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Toyota Gazoo Racing North America NHRA Phoenix Post-Race Report 2.27.22

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Official Release
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NUMBER ONE QUALIFIER AND SEMI-FINAL SHOWING HIGHLIGHT TGRNA IN ARIZONA
Kalitta Claims Number One Qualifier, Torrence Makes Semi-Final Appearance

CHANDLER, Ariz. (February 27, 2022) – As the NHRA made it’s second stop of the season at Wild Horse Pass Motorsports Park outside Phoenix, Arizona, TGRNA (Toyota Gazoo Racing North America) claimed the number one qualifier with Doug Kalitta in his Toyota Top Fuel dragster and Steve Torrence drove his Toyota Top Fuel dragster to the semi-finals.

Toyota Post-Race Recap
NHRA Camping World Drag Racing Series
Wild Horse Pass Motorsports Park
Race 2 of 22

TOYOTA TOP FUEL QUALIFYING POSITIONS

NameCarFinal ResultRound-by-Round
Steve TorrenceCapco Contractors Toyota Top Fuel DragsterSemi-finalL v. Salinas (5.981 v. 3.693)W v. Force (3.710 v. 3.709) HoleshotW v. Foley (3.686 v. 12.043)
Shawn LangdonDHL Toyota Top Fuel DragsterRound 2L v. Salinas (3.726 v. 3.692)W v. Brown (3.699 v. 3.742)
Justin AshleyPhillips Connect Toyota Top Fuel DragsterRound 1L v. Schumacher (4.026 v. 3.892)
Antron BrownMatco Tools Toyota Top Fuel DragsterRound 1L v. Langdon (3.742 v. 3.699)
Doug KalittaMac Tools Toyota Top Fuel DragsterRound 1L v. Passey (5.606 v. 4.318)

TOYOTA FUNNY CAR QUALIFYING POSITIONS

NameCarFinal ResultRound-by-Round
Alexis DeJoriaBandero Tequila Toyota GR Supra Funny CarRound 2L v. Hagan (3.941 v. 3.864)W v. Todd (3.944 v. 4.303)
J.R. ToddDHL Toyota GR Supra Funny CarRound 1L v. DeJoria (4.303 v. 3.944)

TOYOTA QUOTES

STEVE TORRENCE, Capco Contractors Toyota Top Fuel Dragster, Torrence Racing

Final Result: Semi-Finals

What happened in the semi-finals to eliminate you from today’s race?

“I’m not for certain, but we don’t typically smoke the tires on a hit like that. So I’m sure that we might have had something malfunction. The track has been spectacular all day and you’ve seen it, you’ve seen it in the numbers. We’ll get in here and figure out what it was. We’re working on a new setup, trying to just improve. We’ve been in the same spot for the last four years and the cars been so consistent and so predictable. But we’ve got to build on that and we’ve got to try to step up our game because everybody else has. Good day for us all together. The Capco Toyota car — we’re just going to try to keep marching on. We go to Gainesville and we’re number one seed in that Pep Boys Callout. So we’re going to try to win that first and then we’ll concentrate on the race second.”

As the number one seed for the Callout, what is your game plan?

“We’ll analyze our competition pretty thoroughly and make a decision based on that. I think that they also said that maybe second round was going to be called out. So there’s no way to try to manipulate the ladder. You’ve just got to go out and do the best you can, but I’m pretty confident in our cars with what we learned in the last three weeks of running the car, so I feel like we’re headed in the right direction. I’m pretty confident.”

DOUG KALITTA, MAC TOOLS Toyota Top Fuel Dragster, Kalitta Motorsports

Final Result: Round 1

After qualifying number one, unfortunately eliminated in round one. What happened and what can you take out of the weekend moving forward?

“I couldn’t be happier with the effort from our Mac Tools team for this weekend’s race. To get the number one qualifier for the first time in a few years was definitely a step in the right direction. Of course round one didn’t go anywhere near what we wanted and had to try to pedal the car to the line, but it just wasn’t enough. Overall, we’re encouraged by our performance this weekend and I expect good things heading to Gainesville.”

JUSTIN ASHLEY, Phillips Connect Toyota Top Fuel Dragster, Davis Motorsports

Final Result: Round 1

What happened in round one?

“Each time I get in this Phillips Connect Vita C Shot Toyota dragster I tend to experience something new. That pedal job was a great learning experience for me. I felt it shake the tires and I was able to get back on it. I looked over to the left hand lane and saw Tony out in front of me and I was just about to lift. I noticed he started mixing up cylinders and I said to myself ‘let’s just stay on it and see if we can catch him.’ We just ran out of real estate. Every experience is valuable and that was one of them.”

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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.

McLaughlin Breaks Through with First Career Victory at St. Pete

By
Official Release
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ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (Sunday, Feb. 27, 2022) – Scott McLaughlin delivered on the promise he showed to Team Penske when it signed him straight from touring cars to race in the NTT INDYCAR SERIES, earning his first career victory Sunday in the Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg presented by RP Funding.

NTT P1 Award winner McLaughlin drove his No. 3 DEX Imaging Team Penske Chevrolet from the pole to victory by .5095 of a second over reigning series champion Alex Palou, who applied heavy pressure to McLaughlin over the closing laps in his No. 10 NTT DATA Chip Ganassi Racing Honda as they raced among and through slower traffic.

New Zealand native McLaughlin made his NTT INDYCAR SERIES debut at this event in 2020 after winning three straight Australian V8 Supercars championships and then raced in his first full season of open-wheel competition in 2021.

He finished 14th in the standings, with a best finish of second, and earned series Rookie of the Year honors despite the strain of not seeing his family since 2020 due to pandemic-related global travel restrictions. McLaughlin sat in front of his winning car in Victory Lane, celebrating with his family via videoconference on his phone.

“Thank you to Roger Penske, everyone,” McLaughlin said. “Yeah, DEX Imaging jumping on board, trusting me, and then Roger Penske and Tim Cindric giving me the opportunity to come here.

“I miss my mom and dad dearly and my family. Wish you guys were here. What a day.”

Will Power finished third in the No. 12 Verizon Team Penske Chevrolet, 2.461 seconds behind his winning teammate. Colton Herta finished fourth in the No. 26 Gainbridge Honda, while Romain Grosjean rounded out the top five in his first start for Andretti Autosport in the No. 28 DHL Honda.

McLaughlin became the second consecutive driver to earn his first series victory in the season opener. The driver who pulled off that feat last year – Palou, at Barber Motorsports Park – stretched McLaughlin to his limit over the last 13 laps of the 100-lap race on the 14-turn, 1.8-mile temporary street circuit.

A fascinating duel between drivers on two-pit stop and three-stop strategies unfolded into a straight fight between McLaughlin and Palou – and their two-stop plans – after six-time series champion Scott Dixon made his third and final pit stop in the No. 9 PNC Bank Chip Ganassi Racing Honda on Lap 80, surrendering the lead to McLaughlin.

McLaughlin led Palou by 2.150 seconds when Dixon pitted. It appeared only a caution period would bunch the field, as McLaughlin controlled the pace from the front. That caution never came, as this race featured an all-time event low of just one yellow-flag period, but slower traffic turned the closing laps into a scintillating dance between McLaughlin and Palou.

With 13 laps remaining, McLaughlin approached the No. 48 Carvana Chip Ganassi Racing Honda of Jimmie Johnson, who was racing to stay on the lead lap. McLaughlin had to find a spot on the concrete barrier-lined circuit to thread the needle and pass seven-time NASCAR Cup Series champion Johnson, and that slight delay helped Palou – Johnson’s teammate – close to within .625 of a second.

From there, the gap between the two lead cars ranged from three-tenths to eight-tenths of a second. It appeared on Lap 96 that Palou might get a chance to try to pass McLaughlin as both cars approached the No. 11 ROKiT AJ Foyt Racing Chevrolet of rookie Tatiana Calderon. But Calderon pulled off the racing line on the front straight to let both McLaughlin and Palou scream past.

“Oh, man, it was crazy,” McLaughlin said of Palou’s pressure. “Really struggled those last couple laps just to keep my head and then save the fuel and all that sort of stuff.

“But we did it. Chevy gave us the fuel mileage. Drivability this weekend has been a change, and to win at DEX Imaging’s home race is unreal. Oh, my God, I’m just – love you Australia, New Zealand, miss you guys. Thinking of everyone in the Queensland floods at the moment.”

Palou continued to close on Laps 98 and 99 but couldn’t get close enough to pass. Andretti Steinbrenner Autosport rookie Devlin DeFrancesco was right in front of the lead pair on the final lap, trying to stay on the lead lap. McLaughlin, who along with Palou was saving Push to Pass power until the final lap to conserve fuel, never let Palou challenge over the final trip around the circuit.

“It was close,” Palou said. “It was really, really close, but I don’t think we had the pace he had today. Like he was on rails, and he knew where to go fast and where to obviously save some fuel at the end. I was just there trying to make some pressure so hopefully he made a mistake or anything, but no, he was all good.

“Congrats to him. I’m super happy that he got his first win. Yeah, I’m happier that we got our first podium of the year.”

McLaughlin led 49 of the 100 laps to earn the victory in his 18th career NTT INDYCAR SERIES start. It was the 223rd INDYCAR SERIES victory for Team Penske.

Now that the box for a first victory is checked, is McLaughlin’s win in his first race aligned with Team Penske engineer Ben Bretzman a preview of a possible championship season?

Palou parlayed his first career win last year in the season opener at Barber Motorsports Park into his first Astor Challenge Cup for Chip Ganassi Racing. And the winner of the season opener in the last three NTT INDYCAR SERIES seasons has gone on to win the title in the same year – Palou in 2021, Scott Dixon in 2020 and Josef Newgarden in 2019.

The next NTT INDYCAR SERIES race is the XPEL 375 on Sunday, March 20 on the 1.5-mile, high-speed oval at Texas Motor Speedway. Live coverage starts at 12:30 p.m. (ET) on NBC and the INDYCAR Radio Network.

ST. PETERSBURG, Florida – Results Sunday of the Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg presented by RP Funding NTT INDYCAR SERIES event on the 1.8-mile Streets of St. Petersburg, with order of finish, starting position in parentheses, driver, engine, laps completed and reason out (if any):

  1. (1) Scott McLaughlin, Chevrolet, 100, Running
  2. (10) Alex Palou, Honda, 100, Running
  3. (2) Will Power, Chevrolet, 100, Running
  4. (3) Colton Herta, Honda, 100, Running
  5. (5) Romain Grosjean, Honda, 100, Running
  6. (4) Rinus VeeKay, Chevrolet, 100, Running
  7. (11) Graham Rahal, Honda, 100, Running
  8. (7) Scott Dixon, Honda, 100, Running
  9. (8) Marcus Ericsson, Honda, 100, Running
  10. (22) Takuma Sato, Honda, 100, Running
  11. (15) Christian Lundgaard, Honda, 100, Running
  12. (16) Pato O’Ward, Chevrolet, 100, Running
  13. (23) Jack Harvey, Honda, 100, Running
  14. (17) Helio Castroneves, Honda, 100, Running
  15. (6) Simon Pagenaud, Honda, 100, Running
  16. (9) Josef Newgarden, Chevrolet, 100, Running
  17. (21) Felix Rosenqvist, Chevrolet, 100, Running
  18. (12) Kyle Kirkwood, Chevrolet, 100, Running
  19. (19) Callum Ilott, Chevrolet, 100, Running
  20. (13) Alexander Rossi, Honda, 100, Running
  21. (20) Conor Daly, Chevrolet, 100, Running
  22. (18) Devlin DeFrancesco, Honda, 100, Running
  23. (26) Jimmie Johnson, Honda, 99, Running
  24. (25) Tatiana Calderon, Chevrolet, 97, Running
  25. (14) Dalton Kellett, Chevrolet, 62, Mechanical
  26. (24) David Malukas, Honda, 23, Contact

Race Statistics
Winner’s average speed: 96.899 mph
Time of Race: 1:51:27.3466
Margin of victory: 0.5095 of a second
Cautions: 1 for 8 laps
Lead changes: 8 among 6 drivers

Lap Leaders:
McLaughlin 1-26
Rossi 27-36
Dixon 37-48
VeeKay 49-61
McLaughlin 62-63
Palou 64
Power 65
Dixon 66-79
McLaughlin 80-100

NTT INDYCAR SERIES point standings: McLaughlin 54, Palou 41, Power 36, Herta 32, Grosjean 30, VeeKay 29, Rahal 26, Dixon 25, Ericsson 22, Sato 20.

Meyer Shank Racing Drivers 14th-15th in St. Pete Season Opener

By
Official Release
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#06: Helio Castroneves, Meyer Shank Racing Honda

ST. PETERSBURG, FL (27 February 2022) – Both Meyer Shank Racing (MSR) drivers spent time in the top five in the NTT INDYCAR SERIES season-opening Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg before placing just outside the top 10.

Helio Castroneves finished 14th in the No. 06 AutoNation/ SiriusXM Honda on the tight 1.8-mile street circuit, one position ahead of MSR teammate Simon Pagenaud in the No. 60 AutoNation / SiriusXM Honda. The teammates were separated by 0.6162-seconds at their lead-lap finish.

Both drivers ran consistent races, placing fourth and fifth of competitors using a three pit stop strategy. Contrary to its usual form with numerous caution periods on the concrete-lined course, the race was slowed by only one full-course caution, coming out early in the event, while 24 of the 26 competitors were running at the finish.

Castroneves started 17th, and pitted under green 10 laps into the event. He returned to pit lane during the lone caution on lap 26, and was running 22nd at the restart. From there, the four-time Indianapolis 500 winner gradually improved his position.

As the strategies played out through the long green flag run, Castroneves came all the way up to third position before his final stop on lap 66. He returned to the fray in 20th and had improved to 14th three laps later, holding that position on the run to the checkered flag.

Making his first IndyCar start with MSR after launching the year with the Rolex 24 At Daytona win with the team, Pagenaud made it to the Firestone Fast Six in qualifying on Saturday, starting on the outside of the third row. He was shuffled back four positions to 10th on the opening lap. Pagenaud pitted on lap 11 to shed his Firestone alternate tires, and was up to fifth at the time of the caution.

Pagenaud improved to third when he pitted under green, dropping him to 21st. He worked back to seventh before his final stop on lap 68. He returned to the race in 15th – one position behind Castroneves – and held the position for the final 31 laps.

The next race for the IndyCar Series will be the Xpel 375 at Texas Motor Speedway on Sunday, March 20, with the race airing live on NBC at 12:30 p.m. ET.

Driver Quotes:

Helio Castroneves, No. 06 AutoNation / SiriusXM Honda:

“I have to give big props to Meyer Shank Racing and especially Adam (Rovazzini – MSR Competition Director). The goal was to put some points on the board and that’s exactly what we did. Obviously 14th is not where we wanted to be, however some days that’s what you get as a result. We are going to take what we learned here and use it for Long Beach – but first we have Texas and that’s where we need to collect a lot of points.”

Simon Pagenaud, No. 60 AutoNation / SiriusXM Honda:

“Overall I think we had a lot of performance this weekend, a lot of pace over one lap. Personally, I’m disappointed with my start and dropped back a few spots. And then we opted for three stops and defended to (Josef) Newgarden and the two stop strategy actually worked better. I think it was great to get my first race in the books. There’s a lot to learn from it and a lot of potential which I’m excited about.”

Brabham Takes Stunning Win in Lights Return at St. Petersburg

By
Official Release
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ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (Sunday, Feb. 27, 2022) – Matthew Brabham made an emphatic return to the Indy Lights Presented by Cooper Tires series Sunday, winning the Grand Prix of St. Petersburg in dramatic fashion with a late-race pass in an Andretti Autosport-dominated race.

Brabham capitalized on the misfortune of Andretti teammate Christian Rasmussen, who dominated the race but ran out of fuel with less than two laps to go. Brabham led just the final two laps of the 45-lap race in the No. 83 Andretti Autosport entry in his first Indy Lights start since 2015 at Long Beach.

This was the first Indy Lights victory for Brabham since May 9, 2014 at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway – a span of 2,851 days.

“First thing’s first, absolute heartbreak for my teammate Christian,” Brabham said. “He had me in the race. I couldn’t keep up. I could just stay in range, but not enough for the push-to-pass. I can’t imagine how he’s feeling. But for me, especially after being away for so long and coming back and having success like that, it’s unbelievable. I’m speechless. I’m pretty emotional.”

Benjamin Pedersen finished second in the No. 24 Global Race Group with HMD Motorsports entry, 2.4726 seconds behind Brabham, to tie his career-best Indy Lights result. Pedersen’s teammate Linus Lundqvist finished third in the HMD Motorsports with Dale Coyne Racing entry.

“Right from Practice 1 we weren’t quite the fastest, so we had been going uphill all weekend,” said Pedersen, who finished fourth in the Indy Lights championship last season. “As long as we make it count on Race Day, we drove from fourth to second, it was a great ‘recovery’ points-wise this weekend. I’m looking forward to the future and going back to Barber, where I have a lot more experience and hopefully starting more momentum from there.”

Sting Ray Robb finished fourth in the No. 2 Andretti Autosport entry, while Danial Frost rounded out the top five in the No. 68 HMD Motorsports with Dale Coyne Racing entry.

Until everything changed on Lap 44, series rookie Rasmussen looked primed to win in his first career Indy Lights start.

2021 Indy Pro 2000 champion Rasmussen started fifth. But thanks to a Turn 1 fracas on the opening lap when a three-wide battle for second bunched the field, he easily slid into second place. From there, he found himself chasing teammate Hunter McElrea.

But on Lap 13, polesitter McElrea crashed from the lead in Turn 14 in the No. 27 Andretti Autosport entry. McElrea was growing his lead over Denmark’s Rasmussen, which had peaked at more than three seconds, when the rear of the car stepped out from under him in the final corner of the 1.8-mile temporary street circuit.

McElrea made hard left-side contact with the outside wall on the frontstretch, ending his day. He was unhurt.

Rasmussen took charge of the race from there and cemented his firm control over the field. As the end of the race neared, Rasmussen had a three-second lead over second-place Brabham.

But a fortunate turn of events in St. Petersburg, Florida, gave Brabham, from Boca Raton, Florida, a late birthday present at his home track. He turned 28 on Friday.

“I just got lucky,” Brabham said. “I was pushing. I was doing everything I could. I tagged the wall a few times, probably more than I should have. I’m just very lucky, and I’m so happy. I knew I was going to finish. It was just if I stuck it in the wall. Everyone was having issues out there. It was unbelievable.”

Brabham was filled with emotion after the race, holding back tears and hugging his father, former INDYCAR SERIES driver Geoff Brabham. Matthew also is the grandson of famed three-time Formula One World Champion Sir Jack Brabham.

Indy Lights presented by Cooper Tires will be back in action Sunday, May 1 at Barber Motorsports Park, with live coverage on Peacock Premium.

George Kurtz and the No. 04 Riley Motorsports Mercedes-AMG GT3 Team Victorious Saturday in Their First Weekend of SRO GT America Powered by AWS Competition Together in St. Petersburg

By
Official Release
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St. PETERSBURG, Florida – Mercedes-AMG Motorsport Customer Racing team Riley Motorsports and driver George Kurtz came home winners in their first SRO GT America powered by AWS race weekend together with a victory at the Grand Prix of St. Petersburg on Saturday. After a third place GT3 and overall finish in Friday’s opening race, Kurtz took control of Saturday’s second and final 40-minute sprint of the weekend from the start for a flag-to-flag victory on the 1.8-mile street and airport runway circuit. Kurtz’s victory anchored a successful weekend of season-opening SRO competition for Mercedes-AMG Motorsport Customer Racing teams that included a pair of Masters Class victories by David Askew in the No. 63 DXDT Racing Mercedes-AMG GT3, five total podium finishes and a GT4 class pole in qualifying.

Kurtz’s Saturday win also led a Mercedes-AMG motorsport customer team one-two sweep with Scott Smithson crossing the finish line in the No. 08 DXDT Racing Mercedes-AMG GT3 just 4.755 seconds behind Kurtz.

In Friday’s race, Smithson held second from his outside front-row starting position from the drop of the green flag and staved off a persistent challenge from Kurtz throughout the race for a second-place finish.

Kurtz took Friday’s checkered flag in third but his fastest race lap in the 40-minute sprint put him on pole for Saturday’s finale. He took a lead he wouldn’t lose at the race start but the going wasn’t as easy for Smithson.

Just behind Kurtz and the other leaders heading into Turn1, Smithson planned to hug the inside of the corner but was forced to the outside when a multiple-car melee unfolded just in front. Smithson avoided contact but was in sixth place by the time he gathered his car up and got back up to speed.

Undeterred, Smithson spent the remainder of the race steadily climbing up the running order. He finally moved to second in the late stages but never had a chance to mount a challenge for the victory before time ran out.

Askew not only swept the Masters victories but also battled in the overall top five Friday and Saturday. He finished just behind Smithson and Kurtz in fourth overall on Friday and completed the overall top five in fifth place on Saturday.

The GT America GT4 class saw Chris Gumprecht break through for a career-best second-place finish in his No. 79 RENNtech Motorsports Mercedes-AMG GT4 on Saturday. The runner-up showing was Gumprecht’s second career podium appearance after finishing third in a GT4 Sprint race in his SRO debut at VIRginia International Raceway (VIR) in 2020.

The early GT4 pacesetter was Chris Cagnazzi in his No. 39 Stephen Cameron Racing Mercedes-AMG GT4. Cagnazzi won the GT4 pole for Friday’s opening round only to be eliminated in a contact incident in that day’s race just after taking the green flag. Cagnazzi was uninjured but his car sustained too much damage to continue and was retired for the weekend.

Next up for Mercedes-AMG Motorsport Customer Racing teams in the SRO GT America powered by AWS competition is Rounds 3 and 4 of the series at Sonoma Raceway, April 15 – 17. The Sonoma weekend also marks the season debut for both the SRO Fanatec GT World Challenge America powered by AWS and Pirelli GT4 America SprintX series.

George Kurtz, Driver – No. 04 Riley Motorsports Mercedes-AMG GT3: “This is great. The Riley Motorsports guys did a great job and gave me a great car. We felt we had speed but qualifying didn’t go our way with some issues. Once we were in front today, we were able to extend the gap and drive away. It’s a testament to the team and the hard work we put in during the offseason. I’m very happy with coming away with a podium yesterday and the win today. I love the Mercedes-AMG GT3. It’s a great car for a multitude of tracks. It took us a few of sessions to just get the right setup, and we came into today with a couple of changes that made the difference. You could see the results as we were able to drive away and starting out front was critical. At St. Pete or any street course, it’s really difficult to pass. We were smart in traffic, we got out in the lead with a great start, and we never looked back.”

Scott Smithson, Driver – No. 08 DXDT Racing Mercedes-AMG GT3: “It was kind of mayhem in the first corner Saturday. My vision was to pop to the inside, but there was carnage all around me and I ended up having to go outside. A bunch of cars, even some GT4 cars, got inside me. It was a lot of work to catch back up, but I finally got there. It was a hard-fought second today, but the Mercedes-AMG GT3 felt awesome, DXDT Racing is awesome – they are such a great group – and I love this series too. It’s a lot of fun. We got our car to where we needed it this weekend to the point, I am really comfortable with the balance. I am really looking forward to the season.”

David Askew, Driver – No. 63 DXDT Racing Mercedes-AMG GT3: “I love street racing and love a street race venue with all the access. It gets me energized to see all the fans and see all of their smiles. This year our watchword is ‘focus’ and we are a smaller, leaner and meaner group. We are focusing just on the performance of the cars and the drivers, and I think it showed at this event. We were fast out of the blocks, had good pace, had good cars and everything worked flawlessly. The Mercedes-AMG GT3 is a superior piece of machinery, and it is a pleasure running it. We have been running it for years and have a great relationship with Mercedes-AMG Motorsport Customer Racing. With all of the tremendous support they give us, I think we have a real good chance to take a championship this year and that’s what we are after.”

Chris Gumprecht, Driver – No. 79 RENNtech Motorsports Mercedes-AMG GT4: “I really needed this. I had so many misses last year and never made it to the podium, but I feel I can do even better than this. I hope there is more of this to come. I want to take this as far as I can go. I love the Mercedes-AMG GT4. It is just incredible, I love the platform, love the car and love RENNtech. Everything was just fantastic. This was my first street course race, but I was here in 2020 when the stewards came around on Friday and told us to go home because of the onset of COVID-19. Just before today’s race, my number one mechanic said, ‘it’s good to see the crowds back’ and I said, ‘you took the words right out of my mouth.’ It’s great to be here, fantastic weekend and a huge learning experience.”

Trevor Bayne begins comeback effort with top-five at Auto Club Speedway

By
Angie Campbell
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Photo by Justin McFarland for SpeedwayMedia.com.

Trevor Bayne finished third Saturday in the Xfinity Series Production Alliance 300 at Auto Club Speedway. It was the first of seven Xfinity Series races currently scheduled with Joe Gibbs Racing and the beginning of a new opportunity.

With sponsor Devotion Nutrition on the No 18 Toyota, his focus is on running competitively in an effort to renew his career in NASCAR. He started the race strong with a dominant car and won the first stage but lost momentum after a slow pit stop, eventually working his way back toward the front for a top-five.

After winning the 2011 Daytona 500 with Wood Brothers Racing in only his second Cup Series start, it looked as though Bayne’s future in NASCAR was secure. In 2015, he signed with Jack Roush to run full-time in the Cup Series.  But, after four years, Bayne’s performance fell short of Roush’s expectations and his contract was not renewed after the 2018 season.

His current alliance with Joe Gibbs Racing is a dream come true for Bayne.

“I don’t know what comes of this,” Bayne continued. “I don’t know if I end up back in a Cup car full-time or an Xfinity car contending for championships. That’s what I would love to see happen, but I feel like, in seven races, I need to go win three to five races if I’m going to have a shot at a comeback. That’s my goal. That’s what I told Jason Ratcliff (crew chief). We’ve got seven – let’s go win five. Maybe it only takes one or two, I don’t know, but to have a shot in the 18 car, that’s my goal.”

Bayne’s third-place finish at Auto Club was not the win he was looking for but it was an impressive performance and a confirmation of his commitment to making the most of this second chance

“I got to race for wins today. Didn’t get it done, unfortunately, but I’m not going to get greedy with our first one back. We won the first stage, had a pit stop that got us behind and it just drove different in traffic. Once I got back to the front, it was pretty racy – really just too tight to have a shot to run with the 07 (Cole Custer). He could get through the corner really good, but I’m back in a race car, battling for wins. I was talking with Noah (Gragson) about which lane I ran in (turns) one and two there. To me, second or third don’t matter, I’ve got to win races, so I tried to go below the 07, didn’t work out, but super pumped to be here with Devotion, driving for Joe Gibbs Racing.”

While his future in NASCAR may be uncertain, Bayne’s passion and desire to succeed are unshakable. His next race will be at Phoenix Raceway on March 12 and the goal remains the same.

“It really feels like one of the best opportunities I’ve ever had outside of getting in that Wood Brothers car in Daytona. To me, this feels like the reset,” Bayne said. “I need to go win three to five races if I’m going to have a shot at a comeback.”

Successful Sebring Podium for Franklin Road and Thwaits at Trans Am Season Opener

By
Official Release
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Sebring, FLORIDA – February 27, 2022 – Showtime Motorsports Principal Ken Thwaits continued where he left off last season with a terrific podium third place on the opening race day of the 2022 Trans Am presented by Pirelli Championship season. Ken has been a model of consistency since joining Trans Am and his podium finish today was his third since joining the TA1 Class last year. Piloting the No. 7 Franklin Road Apparel Chevrolet Camaro, Ken had a smooth, untroubled drive for P3 for virtually the whole race, securing a provisional 26 Championship points in the process.

Ken and teammate Paul Menard in the No. 5 car were both well positioned on the second row of the grid after a qualifying session that saw both of the two Showtime Motorsports drivers duck under 2 minutes for the lap at the famous old Florida circuit. Competing in Trans Am for the first time with Showtime Motorsports, Paul recorded a best lap of 1:58:774 for P3 with Ken right beside him in 1:58:780. The Showtime drivers and the front row of the grid were the only ones to break the 2 minutes barrier.

The effervescent Ken alluded to what was arguably Franklin Road’s best ever qualifying session in Trans Am when he spoke to us after the race, “It was a great result. Qualifying [in P4] was kind of like the cherry on top of the ice cream and then I had to eat the ice cream! We finished third and it’s worked out great. It’s the first time we’ve raced on these tires, it’s sweltering hot here this weekend and they went off big time! It’s like being on roller skates out there. No grip.”

Thwaits’ terrific result went a long way to compensate for the disappointment of Paul Menard’s entry who had less luck on his return to the iconic muscle car series. He experienced early mechanical issues on the pace laps, meaning he lost his grid position and valuable time. The team did a tremendous job to get the car back on track but unfortunately the rear end had a failure on lap 24.

Tomorrow Showtime Motorsports are back in action in the TA2 Race at 1:00 p.m. ET today, Sunday Febuary 27 when a huge 48 car field take to the track. All the action can be streamed on the Speed Tour and Trans Am YouTube channels.

Teams and fans can find the Franklin Road Apparel Trans Am clothing here: https://www.franklinroad.com/search/trans+am/

About Showtime Motorsports:
The Showtime Motorsports brand includes Ken Thwaits’ racing team and racecars, and an outstanding classic Camaro collection. Showtime Motorsports brings together a dynamic staff who employ diverse talents and share a passion for cars, racing and caring for clients like they are our own family members.

RCR NXS Post Race Report: Auto Club Speedway

By
Official Release
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Sheldon Creed and the No. 2 Whelen Chevrolet Team Show Long-Run Speed at Auto Club Speedway Before Late-Race Incident

Finish: 32nd
Start: 8th
Points: 16th

“The No. 2 Whelen Chevrolet was bad fast today at Auto Club Speedway. We started the race with a loose-handling machine, but we knew we would be good if we could get the handling right. Crew chief Jeff Stankiewicz and all of the guys never gave up. They did a great job making adjustments all race long, and our pit crew had fast stops today, too. By the time we got to Stage 3, our Whelen Chevrolet really came to life. We fired off fast on a restart with 74 laps remaining, and that allowed us to work our way into the top 10. I felt like our car was definitely best up high against the wall. Everywhere else our Chevy was sideways. Our biggest issue was that we weren’t great on the short run. It took a good 10, 15 or 20 laps to get going and then once it got going it was really fast, but then you’re in traffic. So those late-race restarts really didn’t help us much. Unfortunately, we had a lot of those. It just wasn’t our day, because another car hammered us during one of the restarts and we ended up with major right-side damage that ended our day. The unfortunate thing is we now have to pull another car out, and we didn’t want to do that. I certainly didn’t want to make it harder on our guys. I’m learning a lot about how these NASCAR Xfinity Series cars race and what their limits are, and it can be so frustrating at times but it’s been fun to race with all of the support of RCR and ECR. We have speed. We just need to get a little short-run speed and I think we’ll be strong. Our Whelen team will bounce back next week and hopefully we’ll have speed with our backup.” -Sheldon Creed

Austin Hill and the No. 21 Bennett Transportation & Logistics Chevrolet Team Showcase Never-Give-Up Attitude Following Early Race Incident at Auto Club Speedway

Finish: 27th
Start: 9th
Points: 11th

“We thought we were going to have a pretty good Bennett Transportation and Logistics Chevrolet today. Our car was good, even with the damage that we had throughout the day from another car deciding to stuff us into the wall on lap two of the race. We had to pit for repairs and ended up four laps down. I thought that we could still run up there and run within the top-12, and who knows we easily could have had a top-10 out of the day if we could have ever gotten back on the lead lap. Finishing 27th is not ideal or what we expected, but we never gave up and that just shows the whole fight this No. 21 team has. We never quit, so I can’t thank my crew chief, Andy Street, and all of the guys enough for everything they did. We’ll get them next week.” – Austin Hill

Monster Energy Racing: Riley Herbst NXS Race Report from Fontana

By
Official Release
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Herbst Finishes Ninth at Auto Club Speedway
Monster Energy Driver Kicks Off 2022 with Consecutive Top-10s

Date: Saturday, Feb. 26
Event: Production Alliance 300 (Round 2 of 33)
Series: NASCAR Xfinity Series
Location: Auto Club Speedway in Fontana, California (2-mile oval)
Format: 150 laps, broken into three stages (35 laps/35 laps/80 laps)
Start/Finish: 16th / 9th (Running, completed 165 of 165 laps)
Point Standing: 4th (71 points, 19 out of first)
Note: Race extended 15 laps past its scheduled 150-lap distance due to multiple attempts at a green-white-checkered finish.
Race Winner: Cole Custer of SS Green Light Racing (Ford)
Stage 1 Winner: Trevor Bayne of Joe Gibbs Racing (Toyota)
Stage 2 Winner: Cole Custer of SS Green Light Racing (Ford)

Overview:

Riley Herbst scored a hard-earned top-10 finish in the Production Alliance 300 NASCAR Xfinity Series race Saturday at Auto Club Speedway in Fontana, California. The driver of the No. 98 Monster Energy Ford Mustang for Stewart-Haas Racing started 16th in the 38-car field and worked diligently to break into the top-10. Herbst fought a loose-handling racecar for much of the race around the two-mile oval, but the 23-year-old racer from Las Vegas persevered, finishing 10th in the penultimate stage and then coming home ninth when the checkered flag dropped. The result, coupled with Herbst’s fourth-place drive last week in the season-opening race at Daytona (Fla.) International Speedway, has him fourth in the championship standings.

Riley Herbst, driver of the No. 98 Monster Energy Ford Mustang for Stewart-Haas Racing:

“I felt like we were really fast on long runs, but we just couldn’t really fire off. Once we got about 20 laps into a run, I felt like we were a top-three car, for sure. It’s good to get top-10s and that was our goal at the beginning of the year, so we’ll keep stacking them. Our first two races last year were DNFs and this year the first two races are top-10s, so I think that kind of speaks for itself. We gotta go get another one in Vegas.”

Notes:

● Herbst finished 10th in the second stage to earn a bonus point.

● In his two career Xfinity Series starts at Auto Club, Herbst has finished in the top-10 each time. He finished second when the series last raced at the two-mile oval in February 2020.

● Cole Custer won the Production Alliance 300 to score his 10th career Xfinity Series victory, his second at Auto Club and his first of the season. His margin over second-place Noah Gragson was .565 of a second.

● There were 12 caution periods for a total of 58 laps.

● Twenty-four of the 38 drivers in the Production Alliance 300 finished on the lead lap.

● AJ Allmendinger maintained his lead in the championship standings, but barely. He holds a one-point advantage over his nearest pursuer, Gragson.

Next Up:

The next event on the Xfinity Series schedule is the Alsco Uniforms 300 on Saturday, March 5 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. The race starts at 4:30 p.m. EST with live coverage provided by FS1 and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.

Custer dominates Xfinity race at Fontana in three NASCAR overtimes

By
Official Release
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FONTANA, CALIFORNIA - FEBRUARY 26: Cole Custer, driver of the #07 Production Alliance Group Ford, celebrates in the Ruoff Mortgage victory lane after winning the NASCAR Xfinity Series Production Alliance 300 at Auto Club Speedway on February 26, 2022 in Fontana, California. (Photo by James Gilbert/Getty Images)

February 26, 2022
By Reid Spencer

NASCAR Wire Service

Californian Cole Custer was the only former Auto Club Speedway winner in the field for Saturday’s Production Alliance 300 NASCAR Xfinity Series race in Fontana, Calif.

Three overtimes, 12 cautions and more than three hours of official race time later, Custer was still the only former winner in the Fontana field, having beaten runner-up Noah Gragson to the finish line by .565 seconds.

It was a long day’s journey into night, a race that started in mid-afternoon and unexpectedly ended under the lights in temperatures that dropped appreciably between the start and the finish. The three overtimes extended the event 15 laps beyond its scheduled distance of 150 circuits at the 2-mile track.

But Custer was the clear class of the field, leading 80 of the 165 laps and twice charging like a rocket from the outside of the fourth row to the lead after slower-than-usual late pit stops.

He got his second victory at Fontana in a No. 07 Ford that was a partnership entry between Stewart-Haas Racing and Bobby Dotter-owned SS Green Light Racing.

Custer was moonlighting—literally, as it turned out—from his Sunday ride in the No. 41 SHR Ford Mustang, which he’ll be racing in the WISE Power 400 (3:30 p.m. ET on FOX, MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).

“Man, it was just an awesome car,” Custer said during his post-race frontstretch interview. “That thing was just a rocket ship all day. I can’t thank Bobby Dotter enough—everybody that was involved on this car.

“It was unbelievable how fast we were… It’s awesome to win at home—can’t wait for tomorrow.”

Gragson was competitive all day, leading 25 laps. Despite sliding though his pit stall during a pit stop under the eighth caution on Lap 125, he surged back to the front from 14th, retaking the top spot on the second lap after a restart on Lap 129.

Five laps later, however, Custer regained the lead and held it for all but one of the last 31 laps, through four more cautions and three overtime restarts.

“I felt like the car was really close all day, just struggled with the cloud cover and the temperature change—too loose or too tight,” Gragson said. “Hats off to all the guys on the 07 car and Cole Custer. He was really fast today.”

Trevor Bayne, the 2011 Daytona 500 winner, ran third in his first Xfinity Series start since a one-off in 2016. Josh Berry was fourth, as JR Motorsports drivers claimed four of the top eight finishing positions, with Gragson second, Sam Mayer sixth and Justin Allgaier eighth.

Anthony Alfredo parlayed tire strategy into a fifth-place finish. Pole winner AJ Allmendinger recovered from an unscheduled pit stop for a loose wheel to come home seventh. Riley Herbst and Ryan Sieg were ninth and 10th, respectively.

The NASCAR Xfinity Series’ next stop is Las Vegas Motor Speedway for the Alsco Uniforms 300 on Saturday, March 5 (4:30 p.m. ET on FS1, PRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).

NASCAR Xfinity Series Race – 23rd Production Alliance Group 300

Auto Club Speedway

Fontana, California

Saturday, February 26, 2022

           1. (2)  Cole Custer(i), Ford, 165.

           2. (6)  Noah Gragson, Chevrolet, 165.

           3. (4)  Trevor Bayne, Toyota, 165.

           4. (11)  Josh Berry, Chevrolet, 165.

           5. (28)  Anthony Alfredo, Chevrolet, 165.

           6. (13)  Sam Mayer, Chevrolet, 165.

           7. (1)  AJ Allmendinger, Chevrolet, 165.

           8. (20)  Justin Allgaier, Chevrolet, 165.

           9. (16)  Riley Herbst, Ford, 165.

           10. (14)  Ryan Sieg, Ford, 165.

           11. (30)  Brandon Brown, Chevrolet, 165.

           12. (5)  Daniel Hemric, Chevrolet, 165.

           13. (12)  Ty Gibbs, Toyota, 165.

           14. (21)  Jeb Burton, Chevrolet, 165.

           15. (18)  Joe Graf Jr., Ford, 165.

           16. (22)  Kyle Weatherman, Chevrolet, 165.

           17. (10)  Jeremy Clements, Chevrolet, 165.

           18. (38)  Kyle Sieg, Ford, 165.

           19. (17)  Brett Moffitt, Chevrolet, 165.

           20. (36)  Joey Gase, Toyota, 165.

           21. (34)  Josh Williams, Chevrolet, 165.

           22. (24)  JJ Yeley, Toyota, 165.

           23. (25)  Matt Mills, Chevrolet, 165.

           24. (19)  Alex Labbe, Chevrolet, 165.

           25. (29)  Kaz Grala(i), Chevrolet, 163.

           26. (31)  Myatt Snider, Chevrolet, 163.

           27. (8)  Austin Hill #, Chevrolet, 162.

           28. (33)  Mason Massey, Chevrolet, 162.

           29. (37)  Jeffrey Earnhardt, Toyota, 161.

           30. (23)  Stefan Parsons, Chevrolet, Accident, 159.

           31. (27)  Tommy Joe Martins, Chevrolet, 158.

           32. (9)  Sheldon Creed #, Chevrolet, Accident, 156.

           33. (3)  Brandon Jones, Toyota, Accident, 155.

           34. (26)  Bayley Currey, Chevrolet, 154.

           35. (32)  Ryan Vargas, Chevrolet, Accident, 150.

           36. (35)  Jesse Iwuji #, Chevrolet, 131.

           37. (15)  Jade Buford, Chevrolet, Accident, 123.

           38. (7)  Landon Cassill, Chevrolet, Engine, 6.

Average Speed of Race Winner: 105.682 mph.

Time of Race: 3 Hrs, 5 Mins, 5 Secs. Margin of Victory: .565 Seconds.

Caution Flags: 12 for 58 laps.

Lead Changes: 19 among 8 drivers.

Lap Leaders: A. Allmendinger 1-13;T. Bayne 14-23;N. Gragson 24;T. Bayne 25-38;D. Hemric 39-48;C. Custer(i) 49-59;N. Gragson 60;C. Custer(i) 61-72;J. Allgaier 73;B. Jones 74-76;C. Custer(i) 77-103;N. Gragson 104;J. Allgaier 105-108;N. Gragson 109-124;T. Gibbs 125-127;J. Allgaier 128-129;N. Gragson 130-134;C. Custer(i) 135-143;N. Gragson 144;C. Custer(i) 145-165.

Leaders Summary (Driver, Times Lead, Laps Led): Cole Custer(i) 5 times for 80 laps; Noah Gragson 6 times for 25 laps; Trevor Bayne 2 times for 24 laps; AJ Allmendinger 1 time for 13 laps; Daniel Hemric 1 time for 10 laps; Justin Allgaier 3 times for 7 laps; Brandon Jones 1 time for 3 laps; Ty Gibbs 1 time for 3 laps.

Stage #1 Top Ten: 18,07,7,9,54,16,8,39,11,1

Stage #2 Top Ten: 07,19,7,9,54,11,16,1,8,98

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