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What Campers Can a Honda CRV Tow?

By
SM
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Photo by Premkumar Masilamani on Unsplash

Most people prefer buying SUVs for the extra space and unmatched comfort they offer. The Honda CRV is a very popular SUV that features a very comfortable and luxurious interior. Even though most owners of Honda CRV are very satisfied with the car’s performance, there are other concerns when it comes to towing campers.

Users often wonder about the 2018 honda crv towing capacity and the types of trailers they can tow using this car. Considering the low towing capacity of this car, it is only suitable for towing lightweight campers that are under 1500 lbs. This article discusses the different types of campers that a Honda CRV can tow. 

The low tow capacity may seem like an issue that limits your options, but you can still find some pretty good campers within this range. This is because the camper market is full of options that are catered towards smaller towing capacity cars. Here are some types of campers that you can comfortably two with your Honda CRV. 

Teardrop Trailers

These trailers are practically designed for vehicles with low towing capacities. Teardrop trailers are very lightweight, along with having excellent aerodynamic features. They are like miniature campers that are very easy to tow behind almost all vehicles because they hardly block the rearview mirror.

These campers are so light that it can be difficult to look for a teardrop model that weighs over 3000lbs. So, due to the small dimensions and lightweight, teardrop trailers are very easy to tow using any car.

Some people worry that the small size of teardrop trailers limits their range and performance, but that is a myth. Despite the small size, these campers come in several designs, forms, and even lengths.

There are also extra features, like fold-outs and extensions that allow compact transportation but spacious camping and outdoor activities. They are comfortable in terms of caping space, especially when only one or two people have to share. 

Teardrop trailers and campers are best suitable for people who want a cozy and small space for camping trips. It is obviously not practical to live in a teardrop trailer for more than a week because the size does limit functionality in the long term, but they are excellent for road trips and weekend getaways.

You can consider the different types of teardrop trailers to see which one would be best suited for your Honda CRV. Papa Bear and Basedrop are some good teardrop trailers you can consider buying for your Honda CRV. 

Stand-up Trailers

These trailers are also known as standy campers because, despite the small size of these campers, you can easily stand up straight inside them. These trailers, just like teardrop ones, are designed to be compact.

However, where teardrop campers are very comfortable to sleep in, you cannot stand comfortably inside them. Standup trailers, on the other hand, have high ceilings. This is useful not only for comfort but also in terms of storage space. You can incorporate some shelves on the walls of the interior for a more organized and versatile trailer. 

However, standy campers lack in length what they have in height. So, where teardrop trailers allow more leg space and comfortable sleeping, stand-up ones do not have as much space. They are, however, spacious enough to allow you to sleep comfortably and cause no such issues other than that of personal preference.

Even though quite small, these campers can sometimes have miniature kitchen spaces and room for dining, or plenty of storage and resting space, depending on the manufacturers. Polar Bear and MeerKat have some amazing standy campers that can be easily towed by your Honda CRV. 

Pop Up Campers

These are perhaps the smallest and easiest to transport trailers that your Honda CRV can tow with great ease. Also known as camping trailers, these trailers are small but have fold-out pieces on the sides. These are very easily portable due to their compact packing and lightweight construction.

They are made from flexible fabrics, like canvas. The fabrics are usually waterproof and durable, which makes them suitable for campsites and harsh weather. Because of the construction, pop-up campers are soft, except for the base, which is hard. 

Even though they can be packed into a compact trailer, when popped up, they have a small but fairly comfortable living area. Some pop-up trailers also feature small in-house bathrooms and kitchenettes.

There is also plenty of sleeping space, with beds attached to the fold-outs, which can be opened and closed easily. The best feature of these campers is excellent ventilation and airflow through the pop-out windows.

These trailers are great for family camping trips because they feel like a tent but bigger and more comfortable. You also won’t have to worry about a campsite setup. You can simply park your pop-up trailer, and that’s your camp set up!

Logano grabs Cup Series win in overtime in inaugural event at Gateway

By
Andrew Kim
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Photo by Simon Scoggins for SpeedwayMedia.com.

With winning on new circuits starting to become a new habit of his in recent years, Joey Logano scratched another new circuit off of his bucket list after fending off Kyle Busch during an overtime shootout to win the inaugural Enjoy Illinois 300 at the World Wide Technology Raceway at Gateway on Sunday, June 5.

The 32-year-old Logano from Middletown, Connecticut, led 20 of 242 over-scheduled laps as he swapped the lead with Busch at the start of the event’s lone overtime attempt before reclaiming it for good prior to the final lap and pulling away from Busch and the field to grab his second victory of the 2022 NASCAR Cup Series season.

With on-track qualifying occurring on Saturday, Chase Briscoe recorded the first Cup pole position at Gateway after clocking in a pole-winning lap at 138.274 mph in 32.544 seconds. Joining him on the front row was rookie Austin Cindric, who clocked in a qualifying lap sat 137.775 mph in 32.662 seconds.

Prior to the event, Parker Kligerman started at the rear of the field in a backup car along with Daniel Suarez, who had unapproved adjustments made to his car. AJ Allmendinger also dropped to the rear of the field due to unapproved adjustments made to his car and due to the driver being absent for Saturday’s qualifying session as Truck Series competitor Ben Rhodes filled in while Allmendinger went on to win Saturday’s inaugural Xfinity event at Portland International Raceway.

When the green flag waved and the race started, Briscoe fended off Cindric to lead the field through the backstretch as he went on to lead the first lap while Christopher Bell, Tyler Reddick and Ryan Blaney battled for third place ahead of the field.

Through the first five laps and with the field fanning out and jostling early for positions, Briscoe was leading by four-tenths of a second ahead of Cindric, Reddick, Blaney, Denny Hamlin, Aric Almirola, Chastain, Logano, Harrison Burton and Bell.

By Lap 10, Briscoe stabilized his advantage to two-tenths of a second over Cindric while Blaney, Reddick and Hamlin remained in the top five.

At the Lap 20 mark, Briscoe remained as the leader by half a second ahead of Cindric. Third-place Blaney trailed by more than two seconds followed by Reddick and Hamlin while Chastain Almirola, Logano, Kyle Busch and Kurt Busch were in the top 10. Meanwhile, Chase Elliott was in 11th ahead of Martin Truex Jr., Harrison Burton, Bell and Kyle Larson while Cole Custer, Bubba Wallace, Michael McDowell, Erik Jones and William Byron were in the top 20. 

Seven laps later, early disaster struck for Briscoe, who fell off the pace after he cut a left-rear tire as he made an unscheduled pit stop under green. With Briscoe out of contention, Cindric took the lead followed by teammate Blaney while Reddick, Hamlin and Chastain were in the top five. 

By Lap 35, Cindric was ahead by two seconds over teammate Blaney followed by Reddick, Hamlin and Chastain while Almirola, Logano, Kyle Busch, Elliott and Kurt Busch occupied the top 10. Meanwhile, Briscoe was mired in last place of the 36-car field and two laps behind the leaders.

When the first stage concluded on Lap 45, Cindric claimed his first Cup stage victory of the season. Teammate Blaney settled in second, trailing by more than a second, followed by Reddick, Hamlin, Chastain, Almirola, Logano, Kyle Busch, Elliott and Bell. 

Under the stage break, the field led by Cindric pitted and Cindric retained the lead following his service followed by teammate Blaney, Reddick, Kyle Busch and Hamlin. Following the pit stops, Chase Elliott pitted his No. 9 Hooters Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 for a second time to have the lug nut on his car checked.

The second stage started on Lap 53 as teammates Cindric and Blaney occupied the front row. At the start, both Team Penske teammates dueled for the lead as Cindric continued to lead by a hair over Blaney before the latter prevailed. With Blaney out in front, Cindric was left to battle Kyle Busch for the runner-up spot as Busch prevailed in his No. 18 Snicker Toyota TRD Camry. Behind, Reddick was in fourth ahead of Hamlin and Logano, both of whom were left bitter over a pit road incident last weekend at Charlotte Motor Speedway.

By Lap 60, Blaney was leading by more than a second over Kyle Busch followed by Cindric, Reddick and Hamlin while Logano, Chastain, Almirola, Bell and Kurt Busch were in the top 10.

Four laps later, the caution flew when a bump from Chastain sent Hamlin’s No. 11 FedEx Toyota TRD Camry into the outside wall through Turns 1 and 2. During the caution period, a majority of the field led by Blaney pitted while Kyle Busch, Logano, Chastain and Elliott remained on the track. 

When the race proceeded under green on Lap 69, Kyle Busch received a draft from Chastain as he fended off both Chastain and Logano to retain the lead while Logano battled and overtook Chastain for the runner-up spot. With all three Team Penske competitors in the top five, Blaney soon battled Chastain for third place while Cindric pursued in fifth. 

At the Lap 75 mark, Kyle Busch retained a narrow advantage, three-tenths of a second, over Logano followed by Blaney, Chastain and Cindric while Elliott remained in sixth ahead of Michael McDowell, Truex, Almirola and Reddick. By then, Briscoe, who cycled his way back to the lead lap during the previous caution, was up in 26th behind AJ Allmendinger. 

Fifteen laps later, Kyle Busch extended his advantage to more than a second over Logano  followed by Blaney, Cindric and Chastain, who earlier was nearly wrecked by the lapped car of Hamlin with Hamlin expressing his displeasure over the incident involving Chastain that spoiled Hamlin’s run toward the front.

Another three laps later, the on-track feud between Chastain and Hamlin ignited again as Hamlin blocked and briefly stalled Chastain’s progress through Turns 4 and 1.

Four laps later, the caution flew when Blaney cut a left-rear tire, spun and backed his No. 12 Dent Wizard Ford Mustang into the outside wall between Turns 1 and 2. Under caution, some led by Kyle Busch pitted while the rest led by McDowell and Reddick remained on the track.

When the race resumed under green on Lap 100, McDowell retained the lead through the first two turns while Almirola and Bell overtook Reddick in a bold three-wide pass to move up to second and third. Not long after, however, the caution flew when Chastain bumped and sent Elliott spinning entering Turn 4, where he was hit by Harrison Burton while Bubba Wallace also spun to avoid sustaining any significant damage to his No. 23 McDonald’s Toyota TRD Camry.

With the race restarting under green on Lap 106, McDowell retained the lead ahead of Almirola and the field through the backstretch. Meanwhile, Elliott expressed his displeasure to Chastain over the contact during the previous caution by bumping and sending Chastain’s No. 1 Moose Fraternity Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 up the track through Turns 1 and 2. At the same time, Hamlin feigned another sideswipe move on Chastain with the latter falling below the leaderboard. With Chastain remaining on the track, Hamlin continued to stall Chastain’s progress by running in front of him and not letting him pass.

Back at the front on Lap 110, McDowell retained the lead by two-tenths of a second over Almirola followed by Reddick, Bell and Erik Jones while Kurt Busch, Daniel Suarez, Kyle Busch, Cindric and Kevin Harvick were scored in the top 10.

At the halfway mark on Lap 120, McDowell was leading by half a second over Almirola while Reddick, Kurt Busch, Bell, Kyle Busch, Erik Jones, Suarez, Cindric and Kyle Larson were scored in the top 10. Logano was in 11th ahead of Truex, Harvick, Brad Keselowski and Blaney while Briscoe, Ty Dillon, Allmendinger, Todd Gilliland and Austin Dillon were in the top 20. Alex Bowman was in 21st ahead of Cole Custer, Zane Smith, Harrison Burton and Ricky Stenhouse Jr. while Bubba Wallace, Justin Haley, William, Byron, Chase Elliott and Cody Ware were in the top 30. Meanwhile, Chastain was mired back in 32nd while Hamlin was in 35th.

Nearly five laps later, Elliott and Chastain briefly dueled through the frontstretch as Elliott tried to pursue Chastain again to express his displeasure towards him. In Turn 1, however, BJ McLeod got into the rear of Elliott, which knocked Elliott sideways as he proceeded under green.

Nearing the Lap 130 mark, the caution flew when Wallace got bumped and turned into the Turn 3 outside wall by Stenhouse. Under caution, Hamlin, who witnessed the incident in front of him, ran Stenhouse’s No. 47 SunnyD Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 up the track in Turn 1 to express his displeasure over his competitor getting wrecked.

During the caution period, names like Kurt Busch, Larson, Cole Custer, Stenhouse, Byron, Haley, Cody Ware and McLeod remained on the track while the rest pitted. During the pit stops, Reddick was penalized for dragging his gas can out of his pit box.

With six laps remaining in the second stage, the race proceeded under green. At the start, Kurt Busch fended off Larson to retain the lead while Truex, who restarted in the top 10, bolted his No. 19 Reser’s Fine Foods Toyota TRD Camry into third place as he quickly went to work on Larson for more. 

When the second stage concluded on Lap 140, Kurt Busch, piloting the No. 45 Monster Energy Toyota TRD Camry, captured his second stage victory of the season. Truex settled in second place, trailing by four-tenths of a second, followed by Kyle Busch, Larson, Almirola, Bell, Suarez, Cole Custer, Erik Jones and Blaney.

Under the stage break, some led by Kurt Busch pitted while the rest led by Truex and Kyle Busch remained on the track.

With 93 laps remaining, the final stage started as teammates Truex and Kyle Busch occupied the front row. At the start and with the field jostling for positions, Truex retained the lead ahead of Busch while Almirola, Bell and Suarez were in the top five. 

Down to the final 75 laps of the event, Truex retained the lead by half a second over teammate Kyle Busch as they were pursued by Almirola, Blaney and Bell. Suarez was back in sixth ahead of Erik Jones, McDowell, Briscoe and Cindric while Bowman, Logano, Reddick, Harvick, Ty Dillon, Chastain, Keselowski, Kurt Busch, Allmendinger and Larson occupied the top 20.

Fifteen laps later, Truex continued to lead by seven-tenths of a second over teammate Kyle Busch while Blaney, Almirola and Bell remained in the top five. Also remaining in the top 10 were Suarez, Erik Jones, McDowell, Briscoe and Cindric, respectively.

Another three laps later, the caution flew when Reddick spun in Turn 2. During the caution period, the leaders led by Truex pitted as Erik Jones exited with the lead following a quick two-tire pit stop followed by Kyle Busch, Logano, Bowman, Larson and Almirola while Truex was back in seventh.

With 51 laps remaining, the race restarted under green. At the start, Erik Jones and Kyle Busch dueled for the lead through the backstretch until Busch muscled his way into the lead through Turn 3 while Logano made his move into the runner-up spot. Not long after, Almirola launched his attack on Jones for third place as the field jostled for late positions.

Eleven laps later, Kyle Busch was leading by three-tenths of a second over Logano followed by Almirola while Erik Jones was in fourth ahead of Truex. During the following lap, however, the caution flew when Stenhouse spun in the backstretch. Under caution, some like Keselowski, Elliott, Justin Haley, Ty Dillon, Suarez, Byron and Bubba Wallace pitted while the rest led by Kyle Busch remained on the track.

Down to the final 34 laps of the event, the race restarted under green. At the start, Kyle Busch took off with the lead ahead of Logano while the field scrambled for positions. During the following lap, however, Logano, who dueled Busch for the lead through the frontstretch, pulled a slide job on Busch to take the lead in Turn 1 as Almirola tried to close in on the two leaders.

With 20 laps remaining, Logano stabilized his advantage to nearly a second over Kyle Busch followed by Almirola, Blaney and Erik Jones while Kurt Busch, Truex, Bowman, Bell and Chastain were in the top 10. Cindric was in 11th ahead of Harvick, Larson, McDowell and Allmendinger while Briscoe, Austin Dillon, Harrison Burton, Zane Smith and Custer were in the top 20.

Two laps later, the caution returned when Custer got bumped by Todd Gilliland entering Turn 1 as he spun and made contact with the outside wall. During the caution period, some like Wallace, Haley, Byron and Custer pitted while the rest led by Logano remained on the track.

Down to the final 13 laps of the event, the race restarted under green as Kyle Busch utilized the outside lane to reassume the lead over Logano through the backstretch. 

Three laps later, Kyle Busch was leading by a tenth of a second over Logano with Blaney joining the battle. Behind, Kurt Busch moved his way to fourth place while Almirola, Erik Jones, Chastain, Truex, Bell and Cindric were in the top 10.

With five laps remaining, Kyle Busch continued to fend off Logano with the lead while Blaney was starting to fall back and trail by less than a second in third place ahead of Kurt Busch and Almirola.

Then, the caution flew when Harvick slipped sideways and pounded the outside wall in Turn 3. The incident was enough to send the event into overtime as some like Keselowski, Suarez, Ty Dillon and Harrison Burton pitted while the rest led by Kyle Busch and Logano pitted.

At the start of the first overtime attempt, Logano, who restarted beneath Kyle Busch, ignited his challenge by trying to force Busch up the track, but Busch pulled a crossover move to challenge and reassume the lead beneath Logano through the backstretch. Then in Turn 3, Kyle Busch got loose and washed up the track in Turn 3, which allowed Logano to cross over to the bottom lane and take the lead back as he started the final lap of the event. 

With Logano out in front, Kyle Busch could not close the gap between himself and Logano, nor could he ignite a final charge on him. That all enabled Logano to drive away as he cycled his way back to the finish line and crossed the finish line to first place.

By winning the inaugural Cup victory at Gateway in Madison, Illinois, Logano notched his second victory of the 2022 Cup season, thus becoming the fourth multi-winner of this season, and the 29th of his career. This marked the third new circuit added to the Cup schedule that was won by Logano after he won the inaugural events at the Bristol Motor Speedway Dirt Course in March 2021 and the Busch Light Clash at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum in February 2022.

“Oh, packed house,” Logano said on FS1. “Thanks for coming out, [fans]. I hope you guys enjoyed that race. It doesn’t get much better than that. Racing for the lead like that with Kyle [Busch] with him is a lot of fun. Crossing each other back and forth. I knew it was coming because I did it to him. I knew he was gonna do it with me and was able to cross back and forth there a couple of times in the last lap there. Good Shell/Pennzoil Mustang, for sure. Nice to get a few wins on the season here. Start collecting those Playoffs points. What a great car. Really fast…[Crew chief] Paul [Wolfe] made a great call putting two tires on. [Teammate Ryan] Blaney did a great job with the push down into [Turn] 1, which kept me close, at least, to be able to make the move. Good racing there…It was a lot of fun to race here and looking forward to coming back.”

Kyle Busch trailed Logano to the finish line by six-tenths of a second in the runner-up spot followed by brother Kurt while Blaney and Almirola finished in the top five.

“[The crossover move was] Not even close,” Busch said. “You see me just about wreck off of [Turn] 4? Way better than Phoenix, though, I guess. For as bad as Phoenix was, [Joe Gibbs Racing], the Toyota guys did a good job of getting us some improvements there, at least being able to keep up and have a shot at the win. Our car just took too long to come in. Better on the long run, better up top [lane]. Top’s not good to fire off on, but good job by the Snickers guys. We stayed in the running all day long and fought hard. Though maybe we could, but that was it.”

Truex, who made his 600th Cup career start, came home in sixth place while Erik Jones, Chastain, Bell and Allmendinger completed the top 10.

Chastain, who rallied from adversity and his share of run-ins with Hamlin, Elliott and McDowell to finish eighth, took the time to acknowledge his cause of the on-track incidents and place the blame towards himself while Hamlin issued his warning towards the Floridian.

“Just terrible driving,” Chastain said. “It’s one thing to do it once, but I just kept driving into guys. At this level, I’m supposed to be better than that. [My sponsors and owners] deserve better. I owe half the field an apology. Words aren’t gonna fix it, so I’ll have to pay for it on the track. [I] Almost did today and I deserve everything they do. I can’t believe I continue to make the same mistakes and over-drive the corners and drive into guys. I like had time under caution to get reset and we go green and I drive into somebody. It’s terrible.”

“It’s good that [Chastain] takes responsibility, but ultimately, [the incident] ruined our day,” Hamlin said. “I think we were racing hard there for a while on the inside [lane]]. He tried to keep sliding up in front of us and wasn’t able to because I wasn’t willing to just back off and let him slide up in front. It didn’t take long, after he tucked in behind us, that it wrecked us. The unfortunate part is that it didn’t look that he got too shy after that because I think he got into [Elliott] after that one. We have to learn the hard way. We’ve all had it come back around on us and it will be no different.”

Notably, Cindric was the highest-finishing rookie in 11th, Larson finished 12th, Byron settled in 19th, Elliott ended up 21st, Wallace was mired in 26th and Hamlin concluded his event in 34th, one spot behind Harvick. In addition, Zane Smith, who filled in as an interim competitor for Chris Buescher with Buescher out after testing positive for COVID-19, finished 17th in his Cup debut.

There were 12 lead changes for nine different leaders. The race featured 10 cautions for 53 laps.

With 11 regular season races remaining to this season, Chase Elliott leads the regular season standings by nine points over Kyle Busch, 17 over Ross Chastain, 28 over Ryan Blaney, 37 over Martin Truex Jr. and 40 over Joey Logano. 

Ross Chastain, Joey Logano, William Byron, Denny Hamlin, Chase Elliott, Kyle Busch, Alex Bowman, Kyle Larson, Chase Briscoe, Kurt Busch and rookie Austin Cindric are currently guaranteed spots for the 2022 Cup Series Playoffs based on winning once throughout the regular-season stretch while Ryan Blaney, Martin Truex Jr., Christopher Bell, Aric Almirola and Tyler Reddick occupy the remaining vacant spots to the Playoffs on points. Kevin Harvick trails the top-16 cutline by two points, Erik Jones trails by 26, Austin Dillon trails by 29, Daniel Suarez trails by 60, Michael McDowell trails by 86, Bubba Wallace trails by 96, Justin Haley trails by 101, Chris Buescher trails by 104 and Ricky Stenhouse Jr. trails by 107. 

Results.

1. Joey Logano, 22 laps led

2. Kyle Busch, 66 laps led

3. Kurt Busch, 12 laps led, Stage 2 winner

4. Ryan Blaney, 12 laps led

5. Aric Almirola

6. Martin Truex Jr., 42 laps led

7. Erik Jones, four laps led

8. Ross Chastain

9. Christopher Bell

10. AJ Allmendinger

11. Austin Cindric, 26 laps led, Stage 1 winner

12. Kyle Larson

13. Alex Bowman

14. Justin Haley

15. Austin Dillon

16. Tyler Reddick

17. Zane Smith

18. Michael McDowell, 34 laps led

19. William Byron

20. Brad Keselowski

21. Chase Elliott

22. Todd Gilliland

23. Daniel Suarez

24. Chase Briscoe, 27 laps led

25. Harrison Burton

26. Bubba Wallace

27. Ty Dillon

28. Josh Bilicki

29. Cole Custer

30. BJ McLeod

31. Parker Kligerman

32. Ricky Stenhouse Jr., four laps down

33. Kevin Harvick – OUT, Accident

34. Denny Hamlin, 11 laps down

35. Cody Ware – OUT, Power

36. Corey LaJoie – OUT, Engine

Next on the 2022 NASCAR Cup Series schedule is Sonoma Raceway in Sonoma, California, for the series’ second road course event of the season. The event is scheduled to occur on Sunday, June 12, at 4 p.m. ET on FS1.

Stewart-Haas Racing: Inaugural Enjoy Illinois 300 from St. Louis

By
Official Release
-

STEWART-HAAS RACING
Inaugural Enjoy Illinois 300 by TicketSmarter

Date: June 5, 2022
Event: Inaugural Enjoy Illinois 300 presented by TicketSmarter (Round 15 of 36)
Series: NASCAR Cup Series
Location: Gateway International Raceway in Madison, Illinois near St. Louis (1.25-mile oval)
Format: 240 laps, broken into three stages (45 laps/95 laps/100 laps)
Note: Race extended five laps past its scheduled 240-lap distance due to a green-white-checkered finish.
Race Winner: Joey Logano of Team Penske (Ford)
Stage 1 Winner: Austin Cindric of Team Penske (Ford)
Stage 2 Winner: Kurt Busch of 23XI Racing (Toyota)

SHR Race Finish:

● Aric Almirola (Started 8th, Finished 5th / Running, completed 245 of 245 laps)
● Chase Briscoe (Started 1st, Finished 24th / Running, completed 245 of 245 laps)
● Cole Custer (Started 14th, Finished 29th / Running, completed 245 of 245 laps)
● Kevin Harvick (Started 20th, Finished 33rd / Accident, completed 235 of 245 laps)

SHR Points:

● Aric Almirola (11th with 385 points, 122 out of first)
● Kevin Harvick (13th with 377 points, 130 out of first)
● Chase Briscoe (14th with 362 points, 145 out of first)
● Cole Custer (27th with 246 points, 261 out of first)

SHR Notes:

● Almirola earned his second top-five and his fifth top-10 of the season.
● Almirola’s fifth-place drive equaled his best result so far this season. He finished fifth in the season-opening Daytona 500.
● Almirola finished sixth in Stage 1 to earn five bonus points and fifth in Stage 2 to earn six more bonus points.
● Briscoe led the field to green by scoring the pole for the inaugural Enjoy Illinois 300. It was Briscoe’s first NASCAR Cup Series pole and it came in his 51st career start. It was the 56th Cup Series pole for SHR and its 71st overall.
● Briscoe led the first 27 laps before a flat left-rear tire sent him to the pits for an unscheduled stop.
● Custer finished eighth in Stage 2 to earn three bonus points.
● Harvick came into Gateway with the most experience among SHR’s drivers. He ran five NASCAR Xfinity Series races (2000, 2001, 2006, 2009 and 2010) and three NASCAR Camping World Truck Series races (1998, 1999 and 2010) at the track. He scored two Xfinity Series wins, with his first in 2000 being the first of his 47 career Xfinity Series victories. Harvick successfully defended that triumph a year later when he took his third win of a five-win season that culminated with the championship. In Harvick’s third and final Truck Series start in 2010, he won the pole and dominated, leading 143 of the race’s 160 laps en route to his ninth career Truck Series victory.
● Almirola made three NASCAR Camping World Truck Series starts at Gateway (2006, 2009 and 2010), finishing among the top-10 each time. His best finish was fourth in 2009.
● Briscoe made one NASCAR Camping World Truck Series start at Gateway in 2017. He won the pole and led twice for a race-high 88 laps before finishing second.
● Custer made three NASCAR Camping World Truck Series starts at Gateway (2014, 2015 and 2016), scoring two top-10 finishes, highlighted by a win in 2015. He won the pole in 2014 to become the youngest pole winner in national touring series history at 16 years, 4 months and 22 days.

Race Notes:

● Joey Logano won the inaugural Enjoy Illinois 300 presented by TicketSmarter to score his 29th career NASCAR Cup Series victory and his second of the season. His margin over second-place Kyle Busch was .655 of a second.
● This was Ford’s 715th all-time NASCAR Cup Series victory and its fourth this season.
● There were 10 caution periods for a total of 53 laps.
● All but five of the 36 drivers in the race finished on the lead lap.
● Chase Elliott remains the championship leader after Gateway with a nine-point advantage over second-place Kyle Busch.

Sound Bites:

“It was a solid day for us. We really needed that. It kind of turned the last month around. We’ve been running top-10 and finishing 20th or worse the last month-and-a-half. Really proud of the effort today. It was kind of a mistake-free day and ran inside the top-five all day. Drew (Blickensderfer, crew chief) and the guys on the team did a great job. We were just so close to having what we needed to go challenge those guys for the lead.” – Aric Almirola, driver of the No. 10 Built Ford Proud Ford Mustang

Next Up:

The next event on the NASCAR Cup Series schedule is the Save Mart 350k on Sunday, June 12 at Sonoma (Calif.) Raceway. The race starts at 4 p.m. EDT with live coverage provided by FS1 and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.

CHEVY NCS AT GATEWAY: Post-Race Notes and Quotes

By
Official Release
-

NASCAR CUP SERIES
WORLD WIDE TECHNOLOGY RACEWAY
ENJOY ILLINOIS 300
TEAM CHEVY POST-RACE NOTES & QUOTES
JUNE 5, 2022

TOP TEAM CHEVY UNOFFICIAL TOP-20 RACE RESULTS:
POS. DRIVER
7th ERIK JONES, NO. 43 BOMMARITO AUTOMOTIVE GROUP CAMARO ZL1
8th ROSS CHASTAIN, NO. 1 MOOSE FRATERNITY CAMARO ZL1
10th AJ ALLMENDINGER, NO. 16 GOLD FISH CASINO SLOTS CAMARO ZL1
12th KYLE LARSON, NO. 5 VALVOLINE CAMARO ZL1
13th ALEX BOWMAN, NO. 48 ALLY CAMARO ZL1
14th JUSTIN HALEY, NO. 31 LEAFFILTER GUTTER PROTECTION CAMARO ZL1
15th AUSTIN DILLON, NO. 3 GET BIOETHANOL CAMARO ZL1
16th TYLER REDDICK, NO. 8 3CHI CAMARO ZL1
19th WILLIAM BYRON, NO. 24 RAPTORTOUGH.COM CAMARO ZL1

TOP FIVE UNOFFICIAL RACE RESULTS:
POS. DRIVER
1st Joey Logano (Ford)
2nd Kyle Busch (Toyota)
3rd Kurt Busch (Toyota)
4th Ryan Blaney (Ford)
5th Aric Almirola (Ford)

The NASCAR Cup Series season continues next Sunday, June 12, at Sonoma Raceway with the Toyota / Save Mart 350 at 4:00 p.m. ET. Live coverage can be found on FS1, PRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Channel 90.

TEAM CHEVY POST-RACE NOTES AND QUOTES:

ERIK JONES, NO. 43 BOMMARITO AUTOMOTIVE GROUP CAMARO ZL1 – Finished 7th

“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.”

ROSS CHASTAIN, NO. 1 MOOSE FRATERNITY CAMARO ZL1 – Finished 8th

THE BIG STORY WAS ROSS CHASTAIN EARLIER ON. YOU AND THE NO. 11 (DENNY HAMLIN) AND YOU AND THE NO. 9 (CHASE ELLIOTT). TAKE US BACK FROM YOUR PERSPECTIVE.

“It was just terrible driving. It’s one thing to do it once, but I just kept driving into guys. At this level, I’m supposed to be better than that. It’s just a shame for Moose Fraternity, Advent Health, Jockey, Worldwide Express. I have all these people believing in me with Justin Marks and Pitbull putting me in this car. They deserve better.”

WILL YOU GO TALK TO THEM?

“I will, yeah. I owe half of the field an apology. Words aren’t going to fix it, so I’ll have to pay for it on the track. I almost did today and I deserve everything that they do. I can’t believe I continued to make those same mistakes; overdrive the corners and drive into guys. I had time under caution to get reset; and we’d go green and I would drive into somebody. Terrible.”

WHAT WOULD YOU SAY TO THEM RIGHT NOW?

“It’s completely unacceptable that I did that. For the No. 11, No. 9, No. 34, so many guys. I was just way off on my driving today. Running into people is not acceptable at this level. I cannot believe, standing here right now, that I just made so many mistakes back-to-back. It’s one thing for one, but I just absolutely drove over my head today. It’s unacceptable.”

AJ ALLMENDINGER, NO. 16 GOLD FISH CASINO SLOTS CAMARO ZL1 – Finished 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.”

JUSTIN HALEY, NO. 31 LEAFFILTER GUTTER PROTECTION CAMARO ZL1 – Finished 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.”

AUSTIN DILLON, NO. 3 GET BIOETHANOL CAMARO ZL1 – Finished 15th

“Today was hard, but this No. 3 Get Bioethanol team never gave up. We started the race much further back in the field than we had hoped after qualifying didn’t go as well as expected, and that made the day challenging with how aero-dependent this track is. We just struggled in dirty air all day. We made a big adjustment to tighten the handling of our Chevy late in the race, and it really helped. In hindsight, if we would have made our car tighter earlier, we could have had a different day. It was great to be able to bring NASCAR to St. Louis, and especially to do so while celebrating 20 Million NASCAR Miles on e15.”

TEAM CHEVY – RACE QUICK NOTES

Stage One:

· The 45-lap Stage One went caution-free, with three Chevrolet drivers taking top-10 finishing spots in the stage.

· Tyler Reddick led Chevrolet in the third, accompanied by Ross Chastain (5th) and Chase Elliott (9th) to round out the Team Chevy top-10.

Stage Two:

· Following the first round of pit stops during the stage break, Chase Elliott was forced to bring his Camaro ZL1 back down pit road for a loose left rear tire, putting Elliott to the rear of the field for the restart.

· When a caution flew with 11 laps to go in the stage, Cliff Daniels (Crew Chief) opted to keep Kyle Larson out, giving the No. 5 Valvoline Camaro ZL1 a front row restart position.

· Larson held onto a fourth-place finish in the stage to lead Chevrolet. Daniel Suarez finished seventh and Erik Jones rounded out the Team Chevy top-10 in ninth.

Final Stage/ Post-Race Notes:

· Erik Jones led Chevrolet to three top-10 finishes in the NASCAR Cup Series inaugural race at World Wide Technology Raceway.

· Erik Jones crossed the finish line in seventh-place in his No. 43 Bommarito Automotive Group Camaro ZL1. Ross Chastain, No. 1 Moose Fraternity Camaro ZL1 was eight; and AJ Allmendinger, No. 16 Gold Fish Casino Slots Camaro ZL1, rounded out the top-10.

Team Chevy high-resolution racing photos are available for editorial use.

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: Logano Wins Inaugural Cup Race at St. Louis

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Ford Performance Notes and Quotes
NASCAR Cup Series
World Wide Technology Raceway
Enjoy Illinois 300 NCS Post Race | Sunday, June 5, 2022

JOEY LOGANO CAPTURES INAUGURAL CUP SERIES RACE IN ST. LOUIS

  • Joey Logano won his second race of the season with today’s victory.
  • The win today is the 29th of his Cup Series career and 27th with Ford.
  • Those 27 wins put him 6th on the all-time Ford win list and breaks a tie with Brad Keselowski for the most Team Penske Ford wins.
  • Today’s win is Ford’s 715th all-time in NASCAR Cup Series competition.
  • Of Team Penske’s 87 MENCS wins with Ford, 60 have come since rejoining Ford in 2013.

FORD FINISHING RESULTS
1st – Joey Logano
4th – Ryan Blaney
5th – Aric Almirola
11th – Austin Cindric
17th – Zane Smith
18th – Michael McDowell
20th – Brad Keselowski
22nd – Todd Gilliland
24th – Chase Briscoe
25th – Harrison Burton
29th – Cole Custer
30th – BJ McLeod
31st – Parker Kligerman
33rd – Kevin Harvick
35th – Cody Ware

Joey Logano, No. 22 Shell Pennzoil Ford Mustang — Finished 1st — YOU’VE GOT A KNACK FOR WINNING AT PLACES WE GO TO FOR THE FIRST TIME. AND HERE GATEWAY, WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO YOU TO WIN THE FIRST TIME HERE IN A PACKED HOUSE? “Thanks for coming out, guys. I hope you enjoyed that race. It doesn’t get much better than that. 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. I’m out of breath. Jamie, I’m way out of breath here. 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.”

WE WATCHED YOUR CREW CHIEF, PAUL WOLFE. I THINK HE WAS SWEATING IT OUT THERE WHEN WE HAD A COUPLE OF RESTARTS THERE, BUT YOU MENTIONED IT. WHAT WAS IT LIKE? WHAT’S GOING THROUGH YOUR MIND WHEN YOU ARE TRYING TO DECIDE WHICH LANE TO CHOOSE AND IF YOUR TEAMMATE IS GOING TO BE BEHIND TO YOU HELP YOU OUT? “That’s what I was hoping, that Blaney would choose with me. He did a good teammate move there and then being able to push me and give Team Penske a chance to win the race. That was cool to see that Ford power lined up on the bottom lining that up. That was special to see. Like I said, it was a good race crossing each other. Who would have thought we had slide jobs like that here? I thought we would be running towards the bottom, and we were running way up top and crossing each other. It was a lot of fun to race here, and looking forward to coming back.”

Aric Almirola, No. 10 Built Ford Proud Ford Mustang — Finished 5th

“It was a solid day for us. We really needed that. It kind of turned the last month around. We have been running top-10 and finishing 20th or worse the last month and a half. Really proud of the effort today. It was kind of a mistake free day and ran inside the top-five all day. Drew and the guys on the team did a great job. We are just so close to having what we needed to go challenge those guys for the lead.”

Ryan Blaney, No. 12 Dent Wizard Ford Mustang — Finished 4th

“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.”

RCR NCS Post Race Report: Gateway

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Austin Dillon and the No. 3 Get Bioethanol Chevrolet Team Earn 15th-Place Finish at World Wide Technology Raceway at Gateway

Finish: 15th
Start: 29th
Points: 16th

“This No. 3 Get Bioethanol team never gave up today at World Wide Technology Raceway at Gateway. We started the race much further back in the field than we had hoped after qualifying didn’t go as well as expected, and that made the day challenging with how aero-dependent this track is. We just struggled in dirty air all day. We made a big adjustment to tighten the handling of our Chevy late in the race, and it really helped. In hindsight, if we would have made our car tighter earlier, we could have had a different day. It was great to be able to bring NASCAR to St. Louis, and especially to do so while celebrating 20 Million NASCAR Miles on Sunoco Green e15 with everyone at Growth Energy.” -Austin Dillon

Tyler Reddick and the No. 8 3CHI Chevrolet Team Look Strong at World Wide Technology Raceway at Gateway En Route to 16th-Place Finish

Finish: 16th
Start: 4th
Points: 12th

“The speed is there in our 3CHI Chevrolet and we were able to showcase it today, especially early in the race when we ran up front and were able to contend for the lead at World Wide Technology Raceway at Gateway. It was a crazy day for this RCR team. We overcame a spin on the track, and also made a mistake on pit road that caused NASCAR to issue us a penalty. We fought back from one lap down to finish 16th, which is saying a lot since we were as far back as 30th during portions of the race. We contend with the guys that win these races every week, and it’s just a matter of putting the whole thing together over an entire race. Once we start doing that, we’ll get it done.” -Tyler Reddick

CHEVROLET RACING IN NTT INDYCAR SERIES – WILL POWER WINS AT BELLE ISLE TO GIVE CHEVROLET 100 WINS FOR 2.2 LITER V6 ENGINE

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CHEVROLET RACING IN NTT INDYCAR SERIES
CHEVROLET DETROIT GRAND PRIX PRESENTED BY LEAR
RACEWAY ON BELLE ISLE
DETROIT, MICHIGAN
TEAM CHEVY 100TH WIN
JUNE 5, 2022

A POWER-FUL WIN FOR TEAM CHEVY!
Will Power’s Win in Detroit is 100th INDYCAR Victory for Chevrolet Since 2012

DETROIT (June 5, 2022) – The Raceway at Belle Isle will not soon be forgotten by Chevrolet. The 2.35-mile course on Belle Isle in Detroit was the site of another milestone victory for Team Chevy as Will Power won the Chevrolet Detroit Grand Prix to score Chevrolet’s 100th win since returning to the NTT IndyCar Series with its 2.2-liter V6 engine in 2012.

Belle Isle was also the site for Chevrolet’s 25th (2014) and 50th (2016) wins. The Chevrolet Detroit Grand Prix will move from Belle Isle to downtown Detroit starting next year.

“We will always remember this last race on Belle Isle,” said Jim Campbell, U.S. vice president Performance and Motorsports. “Not only was it our 100th win since returning to the series, but it was also such a strong run by Will Power and the No. 12 Verizon 5G Penske team. The team put together a great strategy, and Will ran it exactly the way it was drawn up. And it wasn’t easy.

“One hundred wins in a little more than 10 years in a very competitive series is a pretty incredible achievement. And it happened in our very own backyard, in front of so many Chevrolet vehicle owners, employees and supporters. This one is special.

“I’d like to thank all of the Chevrolet engineers, our partners at Ilmor and all of the drivers, crew chiefs, teams and owners who have contributed to all of those wins over the past decade.”

Chevrolet’s 100 wins occurred in 170 races. Team Chevy’s first win in this era occurred in its first race back in the series on March 25, 2012, by Helio Castroneves at St. Petersburg.

Power, who leads all Chevy drivers with 26 wins from 2012-2022, started 16th and quickly moved toward the front, eventually taking the lead on lap 15 and pacing the final 55 laps of the caution-free race. His Team Penske teammate Josef Newgarden started from the pole and led the first 13 laps before ending up fourth. Those two drivers combined to lead 68 of the 70 laps.

Power also took over the points lead.

Chevrolet has won five of the first seven races to start 2022, and leads the Manufacturers Standings, 595-542.

MILESTONE WINS

1st Helio Castroneves at St. Petersburg, March 25, 2012

25th Helio Castroneves at Belle Isle (Race 2), June 1, 2014

50th Will Power at Belle Isle (Race 2), June 5, 2016

75th Simon Pagenaud at Indy GP, May 11, 2019

100th Will Power at Belle Isle, June 5, 2022

100 WINS BY DRIVER

26 Will Power

22 Josef Newgarden

11 Simon Pagenaud

7 Scott Dixon

6 Helio Castroneves

6 Ryan Hunter-Reay

4 Juan Pablo Montoya

4 Sebastien Bourdais

3 Pato O’Ward

3 James Hinchcliffe

2 Mike Conway

2 Tony Kanaan

2 Ed Carpenter

1 Rinus VeeKay

1 Ryan Briscoe

Chevrolet has won six driver championships and six manufacturer championships since 2012.

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 picks up important points in New Hampshire

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CHEVROLET RACING IN NATIONAL HOT ROD ASSOCIATION
NHRA NEW ENGLAND NATIONALS
NEW ENGLAND DRAGWAY IN EPPING, NEW HAMPSHIRE
JUNE 5, 2022

Chevrolet picks up important points in New Hampshire

• Erica Enders earns third Pro Stock victory in a row, fourth of the season

• No. 3 qualifier Robert Hight races to Funny Car runner-up finish

• Top Fuel points leader Brittany Force sets track speed record

EPPING, N.H. (June 5, 2022) — Erica Enders said at the beginning of the National Hot Rod Association (NHRA) season that she was on a mission to return the No. 1 to the side of the Melling Performance/Elite Motorsports Chevrolet Camaro SS.

Through six of 18 rounds of the Pro Stock campaign, Enders is on target in pursuit of her fifth world championship.

Enders earned her third consecutive victory and fourth of the season, strengthening her points lead over Elite Motorsports teammate and runner-up Aaron Stanfield in the NHRA New England Nationals.

Enders, who also defeated Stanfield in the final of the season-opening race at Pomona, California, claimed her 37th career Pro Stock victory and 400th round win with a 6.547-second pass to Stanfield’s 6.553 in the Janac Brothers Camaro SS.

“This is the best way we’ve ever started off any year in my Pro Stock driving career, even ’15 when we completely dominated and won nine races and were in 11 finals. Team Elite has won five of six and we’ve won four of the six. It just goes to show that hard work and determination are second to none,” said Enders, who finished 61 points behind champion Greg Anderson in 2021.

Robert Hight was also looking for his fourth win of the season in the AAA Chevrolet Camaro SS. The No. 3 Funny Car qualifier faced off against points leader Matt Hagan in the final for the second time this season, with Hight’s car rattling the tires and crossing the line with his second runner-up finish of the season. Hight defeated Hagan in Phoenix.

John Force, the No. 2 qualifier in the PEAK BlueDEF Platinum Camaro SS, fell in the second round in the 144th Funny Car matchup with Ron Capps.

Top Fuel points leader Brittany Force, the No. 2 qualifier in the Monster Energy/Flav-R-Pac Chevrolet dragster, lost to John Force Racing teammate Austin Prock in the second round. Force reset the Top Fuel track speed record in qualifications at 334.32 mph.

Prock, the No. 3 qualifier in the Montana Brand/Rocky Mountain Twist Chevrolet dragster, was ousted in the semifinals by eventual event winner Mike Salinas.

The NHRA Thunder Valley Nationals on June 17-19 in Bristol, Tennessee, is next on the schedule for Chevrolet teams.

An interview with Pro Stock winner Erica Enders (No. 3 qualifier in the Melling Performance/Elite Motorsports Chevrolet Camaro SS):

THIS IS THE BEST START OF YOUR CAREER. WHAT MAKES THIS YEAR DIFFERENT?

“After the way that we lost last year, just losing by a couple of rounds to Greg Anderson and him being able to sport the No. 1 on his car instead of that Melling Performance hot rod, it just gives us a little extra motivation. I have to give a huge shoutout to the race car shop. They are the ones who dig deep and make this happen. I was thinking on my way to get buckled in the car, how special is this. You see this house packed with people, and I’m just a little kid living my dream.”

EVEN YOU COULDN’T HAVE IMAGINED YOUR SUCCESS THIS SEASON.

“This is the best way we’ve ever started off any year in my Pro Stock driving career, even ’15 when we completely dominated and won nine races and were in 11 finals. Team Elite has won five of six and we’ve won four of the six. It just goes to show that hard work and determination are second to none. The guys who stand behind me are the ones who make it happen. I said no more nice Erica because of the way we lost the championship last year, coming down to the wire even with Greg (Anderson) dominating all year. It’s our mission this year to put that No. 1 back on the Melling Performance hot rod.”

IN THE SEMIFINALS WHEN YOUR CAR STARTED SHAKING, WHAT’S GOING ON IN YOUR HEAD BEFORE YOUR SAW THE WIN LIGHT?

“It started to rattle and then went full-blown shake. When it shook and I pulled second gear and it wasn’t having it, I looked over and Mason (McGaha) wasn’t ahead of me, so I just jammed it in third, pedaled it and tried to roll on. I never look at the scoreboard ever because you have to shift. I shut it down. I go back to 8-year-old Erica. This is all I ever wanted. I can’t be more proud of my team.”

CHEVROLET FROM THE COCKPIT

TOP FUEL:

BRITTANY FORCE, JOHN FORCE RACING, MONSTER ENERGY/FLAV-R-PAC CHEVROLET DRAGSTER (No. 2 qualifier; fell in second round): “It was a tough weekend for our Monster Energy team. We made some good runs, but we got beat in round two over a holeshot. We’ll pack up and head to the next one. Still in the points lead and we still have great confidence for the rest of the season.”

AUSTIN PROCK, JOHN FORCE RACING, MONTANA BRANDS/ROCKY MOUNTAIN TWIST CHEVROLET DRAGSTER (No. 3 qualifier; fell in semifinals): “Another good showing on Sunday for this Montana Brand/Rocky Mountain Twist team. Really proud of my guys after this weekend. We were not easy on them in qualifying and they kept a good attitude and their heads down to prepare the car each round. We made some solid passes as a team today and know our time is coming. We’re looking forward to the rest of the season.”

FUNNY CAR:

JOHN FORCE, JOHN FORCE RACING, BLUEDEF PLATINUM CHEVROLET CAMARO SS (No. 2 qualifier; fell in second round): “We ended up qualifying pretty well and we got a couple win lights. Not a bad weekend for this PEAK Chevy. Not great, but not bad. Everyone did pretty well. Brittany with Monster and Prock having to race against each other. Prock making it to the semis with Montana Brand. And then Robert with AAA getting to another final. They’re keeping up the fight. And we’re still in it. Sitting fourth in points, you know, we’ll be OK.”

ROBERT HIGHT, JOHN FORCE RACING, AAA CHEVROLET CAMARO SS (No. 3 qualifier; runner-up): “Tough way to end the day. You know, this AAA Chevy got a little lucky in the first round. Had to pedal it and was able to pull it off, but then we really stepped it up and were running well. We just couldn’t get the job done in the final. It’s another fina round though, and it’s points on the board. We just have to keep it up. Keep running well, pick ourselves up if we stumble and that’s what this team does. They don’t give up. We’ll just head to the next one and look to get the job done in Bristol.”

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.

MSR’s Pagenaud Takes Top Ten in Farewell to Detroit Belle Isle

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#60: Simon Pagenaud, Meyer Shank Racing Honda

Castroneves’ race ends early with electrical issue

Detroit, Mich. (5 June 2022) – Simon Pagenaud took a hard-fought ninth-place finish for Meyer Shank Racing (MSR) in Sunday’s Detroit Grand Prix, the final NTT INDYCAR SERIES race at Belle Isle Park. Pagenaud was running 7th on the final lap, but was passed by two cars on the final lap after a full course caution was called to unofficially be classified 9th.

Despite getting a strong start to the race, teammate Helio Castroneves had his race end early on board the No. 06 AutoNation / SiriusXM Honda, finishing 25th after experiencing an electrical problem.

With a second row qualifying lockout, Pagenaud and Castroneves were on full attack at the start of the 70-lap race, each moving up a position. Both starting on Firestone reds, the two MSR Hondas settled into a rhythm with a focus on fuel and tire save early on with Pagenaud second and Castroneves third.

Both Pagenaud and Castroneves pitted for their first of two stops for the primary black tires on laps 15 and 16.

Just several laps after pitting, Castroneves encountered an electrical gremlin which effected the steering wheel. The three-time Detroit winner pitted on lap 25 to swap out the steering wheel, but unfortunately the issue would sideline Castroneves for the remainder of the race as his promising run ended early.

Pagenaud continued his hunt to the front of the field running in seventh throughout his second stint. Getting caught in lapped traffic, the No. 60 crew made the decision to call Pagenaud into the pits earlier than originally planned for the final stop of the race.

Pagenaud made his way back into the top ten for the final stretch of the race despite having to adapt a close adhearance to fuel management after the last stop. Pagenaud managed his fluctuating fuel numbers perfectly through the very end of the race which saw the 2013 Detroit winner cross the line scored in ninth. Pagenaud was seventh when the full course caution fell but was passed by two cars on the final corners and was unofficially classified 9th.

The NTT IndyCar Series will be racing for the third consecutive weekend when it travels to Elkhart Lake, Wis., for the Sonsio Grand Prix at Road America next Sunday.

Meyer Shank Racing Driver Quotes:

Simon Pagenaud:
“Great weekend overall for the entire Meyer Shank Racing team. We qualified so well with Helio and myself on the second row. We had a great start and we were running down Newgarden there for a while. Then we had some issues with the fuel mid-race, but eventually we finished seventh (classified 9th unofficially), which I think is a great result considering some of the issues we had. I’m quite excited about what we accomplished this weekend, every race is getting better and better. And now we’re showing ourselves on the pointy end of the grid, so I’m pretty excited about that heading to Road America next weekend.”

Helio Castroneves:
“Really unfortunate way to end the day. My steering wheel all of the sudden went dark and I couldn’t see when to shift and then it came back. So I knew it was something electrical. We came in to the pits to try and change the steering wheel, but that didn’t work, so it wasn’t something that simple. The No. 06 AutoNation / SiriusXM machine was going really really well and I was having a great time. This is definitely not how I would like to finish especially at the last race at Belle Isle but I know we’ll get everything solved for next weekend at Road America.”

Team Korthoff Motorsports Mercedes-AMG GT3 Team Extends IMSA WeatherTech GTD Points Lead Across Two Championships with Fifth-Place Finish at the Detroit Grand Prix Saturday

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Detroit Grand Prix, IMSA WeatherTech Series, June 2022. (Photo by Brian Cleary/bcpix.com)

DETROIT – Mercedes-AMG Motorsport Customer Racing entry Team Korthoff Motorsports and team driver Stevan McAleer increased their IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship GT Daytona (GTD) team and driver championship leads Saturday with a fifth-place finish in the Detroit Grand Prix. Co-driving with Mike Skeen, McAleer and the No. 32 Team Korthoff Motorsports Mercedes-AMG GT3 team came to the Motor City atop the driver and team point standings and extended their championship leads at the halfway point of the 10-race season.

One of the two shortest races of the season, Saturday’s 100-minute sprint on the tight 2.3-mile street course on Detroit’s Belle Isle Park has always been a high-risk and high-reward affair. Starting driver McAleer proved it from the drop of the green flag when he boldly passed three competitors to move from eighth to fifth.

The triple pass was the decisive move of the race. No other competitor improved more than two spots, but each of those advances were due in part to others dropping out of the race. All three of McAleer’s position improvements were passes in full competition.

Skeen took over from McAleer at the 36-minute mark and continued in fifth place after a fast pit stop by the Team Korthoff Motorsports crew. The race was run caution free, and Skeen defended the top five position to the checkered flag, finishing at least two spots ahead of Team Korthoff’s nearest championship rivals.

Coming into Detroit with a 12-point lead, the No. 32 team and McAleer – Skeen missed Round 3 of this year’s championship at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca due to COVID-19 and unfortunately trails his teammate in the standings – now provisionally lead the team and driver championships by 33 points, 1520 – 1487, over the second-place team and drivers.

The Korthoff No. 32 team has now earned the manufacturer championship points for Mercedes-AMG in four of this year’s first five races. Mercedes-AMG leaves Detroit just four points out of the GTD manufacturer championship lead, 1619 – 1615.

Winward Racing was the top Mercedes-AMG finisher and manufacturer points-earner one race ago at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course and came to Detroit looking to build on that season-best finish.

Russell Ward qualified the No. 57 Winward Racing Mercedes-AMG GT3 seventh, one spot ahead of McAleer, but was 27 minutes into his race-opening stint Saturday when his car met the turn 10 wall. Ward was uninjured in the contact incident, but the No. 57 was unable to continue in the race.

Next up for Mercedes-AMG Motorsport Customer Racing teams in the IMSA WeatherTech Championship is the Sahlen’s Six Hours of The Glen at Watkins Glen International, June 24 – 26.

Stevan McAleer, Driver – No. 32 Team Korthoff Motorsports Mercedes-AMG GT3: “I think what’s cool is that we are halfway through the season now and we are not third or fourth in the standings with a mathematical chance. We are leading the championship, and the only thing I feel bad about is that I wish Mike was leading with me. There’s still a little disappointment from him missing Laguna Seca. The race was great. I had a good start and managed to get by three cars on the opening lap, and that was huge for us. It proved to be the finishing position for us in P5. The race showed I wasn’t particularly strong in qualifying because I went faster than my qualifying lap as well. I gave the car to Mike clean and in fifth and he did an amazing job. He was super strong all weekend, faster than me, and overall, it was a great weekend. We have seen a run of fifth place finishes lately but hopefully we will get back to thirds, seconds and get the first win coming up soon. It’s multiple races now we are finishing ahead of the cars we need to be beating, so overall we extended the championship leads a little and now we move on to Watkins Glen next and Mike and myself probably agree the car will be quite strong there.”

Mike Skeen, Driver – No. 32 Team Korthoff Motorsports Mercedes-AMG GT3: “This was a great weekend from the start. We knew we had excellent pace all through practice and knew we had a really good car. We maybe missed it a little in qualifying, but Stevan got a killer start and picked up a bunch of positions right on the first lap. It really made the race easy for me. He fell into fifth place, the guys did a great pit stop, and we just held position. We had great pace but there were huge gaps in front of and behind me. It was kind of lonely just driving around by myself, but it is nice to get out of here with a clean car and know we have good speed. It gives us confidence heading into the next one.”

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