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Crawford Continues His F3 Podium Run in Barcelona

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Jak Crawford #5 Prema, during the round 3 of the FIA Formula 3 Championship at Circuit de Barcelona Catalunya, Spain on May 20 - 22, 2022. // Dutch Photo Agency / Red Bull Content Pool // SI202205210150 // Usage for editorial use only //

BARCELONA (22 May 2022) – Jak Crawford had another competitive weekend in FIA Formula 3 competition, taking a pair of strong points-paying finishes at Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya for Prema Powerteam. After three weekends, Crawford is third in the standings with 50 points, just 12 back from the leader.

While the 17-year-old Red Bull Junior Team driver matched his career-best finish with a second place finish, it was a controversial and disappointing outcome after Crawford had been forced off track while passing for the lead on the 12th of 20 laps. He came up only 1.2-seconds shy of victory, turning the fastest lap of the race.

“Race 1 was a reverse grid (he started third), so I knew I had a chance for a podium, or even a win,” said the Texan, who took second on lap five. “Once I got into second, I was really pushing to get into first, and I got ran off with a move I didn’t really agree with. I thought it should have been penalized – or at least a warning.”

Crawford went to the outside in his bid for first, but the race leader took away his line. Crawford had to take evasive action, hitting a sausage curb which briefly launched his front then rear wheels into the air. He came down with the rear tires sliding still able to continue, but was 1.5-seconds in arrears.

“After that, my tires were destroyed, and I was not able to attack for first,” he continued. “That was a real shame.”

Starting ninth in Sunday’s feature race, the Texan had a good start and executed a pair of passes to take a sixth-place finish in a 24-lap event slowed by two safety car periods.

“Today, I had a really good start and got up into sixth quickly,” Crawford said. “After that, it was a boring race. Everyone was running in a DRS train and unable to overtake with all the safety cars and everything.”

Crawford just celebrated his 17th birthday and is now putting his age and experience to use in the FIA F3 competition, making key strides not only in the races, but also in the critical qualifying sessions, which can still spring late surprises. After running sixth midway through Friday’s qualifying, he fell to ninth as he encountered heavy traffic on what he hoped would be his best laps.

“It was a difficult qualifying session,” Crawford said. “Even though I had good speed, I had traffic in the final sector of my lap. I think I could have been top-four, for sure, if not better.”
Coming off a double-podium in Round 2 at Imola, Crawford is regarded as one of the top drivers to watch in the highly competitive series.

“The confidence is really high right now,” Crawford said. “I’ve done four good races in a row now, and I’m feeling confident with the car. Even though we’re only one-third of the way through the season, I think it could be a really good year. We’re third in the championship and we will be pushing to get up there. It’s super unpredictable on what can happen in these races. We’ll have to keep it clean and consistent, and making the most of the result.

“I was quite happy with my performance this weekend. We just need to fix the qualifying luck.”

Round 4 of the 2022 campaign will be July 1-2 at Silverstone.

“I’ve done one test day there and I do like the track,” Crawford said of the British venue. “It’s really fun to drive, so we’ll see how it is in the F3 car.”

Buescher Races His Way into All-Star Race, Finishes 8th

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Buescher Earns Stage Two Win in Open, Advances through to Main Event in Texas

FORT WORTH, Texas (May 22, 2022) – Chris Buescher powered his way into the All-Star Race Sunday night at Texas Motor Speedway, winning stage two of the All-Star Open to advance into the main event, ultimately earning an eighth-place finish in the star-studded 110-lap sprint in his home state.

Single-car qualifying set the field for the preliminary Open event, with Buescher putting down the fifth-fastest time to earn a solid starting position for Sunday. With the stages of the Open set for 20-20-10 laps, each stage winner and the Fan Vote winner would advance through to the All-Star Race.

After a P2 finish in stage one, Buescher restarted sixth for the second segment. A yellow would come out on lap 25 with the Fastenal Mustang in fourth, as he restarted third on the ensuing green flag. With the stage two end nearing in nine laps, Buescher took advantage of the low side in the second row to power to the lead, a position he would hold until the stage end to advance through.

The native of nearby Prosper, Texas, rolled off the grid near the tail end for the All-Star Race, but flipped his track position early as crew chief Scott Graves kept the Fastenal machine on track during the opening stage break. He restarted eighth in the second stage and held onto the track position throughout the 20-lap segment to finish ninth.

After a restart in the same position, Buescher again maintained pace and improved one spot through the third stage and would hold onto the momentum throughout the chaotic closing laps to finish eighth.

The NASCAR Cup schedule heads home to Charlotte Motor Speedway next week, with the annual Coca-Cola 600 set for 6 p.m. ET Sunday night (FOX, PRN, SiriusXM Channel 90).

Keselowski Drives to Ninth-Place Finish in All-Star Race

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Kohler Generators Ford Improves Nine Spots in All-Star Event

FORT WORTH, Texas (May 22, 2022) – Brad Keselowski and the No. 6 team put together a solid evening in the All-Star Race Sunday, advancing through the field to a ninth-place finish in the Kohler Generators Ford Mustang.

Track position dominated much of the night as pit strategy came into play more than once, including near the end of the 110-lap event. After starting 18th, Keselowski finished the first stage in 21st.

Stage two saw a pair of yellows including one vicious wreck that sent the race to red flag conditions. The stage end went to NASCAR Overtime rules, as each stage had to end under green-flag conditions, a rule specific to this year’s All-Star event.

By lap 75 he had worked his way to 11th, and ended the third stage in 12th. He would roll 12th to start the final stage of 50 laps – the longest of the night – and worked his way inside the top-10 with 20 to go. Ultimately, he held onto the position to bring home the top-10 in the Kohler machine.

The NASCAR Cup schedule heads home to Charlotte Motor Speedway next week, with the annual Coca-Cola 600 set for 6 p.m. ET Sunday night (FOX, PRN, SiriusXM Channel 90).

Auto Parts 4Less and ChannelAdvisor Partner with GMS Racing’s Jack Wood at Charlotte Motor Speedway

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STATESVILLE, NC: GMS Racing’s Jack Wood is proud to announce the continuation of a multi-race partnership with Auto Parts 4Less. The partnership will be on full display on the No. 24 Chevrolet Silverado RST at the iconic Charlotte Motor Speedway on Memorial Day Weekend.

Earlier this season, the team announced a multi-race partnership with Auto Parts 4Less, starting their relationship at Darlington Raceway. As the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series makes its annual stop at “America’s Home For Racing”, the partnership will now shift its focus to feature cobranding between Auto Parts 4Less and ChannelAdvisor, a global leader in the e-commerce industry.

ChannelAdvisor is a leading multichannel commerce platform whose mission is to connect and optimize the world’s commerce. For over two decades, ChannelAdvisor has helped brands and retailers worldwide improve their online performance by expanding sales channels, connecting with consumers across the entire buying cycle, optimizing their operations for peak performance, and providing actionable analytics to improve competitiveness. Thousands of customers, including many in automotive parts and accessories, depend on ChannelAdvisor to securely power their e-commerce operations on channels such as Amazon, eBay, Google, Facebook, Walmart, and hundreds more.

As a reminder, AutoParts4Less.com offers consumers a unique online purchasing experience similar to Amazon, where sellers compete to win the ”buy box”. Each seller competes on several key factors such as price, ship times, and seller ratings which in turn drives the greatest value to their buyers.

“We’re excited to partner with the Auto Parts 4Less Group and the opportunity to showcase our partnership at the Charlotte Motor Speedway.” said Derek Conlin, VP, Global Business Development at ChannelAdvisor. “ChannelAdvisor has a long history of helping automotive brands and retailers reach buyers searching for automotive parts and accessories and through this partnership, we look forward to enabling our customers to expand their eCommerce sales with the Auto Parts 4Less Group.”

“I look forward to building upon our pre-existing relationship with Auto Parts 4Less by introducing ChannelAdvisor to the NASCAR industry. After learning about ChannelAdvisor’s e-commerce platform, I believe that they have the opportunity to create some significant business opportunities with other partners in the sport, which is huge in today’s B2B-driven landscape. I appreciate having their support behind my GMS Racing team and I as we compete in the upcoming race at Charlotte,” said Wood.

The No. 24 Auto Parts 4Less / ChannelAdvisor Chevrolet Silverado RST will make its on-track debut in the North Carolina Education Lottery 200 on Friday, May 27th. Be sure to stay in touch with Jack Wood by following him along across all social media platforms at his official handle @DriverJackWood.

ABOUT THE 4LESS GROUP, INC.:

Auto Parts 4Less Group is the world’s first dedicated marketplace for automotive parts only, finally an easy to use website for only automotive parts! All automotive parts needs – car, truck, boat, RV, power sports, motorcycle, etc. Visit AutoParts4Less.com to view our full selection of parts for every type of vehicle!

ABOUT GMS RACING:

GMS Racing competes full-time in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series operating the No. 23 and the No. 24 Chevrolet Silverado RSTs, as well as the ARCA Menards Series with the No. 43 Chevrolet SS. Since the team was formed in 2012, GMS Racing has won five titles across multiple series, including the 2016 and 2020 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series championship, the 2015 ARCA Menards Series championship, as well as the 2019 & 2020 ARCA Menards Series East championships. GMS has grown to occupy several buildings located in Statesville, N.C. including operations for GMS Fabrication. The GMS Racing campus also houses operations for Petty GMS, a two car full-time NASCAR Cup Series team formed in 2021.

SOCIAL MEDIA:

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

BLANEY NETS NASCAR ALL-STAR RACE AND $1 MILLION PRIZE IN OVERTIME

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· Ryan Blaney overcomes window net snafu to outlast Denny Hamlin for first All-Star win by a Team Penske driver since 2016.

FORT WORTH, Texas (May 22, 2022) – Ryan Blaney literally almost threw the NASCAR All-Star Race and its accompanying $1 million prize out the window.

Blaney was yards away from winning his first NASCAR All-Star Race when the caution came out just prior to him crossing the finish line, but the Team Penske driver thought he had won the race and unlatched his driver window net in celebratory anticipation.

He struggled initially to get the safety feature back in place while driving under caution in preparation for the two-lap overtime before handily holding off a charging Denny Hamlin by .266 of a second for the $1 million winner-take-all payday. Blaney, who had never finished higher than fifth in four previous All-Star appearances, gave Team Penske its first All-Star win since 2016 and fourth overall.

Had Blaney been unable to relatch the window net before the green flag for the overtime period, there was a possibility that NASCAR could require him to pit for his crew to handle it and relinquish the lead. It would have been a crushing blow since he led every lap of the scheduled 50-lap final stage and ensuing overtime.

“It was about to be real bad for us if — I thought the race was over,” said Blaney, who said it usually takes two crew members outside the car to latch the safety net. “Everyone thought the race was over. I already had my window net down. I do want to thank NASCAR for letting me kind of fix it and not make us come down pit road. But yeah, that was really tough. Then having to do it all over again after trying to get that window net back up there.”

The chaotic scene was set when Blaney was approaching the finish line for the apparent win when Ricky Stenhouse Jr. tapped the wall in Turn 2. Television replays showed the yellow caution lights coming on before Blaney’s Ford crossed the line. He had a more difficult time getting the window net finally in place than dispatching Hamlin in the two-lap shootout for the $1 million prize.

On the restart, he got a huge push from Team Penske teammate Austin Cindric, who restarted third, that launched Blaney into the lead. Hamlin then had his hands full trying to clear Cindric and that allowed Blaney a cushion on Hamlin, who earlier gambled on a late pit stop for two fresh tires while the top four – Blaney, Cindric, Joey Logano and Daniel Suarez – stayed out to maintain their positions.

Hamlin was closing during the overtime but couldn’t overtake Blaney as they came out of Turn 4 and through the dogleg toward the finish line.

“I just needed to stay beside the 12 (Ryan Blaney),” Hamlin said. “You know, it’s tough because he deserved to win the race, but if you mess up and you break a rule – not intentionally, but there’s rules and we have rules in place for safety. My crew chief is taking four weeks off because of safety. I nearly crashed him off of Turn 2 when I got squeezed there. If I send him into traffic and he’s got no window net, then what, right? Luckily, that didn’t happen, and NASCAR avoids another controversy because there wasn’t a wreck in a car with no window net.”

It appeared it could be the Kyle Busch show after being dominant from the outset before trouble struck. The Joe Gibbs Racing driver, who started on the pole, went wire to wire as he led all 25 laps to win Stage 1. Busch picked up where he left off in Stage 2, leading the first 18 laps of the 25-lap segment before calamity struck and knocked out three primary contenders.

Busch slowed on the frontstretch due to a tire going down and Trackhouse Racing’s Ross Chastain ran up on and over the car of the 2017 All-Star winner at approximately 185 miles per hour. Chastain then careened across the track, where he collected 2020 All-Star winner Chase Elliott near Turn 1 and all three drivers were knocked out of the race.

“I saw Kyle have an issue with a tire down,” Chastain said. “I guessed left, and I should have guessed right. It was a big hit into Kyle. It was a tough break, but we had a fast car.”

Added Elliott: “I saw the No. 18 (Kyle Busch) had a problem; and then I saw the No. 1 (Ross Chastain) hit him really hard. I just didn’t give him enough room. I knew he was going to go straight; I just didn’t realize he was going to go that far right that quick. I just kind of misjudged it. It was really avoidable on my end. I just kind of messed up and didn’t get the gap shot quick enough.”

Just prior to the multi-car incident, yet another former All-Star winner from Hendrick Motorsports was knocked out of the race. Kyle Larson, a two-time winner and looking to become the third driver in All-Star history to win back-to-back events, had his race come to an abrupt end 13 laps into the stage when a tire issue led to heavy contact with the Turn 4 wall. Cindric, the Cup rookie who earned an All-Star berth by winning the Daytona 500 in February, took advantage and claimed the stage win over Blaney.

Team Penske also showed speed in the Pit Stop Challenge, which was held between the second and third stages. The pit crew of Joey Logano paced the field in the mandatory four-tire stop with an overall time of 36.353 seconds that include driving in and out of pit lane.

The team showed even more muscle with Blaney winning Stage 3 in overtime over Cindric and Logano. The success positioned all three Team Penske drivers to start the final stage among the top five and set the stage for the dramatic finish. Blaney would go on to lead the final 84 laps of the event.

Sunday’s NASCAR All-Star Race Weekend Notebook: Ricky Stenhouse Jr. of JTG Daugherty Racing, Chris Buescher of RFK Racing and Daniel Suarez of Trackhouse Racing earned starting berths in the NASCAR All-Star Race by securing a stage win in The Open race for the non-qualifiers. Stenhouse Jr. won Stage 1 to gain his fourth All-Star appearance. Buescher, a native of Prosper, Texas, won Stage 2 for his second All-Star start while Suarez won Stage 3 for his second All-Star appearance. Erik Jones of Petty GMS Motorsports won the fan voting to secure his third All-Star start. Blaney celebrated his win in SpeedyCash.com Victory Lane by firing the traditional Smith & Wesson six-shooters. He then accepted a championship belt buckle from Medal of Honor Recipient U.S. Army Master Sergeant Matthew Williams as well as a championship belt from undefeated WBC Welterweight Champion Errol Spence, Jr.

For ticket information for the September 23-25 NASCAR Cup Series Autotrader EchoPark Automotive 500 weekend, please visit www.texasmotorspeedway.com.

MORE INFO:
Keep track of all of Texas Motor Speedway’s busy schedule by following on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Keep up with all the latest news and information on the speedway website and TMS mobile app.

KENNINGTON AND CASTROL EDGE DODGE SHOW SPEED AT CTMP

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Official Release
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May 23, 2022. The Castrol Victoria Day Speedfest at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park (TMP) is always one of the most anticipated events on the NASCAR Pinty’s Series schedule. DJ Kennington and the #17 Castrol Edge Dodge team arrived at the track near Bowmanville, Ontario prepared to work hard and collect another top finish. The team was set to achieve their goal, but tough luck left them wanting more.

During practice Kennington and the #17 Castrol Edge Dodge team found a set up they were very pleased with and posted the seventh quickest time. A serious weather event forced the cancellation of qualifying and teams lined up according to practice times. The next day rain falling meant a wet racetrack and that worked against the team.

Despite the challenges, Kennington and the #17 Castrol Edge Dodge team used an evolving strategy and were on course for a top-ten result. Unfortunately, two late caution periods sent the race into overtime and caused Kennington and several other racers to run out of fuel in the late stages. With no quit in this team, they made a quick stop for gas and returned DJ to the track to collect an 11th place result.

DJ Kennington Quotes:
”First off, thanks to all the fans for coming out and being part of this event and to the amazing staff at CTMP for working so hard to keep things going with all the weather challenges”.
“The guys on the Castrol team gave me a really good car to race, but the rain was a challenge that I struggled with. We were on track for a top-ten finish, then with the late caution we made a stop for fresh tires and picked up a few spots and were running seventh but got caught out on fuel. It’s frustrating.
“I’m disappointed I didn’t get a better finish for the great fans that were here this weekend, but we’ve definitely taken a step forward in our program and I’m pumped to get back here later in the year to show what we can do”.

Next up:
DJ Kennington and the Castrol Edge Dodge team get back in action at the Autodrome Chaudière in Vallee Jonction, QC on Saturday June 11th.

TV & Live Streaming
The Castrol Victoria Day Speedfest event from CTMP will be broadcast Saturday May 28th at 4PM TSN and Saturday June 4th at 7PM on RDS2. Eastern. All races are streamed live on TSN.ca and the TSN app in Canada and through FloRacing in the United States.

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

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

Petty GMS Race Recap: NASCAR All-Star Race at Texas Motor Speedway

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Ty Dillon, No. 42 Ferris Chevrolet Camaro ZL1

Ty Dillon Post-Race Thoughts: “Throughout the three short segments in the Open, we consistently improved the handling of our Ferris Camaro ZL1. That is a positive for our No. 42 team to take away from this weekend. It gives us something to build on and use to our advantage at future intermediate tracks, including next week at Charlotte. Having Ferris on board for the first time this season meant a lot to me, continuing a relationship with a company that has supported my career since 2013. All-Star races are fun, but now our mindset shifts back to points racing.”

Erik Jones, No. 43 FOCUSfactor Chevrolet Camaro ZL1

Erik Jones Post-Race Thoughts: “Appreciate the fans, thank you. I never thought I would have a shot to win the fan vote, but the No. 43 fans are pretty strong. We struggled a bit in the Open, made some changes for the race, but just couldn’t quite get the balance right to make our way through the field and contend with the leaders and then we had the blown tire late in the race. Not our day, but cool to be back in the All-Star race. Looking forward to getting to Charlotte next week and putting all the pieces together for a strong run in the 600.”

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.

Team Penske NASCAR Cup Series Race Recap – Texas All-Star

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Team Penske NASCAR Cup Series Race Recap
Track: Texas Motor Speedway
Race: NASCAR All-Star Race
Date: May 22, 2022

No. 2 Keystone Light Ford Mustang – Austin Cindric

Start: 12th

Race Finish: 3rd

Stage 1 Finish: 16th

Stage 2 Finish: 1st

Stage 3 Finish: 5th

Laps Led: 7

Race Rundown: Austin Cindric started his first NASCAR All-Star Race from 12th position and finished a strong third. The Cup Series Rookie reported early his Keystone Light Ford Mustang was good, but he needed track position after finishing the first stage in 17th position. Crew chief Jeremy Bullins kept his driver on track to start the chaotic second stage in seventh position. Cindric slowly made his way to the front and captured the race lead on lap 48 before a red flag. He went on to win the second stage but restarted in fifth for the third stage after a pit stop miscue. The Mooresville N.C. native ran constantly in the top-five throughout the third stage finishing the 20-lap sprint in fifth place. Cindric started the final 50 lap stage first and consistently ran inside the top-three, finishing third when the checkered flag flew.

Cindric’s Thoughts: “Really happy for Ryan (Blaney) and the No. 12 team. They had the fastest car all night and if I wasn’t going to win it, I was committed to helping him. I lined up behind him on that last restart and gave him the best push possible. I am proud of my guys. We had a strong showing tonight. I just wish it paid points, getting the stage win and third place finish. But if anything, it builds our confidence and momentum going into Coca-Cola 600 weekend.”

No. 12 Menards/Wrangler Ford Mustang – Ryan Blaney

Start: 2nd

Race Finish: 1st (First All-Star Race win)

Stage 1 Finish: 2nd

Stage 2 Finish: 2nd

Stage 3 Finish: 1st

Laps Led: 84 (Race high)

Race Rundown: Ryan Blaney held off all challengers and scored the win in the NASCAR All-Star Race at Texas Motor Speedway on Sunday night. The driver of the Menards/Wrangler Ford Mustang led 84 of the 140 laps to score the victory. This was the fourth win for Team Penske in the All-Star Race. In the opening stage, Blaney showed tremendous pace with the No. 12 Ford but dirty air would keep him trapped behind eventual stage winner Kyle Busch. In the second stage, Blaney missed a large multi-vehicle incident on the front stretch again finishing in the second position. In the third stage it was Blaney grabbing the lead early and powering to the win, guaranteeing the No. 12 team a front row starting spot for the final event. Using two strong pushes from teammate Austin Cindric, Blaney managed hold off Denny Hamlin for the victory.

Blaney’s Thoughts: “We were cruising there, and I just wanted to get to the white to have it covered and then the caution came out off of four. I thought it was like any other race. That rule was never kind of relayed to us. I already took my window net down and everything. My left arm is worn out from trying to get that damn thing back up. I got it rigged up enough to where it halfway stayed. I appreciate NASCAR for not making us come down pit road to fix it and letting me get it clipped back again to where we could stay out there. This Mustang was a rocketship. I am really glad we ended up winning that after that last caution. I am so proud of everybody. Tonight will be fun.”

No. 22 Shell-Pennzoil Ford Mustang – Joey Logano

Start: 9th

Race Finish: 4th

Stage 1 Finish: 8th

Stage 2 Finish: 11th

Stage 3 Finish: 3rd

Laps Led: 0

Race Rundown: Joey Logano finished third in Sunday night’s NASCAR All-Star Race at the Texas Motor Speedway. After starting ninth, Logano struggled with track position through the opening two stages, finishing eighth and 11th respectively. At the end of the second stage, the Shell-Pennzoil crew ripped off an incredible fast pit stop paired with Logano masterfully executing the timing lines to win the $100,000 pit crew challenge. The pit stop locked Logano into the third starting position for the 50-lap final stage where he’d finish fourth in the 140-lap, four stage event.

Logano’s Thoughts: “First off, congrats to my guys on pit road winning the pit crew challenge tonight. Those guys have been working extremely hard and that was a great effort. It was good to have ourselves in a position to start first, second and third as a team at the beginning of the last stage. Congrats to my teammate Ryan Blaney on the win, if we can’t win, glad he could win it for everyone at Team Penske.”

CHEVROLET RACING IN NTT INDYCAR SERIES – INDIANAPOLIS 500: QUALIFYING RECAP

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CHEVROLET RACING IN NTT INDYCAR SERIES
INDIANAPOLIS 500
INDIANAPOLIS MOTOR SPEEDWAY
TEAM CHEVY QUALIFYING FULL PACKAGE
MAY 22, 2022

RINUS VEEKAY PUTS CHEVROLET POWER ON FRONT ROW FOR 106TH INDIANAPOLIS 500
SEVERE WEATHER COMPLICATED FAST FRIDAY

RINUS VEEKAY POSTS THIRD-FASTEST FOUR-LAP AVERAGE QUALIFYING SPEED TO PUT CHEVROLET ON FRONT ROW FOR THE 106TH INDIANAPOLIS 500 ON SUNDAY
BOSS AND TEAMMATE ED CARPENTER WILL START FOURT
A TOTAL OF 16 CHEVROLET-POWERED DRIVERS WILL START

INDIANAPOLIS (MAY 22, 2022) – And…now we race. After an exciting Top-12 qualifying round, followed immediately by a record-breaking Firestone Fast Six, the field is now set for the 106th running of the Indianapolis 500. Team Chevy’s Rinus VeeKay laid down the third fastest time and will start on the outside of the first row with a four-lap average of 233.385 MPH.

The driver of the No. 21 Bitcoin Racing Team with BitNile Ed Carpenter Racing Chevrolet will lead a 16-car contingent of Chevrolet 2.2 liter V6 twin turbocharged powered drivers in Sunday’s 106th Indianapolis 500.

VeeKay’s boss and teammate Ed Carpenter also transferred from the top-12 to the Firestone Fast Six. Behind the wheel of the No. 33 Alzamend Neuro Chevrolet, Carpenter laid down the fourth fastest four-lap average of 233.385 mph to nail down the inside of the second row.

Scott Dixon won the pole with the second fastest four-lap average in track history – 234.046 mph. Alex Palou will start in the middle of the front row. The second row is completed by Marcus Ericsson in the middle and Tony Kanaan outside.

The remaining Team Chevy drivers from the Top-12 flight were:

Pato O’Ward, No.5 Arrow McLaren SP Chevrolet – Seventh

Felix Rosenqvist, No. 7 Vuse Arrow McLaren SP Chevrolet – Eighth

Will Power, No. 12 Verizon 5G Team Penske Chevrolet – 11th

Romain Grojean, Takuma Sato, will start ninth and 10th with Jimmie Johnson starting 12th.

The remaining 11 Chevrolet-powered drivers start as follows:

Josef Newgarden 14th

Santino Ferrucci 15th

JR Hildebrand 17th

Conor Daly 18th

Callum Ilott 19th

Sage Karam 22nd

Scott McLaughlin 26th

Kyle Kirkwood 28th

Dalton Kellett 29th

Juan Pablo Montoya 30th

Stefan Wilson 33rd

The 200-lap 106th running Indianapolis 500 presented by Gainbridge around the famed 2.5-mile oval is scheduled to take the green flag Sunday, May 29th at 12:45 pm EDT with flag-to-flag coverage on NBC.

TEAM CHEVY QUOTES

RINUS VEEKAY, NO. 21 BITCOIN RACING TEAM WITH BITNILE CHEV/ROLET, ED CARPENTER RACING: “I’m very happy with qualifying. Looking at yesterday, I think I and many people expected me as a hot prospect for the pole. I gave it all I had out there. We could’ve maybe found some speed to get second in qualifying, but Scott (Dixon) was just very fast and a little bit out of our league! I’m very proud that Ed (Carpenter) and I are very fast. Fastest Chevy in Indy 500 qualifying, third year in a row. Happy me!”

ED CARPENTER, NO. 33 ALZAMEND NEURO CHEVROLET, ED CARPENTER RACING:

“We’re in a really good spot for next week. Not ultimately where we wanted to be, but at the same time, it’s great that Rinus is starting third, then fourth for me! That’s the same as last year, so I’ve got a little deja vu here. It’s great to be able to put some Chevrolets in the fight and show off the hard work and dedication of the ECR crew and have a BitNile and an Alzamend Neuro up front. We’re in a good spot for next Sunday and we can do work from there!”

PATO O’WARD, NO. 5 ARROW McLAREN SP CHEVROLET, ARROW McLAREN SP:

“I was extremely happy with my car man. I think it’s probably the best balance that we’ve had in qualifying. We need to dig into what really happened and why we randomly just lost speed from one day to another. It’s the same on the 7 side. We’ll just look at that, but the 5 guys did a great job. They gave me a great car. We just kept getting better and better, so I’m really happy and this is a great position for the race. It’s so, so long; 500 miles. Yeah, I’m not worried. This is a great spot to work from.”

FELIX ROSENQVIST, NO. 7 VUSE ARROW McLAREN SP CHEVROLET, ARROW McLAREN RACING SP:

“Mixed feelings I’d say. I don’t think we could have been in the top-six today. I think Pato (O’ward) showed that. We had some issue this morning. We lost a lot of speed and kind of have to go to plan C into qualifying to change all of our gears and everything to match the lower speed that we suddenly had. We still don’t know why we lost speed, but we are pretty happy to be P8 instead of P12 I’d say. That’s kind of what it felt like when we started the day. It was a good run. I think we did everything we could with our run and honestly pretty gnarly, so good fun. Yeah, third row. I mean you can win from there, we’re good.”

WILL POWER, NO. 12 VERIZON 5G TEAM PENSKE CHEVROLET:

“Really stoked to get the Verizon 5G Chevrolet in the Top-12. I would love to make a run for the pole, but we are so much better than we were last year, we will focus on improving our race car and be ready for Sunday. We have strong Chevy power so I’m looking forward to a good race.

Rinus Veekay

Press Conference

THE MODERATOR: Welcome, everybody. Wrapping up qualifying for the 106th running of the Indianapolis 500 presented by Gainbridge. Again, Scott Dixon, Alex Palou, and Rinus Veekay make up the front row.

Joined as well by Rinus VeeKay, drives the No. 21 machine for Ed Carpenter Racing.

Just some opening thoughts, and I’ll begin with this. So many accolades coming with today’s qualifying run, but we can confirm that this is also the quickest front row in Indianapolis 500 history with a four-lap average amongst the three at 233.643 miles an hour. That just edges out the 96 front row at 233.233 miles an hour. Pretty fast, right? Congratulations.

Rinus, we’ll start with you. You’re the one paying attention. Just your thoughts on being back in the front row. Obviously, a second front row for you in the Indianapolis 500.

RINUS VEEKAY: Very proud to be in the front row again. Haven’t qualified worse than fourth in my three qualifying attempts at the 500, so very proud of that, especially at my age.

Yeah, I think as a team, we maximized everything we had. We made all the right decisions, and I had the best car I’ve had in qualifying weekends during the Fast 6 qualifying, so that shows how on point we were today. The car was fast.

Q. How do you go out there and go 233, 234 miles an hour?

RINUS VEEKAY: Well, I was actually pretty nervous for today. I knew there was, well, many people counted on me to go for the pole position, so we were very fast yesterday. Of course, a bit lucky with the draw and driving in cold conditions, but, yeah, having to go two times today was not ideal.

The first run just, like Scott’s, was very much on the limit. I could stay flat, but turn four was, yeah, very close to disaster, but stayed flat. Then we changed the car. Took some downforce out for the Fast 6 and really matched the balance of how I liked it. I was more comfortable in my Fast 6 run than my Fast 12 run.

Q. One more for Rinus. How do you break through that gaggle of Ganassi guys and win the race?

RINUS VEEKAY: Well, try to count on my experience that I got in Texas and in the race here last year. Of course, I was very pumped leading the race last year, and I think the second or third lap, but it really only counts at lap 200, so really I think we have to make sure we stay out of trouble, stay in the top five always, and yeah, just make sure we save some cars for the end.

Q. Real quickly, for Rinus. When you see those numbers pop up for him and you are sitting there, because you’re not racing against each other. He is out there running; you guys are watching. What is it like, I guess, to know you can’t go back out there and do it again?

RINUS VEEKAY: It’s unique about Indy 500 qualifying. I think really after my run and knowing Scott wasn’t going to go out, I expected him to improve my time. And, yeah, seeing his first lap, I knew it was going to be very, very hard for him to actually make a mistake and finish and qualify behind me.

Q. For all three of you: There were two eight-minute “work periods” with a two pray lap in between. How much were you able to adjust your cars from the first run to the second run to fine-tune them that much more to the Nth-degree?

RINUS VEEKAY: I think we made some minor changes. Really some balance changes, but nothing crazy on the car. We knew what we had was pretty good. We didn’t have to step too far away from what we had, so we basically tried to straighten out the balance a little bit, and that’s exactly what we’ve done.

ALEX PALOU: (Speaking Spanish).

Q. I have one question for Rinus. If you could for the benefit of the assembled media, could you pronounce your full name and the name of your hometown?

RINUS VEEKAY: So my full name is Rinus van Kalmthout, and the name of my hometown is Hoofddorp.

THE MODERATOR: That might be the easiest question of the month. Well done.

RINUS VEEKAY: I knew that just from when I could talk.

Q. The format of having to do two four-lap runs in basically less than two hours to win the pole, it seemed like that was somewhat born of there being 33 cars and no bumping, but now that you guys have done it, even if they had more than 33 cars, should they keep this kind of format?

RINUS VEEKAY: I think it’s around even. Everything has its positive and negative sides, but I think it definitely brings more excitement, especially when there’s no bump day, but I think for the drivers it’s more nerve-wracking. If I could choose, I would go back to fast lane qualifying.

Q. Obviously, got a question for the young man from the village in the Netherlands. Rinus, second front row start in a row. Your third time in the Fast 9. Is there anything you learned from the first two times in terms of process and mental prep to get yourself ready and in the zone for today and those very important qualifying runs?

RINUS VEEKAY: I think I definitely have learned from my past two qualifying runs in the previous years. Of course, I have kind of done this before, and I have had a very sketchy moment last year in 2021.

It’s not going to be easy to qualify high up the order, so you’ve got to be at the edge, and sometimes people go over the edge to find the sweet spot. I think I felt really comfortable finding that sweet spot. I was never this encouraging of a team to go further on trimming, and I think confidence-wise it definitely felt very cool in the car.

THE MODERATOR: We’ll wrap things up. I’ll throw out one more stat for everyone. We’ve been crunching the numbers. Based on the 32 qualifying speeds this year, this is also the fastest field in Indianapolis 500 history. Just eclipsing last year’s speed. This year’s speed average 231.023 miles an hour. Last year was 230.294.

A little bit of history this weekend at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Congratulations to the fastest front row in 500 history. Scott Dixon, Alex Palou, and Rinus VeeKay. Thanks, everyone.

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports

120569-1-1878 2022-05-23 00:06:00 GMT

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.

Wright Motorsports Shows Determination and Grit in New Orleans

By
Official Release
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AVONDALE, La. (May 22, 2022) – Wright Motorsports had high hopes heading into the Fanatec GT World Challenge powered by AWS weekend at NOLA Motorsports Park, entering the weekend as points leaders in the Pro/Am class. Drivers Charlie Luck (Am) and Jan Heylen (Pro) had strong momentum on their side after winning back-to-back races last month at Sonoma Raceway, but attrition plagued the team in New Orleans, resulting in a challenging weekend.

“Racing is never easy, but some weekends are harder than others,” said team owner John Wright. “With incredibly humid and hot weather, everyone on our team really had to put in the extra effort. We had a great comeback in race two after a tough race one, and we were able to accumulate some additional points for the championship.”

Charlie Luck and the No. 45 Wright Motorsports Porsche 911 GT3 R took the green flag for race one from fifth place in the Pro/Am class. The fight between Luck and the other amateur drivers produced just as much heat as the atmosphere and contact with another car left the No. 45 Porsche stopped on track. Able to restart the machine, Luck continued, but the Porsche showed enough damage to the front end that the car had to go back to the garage for repairs. Though the team lost all hope of winning the race, the championship points battle was on everyone’s minds, knowing the title could very well come down to just a few points at the end of the year. Luck rejoined 13 laps down, and completed his stint with no further issues.

He pitted during the mandatory ten-minute window, bringing the No. 45 Porsche 911 GT3 R in for fuel, new tires, and a new driver. Jan Heylen took over for the final 45 minutes, and had an uneventful drive to the checkered flag, staying out of the way of his competitors, just looking to score points for a 10th place finish at NOLA Motorsports Park.

Due to the incident from the day before, the No. 45 Porsche was forced to start from the rear of the 17-car field. Heylen took the green flag surrounded by competitors in the Am and Pro/Am classes. He produced a strong launch on Sunday afternoon, climbing up to 12th overall in his opening laps. His pass on the No.91 Lamborghini of Corey Lewis brought him into the top-ten overall, and sixth in class, running the fastest laps of his competitors. He pitted from sixth, handing the Porsche over to Luck during the 10-minute window for the mandatory stop. Luck joined the race with 30 minutes left on the race clock, and immediately put himself in a six-car battle for third place in the Pro/Am class. Luck and his competitors flowed through the course, and as Ziad Ghandour in the No. 9 Lamborghini and George Kurtz in the No. 04 Mercedes battled side-by-side in turn 13, Luck took advantage of the situation and saw his opportunity to pass the pair to take fourth place. As he completed the pass, Luck was the victim of contact from the Mercedes, sending the Wright Porsche off course. He was able to continue and earn a sixth-place finish in the Pro/Am class.

The GT World Challenge America series races next in Danville, Virginia for rounds five and six of the championship, June 17-19. For more information, visit wrightmotorsports.com.

Charlie Luck // No. 45 Porsche 911 GT3 R
We had one heck of a come from behind in race two. Jan started absolute dead last and went all the way to sixth in his stint and then I took over and went to third in class before George Kurtz spun me out. There are some days when you drive and give it everything you’ve got, and you don’t finish exactly where you want, and this is one of those days. Then there are some days when it’s not quite as hard. We did all we could, and Wright Motorsports did a tremendous job repairing Saturday’s damage to be ready for today.

Jan Heylen // No. 45 Porsche 911 GT3 R
This was not the best weekend. Today was a good recovery from where we were yesterday. A good weekend in terms of learning and Charlie’s learning curve – that’s what we’re here for. We’re going to go to the next race having learned from the little mistakes we made here and get better. I’m sure that the next couple of races coming up are going to be better suited for us and the car, and I’m looking forward to that. Good job by the whole team, it was a tough weekend and they all put in a few extra hours this weekend.

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Wright Motorsports
Wright Motorsports is the premier Porsche race engineering facility in Ohio and a multi-series and international racing team known for superb car preparation, expert race strategy, and driver development. Located in Batavia, Ohio, it is owned and directed by John Wright, a certified Porsche factory-trained technician. As a crew chief John Wright has played a key role in winning eight driver and seven team championships in World Challenge, IMSA (ALMS) and the Grand-Am Rolex Series. Wright Motorsports won the team championship in Porsche GT3 Cup USA in 2012, 2013, and 2015, and went on to win the Pirelli World Challenge Overall, Sprint, Team, and Manufacturer’s titles in 2017. In 2020, the team captured the GT World Challenge America Am championship. In 2021, Wright Motorsports had a wildly successful season, capturing nine championships across their five racing efforts.

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