Home Blog Page 2286

No. 10 Smithfield/IHOP Ford Racing: Aric Almirola Martinsville Race Report

By
Official Release
-

Almirola Finishes Sixth at Martinsville
Smithfield/IHOP Ford Driver Barely Misses Top-Five Result

Date: Oct. 31, 2021
Event: Xfinity 500 (Round 35 of 36)
Series: NASCAR Cup Series
Location: Martinsville (Va.) Speedway (.526-mile oval)
Format: 500 laps, broken into three stages (130 laps/130 laps/240 laps)
Start/Finish: 23rd / 6th (Running, completed 501 of 501 laps)
Point Standing: 15th with 2,184 points
Note: Race extended one lap past its scheduled 500-lap distance due to a green-white-checkered finish.
Race Winner: Alex Bowman of Hendrick Motorsports (Chevrolet)
Stage 1 Winner: Chase Elliott of Hendrick Motorsports (Chevrolet)
Stage 2 Winner: Chase Elliott of Hendrick Motorsports (Chevrolet)

Stage 1 Recap (Laps 1-130):

● Aric Almirola started 23rd and finished 10th, earning one bonus point.

● Almirola fell back to 26th at the beginning of the stage.

● The Smithfield/IHOP driver raced his way to 13th by the competition caution and said his No. 10 Ford was handling well.

● He pitted during the competition caution for four tires and fuel to restart 12th.

● Almirola entered the top-10 on lap 115. At the end of the stage he said the balance was “really close.”

● At the end of the stage he pitted for four tires and fuel.

Stage 2 Recap (Laps 131-260):

● Almirola started ninth and finished sixth, earning five bonus points.

● Almirola ran inside the top-10 for the entire stage.

● The Smithfield/IHOP driver battled his way to sixth before the checkered flag waved.

● The No. 10 team pitted at the end of the stage for four fresh tires and fuel.

● The pit crew gained the No. 10 Ford two spots on pit road.

Final Stage Recap (Laps 261-501):

● Almirola started fourth and finished sixth.

● Almirola ran inside the top-five until lap 302.

● The No. 10 Smithfield Ford driver pitted for four tires, fuel and air pressure adjustments.

● Almirola drove to fifth before another caution was called.

● He remained inside the top-10 before another caution on lap 379. He said the No. 10 Smithfield/IHOP Ford’s balance was improving.

● Almirola restarted 10th and drove to eighth before a lap-436 caution.

● He pitted for four tires, fuel and air pressure adjustments, and his crew’s quick work gained him two spots on pit road.

● The No. 10 Smithfield/IHOP Ford driver restarted sixth and was scored seventh after another caution on lap 453.

● On lap 494, the final caution was called with Almirola inside the top-five.

● On the final restart, the No. 10 Smithfield/IHOP driver fought hard for a top-five but came up just short in sixth place.

Notes:

● Almirola earned his fourth top-10 of the season and his sixth top-10 in 26 career NASCAR Cup Series starts at Martinsville.

● Alex Bowman won the Xfinity 500 to score his sixth career NASCAR Cup Series victory, his fourth of the season and his first at Martinsville. His margin over second-place Kyle Busch was .478 of a second.

● There were 15 caution periods for a total of 91 laps.

● Twenty-five of the 38 drivers in the Xfinity 500 finished on the lead lap.

Aric Almirola, driver of the No. 10 Smithfield/IHOP Ford Mustang for Stewart-Haas Racing:

“Today we ran where we know we could run all year. We had a great car, and the pit crew was on it. We had the balance pretty close right off the start and we tried not to adjust too much today, and it paid off. We were best on the long run, and with all of the cautions at the end, we didn’t get to find that long-run speed where it mattered. But I’m so proud of this team for capping off the season with solid speed. Looking forward to Phoenix, where I think we have a good shot at it again.”

Next Up:

The NASCAR Cup Series season finale is Sunday, Nov. 7, at Phoenix Raceway. The championship race starts at 3 p.m. EST with live coverage provided by NBC and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.

Ford Performance NASCAR: Martinsville Post-Race Quotes

By
Official Release
-

Ford Performance Notes and Quotes
NASCAR Cup Series
Xfinity 500 (Martinsville Speedway)
Sunday, October 31, 2021

FORD FINISHING RESULTS
3rd — Brad Keselowski
6th — Aric Almirola
9th — Chris Buescher
10th — Joey Logano
11th — Ryan Blaney
12th — Kevin Harvick
15th — Matt DiBenedetto
20th — Anthony Alfredo
22nd — Chase Briscoe
23rd — Cole Custer
26th — Michael McDowell
29th — BJ McLeod
32nd — Ryan Newman
35th — Josh Bilicki

BRAD KESELOWSKI, No. 2 Dent Wizard Ford Mustang — “We gave it all we had. We just needed to be a little bit faster in stage two to get us a handful of points and be closer, and then at the end I was just too loose. I just couldn’t quite get it perfectly tweaked in, but, all in all, a pretty good run.”

DESCRIBE THE LAST FEW LAPS. “We all just threw everything we had at it and nobody really had anything for the Hendrick and Gibbs cars. I felt we were getting closer at the end. Jeremy Bullins and the team really dialed the thing in as close as we could get, but that was just all we had.”

WERE YOU GOING TO TRY TO MOVE BOWMAN ON THE RESTART? “He was so much faster. I mean, he pulled two car lengths from me through the gears, so I was gonna need a lot more help under the hood if I was gonna move Bowman, so we’ve got a lot of work to do for next year.”

HOW TOUGH WAS IT FOR YOU TODAY? “It was a race. I wouldn’t say it was anything out of the ordinary — a little bit warmer than normally in the fall, but nothing big.”

WHAT ABOUT THE CONTACT WITH THE 18 AFTER THE RACE? “I don’t know what he was thinking. I don’t know if he’s mad at himself, mad at me. I don’t sweat that.”

IT SEEMED WITH 50 TO GO YOU REALLY GOT MOVING. “We were throwing everything we had at it. Jeremy Bullins got the car the best it had been, but it just wasn’t good enough.”

RYAN BLANEY, No. 12 Menards/Richmond Ford Mustang — HOW FRUSTRATING WAS IT? “It was definitely frustrating. I was looking forward to today a lot. We had one run where I thought we got going pretty good and drove up into the top 10 and made an adjustment and went right back to where it was. It was kind of a head scratcher today. I wish I could tell you where we missed it at, but I appreciate all the hard work from everybody today. It just wasn’t quite enough.”

DID THE DAMAGE EARLY HURT YOU? “I was going backwards before the damage anyways, so I don’t really think that played a huge role in it.”

WHAT DID YOU NEED? “It was definitely a disappointing day. We started off kind of good and never really got better. We had one run I thought we kind of went forward and then we made a change to try and make it better and it got worse, so I don’t know. I’d love to tell you what kind of went wrong, but we weren’t really any different than where we’ve been here the last three times, just small little tiny changes, but we were just way off today. It’s disappointing for sure. I was really looking forward to today’s race just knowing how strong we run here and it just wasn’t quite enough today and kind of missed it by a long shot. I appreciate everyone sticking with it all day and trying to get better, but it just wasn’t quite enough.”

DID THE DAMAGE HURT EARLY? “I was backing up before that. I don’t know what the 3’s got running into me right now, but apparently he likes it. But that didn’t play any role.”

IS IT BETTER TO LOSE BY A LONG SHOT UNLIKE THE WAY KYLE BUSCH DID? “Losing is losing. I don’t care if you miss it by one point or 20, I mean, it stinks no matter what. It sucks we don’t get to race for a championship at Phoenix, but I appreciate the year everyone has put together and we have one more shot to get Todd another victory. Hopefully, we can do that for him before he hangs it up.”

JOEY LOGANO, No. 22 Shell Pennzoil Ford Mustang — “We just weren’t fast enough. We couldn’t get the car to turn. It was just a struggle all day. We tried different things, but the car just wouldn’t fire off good and ultimately at the end you had to fire off good and we didn’t have that either. We tried compromising to try and make everything better, but all that is is a compromise. The guys that win aren’t compromising and it just wasn’t there.”

HOW WAS YOUR DAY? “It was mediocre. That’s all we were today. We struggled with being tight in two-thirds and tried to fix it. It was kind of the wrong way, so we tried a different way and got closer, but even at that we were just kind of compromising our balance to get decent. Our fire off speed was not very good, which was also a struggle, especially at the end with all those refires at the end. We just didn’t fire off fast enough.”

HOW WOULD YOU SUM TODAY UP? “Not the best of days. Nothing really worked out. The strategy piece that we tried worked out fairly well, but we just weren’t fast enough to really stay towards the front and really do much. It’s kind of a bummer. You go out there in a must-win situation and can’t even see the front most of the day, so we just missed it.”

HOW TOUGH IS THAT TO GO 500 LAPS AND YOU KNOW YOU CAN’T DO ANYTHING ABOUT IT? “You just keep swinging at it. You don’t say there’s nothing you can do about it. It’s never over til it’s over. You keep swinging at the car and trying things. You saw what was going on at the end of the race. Anything could happen being in the right place at the right time, but we were just too far back to be in the right place.”

IS THAT BETTER TO NOT MAKE IT THE WAY YOU DID OR LIKE KYLE BUSCH, GETTING SPUN OUT AND LOSING IT THE LAST COUPLE OF LAPS? “Losing is losing. I don’t think it matters how it happens. Whether you’re close or you lose by a lot, I think they both sting.”

RCR NCS Post Race Report – Martinsville Speedway

By
Official Release
-

Strong Run For Austin Dillon and the No. 3 Cowboy Channel Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 1LE Team at Martinsville Speedway

Finish: 12th
Start: 14th
Points: 17th

“We had a fast Cowboy Channel Chevrolet today at Martinsville Speedway. It was good to lead laps and run up front. We fought hard today, coming back from damage in Stage 2 and cutting multiple right-front tires. Our forward drive was ridiculously good. We started the race 14th and quickly drove into the top-10, ultimately finishing Stage 1 seventh. It was really challenging once we fell back in the running order because we were in the middle of the pack and around a lot of other cars and a lot of action. We worked as a team to get back on the lead lap, though, and survived some wild action out there to finish 12th. Good job by everyone on this RCR team.”

-Austin Dillon

Hard-Fought Day For Tyler Reddick and the No. 8 Childress Vineyards Chevrolet Team at Martinsville Speedway

Finish: 18th
Start: 18th
Points: 13th

“Racing at Martinsville Speedway is always a fun challenge. When you hit it just right, your car can make up ground quickly and roll through the corners. Today though, our Childress Vineyards Chevrolet battled a tight-handling condition for most of the race. It felt like the front tires were asleep. My Richard Childress Racing team kept working on the overall balance and we would make gains on the short run, but once the track rubbered up, it went back to the front tires not being awake enough. This No. 8 team showed perseverance all day and fought as hard as we could. We will now set our eyes on Phoenix next week and look to finish the season on a high note.”

-Tyler Reddick

Wayne Taylor Racing Earns Five Top Fives in LST World Final

By
Official Release
-

Misano, Italy. (October 31, 2021) – The final four races of the 2021 Lamborghini Super Trofeo season were held over the past two days, concluding the Lamborghini Super Trofeo World Final weekend at Misano World Circuit Marco Simoncelli in Emilia-Romagna, Italy. The Prestige Performance with Wayne Taylor Racing stable, consisting of five drivers competing in four cars across three classes, achieved five top five finishes across all four races against their European LST colleagues in a special finale event.

With twice as many vehicles in the field, the format was arranged so that the PRO and PRO|AM drivers from either side of the Atlantic were grouped together for a pair of races, and the AM and LB cup entries from both continents were grouped for a double header of their own.

Kyle Marcelli and Daniel Formal represented the sole WTR entry in the PRO and PRO|AM event, as Jordan Missig, who ran PRO|AM in the North American season, took the opportunity to enter the AM and LB Cup final in the AM class. Marcelli and Formal earned a pair of top five finishes with fifth in both World Final races. They improved from their qualifying position in each instance, wrapping up an impressive season with another strong performance against global competition.

Ashton Harrison’s star rose over the weekend, beginning with an impressive display of tight wheel-to-wheel racing, lap-after-lap, while fighting for a podium in Race 1. She finished third on track, beating the European entry with whom she was battling closely, but thanks to a pair of separate steward’s decisions, both drivers were given five-second penalties and the fifth-place finisher was promoted to the podium post-race. That did not deter her though, and despite a solo spin in the opening of Race 2 that dropped her to last, she put together a fantastic recovery drive, charging through the field to finish fourth for the second time in as many races.

After a quiet Race 1, Randy Sellari saved the best for last and put together a potential candidate for his personal top drive of the season. After starting in P12, he moved up seven positions over the course of the race to finish fifth, capping his season by going from strength to strength.

Jordan Missig, who put his No. 153 car on pole for the AM and LB Cup Race 2, unfortunately did not start the second race due to damage sustained in an incident while attempting a pass for the overall lead on the opening lap of Race 1.

Prestige Performance with WTR will now switch full focus to the 2022 Lamborghini Super Trofeo Championship. WTR’s 2021 racing season will conclude on November 10-13, when the No. 10 Konica Minolta Acura ARX-05 contests the title-deciding 2021 Motul Petit Le Mans. WeatherTech Championship qualifying airs at 3:40 p.m. ET on November 12 on imsa.tv. Green flag will wave on Sunday, November 13 at 12:05 p.m. ET with full live coverage on Trackpass on NBC Sports Gold and partial coverage starting at 3:00 p.m. ET on NBCSN.

FINAL RESULTS: WORLD FINAL PRO and PRO|AM, RACE 1

PRO CLASS, No. 101 Prestige Performance with WTR Lamborghini Huracán Super Trofeo
Kyle Marcelli | Daniel Formal – P5 overall
Qualification by Kyle Marcelli – P6 overall

FINAL RESULTS: WORLD FINAL AM and LB CUP, RACE 1

AM CLASS, No. 153 WTR Lamborghini Huracán Super Trofeo
Jordan Missig – DNF
Qualification by Jordan Missig – P3 overall

AM CLASS, No. 125 Harrison Contracting with Wayne Taylor Racing Lamborghini Huracán Super Trofeo
Ashton Harrison – P4 overall
Qualification by Ashton Harrison – P6 overall

AM CLASS, No. 103 JG Wentworth with Wayne Taylor Racing Lamborghini Huracán Super Trofeo
Randy Sellari – P11 overall
Qualification by Randy Sellari – P11 in class, P12 overall

FINAL RESULTS: WORLD FINAL PRO and PRO|AM, RACE 2

PRO CLASS, No. 101 Prestige Performance with WTR Lamborghini Huracán Super Trofeo
Kyle Marcelli | Daniel Formal – P5 overall
Qualification by Daniel Formal – P6 in class, P7 overall

FINAL RESULTS: WORLD FINAL AM and LB CUP, RACE 2

AM CLASS, No. 153 WTR Lamborghini Huracán Super Trofeo
Jordan Missig – DNS
Qualification by Jordan Missig – P1 overall

AM CLASS, No. 125 Harrison Contracting with Wayne Taylor Racing Lamborghini Huracán Super Trofeo
Ashton Harrison – P4 overall
Qualification by Ashton Harrison – P6 overall

AM CLASS, No. 103 JG Wentworth with Wayne Taylor Racing Lamborghini Huracán Super Trofeo
Randy Sellari – P5 overall
Qualification by Randy Sellari – P11 in class, P12 overall

GMS Racing NCWTS Martinsville Speedway Recap

By
Official Release
-

Sheldon Creed, No. 2 LiftKits4Less Chevrolet Silverado

START: 4th 

FINISH: 9th

POINTS: 5th

  • Sheldon Creed entered Martinsville five points above the cutline as he looked to advance and defend his title. Creed would start in the fourth position and run up front for the first half of the race.
  • With stage points at a premium, Creed and the No. 2 team would put those as the main focus, finishing second in Stage 1 and third in Stage 2. Early on, it appeared as if the defending champion had a clear route to making it to Phoenix.
  • As the race progressed, differing strategy would mire Creed back in traffic, putting him in some precarious positions on restarts. Contact between two other trucks sent Sheldon in the wall, resulting in major right front damage.
  • Creed would rally back and cross the line with a ninth place finish, but ultimately, he would come up three points shy of advancing. The driver, who is advancing to the NASCAR Xfinity Series in 2022, will have one more shot to win a NASCAR Camping World Truck Series race next Friday at Phoenix Raceway.

Quote: “Frustrating way to end our Playoffs run, I feel like I gave respect to everyone all day in an effort to gain our points the honest way, but we just got driven into. Not that I haven’t done that in the past, but with all of the circumstances, not making the final four, it’s just tough. What a frustrating way to end that, just not a whole lot of respect.”

Zane Smith, No. 21 MRC Construction Chevrolet Silverado

START: 9th

FINISH: 1st

POINTS: 1st

  • Zane Smith and the No. 21 GMS Racing team had one agenda in mind entering Martinsville: win. Due to the points situation, Smith would need to win in order to advance to the final round of the Playoffs at Phoenix. The sophomore driver would start from the ninth position in the 200 lap race.
  • Smith would gain several spots early on in Stage 1, notching a sixth place finish, but would have to overcome adversity when he radioed to his crew saying that he was down on power and that the truck was smoking in the cockpit. A strategy call brought Smith down pit road before the end of Stage 2, where he would rally back to finish eighth, but would cycle out to the lead from that point on.
  • Going for his first win of the season, Smith would race aggressively, hanging onto the lead for the majority of the final run. On the green-white-checkered finish, the No. 21 MRC Construction Silverado would dart to the bottom in a daring three wide pass to take the lead, and ultimately, the win at Martinsville.

#21in21: With the win at Martinsville, Zane Smith advanced to the next round of the Playoffs and will compete for a NASCAR Camping World Truck Series championship at Phoenix Raceway. Last season, Smith would finish second to GMS Racing teammate Sheldon Creed in the race and the championship. This year, he looks to better that spot by one as he races into the Valley of the Sun.

Quote: “Man, I did not want Todd in front of me, he’s a good buddy of mine, but I got hit from the No. 16 so it wasn’t all on me. Man, such hard racing, thank you so much to MRC Construction, Mike Avila, Mike Beam, and Maury Gallagher. I’ll tell you what, after last year, I haven’t been able to sleep right all year, so I’m going to do my best to win the thing.”

Chase Purdy, No. 23 Bama Buggies Chevrolet Silverado

START: 13th

FINISH: 40th

POINTS: 19th

  • Chase Purdy made his second start at Martinsville Speedway, starting in the 13th position after a Top 10 showing in the series’ last race at Talladega. Purdy would slot in line right around where he started, holding his own in the opening laps of the race.
  • Purdy would remark that he smelled smoke inside the cockpit of his No. 23 Bama Buggies Chevrolet with an apparent issue very early on. On lap 33, he would bring his truck down pit road to the attention of the crew, where they diagnosed the issue as a rear gear failure.
  • With no way to fix the issue, the rookie was forced to park his truck early, resulting in a disappointing 40th place finish.

Quote: “Man, what a super frustrating way to end our day. I really thought that we were able to get our truck handling great there, but we just weren’t able to get a chance to show for it there. Looking forward to wrapping up the season next weekend in Phoenix and ending our year on a high note with our No. 23 GMS Racing team.”

Jack Wood, No. 24 Chevy Cares Chevrolet Silverado

START: 34th

FINISH: 27th

POINTS: 30th

  • Jack Wood made his first start at Martinsville Speedway starting deep in the field, rolling off from the 34th position. In Stage 1, Wood was able to pass ten trucks en route to a 24th place finish. He would also gain his lap back via the free pass.
  • On lap 65, Jack was spun by another competitor off turn two. Luckily, the No. 24 Chevrolet did not suffer any damage, and the rookie was able to continue onwards. In Stage 2, Wood backed up his Stage 1 finish with another 24th place run. Once again, he would gain a lap back from the free pass.
  • Wood continued to run consistently for the remainder of the race, learning more each lap at ‘The Paperclip’. Unfortunately for Jack, he would be caught up in the last lap crash, resulting in a 27th place finish.

Quote: “What a crazy racetrack, that place is so small and you race so rough around there, definitely not a lot of give and take there. I felt like where our starting position was, we were able to make up some solid ground. Congrats to Zane and all the No. 21 guys, we have one more race this year in Phoenix and I’m ready to go back there. I can’t thank my No. 24 guys, GMS Racing, and Chevrolet enough for all the support, we are going to take these experiences and put them towards next year.”

Tyler Ankrum, No. 26 LiUNA! Chevrolet Silverado

START: 19th

FINISH: 26th

POINTS: 15th

  • Tyler Ankrum entered the penultimate race of the season with high hopes of a solid finish to finish out the season. Starting from the 19th position, Ankrum would begin to gain ground on the nearest competition.
  • Ankrum would pass numerous trucks to finish 15th in Stage 1, and gained one additional spot to finish 14th in Stage 2. Tyler would note that his No. 26 LiUNA! Chevrolet would swing to the tight side, prompting crew chief Charles Denike to make adjustments to help the overall balance.
  • The adjustments would help Tyler gain spots in the closing moments of the race, but similarly to teammate Jack Wood, Ankrum would also be caught up in the last lap fiasco which took out multiple fast trucks. Tyler would come home with a disappointing 26th place finish.

Quote: “Another unfortunate finish here at Martinsville today, I was frustrated because I thought that we were able to get our truck to drive pretty well there, but we just ultimately got caught up in others’ messes there at the end. We’ve got one more shot to go out and have a good run in Phoenix, and I’m looking forward to ending our season on a positive note.”

ABOUT GMS RACING:

GMS Racing competes full-time in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series with drivers Sheldon Creed, Zane Smith, Tyler Ankrum, Chase Purdy and Jack Wood. The team also competes in the ARCA Menards Series with Daniel Dye. Since the team began in 2014, GMS Racing won the 2016 and 2020 Camping World Trucks Championship, the 2015 ARCA Menards Series championship as well as the 2019 & 2020 ARCA East championship. GMS has grown to occupy several buildings located in Statesville, N.C. The campus also includes operations for GMS Fabrication. More information can be found at https://gmsracing.net

SOCIAL MEDIA:

To keep up-to-date with the latest news, information and exclusive content, follow GMS Racing on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

Kaulig Racing Earns Second-Consecutive Title Shot

By
Official Release
-

AJ Allmendinger Secures Championship Four Spot at Martinsville

RIDGEWAY, VA (October 31, 2021) – For the second year in a row, Kaulig Racing earned a spot in the 2021 NASCAR Xfinity Series (NXS) championship race, as AJ Allmendinger punched his ticket to the season finale at Phoenix Raceway.

With a seventh-place finish in the Dead On Tools 250, Allmendinger collected enough points in the first two stages to clinch his first-ever spot in the Championship 4.

“This season has been a dream come true,” said Allmendinger. “A few years ago, I didn’t think the chance to race for a championship was ever going to happen, nor did I think I would win as many races as we have won together at Kaulig Racing. Regardless of if we made it to the championship race or not, I knew it wasn’t going to change how I have felt about our success this season as a team. Obviously, the goal is to go win in Phoenix next week, but I am proud of this team no matter what.”

Coming up just two spots short in the points battle at Martinsville, Justin Haley combatted brake issues during Saturday’s cut-off race.

“We had massive brake issues all night that ultimately ended our night early,” said Haley. “We replaced what we could in the garage, but it still wasn’t quite right. We inevitably lost the brakes all together with a few laps to go. I’m really proud of my guys at Kaulig Racing for continuing to fight all night. Unfortunately, it just wasn’t our night. I’m disappointed we couldn’t make it to the championship race for the second year in-a-row, but I’m really proud of my teammate, AJ Allmendinger, for advancing. We will look to finish our season out strong and get ready to go cup racing next year at Kaulig Racing.”

In addition to Haley’s mechanical woes, Jeb Burton was collected in a late-race incident, resulting in an early end to his night.

“Our Nutrien Ag Solutions Chevy was so fast,” said Burton. “We raced in the top five for the majority of the day, but we were run into during the final stage and ended up with a wrecked race car. It’s a frustrating end to the night at my home track, but we still have one race left to finish this season out strong.”

The 2021 NXS championship race will take place on Saturday, November 6 at Phoenix Raceway, where Kaulig Racing will have its second-consecutive shot at the series title.


About Kaulig Racing™

Kaulig Racing™ is a full-time multi-car NASCAR Xfinity Series (NXS) team, owned by award winning entrepreneur, Matt Kaulig. Established in 2016, Kaulig Racing™ has made the NXS Playoffs consecutively each season since the playoff system started, and made the Championship 4 round for the first time in 2020. Kaulig Racing fields three, full-time entries; the No. 10 Chevrolet driven by Jeb Burton, the No. 11 Chevrolet driven by Justin Haley, and the No. 16 Chevrolet driven by AJ Allmendinger. With multiple wins Kaulig Racing has come to be one of the top competitors on track each weekend. The team has made multiple starts in the NASCAR Cup Series (NCS) in 2021, including the Daytona 500 with Kaz Grala. In the team’s seventh-ever NCS start, AJ Allmendinger won at “The Brickyard” for the Verizon 200 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.The team has acquired two charters for the 2022 season, with plans to begin full-time competition in the NCS. To learn more about the team, visit kauligracing.com.

Championship Battle Persists Between DSR Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat Funny Cars in Qualifying at Dodge//SRT NHRA Nationals Presented by Pennzoil

By
Official Release
-

·        Defending Funny Car world champion Matt Hagan retakes the championship lead after qualifying No. 4 for the Dodge//SRT NHRA Nationals Presented by Pennzoil by driving his Direct Connection Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat to the quickest run in the final qualifying session

·        Ron Capps qualified his Pennzoil Synthetics/NAPA AUTO PARTS Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat in the top-half of the eliminations ladder and trails Don Schumacher Racing (DSR) teammate Hagan by two points heading into race day

·        Cruz Pedregon qualified his Snap-on Tools Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat No. 7 for eliminations at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway while he looks to improve on his current fifth place position in the Funny Car championship title fight

·        Leah Pruett qualified both her Direct Connection dragster and Direct Connection Mopar Drag Pak in the top half of the eliminations ladder in her final double-duty weekend racing in both Top Fuel and Factory Stock Showdown categories

·        Special “Direct Connection” graphics on Hagan and Leah Pruett’s respective Dodge//SRT race cars provide a sneak-peek at one of two new performance initiatives set to be announced November 8 at Dodge.com.

October 30, 2021, Las Vegas, Nevada — Don Schumacher Racing (DSR) Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat Funny Car drivers Matt Hagan and Ron Capps continued to battle back and forth for the lead in the National Hot Rod Association (NHRA) “Countdown to the Championship” through qualifying at the Dodge//SRT Nationals Presented by Pennzoil at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, the sixth of seven playoff events to determine who’ll earn the coveted world championship title.

While Capps drove his HEMI®-powered Pennzoil Synthetics NAPA Auto Parts machine into the weekend leading his DSR teammate by one point and then added another two bonus points to his tally by posting the second quickest run in the second qualifying session, Hagan retook the championship points lead after qualifying No. 4 by driving his Direct Connection Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat to a 3.905-seconds/ 321.65 mph pass to post the quickest run in the final qualifying session. The defending Funny Car champion will begin his elimination battle against No. 13-seed Chad Green as he works to take home a third consecutive Wally trophy from Dodge//SRT Nationals.

Cruz Pedregon earned the No. 7 spot on the Funny Car ladder with a solid final qualifying effort of 3.918 seconds at 325.69 mph aboard his Snap-on Tools Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat, the fourth quickest pass of Q2, while looking to improve on his current fifth place position in the championship standings. The Cruz Pedregon Racing HEMI-powered machine will have lane choice over No. 10 seed Tony Jurado for his first round pairing.

Capps, a five-time winner at the Las Vegas venue, ended up with the eighth quickest qualifying run to secure his place on the eliminations ladder against No. 9 seed Tim Wilkerson for Sunday’s opening round, while trailing Hagan in the Funny Car standings by just two points.

DSR pilot Leah Pruett qualified both her Direction Connection dragster and Direct Connection Mopar Drag Pak in the top half of the eliminations ladder in her final double-duty weekend racing in both Top Fuel and Factory Stock Showdown categories.

The special “Direct Connection” graphics on both Hagan and Pruett’s respective Dodge//SRT race cars provide a sneak-peek at one of two new performance initiatives set to be announced November 8 at Dodge.com.

In Top Fuel action, Pruett will line up her Direct Connection Mopar Dodge//SRT dragster next to DSR teammate Antron Brown for the opening round of eliminations after qualifying ninth with her final run of 3.769 seconds at 314.61 mph.

The final Constant Aviation Factory Stock Showdown (FSS) event of the season will have Pruett launch her 2021 Direct Connection Dodge Challenger Mopar Drag Pak from the No. 4 position against No. 13-seed Ryan Priddy on the strength of her final qualifying run at 7.963 seconds/173.21 mph. After four years of competing in both categories, Sunday’s Dodge//SRT NHRA Nationals will be the 2018 Factory Stock Showdown champion’s last opportunity to attempt to double-up on trophy hardware aboard DSR Dodge race cars.

Pruett’s FSS teammate Mark Pawuk qualified his DSR-prepared 2021 Empaco Equipment Mopar Drag Pak No. 5 with a 7.970-second run at 174.39 mph in the second session to start his race day against No. 12 John Cerbone.

David Davies II had his best run of 8.039 seconds at 172.47 mph in Q2 as well to put his 2021 D H Davies Racing Mopar Drag Pak in the No. 14 spot on the FSS eliminations ladder and pair him up with No. 3 qualifier Jason Dietsch for the opening round of the Dodge//SRT NHRA Nationals.

Television coverage of Top Fuel and Funny Car eliminations at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, the sixth of seven “Countdown to the Championship” playoff events, including LIVE coverage of the final round of the Dodge//SRT Nationals Presented by Pennzoil, will air on FS1 on Sunday, Oct. 31, 5-8 p.m. (ET.)

ADDITIONAL NOTES and QUOTES
 
FUNNY CAR:
Matt Hagan, DSR Direct Connection Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat Redeye
(No. 4 Qualifier – 3.905 seconds at 321.65 mph)
Qualifying 1: 3.931 seconds at 322.34 mph

Qualifying 2: 4.897 seconds at 160.10 mph
Qualifying 3: 3.905 seconds at 321.65 mph (3 bonus points for quickest run of Q3)
 

“Finished strong in qualifying with running low of Q3 and retaking the points lead. This Direct Connection Dodge is running great and we have a good opportunity to go some rounds tomorrow, and hopefully, put some more points between us and the rest of the field and pull down another trophy for DSR. This track is always good to us, We’ve been to the final the last four years in a row. I’m excited to be out here. The fans have been out in full force all weekend, and I’m glad we were able to put on a great show for them. Made a good run today and a good run yesterday, and we’ll get ready for race day and see what we can do.”
 
Ron Capps, DSR Pennzoil Synthetics NAPA Auto Parts Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat
(No. 7 Qualifier – x seconds at x mph)
Qualifying 1:  3.973 seconds at 304.60 mph
Qualifying 2:  3.926 seconds at 324.51 mph (2 bonus points for second quickest run)
Qualifying 3: 5.957 seconds at 125.10 mph (hazed the tires)
 
“That last session surely mixed things up. You never want to race a Tim Wilkerson and early is really tough. We were going up there to try and improve and go after that No. 1 spot and you can’t be upset about that. That’s what I love about Guido (Dean Antonelli) and (John) Medlen and this Pennzoil Synthetics NAPA AutoCare team. We were going to try and take those three points. It is what it is and everybody in that field has a chance of winning tomorrow. We’ll do the same thing we’ve really done all season long and that’s just race with that NAPA Know How. It will be warmer racing during the day and it will be interesting. It should be a fun day. This is exciting with the Pennzoil blue chrome car for the last time this season.”

  
Cruz Pedregon, Cruz Pedregon Racing Snap-on® Tools Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat
(No. 7 Qualifier – x seconds at x mph)
Qualifying 1: 8.401 seconds at 87.07 mph
Qualifying 2: 3.959 seconds at 321.65 mph

Qualifying 3: 3.918 seconds at 325.69 mph
 
“We stumbled right off the trailer when we dropped a cylinder right out of the blocks. (Crew Chief) John Collins and the Snap-on Tools team did a good job of making some good adjustments in the heat of the day and we went 3.95-seconds, which was fourth in that session.

Then we came back and improved with a 3.91 second run at 325 mph, so a lot of the good progress was made. It was cooler and a really good conditions, but we’ll take it. That’s a good spot, and we’ll just continue to take one round at a time and keep chipping away at it and see how we come out.”

 
TOP FUEL:
Leah Pruett, DSR Direct Connection Mopar Dodge//SRT Dragster  
(No. 8 Qualifier – 3.769  seconds at 314.61 mph)
Qualifying 1: 3.843 seconds at 310.55 mph

Qualifying 2: 4.050 seconds at 228.34 mph
Qualifying 3: 3.769 seconds at 314.61 mph

“In Top Fuel we are connected to our DSR teammate, Antron Brown, and that will be a fierce match-up. We had a couple issues of our own and we had our strongest pass in our final qualifying attempt with that 3.76. We have eight cylinders in that HEMI engine and each round it’s picked one it’s not happy with. Tomorrow is part two. We’re through qualifying and now we have race day. Just like the two parts to Direct Connection to our November 8 announcement. We’re focused on scaring everyone with the potential this team has. You don’t win very often on Halloween, so I’d really like to take this one home. This is one of my hometown races and we’re ready to go some rounds.”

FACTORY STOCK SHOOTOUT:

Leah Pruett, 2021 Direct Connection Dodge Challenger Mopar Drag Pak

(No. 4 Qualifier – 7.963 seconds at 173.21 mph)

Qualifying 1: 8.026 seconds at 168.53 mph

Qualifying 2: 9.531 seconds at 165.84 mph

Qualifying 3: 7.963 seconds at 173.21 mph

“It’s been a treacherous, spooky weekend in the Factory Stock Showdown in our Direct Connection Mopar Drag Pak. We had another phantom cylinder bit us yesterday on Q1 and we put up a smoke show on Q2 with minimal problems. We had a transmission issue that was minor, but it caused quite a bit of smoke. We are picking away at this Drag Pak tune-up and then, boom, our 7.96 in Q3 lands us in the No. 3 spot and all our tricks are right so we can get the treats tomorrow with an early win light with E1 at 8:30 Sunday morning.”

Mark Pawuk, Empaco Equipment Mopar Drag Pak

(No. 5 Qualifier – 7.970 seconds at 174.39 mph)

Qualifying 1: 8.028 seconds at 173.23 mph

Qualifying 2: 7.970 seconds at 174.39 mph

Qualifying 3: 8.010 seconds at 176.40 mph

“We made some nice progress in the last couple races. We ran really good this morning on the Q2 hit. I think we didn’t realize how good the track was for Q3, but we made consistent runs all weekend and the last few races. I’m very pleased with the performance of the car. We’ve got it figured out. I’m looking forward to a great day for the Empaco Equipment Dodge Challenger for DSR. We’ll see what happens, but the Cowboy has to do his job.”

David Davies, D H Davies Racing Dodge Challenger Mopar Drag Pak

(No. 14 Qualifier – 8.039 seconds at 172.47 mph)

Qualifying 1: No Time (Foul)

Qualifying 2: 8.039 seconds at 172.47 mph

Qualifying 3: 8.071 seconds at 173.18 mph

“I feel good about tomorrow. We overcame a little driver/technical malfunction early and made a couple of clean qualifying passes. We didn’t quite have the horsepower we needed to pull through, but now that we’ve got some data, we’re going to put the screws to it at the last event of the season, and we’re looking to go some rounds tomorrow. We’ve got the car and the team to do it, and the team once again proved why they’re the best at what they do when they hustled to get Leah (Pruett’s) and my Drag Paks turned around quickly with engine swaps on both cars.”

NHRA Championship Points Standings:
Following qualifying at the Dodge//SRT NHRA Nationals at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway
  
FUNNY CAR (season wins in parentheses)

1. Matt Hagan (Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat) – 2,527 (3/1-Tommy Johnson Jr.)

2. Ron Capps (Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat) – 2,525 (2)

3. J.R. Todd – 2,447 (1)

4. John Force – 2,430 (3)

5. Cruz Pedregon (Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat) – 2,422 (1)

6. Bob Tasca III – 2,377 (2)

7. Robert Hight – 2,372 (2)

8. Alexis DeJoria – 2,360 (1)

9. Tim Wilkerson– 2,282 (1)

10. Blake Alexander– 2,184

TOP FUEL (season wins in parentheses)

1. Steve Torrance – 2,614 (9)

2. Brittany Force – 2,549 (1)

3. Justin Ashley – 2,466 (2)

4. Mike Salinas – 2,462 (1)

5. Billy Torrence – 2,391 (2)

6. Leah Pruett (Mopar Dodge//SRT) – 2,323 (1)

7. Clay Millican – 2,302

8. Antron Brown – 2,285 (1)

9. Shawn Langdon – 2,260

10. Doug Kalitta – 2,211

DodgeGarage: Digital Hub for Drag Racing News

Fans can follow all the NHRA action this season at DodgeGarage, the one-stop portal for Dodge//SRT and Mopar drag-racing news. The site includes daily updates and access to an online racing HQ, news, events, galleries, available downloads and merchandise. For more information, visit www.dodgegarage.com.

@DodgeMoparMotorsports on Instagram

The @DodgeMoparMotorsports Instagram channel continues to share content capturing Dodge//SRT Mopar drivers on the track. Fans can see action from the NHRA Camping World Drag Racing Series and NHRA Sportsman grassroots racers, competing in classes such as Factory Stock Showdown, Stock and Super Stock, as well as additional motorsports series.

Mopar

Mopar (a simple contraction of the words MOtor and PARts) offers exceptional service, parts and customer care. Born in 1937 as the name of a line of antifreeze products, the Mopar brand has evolved over more than 80 years to represent both complete vehicle care and authentic performance for owners and enthusiasts worldwide.

Mopar made its mark in the 1960s during the muscle-car era with performance parts to enhance speed and handling for both on-road and racing use. Later, the brand expanded to include technical service and customer support. Today, Mopar integrates service, parts and customer-care operations in order to enhance customer and dealer support worldwide.

Mopar is part of the portfolio of brands offered by leading global automaker and mobility provider Stellantis. For more information regarding Stellantis (NYSE: STLA), please visit www.stellantis.com.

Follow Mopar and company news and video on:

Company blog: blog.stellantisnorthamerica.com

Media website: media.stellantisnorthamerica.com

Mopar brand: www.mopar.com

Mopar blog: blog.mopar.com

Facebook: www.facebook.com/mopar

Instagram: www.instagram.com/officialmopar

Twitter: @OfficialMOPAR

YouTube: www.youtube.com/c/mopar and www.youtube.com/StellantisNA

Dodge//SRT

For more than 100 years, the Dodge brand has carried on the spirit of brothers John and Horace Dodge. Their influence continues today as Dodge shifts into high gear with muscle cars and SUVs that deliver unrivaled performance in each of the segments where they compete.

Dodge drives forward as a pure performance brand, offering SRT versions of every model across the lineup. For the 2022 model year, Dodge delivers the drag-strip dominating 807-horsepower Dodge Challenger SRT Super Stock, the 797-horsepower Dodge Charger SRT Redeye, the most powerful and fastest mass-produced sedan in the world, and the Dodge Durango SRT 392, America’s fastest, most powerful and most capable three-row SUV. Combined, these three muscle cars make Dodge the industry’s most powerful brand, offering more horsepower than any other American brand across its entire lineup.

In 2020, Dodge was named the “#1 Brand in Initial Quality,” making it the first domestic brand ever to rank No. 1 in the J.D. Power Initial Quality Study (IQS). In 2021, Dodge brand ranked No. 1 in the J.D. Power APEAL Study (mass market) — making it the only domestic brand ever to do so two years in a row.

Dodge is part of the portfolio of brands offered by leading global automaker and mobility provider Stellantis. For more information regarding Stellantis (NYSE: STLA), please visit www.stellantis.com.

Follow Dodge and company news and video on:

Company blog: blog.stellantisnorthamerica.com

Media website: media.stellantisnorthamerica.com

Dodge brand: www.dodge.com

DodgeGarage: www.dodgegarage.com

Facebook: www.facebook.com/dodge

Instagram: www.instagram.com/dodgeofficial

Twitter: @Dodge and @StellantisNA

YouTube: www.youtube.com/dodge and www.youtube.com/StellantisNA

Monster Energy Racing: Riley Herbst Martinsville NXS Race Report

By
Official Release
-

Herbst Rallies to Finish 10th at Martinsville
Monster Energy Driver Rebounds from Late-Race Incident to Score 12th Top-10 of Season

Date: Oct. 30, 2021
Event: Martinsville 250 (Round 32 of 33)
Series: NASCAR Xfinity Series
Location: Martinsville (Va.) Speedway (.526-mile oval)
Format: 250 laps, broken into three stages (60 laps/60 laps/130 laps)
Start/Finish: 16th / 10th (Running, completed 257 of 257 laps)
Point Standing: 11th with 2,121 points
Note: Race extended seven laps past its scheduled 250-lap distance due to a green-white-checkered finish.
Race Winner: Noah Gragson of JR Motorsports (Chevrolet)
Stage 1 Winner: Austin Cindric of Team Penske (Ford)
Stage 2 Winner: Noah Gragson of JR Motorsports (Chevrolet)

Overview:

Riley Herbst proved resilient in Saturday night’s NASCAR Xfinity Series race at Martinsville (Va.) Speedway. The driver of the No. 98 Monster Energy Ford Mustang finished an impressive 10th after getting collected in a multicar accident that left him 26th with less than 60 laps remaining. Prior to the accident on lap 194 that ensnared Herbst and four of his counterparts and led to a 10-minute and 47-second red flag stoppage, Herbst was running eighth. That track position went out the window as Herbst was forced to pit so his Monster Energy crew could fix some right-front damage and get him back onto the .526-mile with four fresh tires and fuel. Herbst methodically made his way forward, rejoining the top-10 on lap 227. He then survived two late-race restarts and held steady among the top-10 to collect his 12th top-10 finish of the season.

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

“Proud of the No. 98 Monster Energy team for never giving up. We definitely had a car that could run up front, but that incident in the last stage really put us back in the pack. Luckily, we caught a break with a quick caution and raced our way back up into the top-10. Still got one more shot at the win in Phoenix.”

Notes:

● Herbst finished eighth in Stage 2 to earn three bonus points.

● Noah Gragson won the Martinsville 250 to score his fifth career Xfinity Series victory, his third of the season and his first at Martinsville. His margin over second-place Austin Cindric was .064 of a second.

● There were 13 caution periods for a total of 75 laps.

● Twenty-seven of the 40 drivers in the Martinsville 250 finished on the lead lap.

Next Up:

The NASCAR Xfinity Series season finale is Saturday, Nov. 6 at Phoenix Raceway. The championship race starts at 8:30 p.m. EDT with live coverage provided by NBCSN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.

Team Penske NASCAR Xfinity Series Race Report – Martinsville

By
Official Release
-

Team Penske NASCAR Xfinity Series Race Report
Track: Martinsville Speedway
Race: Dead On Tools 250
Date: October 30, 2021

No. 22 Carquest Ford Mustang – Austin Cindric
Start: 1st
Stage 1: 1st – 12th stage win of 2021
Stage 2: 5th
Finish: 2nd
Status: Running
Laps Completed: 257/257
Laps Led: 64
Point Standings (behind first): 2nd (-0) – Clinched a spot in the Championship 4

Notes:

  • Austin Cindric and the Carquest team did exactly what was needed Saturday night at Martinsville Speedway to race for their second consecutive NASCAR Xfinity Series title – and came close to grabbing a victory on the final lap of the race. Cindric started on the pole, won the first stage, locked into Championship 4 during Stage 2, and finished .064 seconds (about half a car length) behind Noah Gragson in Saturday night’s Dean On Tools 250. He racked up his 21st top-five finish of the season and posted his best result in three Martinsville starts.
  • The starting lineup was once again set per the NASCAR rulebook, which gave Cindric the first starting position. The driver of the Carquest Ford Mustang reported that his car’s balance was free at the beginning of a run. Most of the leaders chose to pit during the third caution on lap 49 but Cindric remained on track and went on to win the opening segment of the race, his 12th stage victory. Crew chief Brian Wilson called his driver to pit road during the stage caution for four tires and Cindric restarted 17th on lap 68.
  • By lap 90 the No. 22 Mustang was back inside the top-10. Cindric reported that his Carquest Ford needed to fire off better but did exactly what he needed to do during Stage 2. He officially clinched a spot in the Championship 4 with a fifth-place finish when Stage 2 concluded on lap 120. Cindric, only needing five more points scored a fifth-place finish. Cindric pitted during the stage caution for four tires plus an air pressure adjustment and restarted fourth on lap 130.
  • The final stage was slowed by eight cautions plus one red flag for track cleanup. The final two yellow flags push the conclusion into NASCAR Overtime. On the last restart, Cindric lined up on the front row outside of race leader Noah Gragson. On the final lap, Cindric dove inside Gragson between Turns 3 and 4, briefly pulling even off the final corner but was edged out for the win by just .064 seconds (about half a car length).

Quote: “We actually had to re-establish our track position after stage one with all of those cars flipping stages, so almost got a chance to win the race there. It’s tough when you’re trying to race for a championship. Noah earned it and he deserved it. I think a couple more laps and the 22 car would be in Victory Lane. I really wanted to get the win today, but excited to go next week and have some fun. I’ve said it throughout the year last year and throughout the year this year, making the Champ 4 is the hardest thing you can do in a national series and at Phoenix in the final race it’s about having your best day. We have the opportunity to go do that and have some fun.”

Ford Performance NASCAR: Cindric Advances to NXS Championship 4 For Second Straight Year

By
Official Release
-

Ford Performance Notes and Quotes
NASCAR Xfinity Series
Dead On Tools 250 | Saturday, October 30, 2021

FORD FINISHING RESULTS
2nd — Austin Cindric
10th — Riley Herbst
31st — Ryan Sieg

AUSTIN CINDRIC, No. 22 Carquest Auto Parts Ford Mustang — “We actually had to re-establish our track position after stage one with all of those cars flipping stages, so almost got a chance to win the race there. It’s tough when you’re trying to race for a championship. I said it after Bristol. I have one way I intend on having to race for a championship and I feel like that’s as close as you can get to clean racing. Noah earned it. Noah deserved it. I think a couple more laps and the 22 car would be in Victory Lane.”

ANY SHOT OF CONTACT COMING TO THE CHECKERED FLAG? “Absolutely, there’s a shot at contact. It’s Martinsville. I mean, we’re racing for a championship. That’s the way I see it. That’s how I’d want to be raced and that’s how I intend on racing for a championship. That’s what I said after Bristol and I felt like I had a great opportunity there in three and four and I just need a couple more inches. I really wanted to get the win today, but excited to go next week and have some fun. I’ve said it throughout the year last year and throughout the year this year, making the Champ 4 is the hardest thing you can do in a national series and at Phoenix in the final race it’s about having your best day. We have the opportunity to go do that and have some fun.”

THE RESPECT YOU GAVE TO THE 9 IS IT FAIR TO SAY THAT’S WHAT YOU’D EXPECT FROM YOUR THREE COMPETITORS NEXT WEEK? “I can’t expect anything to be reciprocated, but with all eyes on this series and what we’ve been able to do this year, I want to make a statement on how I intend on racing, for sure.”

POST-RACE PRESS CONFERENCE

AUSTIN CINDRIC — WAS THERE ANY THOUGHT ABOUT GRAGSON WINNING AND HOW GOOD ALLGAIER IS AT PHOENIX? “It didn’t affect my final decision. That’s my political answer. Obviously, Justin is extremely good at Phoenix, but that wasn’t gonna stop me from trying to win the race tonight. I feel like that would be really, really foolish and a disservice to my race team, so I had that opportunity and chose to do with it what I did.”

YOU SAID YOU DIDN’T WANT TO USE NOAH UP AND RACE HIM A CERTAIN WAY. THAT WAS DIFFERENT THAN WHAT WE SAW IN THE TRUCK RACE. WHY DO YOU THINK YOU GUYS HAVE A DIFFERENT PHILOSOPHY ON HOW TO RACE THAN THE TRUCK GUYS DO? “I think it’s a great question. I think all three of us probably have a similar yet different answer to this. There’s a lot of experience between Noah, Daniel, AJ and myself. That stuff usually doesn’t work too well in your favor, even if it’s for short-term gain. I feel like we’ve all benefited from the short-term gain, but also seen the penalty from it. Look, we’re all at that step where it’s right under the Cup level, whether if it’s what my desire to be or whatever their desire is to be in their career. There isn’t anything higher after the XFINITY Series once you move up, so I feel like when you’re in great equipment it’s a great platform to show the people at the next level how you intend to go about your business because there will be a day that I’ll be contending for a Cup win. I might suck a few races next year, but that’s all about being a rookie, but at the same time I feel like it is a great platform for me to really showcase what I’m about inside of a race car.”

ON DANIEL HEMRIC HAVING TO POINTS RACE AT THE END. “This is bad. Come on. This guy has won stages. He’s led laps. He put himself in position. He put his team on his back today, made the right choice on the choose for points racing purposes only. The only reason I had a chance to win this race today is because Daniel had to points race and I didn’t.”

1...2,2852,2862,287...6,741Page 2,286 of 6,741