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Tony Stewart Racing: Phoenix Event Recap for the NHRA Arizona Nationals

By
Official Release
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Leah Pruett & Matt Hagan
Top Fuel | Funny Car
NHRA Arizona Nationals
Feb. 25-27 | Chandler, Arizona

Event Recap

Leah Pruett, driver of the Sparkling Ice +Caffeine Top Fuel Dragster:

● Earned No. 3 provisional qualifying position in Q1 on Friday (3.703 ET at 328.22 mph)

●  Scored one bonus point for third-quickest run of the session.

● Earned No. 4 qualifying position in Q2 on Saturday (3.725 ET at 328.14 mph)
● Secured No. 9 qualifying position in Q3 on Saturday (3.922 ET at 232.15 mph)
● Ran a 3.699 ET at 330.07 mph in Round 1 of eliminations in Sunday, lost to Josh Hart (3.705 ET at 332.10 mph)
● Currently 12th in the championship standings, 115 points behind Top Fuel leader Mike Salinas.

Matt Hagan, driver of the Dodge Power Brokers Charger SRT Hellcat Funny Car:

● Earned No. 4 provisional qualifying position in Q1 on Friday (3.859 ET at 324.44 mph)
● Earned No. 4 qualifying position in Q2 on Saturday (3.861 ET at 331.36 mph)
● Secured No. 1 qualifying position in Q3 on Saturday (3.823 ET at 333.41 mph)

●  Scored three bonus points for the quickest run of the session.

● Advanced to the Finals on Sunday:

●  Round 1: 3.850 ET at 332.26 mph, defeated Terry Haddock (4.063 ET at 277.43 mph)

●  Round 2: 3.864 ET at 329.91 mph, defeated Alexis DeJoria (3.941 ET at 324.44 mph)

●  Semifinal: 3.875 ET at 332.18 mph, defeated Tim Wilkerson (3.857 ET at 333.16 mph)

●  Final: 4.045 ET at 267.00 mph, lost to Robert Height (3.837 ET at 330.39 mph)

● Currently second in the championship standings, 65 points behind Funny Car leader Robert Hight.

Notes of Interest

● In securing the No. 1 qualifying position on Saturday for the NHRA Arizona Nationals, Hagan set a new track record (3.823 ET at 333.41 mph), surpassing Courtney Force for the quickest run ever at Wild Horse Pass Motorsports Park. It was also the quickest Funny Car run in four years, and it gave Tony Stewart Racing (TSR) its first No. 1 qualifier in just the team’s second event. It was Hagan’s first No. 1 spot of the season and the 44th of his career.

● Hagan now owns track records at five tracks on the NHRA Camping World Drag Racing Series schedule – Phoenix; Norwalk, Ohio; Bristol, Tenn.; Indianapolis; and Topeka, Kansas.

● Hagan’s final round appearance marked the first for TSR and it came in just the second event for the organization. Last weekend’s NHRA Winternationals in Pomona, California, served as TSR’s debut.

● Pruett qualified to participate in the Pep Boys NHRA All-Star Top Fuel Callout in two weeks at Gainesville (Fla.) Raceway. Her combined qualifying times from the Winternationals and Arizona Nationals earned her the sixth spot in the Callout.

Leah Pruett, Driver of the Sparkling Ice +Caffeine Top Fuel Dragster

“We had a real good draw for the first round against Josh Hart. There is no good way to lose, but as a driver, the worst possible way to lose is on a holeshot, and that’s what we had here. For me, two weekends in a row, I have mini two-stepped it, so we have a sequence of negative events that are happening for me on my side of the office. The impressive part is that this team has been able to provide us with a car that is consistent, healthy and running 3.60s. I’m most impressed with the crew members having my back, knowing that we are going to work as a team to correct what I’ve got going on up there. Personally, I’m in such a different head space and enjoying it. I think I’m wanting it more than I ever have. We’ve all put so much effort into making this operation happen and I just want to go out there and kill it. As a result, I’m just a little early (two stepping it), which results in being too late on the tree. So, I’m now looking forward to the Pep Boys NHRA Top Fuel All-Star Callout and really do not give one tiny atom of an iota of whoever calls me out or if I get to call somebody out. I’m focused on going out and getting to race somebody and fixing my problems. That’s what’s exciting to me. I’m focusing on getting my game. You probably won’t hear from me for the next two weeks as I focus on getting ready for the Gatornationals, work on a couple of different items to get back into a performance advantage in the cockpit.”

Matt Hagan, Driver of the Dodge Power Brokers Charger SRT Hellcat Funny Car

“What a wonderful weekend here in Arizona. It’s just special here. I would’ve loved to have gotten the first win here for TSR with Tony and Leah and with everybody from our Radford (Racing) family here that shows us lots of love and support. What I’m most proud of this weekend is my guys. They made quick turnarounds. Nothing was falling off the racecar. They’re gelling really well and things are starting to flow. That’s huge to me, as that builds confidence. I know what Dickie Venables (crew chief) is capable of. I know we’re going to win a lot of races and get a lot of trophies and the big picture on our mind is that championship. There is still a learning curve, but one thing about Dickie, he learns fast and he’s very methodical about what we do. I feel good with our lights and the way the Dodge Power Brokers Charger SRT Hellcat is running and driving. I know Robert Hight has pulled off two wins now, but it’s just a matter of time before we start pulling in wins for TSR over here. They give us all the parts and pieces that we need. This Dodge Power Brokers Hellcat has been running strong. We sat on the pole and we’re just piecing it together little by little. Really proud of everybody in this organization. We put a hole out on the run (dropped a cylinder) trying to run really hard. We wanted to get back to that record run again and put everything back up the same way, but when you do that, you put a lot of fuel and volume in there and sometimes it’s just too much. It just didn’t go our way this weekend, but we’ve got Gainesville coming up and I’m excited about that. I haven’t yet won the Gatornationals, so I think that’s one I need to put down in my record book.”

Next Up

The next event on the NHRA Camping World Drag Racing Series schedule is the NHRA Gatornationals March 10-13 at Gainesville Raceway.

Team Chevy adds to win total to start NHRA season

By
Official Release
-

CHEVROLET RACING IN NATIONAL HOT ROD ASSOCIATION
NHRA ARIZONA NATIONALS
WILD HORSE PASS MOTORSPORTS PARK
CHANDLER, ARIZONA
FEB. 27, 2022

Chevrolet scores three more wins in strong start to season

• Robert Hight remains unbeaten in Funny Car competition
• New dad Aaron Stanfield earns fifth Pro Stock victory
• Leo Glasbrenner makes it two in a row in COPO Camaro
CHANDLER, Ariz. (Feb. 27, 2022) – For the 55th time in his Funny Car career, Robert Hight hoisted a Wally into the air.

For the fifth time in his Pro Stock career, Aaron Stanfield did the same.

Hight, driving the Automobile Club of Southern California Chevrolet Camaro SS, remained unbeaten on the young National Hot Rod Association (NHRA) Camping World Drag Racing Series with a victory in the NHRA Arizona Nationals at Wild Horse Pass Motorsports Park.

“It’s one big team effort; it’s a big win,” said the three-time Funny Car champion, who claimed back-to-back wins to start the season for the first time in his career. “Last year was definitely subpar and we worked really hard over the winter. That hard work is really paying off now. Right now, after these two weekends, we have the best of both worlds — quick and consistent. It’s a dream come true to drive a car like this. It’s been a while.”

The Auto Club Chevy was consistent again in eliminations following 3.8 passes on the way to the No. 2 qualifier spot for the second race in a row, producing runs of 3.864, 3.855, 3.847 and finally 3.837 seconds (330.39 mph) in the final against No. 1 qualifier Matt Hagan.

Stanfield, the No. 2 qualifier for the second consecutive race in the Janac Brothers Camaro SS prepared by Elite Motorsports, was runner-up at the season opener the previous week to teammate Erica Enders. In the interim, he welcomed his first child.

“The (Elite Motorsports) guys have been working really hard at the shop trying to get us more power and trying to get these race cars working good. She’s flying. It’s a good day,” said Stanfield, who topped teammate Troy Coughlin Jr. in the JEGS.com Camaro SS in the final with a pass of 6.526 seconds at 210.50 mph.

Hight got past team patriarch John Force, the No. 3 qualifier in the PEAK BlueDEF Platinum Camaro SS, in the semifinals. Force upended reigning Funny Car champion Ron Capps in the quarterfinals – their 112th meeting overall and second in two weeks.

Brittany Force, the No. 6 qualifier in the Flav-R-Pac Chevrolet dragster, faced off against John Force Racing teammate Austin Prock for the second week in a row. This time, Force was victorious in the first-round matchup against Prock, the runner-up at Pomona in the Montana Brand/Rocky Mountain Twist Chevrolet dragster. Force fell in the quarterfinals on a holeshot to defending champion Steve Torrence.

Coughlin defeated No. 1 qualifier Kyle Koretsky, driving the Lucas Oil Camaro SS, and Stanfield got past Mason McGaha in the Harlow Sammons of Odessa Camaro SS in the semifinals. Chevrolet has dominated the Pro Stock with 349 wins, including 230 by the Camaro, since the class was introduced in 1970.

Camrie Caruso became the third female in Pro Stock history to turn on a win light, joining Lucinda McFarlin (1992) and Erica Enders (2005). Reigning Pro Stock champion Greg Anderson, driving the HendrickCars.com Camaro SS, will look to Gainesville, Florida, in two weeks to become the fifth NHRA driver overall and second in the pro ranks with 100 wins.

Leo Glasbrenner of Murrieta, California, earned his second consecutive Stock Eliminator national event victory and ninth of his career in his Chevrolet COPO Camaro.

“I told myself at the beginning of the year that I was going to pay more attention to my racing program and just focus more, and it’s paying off,” he said. “I hope it continues to pay off all year long.”

Eliminations from the Amalie Motor Oil NHRA Gatornationals will be telecast at 7 p.m. ET March 13.

An interview with Funny Car winner ROBERT HIGHT, JOHN FORCE RACING, AUTO CLUB OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA CHEVROLET CAMARO SS (No. 2 qualifier):
YOU SAID THAT YOU WERE DISAPPOINTED IN THE PERFORMANCE LAST YEAR. WHAT’S CHANGED?
“We basically have the same guys we’ve had for the last three or four years and we won a couple of championships in that time. So, last year was definitely subpar and we worked really hard over the winter. That hard work is really paying off now. I think (co-crew chiefs) Jimmy (Prock) and Chris (Cunningham) are maybe even a little surprised with some of the changes they made a how fast this car is and how it’s responding. You have no idea how hard it is to win one race much less two in a row. It’s unheard of and we’re not getting lucky. This is pure performance.”

YOU CAME HERE A COUPLE OF WEEKS AGO AND LOOKED GOOD TESTING. YOU HAD TO HAVE COMFIDENCE COMING IN HERE?
“This three-week swing has been amazing. When we left here from testing, we said we’re coming back here in a couple of weeks, and we really ran good. We just have to go put one together at Pomona and we’re back here. We put it together there, too.”

TALK A LITTLE BIT ABOUT STARTING TWO FOR TWO.
“This is amazing. The Funny Car class, I feel is the toughest class out here. From top to bottom, it’s’ stacked. And any given weekend, somebody can step up and win. To go and win two in a row in this day and age, that is amazing. If you look back to the string of runs that we’re on, five in a row at Auto Club in the (3.80s) and come here and have seven in a row in the 80s, so that’s pretty impressive what Jimmy (Prock) and Chris (Cunningham) and the whole Auto Club team have come up with over the winter. Even yesterday when the track was 107 degrees, we went up there and ran 84. You don’t surprise Jimmy very often and that run surprised him. It surprised me, too. I’m very fortunate to get to drive this thing right now. It’s what you dream about, and it’s not going to get any easier from here on out. You have big battles, last weekend with (Ron) Capps and this weekend with (Matt) Hagan, and you’re going to see a lot of those battles all year long. I just hope we’re up for it.”

IS JIMMY GOING FOR CONSISTENCY?
“Jimmy and Chris like big numbers. They’ve pushed this thing; we’ve not found the edge yet. This thing is very safe early on, and that’s what we had last year that didn’t work. You’d be going along, and for no reason at all blow the tires off the hit. This thing is anchored, it’s got great traction and honestly I was a little nervous because Hagan ran an 82 last night with similar conditions. Jimmy is not going to say we’re going to go up and lay 84. We’re going to go for it. Jimmy’s not going to be happy until he finds the edge, but the consistency on this side of the edge is pretty amazing. You get over that edge and you’re going to start seeing some tire spin. And from here on out, we’re going to start seeing warmer racetracks and we’re going to have to race a little differently now. You have to give an A-plus for the first two races.”

DOES IT TAKE SOMETHING OFF YOUR SHOULDERS OR MORE INTENSE WITH THIS RUN YOU’RE HAVING?
“You can’t take anybody lightly; you’ve got to stay focused. It’s put this behind us because you cold go to Gainesville and have a bunch of troubles because we haven’t been on a warm racetrack yet. We have to stay focused and not get complacent. We know all the rest of these guys are going to be gunning for us and pushing hard. We just have to keep doing our job. You can’t let up anytime during the year. We want to focus and try to win every race we go to this year, that’s still no guarantee you’re going to win the championship.”

DOES THIS START MAKE YOU THINK WE CAN BE GOOD ALL SEASON LONG?
“Yeah, it does, but you have to stay focused. If you start thinking we’ve got this, it will slap you in the face so fast. We have to continuously work hard and the results will come. I am excited about getting in some different conditions. We haven’t raced in any humidity yet, and you get all of that in Gainesville. Unfortunately, we don’t get to race next weekend. When you’re on a roll like this is when you want to keep racing.”

DID YOU LEARN FROM THE FAILURES TO ADD TO WHAT WAS WORKING TO GET TO WHAT WE’RE SEEING RIGHT NOW?
“We went back to more like we ran in ’19. Jimmy and Chris did some other things and it’s responding.”

YOU GET A BREATHER AND YOU’RE OFF TO GAINESVILLE.
“I’d like to run another week. Gainesville is the kickoff for the East Coast; I can’t wait to get there. We might as well win there.”

An interview with Pro Stock winner AARON STANFIELD, ELITE MOTORSPORTS, MELLING PERFORMANCE CHEVROLET CAMARO SS (No. 2 qualifier):
WHAT WAS THE BIGGEST CHANGE IN THE OFFSEASON THAT HAS MADE THIS POSSIBLE?
“The (Elite Motorsports) guys have been working really hard at the shop trying to get us more power and trying to get these race cars working good. She’s flying. It’s a good day.”

IF YOU’VE HAD A BETTER WEEK IN YOUR LIFE, WHAT WOULD IT BE?
“It would be hard to top. I was able to win this week after getting to the final round last week, but a little disappointing. I’m on Cloud Nine.”

IT APPEARS THE ELITE TEAM HAS MADE GAINS IN THE OFFSEASON.
“They’ve been working really hard and we all have fast hot rods. I had a very fast hot rod today that bailed me out a few times. It was a pretty good day. We’ll have double duty in Gainesville (also driving the Janac Brothers Chevrolet COPO Camaro in the Constant Aviation Factory Stock Showdown opener) and see if we can if we can’t get both of them in the same day.”

CHEVROLET FROM THE COCKPIT
TOP FUEL:
BRITTANY FORCE, JOHN FORCE RACING, FLAV-R-PAC/MONSTER ENERGY CHEVROLET DRAGSTER (No. 6 qualifier; fell quarterfinals): “Tough day for this Flav-R-Pac / Monster Energy team out here in a Phoenix. We qualified sixth and lined up with Austin Prock first round. We got past him but got beat in the second round. It was driver error. It’s tough; I got beat on a holeshot. We’ll pack up and head to the next one, put this one behind us and move forward.”

AUSTIN PROCK, JOHN FORCE RACING, MONTANA BRAND/ROCKY MOUNTAIN TWIST CHEVROLET DRAGSTER (No. 11 qualifier; fell in first round to Brittany Force): “Not the weekend we wanted but it was a weekend of growth. We learned a lot and had a tough first round match-up with Brittany. We had to go out there with our guns loaded and try to run a 3.65. We left hard and had the best sixty-foot on anyone all weekend, but the tires just came loose. It was a good opportunity for me to learn and I got it to recover and got it down there. I learned a little bit on my end and the crew chiefs learned. We’re going to go to Gainesville and try to go to the finals again.”

FUNNY CAR:
JOHN FORCE, JOHN FORCE RACING, PEAK BLUEDEF PLATINUM CHEVROLET CAMARO SS (No. 3 qualifier; fell in semifinals to Robert Hight): “Not a bad weekend for this PEAK Chevy. Qualified decent you know, right there at No. 3. We went some rounds and if I have to lose, well then, I’d rather it be to Robert and that Auto Club car. They’re really something right now, and Brittany and Austin, they’re right in it too. We’ll keep on building, keep working. Danny Hood, Tim Fabrisi, they really pour themselves into this car. So, I’m looking forward to getting to Gainesville and going after it again.”

PRO STOCK:
TROY COUGHLIN JR., ELITE MOTORSPORTS, JEGS.COM CHEVROLET CAMARO SS (No. 4 qualifier; runner-up): “That was a big turning point right there We had some electrical gremlins with the EFI stuff that had been haunting us but the guys were relentless in chasing it down and fixing the car. They made the right choices when they had to with some pretty extreme pressure on them. I’m so proud of this group.”

ERICA ENDERS, ELITE MOTORSPORTS, MELLING PERFORMANCE CHEVROLET CAMARO SS (No. 3 qualifier; fell in quarterfinals): “We hurt a motor on the first run. I didn’t get to wash my hands or sit down or anything before we came up there. It definitely wasn’t the tune-up we were hoping for on that engine. Mason did a great job on the Tree and I haven’t been stellar this weekend.”

KYLE KORETSKY, KB RACING, LUCAS OIL CHEVROLET CAMARO SS (No. 1 qualifier; fell in semifinals): “I think Pro Stock is the hardest class in NHRA. It comes down to that 1,500 rpm shift point, letting the clutch go the same every time. My first national event here in Phoenix and any time at the track is better than a day at work.”

GREG ANDERSON, KB RACING, HENDRICKCARS.COM CHEVROLET CAMARO SS (No. 7 qualifier; fell in quarterfinals): “It’s been a bit of a slow start, but it’s hard not to have faith in your car and your team coming off the year we had. It’s taking a little time, and we’re a little puzzled as to why.”

CAMRIE CARUSO, CARUSO FAMILY RACING, POWERBUILT TOOLS CHEVROLET CAMARO SS (No. 8 qualifier; fell in quarterfinals): “I think I’ll still be learning for a long time to come. There’s so much to these cars. My entire team, I can’t thank them enough for helping me progress.”

MASON MCGAHA, HARLOW SAMMONS RACING, HARLOW SAMMONS OF ODESSA CHEVROLET CAMARO SS (No. 11 qualifier; fell in semifinals): “I’m just trying to do my thing. I don’t want to go up there and think about it too much because that can throw you off. You just have to go up there and make consistent runs.”
About Chevrolet
Founded in 1911 in Detroit, Chevrolet is now one of the world’s largest car brands, available in 79 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.

Auto Transport Services For Race Cars

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Photo by Lê Minh from Pexels

We Will Transport It is an auto transport company that is equipped and prepared to transport vehicles of all types, including the many types of race cars available. While Nascar race cars tend to be the most common, they are far from the only type of race car available. Each week there are numerous types of racing events from drag racing, Formula 1 races, sports car races, and even off-road racing events. It doesn’t matter what type of race car it is, these vehicles need to get to their destinations someway. This is where We Will Transport It comes in. 

We provide enclosed carrier transport services that are ideal for transporting valuable race cars to and from events. Not only does the enclosed carrier transport provide optimal protection for your race car as it’s shipped to its new destination but it also allows for the vehicle to arrive in top condition and ready for its next race. Perhaps your usual vehicle trailer is malfunctioning and can’t safely transport your race car, or maybe you need to ship multiple vehicles, whatever the reason, We Will Transport It can arrange for an easy pickup and an on-time delivery for your race car. We take the worry out of the equation and provide a seamless delivery experience for every vehicle we ship with a great company for shipping cars across country. We provide enclosed auto shipping services for any type of race car. We know the importance of protecting your valuable race car while ensuring your transport arrives in pristine condition on or ahead of schedule.    

We Will Transport It provides a fully enclosed and insured transport solution for all your race cars, to and from the track. Our experienced drivers can also come to pick up your vehicle from any business or driveway at home and get it hauled to any race track in the country. We specialize in the transport of any vintage, antique, classic, and contemporary type of racing vehicle. With over 25 years in the transport industry, we know all the fine details regarding enclosed carrier race car shipping. Our experienced drivers know how to account for a specific vehicle’s unique body, low clearance, and other attributes that may otherwise make transport difficult.

State of the Art Enclosed Transport For Your Race Car

  • In many situations, we are able to provide door-to-door shipping as a delivery method for your vehicle transport. This will also include adequate insurance coverage in the event of damage. From your home all the way to the race track, your vehicle will remain on the same truck using the same driver from the time of pickup all the way till it reaches its final destination. 
  • We can provide up to 2 million dollars in coverage with our cargo insurance plan ensuring your vehicle is well protected throughout the entire length of its transport. 
  • Our enclosed trailers use an air ride suspension for the smoothest ride possible while transporting your valuable race cars. 
  • With our lift gate loading, low clearance vehicles are never an issue. 
  • Our vetted and experienced drivers are well equipped to transport even the rarest of racing cars while ensuring their proper handling throughout their entire enclosed transport process.

When preparing your vehicle for transport, our drivers will only use nylon straps on an enclosed transport equipped with an air ride suspension so your race car is always delivered safely to and from its next race track. Along with our enclosed carrier transport solutions, we also provide a 2 million dollar insurance policy on your race car in the unlikely event damage is incurred during its transport.

We Will Transport It is able to provide reliable state to state car shipping and cross country car shipping services. If you are searching for a reliable and experienced race car transport solution then look no further and give one of our car transport specialists a call at 800-677-1196. We can help you plan out the logistics and make all the arrangements necessary. You can also check out our free online car shipping price calculator at www.wewilltransportit.com and find out how much exactly your car transport is going to cost. Our shipping quotes are all-inclusive. You won’t ever encounter hidden fees with us. We continually strive to provide our customers with the most professional and reliable race car shipping services available.

How to Become a Better Driver

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If you want to be considered a safe, responsible, and dependable driver, you need to take the proper steps by buckling up, following the speed limit, and being mindful of other drivers on the road. To learn more about what it takes to become a better driver and stay safe while behind the wheel, continue reading below.

1. Buckle up

One of the simplest things you can do to be a better driver is to buckle up. Buckling your seat belt helps keep you safe in case of an accident and can also help you avoid getting a ticket. In many states, it’s the law to wear your seat belt while driving, so make sure to buckle up every time you get in the car.

2. Follow the speed limit

Another important way to be a better driver is to stick to the speed limit. Driving too fast can not only get you pulled over, but it can also lead to dangerous accidents. When driving, make sure to always pay attention to the speed limit signs and stay within the boundaries.

3. Be mindful of other drivers

It’s important to be aware of your surroundings when driving and to be mindful of other drivers. Always use your turn signals when changing lanes and try not to cut people off. If you see another driver doing something that could potentially lead to an accident, like cutting you off or driving too close, be sure to let them know by using your horn.

4. Take defensive driving courses

If you want to be an even better driver, consider taking an online defensive driving course. These courses can teach you how to handle difficult situations while driving and how to stay safe on the road. You will also learn about the different laws that apply to driving in your state to inform you of what you can and cannot do on the road.

5. Stay calm and focused

Driving can be a stressful experience, but it’s important to stay calm and focused while behind the wheel. If you start to feel overwhelmed or angry, take a deep breath and try to relax. Driving is already a dangerous activity, so don’t make it worse by getting stressed out. Stay focused on the road and pay attention to what’s happening around you.

6. Plan your route in advance

If you’re unfamiliar with an area, it’s a good idea to plan your route in advance. This will help keep you from getting lost and will allow you to know exactly where you’re going. You can do this by using a map or GPS or by searching for directions online.

7. Drive slowly in bad weather

In bad weather, it’s important to drive slowly and carefully. This will help you avoid accidents and keep you safe on the road. When driving in the rain or snow, make sure to use your headlights and taillights, and be aware of the conditions around you.

8. Be prepared for emergencies

No one knows when an emergency will happen, so it’s important to always be prepared. This means keeping a few essential items in your car in case of an emergency. Some things you may want to keep in your car include a first aid kit, a flashlight, a blanket, and a spare tire.

9. Plan ahead

One of the best things you can do as a driver is to plan ahead. When you’re driving, always be aware of the traffic and plan your route accordingly. Avoid last-minute changes in direction and try to anticipate what could happen on the road ahead of you. This will help keep you safe and prevent accidents.

10. Avoid using your phone

One of the biggest dangers while driving is using your phone. Texting, talking on the phone, or checking Facebook can all lead to dangerous accidents. If you need to use your phone, pull over to a safe location and stop driving. Putting away your phone while driving can be one of the best things you can do to stay safe on the road.

11. Be patient

Driving can be frustrating, especially when traffic is bad, but it’s important to stay patient. Rushing can lead to dangerous accidents and can also cause you to miss your exit or get pulled over. When driving, try to relax and take your time. You’ll get there eventually.

These are just a few tips for becoming a better driver. By following these tips, you can help keep yourself and other drivers safe on the road. Remember to always be aware of your surroundings and to drive cautiously in bad weather conditions. And most importantly, avoid using your phone while driving. Stay safe out there!

Explore the Different Methods of Determining Fault in a Car Accident

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SM
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When a car hits another vehicle, it is often challenging to determine who is at fault. The fault is usually determined in different ways, using diverse methods. It could be decided in various places. It could be determined by examining the accident site on the road precisely where it occurred. It could be decided by the car insurance companies or in a relevant police report, in court, or in arbitration. 

According to Forbes, the NHTSA (The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration) claims that 6.7 million mishaps occurred in 2018, with around 2.7 million victims injured and more than 36,000 fatalities. It is claimed that approx. 4.8 million crashes resulted only in property damage. However, it does not automatically imply that 4.8 million crashes were painless. They must have triggered a legalistic and complex process involving ‘penny-pinching’ insurance companies, disputing drivers, attorneys, and mind-boggling terms like ‘pure contributory negligence’ and ‘subrogation’. However, what will ultimately emerge, and the amount you will get as a settlement depends entirely on the existing rules and regulations in the state where the accident occurred. When confronted with the task of determining whom to blame for the accident, you may embrace one of the methods or tips discussed below.

The Drivers Concerned Will Decide

The drivers involved in the crash and very much present at the accident site can decide who is at fault. It is natural for drivers to blame each other while exchanging accident information. It could prove to be harmful. Often drivers are incredibly nervous and shaken up after the crash. As such, they tend to take the blame on themselves. Sometimes, a driver may admit to being at fault due to the incredible pressure.  

The Police Report May Be the Deciding Factor

Once the police arrive at the accident spot, it is the officer’s responsibility to assess the accident site and find out if someone is hurt, and request medical intervention if required. They should inspect the accident scene meticulously and note the extent of damage to the cars involved. A police report often clearly states who is at fault. The officer should examine thoroughly so that he can determine that some special situations may have resulted in the accident, like driving under the influence, speeding, or using a cell phone while driving. Do not forget that police reports are not infallible. However, a police report is supposed to be a public document, and everyone concerned could have access to the police report. Auto insurance companies tend to examine police reports. Determining fault in a car accident is vital to getting a fair claim settlement that you so rightly deserve.

Clear Traffic Law Violations

It becomes easy to assign fault in a motor accident when one of the parties has broken existing traffic laws. Traffic violations may include running past a stop sign, speeding, failing to yield, and other precise issues.

Conclusion

We have discussed just a few ways to determine fault in a motor accident. There are several other ways. However, before taking legal action, focus on obtaining a police report copy. Get in touch with a qualified personal injury lawyer at once to navigate seamlessly through the complex legalities. 

An Easy Guide to Negotiating a Truck Accident Settlement

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SM
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Photo by Riley Crawford on Unsplash

Truck transport is a suitable way of taking your goods throughout the United States. As per statistics, around 70 percent of all goods reach their destination via a truck. However, the truck transport industry has become notorious over the years. Trucks were involved in numerous accidents because of careless drivers. According to Policy Advice, by 2030, truck accidents will be the fifth-largest reason for death in the United States. 

Truck accidents never result in everybody walking away unscathed from the accident. In most truck accident cases, the driver of the smaller vehicle will need to tackle large medical bills and expenses, lost wages, damage costs, and other non-economic damages too. 

Factors Influencing a Truck Accident Settlement

Some of the crucial factors influencing settlement for a truck accident are: 

Fault: The value of a particular truck accident settlement could be assessed and ascertained. It depends on the degree or extent of the fault of the parties involved.

Damages: Your settlement amount can be calculated by the value of all the damages suffered by you. Severe injuries will lead to greater economic losses and even non-economic losses too.

Injury: Injury is supposed to be the harm caused to you due to another person’s behavior. A severe injury will culminate in higher amounts in terms of damages.

Liability: It implies who was responsible for the accident. Who perpetrated or caused the accident?

Fatality: Fatality is a crucial factor in determining accurately the amount you will get as truck accident settlements.

Damages or Losses that Can Be Recovered

  • Medical expenses will include prescription medications, diagnostic testing (such as bloodwork, MRI, CT scans, or ultrasounds), doctor and hospital visits, etc.
  • Lost earning potential.
  • Lost future and past wages that may include long-term disabilities.
  • Pain and suffering.
  • Vehicle or property damage replacement.
  • Wrongful death

Reasons to Seek a Truck Accident Settlement

A Trial Could Be Time-Consuming

It may take many years for your truck accident lawsuit to go to trial. The case could go to appeal, and the case will shift to the higher court. Sometimes, the entire legal process will start all over again. It should take more time than anticipated. Moreover, while you are waiting endlessly for closure while the trial is going on, you may not have adequate money to finance medical expenses or other costs. 

You May Need to Testify

In the event, the trucking company insists that you were partly liable for the accident, you may be asked to testify. You may have to answer some critical questions to clarify to the people concerned how the accident took place and what your role was. You may have to reveal your mental and physical condition just after and before the truck accident for demonstrating to the jury or judge the extent of your injury and the amount of money necessary for treatment and recovery. Many people prefer to seek a settlement than pursue a long-drawn-out legal battle where they even may need to testify. We know that numerous people find the idea of testifying before a judge or jury complicated and stressful. 

Attorney Fees Can Go Up At Trial

Generally, personal injury lawyers will be assisting you for a specified contingency fee, implying they will not get their payment until you receive a settlement or win the case. Your attorney usually gets a percentage from your damage award. However, if your case ultimately goes to trial, that percentage is bound to go up usually, from 33 percent to 40 percent.

Conclusion

You will be losing privacy at trial because everything will become a public record. You might be having an air-tight case, but a jury could be unpredictable. It is best to opt for a truck accident settlement. You should contact a truck accident lawyer at the earliest possible. Even a slight delay may result in the loss of vital evidence. It could hamper your chances of getting a full settlement.

CHEVY NCS AT AUTO CLUB SPEEDWAY: KYLE LARSON GIVES CAMARO ZL1 THE FIRST WIN OF 2022 AT FONTANA

By
Official Release
-

NASCAR CUP SERIES
AUTO CLUB SPEEDWAY
WISE POWER 400
TEAM CHEVY PRESS CONF. TRANSCRIPT
FEBRUARY 27, 2022

KYLE LARSON GIVES CAMARO ZL1 THE FIRST WIN OF 2022 AT FONTANA
Team Chevy Drivers Sweep Top-Four

FONTANA, Calif. (February 27, 2022) – In the NASCAR Cup Series (NCS) return to Auto Club Speedway, reigning champion Kyle Larson drove his No. 5 HendrickCars.com Camaro ZL1 to victory lane in the Wise Power 400. The victory marks the California native’s 17th-career win in 261 starts in NASCAR’s premier series. The feat locks Larson into the 2022 NCS Playoffs, securing his chance at defending the championship title.

In just the second points-paying race of the 2022 season, the 29-year-old Hendrick Motorsports driver’s victory is the first for the Next Gen Camaro ZL1, which was introduced at the Busch Light Clash at the Coliseum earlier this month. The feat gives Chevrolet its 16th win at Auto Club Speedway – extending the lead over all manufacturers – and its 815th all-time in NASCAR Cup Series competition.

“Cliff (Daniels, Crew Chief) and everybody made some good adjustments overnight, and the car handled a lot better,” said Larson. “There were definitely some guys that were quicker than us, but they had their misfortunes. Just kept our heads in it all day. Long race. Just restarts were crazy. The whole runs were crazy. Definitely wild, but cool to get a win here in California and hopefully get on a little streak.”

The Camaro ZL1 showed its speed at the California oval with the bowtie brand sweeping the top-four positions in the final running order. Austin Dillon drove his No. 3 Dow Coatings Camaro ZL1 to a runner-up finish, his third top-10 finish in eight starts at Auto Club Speedway. Erik Jones, who lead the field to the green from a front row starting spot, brought his No. 43 FOCUSFactor Camaro ZL1 across the finish line in the third position. Daniel Suarez, No. 99 Freeway Insurance Camaro ZL1, finished in fourth to complete the 1-2-3-4 Chevrolet finish.

Daniel Hemric, who races the No. 16 Kaulig Racing Camaro ZL1 part-time in the NASCAR Cup Series, overcame adversity from six laps down to bring his Poppy Bank Camaro ZL1 home in the ninth position. Ricky Stenhouse, No. 47 Ralphs/Honey Nut Cheerios Camaro ZL1, rounded out the top-10 to give Chevrolet six of the top-10 finishing positions.

The NASCAR Cup Series season continues next weekend at Las Vegas Motor Speedway with the Pennzoil 400 on Sunday, March 6, at 3:30 P.M. ET. Live coverage can be found on FOX, PRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Channel 90.

KYLE LARSON, NO. 5 HENDRICKCARS.COM CAMARO ZL1; AND CLIFF DANIELS, CREW CHIEF, NO. 5 HENDRICKCARS.COM CAMARO ZL1, PRESS CONFERENCE TRANSCRIPT:

THE MODERATOR: We’ve been joined by our race-winning team, race winner Kyle Larson and crew chief Cliff Daniels, for today’s Wise Power 400 at Auto Club Speedway. Congrats on another victory, checking that box to the NASCAR playoffs so early in the season.

We’ll start with questions for Cliff or Kyle.

Q. Tell me about this new car now. We’ve had it at a superspeedway, had it at a short track, now had it at a two-mile oval. It seems like it was all over the place, and all Joey Logano had to say about it is that it’s “edgy”.
KYLE LARSON: Yeah, it’s definitely edgy. Honestly I enjoyed it more than I thought I was going to. I thought dirty air was going to be really bad behind people, and it didn’t seem way worse or different than normal. So that was encouraging. I thought the runs were equally as big if not bigger down the frontstretch. Restarts were still crazy.

Yeah, I thought it was way different, which was good for me anyways, and probably for us drivers. And then you have the part where, yeah, it’s on edge where if you get a little too stepped out, you spin.
You have to be aware of that and your aggressiveness on the restarts and try to work on your balance a lot. We did that throughout the day quite a bit. We had runs early on where we’d be tight and then the next run we’d be loose and then we were able to kind of narrow that window down there it seemed like around halfway, and that’s when I felt like we were going to have a decent shot to win.

Yeah, fun race. A lot of hard work by everybody on our team and proud of everybody’s effort.

Q. Kyle, what was your take on the contact that you had there with Chase? What happened there?
KYLE LARSON: So I didn’t get through 3 and 4 very well. Joey did a good job on the bottom, and then we were side drafting each other, and I’m not even looking in my mirror at that point because all I’m worried about is Joey and I’m looking out of my A-post window.

I had a run, so I went to peel off, and as soon as I peeled off, my spotter is yelling, “Outside! Outside! Outside!” And I had no clue he was even coming.

Yeah, I mean, I hate that I ended his day after they worked so hard to get back to the lead lap and back in contention to win, but it was just an honest mistake on probably both of our faults. I should have had more awareness in my mirror. My spotter could have told me he was coming with a big run, and we would have avoided that mess. I would have probably not been side drafting on Joey as hard as I was. I would have been more so protecting on Chase than worrying about Joey.

It happened, and I hate that it did. I know they’re upset. But we’ll talk, and hopefully we’ll get on the same page. I would never run into my teammate or block him that aggressively and that late on purpose.

Q. Cliff, I think Jeff Andrews said you had a conversation with Chase after —
CLIFF DANIELS: No, I went and talked to Alan. These guys were in the garage working on the car, so I walked over there and talked to him, said hey, we’ll take our share of the responsibility. They’re great teammates, always have been, and I know we’re all good teammates together.

Like he said, that’s nothing that he would ever do intentionally, and that’s a tough racing deal. I don’t blame Chase at all for what could have been the race-winning move, and he just told his side of the story. Obviously they had an amazing recovery on the 9 team today, so to see that get cut short is really tough for us as teammates because you want all four teammates to run 1 through 4. So unfortunate, but I know that we will all get together and be on the same page.

Q. Kyle, how easy will it be to get on the same page? Is this just a bump in the road? Their radio was pretty spicy afterward. When we saw the spin, you’re like, did he do that on purpose —
KYLE LARSON: I didn’t ask that.

CLIFF DANIELS: No, no, no.

Q. Chase said that the toe link broke again for the second time today. I’m just kind of — from the outside looking in, it looks like it could be something hard to get over, so I’m curious from the inside how would you feel?
KYLE LARSON: I mean, I honestly just told you guys my side of it. I’m going to tell him exactly how I told you guys, and he’ll take it for what it is. Either way I’m sure he’ll still be upset even if we’re on the same page or not. It’s just a conversation that we’ll have, and we’re both young, we both respect each other a lot, so we’ll both be racing for wins for many years to come.

I’m not too worried about it. I think if anything it’s probably a small bump in the road. I think if things happen more so in the future, then yes, it gets out of hand. But Hendrick Motorsports I don’t think will ever let it get to that point, and like I said, we have enough respect for each other that I don’t think it will get out of hand at all.

We’ll just have a conversation, and I’m sure it’ll be fine. Like I said, he’s going to be upset, which he has a right to be, but I’ll explain my side just like I explained it to you guys, and he’ll believe me or he won’t.

Q. Kyle, yesterday Austin said after qualifying he had to talk to himself to convince him to do certain things. Today you said it’s a little edgy. You guys have the same feelings, that you’re still coming to grips with it?
KYLE LARSON: At least for me, I think having laps on the car yesterday kind of — you get yourself calibrated to that, and today wasn’t — it wasn’t as nervous as it was for me yesterday. But also they made some good changes I feel like overnight with the overall right quality of our car, which allowed me to have more confidence in what was going to happen with the race car.

That probably also helped quite a bit. Yeah, I just had a couple moments throughout the day that I thought that I got close to spinning, but other than that, I felt like it was a fairly normal handling race car for me.

Q. It’s getting better, though, slowly getting better?
KYLE LARSON: Yeah, we’ll just keep working on the car and we’ll get it better ourselves, even without having to make rule package changes I’m sure. Just every team is trying to learn quickly, and I’ve got Cliff leading our team, and we have all the confidence in the world in him and Adam and everybody at the shop and here at the racetrack to keep building on what we have.

Q. Comparing the dirt car to the Next-Gen car, what did you notice today?
KYLE LARSON: The dirt car?

Q. Yeah, just driving the dirt car. Were there any similarities in just the handling characteristics with the Next-Gen car today?
KYLE LARSON: No, no, it’s — dirt car, I mean, you get sideways, you can control it.

This still feels like a stock car to me. It just has a lot less sideforce feeling to me. It’s just you have a lot less room to catch it when you do get a little bit yawed out, where before you could get yawed out and it had so much side force and such a big spoiler it would kind of drag itself back straight.

Now you just get past that point, it just snaps fast. Yeah, it drives like a stock car.

Q. You saw kind of a lot of guys get into trouble today when they tried to be aggressive or make a certain move, get into tire trouble, car trouble, what have you. Where do you think you were able to find a sweet spot in terms of pushing the pace but also kind of staying out of a mess and that sort of thing?
KYLE LARSON: Yeah, I think just having good awareness of what line you were in and anticipating the grip you were going to have on exit. Yeah, I mean, there was a couple people who spun off of 4 trying to be aggressive on the throttle to clear up in front of people or clear and tuck in line and then they’d get a little too far over the edge and spin.

You just kind of had — for me I tried to be aggressive on entry but as conservative as I could be on exit to make sure that I wasn’t going to spin or have to bail out of the throttle and kill my momentum. I felt like there was restarts that I did a good job of that and restarts where maybe I was too conservative, but until you learn more about the car, it’s hard to be too aggressive.

Q. Starting position today wasn’t as desirable as you would have liked; how did you get the job done when basically the entire race was an adrenaline field fight from start to finish?
KYLE LARSON: Yeah, thankfully the races are so long that if your car is good, it doesn’t matter how far back you start. We were able to get to like 12th pretty quickly. I was very pleased with that.

I wasn’t sure with the unknown of dirty air and stuff how hard it was going to be to get to the front, but myself and Joey were able to drive up there pretty quickly, and then just had to adjust on our car from there. We put ourselves in the game from early on and just had to kind of chip away at it and make good decisions, both on the pit box and behind the wheel, and we were able to do that today and execute a very good race.

Q. There was an observation during the race where it seemed like drivers who had some experience on dirt, they were running better. Did your expertise in the dirt have anything to do with you starting in the back and working your way up to the front?
KYLE LARSON: No, I don’t think so. I mean, Joey Logano got to the front quicker than I did, and he grew up in Connecticut. I don’t think they have any dirt up there. I don’t think it matters.

I mean, they have snow and ice up there, right, so maybe he’s got some time on that.

Q. (No microphone.)
KYLE LARSON: Yeah, again, that’s not really dirt. Yeah, it doesn’t matter. I think you’re just reading into it a little bit too much.

Q. The battle with Suárez there, how did you come out ahead on that one?
KYLE LARSON: Yeah, that was a tough restart. I had Joey behind me and I knew I was going to have to fight him off. I hadn’t really spent much time on Suárez but he had told me that he was pretty good on the short runs. Yeah, I knew I was going to have to fight him off. Was hoping that I wouldn’t, but Joey was so good I felt like on the short run that I was more worried about him through 1 and 2, and had to — I peeled off to the middle and he was able to run a lot of speed and get close to my outside, and I kind of had to throttle up to make sure that didn’t happen.

Then it got us kind of choked up off of 2, and Suárez had a good one in 2 and a really good 3 and 4 and got by me. Then — actually I think I led through 3 and 4. They got a good push behind me and got clear into 1, and then he went to the bottom again once we got to 3 and 4 the next time by, and I’m not sure if he got tight or loose or what, but his momentum was killed off of 4 and I was able to get a good run to get by him.

And then Austin, I hadn’t spent much time around him, either, and he seemed to be good on the short run running the bottom. I just knew — I felt good on the bottom throughout the race, but I knew being the leader I was going to have the best shot of protecting any runs coming from behind me if I just ran up top and kept my speed wound up.

I was able to do that and get to the white before — it sounded like there was a crash, and get the win.

Q. That move that you made down on the apron, was that more aggressive than a normal move? Were you sailing it in there, Hail Mary type of thing?
KYLE LARSON: On the frontstretch? Yeah, I got below the apron about the start-finish line. That was more to get away from any side draft he might be able to pull, and thankfully I was able to get far enough away from him to have enough momentum to get clear in front of him and then run the lane that I needed to run in 1 and 2.

So no, it wasn’t any more aggressive than normal.

Q. We’ve heard from Kyle about this new car a lot. I want to get your thoughts as a crew chief because you’re the one making the adjustments and the calls. What are the biggest things you’ve learned now that we’ve been on a short track, superspeedway, now a two-mile oval, going to this West Coast Swing with our typical mile-and-a-halfs, and then Phoenix, which people call a short track but is a mile-long track. What’s the biggest things that you’ve learned, and what do you anticipate going into those two races?
CLIFF DANIELS: Yeah, really nothing carries over from last year, even kind of the concept of how a race would go.

The Coliseum really had no tire falloff. We had substantial tire falloff here, which yes, we always do, but it was completely amplified.

Daytona even itself raced a bit different. I think he would agree that it wasn’t — if you tried to go at Daytona and move around in the draft, the lanes were just kind of stuck two-by-two and there wasn’t a whole lot of momentum to be gained or spots to be gained.

And then the way the race played out today was almost like old-school Darlington. You run 10 or 15 laps, somebody blows a tire, hits the fence, you pit, and you had 12 sets of tires, and I think we used all but one.

Our car for whatever reason was on a really fine line of a balance adjustment, like it was a very, very small adjustment away from being comfortable, to being one side or the other of the coin of balance, which is obviously something that we will get to work on as we get more reps with the car, just to get it more comfortable for him and more consistent, that it’s not so broken up run to run. Luckily we did hone in on it at the end.

So to directly answer your question, obviously I illustrated a lot of different points there, I think it just races so different that a lot of the concepts that you would bring as a crew chief to call a race into like a short track race or a specific intermediate race, it’s all different, it’s unique to itself, and it’s going to be my job to be a student of the game and try to make sure we do it right every week.

Q. So nothing at all from last year (indiscernible)?
CLIFF DANIELS: No, not really, just because last year when you think about it, the 550 package itself that we ran at most of the intermediates, we look at percentage of lap time falloff. I would say your average intermediate was probably 4 to 4 and a half percent of lap time falloff. Today I think was 12 over the run. Even California — so this race in 2020 was probably in the sixes, so you’re talking double the falloff of what we had with the 550 package the last couple years.

Even then you could almost run a full fuel run without somebody blowing a tire or having an issue. We never even got close to a full fuel run today. What was the longest run today, 19 laps, 20 laps?
Yeah, totally different landscape for how to call a race.

THE MODERATOR: Cliff, we’re going to let you go. Thanks.

Q. One of the big things about the season, obviously the brand new car, the big thing about it is parity and how it allows teams to operate a lot closer in a sense and that comes off the heels of a very dominant season that you had last year. Was there any concern with the switch of the car that that wouldn’t be the case this year, and does getting a win early on in the season rectify that pressure in that instance?
KYLE LARSON: Yeah, it definitely feels good to get a win early on in the year because going to a new car you don’t know if you’re going to win or not. But I mean, you have confidence in your race team. It was neat today to see some guys who don’t typically run up front run up front and contend for the win.
The 8 was dominant today. The 43 was super impressive. The 99 there at the end. Austin Dillon and their team did a good job. I mean, I look at it as Chevys were really strong today. Chase Briscoe and their team was really good at one point.

Yeah, you had some more players or some different players, I guess, than you maybe would have had in the past. That part of it’s neat to see. I think that’ll probably change as we go along with the season, but for right now it’s pretty cool to see.

Q. Does it sort of even out more as we go through the season?
KYLE LARSON: Yeah, I just think — who knows, but I think your teams with more resources and more people and more engineers and stuff like that will still have the edge over the other teams, even though we’re all kind of racing the same car. But just we’ll be able to build a notebook hopefully a little quicker than others and get back to dominating like we did last year.

THE MODERATOR: Kyle, thank you for your time. Congratulations again on the win.

JEFF ANDREWS, GENERAL MANAGER, HENDRICK MOTORSPORTS, PRESS CONFERENCE TRANSCRIPT:
THE MODERATOR: We’re going to get started here with our post-race press conference. We’ve now been joined by Jeff Andrews, who’s the general manager of Hendrick Motorsports, and he’s here to answer any questions you guys have with today’s win.

Thank you so much for joining us. Congratulations on another Hendrick Motorsports victory. Kyle is back in Victory Lane, obviously checking that box to get into the NASCAR playoffs later this season. Tell us a little bit about today’s race and what it means for Kyle and Cliff to be back in Victory Lane so early in the season.

JEFF ANDREWS: Yeah, certainly to come here the second race of the year and all the — everything new going on with the vehicle and just everything that the teams have been working on, you know, all winter long, very proud of everyone back in North Carolina that’s doing such an amazing job putting these race cars together for us and everything that we’ve been through in the off-season with the transition.
Certainly coming out here this early on and having a successful day like we did with multiple cars I think is as important as the win. But we’re very proud of the way it played out for us there at the end and certainly had, like I said, multiple cars there all day long, and it kind of came and went.

I think Cliff would probably tell you it took he and the guys probably a little bit to get there. Probably not as good in the middle of the race as say the 9 and Alan and Chase were, but made good gains on it during the day and got to a good spot there at the end and was able to capitalize on that last restart.

Q. How do you handle the whole Chase-Kyle situation? Obviously Chase wasn’t happy with that incident.
JEFF ANDREWS: Well, the first thing we’ll do is I talked to Chase after the race, and I think we’ve got to understand what those guys have been through all day long and where they had come back to, and obviously to be in contention there for the win late in the race is just a true testament to the great job that Alan and that entire team did to get that car back and have it competitive.

I think certainly nothing intentional there by Kyle, and I think we’ll go back — I know we’ll go back and talk about it in our meetings tomorrow and Tuesday, and we’ll look at all the facts and we’ll look at what happened and we’ll talk about it as a company, and at the end of the day we’re going to — as we always do, we’ll do the right things for the company and get ready to go to Las Vegas in a good spot for really everybody.

Q. Chase said that (indiscernible) second time. You could look at it and say did he spin on purpose to bring out the caution.
JEFF ANDREWS: Yeah, I don’t believe he was taking out any frustration. He came on there pretty quickly after the contact with the wall, and it was a very similar issue that had happened to them early in the day with the bent toe link, and that puts a bunch of toe out in that right rear tire and rear assembly and that makes it very difficult to drive.

They were trying to stay out and finish as well as they could and had the issue late in the race there, had to come in and put a toe link on it.

Q. When you have a meeting like that, will those guys talk directly? Do you have to pull those guys aside and say, let’s get a small group thing or is it just with everybody there? How does that work to start mending those fences?
JEFF ANDREWS: Well, first that’ll need to start from our perspective between Kyle and Chase, and hopefully they can get to a good spot and kind of step back and look at the data and really watch what happened there, and then of course as a group Jeff Gordon, Chad and myself and Mr. Hendrick, of course we want to speak to them because we want to go to Las Vegas in a good spot, and certainly very proud of both of those teams. They both had great race cars. That’s the great news, right. This other stuff that happens on the racetrack, we can get all that to a good spot between those two teams, and give Cliff credit for standing down there talking to him a while ago, and he said after what happened, their mission is going to be to do everything they can to help Chase and that 9 team as well as our other teams get a win and get on to the playoffs.

Q. 400 more miles on this new car; what’s your number one thing you learned today and the number one thing you think the car needs to be worked on?
JEFF ANDREWS: I think as we’ve talked about everything that — there’s a lot new. There’s a lot going on, obviously, and really these race teams, we just need time and laps on these cars. We need to learn them. We need to understand little nuances of them, and days like Saturday, those are tough days to come here and have a quick 20-minute practice with a brand new race car really in this kind of environment and on this track, which has always been a tough track, regardless of the car to get around.

The race car is great. It’s a really, really nice piece of equipment. I commend NASCAR. They’ve done a great job on it. Now it’s in the team’s hands, and we’ll continue to work with them to work through whatever issues either we have with the vehicle or things that go on during the race and flat tires and all that.

That’s one thing about this industry, when we get together and decide we’re going to do something and decide we’re going to work on something together, some really great things happen. So there’s a great relationship there between the race teams and NASCAR, and no doubt we’re going to learn quickly here in the next three to five weeks, I feel certain by the time we get done at Phoenix that there will be some further revisions on things and rules and parts and pieces, but one thing is for sure, I think you saw a great product on track today from a racing standpoint.

There was a lot of position changes for the lead, a lot of close side-by-side racing, and that’s a product of the car really being so close technically to each other across all the teams.

Team Chevy high-resolution racing photos are available for editorial use.

About Chevrolet
Founded in 1911 in Detroit, Chevrolet is now one of the world’s largest car brands, available in 79 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.

Larson muscles to a chaotic Cup victory at Fontana

By
Andrew Kim
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Photo by David Myers for SpeedwayMedia.com.

The reigning NASCAR Cup Series champion Kyle Larson outlasted the field through a four-lap shootout and through a series of carnages to win the WISE Power 400 at Auto Club Speedway on Sunday, February 27, in NASCAR’s return to Fontana, California.

Larson, a 29-year-old native from Elk Grove, California, led four times for 28 of 200 laps and received a stellar pit stop from his pit crew with less than 10 laps remaining before fending off Austin Dillon, Erik Jones, Daniel Suarez and Joey Logano through the final four laps to collect his second victory at Auto Club Speedway and his first NASCAR Cup victory of the 2022 season.

Qualifying determined the starting lineup on Saturday, February 26, as rookie Austin Cindric, winner of this year’s Daytona 500, notched his first Cup career pole with a pole-winning lap at 174.647 mph. Joining him on the front row was Erik Jones, who earned his first front row starting spot since Texas Motor Speedway in November 2019.

Prior to the event, Kevin Harvick, Kyle Larson, Brad Keselowski, Joey Logano and Bubba Wallace dropped to the rear of the field due to unapproved adjustments to their respective machines. In addition, all competitors had a respective crew member ejected from the event. Justin Haley also dropped to the rear of the field due to an oil cooler change along with Ross Chastain, who competed in a back-up car after wrecking his primary car on Saturday.

Another driver that was penalized prior to the event was Kurt Busch, whose No. 45 Monster Energy Toyota TRD Camry failed pre-qualifying inspection three times on Friday, February 25, and was forced to serve a pass-through penalty through pit road at the start of the event. In addition, David Bryant, Busch’s car chief, was ejected from the event. 

Following a five-wide salute from the field to the fans and when the green flag waved as the race commenced, Cindric and Jones battled dead even for the lead as Jones took an early command entering the backstretch. 

When the field returned to the frontstretch, Erik Jones, piloting the No. 43 FOCUSfactor Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 led the first lap while Cindric settled in second in front of Denny Hamlin and Kyle Busch. By then, Kurt Busch served his pass-through penalty and was able to remain on the lead lap. 

By the second lap, Jones maintained a healthy advantage over Cindric. Behind, Tyler Reddick challenged Hamlin for third place as Ryan Blaney moved up to fifth while Kyle Busch dropped to sixth.

Three laps later, Jones was leading by nearly a second over Cindric, who had Reddick close in for the spot. Blaney and Hamlin were in the top five followed by Chase Elliott, William Byron, Ricky Stenhouse Jr., Daniel Suarez and Martin Truex Jr. while Kyle Busch continued to fall back in 11th ahead of Daniel Hemric.

By Lap 10, Jones continued to lead by while Reddick and Blaney were up in second and third.

A lap later, however, Reddick muscled his No. 8 Lenovo Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 to the lead.

On Lap 15, the first caution of the event flew when Kyle Busch, who was running in 11th place, spun his No. 18 Interstate Batteries Toyota TRD Camry in the backstretch, though he continued without sustaining any significant damage. 

With Busch’s incident serving as the competition caution planned for Lap 20, the field led by Reddick pitted as Reddick exited with the lead followed by Byron, Elliott, Hamlin and Jones.

When the race restarted under green nearing the Lap 20 mark, Reddick maintained the lead ahead of Byron and Elliott as Elliott overtook teammate Byron to move into second while the field fanned out through the first two turns and through the backstretch. 

On Lap 23, Elliott muscled his No. 9 NAPA Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 to the lead. 

Through the first 30 laps of the event, Elliott was leading by more than a second over Reddick while Byron, Erik Jones and Stenhouse were in the top five. Blaney, Truex, Logano, Hamlin and Kyle Larson were in the top 10 while Cindric was back in 11th ahead of Christopher Bell, Alex Bowman, Chris Buescher and Hemric. Kyle Busch was mired back in 16th ahead of Cole Custer, Daniel Suarez, Michael McDowell and Brad Keselowski while Aric Almirola was in 21st ahead of Chase Briscoe, Kurt Busch, Corey LaJoie and rookie Harrison Burton. Kevin Harvick was mired in 26th ahead of Justin Haley, Ross Chastain, Austin Dillon and Bubba Wallace.

Then by Lap 35, Reddick reassumed the lead followed by Byron and Jones while Elliott, who scraped the outside wall near Turn 3 once on Lap 33 and again on Lap 35, was losing ground of the lead pack.

Not long after, Elliott’s race went from bad to worse as he spun through the backstretch and drew the second caution of the event. Meanwhile, Kyle Busch was on pit road as his No. 18 pit crew popped the hood up to diagnose overheating issues to Busch’s car.

Under caution, the field returned to pit road for serve as Reddick, who reported numbness to his left leg, retained the lead followed by Jones, Byron, Cindric, Stenhouse and Hamlin. By then, Christopher Bell remained on pit road as he was dealing with cooling issues to his car. Following the pit stops, Austin Dillon was penalized for speeding on pit road.

When the field restarted on Lap 42, Byron shoved Reddick as Reddick retained the lead briefly before Jones mounted a challenge on the inside lane. Through the backstretch, however, Jones lost the runner-up spot to Byron as Reddick maintained the lead. 

With the field fanning out, a five-car battle for the lead ensued as Reddick was ahead of Byron, Stenhouse, Jones and Truex.

By Lap 50, Reddick was leading more nearly two seconds over Byron, who remained engaged in a battle with Stenhouse for the runner-up spot. Jones was in fourth followed by Joey Logano while Truex was back in seventh behind Blaney’s No. 12 Wurth Ford Mustang. Briscoe, Cindric and Hamlin were in the top 10.

Then on Lap 52, Truex, who was, got loose entering the backstretch and scraped the outside wall as he was narrowly avoided by Cindric. The caution then returned when Josh Bilicki spun in Turn 2.

Under caution, the leaders returned to pit road as Reddick received another stellar pit stop from his No. 8 crew to retain the lead followed by Byron, Jones, Kurt Busch and Briscoe. During the pit stops, Blaney endured a slow pit stop for a second time as he exited in the top 20 after pitting from third place. Following the pit stops, however, Kurt Busch was sent to the rear of the field for speeding on pit road. In addition, Kevin Harvick pitted for a second time.

On Lap 57, the race restarted under green as Reddick and Jones occupied the front row. At the start, Reddick received another boost from Byron’s No. 24 AXALTA Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 to retain the lead ahead of Jones and the field fanning out through the backstretch. 

At the Lap 60 mark, Reddick was leading by half a second over Jones while Byron, Briscoe and Kyle Larson were in the top five. 

When the first stage concluded on Lap 65, Reddick claimed his first stage victory of the 2022 Cup Series season and the fifth of his career after fending off Jones. Byron settled in third followed by Briscoe and Larson while Alex Bowman, Logano, Blaney, Cindric and Stenhouse were scored in the top 10. 

Under the stage break, the leaders pitted as Reddick exited with the lead followed by Briscoe, Byron, Larson and Bowman. Following the pit stops, rookie Todd Gilliland lost a right-front wheel and returned to pit road.

The second stage started on Lap 73. At the start, Reddick and Briscoe battled dead even through the backstretch as Larson joined the battle. When the field returned to the frontstretch, Larson led a lap for himself before Briscoe moved his No. 14 Mahindra Tractors Ford Mustang to the lead followed by Reddick.

By Lap 76, Reddick mounted a challenge to regain the lead against Briscoe, but was unable to complete his task as Briscoe maintained the top spot. 

Through the first 80 laps of the event, Briscoe was leading by nearly four-tenths of a second over Reddick while Byron, Logano and Larson were in the top five. Blaney, Hamlin, Bowman, Erik Jones and Cindric were in the top 10.

On Lap 86, Kyle Busch pitted under green after sustaining a flat left-rear tire. By the time he returned on the track, he was mired in 36th place and six laps behind the leaders.

Four laps later, the caution flew when Bell spun his No. 20 Rheem Toyota TRD Camry in Turn 4. In the midst of Bell’s spin, teammate Denny Hamlin steered his No. 11 FedEx Toyota TRD Camry to pit road as he reported overheating issues. At the moment of caution, Briscoe continued to lead by more than half a second over Reddick while third-place Byron trailed by more than three seconds. Blaney and Logano were in the top five ahead of Jones, Larson, Cindric, Bowman and Brad Keselowski.

Under caution, the leaders returned to pit road as Reddick entered and exited in first place followed by Briscoe, Byron, Blaney, Cindric and Logano.

On Lap 96, the race restarted under green. At the start, Reddick received another strong push from Byron to take the lead on the outside lane while Briscoe fell back to second ahead of Byron and the field.

While Reddick retained the lead ahead of Byron, a multi-car battle for third place ensued as Larson moved into the top-three followed by Logano, Briscoe, Blaney, Erik Jones and Cindric while Bowman and Austin Dillon were in the top 10.

At the halfway mark on Lap 100, Byron moved into the lead over Reddick as Larson retained third place ahead of Logano and Briscoe. While Blaney was in sixth, Jones and Cindric, both of whom rubbed fenders in Turn 1 a lap earlier, were in seventh and eighth while Bowman and Cole Custer were in the top 10.

Eleven laps later, the caution flew when Chris Buescher spun and backed his No. 17 Fastenal Ford Mustang into the outside wall entering Turn 2.

Under caution, the field pitted and Reddick reassumed the lead followed by Larson, Jones, Custer, Keselowski and Cindric. Meanwhile, Briscoe, who pitted as the leader, exited in 17th place after enduring a slow pit stop.

When the field restarted on Lap 115, Reddick and Jones battled for the lead through the first two turns and through the backstretch as Jones moved into the lead. Then just as the field returned to the start/finish line, Keselowski, who was battling for a spot in the top five, got sideways and spun in Turn 4 as the caution flew. In the midst of the spin, Keselowski was narrowly missed by ex-teammate Logano and Hamlin.

On Lap 121, the race restarted under green. At the start, Jones utilized the inside lane to his advantage for a second time to retain the lead. Shortly after, Reddick challenged and reassumed the lead from Jones as Logano moved up to third place followed by Larson, Custer, Blaney and Cindric. Meanwhile, Byron was back in the top 10 while Briscoe was mired in 16th.

With the laps in the second stage dwindling, Reddick extended his advantage to more than a second over Jones while Logano, Larson and Blaney were in the top five. 

When the second stage concluded on Lap 130, Reddick captured his second stage victory of the season. Jones settled in second followed by Logano, Blaney, Larson, Custer, Cindric, Almirola, Byron and Hamlin.

Under the stage break, the leaders returned to pit stop as Reddick retained the lead followed by Jones, Larson, Custer and Hamlin.

With 64 laps remaining, the final stage started under green. At the start, Reddick retained the lead while Logano moved up to second in front of Jones. Entering Turn 4, Aric Almirola got sideways, but he straightened his car below the apron and the race remained under green.

At the front with 60 laps remaining, Reddick remained as the leader by more than a second over Logano, who had Erik Jones challenging him for the runner-up spot. Bowman, a former winner at Auto Club Speedway in 2020, was in fourth followed by Blaney while Custer and Byron battled for sixth place. Behind, Hamlin, who made light contact with the outside wall, was in eighth ahead of Cindric, Austin Dillon, Larson and Daniel Suarez.

Down to the final 50 laps of the event, Reddick, who withstood repeated challenges from Jones, continued to lead by nearly seven-tenths of a second over Jones’ No. 43 Chevrolet while Logano settled in third place as he trailed by more than three seconds. Behind, Blaney overtook Bowman for fourth, Byron was in sixth ahead of Custer, Larson was in ninth and Cindric was in 11th. Briscoe, meanwhile, was mired in 22nd behind teammate Kevin Harvick.

A lap later, Reddick’s strong, prominent run towards a possible first Cup victory evaporated when he cut a left-rear tire and fell off the pace entering Turns 1 and 2. Then while Reddick was limping towards the outside wall, he was sideswiped by Byron, which sent both cars into the outside wall as Byron’s No. 24 Chevrolet came to a rest below the apron while Reddick limped back to pit road. In the midst of the turn of events, Jones returned to the lead followed by Logano, Blaney, Bowman and Custer.

Under caution for the incident, the leaders returned to pit road as Jones edged Bowman to retain the lead followed by Logano, Larson, Bowman and Elliott.

With 44 laps remaining, the race restarted under green. At the start, Logano emerged with the lead for the first time as Larson overtook Jones for the runner-up spot in front of the field fanning out. 

During the following lap, the caution returned when Bubba Wallace made contact with Keselowski in Turn 2, which sent Keselowski sideways and sparked a multi-car wreck that involved Wallace, Harrison Burton and Cindric. Under caution, some led by Logano remained on the track while the rest pitted.

With 35 laps remaining, the field restarted under green. At the start, Logano blocked and maintained the lead over Larson. Shortly after, Larson made his way to the front over Logano as Jones, Elliot and Blaney battled for third place.

With 30 laps remaining, Larson was leading by less than a second over Blaney while Logano, Elliott and Bowman were in the top five. Meanwhile, Ross Chastain was in sixth place in a back-up car while Jones, Austin Dillon, Hamlin and Daniel Suarez were in the top 10. 

A few laps later, the caution returned when Chastain, who was running in the top 10, spun in Turn 4. Under caution, nearly the entire field returned to pit road for service and Elliott exited first followed by Bowman, Larson, Logano, Austin Dillon and Daniel Suarez. Back on track, Briscoe remained on the track to inherit the lead.

With 22 laps remaining, the field restarted under green. At the start, teammates Larson and Elliott overtook Briscoe entering the first turn before Larson assumed the lead while Logano joined the party. 

During the following lap, Bowman, who was running in the top five, pitted after making contact with the outside wall. At the front, Logano and Larson dueled for the lead as Elliott tried to overtake both. Then in Turn 4, Larson moved up and ran his teammate Elliott into the outside wall as Elliott began to fall off the pace. With Elliott out of contention, Austin Dillon appeared in third place followed by Daniel Suarez, Hamlin and Erik Jones.

With 15 laps remaining, Larson was leading by half a second over Logano while Austin Dillon, Suarez and Jones were in the top five. By then, names like Harvick, Stenhouse and Michael McDowell were in the top 10 while Cindric, Kurt Busch, Haley, Almirola and Daniel Hemric were in the top 15. 

Down to the final 10 laps of the event, Larson extended his advantage to more than two seconds over Logano while Austin Dillon Dillon, Jones, Blaney, Suarez, Hamlin, Stenhouse, Harvick and Cindric were in the top 10. 

Then a lap later, the caution flew when Elliott spun in Turn 2. Under caution, the leaders pitted and Larson exited with the lead followed by Suarez, Logano, Austin Dillon and Jones.

With four laps remaining, the race restarted under green. At the start, a three-car battle ensued between Larson, Suarez and Logano for the lead for a full lap. Then with three laps remaining, Larson led at the line before Suarez received a push from Erik Jones to boost to the lead entering the backstretch. 

Suarez, however, lost the lead entering the frontstretch after Larson gained an advantage and reassumed the lead with two laps remaining, where he brought Austin Dillon with him.

When the white flag waved and the final lap started, Larson was ahead by three-tenths of a second over Austin Dillon as Erik Jones challenged Suarez for third place. Behind, Justin Haley got turned and spun through the infield grass as he pounded the inside wall. 

With the race remaining under green, Larson continued to lead ahead of a hard-charging Dillon. Through Turns 3 and 4, Dillon mounted a final lap charge through the inside lane, but it was too little, too late as Larson took the checkered flag by less than two-tenths of a second ahead of Austin Dillon.

In addition to claiming his second victory at Auto Club Speedway, Larson notched his 17th NASCAR Cup Series career victory and his 11th driving the No. 5 HendrickCars.com Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 for Hendrick Motorsports as he begins his pursuit to defend his series championship.

“It’s always fun here to win at the home state,” Larson said on FOX. “Hard work all weekend there. [I] Didn’t feel great in practice yesterday. [Crew chief] Cliff [Daniels] and everybody made some good adjustments overnight and the car handled a lot better. There was definitely some guys that were quicker than us, but they had their misfortunes. Just kept our heads in it all day. Long race. [The] Restarts were crazy. The whole runs were crazy, so definitely wild, but cool to get a win here at California. Hopefully, we get on a little streak. ”

Austin Dillon settled in second place while Erik Jones and Daniel Suarez delivered strong results of third and fourth place. Logano settled in fifth place. 

“We’re going to win a few races very soon here,” Suarez said. “I just can’t thank everyone enough on my team. We had a fast car, but we went through a lot of adversity. We had a few issues. We hit the wall once. We had an issue with a diffuser. My pit crew, those guys are legends, it’s unbelievable. It’s the best pit crew I’ve ever had, and it’s a lot of fun to race like that. The Freeway Insurance Chevrolet, everyone that helps Trackhouse [Racing] out, to be able to be here and perform this way… I can tell you that I’m going to work very, very hard to go to Victory Lane very, very soon here.”

Almirola, Harvick, Kurt Busch, Hemric and Stenhouse completed the top 10 on the track.

Cindric, the pole-sitter, finished 12th in front of Martin Truex Jr. while Kyle Busch rallied from falling six laps behind the leaders to finish 14th in front of teammate Denny Hamlin. Briscoe, Blaney and Wallace finished 16th, 18th and 19th, Reddick settled in 24th and Elliott ended up in 26th place in between teammate Bowman and Keselowski.

There were 32 lead changes for nine different leaders. The race featured a record-tying 12 cautions for 59 laps.

Following his 12th-place result, Austin Cindric continues to lead the regular season standings by eight points over teammate Joey Logano, 12 over Martin Truex Jr., 15 over Ryan Blaney, 16 over Chase Briscoe and 17 over Erik Jones.

Results.

1. Kyle Larson, 28 laps led

2. Austin Dillon

3. Erik Jones, 18 laps led

4. Daniel Suarez 

5. Joey Logano, 14 laps led

6. Aric Almirola

7. Kevin Harvick, one lap led

8. Kurt Busch

9. Daniel Hemric

10. Ricky Stenhouse Jr.

11. Cole Custer

12. Austin Cindric

13. Martin Truex Jr. 

14. Kyle Busch

15. Denny Hamlin

16. Chase Briscoe, 20 laps led

17. Ty Dillon

18. Ryan Blaney, one lap led

19. Bubba Wallace

20. Todd Gilliland

21. Garrett Smithley

22. BJ McLeod

23. Justin Haley

24. Tyler Reddick, one lap down, 90 laps led, Stage 1 & 2 winner

25. Alex Bowman, one lap down

26. Chase Elliott, two laps down

27. Brad Keselowski, two laps down

28. Corey LaJoie, two laps down

29. Ross Chastain, two laps down

30. Josh Bilicki, two laps down

31. Michael McDowell – OUT, Electrical

32. Cody Ware, 13 laps down

33. Harrison Burton – OUT, Accident

34. William Byron – OUT, Accident, 16 laps led

35. Chris Buescher – OUT, Accident

36. Christopher Bell – OUT, Engine

Next on the 2022 NASCAR Cup Series schedule is Las Vegas Motor Speedway, the second of the series’ three-race West Coast swing. The event is scheduled to occur on Sunday, March 6, at 3:30 p.m. ET on FOX.

CHEVY NCS AT AUTO CLUB SPEEDWAY: Post-Race Notes and Quotes

By
Official Release
-

NASCAR CUP SERIES
AUTO CLUB SPEEDWAY
WISE POWER 400
TEAM CHEVY POST-RACE NOTES AND QUOTES
FEBRUARY 27, 2022

TOP TEAM CHEVY UNOFFICIAL RACE RESULTS:
POS. DRIVER
1st KYLE LARSON, NO. 5 HENDRICKCARS.COM CAMARO ZL1
2nd AUSTIN DILLON, NO. 3 DOW COATINGS CAMARO ZL1
3rd ERIK JONES, NO. 43 FOCUSFACTOR CAMARO ZL1
4th DANIEL SUAREZ, NO. 99 FREEWAY INSURANCE CAMARO ZL1
9th DANIEL HEMRIC, NO. 16 POPPY BANK CAMARO ZL1
10th RICKY STENHOUSE JR., NO. 47 RALPHS/HONEY NUT CHEERIOS CAMARO ZL1

TOP FIVE UNOFFICIAL RACE RESULTS:
POS. DRIVER
1st Kyle Larson (Chevrolet)
2nd Austin Dillon (Chevrolet)
3rd Erik Jones (Chevrolet)
4th Daniel Suarez (Chevrolet)
5th Joey Logano (Ford)

The NASCAR Cup Series season continues next weekend at Las Vegas Speedway with the Pennzoil 400 on Sunday, March 6, at 3:30 P.M. ET. Live coverage can be found on FOX, PRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Channel 90.

TEAM CHEVY POST-RACE NOTES AND QUOTES:

KYLE LARSON, NO. 5 HENDRICKCARS.COM CAMARO ZL1 – Race Winner
KYLE, IT DOESN’T MATTER THE CAR, IT DOESN’T MATTER THE TRACK – YOU JUST GET IN IT, YOU GO FAST. YOUR SECOND CAREER VICTORY AT AUTO CLUB SPEEDWAY.
“Yeah, thanks. It’s always fun here to win in the home state. Hard work all weekend there. Didn’t feel great in practice yesterday.

“Cliff (Daniels, Crew Chief) and everybody made some good adjustments overnight, and the car handled a lot better. There were definitely some guys that were quicker than us, but they had their misfortunes. Just kept our heads in it all day. Long race. Just restarts were crazy. The whole runs were crazy.

“Definitely wild but cool to get a win here in California and hopefully get on a little streak.”

AUSTIN DILLON, NO. 3 DOW COATINGS CAMARO ZL1 – Finished 2nd
“Huge credit to the Lord and our pit crew. Man, they were unbelievable all day. They kept us in this race. We had to make a bunch of adjustments. We were terrible at the beginning. Just kind of learning the car myself and then communicating with Justin (Alexander, Crew Chief), we just made it better and better. We got a lot of great partners on this Dow Chevrolet. I have to thank American Ethanol, everybody that helps make this possible.

“The pit crew was the story of the day today. They were special. And my teammate (Tyler) Reddick – he balled out all day up there against the fence. I hate it for him what happened to him and I felt like if we didn’t get up there and get after it for them, it would be a let down for RCR. So, glad to get P-2.

“I made a run at him off of (turn) four. I don’t know if I should have ran the bottom. We could really get into turn one pretty good and rotate the bottom better than some guys. But man, that was a fun race. I’m impressed.”

ERIK JONES, NO. 43 FOCUSFACTOR CAMARO ZL1 – Finished 3rd
YOU STARTED THE DAY IN SECOND. RAN UP FRONT ALL DAY LONG; LEADING LAPS. THE STRONGEST WE’VE SEEN THE NO. 43 CHEVROLET IN QUITE SOME TIME. HOW GOOD DID IT FEEL TO RUN UP FRONT ALL DAY?
“It was good. It feels good to be interviewed after the race, too. It’s awesome, but it’s frustrating too. You’re that close and you have a car that you feel like can do it. The No. 43 FOCUSFactor Chevrolet definitely had it today. It was a matter of getting up front and taking advantage of clean air, and we did that a couple of times. A couple restarts just didn’t go our way. I probably could have done a better job here and there, and it just didn’t add up. I just haven’t raced up front a lot in the last year and a half. There are some things I need to be better at. Hopefully I have a lot of time to work on that. We want to keep running upfront and if we keep doing that, we’re going to win some races.

“I’m really proud of this whole group. It’s been a big off season with the merger and everything we’ve done, so this is a very satisfying run for everybody and I just hope we can keep going.”

DANIEL SUAREZ, NO. 99 FREEWAY INSURANCE CAMARO ZL1 – Finished 4th
DANIEL SUAREZ GAVE IT A VALIANT EFFORT, WAS LEADING WITH THREE LAPS TO GO. WHAT ARE THE EMOTIONS KNOWNING HOW CLOSE YOU CAME BUT COMING UP JUST A BIT SHORT?
“We’re going to win a few races very soon here. I just can’t thank everyone enough on my team. We had a fast car, but we went through a lot of adversity. We had a few issues. We hit the wall once. We had an issue with a diffuser.

“My pit crew, those guys are legends; it’s unbelievable. It’s the best pit crew I’ve ever had, and it’s a lot of fun to race like that. Freeway Insurance, Chevrolet, everyone that helps Trackhouse Racing out to be able to be here and perform this way. I can tell you that I’m going to work very, very hard to go to Victory Lane very, very soon.”

DANIEL HEMRIC, NO. 16 POPPY BANK CAMARO ZL1 – Finished 9th
“What a day! I felt like we had a really good car, and we were able to maintain good speed and move forward. Unfortunately, we had an issue with our shifter and lost six laps. I can’t believe we got all of them back and were even able to contend there at the end. I’m super proud of everyone on this No. 16 Poppy Bank Chevy team, My crew chief, Matt Swiderski, and everyone else at Kaulig Racing put together an incredible race car. It was really good and super fast – it was just a matter of being back on the lead lap.”

JUSTIN HALEY, NO. 31 LEAFFILTER GUTTER PROTECTION CAMARO ZL1 – Finished 23rd
“Overall it was a good race. We stayed on the lead lap and raced in the top 15 quite a bit. We made the car better with each stop as the race went on, so l’m proud of everyone the No. 31 LeafFilter Gutter Protection Chevy team for working hard all day. At the end, we were racing hard for 11th or 12th and made contact with the 12 car. It wasn’t the finish we wanted, and the car is a little torn up, but I’m happy with the performance of the car and the gains we made.”

TYLER REDDICK, NO. 8 LENOVO CAMARO ZL1 – Finished 24th
“Absolutely gutted by how our race unfolded but I couldn’t be prouder of this whole team and what we were able to do a majority of this race today. We will learn from this; we will become stronger from this and be hungrier than ever before. It was really fun having all of the Lenovo guests here today and it was really exciting to have such a strong run for them today. We will keep this momentum going to Las Vegas next week.”

ROSS CHASTAIN, NO. 1 CASA DEL SOL TEQUILA CAMARO ZL1 – Finished 29th
“To use a backup car and start the race without any laps on it was a handful. We were really loose to start and I was not sure if we’d be able to get on the other side of it. My crew chief Phil Surgen and the Trackhouse team kept changing a lot of things on the car and got the balance where I could drive it. At the beginning of the race, I was pretty worried that we were just going to be loose and slow all day. Obviously, we got a lot better and had a shot at a top-five and I messed up. I made an unforced error running around the sixth spot. I was just riding along and hit a bump wrong and didn’t catch it in time. A mistake on my part. Seeing the transition from the beginning of the race to the end, gives me a lot of hope.”

WILLIAM BYRON, NO. 24 AXALTA CAMARO ZL1 – Finished 34th
“So frustrated I made that mistake for our team today. What a fast car and we were making our way back to the front. I got loose getting under the No. 8 (Tyler Reddick) who had a flat. Thankful for such a fast car and I know we’ll be back stronger next week.”

Team Chevy high-resolution racing photos are available for editorial use.

About Chevrolet
Founded in 1911 in Detroit, Chevrolet is now one of the world’s largest car brands, available in 79 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.

Burton Collected in Late Crash at Fontana

By
Official Release
-

A late-race crash left Harrison Burton and the No. 21 DEX Imaging Mustang with a 33rd-place finish in Sunday’s Wise Power 400 at Auto Club Speedway in Fontana, Calif.

Burton started the race from 22nd place and quickly moved into the top 20, but he and the DEX Imaging team struggled to find speed as the race went on.

The team made adjustments, some of which delivered slight improvements while others were unsuccessful.

For much of the race he ran on either side of 20th place, and finished both of the 65-lap Stages in 21st place.

Any hopes for a decent finish ended when he was involved in a multi-car crash on Lap 157.

Just after a restart, as the pack exited Turn Two, drivers began spinning ahead of Burton and he was unable to avoid contact with the No. 23 of Bubba Wallace. The DEX Imaging Mustang was too damaged to continue.

“It just looked like they stacked up in front of us there,” Burton told reporters at the track. “I don’t know how many crashed, but there was a lot of smoke, and I couldn’t see where I was going.

“I kind of had to take a guess on where they wouldn’t be and ended up finding the 23.”

Burton said he was disappointed with the lack of speed that left him running in the back when he crashed.

“It was a frustrating day,” he said. “It felt like we weren’t running as well as we needed to be anyway.

“I guess those things happen when you don’t have great track position. We were fighting in the teens and 20s all day, and we need to be fighting further up to be able to avoid that mess.”

Among the few bright spots on an otherwise disappointing day for Burton was hearing the news that Team Penske’s Scott McLaughlin, who races in IndyCar with sponsorship from Burton’s long-time backer, DEX Imaging, won that circuit’s season opener in St. Petersburg, Fla., earlier in the afternoon.

Burton and the No. 21 team, after failing to finish the first two races of the season, will try to turn that around next week in the Pennzoil 400 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.

#

About DEX Imaging
DEX Imaging is the digital document imaging division of Staples, the world’s largest business solutions provider. DEX sells and services the broadest selection of copiers, printers and data management solutions, such as HP, Konica Minolta, Canon, Kyocera and numerous others.

COMPETITIVE ADVANTAGES:
Reducing Operating Costs
Reducing Paper Consumption
Increasing Productivity

DEX Imaging has been the recipient of virtually every industry award since the company’s inception, including the JD Power & Associates Award for Best Customer Experience, the prestigious ProTech Service award by Konica Minolta, the Diamond Premier Dealer Award by Kyocera, and the Elite DEALER Award by ‘ENX’ magazine. Other accolades include being named ‘Best Place to Work’ by numerous business journals in the markets DEX serves.

Wood Brothers Racing
Wood Brothers Racing was formed in 1950 in Stuart, Va., by Hall of Famer Glenn Wood. Wood Brothers Racing is the oldest active team and one of the winningest teams in NASCAR history. Since its founding, the team won 99 races (including at least one race in every decade for the last seven decades) and 120 poles in NASCAR’s top-tier series. Fielding only Ford products for its entire history, the Wood Brothers own the longest association of any motorsports team with a single manufacturer. Glenn’s brother, Leonard, is known for inventing the modern pit stop. The team currently runs the Ford Mustang driven by Harrison Burton in the famous No. 21 racer.

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