Home Blog Page 2105

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

By
Official Release
-
#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
-

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
-

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
-
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
-

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
-

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
-

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
-
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

Ford Performance NASCAR: Cole Custer Wins NXS Race

By
Official Release
-

Ford Performance Notes and Quotes
NASCAR Xfinity Series
Auto Club Speedway | Production Alliance 300
Saturday, February 19, 2022

FORD FINISHING RESULTS
1st – Cole Custer
9th – Riley Herbst
10th – Ryan Sieg
15th – Joe Graf Jr.
18th – Kyle Sieg

COLE CUSTER, No. 07 Production Alliance Group Ford Mustang — FINISHED 1st

START/FINISH LINE INTERVIEW

“Man, that was just an awesome car. That thing was a rocket ship all day. I can’t thank Bobby Dotter enough and everybody who was involved on this car. It was unreal how fast we were. Production Alliance Group, this is awesome. It is his race, the Production Alliance Group 300 and we got him in victory lane. I can’t thank Dale Sahlin enough. It is awesome to win at home and I can’t wait for tomorrow.”

VICTORY LANE INTERVIEW

WHAT WAS GOING THROUGH YOUR MIND WHEN YOU HAD THE THIRD GREEN-WHITE-CHECKER TO GO THROUGH? “I just knew we needed a good push and we were starting to get the timing of it but the last one we kind of got separated a little bit and I was a little nervous because the 23 had new tires. This thing was a rocket ship all day. I can’t thank Production Alliance Group enough and everyone that worked on this car. It was an honor to drive it today and it is awesome to win at home.”

IT SEEMED LIKE YOU HAD A LOT OF CONFIDENCE IN THIS CAR ALL DAY: “Yeah, it was awesome. I could move around how I wanted to and we got a little too loose one of those runs but we put it back and it was a rocket ship again. It is an honor to drive that kind of race car because you don’t get them too often.”

HOW IMPORTANT IS IT TO WIN IN YOUR HOME STATE LIKE THIS? “It is huge. Getting my second win here, I came to this track when I was five years old, so it is pretty amazing to come here and win at your home track. I have always loved coming to this place and I hope we keep coming here in the future.”

RILEY HERBST, No. 98 Monster Energy Ford — Finished 9th

IS THAT ONE OF THE HARDER EARNED TOP-TEN FINISHES YOU’VE HAD? “Yeah, it is just frustrating because I feel 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 is good to get top-10’s and that was our goal at the beginning of the year so we will keep stacking them.”

YOU HAVE HAD BACK TO BACK GOOD RUNS AT TWO VERY DIFFERENT TRACKS: “Yeah, last year our first two races were DNF’s and this year the first two races are top-10’s so I think that kind of speaks for itself on that matter and we gotta go get another one in Vegas.”

COLE CUSTER POST RACE PRESS CONFERENCE

START US OFF BY TAKING US THROUGH THE RACE FROM YOUR PERSPECTIVE: “We had a super-fast car all race. The guys did a great job. For me, I was a little rusty and it had been like two and a half years since I have been in an Xfinity car on an oval. I had to get my bearings in practice and they made great adjustments. When you have that great of a car you are just trying not to mess it up. To win in your hometown is just really special.”

WHY DID YOU RUN THIS RACE? WAS IT PART OF THE ALLIANCE OR JUST AS A CONFIDENCE BOOSTER? “A little bit of everything I guess. It definitely helps SHR a little bit and gives them another data point of things to look at. Also, it is my home track and also a big part of it was Production Alliance Group. This is his home race also and he really wanted to win at his race and that was really cool to make that happen. It was awesome to have that all come about with Bobby Dotter and I am just really stoked to be back in here.”

DID YOU LEARN ANYTHING TODAY THAT YOU CAN APPLY FOR TOMORROW? “Yeah, I think a little bit. You can look at the lines and which ones worked and didn’t and which lines are worked in. At the end of the day, they are really different race cars though. The package has gotten closer with the horsepower and downforce amount, so it isn’t a huge jump back to back. Those Cup cars are on the edge as we saw today so it will be an interesting race tomorrow.”

WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO YOU TO GET BOBBY DOTTER HIS FIRST WIN? “It was awesome. Bobby is obviously a racer through and through and has been doing it a really long time. To get him in victory lane was awesome. He is the greatest guy to see around the garage and he was stoked in victory lane. It is really cool to have that all work out.”

THIS IS YOUR SECOND WIN HERE, WHAT HAS ALLOWED YOU TO BE SO SUCCESSFUL AT THIS TRACK? “First, it takes fast race cars. That car I drove today and the car I drove in 2019 were amazing to drive. But at the end of the day, I think I have always had a good comfort level here and have always liked the worn-out faster tracks which unfortunately we don’t go to many of those anymore. It is awesome to be back here and I hope they keep this track the way that it is.”

Toyota Racing – NXS Fontana Post-Race Report – 02.26.22

By
Official Release
-

BAYNE STRONG IN XFINITY RETURN
Bayne wins stage, finishes in top-five at Fontana

FONTANA, Calif. (February 26, 2022) – Trevor Bayne (third) led Toyota in the NASCAR Xfinity Series event at Auto Club Speedway on Saturday evening.

Toyota Racing Post-Race Recap
NASCAR Xfinity Series
Auto Club Speedway
Race 2 of 33 – 300 miles, 150 laps

TOYOTA FINISHING POSITIONS
1st, Cole Custer*
2nd, Noah Gragson*
3rd, TREVOR BAYNE
4th, Josh Berry*
5th, Anthony Alfredo*
13th, TY GIBBS
20th, JOEY GASE
22nd, JJ YELEY
29th, JEFFREY EARNHARDT
33rd, BRANDON JONES
*non-Toyota driver

TOYOTA QUOTES

TREVOR BAYNE, No. 18 Devotion Nutrition Toyota GR Supra, Joe Gibbs Racing

Finishing Position: 3rd

What was it like racing for wins today?

“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.”

How challenging are those restarts?

“They were tough, but I felt really good about them. The bottom worked really good and that was my plan – to run the bottom on the last restart until the speedy dry went to the bottom. When the speedy dry went to the bottom, I knew I had to try the top. The 23 (Anthony Alfredo) had tires behind us, so there was a lot of scenarios there that dictated that. Ultimately, I would have liked to run the bottom, but with the speedy dry, no way.”

A strong run all day long. What happened out there?

“This is so much fun. We won that first stage and I was kind of shook – this is crazy to be back driving this No. 18 having a good run, but then we had a bad pit stop. It got us back in traffic and that’s when it got real. These guys are really racy – all of these young kids – they race hard. I really needed to get track position back, and finally got back at the end battling for those restarts. I wanted the bottom really bad in (turns) one or two and they put speedy dry down, so I had to go to the top – had a shot to run the middle there, and it didn’t work out. We are here to win races, second or third, oh well, but Devotion Nutrition made this possible. Without them, I wouldn’t be in that No. 18 car. Super thankful to be here.”

BRANDON JONES, No. 19 Menards/Patriot Lighting Toyota GR Supra, Joe Gibbs Racing

Finishing Position: 33rd

What happened out there Brandon?

“I think that was the worst part of all of this – when you go spinning, you look to see what’s coming up. I got halfway caught on the grass and halfway on the pavement and the rear tires were in the grass so I could not get anything to grip up for me to get out of that grass. I saw it coming. I never have hit the sand before. A ton of impact there, and I really didn’t feel much of anything, which is surprising, so good job by those guys. Up-and-down day for this Menards Supra. I feel like I truthfully ran a sloppy race today, so I need to go back to the drawing board and get back going. We had speed at times, and at other times we struggled a little bit, so we will pick our feet up. We’ve got some good stuff coming up. We love this West Coast swing – there are some really good tracks in it.”

#

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.

1...2,1042,1052,106...6,668Page 2,105 of 6,668