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Nocella Survives Calamity, Earns First Win at Whelen Manufactured in America 100

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Official Release
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Saturday's Whelen Manufactured in America 100 NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour race ended in calamity as Anthony Nocella (far right) slid through for his first victory. Photo Courtesy: NHMS/Alan MacRae

In his eighth season behind the wheel, the Massachusetts native avoids disaster, lifts family-owned team to first-ever NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour victory by 0.071 seconds.

LOUDON, N.H. – Anthony Nocella put the “magic” in “The Magic Mile” at Saturday’s Whelen Manufactured in America 100 to cap off a doubleheader of exhilarating action at New Hampshire Motor Speedway (NHMS).

For eight seasons, Nocella dreamed of winning on the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour (NWMT). But in all of those years – 53 races in total – the 29-year-old never could have dreamed up the scenario that earned him his first career win.

Driving for his family-owned team, Nocella’s only previous start this season was a DNQ at Richmond. When the Massachusetts native’s No. 92 machine rounded turn four on the final lap Saturday, three cars stood between him and the checkered flag – Patrick Emerling, Eric Goodale and Kyle Bonsignore. As they approached the finish, Emerling and Goodale collided, sweeping up Bonsignore. Using every available inch of NHMS’s 65-foot wide frontstretch, Nocella avoided the calamity in front of him to beat Bonsignore to the line by a razor-thin 0.071-second margin. Emerling slid sideways across the line in third, followed by Goodale.

“We’ve been close to getting wins, and we’ve worked hard, but we haven’t gotten one,” Nocella said after the win. “I knew if I could stay in the top three or four I’d have a shot there at the end. I was either going to wreck or get the win. To get a win here, with the family car, it’s awesome.”

Points leader Ron Silk ran into early trouble and finished 21st, marking his first finish outside of the top ten this season. NASCAR Cup Series (NCS) regular Corey LaJoie battled to a ninth-place finish.

Next up for the famed 1.058-mile track is Sunday’s Ambetter 301. Pole sitter Martin Truex Jr. will lead the field to green after qualifying on the pole Saturday. Green flag is scheduled for 3:18 p.m.

Tickets:

Sunday’s Ambetter 301 tickets start at just $59 for adults and $10 for kids 12 and under. Fans can log on to NHMS.com for tickets and more information on this weekend’s lineup of action-packed racing. Walk-up tickets are available at all ticket booths.

Follow Us:

Keep track of all of New Hampshire Motor Speedway’s events by following on Facebook (@NHMotorSpeedway), Twitter (@NHMS) and Instagram (@NHMS). Keep up with all the latest information on the speedway website (NHMS.com) and mobile app.

Allgaier Escapes Carnage-Filled Crayon 200 to Claim Victory

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Official Release
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Justin Allgaier made his first visit to New Hampshire Motor Speedway's victory lane Saturday at the Crayon 200 NASCAR Xfinity Series race. Photo Courtesy: NHMS /Harold Hinson Photography

Justin Allgaier earned not only his first victory at New Hampshire, but also the first for team owner Dale Earnhardt Jr.

LOUDON, N.H. – It was a tale of two halves at the Crayon 200 at New Hampshire Motor Speedway (NHMS) to kick off Doubleheader Saturday at “The Magic Mile.” Ultimately, JR Motorsports’ Justin Allgaier survived a wild afternoon of NASCAR Xfinity Series (NXS) action to claim his third victory in the last eight races and his first ever at NHMS.

Early in the race, it appeared that Joe Gibbs Racing, which had won six consecutive NXS races at NHMS, was destined to continue its recent dominance as hot shoe Ty Gibbs blistered the pavement to pace the field in his No. 54 Toyota Supra for much of the opening two stages. But an equipment failure at the end of stage two relegated Gibbs to a 23rd place finish.

The second 100 laps were marred by six cautions for 38 laps, bunching up the field and opening the door for a number of other drivers, including Allgaier, Landon Cassill and Josh Berry to battle for the lead. In the closing laps, Allgaier proved he had the car to beat, leading 47 of the final 49 circuits to claim the checkered flag ahead of Trevor Bayne and Cassill.

“We finished second last year, and I told the guys this week I wanted to win,” Allgaier said. “I just felt like all day I wasn’t doing a good job. It takes a team, and the guys kept me calm and gave me good pit stops.”

The win was not only Allgaier’s first visit to victory lane at NHMS, but the first for team owner Dale Earnhardt Jr.

“I’ve never been in that victory lane before in my life, and so, it’s pretty cool,” Earnhardt said. “It was a crazy up and down race. One minute your heart is in the gutter, and then at the end of the race, you’re as happy as you can possibly be at a racetrack. It’s a rollercoaster for sure.”

For Trevor Bayne, the runner-up finish marked just his sixth start in the series this season. Despite the part-time schedule, Bayne felt he had a car capable of winning at the 1.058-mile NHMS.

“This is the second time I’ve run second to him in two races,” Bayne said. “On the restarts, it was chaos – people missing shifts and putting you four-wide. If we could get there, I felt like we had a chance. It used to be ‘second is a great day,’ but we’ve been knocking on the door so much, we just want a win.”

In her NXS debut, Julia Landauer finished 38th after a crash on lap 90. Hometown favorite Derek Griffith finished 20th.

During pre-race, Crayon CEO Justin Henriksen announced Crayon will be the entitlement sponsor for next season’s NASCAR Cup Series (NCS) race, the Crayon 301, at “The Magic Mile.”

Cassill and Noah Gragson were disqualified following post-race inspection.

Tickets:

Sunday’s Ambetter 301 tickets start at just $59 for adults and $10 for kids 12 and under. Fans can log on to NHMS.com for tickets and more information on this weekend’s lineup of action-packed racing. Walk-up tickets are available at all ticket booths.

Follow Us:

Keep track of all of New Hampshire Motor Speedway’s events by following on Facebook (@NHMotorSpeedway), Twitter (@NHMS) and Instagram (@NHMS). Keep up with all the latest information on the speedway website (NHMS.com) and mobile app.

Allgaier surges to late Xfinity Series victory at New Hampshire

By
Andrew Kim
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LOUDON, NEW HAMPSHIRE - JULY 16: Justin Allgaier, driver of the #7 BRANDT Chevrolet, and crew celebrate in victory lane after winning the NASCAR Xfinity Series Crayon 200 at New Hampshire Motor Speedway on July 16, 2022 in Loudon, New Hampshire. (Photo by James Gilbert/Getty Images).

Justin Allgaier survived a series of late cautions and carnage and stormed to the front during the final 50 laps, pulling away during a 21-lap dash to the finish to win the Crayon 200 at New Hampshire Motor Speedway on Saturday, July 16.

The 36-year-old veteran from Riverton, Illinois, led twice for 47 of 200 laps, including the final 19, as he withstood a late battle against Landon Cassill before beating Trevor Bayne by nearly four seconds for his third NASCAR Xfinity Series victory of the 2022 season. Ironically, Allgaier rallied from being involved in an early incident involving newcomer Julia Landauer, where the driver of the No. 7 JR Motorsports Chevrolet Camaro sustained right-front fender damage, to preserve his tires and charge to his late victory.

With on-track qualifying that determined the starting lineup occurring on Friday, Josh Berry initially qualified on pole position after posting a pole-qualifying lap at 127.163 mph in 29.952 seconds. He, however, dropped to the rear of the field due to unapproved adjustments to his car after he slapped the outside wall in Turn 2 during his qualifying session. With that, Daniel Hemric, who clocked in a fast qualifying lap at 126.930 mph in 30.007 seconds led the field to the start. Joining him on the front row was Justin Allgaier, who posted his best qualifying lap at 126.829 mph in 30.031 seconds.

Prior to the event, names like Akinori Ogata, Alex Labbe, Howie Disavino III, Joe Graf Jr. and David Starr joined Berry at the rear of the field due to unapproved adjustments to their respective cars. Jeremy Clements also dropped to the rear of the field for a tire change along with JJ Yeley, who changed an engine.

When the green flag waved and the race started amid a stacked start from the field, Hemric managed to clear the field entering the first two turns as he went on to lead the first lap while Ty Gibbs challenged and overtook Allgaier for the runner-up spot. Shortly after, Allgaier was locked in a three-wide battle with Trevor Bayne and Landon Cassill for position as Bayne moved up to third while the field behind jostled early for positions. Meanwhile, Brandon Jones, who was up in sixth, got shuffled back to 11th.

Then on the fifth lap, Gibbs, who attempted to make a move on Hemric for the lead entering Turn 3, got loose as his No. 54 He Gets Us Toyota Supra made slight contact against Hemric’s No. 11 AG1 Chevrolet Camaro. This allowed Bayne to move his No. 18 Devotion Nutrition Toyota Supra into the lead while Hemric and Gibbs recovered and settled in second and fourth.

Through the first 10 scheduled laps, Bayne was leading by nearly a second over both Hemric and Gibbs while Allgaier and William Byron occupied the top five. Cassill was in sixth ahead of teammate AJ Allmendinger, Noah Gragson, Sam Mayer and Ryan Sieg while Riley Herbst, Brandon Jones, rookie Sheldon Creed, Brett Moffitt, Derek Griffith, rookie Austin Hill, Ty Dillon, Anthony Alfredo, Brandon Brown and Myatt Snider were in the top 20. Meanwhile, Josh Berry was mired in 27th behind Alex Labbe.

Ten laps later, Bayne’s advantage decreased to two-tenths of a second as teammate Gibbs caught and started to challenge Bayne for the lead. Behind, Allgaier was in third place, trailing the leaders by more than two seconds, while Byron was up in fourth ahead of Hemric, Cassill and Allmendinger.

Then another two laps later, Gibbs challenged and overtook teammate Bayne for the lead entering the first turn.

Just past the Lap 30 mark, an initial two-car battle for the lead between teammates Gibbs and Bayne became a four-car battle as JR Motorsports’ Justin Allgaier and William Byron joined the battle, with Allgaier overtaking Bayne for the runner-up spot as he pursued Gibbs for the lead.

Then on Lap 35, the first caution flew when Allgaier, who was trying to pursue Gibbs for the lead while also trying to both fend off teammate Byron and overtake the lapped car of newcomer Julia Landauer, made contact and turned Landauer on the frontstretch as she backed her No. 45 Garage XYZ Chevrolet Camaro against the inside wall while Allgaier proceeded despite sustaining right-front fender damage. 

During the caution period, names like Ryan Sieg, Anthony Alfredo, Brandon Brown, Myatt Snider, Jeremy Clements, Bailey Currey, Mason Massey, JJ Yeley and Joe Graf Jr. remained on the track while the rest of the field led by Gibbs pitted. During the pit stops, Byron lost several spots on pit road after he got blocked by Creed in front of his pit stall.

With four laps remaining in the first stage, the event restarted under green. At the start, Sieg took off with the lead followed by Brown and Alfredo as the field stacked up and fanned out through the first two turns between the competitors with fresh tires and those with none. 

When the first stage concluded on Lap 45, Sieg managed to fend off a hard-charging Gibbs to claim his first stage victory of the season. Allmendinger and Byron managed to carve their way up to third and fourth while Brown edged Bayne to conclude the first stage in fifth. Rounding out the top 10 were Alfredo, Cassill, Gragson and Hemric. By then, Berry was up in 13th.

Under the stage break, some led by Sieg pitted while the rest led by Gibbs remained on the track.

The second stage started on Lap 52 as Gibbs and AJ Allmendinger occupied the front row. At the start, Gibbs launched ahead on the outside lane with the lead while Byron challenged and overtook Allmendinger for the runner-up spot through the backstretch. With Byron succeeding in his brief battle against Allmendinger, Bayne challenged Cassill for fourth place as Hemric, Gragson, Allgaier, Creed, Riley Herbst and Berry battled for spots in the top 10.

Through the first 60 scheduled laps, Gibbs was leading by nine-tenths of a second over Byron while Allmendinger, Cassill and Bayne occupied the top five. Hemric was in sixth ahead of Herbst, Gragson, Creed and Berry while Allgaier, Ty Dillon, Hill, Sieg, Brandon Jones, Mayer, Jeb Burton, Brown, Alex Labbe and Myatt Snider were in the top 20.

At the Lap 75 mark, Gibbs continued to lead by more than a second over Byron while Cassill was up in third ahead of teammate Allmendinger and Bayne. Meanwhile, Allgaier was mired back in ninth behind teammates Gragson and Berry.

Six laps later and with the leaders mired in lapped traffic, Byron moved his No. 88 HendrickCars.com Chevrolet Camaro into the lead over Gibbs. Cassill, Allmendinger and Bayne remained in the top five while Gragson started to pressure Hemric for sixth place.

When the second stage concluded on Lap 90, Byron captured the stage victory by nearly three seconds over Cassill while Gibbs, Allmendinger, Bayne, Hemric, Allgaier, Berry, Herbst and Sieg were scored in the top 10. Just as the stage concluded, Gragson, who was battling Hemric for sixth place, got bumped and turned by Hemric entering Turn 3 as he spun and dropped to 17th.

Under the stage break, the leaders led by Byron pitted and Byron retained the lead followed by Cassill, Allmendinger, Hemric, Berry and Bayne. During the pit stops, Gibbs lost a few laps to the leaders due to a mechanical issue with his car.

With 103 laps remaining, the final stage started as Byron and Cassill occupied the front row. During the start, however, the caution quickly returned for a two-car wreck involving Matt Mills and Julia Landauer in Turn 1. The wreck was enough to terminate Landauer’s Xfinity debut in the garage and with a wrecked race car.

Six laps later, the race proceeded under green. At the start, Byron briefly retained the lead until he went wide and fell off the pace due to suffering a flat tire. With Byron pitting under green and losing a lap to the leaders, Cassill moved into the lead followed by teammate Allmendinger, Berry, Allgaier and Hemric while Creed, Ty Dillon, Bayne, Gragson and Herbst were in the top 10.

Shortly after, the caution returned when Hemric lost a left-rear tire, spun and wrecked hard against the Turn 3 outside wall as his strong run came to an end.

With 89 laps remaining, the race restarted under green as Berry, who started at the rear of the field despite recording the pole, assumed the lead over Cassill while Creed battled and overtook Allmendinger for third place in front of Gragson. Behind, Ty Dillon and Allgaier battled for sixth ahead of Bayne, Sieg and Herbst.

Then with 85 laps remaining, the caution flew when Derek Griffith spun in Turn 4. During the caution period, some like Austin Hill pitted while the rest led by Berry remained on the track.

With 79 laps remaining, the event proceeded under green. At the start and as the field stacked up when Ty Dillon missed a shift, Berry and Cassill duked dead even for the lead as Gragson muscled his way into third place ahead of Allmendinger and Creed. During the following lap, Cassill cleared Berry to take the lead while Gragson challenged teammate Berry for the top spot. 

Then with 76 laps remaining, the caution returned when Creed tapped and spun Berry’s No. 8 Tire Pros Chevrolet Camaro in the backstretch. Berry’s incident, which occurred in the middle of the backstretch, ignited a chain reaction, a stack-up and a multi-car wreck involving Mayer, Brandon Jones, Herbst, Myatt Snider, Sieg and Jeb Burton, who lifted Sieg’s rear tires off the ground as he briefly went into the air before coming back down as Burton’s front nose was left demolished. The wreck was enough for the event to be red-flagged for more than seven minutes.

When the red flag lifted and the field proceeded at a cautious pace, names like Brandon Brown, Alfredo, Kyle Weatherman, Labbe, Austin Hill, Brandon Jones and Bayley Currey remained on the track while the rest led by Cassill pitted. 

Following an extensive caution period, the event proceeded under green with 63 laps remaining. At the start, Brown rocketed with the lead as the field fanned out through the first two turns. Then through the backstretch, Creed, who was racing on fresh tires, pulled a bold four-wide move on teammate Hill, Labbe and Alfredo to assume the runner-up spot as Alfredo got loose and smacked the outside wall in Turn 3. With the race remaining under green, Creed moved his No. 2 Whelen Chevrolet Camaro into the lead during the following lap as Cassill cycled his way into third place. 

With 58 laps remaining, Allmendinger and Labbe made contact against one another as Allmendinger, who received miscommunication from his spotter, sent Labbe into the outside wall on the frontstretch. In the midst of the carnage, Brandon Jones, who was trying to avoid the incident, was hit by Brett Moffitt as his No. 19 Menards Toyota Supra spun and pounded the inside wall head-on as his event came to an end, and with the caution returning.

With nearly 50 laps remaining, the event restarted under green as Creed and Cassill battled for the lead. Behind, Allgaier utilized the outside lane to muscle his No. 7 BRANDT Chevrolet Camaro into third place through the backstretch. During the following lap, Cassill cleared Creed to assume the lead while Allgaier rocketed into the runner-up spot. Behind, teammates Hill and Creed battled for third in front of Byron, who recovered from falling a lap behind in the early laps of the final stage.

Then with 48 laps remaining, Allgaier peaked ahead as he took the lead despite having Cassill close to his rear bumper. While Allgaier and Cassill battled for the lead, Creed and Byron duked for third while Gragson and Bayne overtook Hill for fifth and sixth.

With 40 laps remaining, Allgaier was leading by six-tenths of a second over Cassill while Byron, Bayne and Creed were scored in the top five. Gragson settled in sixth ahead of Hill while Moffitt, Ty Dillon and Brandon Brown occupied the top 10. 

Shortly after, disaster struck again for Byron, who fell off the pace while running in third place and pitted under green for a second time due to a mechanical issue with his No. 88 entry. In comparison to his previous issue at the start of the final stage, this issue cost Byron multiple laps and the opportunity to win.

Down to the final 30 laps of the event, Allgaier continued to lead by four-tenths of a second over Cassill while Bayne trailed in third place by more than three seconds. Meanwhile, Creed and Gragson battled for fourth while Hill, Ty Dillon, Moffitt, Brown and Bayley Currey were scored in the top 10.

Then with 26 laps remaining, the caution flew when smoke billowed out of the No. 13 entry piloted by Akinori Ogata entering the backstretch as the Japanese competitor limped his car back to the garage.

Down to the final 21 laps of the event, the race proceeded under green. At the start, Allgaier and Cassill battled for the lead through the first two turns until Cassill utilized the inside lane to his advantage as he moved his No. 10 Carnomaly Chevrolet Camaro back into the lead. With the field jostling for late positions, Cassill and Allgaier battled for the lead once again as both Gragson and Bayne settled in third and fourth.

Then with 18 laps remaining, Allgaier reassumed the lead through the backstretch. As Cassill tried to draw himself alongside Allgaier through the following two turns, Gragson issued his challenge on Cassill for the runner-up spot with Bayne settling in fourth. Meanwhile, Brandon Brown, racing on four fresh tires, overtook Creed to move into the top five.

With less than 15 laps remaining, Allgaier was ahead by eight-tenths of a second over Cassill followed by a three-car battle for third place between Bayne, Gragson and Brown.

Down to the final 10 laps of the event, Allgaier extended his advantage to more than a second over Cassill, who had Bayne close in on him for the runner-up spot. Meanwhile, Gragson and Brown battled for fourth while Creed, Ty Dillon, Hill, Clements and Kyle Weatherman were in the top 10.

With five laps remaining, Allgaier remained as the leader by more than two seconds over both Cassill and Bayne, with both competitors dueling hard for the runner-up spot in front of Gragson.

When the white flag waved and the final lap started, Allgaier was leading by more than four seconds over Bayne, who withstood his late, furious battle against Cassill. Having a clear race track in front of him while preserving his tires to perfection, Allgaier was able to cruise his way back to the frontstretch as he captured his third checkered flag of the season.

With the victory, Allgaier achieved his first victory at the Magic Mile as he became the second Xfinity regular to achieve three-plus victories this season along with recording his 19th career win in the NASCAR Xfinity Series. In addition, Allgaier’s victory at New Hampshire snapped a six-year winning streak for Toyota at the Magic Mile with Chevrolet achieving its first win at New Hampshire since 2007 and it was the eighth of the season for JR Motorsports.

“We finished second last year to [a Toyota driver],” Allgaier said on USA Network. “I told these guys [that] I really wanted to win here. This place has been so much fun over the years. First of all, it’s my wife’s birthday today. If I came here with my wife on her birthday, the best way to do it is to take home a trophy to her. Just proud of our team. I didn’t do a good job early on in the race. I apologize to Julia [Landauer] and the No. 45 team. I got into her. I still don’t know what happened, but I just feel bad no matter the case was. [I] Just felt like all day, I wasn’t doing a good job and the guys kept me calm with great pit stops all day. [Spotter] Eddie D’Hondt’s awesome up on the spotter stand. Just really proud of this team. God’s good and you fans, thank you for coming out. This place never disappoints. Love coming to New Hampshire.”

Finishing in the runner-up spot for the second time of the year and to Allgaier was Bayne, who also posted his fourth top-five result in his part-time campaign with Joe Gibbs Racing. Bayne’s next scheduled Xfinity event is at Las Vegas Motor Speedway in October.

“First of all, I never knew what it was like to be frustrated with second place so much,” Bayne said. “Now, watching Dale’s [Earnhardt Jr.] car out there, the No. 7 gets smaller in my windshield two races in a row, has not been fun. We got to figure out how to beat these guys, how to win races. I know we’re close, but what did I need? I think it was just short-run speed. To fight back to finish second was a good day, but I really wanted to see my kids hold a lobster in Victory Lane. I don’t know what it’s gonna take. Thankful to be here. Thankful for Devotion [Nutrition] for allowing me to [race]. I wanna do it more. That’s for sure.”

Cassill, who led 17 laps, settled in third place for his fourth top-five result of the season while Gragson and Brown finished in the top five.

“[This run] just says a lot [about this team],” Cassill said. “I’m really proud of these guys. We worked really hard in the sim and they made a lot of improvements on this car. Fast as Xfinity Internet, right? I just didn’t have any right-rear tire left for Justin [Allgaier] at the end there. [I] Gave it all I had on that restart, but I just can’t thank Kaulig Racing enough for having me in their car. We’ll get that win soon.”

Following the event, however, Cassill and Gragson were disqualified from their top-five results after their respective cars were found to be low during the post-race inspection process. With that, Brown was promoted to third place followed by Jeremy Clements and Creed. Completing the top 10 were Ty Dillon, Hill, Weatherman, Mason Massey and Bayley Currey.

There were 15 lead changes for 10 different leaders. The race featured nine cautions for 56 laps.

With eight races remaining in the 2022 NASCAR Xfinity Series regular-season stretch, AJ Allmendinger continues to lead the regular season standings by 16 points over Justin Allgaier, 28 over Ty Gibbs, 87 over Josh Berry and 99 over Noah Gragson.

Ty Gibbs, Justin Allgaier, AJ Allmendinger, Noah Gragson, 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 Sam Mayer, Riley Herbst, Daniel Hemric, Ryan Sieg and Landon Cassill occupy the remaining vacant spots to the Playoffs based on points. Brandon Brown trails the top-12 cutline to make the Playoffs by 61 points, rookie Sheldon Creed trails by 63, Anthony Alfredo trails by 69, Brett Moffitt trails by 79, Jeb Burton trails by 98, Jeremy Clements trails by 122, Myatt Snider trails by 138 and Alex Labbe trails by 143 points.

Results:

1. Justin Allgaier, 47 laps led

2. Trevor Bayne, 17 laps led

3. Brandon Brown, 12 laps led

4. Jeremy Clements

5. Sheldon Creed, 10 laps led

6. Ty Dillon

7. Austin Hill

8. Kyle Weatherman

9. Mason Massey

10. Bayley Currey

11. David Starr

12. Joe Graf Jr.

13. CJ McLaughlin

14. Brett Moffitt

15. Sam Mayer

16. Patrick Emerling 

17. Howie Disavino III

18. Derek Griffith

19. Ryan Vargas

20. AJ Allmendinger

21. Ty Gibbs, four laps down, 49 laps led

22. Matt Mills, eight laps down

23. JJ Yeley, 10 laps down

24. Josh Williams – OUT, Electrical

25. Akinori Ogata – OUT, Engine

26. William Byron – OUT, Electrical, 22 laps led, Stage 2 winner

27. Alex Labbe – OUT, Accident

28. Brandon Jones – OUT, Accident

29. Anthony Alfredo – OUT, Accident

30. Riley Herbst – OUT, Accident

31. Josh Berry – OUT, Accident, 11 laps led

32. Ryan Sieg – OUT, Accident, 10 laps led, Stage 1 winner

33. Jeb Burton – OUT, Accident

34. Myatt Snider – OUT, Accident

35. Daniel Hemric – OUT, Accident, five laps led

36. Julia Landauer – OUT, Accident

37. Landon Cassill – Disqualified, 17 laps led

38. Noah Gragson – Disqualified

Next on the 2022 NASCAR Xfinity Series schedule is the series’ lone visit of the season to Pocono Raceway in Long Pond, Pennsylvania. The event is scheduled to occur on Saturday, July 23, at 5 p.m. ET on USA Network.

RCR NXS Post Race Report: New Hampshire

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Official Release
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Sheldon Creed and the No. 2 Whelen Chevrolet Team Ran Up Front, Captured Top 10 at New Hampshire

Finish: 7th
Start: 18th
Points: 14th

“I think today’s run is certainly a momentum boost for everyone on the Whelen team. We’ve had the speed to do that or at least the potential and I’ve kept confidence in our guys. I could fire off and go fast for a few laps, but our Whelen Chevrolet was really loose. I just tried to build into the race and learn what the car wanted and needed and that I needed to do better behind the wheel. I felt like we had a really smooth day. I learned some things on restarts to better ourselves for the end and I thought we did a really good job with that. We’ve really closed the gap on the short track stuff because we’ve struggled there this season. It was great to see so many people from Whelen here today.” -Sheldon Creed

Austin Hill and the No. 21 Bennett Transportation & Logistics Chevrolet Team Take Home Solid Top-10 Finish at New Hampshire Motor Speedway

Finish: 9th
Start: 15th
Points: 6th

“It’s nice to walk away from today’s race with a top-10 finish for our team. We didn’t practice or qualify very well at all but were able to rebound today during the race. We had a lot of great strategy, I thought, but it all just didn’t come together completely at the end. I had really good drive during the first run but needed to be just a little bit freer. My team made some really good adjustments but I just lost some of that drive. We had a lot of cautions come out and the dirty air was just so hard on us. Our No. 21 Bennett Transportation and Logistics Chevrolet Camaro was really good, we just needed a little bit more there at the end. We stayed in it all day and even ran in the top five for a little bit. Overall, it was a decent day for us. I’m looking forward to getting to Pocono next weekend.” -Austin Hill

Toyota Racing NXS Post-Race Recap — New Hampshire 7.16.22

By
Official Release
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ANOTHER RUNNER-UP RESULT FOR BAYNE’S GR SUPRA
Challenging Day at New Hampshire for Toyota GR Supras

LOUDON, N.H. (July 16, 2022) – Trevor Bayne scored another second-place result in Saturday afternoon’s NASCAR Xfinity Series race at New Hampshire Motor Speedway. With his limited race schedule this season, Bayne is knocking on the door of a victory in his Joe Gibbs racing GR Supra. Bayne’s teammates of Ty Gibbs and Brandon Jones experienced mechanical issues and were involved in mid-race incidents.

Toyota Racing Post-Race Recap
NASCAR Xfinity Series
New Hampshire Motor Speedway
Race 18 of 33 – 211.6 miles, 200 laps

TOYOTA FINISHING POSITIONS
1st, Justin Allgaier*
2nd, TREVOR BAYNE
3rd, Landon Cassill*
4th, Noah Gragson*
5th, Brandon Brown*
18th, PATRICK EMERLING
20th, DEREK GRIFFITH
23rd, TY GIBBS
27th, AKINORI OGATA
30th, BRANDON JONES
*non-Toyota driver

TOYOTA QUOTES

TREVOR BAYNE, No. 18 Devotion Nutrition Toyota GR Supra, Joe Gibbs Racing

Finishing Position: 2nd

How was your race overall?

“Congratulations to (Justin) Allgaier again. This is the second time I’ve run second to him – Nashville and here. Our car was good, but as the grip compound wore out of the race track, I feel like we got behind early in the race and actually got free in the second run, late in the run and took us a while to get it back. Felt like we gave up some in the short run speed there. On restarts, it was chaos. That’s why my car looks the way it does. People missing shifts and putting us four wide. I think if we could have got there or been up front a little sooner, I think we had a shot. Allgaier was just a little better on that short run.”

How did you feel about your speed today?

“I’m just so ready to win one of these things and we’re knocking on the door so much. We just want to win.”

How did the track change during the race?

“The track really changed a lot throughout the day today. The grip compound that they didn’t reapply really wore out throughout the course of the race. We learned that the first run, I was running the top leading and then I just got really loose. We needed some short run speed for sure and track position. Once we got pinned back, these restarts were just nuts. Four and five wide, missing shifts, it’s really hard to fight back. I think if it just went green after stage two, we could have gotten back up there. Allgaier was really good on the short run and that’s where he beat us at. Maybe if we had a 90-lap green flag run, we could have gotten up there with them. We’re just frustrated, but it’s good to be frustrated with second. I feel like we’re so close to winning and I just want to get my kids a trophy. We’re so close to doing it. We’ve to two races left to do it and I’d love to get them in victory lane.

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

Finishing Position: 30th

What took you out of the race today?

“I just hate this for everyone. I know we had a lot of guests that came by today and not really the race that I was thinking we were going to have. This track has changed a lot since he last time we were here. Totally different line that you have to run on. Just kind of got tagged from behind there. I knew that last restart we had was pretty important to try to get some track position. The guy in front of me kind of looked like he had axel issues so I was going to try to climb back to the inside lane. It never really worked out for our Menards GR Supra.”

How was your race going overall today?

“Today was kind of a tough day for us. I really thought we were going to have more speed than we truly did in this race. Put us in bad spots really all day and never really could get on offense because of that. Had to play too much defense. Then there at the end just got tagged and didn’t really see or know who got me. Obviously, couldn’t see what happened. I saw a couple guys come together in front of me. I never saw anybody on my side. All in all, tough day, but thankfully we haven’t had too many of these this year. We’ll get this Menards GR Supra ready for next week.”

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.

Herta Becomes First Double NTT P1 Award Winner This Season

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Official Release
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2022 - Honda Indy Grand Prix of Toronto

TORONTO (Saturday, July 16, 2022) – Colton Herta became the first two-time pole winner this season in the NTT INDYCAR SERIES, earning the NTT P1 Award for the Honda Indy Toronto on Saturday.

Herta’s top time was 59.2698 seconds on his last flying lap in the No. 26 Gainbridge Honda, as he added this pole to his No. 1 spot at the Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach in April. The first nine races of this season featured a different pole winner, and Herta was happy to spoil a chance for the INDYCAR SERIES to tie a record of 10 different pole winners to start a season set in 1952.

SEE: Qualifying Results

“That was an intense session,” Herta said. “We hadn’t really found that time until right at the end. I was really happy with that lap. It all kind of came together. The car was working brilliantly. You don’t see that usually, guys going faster on the used reds (alternate Firestone tires) instead of the new. Something to think about for tomorrow, but I’m happy with my Gainbridge Honda.”

The 85-lap race is scheduled for Sunday. Live, exclusive coverage of the race starts at 3 p.m. (ET) on Peacock Premium – with limited commercial interruptions – and the INDYCAR Radio Network. Both outlets also will cover live the morning warmup session at 10:55 a.m.

Six-time NTT INDYCAR SERIES champion Scott Dixon will join Herta – who also led the morning practice – on the front row after a best qualifying lap of 59.3592 in the No. 9 PNC Bank Chip Ganassi Racing Honda. It was the best non-oval qualifying performance this season for Indianapolis 500 presented by Gainbridge pole winner Dixon, whose previous best road/street qualifying effort was fifth at the last race, The Honda Indy 200 at Mid-Ohio Presented by the All-New 2023 Civic Type R on July 3 at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course.

Two-time series champion Josef Newgarden, who leads the series this season with three wins, qualified third at 59.5257 in the No. 2 Hitachi Team Penske Chevrolet. He will share Row 2 with Alexander Rossi, who qualified fourth at 59.5544 in the No. 27 NAPA AUTO PARTS/AutoNation Honda.

David Malukas was the top-qualifying rookie with a career-best starting spot of fifth after a lap of 59.6140 in the No. 18 HMD Honda. Scott McLaughlin rounded out the Firestone Fast Six at 59.9558 in the No. 3 XPEL Team Penske Chevrolet.

NTT P1 Award qualifying provided a mixed bag of results for contenders for the Astor Challenge Cup as series champion on the 11-turn, 1.786-mile temporary circuit on the streets of Exhibition Place in Canada’s largest city.

Points leader and 2021 Indianapolis 500 presented by Gainbridge winner Marcus Ericsson qualified ninth in the No. 8 Huski Chocolate Chip Ganassi Racing Honda.

Ericsson’s closest pursuer, 2014 series champion Will Power, endured a third consecutive event with a frustrating qualifying result. He will start 16th in the No. 12 Verizon Team Penske Chevrolet after his final hot lap in the first qualifying session was halted when Kyle Kirkwood crashed his No. 14 Sexton Properties Chevrolet in Turn 8, triggering a red flag and ending the group’s session.

Power has qualified 15th or lower in the last three road course races on the schedule yet has rallied to finish first and third in two of them, at Belle Isle and Mid-Ohio, respectively.

“I should know that you must stay in the top six every time because this can happen,” Power said of losing his lap to Kirkwood’s incident. “I had a really fast car again. It is crazy. That’s three races in a row we’ve been like P2 in practice before qualifying and then between 15th and 19th. Frustrating, man. Frustrating. I got to Turn 6 and was up four-tenths. That would have got us through.”

Newgarden, third in points, is in good shape to possibly gain ground on Ericsson and Power with the third starting spot Sunday.

But the next two drivers in the standings, fourth-place Alex Palou and fifth-place Pato O’Ward, have a lot of work to do.

Reigning series champion Palou slowed on track and stopped in his qualifying group in the first session and will start 22nd in the 25-car field in the No. 10 NTT DATA Chip Ganassi Racing Honda. O’Ward clipped the wall with his No. 5 Arrow McLaren SP Chevrolet during his first group, didn’t advance and will start 15th.

There was bright spot for the enthusiastic crowd of Canadian fans, back in droves under sunny skies after this event was put on hold in 2020 and 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Toronto area native and series rookie Devlin DeFrancesco qualified a career-best 12th in the No. 29 PowerTap Honda.

Chevrolet Racing at Toronto: Qualifying recap

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Official Release
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CHEVROLET RACING IN NTT INDYCAR SERIES
HONDA INDY TORONTO
STREETS OF TORONTO
TEAM CHEVY QUALIFYING RECAP

Newgarden leads Team Chevy in qualifications at Toronto
Two-time winner at Exhibition Place to start third; McLaughlin qualifies sixth

TORONTO (July 16, 2022) – Two-time Toronto winner Josef Newgarden qualified third to lead the 10-car Team Chevy contingent for the 85-lap Honda Indy Toronto on July 17.

Newgarden recorded a best lap of 59.5257 seconds in the No. 2 Hitachi Team Penske Chevrolet on the 1.786-mile, 11-turn temporary street circuit in the Firestone Fast Six. Newgarden won in 2017 from the seventh starting position and in 2015 from 11th.

Newgarden, making his fourth appearance in the Firestone Fast Six in 10 NTT INDYCAR SERIES races, recorded the stellar lap on the bumpy circuit after an engine change following the morning practice session.

“It was it was a good recovery from our crew. Really fast after that second session and the car was great,” he said. “I felt on that Fast Six lap that we were on a good one, a really good one. And then I ended up messing up at Turn 6. I overcooked the entry, tried to recover all of it on the exit, ended up touching the wall. And then it was kind of unraveled at that point.

“Really pleased with these guys. They did an amazing job. And so with Hitachi and Team Chevy, I think we’ve got something to fight with tomorrow.”

Teammate Scott McLaughlin, making his first appearance in Toronto, qualified sixth in the XPEL Team Penske Chevrolet with a lap of 59.9558 seconds.

“Awesome first qualifying session here in Toronto for XPEL Team Penske Chevy, and to qualify in the Fast Six at a new track is a lot better than I did at new tracks last year so I’ve very proud of that,” said McLaughlin, the 2021 INDYCAR Rookie of the Year. “I’m looking forward to tomorrow and think we can win the race from there.”

Colton Herta earned the NTT Pole Award in his Andretti Autosport Honda – the first repeat pole winner this season.

First-year driver Callum Ilott tied his best qualifying effort and will start seventh in the No. 77 Juncos Hollinger Racing Chevrolet. Felix Rosenqvist, driving the No. 7 Circle K Arrow McLaren SP Chevrolet, qualified eighth.

Live coverage of the race starts at 3 p.m. ET on Peacock Premium. The race will also be broadcast on INDYCAR Radio Network affiliates, SiriusXM 160 and the INDYCAR app.

TEAM CHEVY QUOTES

JOSEF NEWGARDEN, NO. 2 HITACHI CHEVROLET, TEAM PENSKE – QUALIFIED THIRD: “It was a good recovery from our crew. They put a whole new engine in this thing really fast after that second session and the car was great. I felt on that Fast Six lap that we were on a good one, a really good one. And then I ended up messing up at Turn 6. I overcooked the entry, tried to recover all of it on the exit, ended up touching the wall. And then it was kind of unraveled at that point. Really pleased with these guys. They did an amazing job. And so with Hitachi and Team Chevy, I think we’ve got something to fight with tomorrow. I’m really encouraged by that.”

Not to have the full practice to is that concerning at all? Do you feel like you guys are where you need to be as far as knowing what you need for the race tomorrow?

“I think all we sacrificed was Q running really and understanding what was going to happen right now. So, you know, I don’t think we’re behind to the race necessarily.”

SCOTT MCLAUGHLIN, NO. 3 XPEL CHEVROLET, TEAM PENSKE – QUALIFIED SIXTH: “Awesome first qualifying session here in Toronto for XP Team Penske Chevy, and to qualify in the Fast 6 at a new track is a lot better than I did at new tracks last year so I’ve very proud of that. We’ve made some gains since 2021 and continue to gain with the team and car. I’m looking forward to tomorrow and think we can win the race from there.”

CALLUM ILOTT, NO. 77 JUNCOS HOLLINGER RACING CHEVROLET – QUALIFIED SEVENTH: “P7, pretty happy with that. We ended up doing the time on used red tires. I think the only one on used tires, so that was pretty impressive. Good car, progressing through the weekend. Kept improving, kept finding little bits in my driving as well. I’ve had to guess and find the areas to improve because I don’t have a teammate and don’t have anything to look at but myself in the mirror. Great job by the team, great job by Chevy.”

FELIX ROSEQVIST, NO. 7 CIRCLE K CHEVROLET, ARROW MCLAREN SP – QUALIFIED EIGHTH: “We’ve been competitive in every session here in Toronto. Normally we’re a bit stronger in qualifying but the No. 7 Arrow McLaren SP Chevrolet felt good. There weren’t any mistakes, but I was a tenth away from the Firestone Fast Six. It’s a shame because I had a set of fresh Firestone reds waiting for the Fast Six when we took that gamble in Q1. Sometimes you’re in the window and sometimes you’re a bit out, but I think it’s been good so far and we can do some good damage from P8.”

PATO O’WARD, NO. 5 ARROW CHEVROLET, ARROW MCLAREN SP – QUALIFIED 15TH: “I have to say, we did what we could. We need to continue working and see what we can make better for the race. It’s going to be an interesting race day; it’s a tough track. We haven’t been in the window all weekend so we have a lot of ground to make up tomorrow.”

WILL POWER, NO. 12 VERIZON CHEVROLET, TEAM PENSKE – QUALIFIED 16TH: “I should know that you must make it in the top six every time because this can happen. I had a really fast car again and it is crazy that three races in a row we’ve been like P2 in practice before qualifying and then between 15 and 19, 20. It’s frustrating. Obviously, this isn’t a great race to come from the back and it’s unfortunate we are gonna go to have to do it again. It’s definitely a track that can create a lot of mayhem so who knows.”

RINUS VEEKAY, NO. 21 BITCOIN WITH BITNILE CHEVROLET, ED CARPENTER RACING – QUALIFIED 20TH: “We could barely get a lap in. Once the tires got warm, I only got in one solid lap on the blacks and then there was a red flag. With time for only one lap on reds and the tires still cold, I actually improved my time and I was happy about that. But then, someone spun, there was another red and I got my fast lap taken away. Tomorrow is a long race, there’s a lot we can do with strategy and I do think we a have a good racecar. I love passing people, so hopefully I can do a lot of that.”

DALTON KELLETT, NO. 4 K-LINE INSULATORS USA CHEVROLET, AJ FOYT RACING – QUALIFIED 23RD: “Definitely a tough session for us. Didn’t really get out of the pit box; looks like we had a failure somewhere in the fuel delivery system. One of the high-pressure pumps from the collector in the fuel cell wasn’t pumping fuel to the rail for our Chevy V6 so we weren’t able to get power so that was basically it. It is disappointing for us for the hometown race, obviously wanted a good qualifying performance to start further up on the grid and make our lives a little easier for Sunday, but obviously that wasn’t to be. We’ll just have to figure out what went wrong and make everything right for tomorrow. We’ll see what we have in warmup and go out and have a good race.”

KYLE KIRKWOOD, NO. 14 SEXTON PROPERTIES CHEVROLET, AJ FOYT RACING – QUALIFIED 24TH: “Unfortunately, we didn’t transfer to the Fast 12 today. We had a lap to do it and I just unfortunately brushed the wall out of turn six, which caused a rear left toe link to break and then we went to turn eight with the tire pointing the wrong direction. So super unfortunate, but we know we have fast car we were quick early on — on both sets of tires — we just didn’t get the lap there at the end.”

CONOR DALY, NO. 20 BITNILE CHEVROLET, ED CARPENTER RACING – QUALIFIED 25TH: “Qualifying was a bit of a disaster, but really through no fault of our own. There were cars that were stopped in front of me at the beginning of the session, I’m not sure who decided to use half of the track as a gapping area. It meant that I got backed up into Colton (Herta), which I then got penalized for. That was a shame because it was the first lap out there, which was never going to be his fastest anyway. Then we had the red flag, which stopped our session. It literally could not have gone worse, which means tomorrow is going to be great.”

About Chevrolet

Founded in 1911 in Detroit, Chevrolet is now one of the world’s largest car brands, available in nearly 80 countries with nearly 2.7 million cars and trucks sold in 2021. Chevrolet models include electric and fuel-efficient vehicles that feature engaging performance, design that makes the heart beat, passive and active safety features and easy-to-use technology, all at a value. More information on Chevrolet models can be found at www.chevrolet.com.

CHEVROLET NCS AT NEW HAMPSHIRE: Three Camaro ZL1’s to Start in Top-10

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Official Release
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NASCAR CUP SERIES
NEW HAMPSHIRE MOTOR SPEEDWAY
AMBETTER 301
TEAM CHEVY POST-QUALIFYING NOTES
JULY 16, 2022

TEAM CHEVY UNOFFICIAL STARTING LINEUP:
POS. DRIVER
2nd CHASE ELLIOTT, NO. 9 NAPA AUTO PARTS CAMARO ZL1
6th WILLIAM BYRON, NO. 24 LIBERTY UNIVERSITY CAMARO ZL1
8th KYLE LARSON, NO. 5 HENDRICKCARS.COM CAMARO ZL1
13th TYLER REDDICK, NO. 8 GUARANTEED RATE CAMARO ZL1
18th ROSS CHASTAIN, NO. 1 WORLDWIDE EXPRESS CAMARO ZL1
19th DANIEL SUAREZ, NO. 99 SLAM! CAMARO ZL1
20th AJ ALLMENDINGER, NO. 16 GOLD FISH CASINO SLOTS CAMARO ZL1
21st COREY LAJOIE, NO. 7 BUILT.COM CAMARO ZL1
22nd ERIK JONES, NO. 43 FOCUSFACTOR CAMARO ZL1
24th RICKY STENHOUSE JR., NO. 47 KROGER / MINUTE RICE CAMARO ZL1
25th JUSTIN HALEY, NO. 31 LEAFFILTER GUTTER PROTECTION CAMARO ZL1
27th ALEX BOWMAN, NO. 48 ALLY CAMARO ZL1
30th AUSTIN DILLON, NO. 3 BASS PRO SHOPS / TRACKER OFF ROAD CAMARO ZL1
34th JOSH BILICKI, NO. 77 ZEIGLER AUTO / DITEC MARINE CAMARO ZL1
35th TY DILLON, NO. 42 ALLEGIANT CAMARO ZL1

TOP-FIVE UNOFFICIAL STARTING LINEUP:
POS. DRIVER
1st Martin Truex Jr. (Toyota)
2nd Chase Elliott (Chevrolet)
3rd Kurt Busch (Toyota)
4th Bubba Wallace (Toyota)
5th Christopher Bell (Toyota)

· In Group A Round One qualifying, Chevrolet went 1-2 on the leaderboard with Hendrick Motorsports teammates Chase Elliott and William Byron, both transferring their Camaro ZL1’s onto the final round of qualifying.

· Kyle Larson was third fastest in Group B Round One qualifying to lead Chevrolet, advancing his No. 5 HendrickMotorsports.com Camaro ZL1 to the final round of qualifying to race for the pole position.

· Chase Elliott was second fastest in the final round of qualifying, giving the No. 9 NAPA Auto Parts Camaro ZL1 a front row starting spot for tomorrow’s race at New Hampshire. This marks Elliott’s 11th top-10 start of 2022.

· USA Network will broadcast the NASCAR Cup Series Ambetter 301 at New Hampshire Motor Speedway on Sunday, July 17, at 3 p.m. ET. Live coverage can also be found on the NBCSports Gold App, PRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Channel 90.

CHASE ELLIOTT, NO. 9 NAPA AUTO PARTS CAMARO ZL1 – Qualified 2nd

CHASE, WE TALKED EARLIER AND YOU WEREN’T REAL SURE OR CONFIDENT IN WHAT TO EXPECT IN QUALIFYING. YOU HAVE TO BE HAPPY WITH SECOND.

“I was shocked.. I was shocked that we were second. And shocked that it held on that long. Those guys ran 70’s in that first round and I barely ran a flat, so I thought for sure they’d go closer to what they ran that first round.

Really proud of our NAPA team today. It’s not been super pretty, but I feel like we’ve learned a couple of things. At this point, we just have to make sure we make some good decisions overnight. Not saying we have to completely rebuild it, but I do think we need to be a little better and I need to work on some things on my end to help create some longevity in our car, too.

Proud of the effort. Nice to be on the front row and give us a good pit selection. Would love to have that first one if I was being selfish, but second will give us a solid one to choose from and we’ll go to work all day tomorrow.”

About Chevrolet
Founded in 1911 in Detroit, Chevrolet is now one of the world’s largest car brands, available in 79 countries with more than 3.2 million cars and trucks sold in 2020. Chevrolet models include electric and fuel-efficient vehicles that feature engaging performance, design that makes the heart beat, passive and active safety features and easy-to-use technology, all at a value. More information on Chevrolet models can be found at www.chevrolet.com.

CHEVROLET NCS AT NEW HAMPSHIRE: Chase Elliott Press Conference Transcript

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Official Release
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NASCAR CUP SERIES
NEW HAMPSHIRE MOTOR SPEEDWAY
AMBETTER 301
TEAM CHEVY PRESS CONF. TRANSCRIPT
JULY 16, 2022

CHASE ELLIOTT, NO. 9 NAPA AUTO PARTS CAMARO ZL1, met with the media in advance of the NASCAR Cup Series race weekend at New Hampshire Motor Speedway. Press Conference Transcript:

YOU’RE COMING OFF A PRETTY BIG WIN. HOW WAS YOUR WEEK?

“Yeah, my week was good. I had some things actually scheduled before all of that, so it was a nice, busy week. Always good to come off a win and looking forward to this weekend. (New Hampshire Motor Speedway) has been a not so good place for us really since I started coming up here. Looking forward to another opportunity and try to get a little better up here.”

I SAW AN INSTAGRAM POST FROM A COUPLE DAYS AGO OUT ON THE SOFTBALL FIELD. IS TEHRE A LITTLE SOFTBALL LEAGUE IN DAWSONVILLE OR JUST OUT THERE PLAYING WITH SOME FRIENDS?

“Yeah, I’ve been playing the last four or five years every summer. I enjoy it, it’s fun.”

ARE YOU ANY GOOD?

“No (laughs).”

A GOOD STRETCH FOR YOU LATELY.. THE FIRST DRIVER TO REACH THREE WINS IN THE NEXT GEN CAR. DOES THAT FEEL SIGNIFICANT?

“Wins in any car is good if it’s got the Cup Series logo on it, so that’s good. For us, I feel like we’ve just had a few good weeks. This is a sport that will humble you really fast, so when you come off of a good week, that doesn’t guarantee the next one is going to go that good again. I’ve been down that road and you just kind of ride the wave. It’s been a good wave and you want to try and ride it the best you can, and make it last as long as possible. It’s inevitable that it’s going to go the other direction at some point, so you just try to ride it whatever it brings. Try to stay middle of the road and make sure we’re still learning and putting ourselves in the best position possible for the final 10 (races). That, to me, is the key. Those playoff points and bonus points that you can accumulate to be ready for that is really the goal and that’s the most important piece of the puzzle. Anything we can do to better our chances and better our odds for those last 10 is really what’s top of mind for us and the best way to do that is compete for wins. We’ve been fortunate to do that for a few weeks and hopefully we can do that again up here. If not, we’ll fight for whatever the day can give us.”

IN TERMS OF SHIFTING, DO YOU THINK IT WILL BE SIMILAR AT ALL TO GATEWAY?

“I’m sure we’re going to be shifting. I don’t know whoever came up with the transaxle must have not realized that five was too many (laughs). I don’t know, but five is too many for us I’m afraid for most of these tracks that we go to.

It really doesn’t make a difference.. I just kind of think it’s unnecessary at a lot of these places. Does it really matter? No.. I don’t really care one way or another. I don’t think we should be at ovals, but we’ll definitely be shifting here at least one, probably twice in some scenarios.”

YOU WENT TO THE SHORT TRACK AND RAN A RACE THE OTHER NIGHT. BRAD KESELOWSKI WENT AND RAN THUNDER ROAD. TYLER REDDICK WENT TO RUN A SHORT TRACK RACE LAST NIGHT. WHAT DO YOU THINK THAT SAYS ABOUT RACING AS A WHOLE RIGHT NOW, WHERE YOU AND OTHER DRIVERS IN NASCAR ARE GOING BACK TO GRASSROOTS AND SUPPORTING THOSE LOCAL SHORT TRACKS?

“Yeah, I think it’s a good thing. To me, it’s just the will to want to race that I think is cool. I appreciate that and you want to see the health of short track racing continue to grow. I think anytime you can hop in there and make an impact is great. But to me, when I go do that stuff, I don’t go do it because I feel like I’m going to change it. I do it because I enjoy it; I respect the discipline; I want to learn the discipline; and I want to be better at whatever it is I’m going to run. And to me, that natural desire, will and interest to learn is what is going to fuel it. If we’re interested, then other people could be interested too. It’s not necessarily because you can make a difference, it’s just the respect of a discipline that I think is really cool about it. I think there’s a lot of respect for other disciplines in this garage right now.”

CONTINUING ON THAT NATURAL DESIRE TO LEARN.. EVEN IN YOUR PERIOD OF BEING IN CUP WITH HOW THE SCHEDULE HAS CHANGED AND NOW THE TALK OF A STREET COURSE RACE NEXT YEAR, HOW HAS THE DISCIPLINE OF BEING A DRIVER CHANGED AND HOW HAS THE SCHEDULE CHALLENGED YOU EVEN AS A CHAMPION DRIVER?

“It’s refreshing to go to different places. It’s refreshing to not do the same thing every year. Granted, there are dates that it is important to match up with on a certain calendar month due to the significance of it and I like that.. the Coca-Cola 600 in May, for example.

But I do think there are some events on our schedule that can certainly get stale and it’s nice to go somewhere different. It is challenging from a driver’s standpoint and from a team’s standpoint to tackle a new place, especially one you’ve never been to as you mentioned the street course. But it’s a good opportunity to have an event inside of a big city, like Chicago; potentially have a good crowd and introduce people to our sport that likely wouldn’t make the hour drive out to Chicagoland. To me, that’s the challenge with our sport. Most places we go, we’re 45 minutes to an hour and a half outside almost every big city. I think it is different and unique to potentially have one that’s not that, and that to me is where the focus should be in making it a good event, an exciting event. And one that fans will enjoy, want to come back to and genuinely have fun with.”

FROM A DRIVER’S POINT OF VIEW, HOW MUCH OF A CHALLENGE WOULD A STREET COURSE BE COMPARED TO A ROAD COURSE? WILL IT BE THAT SIGNIFICANT OF A LEARNING CURVE?

“It’s definitely going to be hard, for sure. I don’t necessarily think that just because it’s on the road of a street is going to be the biggest hurdle at first. The biggest hurdle of a new road course is literally learning what corner is coming next. Most places that we’ve been to, I feel like a lot of us have either watched on TV for a long time or have watched other series race at for a long time, so you already kind of have a general understanding of the layout. But when they’re going to create one out of thin air that no one knows or one you’ve never watched, that’s going to take some studying and take some time to recognize the layout; understand the unique pieces of it that can make you better than your competitors.”

THOSE WAVES THAT YOU MENTIONED EARLIER, HOW MUCH ARE YOU GUYS IN CONTROL THERE OR ARE YOU JUST ALONG FOR THE RIDE?

“I don’t want to put myself completely in charge of that because it’s very much a team effort. You can certainly create a lot of your own luck depending upon how well you prepare at the shop; the decisions you make in what setup you want to put underneath the car; how you execute when you get to the race track; the decisions I make on track throughout a race; how Alan (Gustafson, crew chief) calls a race. All of those factors can go into you creating whether or not you’re going to or not going to have a good day. If you make all of those right choices and you have some good fortunate on track and things go your way, likely you’re going to be in for a good afternoon.

To me, the important piece of all of that is just making sure we’re maximizing the things in our control. When you do that, you’re certainly bettering your odds. You’re not guaranteeing that the wave is going to go in your direction, but you’re bettering your odds. To me, that’s what this deal is all about.. just doing the best of things that are in your hands and the rest is what it is. But certainly those choices that you make are crucial to having a good weekend regardless.”

YOU MENTIONED THAT SINCE YOUR ROOKIE YEAR, YOU’VE STRUGGLED HERE AT NEW HAMPSHIRE. WHAT IS IT ABOUT THIS PLACE FOR YOU THAT’S MADE IT SUCH A CHALLENGE?

“Man, I don’t know. It’s not a short track, in my opinion. It’s still a mile, but just very flat. I didn’t race at a ton of super flat tracks as I was short track racing; and the ones I did race at, I was never very successful at. I don’t really know why.. just my habits and the things I look for in the car just don’t necessarily suit some of the things that you need I think to be really good here. So I’ve had to kind of readjust my approach; the things I want in the car and what is actually realistic and achievable in it; and what you’re just not going to get. I think, for me, for most of my trips here, I’ve probably chased after an unrealistic balance dream that just aren’t going to happen. I think at some point you have to recognize that. I think I’ve recognized that. I don’t know exactly know what the road is to success, but I understand that there are things that you’re just not going to get. It might be a little different with this car, but I would say generally the guys that are good up here are probably – if I had to bet – I would say are going to be good again. We’ll see.”

NEW HAMPSHIRE HAS BEEN ON THE SCHEDULE FOR AWHILE. OUTSIDE OF THE TRACK, ARE THERE ANY PLACES THAT YOU LIKE TO GO WHILE YOU’RE HERE?

“I do enjoy this area in the summer. I think it’s really nice. A long ways up here, but it’s nice weather-wise. I spent a little time in Boston. I’ve been to a couple concerts a few years ago and enjoyed the town; thought it was a neat city. I’ve always wanted to go to a Red Sox game, I wish they were in town. I saw Zac Brown was at Fenway last night after I already got to the track, so that was a bummer. I would have loved to have gone and see him.

But yeah, I enjoy the area. It’s not a place where I’ve spent a ton of time at, but I do like coming up here.”

About Chevrolet
Founded in 1911 in Detroit, Chevrolet is now one of the world’s largest car brands, available in 79 countries with more than 3.2 million cars and trucks sold in 2020. Chevrolet models include electric and fuel-efficient vehicles that feature engaging performance, design that makes the heart beat, passive and active safety features and easy-to-use technology, all at a value. More information on Chevrolet models can be found at www.chevrolet.com.

Ford Performance NASCAR: Aric Almirola Media Availability (New Hampshire Motor Speedway)

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Official Release
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Ford Performance Notes and Quotes
NASCAR Cup Series
New Hampshire | Saturday, July 16, 2022

Aric Almirola, the defending race winner at New Hampshire Motor Speedway, met with media members Saturday morning ahead of Cup Series practice and qualifying to discuss a myriad of topics.

ARIC ALMIROLA, No. 10 Smithfield Ford Mustang — YOU RAN SO WELL HERE LAST YEAR AFTER A TOUGH YEAR FOR SHR, WHAT WAS IT ABOUT THIS TRACK THAT BROUGHT YOU AND THE 10 TEAM TO LIFE? ARE THE EXPECTATIONS HIGH THIS YEAR OR IS IT A TOTAL RESET? “Last year I felt like a lot of our struggles was mostly the intermediate race tracks and we race so much of them that it kind of stands out and makes us look bad more routinely because we run so many intermediate race tracks. I felt like we were off on aero and just missing some things. But I felt like our short track program last year was good. We were a top-10 car at Richmond and a top-10 car at Martinsville. We came to Loudon and our car was perfect. We made very minimal adjustments throughout the entire race. We started deep in the field, based on the way that they did the lineups last year with the metrics. We were so far down in points. I think we started 20-something, 24th or 26th or something like that. We drove through the field and had a great day on pit road and our car was good and I did a good job on restarts. It was one of those days where everything goes right and we steadily worked our way through the field and got into the top-five by midway through stage 2 and then raced with the leaders from there and got the lead. Then we led a lot of laps to the finish and just felt like everything went perfectly. When you have days like that, it is kind of easy to go to victory lane. It is the days you have to overcome adversity and challenges and the adversity that we fount most of last year being down on speed at all the intermediate race tracks. So coming to Loudon, yeah, it was a surprise for most people but it wasn’t really a surprise for us. We felt like if we kept massaging on our short track package that we would have cars that we needed to go challenge for wins.”

YOU HAVE RUN WELL ON MOST OF THE FLAT TRACKS THIS YEAR. DO YOU EXPECT THAT TO CONTINUE THIS WEEKEND? “I hope so. Running as good as we have run at Martinsville and Gateway and then coming here and having a lot of high expectations and a lot of confidence coming off the win last year. Loudon has always been a good track for me. I think statistically it is probably my best track. You guys could probably tell me, I don’t dive into all that stuff. But thinking off the top of my head it is a track that I always feel I will run good and have a shot to win if the car does what I need it to do. I think back all the way to the very first time I ever got in a Cup car here. I got in Jimmie Johnson’s car on Saturday morning for practice and went out and made a 20-lap run and went a little faster than he did. That was a huge confidence boost for me. Honestly, that practice really changed the course of my career. After that practice, I went back over to the truck garage and ran really well in the truck race that day. The very next weekend I had a conversation with Dale Jr. about driving his Busch car the following year. Yeah, that practice and then getting that sort of confidence and having Chad Knaus believe in me and everybody at HMS and Dale Jr. asking me to come drive his car, it all started right here with that Saturday morning practice at Loudon driving the 48 car. This place has always been kind of a special place to me.”

WHEN YOU LOOK BACK TO THE VICTORY LAST YEAR, HOW DO YOU FEEL YOUR CAREER HAS CHANGED FROM THAT VICTORY? “I don’t think it is really any different. My career is something I am very proud of and it has been up and down for sure but winning at this level is so hard. It is so competitive. It is the best stock car drivers in the world. To get all the way to this level and to win at this level is very, very difficult. So to do it and to do it at a drivers-type race track, not to say my other wins weren’t, but to do it at Daytona and Talladega was nice but those places take a different style of driving. To do it here kind of cemented for me at least to where I feel like I got it done on a race track to where I needed to.”

WERE YOU SURPRISED THEY DIDN’T PUT ANY RESIN DOWN? “I was surprised they didn’t just because they typically have. Last year they didn’t because we had a tremendous amount of rain leading up to the race weekend and so there was still some grip left over in those areas where they had previously treated it. Throughout the race last year I feel like it was starting to wear off and go away. For them to not treat it this year, I don’t know. I have no idea what to expect. I think it will probably wear out pretty quickly if there is any left, any grip left in those areas. It will probably go away really quickly.”

THERE IS STILL A LOT OF CHATTER ABOUT YOU POTENTIALLY RECONSIDERING YOUR RETIREMENT. HAVE YOU THOUGHT ANY MORE ABOUT THAT? “It is humbling to have people keep questioning me about it. I have given it thought but I don’t have anything new to say really as of right now. I think for us and for our race team, my focus is to get through these next few weeks and try to win a race to get our way into the playoffs. I would like to do that here this weekend like we did last year. As far as anything that goes past this year, I don’t have anything new to say than what I have said previously.”

WHAT IS DIFFERENT ABOUT THIS PLACE THAT ALLOWS SO GUYS TO SORT OF RISE UP AND GET UNEXPECTED SUCCESS HERE? “I don’t know. I always feel like coming to this race track is kind of an acquired taste, so to speak. It is very difficult and unique. You spend more time in the corners than you do on the straightaways because the corners are so wide and so sweeping. I feel like it is very much a driver’s race track. It takes a certain technique and acquired taste. For more, I have always just enjoyed coming here. I have got friends that live up here and just when I come to the New England area, the fans and everybody just embrace stock car racing so much. There is just a really great atmosphere and it is a different feeling for me. Even when we pulled into the track last night. Pulling in and the Xfinity cars were on track for practice. I don’t know, I get giddy when I come here. I get excited. It is a really cool race track.”

WHEN YOU COME HERE TO NEW HAMPSHIRE, IT IS A BIT OF A CHANGE OF SCENERY. IS THERE ANYWHERE YOU LIKE TO GO AROUND NEW ENGLAND? “No, I have some friends that live down in Hampstead and they travel up here. We have been friends for 15-plus years and they have come up there for the last 10-plus years and they camp out just outside the track. We spend a lot of time camping with them and our kids all get along and they are out there running around, playing tag, roasting marshmallows to make S’mores and stuff like that. It is a change of pace when we come up here because it isn’t all about racing and being at the track. It is a little more like you are camping with your buddies and having fun. It feels different for us when we come up here because of that.”

WHAT HAS PUT THAT LITTLE BIT OF DOUBT IN YOUR HEAD TO WHERE YOU ARE THINKING ABOUT MAYBE KEEPING DOING THIS IN ANY FORM? “Because I keep getting asked. Honestly, I haven’t really put much thought into it at all and am kind of just going throughout the course of the year but it keeps getting brought up. The chatter turns into real chatter, more questions are getting asked by decision-makers, not just you guys. It puts that in my head to where I should at least give it thought. As of right now, as I said, I don’t have anything new to add.”

IS SMITHFIELD ATTACHED TO YOU? TO THE 10? “Smithfield isn’t attached to anybody. They are a company that has to make a decision as to what is best for them. They have to get a return on their investment. It doesn’t matter if it is me, the race team or NASCAR. They have to go through that due diligence process on their own.”

BUT THEY ARE GOING TO STICK AROUND? “I don’t know. That isn’t for me to say. They are an independent company and they run their operation and have to figure out what makes the most sense for them and how they can get value on their investment. We have had a lot of talks over the years. The one thing I will say is I am very proud of that relationship. It is something I have worked really hard on throughout the course of my career. It started out as just a sponsorship and then it went from sponsorship to partnership and then over the last five or six years, it has gone form partnership to a relationship. I have really deep meaningful relationships with a lot of people inside that company. I know them very personally and very well. That is something I am really proud of and something that will last way beyond me driving a race car and beyond me representing them as a company. I truly value the personal relationship I have built with many of the people inside that company. As it relates to whether or not they sponsor a race car in NASCAR, that is a decision they have to make as a business decision. That is a lot of money for them to spend to be involved in the sport. I think they have seen the value in that over the last 11 years and that is why they have continued to sponsor a race car in the sport year after year. They feel like all the people that sit in the stands and turn on the TV to watch our races, that is their customer. They believe they have the opportunity by sponsoring a race car in our sport to talk to their customer and make it a decision for them when they go to the grocery store and look in the meat aisle. There is a decision to make for that consumer for what they will pick for a product. The hope is that because they sponsor a NASCAR car that when they go through that meat aisle they will pick up a Smithfield product and put it in their grocery cart. So far, they have all the metrics and information to prove that to be true.”

IS YOUR MINDSET NOW, IN TERMS OF NEXT YEAR, TO MAYBE DO SOME RACING WHERE YOU CAN PICK AND CHOOSE AND NOT HAVE TO GO FULL-TIME RACING? “It is hard to say. I think there are a lot of moving parts and a lot of things to juggle in relation to that. That is a hard sell I have learned. Teams and the sponsor want consistency and for me, yeah, it is really hard to wrap your head around the full-out commitment of what this sport takes. I am 38 years old and have been doing this for a long time. I am not to the point where most of the other guys have retired. Most retire in their early to mid 40’s but for me, I feel like I also had kids younger than most of those guys before me did. Harvick and Jimmie (Johnson) had kids in their 30’s. I had kids in my late 20’s. I know that Alex is going to be 10 in a month and a half. Abby is going to be nine shortly after that. I have just witnessed it with friends of ours that have older kids. When they turn 16 and get car keys, all they want to do is be with their friends. They just ask mom and dad for money and what time curfew is. I just know that I have such a short window to be involved in their life in a meaningful way where they want me around. I will always be involved in their life but there is only a short time where they actually want me to be involved and I just don’t want to miss that opportunity or that window. I think as I evaluate where to go from here and give it real thought, their opinion matters to me because I want it to be something to where it is a family decision. Originally I made that decision based on my family and that won’t change going forward.”

YOU MENTIONED ABOUT THE RESIN POTENTIALLY WEARING OFF A LOT SOONER. WITH THE SHIFTING DONE HERE, DOES THAT TAKE AWAY THE ISSUE OF THE RESIN? “Yes and no. I think Loudon is a place we have always fought for drive off the corners. You kind of struggle for rear grip. It just depends on what tire Goodyear brought, too. At Martinsville, we typically struggle for drive off and then Goodyear brought a tire that was incredibly grippy and didn’t fall off and we didn’t struggle. It is all dependent on the tire Goodyear brought that will really determine whether or not the resin is a factor. I think it is less of a factor of whether or not we shift. If the tire falls off and we lose grip throughout the run, then shifting may or may not pay off because if you downshift then you have more acceleration off the corners and it is easier to wheel spin. There are factors outside of the resin that plays a role.”

THIS WEEK WE SAW BRAD KESELOWSKI RUN A LATE MODEL, TYLER REDDICK RUN A PRO-STOCK, WHAT DO YOU THINK IT SAYS ABOUT RACING AS A WHOLE TO HAVE NASCAR DRIVERS GOING AND RUNNING IN OTHER SERIES’ LIKE THAT? “I think it is awesome. The coolest part about short track racing when you are growing up is turning on the TV on Sunday and watching those guys and having those aspirations to get to that point. So then to have those guys that race on Sunday in the NASCAR Cup Series come to your home track and you have the opportunity to race against them is so cool. It brings so much awareness and attention to short track racing. I think that is needed. I think the hard part about it is that it costs a lot of money. There are a lot of moving parts and the schedules are busy and there are a lot of things you have to factor in on our side to be able to go and do that kind of Saturday night short track racing. I think it is awesome that those guys carved out the time and were able to go do that. I am sure it puts more fans in the stands and puts more attention and spotlight on those races.”

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