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Mullins Racing Bringing Two Cars & Six Drivers To Daytona Pre-Race Practice

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Official Release
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FREDERICKSBURG, Va. – With the start of the 2022 ARCA Menards Series season right around the corner, Mullins Racing is preparing for the pilgrimage to Daytona International Speedway for the annual ARCA Menards Series pre-race practice this Friday and Saturday.

The practice serves as an opportunity for teams and drivers to prepare for the Lucas Oil 200 driven by General Tire on Feb. 19, the first race on the series schedule. It also gives many drivers the chance to turn their first laps at Daytona International Speedway, either to get approved to compete or to simply gain experience.

For Mullins Racing owner and driver Willie Mullins, the pre-race practice is the ideal time to make sure his race car is buttoned up and ready for when the green flag waves on Feb. 19 to open the ARCA Menards Series season.

“We go down there and we work on the car to make sure it is the best car we can show up with in February,” said Mullins, who has one top-five and four top-10 finishes in ARCA competition at Daytona International Speedway. “It’s always good to make sure you unload off the trailer and make sure you don’t have any leaks or anything like that. You’re trying to make sure you find speed and you don’t have any vibrations.

“When we come back we only get a 45 minute practice for the race, so this is our time to make sure this thing is right.”

Mullins Racing is bringing a full squadron of drivers to take part in the annual Daytona ARCA pre-race practice, with six drivers set to split seat time between two Mullins Racing entries. Those drivers in addition to Mullins are Blake Lothian, Brayton Laster, Bradley Perez, Cole Bruce and Logan Clark.

Nineteen-year-old Lothian comes to Mullins Racing for the Daytona ARCA pre-race practice with a long list of accomplishments. The native of Wellesley, Mass., impressed during his karting career and was selected as a member of the NASCAR Driver for Diversity Youth Team in 2019 and ’20. In 2021 he made his late model stock car debut, earning his first victory in the class at North Carolina’s Hickory Motor Speedway.

Laster heads to Daytona with experience on dirt and asphalt. The 19-year-old from Greenwood, Ind., began racing go karts when he was eight and hasn’t slowed down since. During his brief career he’s raced against some of the top stars from the World of Outlaws Late Model Series and Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series. Last year he was ranked third in the Ultimate Heart of America Super Late Model Series standings.

Perez is well known in ARCA and NASCAR garages not only as a dedicated mechanic and tire specialist, but also as a racer. The 24-year-old native of Hollywood, Fla., has raced Spec Miatas and Legend cars and in 2021 made his ARCA Menards Series debut at New York’s Watkins Glen International.

Bruce is the son of Mullins Racing Car Chief Robert Bruce. The 17-year-old resident of Fredericksburg, Va., has been racing since the age of 8 and has captured multiple feature victories at Dominion Raceway in Thornburg, Va., including his first in a late model stock car last season.

Clark is another driver local to the Mullins Racing base in Fredericksburg, Va. The 17-year-old resident of Mechanicsville, Va., has raced regularly at Dominion Raceway the last two years, earning two wins in the limited late model class in 2020 before registering his first late model stock car victory last season.

“I wish people could have given me this kind of opportunity when I first got started,” said Mullins. “That’s why we’re putting a good car together to give these kids a good experience at Daytona. Hopefully one of them will sign back up with us to go racing in February.”

For more information on Mullins Racing, please visit mullinsracing.net, like them on Facebook at www.facebook.com/mullinsracing and follow them on Twitter at @mullins_racing.

TEAM PENSKE TO FIELD LMP2 ENTRY IN 2022 WORLD ENDURANCE CHAMPIONSHIP

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Official Release
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Cameron, Nasr and Collard to Compete with ORECA 07-Gibson This Season

MOORESVILLE, NC (January 12, 2022) – Team Penske announced today that it will field an entry in the 2022 World Endurance Championship (WEC), racing an ORECA 07-Gibson in the LMP2 class. Former IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship drivers Dane Cameron and Felipe Nasr will be joined by veteran sports car racer Emmanuel Collard for the upcoming season. The 2022 WEC season, which begins in March at Sebring International Raceway with the 1000 Miles of Sebring, offers the first opportunity for Team Penske to race at the 24 Hours of Le Mans in more than 50 years.

The WEC effort for 2022 represents Team Penske’s first experience in the FIA Sportscar World Endurance Championship. The LMP2 program provides an opportunity for the team to get acclimated to the racing, the circuits and the rules of the international endurance series in advance of competing in the growing LMDh class for the 2023 WEC season.

“We look forward to learning as much as we can about the WEC process in 2022 as most of our competition has competed in this series for many years,” said Team Penske President Tim Cindric. “Much like the approach we took by running Road Atlanta in 2017 when we returned to sports car racing after an eight-year hiatus, we think the LMP2 class provides us a means of gaining valuable experience as we continue to build our program to compete full-time in the IMSA and WEC LMDh class.”

The WEC schedule will feature six international endurance rounds in 2022, beginning in the United States with the 1000 Miles of Sebring on Friday, March 18. The highlight of the series schedule includes the world’s most historic and prestigious sports car event – the 24 Hours of Le Mans – slated for June 11-12. It will mark the first time that Team Penske will compete at the legendary race since 1971 when Mark Donohue and David Hobbs raced for the team. The WEC schedule also includes visits to Spa-Francorchamps, Monza, Fuji and Bahrain in 2022.

“Outside of Sebring and Spa, racing at some of these historic tracks all around the world will be a new experience for both myself and the team,” said Cameron, who raced for Team Penske from 2018-2020, earning the IMSA DPi Driver Championship alongside teammate Juan Pablo Montoya in 2019 with a total of three wins and eight poles in the class. “We want to learn, but we also want to be competitive and race for class wins. This will also be a great opportunity to build our notebooks to be even better prepared for the future. I’m excited to race at these historic tracks against some great competition in WEC, and it’s going to be incredible to compete for Team Penske at Le Mans.”

A three-time IMSA Champion, Cameron won the GTD class title in 2014 and captured the Prototype crown in 2016 and 2019.

Nasr, who has also competed in both Formula 1 and Formula E, has established himself as one of the most successful drivers in IMSA sports car racing over the last several years. Producing wins in each of the last four seasons, Nasr has captured two IMSA Prototype class championships, including last season when he helped earn three victories and seven podium finishes in 10 races. Nasr also competed in the LMP2 class during the 2018 and 2021 24 Hours of Le Mans.

“Joining Team Penske in a great opportunity and I can’t wait to compete in WEC and return to Le Mans this year.” said Nasr, a native of Brazil. “I know we’ll learn a lot as a team as we develop our program and gain some great experience. I’m really excited to get to work as we begin to build momentum for the future.”

For Collard, the upcoming season represents a Team Penske homecoming. The experienced racer has competed in the 24 Hours of Le Mans a total of 24 times in his career. He also piloted the Porsche RS Spyder for Team Penske in six races in the American Le Mans Series between 2006-2008, while achieving a P2 class win at Petit Le Mans in 2006 and an overall victory in the 12 Hours of Sebring in 2008. Collard is also a two-time 24 Hours of Le Mans class winner (GT in 2003, LMP2 in 2009).

About Team Penske
Team Penske is one of the most successful teams in the history of professional sports. Cars owned and prepared by Team Penske have produced more than 590 major race wins, over 650 pole positions and 41 championships across open-wheel, stock car and sports car racing competition. Over the course of its 56-year history, the team has also earned 18 Indianapolis 500 victories, two Daytona 500 Championships, a Formula 1 win, overall victories in the 24 Hours of Daytona and the 12 Hours of Sebring, along with a win in Australia’s legendary Bathurst 1000 race. In 2022, Team Penske will compete full-time in the NTT INDYCAR SERIES, NASCAR Cup Series and the World Endurance Championship. For more information about Team Penske, please visit www.teampenske.com.

Modern car diagnostics and the choice of car repair service

By
SM
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In the recent historical past, about 60 years ago, if someone asked for a book about “car electronics” in a store, it would have been very small, and there were no books about “electronic car diagnostics” at all. But we live in a different time and it’s already impossible to imagine a car without these concepts and attributes.

The first electronics in cars controlled only the engine controls. But progress is moving forward and dozens of these such control units are being integrated into modern car models. These systems can control almost any element of the vehicle:

  • regulate the engine;
  • control the braking system;
  • control the climate control and create comfortable conditions in the cabin;
  • control the transmission.

Classical ways to diagnose an automobile

Diagnostics is the process of finding the cause of a malfunction based on certain signs.

Before cars began to use complex electronic units, the electrical circuits of a car were fairly simple systems. These circuits were powered by the battery. The wiring diagram was quite simple: toggle switch (button) – relay – actuator. To find a fault in such a circuit, an automobile electrician didn’t have to have special equipment, it was enough to have a control lamp, an ammeter, and a voltmeter, to trace the receipt of power of separate units. If a fault was found, the failed unit was replaced with a new one. Even in the case of unknown makes of cars, the repairman did not have to work hard, all cars were similar in design and principle of operation.

What to pay attention to when choosing a car service

In the process of using the car the main elements of the engine, suspension, electrical equipment wears out – which means that sooner or later any car will require repair.

It is good if you can repair the car yourself. But quite often a car owner does not have enough skills, equipment, or simply time. In such a situation, it is important to find a good mechanic surrey.

Types of car services

All car services are divided into 3 large groups:

  • Dealer, or official;
  • Multi-brand, or independent;
  • Garage workshops.

Each car dealership specializes in one particular brand of car. These are reliable organizations with a market share of 17%.

Companies use only original spare parts and special professional equipment. To start working on car maintenance each official service is accredited and certified.

If you go to the dealer car service, you will definitely get high-quality service with warranties on any type of work. However, the services of such organizations will not be cheap.

In the multi-brand car services any cars are repaired, regardless of the brand, country, and year of manufacture. Often these organizations also provide a warranty on services and do a good job at Car repair in surrey.

At that, the cost of works in multi-brand car service will be lower than in the dealer one. This is because such organizations rarely have a steady clientele, therefore, they are constantly looking for new customers. And a flexible pricing policy is one of the effective ways of attracting customers.

Specialized car services do not offer a wide range of repair services, but only one thing: car body repair, chassis maintenance, tire fitting, and so on, also belong to multi-brand car services. Independent service stations account for 31% of the whole market.

Garage services are the least reliable option. As a rule, they are small shops with few workers. Sometimes there are qualified masters, but it is quite a difficult task to find them among a great number of proposals.

Most often in such garages perform a makeshift repair of poor quality. In this case, no guarantees are expected, but the prices in such service are likely to be lower.

While in the official center you will be replaced with the original parts and consumables recommended by the manufacturer, in the multi-brand service it is not always guaranteed. For example, when replacing, they may pour in another engine oil instead of the one specified by the distributor.

Nevertheless, if your budget is limited, you may also pay attention to an independent service. And you should apply to garage services only by the recommendation of trustworthy people.

Criteria for choosing a good car service

  1. Choose specialized services. The wider the range of services, the higher the probability of poor quality repairs. If you have to choose between the company, focused on working only with cars, and the organization, where they repair and cars, and trucks, and motorcycles, you should opt for the first option.
  2. Familiarize yourself with the reviews of customers. After selecting a few suitable companies for yourself, collect all possible recommendations, reviews, and opinions. The easiest way is to look for them on the Internet, in reference books, periodicals, blogs. Of course, with an overwhelming number of negative reviews, it is better to refuse the services of a particular company.
  3. After comparing reviews, the circle should narrow. Now you can pay attention to the pricing policy. To do this, study the information on the websites of the companies or call the places of interest, noting for yourself the level of cost. We recommend choosing the golden mean: refuse the most expensive offers, but also the cheapest options, too, to discard.
  4. Before giving your car for repair, visit the chosen auto service. The immediate place of work can tell you a lot, whether it is worth to use services of this company. First of all, assess the technical equipment. Modern equipment, designed for repair and preventive operations, is an indication of quality service. If you can see the outdated equipment in the workshop, the territory is cluttered and there is mud all around, it is better not to entrust your car to such specialists.
  5. Some companies offer a service of video recording of all service processes. This is quite a weighty argument in favor of the organization since it is obvious that it has nothing to withhold from the client.
  6. A small test repair is one of the most effective ways to check. Have the car service provide you with a simple service, such as an oil change. This will allow you to form an idea of the price level. In addition, you will make conclusions about the quality of service – in a good service will not make you wait in line, will be polite, will use fresh oil, and will carefully perform the work.
  7. If the service conducts an initial inspection of the car in the presence of the owner, it indicates the reliability of the firm. During the inspection, the masters determine the overall condition of the car and identify the breakdowns to be eliminated. Then they agree on the work, their order, and cost with the client.

Choosing a car service center – conclusions

So, to choose a suitable car service, you should pay attention only to specialized dealer tech centers or multi-brand companies. If you go to a garage repair shop, you risk getting poor service – then you will not only not save money, but you may also face additional costs.

Comparing auto repair shops, you need to consider several fundamental factors: the level of technical equipment, range of services, prices, details of services provided to customers. If you approach the choice with the above recommendations in mind, you will manage to pass the car in reliable hands and find the best balance of price and quality.

Source:

Why is NASCAR Auto Racing Thrilling to Watch?

By
SM
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Photo by Simon Scoggins for Speedwaymedia.com

Many people may have heard of NASCAR, but the farther away you go from the United States, the less likely it is that you will see or hear about the sport. F1 is a popular race across the globe because of its trademark fast vehicles and many people prefer it to other forms of racing.

When it comes to NASCAR, the most distinguishing features are the stock car vehicles that the drivers drive. As with all other forms of racing, a NASCAR race also means that vehicles will regularly collide with safety barriers or even other drivers on the track. These are cars that have been adapted with safety features to withstand a hammering. Even while this makes for an entertaining race to watch, it is by no means the sole reason NASCAR is the finest form of auto racing. As it’s thrilling to watch, it’s also exciting to wager on the drivers and to get the best possible odds and to profit from the racing, you need to visit Wish. All online gaming platforms offer brilliant welcome packages, offers, tips, and much more. 

When all the advantages of watching NASCAR are taken into account, it’s strange that it isn’t more widely liked around the world. Even though it is one of the most recognizable American sports, it has yet to get the same worldwide attention as sports such as basketball or soccer. NASCAR has apparent problems with fan attendance and viewership, but this could be because the sport is still relatively new to many people around the world. The sport’s lack of promotion may be to blame for the unpopularity of this sport, but hopefully, in the upcoming months or years, more promotional programs along with advertising, things will improve for the sport.

If you decide to check into NASCAR to see what all the hype is about, you will see right away why this is simply the finest motorsport in the entire world. This is due to a variety of variables, the most important of which is the high level of driver talent shown on the track each week. NASCAR has been called dull in the past, but this couldn’t be farther from the truth. The NASCAR stock cars or trucks are notoriously difficult to control, particularly on some of the tracks they often race at. This is due to the fact that every turn on a circuit presents a new difficulty for drivers to conquer. When you consider that NASCAR vehicles are well known to be difficult to drive, it’s very easy to see why the drivers in this sport are so accomplished on and off of the track.

Built Renews with LaJoie, Spire Motorsports for 2022

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Official Release
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Official Protein Bar of NASCAR to Serve as Primary Sponsor for Daytona 500

CONCORD, N.C. (January 11, 2022) – Spire Motorsports announced today Built will return to the team’s family of partners in 2022 and serve as the primary sponsor aboard Corey LaJoie’s No. 7 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 for the NASCAR Cup Series (NCS) season-opening Daytona 500 at Daytona International Speedway (DIS).

In addition to the “Great American Race,” Built will also be showcased as LaJoie’s primary partner in nine other races throughout the 2022 season, including:

March 13 Phoenix Raceway
April 9 Martinsville Speedway
May 22 Texas Motor Speedway (NASCAR All Star Race)
June 5 World Wide Technology Raceway
July 3 Road America
August 14 Richmond Raceway
August 27 Daytona International Speedway
September 4 Darlington Raceway
October 23 Homestead-Miami Speedway

Built was named the Official Protein Bar of NASCAR when the two organizations announced a multi-year partnership in October 2021.

“Built is more excited than ever to continue our partnership and friendship with Corey LaJoie and Spire Motorsports,” said Nick Greer, CEO of Built. “There is something incredibly special about Corey and his ability to ‘stack pennies’ like no one else on or off the track. We are thrilled to stack those pennies together with Corey and we will find ourselves in victory lane soon. Built.com and its entire Built family feel so fortunate to be part of this great NASCAR community. It’s go time. What a great year this will be.”

The phrase “stacking pennies” has become a life and career philosophy for LaJoie. Despite being the son of two-time NASCAR Xfinity Series Champion Randy LaJoie, the third-generation racer has charted his own trajectory in the sport and champions small accomplishments that add up to the sum of a larger victory.

“I’m honored to welcome back my friends with Built.com for their third year in the sport,” said LaJoie. “It’s been a blast being a part of their creative marketing strategies to grow the program. The Built leadership team brings a ton of energy to Spire Motorsports as well as to NASCAR. 2022 is going to be an amazing season with them on and off the track.”

LaJoie finished ninth in last year’s Great American Race and earned a career-best sixth-place finish at The World Center of Racing in the 2019 Coke Zero Sugar 400. The Concord, N.C., native has logged 12 total starts at DIS on NASCAR’s senior circuit, including 10 on the traditional 2.5-mile superspeedway and two on the daunting 3.61-mile road course. Over those 10 superspeedway starts, LaJoie has led two laps, notching three top-10 and six top-20 finishes.

“Everyone at Spire Motorsports is eager to get the season underway,” said Spire Motorsports co-owner T.J. Puchyr. “Corey and the entire No. 7 team did an outstanding job last season. We’re exceptionally proud that Built recognized that success by adding more races to its 2022 plans. Corey is a smart, patient racer on superspeedways and knows how to follow a plan. That’s why he runs up front when it’s time to race for the win. He knows the craft well, so we know when we go to the Daytona 500, Corey gives us a chance to win on NASCAR’s biggest stage.”

The 64th running of the Daytona 500 will be televised live on FOX, Sunday, February 20 beginning at 3:30 p.m. Eastern Standard Time (EST). The first of 36 races on the 2022 NCS schedule will be broadcast live on the Motor Racing Network and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.

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About Built™
Have you tried a Built Bar yet? If not, you need to know what happens when a protein bar tastes like a candy bar. Check out www.Built.com and see how Built is changing the way people view delicious. Built Brands™ is a leading manufacturer and distributor of healthy, great-tasting protein and energy products–combining natural, clean ingredients with taste as a first priority.

About Spire Motorsports …
Spire Motorsports was established in 2018 and is co-owned by longtime NASCAR industry executives Jeff Dickerson and Thaddeus “T.J.” Puchyr. Spire Motorsports earned an upset victory for the ages in its first full season when Justin Haley took the checkered flag in the Coke Zero Sugar 400 at Daytona International Speedway on July 7, 2019.

Ford Performance NASCAR: Aric Almirola Stepping Away After 2022 Season

By
Official Release
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Ford Performance Notes and Quotes
NASCAR Cup Series
Preseason Media Availability | Tuesday, January 11, 2022

Aric Almirola, driver of the No. 10 Smithfield Ford Mustang for Stewart-Haas Racing, announced earlier this week that the 2022 season would be his last as a full-time driver in the NASCAR Cup Series. He held a Q&A session this afternoon to talk about that decision with members of the media.

ARIC ALMIROLA, No. 10 Smithfield Ford Mustang — HOW LONG DID THIS DECISION TAKE AND WAS IT A PRETTY OBVIOUS ONE FOR YOU? “No, it was not a very obvious decision. I talked about this quite a bit yesterday after announcing it, but for the last several years I’ve thought about just when is the end. I’ve not thought about actually retiring in any of those years, but I have thought about, like, when will it end. And I’ve thought about it in the past. When I broke my back in 2017 at Kansas. That was my last year of my contract that year with Petty’s, and I thought that potentially could be the end, so I’ve had multiple opportunities to think about what will that look like when my career is over. Fortunately, and timing and God’s will and all the things that played out to give me the opportunities to prolong my career to this point, but, it’s hard to make that decision to walk away from something you love. I love to compete. I love to drive race cars. It’s financially very rewarding. All of those things. That’s hard to walk away from, but I’ve got a family too and I had to really consider that and as I watched my kids grow up and get older they want to get involved in their own activities. My son is really into team sports and my daughter into horseback riding and theater and dance and those things happen on the weekends. They might have practice during the week, but their performances and their games are on the weekends. I couldn’t keep going week in and week out chasing my dreams and watching them do their things through text message videos and Facetime. I just felt super guilty about it and my wife and I have talked a lot about it. We’ve prayed about it and we just feel like now is the right time. Like I said in my video that I put out, next year I’m gonna have a 10-year-old and a 9-year-old. I’ve got a short window to spend as much time as I possibly can with them before they have car keys and they’re asking me what time their curfew is, and it’s gonna feel like I’m punishing them to ask them to be home and just hang out and spend time with mom and dad. That weighed into my decision more than anything else is just that small window of opportunity that I have to be with my family while my kids are still young and they still want to be home and hang out because dad is still kind of cool right now.”

ARE YOU CONCERNED ABOUT NOT BEING AT DAYTONA TESTING AND BEING BEHIND COME THE 500? “No. I don’t think so. I think it’s important to be prepared and right now with the way the industry is and limited supply of cars and chassis and parts and components and all those things I think it’s more important to be prepared for the season and our organization thinks that as well.”

WHEN DID YOU INFORM SHR OF YOUR DECISION? “I talked to them about it over the holidays. I talked with Brett (Frood) and Zippy and I spoke with the people at Smithfield as well and just told them that I’ve talked about it with my wife and talked about it with my family and as excited as I am about 2022 when the checkered flag flies at Phoenix that will be it for me. I felt like it was important once I kind of came to the conclusion that this was gonna be it for me, I felt like it was important to get ahead of it with the race team and with Smithfield and with all of our corporate partners because I feel like it’s fair to them to have the longest runway possible to figure out what’s next, and to try and get their ducks in a row and try to plan accordingly. So, I would want that same respect if I was running a race team or an organization, and so I felt like they deserved that.”

WHAT’S NEXT FOR YOU? DO YOU WANT TO STAY IN MOTORSPORTS OR NASCAR BEHIND THE SCENES? “Yeah, I do. I do have interest in still being involved. I really don’t have an answer on what’s next. I know that’s crazy and a little bit scary, but I’m not gonna sit at home in my pajamas and I’m not gonna play golf every day. I am stepping away from full-time racing, but I’m only 38 years old I still feel like I have a lot left to do in life and I feel like I’m still plenty young to reinvent myself. All I’ve ever done is drive race cars. I became a professional race car driver at 19-years-old. I raced as a hobby before that, so I don’t have a Plan B. I’ve never had a Plan B and I don’t know what that looks like currently, but I do have a lot of interests and a lot of different things and I feel like, again, getting out in front of it early and announcing that this is gonna be my last year of full-time racing, I feel like that’s going to present a lot of opportunity for me to have real candid conversations with different people and different organizations on what opportunities might lie ahead for me post driving and racing. So, yeah, we’ll just have to wait-and-see, but I know that going 40 weeks a year and all the stresses and demands that come along with being a race car driver that is coming to an end for me.”

WOULD YOU CONSIDER ANY ONE-OFF OR PART-TIME SCHEDULE IN THE FUTURE? “Yeah, I don’t want to say that I’ll never race ever again. I’m not retiring from racing. I’m just retiring from full-time racing and, so, yeah, if there was an opportunity to go do something here and there, I will look at the opportunity, but, I’m not interested past 2022 of ever going on a full-time schedule again. I want to be around on the weekends. I want to go to the baseball park with my kids and I want to have a few of my son’s buddies come over and have a sleepover and I want to be grilling out by the pool while they have a pool party or whatever. All the things that I got to do as a kid because my parents were involved in my life. My parents made so many sacrifices to make sure that I had an awesome childhood and I played every sport that I could possibly play. I raced go-karts. I did so many things. I had so many opportunities because of my parents and my grandparents willingness to sacrifice their lives. They had normal jobs, but they were home on the weekends and I want that for my kids. I’ve been blessed beyond my wildest imagination to do what I’ve done over the last 11 years by Cup racing, but I’m ready to be a little bit more normal and I’m ready to be home with my family.”

IS THERE A PARTICULAR RACE OR ASPECT OF THE SPORT YOU ANTICIPATE YOU WILL MISS THE MOST? “Yeah, I already know what that is. I will miss strapping into the race car on pit road and the guys putting the window net up and me firing the engine up and rolling off pit road. There’s nothing that I’ve ever experienced that is as exciting as that. When you roll off pit road to start any race it is awesome. You feel like you’re a gladiator getting ready to go to battle and that feeling is not gonna be easily replaced, if at all. So, I think I will miss that – not think – I know I will miss that more than anything else, just that excitement of going out to compete and to go drive my race car against 39 of the other best stock car drivers in the world.”

IS THERE A PARTICULAR MOMENT THAT FORCED YOU TO THINK LONG AND HARD ABOUT WHAT DIRECTION YOU WERE GOING? “No, I think it’s a compilation of multiple decisions, especially revolving around the kids. For the last three or four years when looking at team sports for Alex, my son, and even looking at whatever hobbies my daughter has wanted to be involved in, when we looked at those we’ve had to weigh it out like, ‘What does that schedule look like? How many games are on what weekends? What does your practice schedule look like?’ And the reason we’ve had to look at those things is we’ve had to look and see at how it lines up with my schedule. We’ve had to tell my son, we’ve had to say, ‘That’s fine, you can play spring baseball, but if you play spring baseball you’re probably not gonna be able to go to Bristol. You can’t go to Talladega.’ You’re probably gonna miss these certain races that are favorites of theirs and favorites of our family, that we enjoy going to the racetrack together as a family. Our family would sacrifice that time together because they wanted to play an activity or sport and that I was still racing, and so year after year of looking at that and trying to juggle their schedules with what they’re trying to do with my schedule, and my schedule always wins, and it has to. It’s my job. It’s my livelihood. It’s the way I provide for our family, but it’s finally reached a point now to where it’s like, ‘All right, if we don’t let them start doing these things, it’s gonna be too late.’ They’re gonna be teenagers and they’re gonna be behind and they’re not gonna get those opportunities to all of a sudden start playing baseball in high school. So, after a lot of thought and a lot of year after year of making these conscious decisions of either delaying them from doing what they want to do or doing it and then just juggling the schedule, it just feels like the right time.”

WHAT HAS THEIR REACTION BEEN? “They’re excited. They really are, and I think they don’t really know. They’re still young and innocent and immature and don’t really have the world completely figured out, so they just know that by daddy retiring that means I’m gonna be home more. It means I’m not gonna be gone every single weekend and they’re excited about that. They’re happy to know that at the end of this year dad is gonna be around and more available.”

HAS THIS MADE YOU MORE REMINISCENT ABOUT FALLING IN LOVE WITH THE SPORT AND WHAT HAS THE TAMPA AREA MEANT TO YOU IN YOUR CAREER? “I’ll answer the first part first. Yes, it has made me reminiscent of just my love for the sport, my love for racing and I felt like I talked about it in the video that we put out on You Tube is that I fell in love with this sport sitting in the grandstands as a fan as I’m sure most every other race car driver did, right? And I watched my grandfather race and he was wildly successful on a local level, and I loved it. I loved being at the racetrack, and then I got the opportunity to get in a go-kart and feel what that felt like. When I was sitting in the grandstands I could just dream about it and imagine how awesome it must be to drive a race car and go as fast as you possibly can, but then I got to experience it and I fell even more in love with racing and just the pureness of it as a kid is so cool. Like, I’m doing it for a hobby. I’m doing it because I love it and there’s no real pressure at all. When I was go-kart racing the only goal was to do as best as I could and to learn and to get better each and every time I went back to the racetrack. I eventually was fortunate enough to take a hobby and turn it into a profession, so, yeah, I am super grateful for what racing has meant to me and where it’s taken me in my life, both professionally and personally and, yeah, I have reminisced quite a bit about it knowing that this year will be it.”

WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE ACCOMPLISHMENT TO THIS POINT? “I think, I know this is gonna sound crazy, but I think now, really thinking about just what it takes to be a race car driver and all those things, I am most proud of the relationships that I’ve made with corporate sponsors. Driving is one part of it and we all are really talented race car drivers. Sure, some are more talented than others. Would I have loved to have more success on the racetrack? Absolutely. I feel like I’ve done as good as I possibly can. I’ve had great opportunities and I’m excited to go and achieve some more things in 2022 before I call it quits, but the one thing that will last far beyond me driving a race car is the relationships, the people that I’ve had impact me in my life and that I’ve had an impact in their life. That is the thing that I’m most proud of. I know it sounds corny and I know people kind of say that all the time about retiring that they’ll miss the people more than anything else, but, for me, it’s true. I’ve built some incredible personal relationships with a lot of great people along my journey and I’m most happy about that.”

WHAT HAS IT MEANT TO BE ONE OF THE FIRST TO GO THROUGH THE NASCAR DIVERSITY PROGRAM AND HAVE THE KIND OF CAREER YOU’VE HAD? “That means a lot to me. I never really viewed it that way even from the beginning. When I first got the opportunity to go to Joe Gibbs Racing with Reggie White and that diversity program I viewed that as an opportunity that I was very grateful for, but I never viewed myself that way. I just viewed myself as a race car driver that just so happens to have a dad that’s from Cuba that allowed me to get that opportunity that I’m a first generation born Cuban-American, so I’ve never really thought of myself as a ‘diversity’ or ‘Cuban’ race car driver that needed to waive that flag or anything. I’ve just viewed myself as a race car driver and I happen to have olive complexion and dark hair and dark eyes and have a blood line from Cuba. So, yeah, I’m super happy and grateful for the opportunities that it has brought to me and I am extremely proud when I think about that of what my family has done. I don’t feel like it’s as much about what I’ve done, it’s way more about what my family has done. We’ve documented that a lot through one of the short story films that we did about me going back to Cuba and kind of tracing my roots when I was driving for Richard Petty Motorsports in that I am incredibly humbled to see where my family has come from. I mean, literally hundreds of miles, not hundreds but 100 miles of dirt road out in Pinar del Rio, Cuba with nothing. I mean, nothing nothing and to come to this country and completely start over. They gave all of their personal possessions back to the Cuban government in the sixties and started over. My grandparents came here with my dad and my uncle and when they arrived in Miami they got 100 bucks from the American government and a pat on the back to say good luck, and they have created a great life for themselves and for their family and that I get to reap those benefits because of what they’ve done. So, yeah, I never view it as something I’ve done. I view it way more as what they’ve done and just a lucky bystander.”

HOW DO YOU WANT PEOPLE LIKE US IN THE MEDIA TO REMEMBER YOU? “Just that I’m a genuine person. That character, and I’ve learned this from my family really, mostly, but character is really what it’s all about. Achieving success and making your way to the top by stepping on other people or trampling other people is not nearly as rewarding, I don’t think, versus making it the right way – making it on values and character and building relationships and being genuine relationships and being who you are. That is one thing that I’ve tried to do from day one. I’ve never tried to get ahead of myself and I’ve never tried to think that I’m better than I really am or to think that just because I make good money and I drive a race car for a living that I am above the guy cleaning the bathroom at Darlington or the journalist writing stories or any of those things. I’ve just always tried to be humble and tried to be genuine and I think I would much rather leave that legacy than to leave any other legacy about me as a race car driver if it meant that my character wasn’t what it was.”

HAVE EITHER OF YOUR KIDS EXPRESSED AN INTEREST IN RACING? “Yes, they both have and, for right now, it’s just dabbling. My son has a go-kart. We go and practice and run around, but he hasn’t really switched it on to take it seriously. He takes stick-and-ball sports way more seriously and he’s way more competitive at stick-and-ball sports, and then the same for my daughter. My daughter has gone out to the go-kart track and drove and made laps, but doesn’t really express an interest in wanting to do it competitively, but you stick her up on top of a horse or you put her out on a theater stage and she just lights up and she shines and she loves it and she puts in a lot of work. So, I think they’ve expressed interest in racing just because it’s what I do and our family that’s all they’ve ever really known to be honest, but, as they grow and they get older and they start to experience other things it’s fun to watch what really triggers their excitement.”

HOW MUCH WILL YOUR KIDS MISS BEING AT THE TRACK AND WHAT WOULD IT MEAN TO HAVE YOUR KIDS SEE YOU WIN ONE MORE TIME? “I think it would be huge for my kids to get to participate in me going to victory lane one more time, especially because they weren’t at New Hampshire last year. We were getting ready to leave on vacation that next day when I got home from New Hampshire. We were going to Key West, so they didn’t go, so that way Janice could have all of their bags packed up, so that was hugely disappointing for them. Obviously, they were excited and jumping up and down on the couch that we won, but they didn’t get to be there to be a part of it. So, I would love for them to have that opportunity to go to victory lane one more time before we hang it up.”

CORVETTE RACING AT DAYTONA: No. 3 Corvette Zoom Transcript

By
Official Release
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IMSA WEATHERTECH SPORTSCAR CHAMPIONSHIP
DAYTONA INTERNATIONAL SPEEDWAY
ROLEX 24 AT DAYTONA
NO. 3 CORVETTE C8.R MEDIA AVAILABILITY TRANSCRIPT
JANUARY 11, 2022

Corvette Racing drivers Antonio Garcia, Jordan Taylor and Nicky Catsburg – teammates in the No. 3 Mobil 1/SiriusXM Chevrolet Corvette C8.R – met with members of the media during a Zoom conference call Tuesday to discuss the team’s entry into the new GTD PRO class for the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship, the transitions to a new spec of the Corvette C8.R, the outlook for the 2022 Rolex 24 At Daytona and other topics. FULL TRANSCRIPT:

ANTONIO GARCIA, NO. 3 MOBIL 1/SiriusXM CHEVROLET CORVETTE C8.R
HOW BIG OF AN ADJUSTMENT TRANSITIONING TO GTD PRO?
“Adding ABS is the biggest change for us. IMSA and Corvette Racing are doing a good job of adjusting a GTLM car into a GTD car. There has been a lot of work together to put together all the data and get our Corvette to the GT3 spec. The biggest difference is the tire for this year. We will have to adapt to that. A lot of the speed differences in previous years were due to the confidential tire to the customer tire, basically.”

WHAT’S MOST APPEALING ABOUT THE NEW CLASS AFTER BASICALLY RACING YOURSELVES LAST YEAR?
“It’s obviously good race against another 12 or 13 cars. When there are so few cars, strategy can go away a little bit. But now you have to pay attention to those who may not be in contention but can gamble big on strategy to come up to the front toward the end of the race. There are a lot of strategies to play there, and that’s where our engineers will be a really good tool to have. We’re very good at that. Who knows… with two Corvettes, we can split strategies like we did last year. It’s going to be tougher but it’s not the first time we have competed against a lot of cars.”

THERE ARE NOW TWO CLASSES – GTD PRO AND GTD – THAT RUN WITH IDENTICAL EQUIPMENT ON IDENTICAL TIRES. HOW WILL THAT DYNAMIC PLAY OUT?
“It will be interesting, for sure. I’m not used to that, and knowing we aren’t racing for the same result will be different. There could be a point where a GTD car is leading the GT field and end up winning the race. It will be strange for most of us. I don’t know if they are planning to split the classes in the pit stops or something. For sure, there will be a lot of play out. If you are leading, you’re going to want to have a ton of GTDs between you and the next PRO car. It’s going to be difficult to play out, especially on strategy. If you decide to stop at the same time and you end up all the way at the back of the GTD field, it will make things even tougher. We don’t know how it will play out.”

REVIEWING LAST YEAR’S FINISH AND POSITIVE COVID TEST. IS THERE A RISK OF RUNNING JUST A THREE-DRIVER LINEUP?
“It’s going to be tough for sure. The good thing about it being that late in the race, Nicky and Jordan could finish with no problem. I suspect that is what everyone is thinking. We definitely need to stay COVID-free for the next two or three weeks.”

WERE YOU SURPRISED TO LEARN NICK TANDY WAS JOINING THE TEAM FOR LAST YEAR? WHAT DID YOU LEARN ABOUT HIM WHILE HE WAS WITH PORSCHE AND ALSO SO FAR WITH HIM BEING WITH THE TEAM?
“I raced against Nick for many years in different cars which at times made things a little bit not easy, but easier. There would be races when he would be more competitive than us or the other way around. But we kind of always found ourselves together many, many times fighting for the win. But now with Nick being in the same car makes things a little bit different in that all the advantages you had in the past, now he has them too. So it was the difference between us would be even smaller and it is trickier to find a weak point to be ahead. The addition of him on the team was great because it just gave us a ton more information and feedback. That brought the whole Corvette team further up. It also made us – Jordan, Nicky and myself – have to be even stronger if we wanted to beat them. I think overall it made Corvette Racing stronger which is the main thing.”

JORDAN TAYLOR, NO. 3 MOBIL 1/SiriusXM CHEVROLET CORVETTE C8.R
ON THE SIZE OF GTD PRO FIELD FOR ROLEX 24.
“It’s super exciting. The last couple of years, the field was getting smaller and smaller in GTLM. Now with IMSA moving to GTD PRO, we’re very excited. In moving to a new class, there is going to be a lot to learn for us with our car and converting it over to the spec. But if anyone is up to the task, it’s Corvette Racing. We did a couple of days testing last year after Petit Le Mans with the car to get a better understanding of the tire, ABS and what we have to run this year. We’re also spending lots of time in the simulator as well. We’re all looking forward to it. It’s going to have the competition with lots of manufacturers in the class. Thirteen cars in the class… every one of those cars I’ve seen so far can win the race. It definitely will be a big battle. At the end of the day it’s still a 24-hour race. I’m sure with a lot of those drivers and teams, they’re going to want to lead a lot and throughout the night. We just need to rely on our history and experience and knowing that we need to be there at the end just like last year. The fight comes down to the last couple of hours. We need to get through the night with a strong, safe car and go for the win at the end.”

WHAT’S MOST APPEALING ABOUT THE NEW CLASS AFTER BASICALLY RACING YOURSELVES LAST YEAR?
“We’re looking forward to the competition. The last couple of years, we were mainly racing our teammates. BMW and Porsche were there, but when you get down to racing just your teammate, those are the toughest guys to race. They have similar equipment and the same tools as you, plus they’re great drivers. You know they’re going to get the most out of it. You also don’t want to make any mistakes rub them. I’m looking forward to having 13 cars to battle. I’ve missed battling on starts and restarts, the strategy wars… that’s my biggest thing. I missed the actual racing side of what we had in the past.”

IN BASIC TERMS, WHAT ARE THE CHANGES YOU’VE MADE TO THE CAR TO BRING IT INTO THE GT3 WINDOW?
“The biggest things are the ABS and customer tires. There are a lot of little details that IMSA is making us do to get the C8.R closer. The car wasn’t designed for the class so they’re trying to make it as even as possible. The biggest aspect is understanding the way the tire works. The team has spent so many years with Michelin to develop the confidential tire to work properly for our car. Now we’re moving to a tire that will work for a front-engine, mid-engine and rear-engine car. Understanding how the way that works and maximizing it for not just one lap but for over a stint will be a huge thing to learn. ABS is another thing to understand the brake wear with that system. It’s good to have someone like Nicky who has so much GT3 experience who can lend a hand for Antonio and I who don’t have as much experience as he does in this type of car to understand what it’s supposed to feel like and how we make the most of that. There will be a lot of learning. Antonio and I spent two days in the car at VIR after Petit Le Mans last year to get a feel for things. I’m sure the Corvette Racing guys went back, studied all the data and made their developments. There have been other drivers in the sim developing those items that we were working on since then. I think we’ll have a good package for Daytona.”

HOW DID IT FEEL TO DRIVE?
“It still felt just like a Corvette, which is nice. The C8.R has been really successful since it came out with the mid-engine layout. The biggest thing was understanding how the way the tire worked, the window that it works in, how you use it, how much you can slide it, the temperature window that it works in. Those little details are good to understand. The tire degradation is going to be a different aspect for us. The ABS was different – just maximizing it in how much pressure to use, how consistent you can be if you’re pushing the brake pedal too hard. Little details like that were good to get a feel for last year before we go to the Roar where most of the work is for the Rolex and not really for car development or driver development.”

CORVETTE RACING EXPERIMENTED WITH ABS AT DETROIT LAST YEAR. HOW IS THAT DIFFERENT THAN WHAT YOU HAVE NOW?
“It’s the same system but there have been more development since then. Detroit was an experiment for Antonio and me to get a feel for it, plus Nick (Tandy) and Tommy (Milner). That was a unique event for us where we didn’t have any competition and were free to do it. So we chose to get some miles on the car with it, see how we felt and see what kind of feedback we could give the team to develop it. We took that to the simulator and the VIR test, where we did some more developments to increase the capability of the system. It helped to get a little bit of a head start during the season last year, and I think we’ll still be learning and developing it through the Roar and Rolex.”

HOW MUCH HAS THE SIM HELPED WITH DEVELOPMENT OF THE ABS AND LEARNING THE NEW MICHELIN CUSTOMER TIRE?
“The drivers were probably spoiled with how good the GTLM tires could be! But at the same time it created a lot of stress during a weekend on what tire to use, when to use it, what the other car is going to do and what the other teams were going to do. Now everyone is on the same playing field. I have a big trust in the team that we are going to maximize the tire’s capability. We have a lot of smart people that can do that. I have a lot of confidence going to that spec tire that our team will do a great job with it. We work with Michelin a lot with our simulator to get a better understanding of it.”

HOW MUCH TIME ARE YOU GOING TO HAVE TO SPEND SORTING OUT WHO IS WHO? WHAT CARS ARE GTD PRO, AND WHAT CARS ARE GTD AM?
“We know Andy Lally won’t be letting anyone by. Other than that, we all keep track of what races are going on where and we know drivers pretty well… who to look out for, who we can trust on track and who we have to be more careful around. But there are a lot of different color cars coming and a lot of different manufacturers. I’ll definitely be studying before and during the weekend to see who’s who. Our guys usually make notes on drivers on-track of who to look out for so when we do get in the race, they will say to us we are coming up on the 18 car with this driver, be careful of them. They do a good job of helping us with that. They keep us out of trouble as much as possible. It’s the same thing with Prototypes when they are going by with who is in what car so we know who to leave a little more of a gap to than other guys.”

WERE YOU SURPRISED TO LEARN NICK TANDY WAS JOINING THE TEAM FOR LAST YEAR? WHAT DID YOU LEARN ABOUT HIM WHILE HE WAS WITH PORSCHE AND ALSO SO FAR WITH HIM BEING WITH THE TEAM?
“I didn’t so a whole lot of racing against him over the years. We were always in a different class. But obviously I knew a lot about him before he came in and knew he would be a huge asset to the team and a huge competitor to Antonio and I for the championship, especially when it was mostly down to our two cars to win the championship. But it is always interesting to have someone new come in to the team especially with that much experience and success to see how they operate when you are so close to them and see how they work. He is definitely a hard worker. You always hear rumors about different drivers, but seeing him in person you understand why he is as strong as he is. He is always working… looking at data, looking at video trying to find every little bit which made us do the same thing last year. Like Antonio said, we had the same equipment and we were trying to find an advantage on everyone else. I looked at more data and video last year than I probably ever had trying to find little advantages in qualifying and the races to see where we could make it up. I think having guys like that elevates everyone’s game.”

IS IT MORE FUN TO HAVE A BIGGER FIELD, MORE CARS OUT THERE?
“I think it is more fun to have a high grid count with quality cars. I think it becomes more difficult when you get some filler cars with lesser drivers and teams. It makes it difficult when you have some drivers who aren’t as experienced on the track in such a high-profile event, especially when we are going to have such a competitive field in our class. Say we come through in the middle of the night with 13 GTD PRO cars and you come up on someone with lesser experience who doesn’t know how to get out of the way. It can cause a lot of confusion on-track and incidents. We do have a big, quality field with all the GTD Pro cars. They all have amazing lineups and teams. I haven’t looked too hard into the Pro-Am categories. But as Nicky said earlier, we are here to put on a show for fans as well and that creates entertainment. Sometimes you need that in a race. Sometimes you need someone slower to hold up another guy to make a pass. That creates a little more opportunity. We’re all looking forward to it. The offseason has been pretty short but at the same time it seems too long. We are all excited to get back to the track and back to racing.”

NICKY CATSBURG, NO. 3 MOBIL 1/SiriusXM CHEVROLET CORVETTE C8.R
HOW IS IT COMING BACK TO DAYTONA AS DEFENDING RACE WINNER?
“It’s not going to be easy, it seems. Like it has been said, the field is so big. There are lots more cars and not just in GTD PRO but also all the other GTDs creating one big class so we’re all driving against each other with similar speed. It will be very exciting and way more difficult to win it than last year. So let’s see. I’m excited to go again. It feels super good to already have one watch on my wrist, but let’s try to add a second one.”

WHAT’S MOST APPEALING ABOUT THE NEW CLASS AFTER BASICALLY RACING YOURSELVES LAST YEAR?
“It’s nice to have a bigger class just to have more actual racing and overtaking. In Europe, we have a couple of very big GT3 races, and I think this one is heading in that direction in terms of very big GT3 fields. It’s also a very nice thing to see for the spectators. It should be a very cool race.”

THERE ARE NOW TWO CLASSES – GTD PRO AND GTD – THAT RUN WITH IDENTICAL EQUIPMENT ON IDENTICAL TIRES. HOW WILL THAT DYNAMIC PLAY OUT?
“For me, it reminds me of what we have in Europe where you have a Pro-Am class. That makes it quite difficult because it’s hard to always know who is in the car at that time. It always feels like it is one big class together. Everyone will fight each other, so I think that is what we will see in the race. I wish that some of the Pro-Am cars in Europe sometimes would just let you pass since we are racing our own race anyway. But unfortunately it doesn’t work like that there and I don’t think it will work like that in Daytona. So I think it’s going to be a big mess but also an amazing show.”

LOOKING AT THE DEVELOPMENT OF THIS CAR INTO THE GT3 PLATFORM, YOU ARE THE ONE WITH EXPERIENCE WITH ABS AND THE OTHER DIFFERENT ELEMENTS, DO YOU FEEL MORE PRESSURE THIS YEAR?
“No. Not really. I did some driving after Petit Le Mans with the car already with ABS and honestly it felt quite good straightaway. Of course, we have to do some work, but I think some of these packages in terms of hardware have been tested so much over in Europe already. I don’t think it will take so long to get so competitive. I think some of that kind of stress is already away. Of course, there are some details that need to be tweaked. But I don’t feel too much more pressure. Maybe I can give a little bit more input than before and that feels nice. But other than that, the team is full of really smart guys so they don’t really have to depend on me for that.”

YOU’VE MENTIONED THAT THE COMPETITION BETWEEN THE GTD PRO AND THE GTD AM IS GOING TO BE MUCH TIGHTER. HOW DO YOU SEE THAT PANNING OUT DURING THE COURSE OF THE RACE WITH THE DPI CARS COMING THROUGH? WILL IT BE MORE DISTRACTING AND WILL YOU BE IN RACES AROUND YOU AND THEY WILL HAVE A SLIGHTLY HARDER TIME GETTING AROUND YOU?
“Yes, I definitely think so. There are simply more cars to get around. For us to get around the GTDs – which are effectively in a different class but a similar speed – it is going to make for a lot of fighting on-track and we are going to side-by-side with DPis also wanting to pass. In the past with GTLM, the differences were bigger so it was easier to pass or to just say I’m going to wait on this opportunity and I’ll take the next one. Now I think it is going to be more do-or-die sometimes, and I think it is really important for us to contain ourselves and wait until the end of the race. But I think it is going to make for a lot of fights on-track and a lot of action on TV.”

About Chevrolet
Founded in 1911 in Detroit, Chevrolet is now one of the world’s largest car brands, available in 80 countries with more than 3.2 million cars and trucks sold in 2020. Chevrolet models include electric and fuel-efficient vehicles that feature engaging performance, design that makes the heart beat, passive and active safety features and easy-to-use technology, all at a value. More information on Chevrolet models can be found at www.chevrolet.com.

Flying Lizard Motorsports to Run Trio of Porsches in Porsche Sprint Challenge

By
Official Release
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SONOMA, Calif., (January 11, 2022) – Known for its long-running history and resume of success racing Porsche machinery, sports car racing champions Flying Lizard Motorsport will continue their legacy with the German manufacturer this season, entering three cars into the USAC Porsche Sprint Challenge North America. Longtime Lizard racers Chris Bellomo, Paul Bonderson, and Mike Gaulke, who raced previously in the Yokohama Drivers Cup USA will represent the team in both the North America and West championships.

“I am really looking forward to the new challenge in 2022 in the Porsche Sprint Challenge,” said Program Manager Darren Law. “All our drivers had such a great season last year and we came away with two Championships. This is good momentum to start the new year with. Chris has taken delivery of a 992 Cup so we have a new model to get familiar with, we have planned additional testing and development and we’re making a change in engineering. We have brought on Joe La Joie as an engineer this year. This is somewhat of a reconnection between him and me. He engineered several cars for me when I drove, and I feel he will be a great addition to our program. He is very methodical and has experience with Porsche. We know that the competition will be tougher and our drivers will have some new tracks to learn but this is a great group of people and should be a lot of fun.”

Having just concluded a successful season where he expanded his racing resume, Chris Bellomo holds previous experience in the USAC Porsche Sprint Challenge, having run the double-header event at Circuit of the Americas in 2021. After finishing eighth in his series debut in race one, he followed it up with a fifth-place finish in race two. Racing his Porsche 991 GT3 Cup Car, Bellomo also ran a full season in the Yokohama Drivers Cup where he secured the Platinum class Divers Championship with eight wins and an additional ten podiums. He also expanded to IMSA’s Porsche Carrera Cup North America Presented by the Cayman Islands series, where he closed out the year with two podiums at Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta. This season, Bellomo will race his 2021 992 Porsche GT3 Cup car in the ten Porsche Sprint Challenge events across North America, beginning with the season opener March 11-13 at Sebring International Raceway. After several years of racing a custom white, orange, and yellow livery, Bellomo’s Porsche will sport the iconic Flying Lizard livery the team has sported since 2004 but will switch out the traditional red and silver for grey and orange. Returning as Bellomo’s driver coach will be former Lizard Johannes van Overbeek, who worked with Chris last season to help secure the Drivers Championship.

“This year we are looking to build on our 2021 season with a new car, new livery, and new series. We will be racing a 2021 992 Porsche GT3 Cup car in Porsche Sprint Challenge in both West and National series. Johannes and I are looking forward to testing and becoming familiar with the new car to prepare for our first race of the season at Sebring. We will have a few new tracks to prepare for with testing and look forward to working with our new engineer, Joe La Joie. We are hoping for another successful year with FLM and are excited to race with our updated FLM livery!”

Paul Bonderson’s Porsche 718 Cayman GT4 MR will be the easiest Porsche for die-hard Lizard fans to spot, sporting the traditional Flying Lizard Motorsport red and silver livery fans have come to know and love. Bonderson also recently completed a successful season, earning two podiums and an impressive 13 top-five finishes in the Yokohama Drivers Cup.

“This will be my first season with the USAC Porsche Sprint Challenge,” said Bonderson. “I am looking forward to learning new tracks, meeting new competitors, learning a lot, and having fun. I can’t wait to start the season at Sebring, a new track for me.”

Fresh off his own championship title celebration, Mike Gaulke matched his teammates’ excitement for the approaching season. In the Yokohama Drivers Cup Silver class, Gaulke raced his white and orange liveried Porsche to the class and overall championship titles with 20 podiums in 22 races. He and his Porsche 718 Cayman GT4 MR will join the team in their full-season Porsche Sprint Challenge endeavors, racing in the GT4 class. Gaulke will have Thomas Merrill return again for another year as his driver coach.

“Coming off last season, which was my best ever, winning the Yokohama Drivers Cup class championship in GT4 as well as the overall points championship, I am looking forward to competing in this year’s Porsche Sprint Challenge,” said Gaulke. “The increased level of competition and four new tracks will present new challenges, but that is the joy of this sport. I am very fortunate to have the support of a storied race team in Flying Lizard Motorsports, an outstanding coach in Thomas Merrill, and a trusted crew chief in Cris Weber. I am excited to get back on track!”

For future event and tune-in information, visit lizardms.com to subscribe to the team’s distributions and further season updates.

2022 Porsche Sprint Challenge Schedule
March 11-13 Sebring International Raceway
April 1-3 WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca
April 15-17 Sonoma Raceway
April 22-24 Ozarks International Raceway (GT4 only)
May TBD
June 3-5 VIRginia International Raceway
July 1-3 Mid-Ohio SportsCar Course (GT3 only)
July 29-31 Road America
August 12-14 Utah Motorsport Campus
September 1-3 Indianapolis Motor Speedway
September 16-18 Circuit of the Americas

About Flying Lizard Motorsports
Based out of Sonoma, California, Flying Lizard Motorsports is one of the most iconic sports car teams in motorsports, having celebrated ten driver and team championships, as well as competed internationally at the 24 Hours of Le Mans eight times.

The Lizards burst on the American Le Mans Series scene in 2004, competing in the GT class until 2012. In 2013, the team moved to the GTC class, still competing in legendary events such as the 12 Hours of Sebring and 24 Hours of Daytona. In 2014, the team expanded its program to include running two Audi R8 LMS in the TUDOR Championship, and in 2015, again expanded the program to include two Porsches in Porsche Club racing. Flying Lizard closed out the season with a dominating win at the 25 Hours of Thunderhill with Toyo Tires, a win they repeated in 2016, 2017, and 2018. The 2020 season proved the team’s most successful to date, earning four titles in the GT4 America championship. Flying Lizard Motorsports has proven to be a championship contender no matter the race series or race car. For more information, visit lizardms.com.

Added conveniences, continuation of cost-cutting rules and great purses will greet South Boston Speedway competitors in 2022

By
Official Release
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Photo Courtesy Joe Chandler/South Boston Speedway

By Joe Chandler
Director, Public Relations
South Boston Speedway

SOUTH BOSTON, Va. (Jan. 11, 2022) — South Boston Speedway officials work hard to make racing more affordable for competitors, while, at the same time, keeping the competition on a level playing field and making racing fun for the competitors.

Implementing conveniences for competitors is also part of the picture that makes South Boston Speedway a great place to race. South Boston Speedway is adding a new convenience this season by making it possible for teams to register for events via Pit Pay. Drivers and team members will be able to download the Pit Pay app. After downloading the app drivers and team members can go to South Boston Speedway’s profile and purchase pit passes for any event.

“This will be a nice new convenience for our competitors,” said South Boston Speedway General Manager Chase Brashears. “Competitors will not have to stand in line as long on race day. They can come up to the designated Pit Pay window, show their confirmation and receive their armband.”

South Boston Speedway officials note that a change in a tire rule is the only notable rule change for the 2022 season.

In 2016, South Boston Speedway implemented a two-tire rule in the NASCAR Advance Auto Parts Weekly Series Late Model Stock Car Division, limiting teams to the purchase of two tires per event. The goal with limiting the amount of tires a team can purchase is to lower the cost. This season, teams will purchase four new tires every other race date.

“While it will be a change, it will work out to be the same overall cost for the teams as it would be with the two-tire rule,” explained Jeff Bomar, the director of operations and competition for South Boston Speedway.

Aside from the change in the tire rule no major rules changes are planned for competitors for the 2022 season.

“Rules changes cost money,” pointed out Bomar. “We do what we can to help control costs for the race teams. I feel that is why we have been able to have steady car counts the past few seasons.”

Along with rules designed to cut costs for competitors across all four of the track’s regular racing divisions, South Boston Speedway provides a good purse structure for competitors.

South Boston Speedway’s purse structure guarantees $500 to start in the NASCAR Advance Auto Parts Late Model Stock Car Division. That helps make it more financially feasible for teams to move up to competition in the top-tier division and to cover costs.

Along with that, the purse for South Boston Speedway’s Limited Sportsman Division is among the better-paying purses in the region.

“We have a good package in place to help make racing as affordable as possible and keep everyone on a level playing field in terms of competition,” Brashears said. “That is a big reason why we saw consistent car counts, especially in the latter half, in 2021. We are looking to continue the momentum we had last season and build on it for the 2022 season.”

South Boston Speedway celebrates its 65th anniversary season in 2022. The track’s first NASCAR Advance Auto Parts Weekly Series event of the season is set for Saturday afternoon, March 19.

Four special events are included on South Boston Speedway’s 2022 season schedule. The first of the four special events will take place on Saturday, April 2 when the SMART Modified Tour returns for the second straight year.
The Sentara Healthcare American Sprint Car Weekend on Friday, April 29 and Saturday, April 30 marks the second special event of the season with the track hosting winged 410-sprint cars for the first time ever.

A full slate of racing featuring the Must See Racing winged 410-sprint cars, the fastest cars on asphalt, will be held both nights. South Boston Speedway’s Limited Sportsman, Budweiser Pure Stock and Budweiser Hornets Division competitors will compete as part of the Friday night action. The track’s NASCAR Late Model Stock Car Division teams and the drivers of the Southern Ground Pounders Vintage Racing Club will be featured on Saturday night along with the winged 410-sprint cars.

South Boston Speedway’s showcase NASCAR Advance Auto Parts Weekly Series event, the Thunder Road Harley-Davidson 200 presented by Grand Atlantic Ocean Resort, is set for Saturday, July 2. Along with the 200-lap NASCAR Advance Auto Parts Weekly Series Late Model Stock Car Division race, the first race of the Virginia Late Model Triple Crown, fans will see the track’s Limited Sportsman Division, Budweiser Pure Stock Division and Budweiser Hornets Division competitors in action. A practice day and fan fest are slated for the day before on Friday, July 1.

The track will kick off a month-long celebration of its 65th anniversary on Saturday night, August 6 with Davenport Energy Night at the Races. South Boston Speedway’s month-long 65th anniversary celebration continues with the Italian Delight presents South Boston Speedway’s 65th Anniversary Celebration on Saturday night, August 20.

South Boston Speedway will close out its 2022 season of NASCAR Advance Auto Parts Weekly Series points races with Championship Night on Saturday night, September 3.

The Solid Rock Carriers CARS Tour will return to South Boston Speedway on Saturday, October 22 to close out South Boston Speedway’s 2022 schedule. That event will feature the series’ Late Model Stock Car Division competitors in a 125-lap race and its Pro Late Model divisions teams in a 100-lap race.

South Boston Speedway will also be offering a different form of motorsports this season as drifting with be featured on Saturday afternoon, March 5. Additional drifting events may be added later.

The complete 2022 South Boston Speedway schedule, ticket information, competitor information and the latest news and updates can be found on the South Boston Speedway website www.southbostonspeedway.com and through the speedway’s social media channels.

Carson Hocevar Set for Debut in 36th Annual Chili Bowl Nationals

By
Official Release
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TULSA, Okla. (Jan. 11, 2022) – Niece Motorsports driver Carson Hocevar is set to compete in the 36th Annual Lucas Oil Chili Bowl Nationals Presented by General Tire from Jan. 10-15. The six-day event features five qualifying nights leading up to Saturday’s Lucas Oil Championship Feature Events on the quarter-mile clay oval at the SageNet Center at the River Spirit Expo Center.

“I’m so excited and grateful for this opportunity,” said Hocevar. “Thanks to everyone at Beilman Motorsports for making this happen. Another big thank you to Al Niece for letting me come race in Tulsa, and for the sponsorship support from Niece Motorsports and Dave.com. It takes so much effort from so many people to get a race car to the racetrack, and I’m appreciative of every one of them.

This is a different animal, but I’m really looking forward to the challenge. I just love racing and getting to participate in the Chili Bowl is really a dream come true for me. I hope we’re able to get 2022 started off on the right foot.”

Related: 36th Annual Lucas Oil Chili Bowl Nationals Presented by General Tire

Hocevar will make his Chili Bowl debut piloting the No. 31X Beilman Motorsports entry with sponsorship from Niece Motorsports and Dave.com. The 18-year-old is scheduled to qualify on Wednesday, Jan. 12 – the third of five-straight qualifying nights – beginning at 6 p.m. ET. Hocevar is one of 11 NASCAR national series drivers competing in this year’s Chili Bowl Nationals.

All five qualifying nights and Saturday’s championship feature events up to the D-Main can be streamed live on FloRacing, while MAVTV will show Saturday’s final feature events beginning with opening ceremonies at 7 p.m. ET.

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.

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