LEXINGTON, Ohio (May 15, 2022) – Jared Thomas (No. 96 JTR Motorsports Engineering) won his third race of the Idemitsu Mazda MX-5 Cup presented by BFGoodrich® Tires season in dominant fashion at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course on Sunday. The performance was convincing, as Thomas crossed the finish line a full 3.449 seconds ahead of second place Selin Rollan (No. 87 Hixon Motor Sports). Justin Piscitell (No. 89 McCumbee McAleer Racing) completed the Round Six podium.
Thomas had a hard fight with polesitter Matthew Dirks (No. 76 McCumbee McAleer Racing) and rookie Joey Antanasio (No. 48 Formidable Racing) in the early stages of the race, but once he was in clean air, he kept pulling away from the rest of the field.
“I knew if I could break the draft, we could pull away,” said Thomas. “Mid-Ohio is traditionally not like that, it’s usually a battle right down to the end. I was pushing in the middle stretch because I wanted to open that gap up. With Selin (Rollan) and Joey (Atanasio) back there together, you can’t make any mistakes when you are one car like that. We were just perfect, no mistakes for that race.”
At the conclusion of the race, Thomas had an unheard of margin of victory of 3.449 seconds. To this point, Mazda MX-5 Cup’s season average for margin of victory was 0.523-second.
Thomas is now the only driver to win a race at each venue MX-5 Cup has been to this season. He also extends his points lead, getting him that much closer to the $250,000 championship prize from Mazda.
While Thomas was driving into the distance, Rollan needed to battle for his podium spot all the way to the finish. Rollan started sixth and was climbing his way to the front, but plenty of side-by-side moments made it an extended climb.
When two cars tangled ahead of him, Rollan had the space he needed to fight for a podium. Antanasio put up a strong defense, so when Rollan finally got to second place, Thomas was too far gone to make a challenge for the win.
“It wasn’t lonely in the first half, but the second half was definitely lonely,” said Rollan of his Sunday afternoon drive in pursuit of Thomas. “The Hixon Motor Sports car was great, definitely better than yesterday. We worked so hard last night to find a good setup and it obviously paid off. We weren’t really anywhere yesterday in that shortened race, but so happy to bring it home in second today. Congratulations to Jared (Thomas), I mean, that car was on rails and I know it’s tough to be on the lead like that and see the whole pack coming and just hit your marks. So congrats to him, but I’m really happy to capitalize on second and looking forward to better tracks for me coming forward.”
In the closing laps, the fight was on for the final podium spot. Atanasio was determined to claim his first MX-5 Cup podium in his rookie year, but veteran Piscitell had been saving his car for this very reason. A small mistake from Atanasio was all the sixth-starting Piscitell needed to move into third place with only two laps to go.
“Unfortunately, we started a little further back than we did yesterday and then went a little backwards on the start and then had to work our way forward again,” said Piscitell. “There was some great racing with a whole bunch of guys out there and we were having a lot of fun, but unfortunately, we held ourselves up a little bit. I was able to break the draft and then just put my head down. Thank you McCumbee McAleer Racing for the opportunity to be here, they did a super job. The BFGoodrich tires were awesome on the long run and I felt like I still had something at the end to fight with but we just got there too late.”
Atanasio finished fourth. He may not have gotten his first podium finish, but he did lead his first race laps and showed great poise while under pressure from experienced drivers.
Round Five race winner and reigning MX-5 Cup Champion Gresham Wagner (No. 5 Spark Performance) completed the top five.
It was a good race for the rookies, as Mazda Shootout Scholarship recipient Bryce Cornet (No. 65 Hixon Motor Sports) finished sixth – his best result of the season so far.
Sam Paley (No. 28 McCumbee McAleer Racing) had to start at the back of the grid for both races because of a post-qualifying technical infraction. He made the most of it, however, by earning the Hard Charger Award in each race and a combined $2,000 for himself and $2,000 for his crew chief.
Next up for MX-5 Cup is Rounds Seven and Eight at Watkins Glen International, June 23 – 25. As always, both races will be available live on RACER.com.
About: The Idemitsu Mazda MX-5 Cup presented by BFGoodrich® Tires is the signature spec series for Mazda Motorsports. The series has been operated by Andersen Promotions since 2017 and is currently sanctioned by IMSA. Mazda-powered grassroots champions can earn Mazda scholarships for this pro-level series. The Idemitsu Mazda MX-5 Cup champion is awarded $250,000 as the top rookie nets $80,000.
Are you a fan of car racing? You must have heard of the term “Safety Cars” and might even know what they are. As fans of F1 racing or those into F1 sports betting, there is always this debate on which car or cars are the best motorsport safety cars. If you want to know about the best motorsport safety cars, you’re in the right place.
What Is The Safety Car and What Is Its Function?
The main function of the safety car is to provide safety to a motor competition when an accident occurs. Also, when there are adverse conditions, they make it clear to the participants where they should drive to avoid the dangers of the track.
Although they are normally associated with Formula 1 circuits, the truth is that any official competition of some importance regulates the exact performance of the safety cars and what the participants can do when they are on the track.
In this way, safety cars are used in competitions as diverse as Formula 1, the Indianapolis 500 Hours, MotoGP, or the World Superbike Championship. Their tasks are usually similar: the teams are notified by radio. Flags are waved and panels are displayed informing of the imminent block to a track. Normally, cars cannot overtake with the safety car on the track.
After the death of the driver Jules Bianchi in 2014 when he crashed into a crane in charge of removing damaged vehicles, the International Automobile Federation (FIA) launched the Virtual Safety Car (VSC) for Formula 1, a mechanism that sends a message directly to the driver advising of the existing problem on the track to reduce speed and take precautions, without a safety car circulating on the track.
The 5 Most Legendary Safety Cars
Porsche 914
In these more than 40 years of history, from the Porsche 914 to the Mercedes AMG GT R, the evolution of safety cars has been amazing. We now review the five most impressive models that we have seen in the different circuits.
Lamborghini Countach
Between 1980 and 1983 Formula 1 used this sports car as its safety car in Monaco. With an output of 400 hp and a spectacular modern design, including striking new scissor doors, the Italian hot rod caused such a sensation that it deservedly earned its position as a safety car.
Mercedes SLS-AMG
With an aesthetic that falls in love at first sight, it is not surprising that it is the Mercedes model that has been maintained as a safety car in Formula 1 for the longest time.
BMW M8 MotoGP Safety Car
Under the hood of this model hides the most powerful engine ever developed for a car at BMW: a V8 block with the capacity to develop 625 hp and accelerate from 0 to 100 in just 3.2 seconds.
Mercedes-AMG GTR
With almost 600 horsepower, the latest safety car used to date by the German brand is undoubtedly the most powerful. Capable of accelerating from 0 to 100 in 3.6 seconds, it reaches a top speed of 318 km/h.
The safety car can decide a race, so its input is always the talk of the town. Now an essential element in racing, a multitude of vehicles have been used throughout its history; perhaps the next step is an autonomously driven safety car.
There you have it, which is your best car among these machines?
Lexington, Ohio (May 15, 2022) — In today’s Grand Prix of Mid-Ohio, the No. 10 Konica Minolta Acura ARX-05 team fought hard for their second consecutive victory of the season and second win in a row at the Midwest road course. The blue and black machine led an Acura one-two finish at Honda Performance Development’s “hometown” race, catapulting them into the lead of the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship with a total of 1,707 points.
True to form, Filipe Albuquerque got an unbelievable run at the green flag and took the lead around the outside of the first corner. He held first position for the first 13 minutes of the race before the polesitter bumped his way back past. Undeterred, Albuquerque handed the car to Ricky Taylor in second position with exactly two hours remaining.
With an hour down, co-driver Ricky Taylor proved he was on the hunt by setting the fastest lap of the race. He closed the gap to former Wayne Taylor Racing driver, Renger van der Zande, making a move around the outside that was highly reminiscent of Albuquerque’s move on the opening lap. This time, the two cars made contact, but Taylor’s Acura came away the better of the two, driving into the lead. He drove expertly, avoiding traffic and spinning prototype cars ahead to secure another impressive win for the team.
“I’m so happy here in Mid-Ohio,” said Ricky Taylor. “The Konica Minolta guys nailed it all day. We may not have been the favorite coming in. After practice and qualifying we thought that we needed to find a bit more pace, but the end result is amazing. We come away with a fifth straight victory for Acura at Mid-Ohio, second in a row for the team and we got the points lead back. So many great things happened today. We have about half of the season left, so we need to keep up the intensity and the pressure. That’s how we got the points lead today, and that’s how we need to finish the season.”
“What an amazing race,” said Filipe Albuquerque. “I’m so happy for this group of people—amazing job by everyone. It was a great start from my side, to be able to go into first position. It’s super tricky to start here on the outside, and then the car was super, super tricky on old tires, especially with them being qualifying tires. I was really worried whether we could do another two hours and Ricky pulled it out amazingly. I tried to help the team with whatever I could to help Ricky. The car came back to us and Ricky did a fantastic job and he pulled it off again. We’re going back and forth with who is finishing and who does the best job. Perfect job by everyone in the Konica Minolta Acura team.
“I’m so proud of this team and all of our partners at HPD, Acura, Konica Minolta, Harrison Contracting Company and the guys,” said team owner Wayne Taylor. “The pit stops, the strategy by Brian [Pillar], Logan [Sprung], the drivers—Filipe doing a good job on tires that he used in qualifying, which were terrible, but to keep that position and then hand the car to Ricky was all excellent. For Ricky to stay in for so long and make that maneuver on the No. 01 car basically got us the win. I’m ecstatic.”
The 2022 IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship season continues for the No. 10 Konica Minolta Acura ARX-05 in two week’s time with another sprint race, the Detroit Grand Prix. Practice 1 begins at 8:00 a.m. ET on June 3rd. Green flag for the 100-minute sprint waves at 3:10 p.m. ET on Sunday, June 4th. Full coverage, starting at 3:00 p.m. ET, can be streamed on Peacock or viewed on USA Network. ABOUT KONICA MINOLTA
Konica Minolta Business Solutions U.S.A., Inc. is reshaping and revolutionizing the Workplace of the Future. The company guides and supports its clients’ digital transformation through its expansive office technology portfolio, including IT Services (All Covered), intelligent information management, managed print services and industrial and commercial print solutions. Konica Minolta has been included on CRN’s MSP 500 list nine times and The World Technology Awards recently named the company a finalist in the IT Software category. Konica Minolta has been recognized as the #1 Brand for Customer Loyalty in the MFP Office Copier Market by Brand Keys for fourteen consecutive years, and received Keypoint Intelligence’s BLI 2021 A3 Line of The Year Award and BLI 2021-2023 Most Color Consistent A3 Brand Award for its bizhub i-Series. Konica Minolta, Inc. has been named to the Dow Jones Sustainability World Index for nine consecutive years and has spent four years on the Global 100 Most Sustainable Corporations in the World list. Konica Minolta partners with its clients to give shape to ideas and works to bring value to our society. For more information, please visit us online and follow Konica Minolta on Facebook, YouTube, LinkedIn and Twitter. The No. 10 Konica Minolta Acura ARX-05 effort and Wayne Taylor Racing is supported by an outstanding lineup of partners including Harrison Contracting, Acura Motorsports, Hammer Nutrition and CIT.
In a season mired with constant trials and struggles both on and off the track, Kurt Busch and 23XI Racing triumphed at the Heartland State after emerging victorious in the AdventHealth 400 at Kansas Speedway on Sunday, May 15.
The 2004 NASCAR Cup Series champion from Las Vegas, Nevada, led five times for a race-high 116 of 267 laps as he prevailed after a fierce battle with Kyle Larson during the final 10 laps to snatch the lead and claim his first Cup Series victory of the season and his first driving for 23XI Racing.
With on-track qualifying occurring on Saturday, Christopher Bell notched his third pole position of his career and of the season after posting a pole-winning lap at 179.575 mph in 30.071 seconds. Joining him on the front row was Tyler Reddick, who recorded a qualifying lap at 178.855 mph in 30.192 seconds.
Prior to the event, Denny Hamlin, rookie Todd Gilliland and Ricky Stenhouse Jr. dropped to the rear of the field due to unapproved adjustments to their respective cars. In addition, Chris Buescher and Joey Logano also dropped to the rear in backup cars.
When the green flag waved and the race started, Bell and Reddick dueled for the top spot through the first three turns until Bell managed to clear Reddick and the field entering Turn 4 to lead the first lap. With Reddick settling in second in front of Kyle Larson, rookie Austin Cindric battled with Kurt Busch for fourth place as Kyle Busch joined the battle. Meanwhile, Aric Almirola and Alex Bowman dueled for seventh place in front of Chase Briscoe, Ross Chastain and Ryan Blaney.
During the fifth lap of the event, the first caution flew when Briscoe got loose and spun across the frontstretch grass, though he continued without sustaining any significant damage to his No. 14 Rush Truck Center/Cummins Ford Mustang.
Four laps later, the race restarted under green. At the start, Reddick received a push from Kyle Busch to assume the lead as Kyle Busch and Kyle Larson battled Bell for the runner-up spot, with Larson taking the spot.
At the Lap 10 mark, Reddick was leading ahead of Larson, Kyle Busch, Bell and Cindric while Chastain, Daniel Suarez, Aric Almirola, Blaney and Kurt Busch were in the top 10.
Through the first 20 scheduled laps, Reddick extended his advantage to more than a second over Larson while Bell, Kyle Busch, Cindric, Suarez, Chastain, Almirolam Kurt Busch and Blaney were in the top 10. Running in 11th place was Martin Truex Jr. followed by Bowman, Bubba Wallace, Erik Jones, William Byron, Chase Elliott, Denny Hamlin, Austin Dillon, Kevin Harvick and Michael McDowell. Cole Custer was in 21st ahead of Justin Haley, Ricky Stenhouse Jr., Ty Dillon and Corey LaJoie while Brad Keselowski, rookie Harrison Burton, Noah Gragson, Briscoe and Chris Buescher were in the top 30. Meanwhile, Joey Logano, winner of last weekend’s Cup event at Darlington Raceway, was mired in 31st while rookie Todd Gilliland was in 33rd.
Fourteen laps later and just as Larson overtook Reddick for the lead, the caution flew due to BJ McLeod spinning and stalling his car past the frontstretch. At the moment of caution, Logano dodged losing a lap to the leaders. In addition, Chris Buescher made a pit stop.
Under caution, the leaders pitted and Bell reassumed the lead after exiting pit road with the top spot followed by Reddick, Kyle Busch, Suarez, Chastain and Truex. During the pit stops, Hamlin and Austin Dillon were penalized for equipment interference while Cindric was penalized for an uncontrolled tire penalty. In addition, Justin Haley, who was having his pit service complete, had a left-rear tire fall off of his car as he exited his pit stall and caught on fire.
When the race restarted under green on Lap 39, Bell cleared the field entering the first turn to assume the lead. Through the backstretch, Kyle Busch took over the runner-up spot while Trackhouse Racing’s Chastain and Suarez overtook Reddick for third and fourth. Soon after, Truex mounted a challenge on Reddick for a top-five spot.
Through the first 50 scheduled laps, Bell was leading by six-tenths of a second over teammate Kyle Busch while Chastain, Suarez and Reddick were in the top five. Truex, meanwhile, settled in sixth followed by Bowman, Bubba Wallace, Almirola and Byron while Larson, who endured a slow pit stop during the previous caution, was in 12th behind teammate Chase Elliott. In addition, Kurt Busch was back in 14th ahead of Kevin Harvick while Blaney was back in 18th ahead of Denny Hamlin and Logano.
Eleven laps later, the caution flew when Suarez, who was being pressured by Truex for fourth place, got loose, spun and made contact with the outside wall entering Turn 4 as his No. 99 CommScope Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 stalled at the entrance of pit road. Things then went from bad to worse for Suarez as he needed a wrecker to have his car towed back to his pit stall due to flat-spotting his tires. During the caution period, Almirola pitted when pit road was not open for the field.
Under caution, the majority of the field, led by Bell who had a flat left-rear tire, pitted while Ricky Stenhouse Jr., Corey LaJoie and Austin Dillon remained on the track.
When the race restarted on Lap 67 amid a jumble and scramble within the field, Kyle Busch drove his No. 18 M&M’s Toyota TRD Camry to the lead on fresh tires while Chastain rocketed to the runner-up spot as Austin Dillon drifted toward the middle of the pack. As the field continued to scramble for positions while fanning out to multiple lanes, Elliott was up in third place followed by Reddick, Byron and Truex while Erik Jones was getting shuffled back to seventh in front of Wallace, Blaney and Stenhouse.
Under the final 10 laps of the first stage, Kyle Busch was leading by more than a tenth of a second over Chastain while Elliott trailed by seven-tenths of a second.
When the first stage concluded on Lap 80, Kyle Busch notched his first stage victory of the season while leading by more than a second over Chastain. Chastain settled in second followed by Elliott, Reddick, Byron, Truex, Wallace, Erik Jones, Blaney and Bowman.
Under the stage break, the leaders returned to pit road and Elliott exited with the top spot ahead of Chastain, Truex, Byron and Reddick. Disaster struck, however, for Elliott as he dropped to the rear of the field due to equipment interference. During the pit stops, Hamlin was also penalized for equipment interference while Wallace was penalized for having too many crew members over the wall during his service. In addition, Kyle Busch dropped from first to 10th after parking his car too close to his pit wall as he endured a slow pit stop. Following the pit stops, Harvick, Almirola and Buescher made another trip to pit road. Among those who pitted for a second time was Erik Jones as his crew was enduring constant issues removing the right-rear tire of his No. 43 Focus Factor Chevrolet Camaro ZL1.
The second stage started on Lap 87 as Chastain and Truex occupied the front row. At the start, Chastain and Truex dueled for the top spot through the backstretch before Byron made a bold three-wide move on both entering the frontstretch to take the lead. Behind, Reddick fended off Blaney for fourth place while brothers Kurt and Kyle Busch battled for sixth.
At the Lap 100 mark, Byron was leading by more than a second over Chastain followed by Reddick, Truex, Kurt Busch, Kyle Busch, Blaney, Bowman, Bell and Larson. Cindric was in 11th ahead of Stenhouse, Keselowski, Elliott, Harvick, Logano, Custer, Wallace, Hamlin and Buescher while Michael McDowell, Briscoe, Ty Dillon, Austin Dillon, Harrison Burton, Corey LaJoie, Noah Gragson, Josh Bilicki, Gilliland and Almirola were in the top 30.
Eleven laps later, Kurt Busch leaped his No. 45 Jordan Brand Toyota TRD Camry way into the runner-up spot after rocketing past Chastain as Byron stretch his advantage to nearly three seconds. By then, names like Almirola and Erik Jones were lapped by the leader.
On Lap 113, disaster struck for Byron as his No. 24 Raptor Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 suffered a flat left-rear tire while leading as he fell off the pace below the frontstretch apron. With Byron out of contention, Kurt Busch took over the lead followed by Chastain, Truex, Reddick and Kyle Busch.
Shortly after, disaster then struck for Reddick as he blew a right-rear tire and smacked the outside wall as he limped his way to pit road. Reddick’s misfortune allowed Kyle Busch and Blaney to gain spots in the top five.
Nearing the Lap 125 mark, green flag pit stops occurred as Truex pitted. In the midst of the pit stops, the caution flew on Lap 126 when Harvick, who was just exiting pit road following his pit stop, spun his No. 4 Busch Light Ford Mustang due to a shifter issue.
During the extended caution period, some drivers including Elliott, Logano, Cole Custer, Michael McDowell, Ty Dillon, Harrison Burton, Noah Gragson, Todd Gilliland and Josh Bilicki pitted as they had not yet pitted prior to the previous caution while the rest, led by Kurt Busch, remained on the track.
When the race restarted under green on Lap 136, Kurt Busch and Blaney dueled for the lead as the field fanned out entering the first two turns. Through the frontstretch Kurt Busch and Blaney made contact as they continued to battle for the lead before the former managed to clear the latter during the following lap. In the midst of the battles, Kyle Busch overtook Blaney for the runner-up spot while Truex and Keselowski were in the top five.
By Lap 150, Kurt Busch remained as the leader by half a second over brother Kyle while Blaney, Truex and Cindric were in the top five. Elliott, meanwhile, was in sixth followed by teammate Larson, Chastain, Keselowski and Logano while Stenhouse, Hamlin, McDowell, Wallace, Gragson, Bell, Burton, Bowman, Custer and Ty Dillon occupied the top 20. Byron was back in 22nd ahead of Harvick while Reddick was in 28th, a lap behind the leaders.
With five laps remaining in the second stage, Kurt Busch extended his advantage to more than one-and-a-half seconds over brother Kyle while Blaney, Truex and Cindric remained in the top five.
Then, during the final lap of the second stage, Truex dropped off the pace due to a flat left-rear tire of his No. 19 Auto-Owners Insurance Toyota TRD Camry. Despite the issue, Truex elected to nurse his car around the circuit for a final lap. In the midst of the issue, Kurt Busch went on to capture his first stage victory of the season on Lap 165. Brother Kyle settled in second followed by Blaney, Cindric, Elliott, Larson, Chastain, Hamlin, Logano and Wallace.
Under the stage break, the leaders pitted and Kurt Busch retained the lead after exiting pit road with the top spot followed by Blaney, Kyle Busch, Larson and Cindric.
With 94 laps remaining, the final stage started. At the start, Kurt Busch and Blaney dueled for the top spot for a full lap before the former managed to clear the field entering the backstretch. Behind, Larson and Cindric battled for third place in front of Hamlin. During the pit stops, Kyle Busch, who endured a slow pit stop, was penalized for speeding on pit road.
Under the final 90 laps, the battle for the lead intensified between Kurt Busch and Larson as the former continued to retain the top spot over the latter. Then with 86 laps remaining, Larson, who made a move beneath Busch for the lead through Turn 1, slid up and got super loose in front of Busch, but Larson managed to straighten his car through the backstretch as Busch reassumed the lead.
With 75 laps remaining, Kurt Busch continued to lead by more than two seconds over his owner Denny Hamlin while Larson was back in third place. Blaney and Elliott occupied the top five in front of Wallace, Bowman, Cindric, Chastain and Bell.
Four laps later, the caution flew when Elliott lost a left-rear tire and spun in Turn 3 as he ended up getting his No. 9 UniFirst Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 stuck in the infield grass.
Under caution, the leaders pitted and Kurt Busch retained the lead after exiting his pit stall with the top spot followed by Larson, Blaney, Hamlin and Bell. During the pit stops, Wallace was penalized for an uncontrolled tire penalty as his tire was hit by Bowman and Chastain while Harvick was penalized for speeding on pit road.
With 67 laps remaining, the race restarted under green as Kurt Busch and Larson dueled for the lead through the first two turns and entering the backstretch. Then exiting the backstretch, Blaney attempted to make a three-wide move on both for the lead, but Larson managed to assume the top spot briefly until Busch rallied back on the inside lane and through the frontstretch.
Then with 63 laps remaining, Larson bounced off the outside wall entering the frontstretch while battling intensely against Kurt Busch for the lead, which allowed Busch to clear the field with the top spot. Despite the contact with the wall, Larson retained the runner-up spot in front of Bell, Hamlin, Blaney and Kyle Busch.
Under the final 60 laps of the event, Kurt Busch extended his advantage to more than a second over Bell while Larson and Kyle Busch battled for third place in front of Hamlin.
Down to the final 50 laps of the event, Kurt Busch stabilized his advantage to two-and-a-half seconds over Bell while Kyle Busch was in third ahead of Larson and Hamlin. Blaney was back in sixth ahead of Bowman, Chastain, Stenhouse and Byron while Cindric was in 11th ahead of teammate Logano, Truex, Austin Dillon and Brad Keselowski.
Ten laps later, Kurt Busch continued to lead by more than two seconds over brother Kyle while Bell, Larson and Hamlin remained in the top five.
A lap later, the caution flew due to possible fluid coming out of Harvick’s car. Prior to the caution, Harvick had gotten loose entering the frontstretch. During the caution period, the field pitted for fuel and Kyle Busch exited with the top spot followed by Larson, Kurt Busch, Bell, Hamlin and Blaney.
With 33 laps remaining, the race restarted under green. At the start, Kyle Busch and Larson dueled for the top spot for nearly a full lap until Larson managed to pull his No. 5 HendrickCars.com Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 out in front with the lead entering the fourth turn. Meanwhile, Kurt Busch was locked into a battle with Bell for third place as Hamlin joined the battle.
Under the final 30 laps of the event, Larson was leading by three-tenths of a second over Kyle Busch while Kurt Busch trailed by less than a second.
Then with 22 laps remaining, Kurt Busch, who methodically narrowed the deficit between himself and the two Kyles, overtook brother Kyle for the runner-up spot as he went to work to track Larson.
With 15 laps remaining, Larson continued to lead by more than two-tenths of a second over Kurt Busch, who continued to pressure the former for the top spot.
Down to the final 10 laps of the event, Larson remained as the leader by less than three-tenths of a second over Kurt Busch as the leaders approached lapped traffic.
Then with nine laps remaining, the battle for the lead intensified as Kurt Busch drew himself beneath Larson for the top spot from the backstretch through the frontstretch. Then during the following lap, Larson, who continued to rim-ride towards the outside wall, scrapped the wall entering the backstretch, which allowed Busch to drive away with the lead while Larson retained second ahead of Kyle Busch.
Down to the final five laps of the event, Kurt Busch was leading by seven-tenths of a second over Larson while brother Kyle trailed by more than a second and a half. Meanwhile, Hamlin stabilized his No. 11 Sport Clips Toyota TRD Camry in fourth ahead of teammates Bell and Truex.
When the white flag waved and the final lap started, Kurt Busch was ahead by more than a second over Larson and nearly two seconds over Kyle Busch. With no traffic interfering with his progress and Larson not able to make up the deficit, Kurt Busch cycled his way back around to the frontstretch as he claimed his first checkered flag of the season.
With the victory, Kurt Busch, who has now won in at least 19 seasons, notched his first victory at Kansas and his 34th career win in the NASCAR Cup Series, which placed him in sole possession of 25th place on the all-time Cup wins list. The victory was also the third of the season for Toyota, the second for returning crew chief Billy Scott, the second for 23XI Racing in the team’s second season of NASCAR competition and the first for Busch since he won at Atlanta Motor Speedway in July 2021.
In addition, the Kansas victory made 23XI Racing the fifth different organization that Kurt Busch has won with throughout his Cup career. It also made Toyota the fourth overall manufacturer that Busch has won with after having previously won in the Cup circuit with Dodge, Ford and Chevrolet.
KANSAS CITY, KANSAS – MAY 15: Kurt Busch, driver of the #45 Jordan Brand Toyota, celebrates in victory lane after winning the NASCAR Cup Series AdventHealth 400 at Kansas Speedway on May 15, 2022 in Kansas City, Kansas. (Photo by Chris Graythen/Getty Images).
“It’s all about teamwork,” Busch said on FS1. “I don’t do this alone and the way that Toyota’s helped us, [Joe Gibbs Racing]. My little brother’s [Kyle Busch] been so important just on the family side of, ‘Hey, you gotta get through these steps.’ Bubba’s [Wallace] a tremendous teammate, but this is 23XI [Racing]. This is our first win for the No. 45 car. With Jordan Brand on the hood, I felt like I had to race like the GOAT [Michael Jordan] and I had to beat the Kyles. I beat both…I can get one Kyle, I’m like, ‘I can get both.’ I just had the confidence to know that our setup would do things on the short-run and long-run. This No. 45 car’s a winner now!”
“It’s the most gratifying [feeling] to work from the ground up with a brand new number,” Busch added. “Yes, I’ve been with a lot of teams, a lot of manufacturers, but it’s about family. I love my family at home, I love my KBI employees and everybody at 23XI. This is for us. This is what the hard work is all about no matter if you lose a couple spots on pit road, no matter if our car was a basket or whatever to start…I’m in Kansas! I’m loving it!”
Larson, who led 29 laps and won at Kansas in October 2021, settled in second place for the second time this season and for his sixth top-five result of the 2022 season.
“We were racing for the win there,” Larson said. “[Kurt Busch] never got into me, so I’m trying to squeeze throttle to get position on him. Just got tight. That was fun racing with Kurt. The last half of the race, I was trying hard to hold time. I about spun out in front of him at some point in the third stage. We just kept fighting through it. Thanks to my team for building me a war machine. I hit the wall a lot today. Just struggled like people could put air on me and get me really tight and then, I hit the wall. We’ll work on that and figure it out, but happy with my car. The Toyota’s are extremely good today. I think they’re all in the top 10. They had the handling as well as a lot of raw speed. It was hard to hold off Kyle [Busch] and then, I knew when Kurt got by him, it was gonna be really hard to hold him off. I did my best, but came up one spot short.”
Filling in positions third through sixth were all four Joe Gibbs Racing competitors led by Kyle Busch while Hamlin, Bell and Truex followed suit. To go along with his top-five run, Hamlin was left beaming and emotional over his first victory of the season as an owner.
“We, as an organization, let these guys down,” Hamlin, who congratulated Busch on pit road, said. “I’m talking about Bubba [Wallace] and Kurt. So many mistakes that we made on pit road and whatnot. Bubba got let down again on the last stop, but he was fast. I thought he was a little bit better than I was. We had to go to the back again three times today, but let’s talk about the positives. Just can’t thank Kurt enough. Jordan Brand’s first race [as a sponsor]. So jealous he gets to drive that car and to have that thing so fast there. I’ve never had this kind of feeling even for a win for me much less when I did win. Just different.”
Chastain, Stenhouse, Bowman and Bubba Wallace finished in the top 10. Austin Cindric was the highest-finishing rookie in 11th place ahead of teammate Blaney while Harvick settled in 15th ahead of Byron and Logano.
There were 18 lead changes for 10 different leaders. The race featured eight cautions for 47 laps.
With the first half of the 2022 NASCAR Cup Series regular-season stretch complete, Chase Elliott continues to lead the regular-season standings by 52 points over Ryan Blaney, 58 over Kyle Busch, 60 over William Byron and 68 over Ross Chastain.
Currently, William Byron, Ross Chastain, Chase Elliott, Kurt Busch, Kyle Busch, Joey Logano, Alex Bowman, Kyle Larson, Chase Briscoe, rookie Austin Cindric and Denny Hamlin are tentatively locked into the 2022 Cup Playoffs based on winning at least once throughout the regular-season stretch. Ryan Blaney, Martin Truex Jr., Christopher Bell, Kevin Harvick and Aric Almirola are above the top-16 cutline to the Playoffs as winless competitors with Austin Dillon trailing by 11 points, Tyler Reddick by 22, Erik Jones by 32, Daniel Suarez by 49, Chris Buescher by 61, Bubba Wallace by 65, Justin Haley and Michael McDowell both by 77, Ricky Stenhouse Jr. by 95 and Ty Dillon by 100.
Results.
1. Kurt Busch, 116 laps led, Stage 2 winner
2. Kyle Larson, 29 laps led
3. Kyle Busch, 18 laps led, Stage 1 winner
4. Denny Hamlin
5. Christopher Bell, 37 laps led
6. Martin Truex Jr.
7. Ross Chastain, four laps led
8. Ricky Stenhouse Jr., three laps led
9. Alex Bowman
10. Bubba Wallace
11. Austin Cindric
12. Ryan Blaney, one lap led
13. Austin Dillon
14. Brad Keselowski
15. Kevin Harvick
16. William Byron, 25 laps led
17. Joey Logano
18. Noah Gragson
19. Corey LaJoie
20. Ty Dillon
21. Harrison Burton
22. Cole Custer
23. Michael McDowell
24. Chase Briscoe, one lap down
25. Todd Gilliland, one lap down
26. Aric Almirola, one lap down
27. Chris Buescher, two laps down
28. Josh Bilicki, two laps down
29. Chase Elliott, three laps down, 10 laps led
30. Tyler Reddick, four laps down, 24 laps led
31. JJ Yeley, four laps down
32. Erik Jones, six laps down
33. Daniel Suarez, 11 laps down
34. Cody Ware, 12 laps down
35. Justin Haley – OUT, Electrical
36. BJ McLeod – OUT, Chassis
Next on the 2022 NASCAR Cup Series schedule is the series’ annual All-Star Open and Race events at Texas Motor Speedway in Fort Worth, Texas. Coverage of the All-Star Open is scheduled to occur on Sunday, May 22, at 5:30 p.m. ET on FS1 with the All-Star Race to follow at 8 p.m. ET on FS1.
Solid Day for Austin Dillon and The No. 3 Bass Pro Shops / TRACKER Off Road Chevrolet at Kansas Speedway
Finish: 13th Start: 21st Points: 13th
“Nice work by everyone on the No. 3 Bass Pro Shops/TRACKER Off Road Chevrolet today. It was a lot of hard work and a long day, but we got an okay finish out of it at Kansas Speedway. We had a penalty in Stage 1 for equipment leaving the box, but the pit crew was pretty fast the rest of the day. In Stage 2, we pitted under green just as the caution came out and we had to take the wave around. We rebounded nicely, though, and spent most of Stage 3 in the top-12. The restarts were a struggle today. Our car didn’t really start handling well until about 20 laps into a run, so that’s something we’re going to have to do some work on. This team will keep digging.” -Austin Dillon
Tyler Reddick And The No. 8 BetMGM Chevrolet Team Lead Laps at Kansas Speedway Before Unscheduled Pit Stop
Finish: 30th Start: 2nd Points: 15th
“Our entire Richard Childress Racing team started today pretty optimistic after qualifying second and starting on the front row at Kansas Speedway. We led some laps in Stage 1 and felt like our BetMGM Chevrolet was really strong. Unfortunately, things started to take a turn when we had a tire go down and made contact with the wall. We ended up going a few laps down, and even though we kept taking the wave around bad luck continued to strike. It just wasn’t our day. We’ll take this and learn from it like we always do. Our time is coming and this team doesn’t give up.” -Tyler Reddick
Date: May 15, 2022 Event: AdventHealth 400 (Round 13 of 36) Series: NASCAR Cup Series Location: Kansas Speedway in Kansas City (1.5-mile oval) Format: 267 laps, broken into three stages (80 laps/85 laps/102 laps) Race Winner: Kurt Busch of 23II Racing (Toyota) Stage 1 Winner: Kyle Busch of Joe Gibbs Racing (Toyota) Stage 2 Winner: Kurt Busch of 23II Racing (Toyota)
● Kevin Harvick (11th with 335 points, 140 out of first) ● Aric Almirola (12th with 322 points, 153 out of first) ● Chase Briscoe (14th with 300 points, 175 out of first) ● Cole Custer (27th with 215 points, 260 out of first)
Race Notes:
● Kurt Busch won the AdventHealth 400 to score his 34th career NASCAR Cup Series victory, his first of the season and his first at Kansas. His margin over second-place Kyle Larson was 1.413 seconds. ● Busch was the 11th different winner in the 13 NASCAR Cup Series races run this season. ● Harvick and Busch are the only two drivers who have competed in every NASCAR Cup Series race at Kansas (total of 33). ● There were eight caution periods for a total of 47 laps. ● Only 23 of the 36 drivers in the race finished on the lead lap. ● Chase Elliott remains the championship leader after Kansas with a 52-point advantage over second-place Ryan Blaney.
Next Up:
The next event on the NASCAR Cup Series schedule is the non-points NASCAR All-Star Race on Sunday, May 22 at Texas Motor Speedway in Fort Worth. The race starts at 8 p.m. EDT with live coverage provided by FS1 and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio beginning at 5:30 p.m. with the undercard NASCAR All-Star Open.
NASCAR CUP SERIES KANSAS SPEEDWAY ADVENTHEALTH 400 TEAM CHEVY POST-RACE NOTES & QUOTES MAY 15, 2022
TOP TEAM CHEVY UNOFFICIAL RACE RESULTS: POS. DRIVER 2nd KYLE LARSON, NO. 5 HENDRICKCARS.COM CAMARO ZL1 7th ROSS CHASTAIN, NO. 1 ADVENT HEALTH CAMARO ZL1 8th RICKY STENHOUSE JR., NO. 47 DILLONS / LOUISIANA HOT SAUCE CAMARO ZL1 9th ALEX BOWMAN, NO. 48 ALLY CAMARO ZL1 13th AUSTIN DILLON, NO. 3 BASS PRO SHOPS / TRACKER OFF ROAD CAMARO ZL1 16th WILLIAM BYRON, NO. 24 RAPTORTOUGH.COM CAMARO ZL1 18th NOAH GRAGSON, NO. 16 CHEVROLET CAMARO ZL1 19th COREY LAJOIE, NO. 7 GARNER TRUCKING, INC CAMARO ZL1 20th TY DILLON, NO. 42 CHEVYLINERS.COM CAMARO ZL1
TOP FIVE UNOFFICIAL RACE RESULTS: POS. DRIVER
Kurt Busch (Toyota)
Kyle Larson (Chevrolet)
Kyle Busch (Toyota)
Denny Hamlin (Toyota)
Christopher Bell (Toyota)
The NASCAR Cup Series season continues next Sunday, May 22, at Texas Motor Speedway with the NASCAR All-Star Open at 5:30 p.m. ET, followed by the NASCAR All-Star Race at 8 p.m. ET. Live coverage can be found on FS1, MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Channel 90.
SO CLOSE FOR KYLE LARSON TODAY. KYLE, EIGHT LAPS TO GO AND YOU’RE BATTLING SIDE-BY-SIDE WITH KURT (BUSCH). YOU ENDED UP GETTING INTO THE WALL. DID HE GIVE YOU ENOUGH ROOM OR WERE YOU JUST TRYING TO USE EVERYTHING YOU HAD?
“I mean, we were racing for the win there. He never got into me, so I’m trying to squeeze throttle to get position on him and just got tight. That was fun racing with Kurt (Busch). You know, the last half of the race I was trying hard the whole time. I about spun out in front of him there at some point in the third stage and then we just kept fighting through it.
Thanks to my team for building me a war machine. I hit the wall a lot today and just struggled, like people could put air on me and get me really tight and I hit the wall. We’ll work on that and figure it out, but happy with my car. It was hard to hold off Kyle (Busch) and then I knew when Kurt got by, I knew it was going to be really hard to hold him off. I did my best but came up one spot short.”
ROSS CHASTAIN, NO. 1 ADVENT HEALTH CAMARO ZL1 – Finished 7th
“We started off pretty good and pretty early on in the race, we realized we were capable of a top-10 car. The first stage was good. We had a lug nut not get engaged on the left rear during the green flag stop in stage two, which we got lucky to even get it back on. We were able to cycle back around to about where we should have been, so that was fortunate.
From there, there was just a lot of ups and downs. We would restart upfront and then we’d restart in the back; and I can’t even remember what all happened exactly. We had a lot of speed in our No. 1 Advent Health Chevy Camaro. It’s cool to be that fast. I hit a tire on pit road late and that dented in the left front fender; and that ultimately made us too tight to fight for a top-five.”
“All-in-all, a really good day and another top-10 for our No. 47 Dillons / Louisiana Hot Sauce Camaro. After starting in the back from our issues in practice yesterday, I’m really happy with the result. We were solid on pit road. We made some good adjustments to get our car better. I felt like I was really strong at points, but we were around an eighth-place car. The top-five were really, really fast, and I didn’t have anything for them.
I’m really happy with where we ran. We didn’t make any mistakes and brought home another top-10. That was our goal coming in, to try and keep that momentum going.”
ALEX BOWMAN, NO. 48 ALLY CAMARO ZL1 – Finished 9th
“We had a fast No. 48 Ally Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 today. Greg (Ives, crew chief) and the crew did a good job at keeping me in it and giving me what I needed to stay up front. Super proud of my guys and the hard work they put in each week to continue to learn about the new car and give me what I need to be competitive. The pit crew did a great job on pit road, getting me track position and making solid stops. We will go back to Charlotte and look over all the notes from today’s race and try to get better for Texas next week.”
AUSTIN DILLON, NO. 3 BASS PRO SHOPS / TRACKER OFF ROAD CAMARO ZL1 – Finished 13th
“Nice work by everyone on the No. 3 Bass Pro Shops/TRACKER Off Road Chevrolet today. It was a lot of hard work and a long day, but we got an okay finish out of it at Kansas Speedway. We had a penalty in Stage 1 for equipment leaving the box, but the pit crew was pretty fast the rest of the day. In Stage 2, we pitted under green just as the caution came out and we had to take the wave around. We rebounded nicely, though, and spent most of Stage 3 in the top-12. The restarts were a struggle today. Our car didn’t really start handling well until about 20 laps into a run, so that’s something we’re going to have to do some work on. We’ve got some work to do but this team will keep digging.”
ERIK JONES, NO. 43 FOCUSFACTOR CAMARO ZL1 – Finished 32nd
“Our FOCUSfactor Chevy was decent today. We started out pretty good, but a little on the free side. The guys made good changes and made a pit call to get us in the top 10 and stage points at the end of stage one. Unfortunately, we had the issue with our tire and getting the right rear off. That kind of ended our day after going multiple laps down. We’ll refocus and head to Texas for the All-Star race.”
STAGE ONE
Tyler Reddick, No. 8 BetMGM Camaro ZL1, led the field to the green from a front row starting spot; his seventh top-10 starting spot of 2022 and his first in six-career NCS starts at Kansas Speedway. The field saw a variety of pit strategies during a caution on lap 61. Crew Chief Dave Elenz called Erik Jones to pit road for two tires, giving the No. 43 FOCUSfactor Camaro ZL1 the win off pit road; advancing 11 spots ahead of the restart. With a 13-lap dash to the end of Stage One, Ross Chastain powered his No. 1 Advent Health Camaro ZL1 to a runner-up finish in the Stage, leading Chevrolet to four of the top-five and six of the top-10. Other Camaro ZL1’s earning stage points at the conclusion of the 80-lap Stage included 3rd Chase Elliott, No. 9 UniFirst Camaro ZL1
4th Tyler Reddick, No. 8 BetMGM Camaro ZL1
5th William Byron, No. 24 RaptorTough.com Camaro ZL1
8th Erik Jones, No. 43 FOCUSfactor Camaro ZL1
10th Alex Bowman, No. 48 Ally Camaro ZL1
Three Chevrolet drivers recorded laps led in Stage One, including Tyler Reddick (24 laps; second-most); Ricky Stenhouse Jr. (3 laps); and Kyle Larson (3 laps
STAGE TWO
Following a cycle of pit stops at the conclusion of the Stage, Ross Chastain led the field to the green from the front row to start the 85-lap Stage Two. William Byron powered his No. 24 RaptorTough.com Camaro ZL1 to the lead at the beginning of the Stage, becoming the eighth leader of the day. Out in a strong lead, Byron suffered a flat left rear tire, forcing the No. 24 Chevrolet team to come down pit road under green for a four-tire stop; rejoining the field two-laps down. With 41 laps to go in the Stage, Chase Elliott was scored as the leader, preparing to bring his No. 9 UniFirst Camaro ZL1 to pit road when the caution flew. Making a four-tire, fuel and air pressure adjustment stop under the caution, Elliott restarted in the 10th-position with 29 laps left to go in the Stage. At the conclusion of Stage Two, Chase Elliott recorded his second top-five Stage finish of the day, bringing his No. 9 UniFirst Camaro ZL1 to the line in fifth. Joining Elliott in the top-10 of Stage Two included: 6th Kyle Larson, No. 5 HendrickCars.com Camaro ZL1
7th Ross Chastain, No. 1 Advent Health Camaro ZL1
With 165 laps in the books, 10 different drivers had held the lead, including six Chevrolet drivers: William Byron (25 laps; third-most); Tyler Reddick (24 laps); Chase Elliott (10 laps); Ross Chastain (4 laps); Ricky Stenhouse Jr. (3 laps); Kyle Larson (3 laps).
FINAL STAGE/POST-RACE QUICK NOTES
Kyle Larson and the No. 5 HendrickCars.com Camaro ZL1 team was second off of pit road, giving the team a front row restart position with 65 laps to go. Larson ultimately crossed the finished line in the runner-up position, giving the No. 5 HendrickCars.com Chevrolet team its seventh top-10 finish of 2022. Ross Chastain finished seventh; Ricky Stenhouse Jr. finished eighth; and Alex Bowman finished ninth to give Chevrolet four top-10 finishes. With 13 races in the books, Chevrolet has recorded 36 top-five’s and 63 top-10’s, continuing to lead all manufacturers.
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 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.
Ford Performance Notes and Quotes NASCAR Cup Series Advent Health 400 – Kansas Speedway NCS Post Race | Sunday, May 15, 2022
FORD FINISHING RESULTS 11th – Austin Cindric 12th – Ryan Blaney 14th – Brad Keselowski 15th – Kevin Harvick 17th – Joey Logano 21st – Harrison Burton 22nd – Cole Custer 23rd – Michael McDowell 24th – Chase Briscoe 25th – Todd Gilliland 26th – Aric Almirola 27th – Chris Buescher 31st – JJ Yeley 34th – Cody Ware 36th – BJ McLeod
AUSTIN CINDRIC, No. 2 Menards/Monster Ford Mustang – “I think the biggest thing I’m curious about is I felt like the track definitely changed. We were really strong there at the end of Stage 2. I don’t know if it was due to some of the cleaning of the track or what, but we went from being really solid – maybe just a little bit free – to kind of back to where I was at the beginning of the race, really tight. I wish we would have had a little more speed. I think we had to be perfect to run inside the top five today for sure. We had solid execution. Our guys did a great job during the week and getting used to the changes on the team and had to come back from a few issues and, all in all, a solid day. It’s something we needed to get stage points. I wish we could have gotten a top 10 out of it. We just missed out on that, but, overall, a solid effort.”
ARIC ALMIROLA, No. 10 Smithfield Ford Mustang – “I’m just really disappointed. We can’t catch a break. It seems like my team is bringing me good cars. I feel like we were probably the best Ford and we could have ran fifth to eighth and we just don’t have the raw speed of our competitors right now. We have to have a perfect day and when Suarez crashed in front of me, I don’t know if I got in some fluid or what, but it just jumped out from underneath me and I got in the wall. We bent the suspension and rode around the rest of the day just trying to salvage a finish.”
RYAN BLANEY, No. 12 Wabash Ford Mustang – “It was a challenging day for sure. We got a lot better from where we started, so that was good. I thought we were gonna be able to finish pretty decent, but then I got put into a couple of bad spots on that last restart and kind of fell back, and then I tried too hard and hit the wall and ended up 12th. Overall, I appreciate the hard work. We got a lot better from where we started, but we just need to be better overall.”
BRAD KESELOWSKI, No. 6 King’s Hawaiian Ford Mustang – “We just ran a solid race. We kind of got the max potential that we had and the pit crew did a great job. We need to raise our max potential, but we executed with everything we had so I’m happy for that.”
HARRISON BURTON, No. 21 DEX Imaging Ford Mustang – “We ran better than we finished, which is frustrating. You want it to be the other way, but just really free at the end. It’s really hard to drive these things loose, so I don’t know if I need to do a better job or what, but when we get loose we struggle pretty bad. It was a handful at the end and it’s definitely frustrating. I felt like we were getting better throughout the day and then on the last run we finally jumped over the cushion on too far. We were tight, tight, tight all day and couldn’t get it to turn and then all of a sudden the last run I’m crashing on entry and crashing on exit, so it’s frustrating. Overall, we just have to keep digging. It’s not what we want, but we’ll keep going.”
KURT BUSCH SCORES FIRST WIN IN TOYOTA CAMRY TRD Busch leads stellar day for Toyota in Kansas
KANSAS CITY (May 15, 2022) – Kurt Busch drove to his first win for Toyota and 23XI Racing at Kansas Speedway on Sunday evening. It is the second win for 23XI Racing. It was a stellar day for Toyota as all six Toyota Camry TRDs finished inside the top-10 – Kyle Busch (third), Denny Hamlin (fourth), Christopher Bell (fifth), Martin Truex Jr. (sixth) and Bubba Wallace (10th).
Toyota Post-Race Recap NASCAR Cup Series (NCS) Kansas Speedway Race 13 of 36 – 400 miles, 267 laps
TOYOTA FINISHING POSITIONS 1st, KURT BUSCH 2nd, Kyle Larson* 3rd, KYLE BUSCH 4th, DENNY HAMLIN 5th, CHRISTOPHER BELL 6th, MARTIN TRUEX JR. 10th, BUBBA WALLACE *non-Toyota driver
TOYOTA QUOTES
KURT BUSCH, No. 45 Jordan Brand Toyota Camry TRD, 23XI Racing
Finishing Position: 1st
Can you tell me your emotions right now?
“It’s family. When we started this car number, I knew we had our work cut out for us. We just had to do simple things to work our way up. Heck, one of the simple things was just making final round in qualifying. We’ve been starting to do that. That leads you into other categories that help you think and get you into more detail about other things. I just thought all a long if we got up front it would be a whole new game of blocking the air, taking lanes away. Today, this Toyota Camry TRD was fast right off the truck. Stage one I was killer tight. I thought our day was going to be a long day, and I’m just so happy that the car reacted to the changes. Jordan Brand on the hood, that is our DNA at 23XI. Denny Hamlin, thank you. Monster Energy, everybody that is our partners. This is a big win for our team.”
How important was being able to move around today?
“I had my crew do something opposite on a green flag run and I asked them to help me at the end because there are certain check boxes that you can get away with. I knew with (Kyle) Larson – he tried a slide job earlier in the race and his weak spot was turn two. I’m like what – that’s where I’m going to take advantage of him and get the lead back and that is what we did with our Toyota.”
How close to flawless were you this weekend?
“This Next Gen car is far from it. You always have to work, no matter if you are in clean air, dirty air, good pit stops, bad pit stops, adjustments. It taught me a lot today and I’m glad that Kansas – I finally conquered this track. I’ve never won here in all of these years, and I finally get to see Pat Warren in Victory Lane.”
What does this win mean to this team?
“That’s the most gratifying part is to help these guys win. Billy Scott is a great crew chief and it’s a family here at 23XI. I love them.”
KYLE BUSCH, No. 18 M&M’s Crunchy Cookie Toyota Camry TRD, Joe Gibbs Racing
Finishing Position: 3rd
What happened on that final restart?
“We were in control on that final restart and you want to win the race in that instance, and I felt like our M&M’s Crunchy Cookie Toyota Camry was good enough to do so, but (Kyle) Larson did a good job getting in my left rear in the right spot to drag me back going down the backstretch and I couldn’t retaliate to side draft going into (turn) three, so he beat us right there. Once he got clear it was over. We had a strong Camry. Thanks again to M&M’s, Interstate Batteries, Rowdy Energy, everybody that supports us.”
DENNY HAMLIN, No. 11 Sport Clips Haircuts Toyota Camry TRD, Joe Gibbs Racing
Finishing Position: 4th
How huge Kurt’s win is for 23XI?
“It’s huge. I’m so proud of Kurt (Busch) and Bubba (Wallace) as well. Bubba deserved to have a shot at a win today as well. It was so much better than that (tenth). Mistakes, and we are working on it, and that’s something I felt like I’ve let these guys down with is – pit road. It’s just part of it. It’s growing pains, but this is what this team is capable of. I’m happy for Kurt.”
What about your run today?
“Finally. It wasn’t a day – I mean we went to the back three times. I just never could get an opportunity to get up there and show the speed, but once I was there, I just couldn’t get past the aero side of it. We were all a freight train at the top, and that’s all I had. Our Sport Clips Camry was fast. We had to go to the back three times and that is not ideal, but I just want to think about the positives today.”
CHRISTOPHER BELL, No. 20 Rheem Toyota Camry TRD, Joe Gibbs Racing
Finishing Position: 5th
How was your run today?
“These Camrys are obviously really, really good. I’m really happy to be at Joe Gibbs Racing. This was a long time coming. We’ve had a couple of these races where all of us have been really good, but every car was exceptional today. Our Rheem Camry was really good early, and then when we lost track position, we just kind of lost the balance on it. Whenever we got back up front, it wasn’t quite good enough for the win.”
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About Toyota
Toyota (NYSE:TM) has been a part of the cultural fabric in North America for more than 60 years, and is committed to advancing sustainable, next-generation mobility through our Toyota and Lexus brands, plus our more than 1,800 dealerships.
Toyota directly employs more than 48,000 people in North America who have contributed to the design, engineering, and assembly of nearly 43 million cars and trucks at our 13 manufacturing plants. By 2025, Toyota’s 14th plant in North Carolina will begin to manufacture automotive batteries for electrified vehicles. With the more electrified vehicles on the road than any other automaker, more than a quarter of the company’s 2021 North American sales were electrified.
Through the Start Your Impossible campaign, Toyota highlights the way it partners with community, civic, academic and governmental organizations to address our society’s most pressing mobility challenges. We believe that when people are free to move, anything is possible. For more information about Toyota, visit www.ToyotaNewsroom.com.
Race Recap | Heart of America 200 | Kansas Speedway Team: No. 44 Big Dog Energy Chevrolet Silverado Driver: Kris Wright Follow the Team: @NieceMotorsport; @KrisOnNASCAR Start: 24th Finish: 25th Driver Point Standings: 23rd Owner Point Standings: 28th Race Rundown – No. 44 Big Dog Energy Chevrolet Silverado
Wright and the No. 44 Big Dog Energy team battled through traffic in the early stages of Saturday night’s Heart of America 200, resulting in a 26th-place finish in Stage One. Despite running a lap down, Wright continued to battle and came away with a 26th-place finish in Stage Two.
After suffering right side damage from contact with the outside wall, the caution waved on lap 90 for Wright, negating the No. 44 team from receiving the free pass to get back on the lead lap. Wright was black-flagged on lap 131 after having too many crew members over the wall during a pit stop to continue repairs to the right rear, resulting in a 25th-place finish.
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About Niece Motorsports
Niece Motorsports is owned by United States Marine Corps Veteran Al Niece. In 2022, Niece Motorsports enters its seventh season in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series. Niece also owns Niece Equipment, which has for over 40 years provided clients with reliable products at competitive prices. Niece Equipment’s reputation is built on service, integrity and dependability. The company provides water and fuel/lube trucks that are engineered with quality and durability in mind for the construction and mining industry. Follow the team on Facebook and Instagram @NieceMotorsports as well as Twitter @NieceMotorsport.
Big Dog Energy, a family-owned natural gas company, has partnered with Kris Wright, driver of the Niece Motorsports No. 44 Chevrolet Silverado, for multiple NASCAR Camping World Truck Series events this season. For more information on Big Dog Energy, LLC, headquartered in Wexford, Pa., visit Instagram (@bigdogenergyllc).
