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Bridget Burgess Shines Despite Rain in Portland

By
Official Release
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SALT LAKE CITY, UT, June 5, 2022 – Bridget and the team at BMI Racing spent the time in the race shop preparing the HMH Construction Chevrolet SS for a ten-day trip that includes two road course races. The first stop at Portland International Raceway for round four of NASCAR’s ARCA Menards West Series.

The forecast was grim for the weekend, and the team arrived at the track with overcast conditions. At the start of practice/qualifying, the rain started to fall, and Bridget headed to the race track with wet weather General Tires. Bridget put in some solid laps during the session, utilizing her skills from racing off-road trucks, drifting, and track days in the rain.

As the rain started to fall, the green flag dropped for the Portland 112, and Bridget took the experience she gained from the wet practice, hitting her marks and keeping her laps clean. Bridget quickly moved up to the 5th position as the rain fell. As the view out the front windshield became a greater challenge, Bridget missed the chicane and had to come to a complete stop before continuing, putting her back to 7th position. The Portland 112 race was shortened to 42 laps from the original 57 laps due to visibility issues, with Bridget and her HMH Construction Chevrolet SS having her career-best finish in 7th.

A replay of the Portland 112 from Portland International Raceway will be broadcast on USA Network on June 16 at 2 p.m. ET.

NASCAR’s ARCA Menards West Series will return to action Saturday, June 11, with the running of the General Tire 200 at Sonoma Raceway. The event will be streamed live by FloRacing.

These great companies power Bridget:
HMH Construction, GEARWRENCH, Rugged Radios, Cometic Gasket, Circle Track Warehouse, Ferrea Racing Components, FK Rod Ends, Fragola Performance Systems, GC Cooling Fan, Hawk Performance, Impact Race Products, K&N Filters, Lucas Oil, Miller Electric, ProAm, Rare Parts, Streamline Custom Designs, Sunoco Race Fuel, XS Power

Facebook page: BridgetBurgess8 | Instagram: BridgetBurgess8 | Twitter: 8BridgetBurgess

Petty GMS Race Recap: World Wide Technology Raceway

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Official Release
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Ty Dillon, No. 42 Chevrolet Military Appreciation Chevrolet Camaro ZL1

START: 26th
FINISH: 27th
POINTS: 26th

Ty Dillon Post-Race Thoughts: “Not the result our No. 42 team was looking for today. Our Chevrolet Military Appreciation Camaro ZL1 was tight for the majority of the race and while we kept working on it, we never got the car to a point that it was on the loose side. We have struggled with fire off speed, which really hurts our restarts. Just seems to take six laps or so for our tires to come in and it’s hard to make up the track position. We will go back and regroup before Sonoma.”

Erik Jones, No. 43 Bommarito Automotive Group Chevrolet Camaro ZL1

START: 21st
FINISH: 7th
POINTS: 15th

Erik Jones Post-Race Thoughts: “Our day was up all day. We lost some spots there at the end with just the restarts and getting tighter. We kind of struggled with that during the day. It was a good day for us. We needed a top-10 run and we got that today with the No. 43 Bommarito Automotive Group Chevy. I’m happy with that. Obviously, we want to be a bit better. I think we have some things we can work on to get up there and be a little bit faster than some of those guys. We’ll keep going, but it was a solid day for us.”

ABOUT PETTY GMS:

Petty GMS competes full-time in the NASCAR Cup Series, operating the No. 42 Chevrolet for Ty Dillon and the No. 43 Chevrolet for Erik Jones. The newly formed team brought together two storied organizations in December 2021. Over the last decade, owner Maury Gallagher built a victorious team, capturing two NASCAR Camping World Truck Series championships, one ARCA Menards Series title, and two ARCA Menards Series East championships, as well as 65 wins and 235 top-five finishes across six series. Richard Petty, a member of the inaugural NASCAR Hall of Fame Class of 2010, serves as Chairman of Petty GMS. Petty, known as “The King,” accumulated 200 wins and was the first of three drivers to win seven championships in the Cup Series. For more information, visit www.pettygms.com.

SOCIAL MEDIA:

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

Post-Race Report | Portland International Raceway and World Wide Technology Raceway

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Official Release
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AJ Allmendinger Wins Inaugural NASCAR Xfinity Series Race at Portland
Pacific Office Automation 147

AJ Allmendinger, No. 16 Nutrien Ag Solutions Chevrolet

Start: 10th (To the Rear)
Stage 1 Finish: 21st
Stage 2 Finish: 8th
Finish: 1st

“The men and women of Kaulig Racing deserve that. I was off the racetrack multiple times, made all kinds of mistakes and was all over the place. I’m so proud of everybody on this Nutrien Ag Solutions team. I put so much pressure on myself at these races, because I know what everybody expects, and I know what I expect out on myself. It might be one of the craziest wins I’ve ever had with the most mistakes ever to win. I won here 16 years ago this month for my first Champ Car race, so It’s surreal that I still get to do this, thanks to Matt Kaulig and Chris Rice. I’m thankful to all of our other partners for allowing us to do this. What a cool race.” – AJ Allmendinger


Daniel Hemric, No. 11 Cirkul Chevrolet

Start: 3rd
Stage 1 Finish: 4th
Stage 2 Finish: 26th
Finish: 6th

“It wasn’t the result we strive for, but with as many mistakes as I made during the weekend and the amount of attrition that went on during the race, I’m proud of how our group battled back to end up where we did. Overall it was a solid points day, and we will take the two off weekends coming up to regroup.” – Daniel Hemric


Landon Cassill, No. 10 StormX Chevrolet

Start: 13th
Stage 1 Finish: 8th
Stage 2 Finish: 4th
Finish: 15th

“Portland was a wild race for everyone. Overall, it was a well-executed race until the final ten laps. I’m really proud of my whole team and our effort all day to get me into the top five for some stage points. We just had some tough misfortune on the late restarts that set us back. To come out with a top 15 and stage points is not as bad as it could have been.” – Landon Cassill

Enjoy Illinois 300 presented by TicketSmarter

AJ Allmendinger, No. 16 Gold Fish Casino Slots Camaro ZL1

Start: 35th
Stage 1 Finish: 28th
Stage 2 Finish: 21st
Finish: 10th

“I’m really happy with today. I didn’t know what to expect with no practice or qualifying and the car having to be fixed. The team made the car better all day. Ultimately, we needed a little bit of track position, but we were really good at the end there. I’m proud of the effort from start to finish to get a top 10 to cap off a great weekend.” – AJ Allmendinger

Justin Haley, No. 31 LeafFilter Gutter Protection Camaro ZL1

Start: 28th
Stage 1 Finish: 31st
Stage 2 Finish: 28th
Finish: 14th

“We weren’t the best all day, but we had a good strategy at the end to recover for a good points day. I’m proud of everyone for the hard work to put us back into the top 15” – Justin Haley


About Kaulig Racing™

Kaulig Racing™ is a full-time multi-car NASCAR Cup Series (NCS) and NASCAR Xfinity Series (NXS) team, owned by award winning entrepreneur, Matt Kaulig. Established in 2016, Kaulig Racing™ has made the NXS Playoffs consecutively each season since the playoff system started and made the Championship 4 round in both the 2020 and 2021 seasons. They will continue fielding three, full-time NXS entries; the No. 10 Chevrolet driven by Landon Cassill, the No. 11 Chevrolet driven by Daniel Hemric, and the No. 16 Chevrolet driven by AJ Allmendinger. With multiple wins, Kaulig Racing has come to be one of the top competitors on track each weekend. The team made multiple starts in the NCS in 2021 and won in its seventh-ever start with AJ Allmendinger’s victory at “The Brickyard” for the Verizon 200 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. The young team has acquired two charters for the 2022 NCS season, with Justin Haley competing as its first, full-time driver in the series. The team’s second entry will be shared by part-time teammates AJ Allmendinger, Daniel Hemric and Noah Gragson. To learn more about the team, visit kauligracing.com.

TOYOTA GAZOO Racing with positives to take from Sardinia

By
Official Release
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TOKYO, June 6, 2022 – (JCN Newswire) – TOYOTA GAZOO Racing World Rally Team driver Kalle Rovanpera has extended his FIA World Rally Championship lead after completing a clever drive to finish fifth overall in a very demanding Rally Italia Sardegna.

Ambient temperatures in excess of 35 degrees centigrade combined with rough and rocky roads to make the island event the toughest challenge yet for the new generation of hybrid Rally1 cars introduced this season. The GR YARIS Rally1 generally ran reliably and fast in the demanding conditions but a couple of small incidents prevented the car from continuing its winning streak for a fourth consecutive rally.

Both Elfyn Evans and Esapekka Lappi showed speed and confidence to win stages and take turns in the overall lead, only for significant impacts with the harsh terrain to cause damage that sadly took them out of contention for a top result.

As well as gaining valuable lessons for the continued development of the GR YARIS Rally1, the team leaves on a positive note thanks to Rovanpera’s fifth place. Running first on the road and sweeping the loose gravel roads as series leader hampered Rovanpera more than on the previous round in Portugal, but the young Finn maintained his trademark cool and delivered another mature performance to stay out of trouble and pick up places as others hit problems. As well as finishing fifth overall he also set the second-fastest time in the rally-ending Power Stage, earning four bonus points to increase his championship lead from 46 to 55 points.

Running under restart rules, Evans and Lappi were just behind Rovanpera in the Power Stage results in third and fourth, with Takamoto Katsuta making it four GR YARIS Rally1 cars in the top five in his TGR WRT Next Generation entry. Those results ensure TGR still leads the manufacturers’ championship by 39 points.

Katsuta finished one place behind Rovanpera in the overall standings in sixth: his fifth top-eight finish from as many events in the Rally1 car.

Quotes:

Akio Toyoda (Team Founder)
“To our mechanics, on this weekend, I feel especially thankful to you all. Both those in Sardinia who fixed Elfyn’s and Esapekka’s cars for them to restart the next day, and those at Fuji Speedway who worked very hard to fix the damaged GR86 and GR Corolla to get them back into the 24-hour race that Jari-Matti and I were driving in.

For us drivers, the hardest thing is not being able to keep driving, because it makes it not possible for us to repay our supporters. Your great effort saved many drivers, including myself, this weekend. I really want to thank all of you who take care of the cars for the team and the drivers, and I appreciate your continued professional work for our ever-better car making.

Let’s keep working together towards our goal all the time.

From:
Akio Toyoda, TOYOTA GAZOO Racing founder
Morizo, Master driver of Toyota Motor Corporation
Akio Toyoda, ROOKIE Racing founder
Morizo, Driver of ROOKIE Racing”

Kaj Lindstrom (Sporting Director)
“It has certainly been a challenging weekend and different to what we came here for, because we go to every rally to try to win. But we are still leading the manufacturers’ championship and Kalle has extended his lead in the drivers’ championship. You don’t need to win every rally to win a championship and Kalle did a really nice performance opening the road, so it was job well done from him. What happened to Elfyn and Esapekka earlier in the weekend was disappointing but this is part of rallying. We have had a very good start to the season with the new regulations and in these rough conditions this weekend we discovered that there are things we can still work on. It’s also a good thing to know that there is still potential for us to improve the car and be better on the next events.”

Elfyn Evans (Driver car 33)
“Today we were aiming towards the Power Stage and although we didn’t come away with as many points as we would have liked, some points is better than none. It’s another difficult weekend for us but there were at least some positives to take away from it, with some good moments inside the car in terms of stage times and in terms of feeling once again. The speed was quite good at many points but things just didn’t go our way. Now we try to improve for Kenya.”

Kalle Rovanpera (Driver car 69)
“We knew that today our only goal was to reach the end and try to score some extra points on the Power Stage. The feeling was not as good as I would have liked and it was quite tough but we still managed to be second-fastest, so four more points, together with fifth place on the rally. It was a tough weekend. We just knew that we had to be clever because results like this can be important when we count the points at the end of the year. We scored more than our nearest rival in the championship so we can be quite happy with that.”

Esapekka Lappi (Driver car 4)
“Today we tried something a bit different to help the team for the next rally in Kenya and I think the changes worked really well. Considering we were opening the road, it felt really good. The speed has been great on this event, as it has been on every surface so far this year, and that means that the car is easy to drive. We just need to put it together. Yesterday I think we were a bit unlucky but that’s how rallying is sometimes: you get surprises. We’ll try to take the positive things from this rally into our next event.”

For the latest results please visit www.wrc.com.

What’s next?
The legendary Safari Rally Kenya (June 23-26) returned to the WRC calendar in 2021 after almost 20 years. Even in its modern guise, the only African round of the championship provides gruelling conditions on rough and rocky roads as well as high speeds across open plains.

Keselowski Gains Seven Spots in Overtime for 20th-Place Finish

By
Official Release
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Event Filled Race at Gateway Ends in Thrilling Finish

MADISON, Ill. (June 5, 2022) – The No. 6 Solomon Plumbing Ford saw its share of battles in the inaugural NASCAR Cup Series race at the 1.25-mile oval outside St. Louis.

Starting from the 30th position after a huge save in qualifying, Brad Keselowski made up a handful of positions early to set himself up for a 25th-place finish in a short, 45-lap stage one.

Beginning stage two from the 24th position, the No. 6 team continued working on the speed and handling prior to the caution flew for incident on lap 65. With help from his top-ranked pit crew, Keselowski would gain some spots on pit road to restart 18th. A slew of cautions would occur in stage two, seeing Keselowski as high as 13th during a green flag run. Keselowski would finish stage two in 20th.

Some pit stop strategy put the No. 6 team in 15th to start the third stage, but they would unfortunately fade back as the race continued with four total cautions to end the race.

The final caution came with four to go, finding Keselowski in 25th. The No. 6 crew would put four tires on and restart 27th, while Keselowski went to work picking up seven spots to bring home a 20th place finish.

The Cup Series heads next to Sonoma Raceway, where race coverage next Sunday is set for 4 p.m. It will air on FS1 for the network’s final race of the 2022 season, with radio coverage set for PRN and SiriusXM Channel 90.

Zane Smith Earns Solid Finish in Cup Debut as Fill-In for Buescher

By
Official Release
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Current Truck Series Driver Makes Cup Debut at Age 22 in Gateway

MADISON, Ill. (June 5, 2022) – Zane Smith had never turned a lap in a Next Gen Cup car until this weekend. But, he turned all 240 of them in Sunday’s 300-mile race from World Wide Technology Raceway, bringing home the Acronis Ford Mustang 17th in his NASCAR Cup Series debut.

Smith, a three-time winner in the Truck Series this season, was a last-minute fill-in for Chris Buescher, who was sidelined after testing positive for COVID-19 prior to the weekend. The 22-year-old Smith came from the rear of the field and brought home a clean No. 17 machine at a track the Cup Series had never been to.

“I’m super happy with that finish, especially after the beginning,” Smith said after the race. “These guys are so good, and it was just fun to learn this car with such a long race to work on it. It was a ton of fun. Thank you to RFK, Acronis, Ford, everybody that allowed me to do this, just a dream come true.”

Despite a qualifying effort of 32nd, Smith methodically learned and worked his way through the field. One of his early pit stops he showed poise after getting turned entering his pit stall, but fortunately received no significant damage despite sliding into the inside pit wall.

He also avoided a multi-car incident on the front stretch about halfway through the second stage, again avoiding potential trouble. He would advance into the top-25 about halfway through the race overall, finishing 22nd in stage two, and from there only built on his running position.

In a final 95-lap stage that saw a total of four cautions, Smith eventually worked his way into the top-20, and survived a pair of late-race cautions to bring home the 17th-place finish in NASCAR overtime.

The Cup Series heads next to Sonoma Raceway, where race coverage next Sunday is set for 4 p.m. It will air on FS1 for the network’s final race of the 2022 season, with radio coverage set for PRN and SiriusXM Channel 90.

Hagan and Dodge Power Brokers Back in Winner’s Circle with Victory at NHRA New England Nationals

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Official Release
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NHRA New England Nationals
  • Matt Hagan powered his Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat Funny Car from No. 1 qualifier to the winner’s circle at the National Hot Rod Association (NHRA) New England Nationals to earn Tony Stewart Racing’s (TSR) third Wally trophy of their first season together.
  • Hagan drove the Dodge Power Brokers machine from his third No. 1 qualifier position this year to a sixth final round appearance in eight NHRA events this season to collect his fourth win in five years at New England Dragway.
  • Hagan’s 42nd career win keeps him as Funny Car championship leader with a 41-point advantage over Robert Hight as both competitors now have three wins apiece this season
  • Cruz Pedregon qualified his Snap-on Tools Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat in the top five for a seventh time this season and drove from his No. 4 starting spot to a quarterfinal appearance to maintain his fifth-place position in the Funny Car championship standings.
  • TSR’s Dodge Power Brokers Top Fuel dragster pilot Leah Pruett qualified 11th, advanced to the quarterfinals at the New England Nationals, and sits just outside the top-ten in the points standings.

June 5, 2022, Epping, New Hampshire — Tony Stewart Racing took home their third Wally trophy of the National Hot Rod Association (NHRA) Camping World Drag Racing Series season after Funny Car driver Matt Hagan powered his Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat from the No. 1 qualifier position to a fourth win in five years at New England Dragway.

“We’re very proud to see Matt Hagan drive the Dodge Power Brokers Funny Car to the winner’s circle at the New England Nationals and earn a third Wally this season,” said Tim Kuniskis, Dodge Brand Chief Executive Officer – Stellantis. “It’s a pleasure to see Matt and Tony Stewart Racing continue to embody Dodge//SRT performance and highlight what Dodge Power Brokers and Direct Connection can do for enthusiasts and their rides.”

“It was just a great weekend,” said Hagan who earned his 42nd career Funny Car victory with his team’s performance at the New England Nationals. “I can’t say enough about Dickie (Venables, crew chief). Nothing really needs to be said – our Dodge Power Brokers Charger SRT Hellcat speaks for itself. Mike Knutson, Alex Conaway, all the boys wrenching on the car, they just do a great job. It’s one of those things I don’t even think about anymore because each and every one of those guys has earned my trust with my life. So when I crawl in the car, I don’t think about anything other than just leaving the starting line.

Hagan qualified atop the eliminations ladder for a second consecutive event and a third time this season with a 3.878 second run at 332.51 mph, then turned on the win lights against No. 14 seed Dale Creasy Jr, had a bye run in the quarterfinals, and defeated No. 10 seed J.R. Todd to advance to his sixth final elimination round of the year.

For a third time in eight events Hagan lined up his 11,000-horsepower Dodge Power Brokers Charger SRT Hellcat against Robert Hight in a final, then wasted no time powering to a 3.922 sec./ 327.98 mph lap to capture the first victory over his nemesis this year. Hagan’s third win of the season helps him maintain the lead in the Funny Car championship standings with 41-point advantage over Hight who sits in second place with three wins of his own.

Fellow Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat driver Cruz Pedregon continued his streak of solid qualifying performances with another top-five starting position, his seventh in eight events, by taking his Snap-on Tools Funny Car for a 3.901 second lap at 324.28 mph to earn the No. 4 spot on the eliminations ladder.

He faced off against No. 11 seed Bob Tasca III in the opening round and posted a 3.948 sec. pass at 323.74 mph to beat his opponent and advance to the quarterfinals to race No. 10 seed J.R. Todd. Pedregon had the starting line advantage and maintained the lead to half-track when a loss of traction ruined his run and gave his opponent the opportunity to get past him.

In Top Fuel action, Dodge Power Brokers dragster pilot Leah Pruett and her TSR crew were seeking a strong performance at the New England Nationals to help break a string of early exits that have plagued the team since the start of the season. They overcame some qualifying challenges with traction issues on the first lap and then a stuck throttle at the end of the burnout in the second session that forced Pruett to continue down the track and abandon the run. Her third qualifying run was drama free with a solid 3.780 second pass at 323.50 mph to put the Dodge Power Brokers dragster 11th on the Top Fuel eliminations ladder and set up a first round matchup against No. 6 seed Tony Schumacher.

The Dodge//SRT HEMI®-powered machine had a solid opening round run with a 3.796-second/ 322.11 mph elapsed time to defeat Schumacher and give her lane choice in the quarterfinals against No. 3 seed Mike Salinas. However, Pruett had an uncharacteristically late launch against her opponent (a 0.125-second reaction time to a 0.081-sec. start) and her 3.807/321.27 run wasn’t enough to contend for the win against Salinas’ 3.746 sec./328.62 mph effort. Despite the difficult start to the season, Pruett sits just outside the top-ten in the Top Fuel standings in an 11th place tie with Antron Brown.

The NHRA will race again next weekend at the traditional Father’s Day weekend event, the Thunder Valley Nationals on June 17-19 at Bristol Dragway in Tennessee, for the ninth

of 22 national events this season.

ADDITIONAL NOTES and QUOTES:

Leah Pruett, Dodge Power Brokers Top Fuel Dragster 

(No. 11 Qualifier – 3.780 seconds at 323.50 mph)

Round 1: (0.061-second reaction time, 3.796 seconds at 322.11 mph) defeats No. 6 Tony Schumacher (0.083/3.980/266.32)

Round 2: (0.125/3.807/321.27) loss to No. 3 Mike Salinas (0.081/3.746/328.62)

“The great stuff that’s come out of this weekend is the progress of the team and the car under the cards we were dealt. The guys are doing a phenomenal job with the parts and pieces. I’ve been working really hard on my focus game and reaction time, and there’s a huge outlier between round one and round two for me – I was just behind the entire time. It was an uncharacteristic thing given the tools I’ve been using in my toolbox. Frustrating, no doubt, but we have a big handful of races coming up and a very intense faith and backing. I’ll be carrying this pretty heavily for a while until I’m able to prove again and again on Sundays.

“I can do two things – I can let it eat me up, or work on it, improve it, get over it and show the world the potential that this team has. We’ve been doing that. It’s just heartbreaking when it doesn’t come and it’s at your own cost, but that’s a true reflection of how bad you want it. It is hard to maintain consistency when there are a lot of different changes. This one’s on me, but we’re a mature group and we have a mature mindset about it and we’ll continue on.”

Matt Hagan, Dodge Power Brokers Charger SRT Hellcat Funny Car  

(No. 1 Qualifier – 3.878 seconds at 332.51 mph)

Round 1: (0.083-second reaction time, 4.097 seconds at 261.83 mph) defeats No. 14 Dale Creasy Jr. (0.083/10.284/88.72)

Round 2: (0.087/3.948/323.27) Bye run

Round 3: (0.062/3.963/325.69) defeats No. 10 J.R. Todd (0.054/3.981/321.58)

Round 4: (0.040/3.922/327.980 defeats Robert Hight (0.059/6.232/110.15)

“I think it’s going to be a dogfight all year between Robert Hight and us. You can’t leave out Ron Capps, John Force, J.R. Todd and all the other guys out there. It’s a dogfight out there and I love it. I was so up on the wheel there and was like, ‘Come on, come on.’ Hight is a bad dude out there and he’s hard to get around and he’s had our number three times already this year. I have a lot of respect for Robert Hight and what he does. He drives the same type of style I do and that’s no BS – just drive your racecar. That’s what we did today. This Dodge Power Brokers team – I love you to death and trust you with my life. I wouldn’t trade you for anyone.”

Cruz Pedregon, Pedregon Racing Snap-on® Tools Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat

(No. 4 Qualifier – 3.901 seconds at 324.28 mph)

Round 1: (0.073-second reaction time, 3.948 seconds at 323.74 mph) defeats No. 11 Bob Tasca III (0.104/ 4.839/161.56)

Round 2: (0.052/4.670/182.03) loss to No. 10 J.R. Todd (0.068/4.019/318.24)

“A great event for the Snap-on Tools Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat Funny Car team. We qualified in the NO. 4 position with a 3.90 at 324 mph, then went on to post the second quickest run of the very first round at 3.94 to dispose of Bob Tasca. Then the second round we went off against J.R. Todd where we lost traction after having the lead for a bit. A quarterfinal finish and other strong effort even if it isn’t quite what we wanted, but we’re still right in the hunt. I think we’ll maintain our fifth spot in the points. We’re just right on the cusp of really breaking through. We’re making some really good runs, our qualifying efforts prove that we’re fast. We have the speed. We just need to keep maintain that consistency throughout the event.”

NHRA CHAMPIONSHIP POINTS STANDINGS:

Following the NHRA New England Nationals at New England Dragway

FUNNY CAR (season wins in parentheses)

1.  Matt Hagan (Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat): 797 (3)

2.  Robert Hight: 756 (3)

3.  Ron Capps: 634(1)

4.  John Force: 507

5.  Cruz Pedregon (Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat): 452

6.  J.R. Todd: 331

7.  Bob Tasca III: 386

8.  Alexis DeJoria: 362

9.  Chad Green: 321

10. Tim Wilkerson: 311

TOP FUEL (season wins in parentheses)

1. Brittany Force: 668 (3)

2. Mike Salinas: 638 (3)

3. Steve Torrence: 569 

4. Justin Ashley: 561 (1)

5. Austin Prock: 425

6. Clay Millican: 396

7. Josh Hart: 376 

8. Doug Kalitta: 373

9. Shawn Langdon: 341

10. Tony Schumacher: 329

11. Leah Pruett (Dodge Power Brokers): 294

11. Antron Brown: 294

DodgeGarage: Digital Hub for Drag Racing News

Fans can follow all the NHRA action this season at DodgeGarage, the one-stop portal for Dodge//SRT and Mopar drag-racing news. The site includes daily updates and access to an online racing HQ, news, events, galleries, available downloads and merchandise. For more information, visit www.dodgegarage.com.

@DodgeMoparMotorsports on Instagram

The @DodgeMoparMotorsports Instagram channel continues to share content capturing Dodge//SRT Mopar drivers on the track. Fans can see action from the NHRA Camping World Drag Racing Series and NHRA Sportsman grassroots racers, competing in classes such as Factory Stock Showdown, Stock and Super Stock, as well as additional motorsports series.

Dodge//SRT

For more than 100 years, the Dodge brand has carried on the spirit of brothers John and Horace Dodge. Their influence continues today as Dodge shifts into high gear with muscle cars and SUVs that deliver unrivaled performance in each of the segments where they compete.

Dodge drives forward as a pure performance brand, offering SRT versions of every model across the lineup. For the 2022 model year, Dodge delivers the drag-strip dominating 807-horsepower Dodge Challenger SRT Super Stock, the 797-horsepower Dodge Charger SRT Redeye, the most powerful and fastest mass-produced sedan in the world, and the Dodge Durango SRT 392, America’s fastest, most powerful and most capable three-row SUV. Combined, these three muscle cars make Dodge the industry’s most powerful brand, offering more horsepower than any other American brand across its entire lineup.

In 2020, Dodge was named the “#1 Brand in Initial Quality,” making it the first domestic brand ever to rank No. 1 in the J.D. Power Initial Quality Study (IQS). In 2021, Dodge brand ranked No. 1 in the J.D. Power APEAL Study (mass market) — making it the only domestic brand ever to do so two years in a row.

Dodge is part of the portfolio of brands offered by leading global automaker and mobility provider Stellantis. For more information regarding Stellantis (NYSE: STLA), please visit www.stellantis.com.

Mopar

This year marks the 85th anniversary of Mopar.

A simple combination of the words MOtor and PARts, Mopar offers exceptional service, parts and customer-care. Born in 1937 as the name of a line of antifreeze products, Mopar has evolved over nearly 85 years to represent both complete vehicle care and authentic performance for owners and enthusiasts worldwide.

Mopar made its mark in the 1960s during the muscle-car era with performance parts to enhance speed and handling for both on-road and racing use. Later, Mopar expanded to include technical service and customer support, and today integrates service, parts and customer-care operations in order to enhance customer and dealer support worldwide.

Complete information on Mopar is available at www.mopar.com. For more information regarding Stellantis (NYSE: STLA), please visit www.stellantis.com.

Follow Dodge, Mopar and Stellantis news and video on:

Company blog: blog.stellantisnorthamerica.com

Media website: media.stellantisnorthamerica.com

Dodge brand: www.dodge.com

Mopar brand: www.mopar.com/

DodgeGarage: www.dodgegarage.com

Mopar blog: blog.mopar.com/

Facebook: www.facebook.com/dodge and www.facebook.com/mopar

Instagram: @Dodgemoparmotorsports, @dodgeofficial and @officialmopar

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Burton Finishes 25th at Gateway

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Official Release
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Harrison Burton and the No. 21 Ford/DAV team entered Sunday’s inaugural Enjoy Illinois 300 at World Wide Technology at Gateway bolstered by their best practice and qualifying sessions of the season but wound up 25th at the finish.

Burton started ninth and held that spot for the first 10 laps, then dropped back a bit before ending the first 45-lap Stage in 14th place.

He was running solidly in the top 20 during the second Stage before being swept up in a crash involving Chase Elliott. Contact with Elliott’s spinning car broke the splitter on the Ford/DAV Mustang and put Burton and the team at a big disadvantage for the remainder of the race.

He ended the second Stage in 29th place.

The Ford/DAV crew continued to work on the No. 21 Mustang on pit stops during the third and final Stage, and Burton had worked his way to 18th place when the race’s ninth caution flag flew for a spin by Cole Custer.

A dust-up on the restart led to Burton dropping to the rear of the lead-lap drivers as the race went to an Overtime run to the checkered flag.

Crew chief Brian Wilson elected to pit for fresh rubber and Burton was able to make up five positions, from 30th to 25th, on the final two laps as Burton’s fellow Ford driver Joey Logano drove his Team Penske Mustang to victory. It was Ford’s 715th triumph in NASCAR’s Cup Series.

Burton and the team now head to Sonoma Raceway for next Sunday’s 350-kilometer run on the California road course.

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About Motorcraft
Motorcraft offers a complete line of replacement parts that are recommended by Ford Motor Company. From routine maintenance to underhood repairs, Motorcraft parts offer value with high quality and the right fit at competitive prices. Motorcraft parts are available nationwide at Ford and Lincoln Dealers, independent distributors and automotive-parts retailers, and are backed by the Service Parts Limited Warranty* of Ford Motor Company. For more information, visit www.motorcraft.com.

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Omnicraft is part of the Ford lineup of parts brands: Ford Parts, Motorcraft and Omnicraft. Omnicraft is the exclusive non-Ford/Lincoln parts brand of premium aftermarket parts. With over a century of parts heritage to build upon, Omnicraft provides excellent quality and fit and is a preferred choice of professional automotive technicians. To find out more about Omnicraft, visit www.omnicraftautoparts.com or contact your local Ford or Lincoln Dealership.

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About Ford Motor Company
Ford Motor Company (NYSE: F) is a global company based in Dearborn, Michigan. The company designs, manufactures, markets and services a full line of Ford cars, trucks, SUVs, electrified vehicles and Lincoln luxury vehicles, provides financial services through Ford Motor Credit Company and is pursuing leadership positions in electrification; mobility solutions, including self-driving services; and connected services. Ford employs approximately 187,000 people worldwide. For more information regarding Ford, its products and Ford Motor Credit Company, please visit corporate.ford.com.

*See seller for limited-warranty details.

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.

About DAV
DAV empowers veterans to lead high-quality lives with respect and dignity. It is dedicated to a single purpose: keeping our promise to America’s veterans. DAV does this by ensuring that veterans and their families can access the full range of benefits available to them, fighting for the interests of America’s injured heroes on Capitol Hill, providing employment resources to veterans and their families, and educating the public about the great sacrifices and needs of veterans transitioning back to civilian life. DAV, a nonprofit organization with more than 1 million members, was founded in 1920 and chartered by the U.S. Congress in 1932. Learn more at DAV.org.

Team Penske NASCAR Cup Series Race Recap – World Wide Technology Raceway

By
Official Release
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Team Penske NASCAR Cup Series Race Recap
Track: World Wide Technology Raceway
Race: Enjoy Illinois 300 at Gateway
Date: June 5, 2022

No. 2 Menards/Atlas Ford Mustang – Austin Cindric

Start: 2nd

Race Finish: 11th

Stage 1 Finish: 1st

Stage 2 Finish: 16th

Laps Led: 26

Point Standings: 18th (-177)

Race Rundown: Austin Cindric started the inaugural Enjoy Illinois 300 at Gateway in the second position and finished 11th on Sunday afternoon. The driver of the Menards/Atlas Ford Mustang took the race lead on lap 27 and brought home the Stage 1 win, 10 points and one additional playoff point. As the track changed, Cindric fought handling conditions and with a mix of different pit strategy, the NASCAR Cup Series rookie fell to 19th but raced his way to 16th at the conclusion of Stage 2. Cindric stayed on track to gain several positions and started the final stage 11th. The team continued to adjust the No. 2 Menards/Atlas Mustang, pitting on lap 184 for four tires and final adjustments, restarting ninth with 51 laps remaining. The race saw three more caution periods including the last resulting in NASCAR Overtime. Cindric restarted 11th and was able to hold position to finish 11th at the end of the event.

Cindric’s Thoughts: “Proud of the pit crew guys, really solid race for them and proud of their progress. Obviously a really strong weekend for Team Penske great to get Joey (Logano) another win, we’ve got a lot of strengths as a team. Feel like I just adjusted myself too tight by the end. We had the trap door come down and that took off a lot of rear downforce and led me down the wrong road.”

No. 12 Dent Wizard Ford Mustang – Ryan Blaney

Start: 5th

Race Finish: 4th

Stage 1 Finish: 2nd

Stage 2 Finish: 10th

Laps Led: 12

Point Standings: 4th (-28)

Race Rundown: Ryan Blaney started fifth and finished fourth in Sunday’s Enjoy Illinois 300 at World Wide Technology Raceway in the No.12 Dent Wizard Ford Mustang. Blaney was slightly free on entry and exit through the opening laps but finished second in Stage 1 behind teammate Austin Cindric. Blaney was running third in Stage 2 when he had a left rear flat which resulted in minor damage to the No. 12 Dent Wizard Ford. Blaney powered back from the incident to finish 10th at the end of Stage 2. The ascent continued as Blaney reached the top-five by lap 150 making a charge for the lead in the final stage. At lap 185, the field split the pit strategy with some electing two-tire stops with the No. 12 Dent Wizard team electing to take four tires and unfortunately the car fell off the jack, dropping valuable track position. Blaney would again power through the field, reaching the top-five and giving a race-winning push to teammate Joey Logano enroute to a fourth-place finish.

Blaney’s Thoughts: “We had a really fast car. I had a great shot to win and just made a mistake in the pits and came out 17th and by the time we got back to race with the lead I just had no tires left. I am proud of the Dent Wizard team all day. The car was super fast, just didn’t do a good job with execution there on that last pit stop. But the good news is, we’ve got fast cars.”

No. 22 Shell-Pennzoil Ford Mustang – Joey Logano

Start: 7th

Race Finish: 1st – 29th career NCS Victory

Stage 1 Finish: 7th

Stage 2 Finish: 18th

Laps Led: 22

Point Standings: 6th (-40)

Race Rundown: Joey Logano powered to Victory Lane in Sunday’s Enjoy Illinois 300 at World Wide Technology Raceway, contending through multiple late race restarts to secure his 29th career NASCAR Cup Series Victory in the No. 22 Shell-Pennzoil Ford Mustang. Logano battled a loose entry and exit condition for the opening stage, getting trapped in dirty air behind the No. 10 Ford. In the second stage, Logano had two separate pit road issues that dropped the Shell-Pennzoil Mustang into dirty air and cost valuable track position, with the team finishing 18th at the end of Stage 2. At lap 185 the Shell-Pennzoil crew elected to go with a two-tire pit stop under caution, cycling Logano from 11th to third off pit road. Logano would power to the lead with only 34 laps remaining in the race. Logano would survive multiple late race restarts, charging to his second victory of the 2022 NASCAR Cup Series season.

Logano’s Thoughts: “Racing for the lead like that with Kyle, one of the best. It was a lot of fun. Crossing each other back and forth. I knew it was coming. I did it to him; I knew he was going to do it to me. We crossed back and forth there in the last lap there a couple of times. Good for Pennzoil Mustang for sure. Nice to get a few wins on the season here, start collecting those points, playoff points. What a great car, though. Really fast. I kind of messed up in qualifying, and Paul made a great call putting two tires on. Blaney did a great job with the push down in the one, which kept me close at least and being able to make the move. Good racing there.”

Tony Stewart Racing: New Hampshire Event Recap for the NHRA New England Nationals

By
Official Release
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Leah Pruett & Matt Hagan
Dodge Power Brokers Top Fuel & Funny Car Drivers
NHRA New England Nationals
June 3-5 | Epping, New Hampshire

Event Recap

Leah Pruett, driver of the Dodge Power Brokers Top Fuel Dragster:

● Earned No. 13 provisional qualifying position in Q1 on Friday (8.255 ET at 139.47 mph).

● Fell to No. 15 qualifying position based off Friday’s Q1 run because in Q2 on Saturday, a mechanical issue prevented Pruett from clocking an official run.

● Secured No. 11 qualifying position based off Saturday’s Q3 run of 3.780 ET at 323.50 mph.

● Advanced to the Round 2 on Sunday:

●  Round 1: 3.796 ET at 322.11 mph, beat Tony Schumacher (3.980 ET at 266.32 mph).

●  Round 2: 3.807 ET at 321.27 mph, lost to Mike Salinas (3.746 ET at 328.62).

● Currently tied with Antron Brown for 11th in the Top Fuel championship standings, 374 points behind points leader Brittany Force.

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

● Earned No. 1 provisional qualifying position in Q1 on Friday (3.878 ET at 332.51 mph).

● Scored three bonus points for quickest run of the session.

● Maintained No. 1 qualifying position based on Friday’s Q1 run. No. 1 in Saturday’s Q2 session (3.908 ET at 328.78 mph).

● Scored three bonus points for quickest run of the session.

● Secured No. 1 qualifying position based on Friday’s Q1 run. No. 9 in Saturday’s Q3 session (6.187 ET at 110.60 mph).

● Advanced to the final round on Sunday:

●  Round 1: 4.097 ET at 261.83 mph, defeated Dale Creasy Jr. (10.284 ET at 88.72).

●  Round 2: 3.948 ET at 323.27 mph in a bye.

●  Semifinal: 3.963 ET at 325.69 mph, defeated J.R. Todd (3.981 ET at 323.58 mph).

●  Final: 3.922 ET at 327.98 mph, defeated Robert Hight (6.232 ET at 110.15 mph).

● Currently leads the Funny Car championship standings with a 41-point advantage over Hight.

Notes of Interest

● Hagan’s Funny Car victory in the NHRA New England Nationals was the 42nd of his career, his third of the season and his fourth at New England Dragway in Epping, New Hampshire.

● Hagan has been the winning Funny Car driver in four of the last five NHRA Camping World Drag Racing Series events at Epping (2017, 2018, 2019 and 2022).

● The victory was Hagan’s first in the four, head-to-head, final-round matchups against Robert Hight this season. In their 40 career head-to-head matchups, Hagan and Hight have now won 20 times apiece. Hight holds an 8-4 advantage in final-round matchups.

● Hagan’s final-round appearance was the 77th of his career. He has advanced to the finals in six of this year’s eight NHRA Camping World Drag Racing Series events.

● The No. 1 qualifying position Hagan earned on Friday was his second in a row and third this season. It was the 46th of his career and his second at Epping.

● Pruett had her second-best run of the weekend in Sunday’s first round of Top Fuel eliminations when she bested her former teammate Tony Schumacher for the ninth time in their 20 head-to-head meetings.

Leah Pruett, Driver of the Dodge Power Brokers Top Fuel Dragster

“The great stuff that’s come out of this weekend is the progress of the team and the car under the cards we were dealt. The guys are doing a phenomenal job with the parts and pieces. I’ve been working really hard on my focus game and reaction time and there’s a huge outlier between round one and round two for me – I was just behind the entire time. It was an uncharacteristic thing given the tools I’ve been using in my toolbox. Frustrating, no doubt, but we have a big handful of races coming up and a very intense faith and backing. I’ll be carrying this pretty heavily for a while until I’m able to prove again and again on Sundays. I can do two things – I can let it eat me up or work on it, improve it, get over it and show the world the potential that this team has. We’ve been doing that. It’s just heartbreaking when it doesn’t come and it’s at your own cost, but that’s a true reflection of how bad you want it. It’s hard to maintain consistency when there are a lot of different changes. This one’s on me, but we’re a mature group and we have a mature mindset about it and we’ll continue on.”

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

“It was just a great weekend. I can’t say enough about Dickie (Venables, crew chief). I can’t say enough about Dickie. Nothing really needs to be said – our Dodge Power Brokers Charger SRT Hellcat Funny Car speaks for itself. Mike Knutson, Alex Conway, all the boys wrenching on the car, they just do a great job. It’s one of those things I don’t even think about anymore because each and every one of those guys has earned my trust with my life. So when I crawl in the car, I don’t think about anything other than just leaving the starting line. I think it’s going to be a dogfight all year between Robert Hight and us. You can’t leave out Ron Capps, John Force, J.R. Todd and all the other guys out there. It’s a dogfight out there and I love it. I was so up on the wheel there and was like, ‘Come on, come on.’ Hight is a bad dude out there and he’s hard to get around and he’s had our number three times already this year. I have a lot of respect for Robert Hight and what he does. He drives the same type of style I do and that’s no BS – just drive your racecar. That’s what we did today. This Dodge Power Brokers team – I love you to death and trust you with my life. I wouldn’t trade you for anyone.”

Next Up

The next event on the NHRA Camping World Drag Racing Series schedule is the NHRA Thunder Valley Nationals June 17-19 at Bristol (Tenn.) Dragway.

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