag and was one of the few cars to have a trouble-free race, which aided in his run. There were two full-course cautions in the race to keep the lead cars bunched up, but Kurtz maintained his composure and his lead as the gap behind him steadily opened through the end of the race.

Boehm continued his march toward his first TC Championship with his sixth of the season and a runner-up finish in his No. 9 CrowdStrike/AWS HPD Civic Type R TC in Touring Car America. He placed second on the track after Saturday’s hard-fought, 40-minute battle from third on the grid but started fifth for Race Two.

Sunday was a new day as Boehm worked his way up to third on the opening lap. He lost a position on the following lap but moved back up to podium position while avoiding a spinning TC car in front of him near the 15-minute mark.

That seemed to rejuvenate Boehm, who moved up to second a lap later but three seconds from the lead at the halfway point. Boehm ran down the leader and reduced the gap to a half-second with three laps to go and took the lead for good a lap later.

“You don’t really go into many races thinking you don’t have a chance to win. Today, I was just trying to get to the podium and I would have been happy if we could do that. It’s just that sometimes the race goes your way… not even in one moment but just little moments at a time that you get breaks. There was a lot of being in the right place at the right time. We had a really great car on top of it to put us in position to get lucky. I can’t thank the Skip Barber Racing team for prepping the car all weekend and CrowdStrike and AWS for getting us here. I’m so happy to get them on the top step again today.”

CrowdStrike and Operation Motorsport

Also scoring another victory on the weekend was the partnership between CrowdStrike and Operation Motorsport. It’s a point of pride for both as each group has the goal of helping to serve retired and disabled veterans.

A not-for-profit, OpMo provides a chance for service members to use their skill sets in a variety of areas including paddock operations, car and tire prep, marketing, social media and other key areas that are part of a racing program.

Two OpMo members were part of Boehm’s crew at Watkins Glen and celebrated a win and second-place finish: Craig Neri, Retired – U.S. Air Force, and Retired Air Force Technical Sgt. Michael Neri. Each carried on the OpMo mantra of “Recovery Through Motorsports #OneAtATime.”

CrowdStrike is also a proud part of American Corporate Partners (ACP), which provides CrowdStrike mentors for service members looking to transition to the private sector, and a partner with HireMilitary, to provide meaningful internship experiences to service members exiting the military via the DoDSkillBridge program.

CrowdStrike Racing’s next race in SRO Motorsports America is a GT America weekend at Nashville’s Music City Grand Prix from Aug. 5-7. The rest of SRO America’s championships resume at Road America in Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin from Aug. 19-21.

For more information, visit CrowdStrikeRacing.com. Follow #CrowdStrikeRacing on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook and LinkedIn for updates.

Meyer Shank Racing Returns to Indianapolis Motor Speedway for Brickyard Weekend

By
Official Release
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#60: Simon Pagenaud, Meyer Shank Racing Honda pit

Indianapolis, Ind. (27 July 2022) – Meyer Shank Racing (MSR) will be heading back to Indianapolis Motor Speedway for the third time this year for Saturday’s Gallagher Grand Prix on the IMS road course (12:00pm ET, NBC, SiriusXM Ch. 160).

The INDYCAR race weekend will be a part of the Brickyard weekend in combination with NASCAR as each series will run on the 14-turn, 2.439-mile road course.

Simon Pagenaud nearly won in his last outing at IMS with MSR in the No. 60 AutoNation / SiriusXM Honda in May, finishing second in the GMR Grand Prix. That race was followed by the Indianapolis 500 two weeks later on the iconic 2.5-mile oval, where Helio Castroneves finished seventh in the No. 06 AutoNation / SiriusXM Honda and Pagenaud 8th.

This will be the 13th race of the 17-event season, and is also the fourth race in a three-weekend stretch, with the team coming off a street race in Toronto and a doubleheader on the short Iowa Speedway oval.

Pagenaud has enjoyed lots of success on the Brickyard’s road circuit, winning three times in 12 starts. Pagenaud won the debut event at the IMS road course in 2014 and went on to win from the pole in 2016 on the way to winning the IndyCar championship. Pagenaud most recently won at the IMS road course in 2019 just two weeks before winning the 2019 Indianapolis 500.

Castroneves is a 10-time competitor on the Indy road course, scoring two podium finishes – a third place finish in 2014 and a second in 2016. Castroneves had his best start in 2017 after qualifying on the front row in second.

Castroneves has enjoyed more success on the oval for the historic 500-mile event, winning four times in 22 races – including MSR’s first IndyCar victory in 2021. The fourth member of the elusive “four-time winner” club has eight top-three finishes, four poles and led 325 laps in the Indy 500.

The IMS road course also holds a special place in MSR’s history as it was the location where the team scored its first-ever IndyCar podium finish. MSR finished third in a rain soaked 2019 event.

The quick two-day event will start with a 90-minute practice on Friday beginning at 9:30 a.m. (all times ET), followed by qualifying at 1 p.m. NBC will host live coverage of the Gallagher Grand Prix starting at 12:00pm ET on Saturday. SiriusXM will also host live radio coverage on SiriusXM Ch. 160.

Driver Quotes:

Simon Pagenaud:
“I love Indianapolis and it is one of my favorite places to go. I’ve been very successful there in the past and obviously we had a second place finish in May in the rain. I’m always hoping for rain – it’s the best kind of races for me. However, if it is dry, no problem. I’m pretty happy with our road course package right now, we have made big improvements this year. We’re going to go there and try our best and try to get another podium.”

Helio Castroneves:
“I’m of course looking forward to going back to Indy, it’s one of my favorite tracks that we go to. And it will be a really fun weekend with NASCAR there as well. The team is really strong at Indy so I know that we have the potential to do very well there and of course Simon got a podium in May. So I’m really looking forward to heading back there after a reset from Iowa.”

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