July 12, 2022. DJ Kennington and the #17 Castrol Edge Dodge team return to action this coming Friday, July 15th for round five of the 2022 NASCAR Pinty’s Series schedule as the series makes its return to Exhibition Place as the feature event on the opening day of the Toronto Indy.

Following back-to-back podium finishes at Eastbound International Speedway and the Autodrome Chaudière, expect to see the #17 Castrol Edge Dodge running up near the front once again. In six previous series races on the streets of Toronto Kennington has scored a top-ten result in five of the races with a best finish of third overall.

This will be the first Toronto Indy event since 2019 due to health restrictions and it’s a great opportunity for race fans to see the #17 Castrol Edge Dodge team in action on the challenging street circuit as there will be free admission to the grounds for the Friday race.

Here’s what you need to know.

Race Event Preview
Friday July 15th Green Flag 4:00PM ET
Grand Prix of Toronto
Race five of 13 in 2022
This is the seventh NASCAR Pinty’s Series race Exhibition Place, Toronto, ON
Admission is Free on Friday. Fans are asked to donate to the Make-a-Wish Foundation

The Track: 11-turn, 1.786-mile temporary street circuit

Best finish: Third in 2010

Career Victories: 23

Most Recent Win: Delaware Speedway 2022

DJ Quote: “We’ve been running really strong the last two races and the Castrol Edge team is happy to be racing in Toronto and to keep that momentum going. This event is such a big part of summer and a great opportunity to meet a lot of race fans. It’s great to have it back on the schedule again”.

TV & Live Streaming
All races will be streamed live on TSN.ca and the TSN app in Canada and through FloRacing in the United States. The race will also be broadcast on TSN and RDS2. Check guide for date and time.

Race fans can follow DJ Kennington and the #17 Castrol Edge Dodge team on their official social media platforms:

Twitter www.twitter.com/@djkracing
Instagram www.instagram.com/djkracing
Website www.djkracing.ca
Facebook https://www.facebook.com/DJKenningtonRacing/

LAKEVILLE, CT (11 July 2022) – Rebel Rock Racing has momentum on its side when it returns to Lime Rock Park for Saturday’s Lime Rock Park 120, Round 7 of the IMSA Michelin Pilot Challenge.

Frank PePew and Robin Liddell are coming off back-to-back fourth-place finishes in the recent races at Watkins Glen International and Canadian Tire Motorsport Park, and are running at a circuit that plays to the strengths of their No. 71 Urban Grid Chevrolet Camaro GT4.R.

“I think we should have a good chance at Lime Rock,” Liddell said. “The Camaro should be competitive there, and we’ve had success there in the past. I think it’s a track that suits the car. We’ve been quite competitive the last two races. Obviously, it’s disappointing not to get on the podium, but I think this weekend if we execute well and Frank continues to do his bit, there’s no reason why we shouldn’t challenge for a podium – or even for the win.”

DePew had one of his best career outings at the circuit once known as Mosport Park earlier in July. The team elected to have him pit during an early caution flag during the two-hour race. DePew then pushed past the minimum drive time to pit at the midway point, enabling Liddell to take over and race to the finish without needing another stop.

“I think we performed really well at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park, and my pace was reasonable,” DePew said. “I’m happy, and yet I’m disappointed, with the results of our last two races. I think we had an opportunity to win at Watkins Glen, but we had a little miscommunication, because if I stayed out longer, we could have done the race with one less stop.”

DePew has only one start at Lime Rock. Last year, he was running 17th 30 laps into the race when an off-course excursion at the 1.5-mile circuit’s lone left-hand turn led to an early retirement.

“I’m definitely excited about the Lime Rock race,” DePew said. “I think I understand the track pretty well and I’m hoping to get up to speed quickly. The Camaro is good at Lime Rock Park, and I think we’ve got a good chance at a podium finish. Last year was the first time I raced there. I need to be better in qualifying. Right now, I’m racing a second-plus faster a lap than when I qualify and that needs to change.”

Liddell has enjoyed success at Lime Rock in Camaros in IMSA and Grand-Am. He won in 2017 with Stevenson Motorsports with the GT4.R, in addition to a pair of Grand-Am Rolex Series GT triumphs in 2011 and 2012.

“The Camaro is quite compliant at Lime Rock,” Liddell explained. “It’s a bumpy little track with a lot of undulation, and the Camaro seems to handle the bumps quite well there.”

The weekend opens with a pair of one-hour practice sessions on Friday at 10:05 a.m. and 1:45 p.m. (all times ET). GS qualifying begins at 5:05 p.m. on Friday. The two-hour race takes the green flag at 11:05 a.m. on Saturday.

Additional updates via:

http://rebelrockracing.co
https://twitter.com/rebelrockracing
https://www.instagram.com/rebelrockracing/

SPIELBERG, Austria (11 July 2022) – American Formula 1 hopeful Jak Crawford scored his first victory in the FIA Formula 3 Championship in Saturday’s race at Red Bull Ring. The double-header event was staged in conjunction with the Austrian Grand Prix as Red Bull once again played host to Formula 1 at the high-speed circuit set in the Styrian alps.

The 17-year-old Red Bull Junior driver from Texas stood beneath the Stars and Stripes on the top step of the victory podium after he triumphed for PREMA Powerteam in Round 5 of the championship.

“First win, and that gives me a confidence boost and gets the monkey off my back,” Crawford said. “It was a really good race with moving forward 3 spots.”

Crawford qualified 10th after a red flag ended the session two minutes early, robbing him of a potential top-three position.

However, that put him third on the inverted grid for Saturday’s 21-lap Sprint race. After losing a spot on the start, he made an inside pass of Franco Colapinto to take second on the ninth lap, prior to a safety car. Following the restart, he challenged Caio Collet for the lead. After running side-by-side through three corners, Crawford took the lead with a pass to the outside in a left-hand turn. He led the rest of the way, holding off a last-lap attempt by Collet.

“It was a long time for that one, but we got it,” Crawford said following the race. “I made a good move on the safety car restart, and I took advantage of all the restarts to gain positions. It was very stressful the last five laps. It was crazy, because I knew how powerful the DRS was at Red Bull Ring. I almost broke the DRS, but I missed by one-tenth of a second. I knew they would be coming fast, but I was fast enough that I was able to stay ahead.”

Unfortunately, Crawford had disappointment in Sunday’s Feature race, being taken out while attempting to improve his position with only three laps remaining.

The 25-lap race started in a downpour. Crawford started 10th but moved up to eighth on the rolling start. Despite the treacherous conditions, the race had only one safety car. The event restarted with three laps remaining, with eighth-place Crawford diving to the inside to take seventh, and was in position to gain additional positions. However, there was a collision behind him, which sent a car spinning into him and knocking him off. Crawford managed to continue to the finish, placing 22nd.

“We were very unlucky today,” Crawford said. “I was really quick in the wet, and made up two positions on the start. After that, it was very difficult to pass. I was aggressive on the safety car restart and passed one guy on the outside of Turn 1 and was going to pass another, but got rammed from behind. That was unavoidable for me. It’s unfortunate, because the guy who started 10th on the restart behind me ended up fifth. That incident cost me at least 10 points.”

Fourth in the standings at the beginning of the Feature – 10 points behind the leader – the unfortunate incident has the Texan fifth in the championship but now 28 points in arrears.

“Basically, it was an unlucky weekend because we lost a lot of points in the Feature race. Instead of being 18 points behind I am now 28 points back, which is a big blow to the championship.”

Round 6 of the nine-event championship will be held at Budapest on July 29-30.

“I didn’t have the best results last year at Budapest in F3, but I did win the pole in Euroformula Open,” Crawford said. “Now, I feel confident for the rest of the season.”

Despite severe weather, lightning delays, heavy rainfall, and an early end to race two, the team brought home three wins on the weekend

Braselton, Ga. (11 July 2022) – Despite a World Racing League powered by Hagerty (WRL) weekend that didn’t go to script–including severe weather, lightning delays, and heavy rainfall– the trip to Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta saw Round 3 Racing (R3R) score three wins on the weekend after some great driving and big teamwork brought home strong results.

Saturday’s race was delayed by two hours owing to extreme weather, while Sunday’s enduro saw the entire field pause in the pits to comply with local rules that set aside a quiet time from 10 am to noon. Sunday’s finale didn’t make it to the scheduled distance, as lightning forced series officials to call the race early.

Even with all the challenges and the flip the script weather, the Round 3 Racing drivers and crew continued to perform under pressure and bring home more strong results for the team as WRL turns the chapter into the second half of the season.
No. 401 TEAM HAGERTY MOTORSPORTS BMW M4 GT4 (GTO): Saturday’s difficulties made Sunday’s win even more rewarding

For the fourth consecutive race weekend, the No. 401 Hagerty Motorsports BMW claimed pole in qualifying. Sarah Montgomery set a fast lap early on Friday, but Cole Loftsgard swooped in and took the fast lap in the afternoon.

Montgomery took the wheel for the start to Saturday’s weather-delayed start. Maintaining a top-five despite a sensor issue, the native Georgian turned the car over to Brad McCall next. But the sensor issue became critical, forcing the team behind the wall to evaluate the BMW M4 GT4. But that never give up attitude got the machine back on track and despite the large gap to the lead, Loftsgard was last to get in behind the wheel to put his head down and bring the car home in the 22nd position.

Sunday’s race was able to get underway on time. Even though the No. 401 was not able to get the position they wanted on Saturday, they were able to lay a fast lap to start on pole for Sunday’s race. Montgomery was first in the car, driving until the 10 am quiet time red flag.

Through pit rotations, Montgomery parked the car down pit lane in third. McCall was next to jump into the BMW, driving the car up to lead the field. He handed the car over to Loftsgard who was able to maintain the lead position until the race was called due to weather.

“Heartbreak on Saturday turned into immense happiness on Sunday,” said Loftsgard. “I’m so proud of everyone on R3R. The team deserves this. Brad and Sarah put in phenomenal driving performances, Kevin and Marc gave us a superb setup capable of a convincing win, and pit stops from the boys were flawless all day… What a feeling to get it done!”

No. 609 TEAM SENTINEL BMW M4 GT4 (GTO): Fast and Fourth on Saturday, Frustrated on Sunday

The team of James Candelaria, Brian Ghidnelli, and Ron Hugate started Saturday’s race in the eighth position. Candelaria took the first stint driving the car up to sixth before passing the car over to Hugate. Hugate stayed in the car a little longer to help keep a track position in the top ten. Ghidnelli was last to take the wheel on Saturday. Hugate handed the car over to him in the eighth position. Ghidnelli drove the car home in the race’s final hour, making it up to fourth at the finish.

First up in Sunday’s competition was Ghidnelli, starting in second place. Ghidnelli took the lead going into turn one, from there was able to build a gap from the rest of the field. Stopping in for fuel and to put Hugate in the car, the car stalled at fifth for quiet time. Unfortunately, due to an incident on the first lap going back green after quiet time, the No. 609 was retired for the day.

“What a rollercoaster of a weekend,” said Candelaria. “We had challenging conditions on Saturday, but a strong finish. On Sunday we had a front row start to lead the race, nailed strategy on the red flag and then unfortunately got caught up in an incident in turn seven where a spun car caused us to have contact that ended our race. We are looking forward to VIR.”

No. 701 TEAM COOPER TIRES PORSCHE CAYMAN (GP1): Fourth and eighth after great team effort

The No. 701 Cooper Tires team worked their way through the field from fifth on Saturday, with Mo Dadkhah starting in the driver’s seat. Dadkhah handed the wheel to Zack Ping, a local from Buford, GA. Dadkhah and Ping were able to keep the Porsche Cayman in the top five throughout their stints. Loni Unser was last to get behind the wheel, the car was in fourth. Unser was able to keep her position, taking the checkered in fourth looking for third.

Ping was first to behind the wheel for the No. 701 during Sunday’s race. Unfortunately an incident involving going off track cracked the radiator, forcing the Cayman to the garage. The Cayman was able to make it back on track after quiet time. Unser and Ping took turns putting down steady laps, putting the car from last place up to eighth to finish the race.

“Saturday was hard because we thought we were doing work,” said Unser. “ Sometimes it doesn’t always pan out with the way yellows fall. I think we had good pace all day Saturday, but we were just caught out on some yellow flags and strategy sometimes doesn’t work. Today was a bummer. Mistakes happen. It’s super hard to drive in wet conditions and to have an accident happen is a bummer, but we know what we need to do for VIR.”

No. 605 TEAM HAGERTY DRIVERS CLUB PORSCHE BOXSTER (GP3):Double-win weekend

Carter Pease, Dennis Neel, Hannah Grisham, and Buz McCall piloted the No. 605 Porsche Boxster this weekend. Grisham was first behind the wheel; the team started in fourth and kept the Boxster in the top five before passing the car to Neel. Neel moved the car up to second before passing to Pease. Pease battled for the lead, and was given the opportunity for a clean move to the lead with just 15 minutes left to come home P1.

The No. 605 started in the second position for Sunday’s race. Neel was first up in the car. After a pit cycle rotation Neel parked the car for quiet time in third. Grisham was next up behind the wheel. She drove the car up to second, putting it in position for Pease to take over. Pease was able to take the lead before the race ended early. The No. 605 team brought home the second win of the weekend.

“Both yesterday and today shows the sheer grit that this team has,” said Pease. “ Saturday we had to battle back from full course yellows that didn’t work out in our favor and put us a lap down. We were able to fight all the way back and pass the leader with less than a half hour left in the race to come through with a win. The race on Saturday was really exciting! In order to pull off that win, Hannah drove great in the rain with our slick tires on, Dennis drove really consistent and smart, then handed it off to me in prime position. On Sunday, Dennis started us out in the rain again on slick tires and again drove very smart. Hannah was able to put down some flying laps to be able to get us back on the lead lap after that full course yellow. Mistakes by other teams in their pits allowed us the opportunity to be able to come up with a one lap lead and I just held on all the way until the end with the lightning delay.”

Round 3 Racing will head home to begin preparations for another four-car outing next month at VIRginia International Raceway in Alton, VA. The double header weekend will take place September 2-4th.