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HighPoint.com Racing: Chase Briscoe Phoenix Race Report

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Official Release
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Briscoe Named 2021 Cup Series Rookie of the Year
HighPoint.com Driver Exits Season Finale Early After Accident in Stage 2

Date: Nov. 7, 2021
Event: Season Finale 500 (Round 36 of 36)
Series: NASCAR Cup Series
Location: Phoenix Raceway (1-mile oval)
Format: 312 laps, broken into three stages (75 laps/115 laps/122 laps)
Start/Finish: 22nd / 35th (Accident, completed 153 of 312 laps)
Point Standing: 23rd with 655 points
Champion: Kyle Larson of Hendrick Motorsports (Chevrolet)
Race Winner: Kyle Larson of Hendrick Motorsports (Chevrolet)
Stage 1 Winner: Martin Truex Jr. of Joe Gibbs Racing (Toyota)
Stage 2 Winner: Kyle Larson of Hendrick Motorsports (Chevrolet)

Stage 1 Recap (Laps 1-75):

● Chase Briscoe started 22nd and finished 14th.

● During the first caution on lap seven, Briscoe reported his HighPoint.com Mustang felt solid on the short run. He restarted 18th on lap 12 and was running 16th when the second caution occurred on lap 16.

● Briscoe pitted under yellow on lap 17 for tires, fuel and an air pressure adjustment to help with drive off the exit of turn two. He restarted 22nd on lap 21.

● The Cup Series rookie gradually pushed forward through the remainder of the first stage. He finished Stage 1 in the 14th position on lap 75.

● At the stage break, Briscoe pitted for tires, fuel and another air pressure adjustment to help with turn in the center of the corner.

Stage 2 Recap (Laps 76-154):

● Briscoe started 10th and finished 35th.

● The HighPoint.com driver began the second stage in the 10th position and was running 13th when the fourth caution occurred on lap 130. Briscoe pitted for tires, fuel and adjustments to free up the No. 14 Ford Mustang in the center of the corner.

● Quick work from the pit crew gave Briscoe a fifth-place spot for the lap-136 restart, and the driver from Mitchell, Indiana, held his position in the top-10 for several laps.
● Briscoe reported his Ford Mustang was struggling in the top lane after falling outside the top-10 on lap 146. Just eight laps later, while battling with Kyle Busch for the 12th position, Briscoe’s Ford Mustang got loose entering turn three as the result of a cut left rear tire and made hard contact with the outside wall. Severe damage ended his day with only 153 laps complete.

Notes:

● When the checkered flag dropped on the Season Finale 500, Briscoe was officially named the 2021 NASCAR Cup Series Rookie of the Year. Briscoe was the highest-finishing rookie 29 times this season.

● Briscoe is one of only three drivers to win the rookie-of-the-year title in all three of NASCAR’s top national touring series – Camping World Truck (2017), Xfinity (2019) and Cup (2021). He joins William Byron and Erik Jones.

● Kyle Larson won the Season Finale 500 to score his 16th career NASCAR Cup Series victory, his series-high 10th of the season and his first at Phoenix. His margin over second-place Martin Truex Jr., was .398 of a second.

● Larson earned his first NASCAR Cup Series championship by virtue of his win. He is the 35th different driver to win the series title.

● There were nine caution periods for a total of 51 laps.

● Only 24 of the 39 drivers in the Season Finale 500 finished on the lead lap.

Chase Briscoe, driver of the No. 14 HighPoint.com Ford Mustang for Stewart-Haas Racing:

“We had a really, really good long-run HighPoint.com Mustang, but our short-run speed, we were just trying to hang on. We were three-wide one time off of turn four and the 18 got into me a little and gave it a little bit of a tire rub. I think he was getting frustrated because I was just trying to hold those guys up as long as I could, because I knew if I made it 15 laps I would be OK. He got into me into (turn) three. I feel like, at the same time, my left-rear tire cut. I don’t know if that was from the damage earlier and then when he got into me the second time it finally cut it or what. At that point, I was along for the ride. It is super unfortunate. We had a top-10 car, and if we could have had some long runs maybe even a top-five car. We went all year long and never crashed a car, so to end it on the last one like that is unfortunate. You always want a good run at the end of the season to build momentum into the off-season. You just want to have good runs every week. I hate it that it ended this way, but I am looking forward to the future and everything that entails.

“It’s definitely cool to end the season as Rookie of the Year and to have that in all three series. I definitely had higher expectations coming into this year, but it was a weird year. As a company, we struggled way more than we thought we would. You base your expectations off of last year, and we just weren’t quite there from a performance standpoint, so you alter those expectations a little bit. The 14 team was competitive in a couple of races and battling for a few wins and top-fives. I think we have proved that whenever we get the car driving right and have the speed, we are fully capable of running up front with those guys. I wouldn’t say the season was a thumbs up or a thumbs down, maybe somewhere in the middle. There is still a lot that I have to learn to do better. The Cup Series guys are so good. You have to be on it 100 percent and clean up a lot of little things. I feel like going into the Next Gen car it will be nice to have a year under my belt and know all the little things to work on during the off-season to try to apply to next year.”

Next Up:

The 2022 season begins with a non-points exhibition race Feb. 6 at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum before kicking off its 36-race slate of points-paying events with the 64th Daytona 500 on Feb. 20 at Daytona (Fla.) International Speedway. FS1 will broadcast the Busch Clash at the Coliseum, and FOX will broadcast the Daytona 500. Each event will be live and can also be heard on SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.

Ford Performance NASCAR: Phoenix 2 (Four Mustangs Finish Top-10 as Briscoe Claims Rookie of the Year Honors)

By
Official Release
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Ford Performance Notes and Quotes
NASCAR Cup Series
Championship Race at Phoenix | Sunday, November 7, 2021

FORD FINISHING RESULTS
4th – Ryan Blaney
6th – Aric Almirola
8th – Kevin Harvick
10th – Brad Keselowski
11th – Joey Logano
12th – Matt DiBenedetto
13th – Cole Custer
23rd – Ryan Newman
24th – Michael McDowell
25th – Chris Buescher
27th – BJ McLeod
30th – Josh Bilicki
34th – Anthony Alfredo
35th – Chase Briscoe

RYAN BLANEY, No. 12 Menards/Jack Links Ford Mustang — FINISHED 4th

“We had a good race. There was a group of us that were kind of behind the top-4 guys that were racing pretty much all day. We had a good Mustang there on the last run and we were able to get up to fourth. I am really proud of that effort. It was a really good last run for Todd (Gordon) before he hands it up. I wish it was a win. I can’t thank him enough for the last couple of years and I can’t thank this whole group enough for this year. It has been a lot of fun. Hopefully, we will be in the Championship 4 next year.”

BRAD KESELOWSKI, No. 2 Discount Tire Ford Mustang — FINISHED 10th

NOW THAT YOU HAVE CLIMBED OUT OF THE 2 CAR FOR THE LAST TIME, WHAT ARE YOUR THOUGHTS ON THE RACE TODAY AND YOUR PENSKE YEARS? “Yeah, it was a fun race. We couldn’t really catch any breaks today. The first stage there we stayed out and got that long run and kind of got ate up. We recovered from that and got ourselves back in the hunt to sixth or seventh and then we pitted under green a little early to try to pick up some spots. But the yellow came out and trapped us a lap down. We were 23rd with like 50 go to and we drove back up through to 10th. I would have loved to see that race run a really long green there at the end to see what we could have done. It just wasn’t meant to be.”

CHASE BRISCOE, No. 14 HighPoint.com Ford Mustang — RETIRED EARLY DUE TO ACCIDENT ON LAP 156

WHAT HAPPENED TO CAUSE THE CONTACT FROM THE 18? “We were racing hard. We had a really, really good long-run Mustang but our short-run speed, we were just trying to hang on. We were three-wide one time off of Turn 4 and the 18 got into me a little and gave it a little bit of a tire rub. I think he was getting frustrated because I was just trying to hold those guys up as long as I could because I knew if I made it 15 laps I would be okay. He got into me into 3. I don’t know if he just sent me or what. I feel like at the same time, my left-rear tire cut. I don’t know if that was from the damage earlier and then when he got into me the second time it finally cut it or what. At that point, I was along for the ride. It is super unfortunate. We had for sure a top-10 car and if we could have had some long runs maybe even a top-five car. We went all year long and never crashed a car, so to end it on the last one like that is unfortunate. You always want a good run at the end of the season to build momentum into the off-season. You just want to have good runs every week. I hate it that it ended this way, but I am looking forward to the future and everything that entails.”

YOU ARE THE 2021 NASCAR CUP SERIES ROOKIE OF THE YEAR, HOW DOES THAT FEEL? “I wish there was more competition for it and we were going up against more guys but it is really cool to be able to win it in all three series now. That is something that is really special. I didn’t know if I would ever get a chance to run in the Truck Series, let alone all three. To be able to win Rookie of the Year, I think only two other guys have done it in all three. That is really cool to accomplish. It is a nice thing to achieve by the end of the year. You kind of start the season hoping that you win it and then to be able to lock it up is nice.”

HOW WOULD YOU RATE YOUR ROOKIE YEAR? “I don’t know. I definitely had higher expectations coming into the year. It was a weird year. As a company, we struggled way more than we thought we would. I think last year I read a stat that SHR, in general, had 42 podium finishes and this year we only had four or five. You base your expectations off of last year and we just weren’t quite there from a performance standpoint. I think you alter them a little bit. For me, we were competitive in a couple of races and battling for a few wins and top-fives. I think we have proved that whenever we get the car driving right and have the speed we are fully capable of running up front with those guys. I wouldn’t say the season was a thumbs up or a thumbs down, I would say somewhere in the middle. There is still a lot that I have to do way better. The Cup guys are so good. You have to be on it 100-percent and clean up a lot of little things. I feel like going into the Next Gen car it will be nice to have a year under my belt and know all the little things to work on during the off-season to try to apply to next year.”

Toyota Racing NCS Post-Race Recap — Phoenix 11.7.21

By
Official Release
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TRUEX AND HAMLIN COME UP JUST SHORT IN PHOENIX
Championship 4 drivers Martin Truex Jr. and Denny Hamlin finish second and third

PHOENIX (November 7, 2021) – Martin Truex Jr. (second) and Denny Hamlin (third) came up just short of the NASCAR Cup Series Championship at Phoenix Raceway on Sunday evening. Their Joe Gibbs Racing teammates Kyle Busch (seventh) and Christopher Bell (ninth) joined them inside the top-10 finishers.

Toyota Post-Race Recap
NASCAR Cup Series (NCS)
Phoenix Raceway
Race 36 of 36 – 312 laps, 312 miles

TOYOTA FINISHING POSITIONS
1st, Kyle Larson*
2nd, MARTIN TRUEX JR.
3rd, DENNY HAMLIN
4th, Ryan Blaney*
5th, Chase Elliott*
7th, KYLE BUSCH
9th, CHRISTOPHER BELL
33rd, DAVID STARR
38th, TIMMY HILL
39th, BUBBA WALLACE
*non-Toyota driver

TOYOTA QUOTES

MARTIN TRUEX JR., No. 19 Bass Pro Shops Toyota Camry, Joe Gibbs Racing

Finishing Position: 2nd

What more did you need to go and pass Kyle Larson?

“I don’t know. Clean air seemed to be a good bit of an advantage there. Whoever got out front was there for 20, 30, 40 laps and then the long run cars would start coming around. I don’t know. Ultimately, we needed to beat them off of pit road. It’s unfortunate, but we win and lose as a team. I’m really proud of our efforts this year. Big thanks to everyone that makes it possible – Bass Pro Shops, Auto Owners, Reser’s Fine Foods, Toyota, TRD, Sherwin Williams, Oakley, Textron, Noble Aerospace, all of our partners. That’s three times that we’ve been second and that sucks. Second hurts, I’m not going to lie, especially with the car we had and the job the guys did. That’s racing as they say, and sometimes you’re just not on the right side of things. We were on the right side of things to get the lead there, and weren’t able to hang on to it. If we could have had the lead, I think it would have been over, but that’s kind of how the 5 (Kyle Larson) did it. They had a hell of a season, congrats to them. Gosh, dang, it sucks. I hate it.”

What was going through your mind when you pulled onto pit road?

“Just how close we were again. ’18, ’19, ’21, that’s three years that we were right there. We had a car capable of winning, just for whatever reason it didn’t go the way we needed it to and then at the end there, we didn’t have quite enough speed to get to the 5 (Kyle Larson) and then around him. I thought he would stay on the bottom a little longer and I would have a shot, but he moved up and then I couldn’t do anything on the bottom, so it is what it is. They did a great job. They had a great season, congrats to them. We will go back and try next year.”

DENNY HAMLIN, No. 11 FedEx Express Toyota Camry, Joe Gibbs Racing

Finishing Position: 3rd

How strong did you feel your race car was in the closing laps and could you have caught Kyle Larson?

“I really liked where we were at with 25 (laps) to go. We were just exceptional in the long run, which wasn’t too surprising. Started running the 19 (Martin Truex Jr.) back down there and got within a couple car lengths. Obviously, that debris caution changed a lot. Special congrats to (Kyle) Larson and their team. Any time you win 10 races in a year, you’re absolutely a deserving champion. They did a great job on the last pit stop and got him out there. It was over after that. Proud of my team, great effort adjusting on the car all day getting it so much better. Thank you to our partners at FedEx, Toyota, Jordan Brand – just a really good year, a really, really good year. It just didn’t pan out. We needed that thing to go green and it didn’t.”

About Toyota

Toyota (NYSE:TM) has been a part of the cultural fabric in the U.S. and North America for more than 60 years, and is committed to advancing sustainable, next-generation mobility through our Toyota and Lexus brands. During that time, Toyota has created a tremendous value chain as our teams have contributed to world-class design, engineering, and assembly of more than 38 million cars and trucks in North America, where we have 14 manufacturing plants, 15 including our joint venture in Alabama (10 in the U.S.), and directly employ more than 47,000 people (over 36,000 in the U.S.). Our 1,800 North American dealerships (nearly 1,500 in the U.S.) sold 2.8 million cars and trucks (2.4 million in the U.S.) in 2018.

Through the Start Your Impossible campaign, Toyota highlights the way it partners with community, civic, academic and governmental organizations to address our society’s most pressing mobility challenges. We believe that when people are free to move, anything is possible. For more information about Toyota, visit ToyotaNewsroom.com

Verstappen scores a dominant victory in the Mexico City Grand Prix

By
Andrew Kim
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Max Verstappen took another step closer in achieving his maiden Formula One championship after the Dutchman notched a dominating victory ahead of Sir Lewis Hamilton and teammate Sergio “Checo” Perez in the Mexico City Grand Prix at Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez on Sunday, November 7.

The 24-year-old Dutchman, who started in third place behind teammates Valtteri Bottas and Hamilton, had the Grand Prix in his control from the get-go after he overtook both Mercedes at the launch and entering the first turn as his Grand Prix started off. Behind, Bottas, who started on pole position, dropped to the back after getting and turned by McLaren’s Daniel Ricciardo through the first turn. In the ensuing chaos, Esteban Ocon got sandwiched in between rookies Mick Schumacher and Yuki Tsunoda, which knocked both Schumacher and Tsunoda out of contention after both sustained damage to their respective machines.

With the field scrambling behind him, Verstappen ran away from the field and dominated the entirety of the event as he crossed the finish line and claimed the chequered flag by more than 16 seconds over Hamilton and 17 over Perez.

With the victory, Verstappen achieved his ninth Grand Prix victory of the 2021 season, the 19th of his career and his second in recent weeks after winning the United States Grand Prix at Circuit of the Americas in Austin, Texas, in late October. Verstappen also made history as he became the first F1 competitor to achieve three Grand Prix victories in Mexico. 

With his dominating victory, Verstappen increased his advantage from 12 to 19 over Hamilton in the driver’s standings.

“Today, what was very important to us was the first lap and the start, basically, into Turn 1,” Verstappen said. “We went three wide and it was all about who was gonna brake the latest. I got both of [the Mercedes competitors] into Turn 1, so it was gonna be a good race and I could just control it from there. You never know what the others are gonna do, right? We made it stick. The car was really, really good. We basically just controlled it to the end. [Mexico]’s always been a good race for us, so we shouldn’t get ahead of ourselves because again in Brazil, it’s gonna be a tough battle.”

Finishing in second place for the seventh time this season was Lewis Hamilton, who was more than 16 seconds behind Verstappen’s Red Bull machine and could not keep pace with the Red Bull Racing cars.

“I feel positive in the sense that I had a good race,” Hamilton said. “I did everything with the car I had. The car was not good today. I had a good start and after that, it was just trying to manage the tires. Had a good pit stop and then, to keep Sergio behind, who was obviously in a much faster car this weekend. When you’ve got Sergio behind you, pushing you, you know that he’s fast. I’m glad I was able to at least keep those two [Red Bull drivers] apart in terms of getting a one, two for their team. We’ll move on and keep fighting. [Red Bull]’s have the fastest car most of the year. Wish we were a little bit quicker this weekend, but today we were a long way off. I don’t really understand that, but we’ll go back to the drawing board and try to come back next week stronger.”

Meanwhile, Sergio “Checo” Perez, who tried but was unable to overtake Hamilton in the final laps, achieved his fifth podium result of the season in third place as he also achieved his third consecutive podium result in recent weeks. With his strong performance and result in front of his home nation, fans and family, Perez became the first Mexican competitor to achieve a podium result in the Mexico City Grand Prix.

“Yeah, it’s obviously very special to be on that podium with everyone out there,” Perez said. “They’ve done a tremendous effort. I’m so happy for my country as well. We got this result for them. We didn’t have quite enough there at the end, but we gave it our best. We just have to keep pushing, keep our heads on. It’s been a good weekend for the team and as a team, we just have to keep pushing hard, to try to get more points for the team and also for the constructor’s [standings].”

Finishing in fourth place and just outside of the podium positions was AlphaTauri’s Pierre Gasly while Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz crossed the finish line in fifth and sixth.

Sebastian Vettel finished in seventh place for his sixth top-10 result of the season while Kimi Räikkönen posted a strong eighth-place result as he is down to his final four F1 events of his career.

Fernando Alonso came home in ninth place and Lando Norris capped off a difficult run for McLaren by finishing in 10th place and sealing the final points-paying result on the track.

Finishing outside of the top-10 points-paying results was Alfa Romeo’s Antonio Giovinazzi followed by Daniel Ricciardo, who damaged his front wing following the opening lap collision with Bottas and never recovered. 

Esteban Ocon, following his opening lap incident, ended his run in 13th place followed by Lance Stroll, who wrecked his primary car during Saturday’s qualifying session, and Bottas, who pitted twice in the final laps for soft tyres but managed to snatch the fastest lap of the event.

George Russell, Nicholas Latifi and rookie Nikita Mazepin settled in 16th, 17th and 18th while rookies Mick Schumacher and Yuki Tsunoda retired in 19th and 20th following their opening lap incident.

Results. 

1. Max Verstappen, 25 points

2. Lewis Hamilton, 18 points

3. Sergio Perez, 15 points

4. Pierre Gasly, 12 points

5. Charles Leclerc, 10 points

6. Carlos Sainz, eight points, +1 lap

7. Sebastian Vettel, six points, +1 lap

8. Kimi Räikkönen, four points, +1 lap

9. Fernando Alonso, two points, +1 lap

10. Lando Norris, one point, +1 lap

11. Antonio Giovinazzi, +1 lap

12. Daniel Ricciardo, +1 lap

13. Esteban Ocon, +1 lap

14. Lance Stroll, +2 laps

15. Valtteri Bottas, +2 laps

16. George Russell, +2 laps

17. Nicholas Latifi, +2 laps

18. Nikita Mazepin, +3 laps

19. Mick Schumacher – Retired

20. Yuki Tsunoda – Retired

Max Verstappen continues to lead the drivers’ standings by 19 points over Hamilton. Meanwhile, Mercedes continues to lead the constructors’ standings by a single point over Red Bull Racing Honda.

With four races remaining to the schedule, the 2021 Formula One season will next travel to Brazil’s Interlagos Circuit for the São Paulo Grand Prix on Sunday, November 14.

Garrett Smith Finishes Second During World Of Outlaws World Finals

By
Official Release
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Garrett Smith raced to a runner-up finish on night two of the World of Outlaws World Finals Saturday at The Dirt Track at Charlotte. (Adam Fenwick Photo)

CONCORD, N.C. – (Nov. 7, 2021) – Rising dirt late model star Garrett Smith ran the race of his life Saturday night.

Competing with the World of Outlaws Morton Buildings Late Model Series during the NGK NTK World of Outlaws World Finals, Smith battled with superstars like Brandon Sheppard and Jonathan Davenport for the race win before ultimately finishing second in front of a sold out crowd at The Dirt Track at Charlotte.

“It feels amazing,” said Smith, a native of Eatonton, Ga. “It’s fun racing with these guys. They’re really talented and just to learn from them and learn how to race other people. It’s been a good weekend. It’s just fun to watch and learn from these veterans.”

It was the culmination of a strong weekend for Smith, who finished 14th in Friday’s first race of the World Finals. He returned to the track Saturday and quickly went to work, setting fast time in his qualifying group before winning his heat race later in the program.

His heat race win meant Smith could take part in the redraw, where he drew lucky number two, which gave him a spot on the front row alongside four-time World of Outlaws Morton Buildings Late Model Series champion Sheppard.

Sheppard took the lead at the start, with Smith settling into second. However, as Sheppard caught traffic Smith closed in and passed him to take the race lead. Davenport was right on his heels, slipping past Smith to take the lead of the race shortly thereafter.

Smith wasn’t going to give up that easily. He stayed with Davenport and when the dirt late model ace got caught in traffic, Smith slipped past him to regain the race lead. A few quick cautions followed, with Smith surviving until a restart with 21 laps left.

One lap after the restart, Davenport used a big run out of turn two to drive under Smith and regain the lead. Davenport led the rest of the way from there, but Smith stayed steady and ran the rest of the race in second.

All told, 18-year-old Smith led eight laps on his way to his career-best finish with the World of Outlaws Morton Buildings Late Model Series. It was a night he won’t soon forget.

“It felt good to lead some of those laps,” Smith said. “Honestly it kind of surprised me when Davenport threw the first slider and slid across my nose. I had no idea he was that close. It was definitely wild and fun. It was definitely a confidence booster.

“Cody Mallory has been working for me now for about a month and we’ve finally clicked. I think we’ve got it going right now. I was just coming here trying to make the race and we ended up having speed all weekend. It turned out to be a really good weekend.”

Garrett Smith would like to thank all of his fans, friends and family, his crew and his sponsors Schaeffer’s Oil, MPM Marketing, Base Racing Fuel & Oil, Dirtcarlift, Swift Springs, BKP Art, Wiley X, ProFabrication, Inc, K1 RaceGear, Atlanta Paving and Terminal Maintenance & Construction (TMC) for all of their support.

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About McCallister Precision Marketing

McCallister Precision Marketing (MPM) focuses on assisting up-and-coming race car drivers with career advancement and promotion. McCallister Precision Marketing helps drivers build confidence in front of and behind the camera, giving them the tools they need to advance to the next level. The company also provides companies with a strategic plan for their sales, marketing and promotional needs. We believe in building positive relationships with our clients so that we may provide them with the most professional, yet personal guidance they need, in order to achieve their racing goals. Our clients include race car drivers, race team owners, companies and racing series’. We also work closely with charities and charity events. For more information on McCallister Precision Marketing, visit www.MarketWithMPM.com, email TonyaMac44@MarketWithMPM.com or call 803-361-6199.

Daniel Hemric Wins First NASCAR Xfinity Series Championship

By
Official Release
-

Daniel Hemric Wins First NASCAR Xfinity Series Championship
Scores First NASCAR Title for Supra with Victory in Season Finale

AVONDALE, Ariz. (November 6, 2021) – Supra driver Daniel Hemric won his first career NASCAR Xfinity Series (NXS) championship on Saturday with a victory in the season finale at Phoenix Raceway. Hemric’s championship marks the third Xfinity Series driver title for Toyota.

TOYOTA FAST FACTS

• Hemric won one race, claimed 15 top-five results and 21 top-10 finishes over 33 races to claim the 2021 driver’s championship.

• Hemric captured the first championship for the Toyota Supra and is the third Toyota driver to win a NXS driver’s championship. In addition to Jones, Daniel Suárez (2016) and Kyle Busch (2009) have also won Xfinity Series titles for Toyota in Camrys.

• Toyota drivers have now earned NASCAR national series titles in three different vehicles as the Camry, Tundra and Supra race cars have all collected championships since Toyota’s entry into NASCAR in 2004.

• Supra debuted in the NASCAR Xfinity Series at the 2019 season-opening race at Daytona International Speedway.

• Toyota has earned 181 victories since joining Xfinity Series competition in 2007, with 32 of those victories being in the Supra.

• Earlier this season, Toyota made it’s 500th Xfinity Series start at the Charlotte ROVAL in October.

TOYOTA QUOTES

DANIEL HEMRIC, No. 18 Toyota Supra, Joe Gibbs Racing

“Unbelievable. These guys right here have asked me all year how bad do you want it? We gave away one here in the spring. I felt like we had to give one up last week to get here. We were not going to be denied. Thank you Dave Rogers (crew chief). Bill and Cindy Gallaher. Everyone at Poppy Bank. Will Gallaher. They took a chance on me in 2015 in some form or fashion. They stuck with me through times they probably shouldn’t have to be honest with you. I’ve been waiting a long damn time to do that. Thank you Joe Gibbs, everyone at TRD, Toyota, Bell Helmets, everyone here that makes this program what it is. People doubted me. I would do it all over again for a night like this.“

TONY MUELLER, vice president, integrated marketing operations, Toyota Motor North America

“We are thrilled for Daniel, Dave and the whole Joe Gibbs Racing team on this incredible achievement. This is the first driver’s championship in the Xfinity Series for the Supra and we are excited to add the Supra badge alongside Camry and Tundra as championship nameplates in NASCAR. Daniel’s season is the epitome of consistency. He’s an exceptional driver and person and we’re excited to join him in celebrating this championship.”

About Toyota

Toyota (NYSE:TM) has been a part of the cultural fabric in North America for more than 60 years, and is committed to advancing sustainable, next-generation mobility through our Toyota and Lexus brands plus our 1,800 dealerships.

Toyota has created a tremendous value chain and directly employs more than 47,000 in North America. The company has contributed world-class design, engineering, and assembly of more than 40 million cars and trucks at our 14 manufacturing plants, 15 including our joint venture in Alabama that begins production in 2021.

Through its Start Your Impossible campaign, Toyota highlights the way it partners with community, civic, academic and governmental organizations to address our society’s most pressing mobility challenges. We believe that when people are free to move, anything is possible. For more information about Toyota, visit www.toyotanewsroom.com.

Ford Performance NASCAR: Cindric’s Runner-Up Finish Leads to Eighth Owner’s Championship for Mustang

By
Official Release
-

Ford Performance Notes and Quotes
NASCAR Xfinity Series
Championship Race at Phoenix | Saturday, November 6, 2021

FORD FINISHING RESULTS
2nd — Austin Cindric
4th — Riley Herbst
17th — Ryan Sieg

AUSTIN CINDRIC, No. 22 CarShop Ford Mustang — POST RACE INTERVIEW:

WAS THAT GOOD RACING? “If everyone in the stands enjoyed it, it’s good racing. I’m very appreciative of the opportunity to race on such a big stage. The opportunity to race for Roger Penske and represent Ford Performance, our companies and all of our sponsors that have helped us this season. It would have been awesome to finish this out. I felt like we had a dominant race car. I felt like we did everything right. Come up a little bit short. Sometimes it’s like that way. Unfortunately, at the end of both seasonal championships this year I’m getting obviously moved out of the way and doored, but that’s hard racing. That’s why everyone enjoys watching this series. It’s because there’s a lot on the line. I’m thankful for the opportunity and pissed to be second for like the third week in a row.”

WHAT GOES THROUGH YOUR MIND ON THE OVERTIME RESTART? “I know my left-rear bumper cover is as vulnerable as ever. Obviously, Daniel was in position to be the advocate of that and he certainly used it and he’s the champion because of it.”

AND YOU WOULD HONOR HIS CHAMPIONSHIP? “Yeah. He’s over there. I’m over here. He’s the champion.”

BUT IT WAS A GOOD YEAR FOR YOU GUYS. “Yeah, absolutely. That’s why it’s so frustrating to come up so short. One lap. One lap is all you need, maybe one restart. You never know, but to make it this far and have the season we’ve had. The stats obviously show the consistency and the way our team has performed throughout the season. It doesn’t matter what type of racetrack. I work with some of the best people in this sport and I’m a better driver because of it.”

YOU WON THE OWNER’S CHAMPIONSHIP TO PRESENT TO THE TEAM? “Yeah, that’s really poetic. Obviously, this 22 car has won so many owner’s championships over the years with so many great drivers. My first race in this 22 car was in 2017 and they won the owner’s championship then. I guess I get to close that one out I guess as ironic as that might be.”

TAKE US THROUGH THE LAST LAP: “Certainly not how I would have wanted it to go. Just trying to get clear off the top. I have put myself in too many bad spots giving people the bottom. I am not sure if I should have drove in shallower or softer or whatever it may be. I feel like I was pretty vulnerable with how close he still was to me and still packing left rear air. I got a little free into three and that is all she wrote. Obviously disappointed to have the car we had and the success we had this year and not be able to close it out. We put ourselves in position and sometimes that is all you can do.”

HOW DO YOU SUM UP WHAT THIS SERIES HAS MEANT TO YOU IN YOUR CAREER AS YOU MOVE TO THE CUP SERIES NEXT YEAR? “I think it has defined me as a driver in the sport. I mean that in a lot of ways. I’ve shown up not knowing much about what I have been doing. From there, I have driven so many different types of cars and bring all those experiences and probably the most unique situation as possible as far as a competitor and what other drivers might expect from me. I have had to mature a lot and I have had to go from not being respected to where I feel like I am respected and it has been a fun journey. I am very appreciative of it.”

RILEY HERBST, No. 98 Monster Energy Ford Mustang — “I think we had a little bit going on with the motor and the power-steering, so the short runs we were loose and it was really hard to drive because I couldn’t counter steer to the right, just because the power-steering was going in and out. I was begging for long runs because once we got spread out and I could start just being easier on the front tires and then ultimately be easier on the steering. Thank you to Monster Energy, Ford Performance, Stewart-Haas Racing. It’s a good way to close out this year after kind of a really bumpy year to be honest with you. Hopefully, we can go into 2022 pretty strong.”

MUSTANG ADDS ANOTHER TITLE — Mustang has dominated the NASCAR XFINITY Series since it joined the circuit full-time in 2011, winning at least one championship in 9-of-11 seasons. Ricky Stenhouse Jr. won back-to-back drivers’ championships in 2011 and 2012 while Chris Buescher (2015) and Austin Cindric (2020) have one series title each. Roger Penske has dominated the owner’s championship, winning six times in the last nine seasons, including three in a row from 2013-15. Overall, Mustang has won 12 driver’s and owner’s championships combined.

MUSTANG NASCAR XFINITY CHAMPIONSHIP STREAK
2011 — Driver’s Championship (Ricky Stenhouse Jr.)
2011 — Owner’s Championship (Jack Roush, No. 6)
2012 — Driver’s Championship (Ricky Stenhouse Jr.)
2013 — Owner’s Championship (Roger Penske, No. 22)
2014 — Owner’s Championship (Roger Penske, No. 22)
2015 — Driver’s Championship (Chris Buescher)
2015 — Owner’s Championship (Roger Penske, No. 22)
2017 — Owner’s Championship (Roger Penske, No. 22)
2018 – Owner’s Championship (Stewart-Haas, No. 00)
2020 – Driver’s Championship (Austin Cindric)
2020 – Owner’s Championship (Roger Penske, No. 22)
2021 – Owner’s Championship (Roger Penske, No. 22)

Toyota Racing – NXS Phoenix Post-Race Report – 11.06.21

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Official Release
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HEMRIC EARNS CHAMPIONSHIP WITH FIRST WIN
Daniel Hemric earns first title for the Toyota Supra

PHOENIX (November 6, 2021) – Daniel Hemric made a last lap pass to win his first race and the Xfinity Series Championship. Hemric is the third driver to win a championship for Toyota in the Xfinity Series and first to win the title in the Supra.

Toyota Racing Post-Race Recap
NASCAR Xfinity Series
Phoenix Raceway
Race 33 of 33 – 200 miles, 200 laps

TOYOTA FINISHING POSITIONS
1st, DANIEL HEMRIC
2nd, Austin Cindric*
3rd, HARRISON BURTON
4th, Riley Herbst*
5th, Justin Haley*
6th, JOHN HUNTER NEMECHEK
7th, BRANDON JONES
15th, DYLAN LUPTON
21st, DAVID STARR
*non-Toyota driver

TOYOTA QUOTES

DANIEL HEMRIC, No. 18 Poppy Bank Toyota Supra, Joe Gibbs Racing

Finishing Position: 1st

He climbs out not only as a winner in the Xfinity Series, but Daniel Hemric, you are the champion. Congratulations.

“Lost my breath. Unbelievable. These guys right here, they asked me all year, How bad you want it? I gave one away here in the spring. Felt like I had to give one up here last week. We were not going to be denied. Thank you, Dave Rogers, Bill and Cindy Gallaher, everyone at Poppy Bank, Lou Gallaher, JR, I’m talking to you. Man, they took a chance on me. 2015, some form or fashion. Oh, they stuck with me through times they probably shouldn’t have, to be honest with you. How about those race fans? That backflip good enough for you? I’ve been waiting a long damn time to do that. Thank you Joe Gibbs, everyone at TRD, Toyota, Bell Helmets. Everyone here that makes this program what it is. I know I’ve given up a lot. People have doubted me. I’ll do it all over again for a night like this.”

Take us through the last lap. You knew it was possible.

“I’m blacked out. Blacked out. Just knew I had to be the first one to the line. I thought I let him get too much of a run off of four. Drove into one, knew I was close not to completely use them up, but we work our asses off for an opportunity like this. Excuse my language. This is what it’s all about, winning at the second highest level in all of motorsports. What an honor. Unbelievable. I’d do it all over again. I’ll take all the heartbreaks again to live this right here.”

You said in the car you’ll never have to answer that again because you are a winner.

“Absolutely. That’s the greatest feeling in the world.”

About Toyota

Toyota (NYSE:TM) has been a part of the cultural fabric in North America for more than 60 years, and is committed to advancing sustainable, next-generation mobility through our Toyota and Lexus brands plus our 1,800 dealerships.

Toyota has created a tremendous value chain and directly employs more than 47,000 in North America. The company has contributed world-class design, engineering, and assembly of more than 40 million cars and trucks at our 14 manufacturing plants, 15 including our joint venture in Alabama that begins production in 2021.

Through its Start Your Impossible campaign, Toyota highlights the way it partners with community, civic, academic and governmental organizations to address our society’s most pressing mobility challenges. We believe that when people are free to move, anything is possible. For more information about Toyota, visit www.toyotanewsroom.com.

Kyffin Simpson goes out on top with the Championship and Race Win in the final race of FR Americas’ 2021 Season

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Official Release
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AUSTIN, Texas (November 6, 2021) – Kyffin Simpson made it two-for-two in Saturday’s races at Circuit of The Americas (COTA) with the Formula Regional Americas Championship Powered by Honda. The 17-year-old driver led the field from start to finish to take his seventh victory of the 2021 season and close out his championship year.

“It was a tough race,” said Simpson, driver of the No. 21 TJ Speed Motorsports / Simpson Race Products / GoPro / Spy Optic Ligier JS F3. “Dylan was on me the entire time and I just couldn’t pull a gap. Every time I tried, I just overheated the tires and would fall back even more. It was just such a good race and awesome to have that battle at the end. I’d like to thank God, the whole team, all my sponsors and my family.”

The 2021 season marked Simpson’s first full year of competition in FR Americas, after racing in a handful of events during the 2020 season.

“This year has been a lot of fun,” Simpson said following the race. “I’ve learned a lot about downforce cars and higher horsepower cars running FR Americas. Higher downforce is a big part of racing in IndyCar, F1 and many other series, so it’s always important to know how to race with downforce. It’s been great to learn everything that I have with FR Americas. It’s been an incredible season, and it’s awesome to come home with the championship.”

After suffering a mechanical issue during the formation lap, Dylan Tavella did not compete in Race 1. However, with his No. 14 Crosslink Competition / Crosslink Coatings Ligier JS F3 fixed and ready for Saturday’s races, Tavella found himself with a competitive advantage—Hankook Tires that were a full race fresher than all of his competitors. As a result, he secured the second starting position and never let off with the pressure on Simpson. Consistently running within just a few tenths of each other, the top two were side-by-side on the final lap. Tavella attempted a pass for the win in Turn 12 on the final lap, but Simpson ultimately held on to take the checkered flag. A hard-fought second place earned Tavella the Omologato Perfectly Timed Move of the Race award, and a beautiful Omologato bespoke timepiece complete with the FR Americas logo.

“My tires were heated up at the beginning of the race, so I hung back for a little bit before taking another go,” said Tavella after the race. “I absolutely gave it everything; I knew I was going to regret it if I didn’t go for it on the last lap that far back. I knew I wasn’t going to take him [Simpson] with me if I did a stupid move. I tried to make it stick, but he did the ol‘ switcher-roo and we went into Turn 13 and it was the same thing again, we flipped back places. I want to thank my entire team who put in a massive amount of work last night after we had some issues yesterday. My mom and dad, thank you very much. Hopefully, we will do even better next year.”

Runner-up of the 2021 Formula Regional Americas Championship Powered by Honda, Joshua Car put his race craft on display in the final round of the season by starting 11th and finishing third on the podium. The result marked the ninth podium of the season in the No. 9 Crosslink Competition / Crosslink Coatings Ligier JS F3 for the Australia native.

“It was a really fun race,” Car said from the podium. “The team gave me a great car for the final round, and we managed to go through the field early on with a lot of passing, which was a lot of fun. We had great speed in the Crosslink Coatings machine. Thank you to the whole team and all my supporters for coming out. I love having everyone around, so thank you so much.”

FR Americas will kick off their 2022 season with the SpeedTour Cup Invitational at Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta on March 24-27, 2022.

Full Results: https://www.framericas.com/pages/2021-austin-speedtour-results

About Formula Regional Americas Championship & Formula 4 United States Championship, Powered by Honda:

The FIA-certified Formula 4 United States Championship & Formula Regional Americas Championship are designed as entry-level open-wheel racing series offering young talent the opportunity to demonstrate their skills on an international platform while keeping affordability and safety as key elements. The Championships align with the global FIA development ladder philosophy of using common components to provide a cost-efficient, reliable and powerful racing structure as drivers ascend through the levels on their way to U.S. or global racing success.

Francis Wins 52nd Pole in Qualifying in Trans Am Season Finale at COTA

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Official Release
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Champion-elect Matos blasts track record, leads 52-car TA2® field

AUSTIN (6 Nov. 2021) – Ernie Francis Jr. put an exclamation point on the Trans Am Series presented by Pirelli season by winning the Motul Pole Award for the season-ending Heacock Classic at Circuit of The Americas on Saturday.

Francis shared the spotlight with Rafa Matos, with the newly crowned champion winning the TA2® pole in a class-record turnout of 52 competitors. Due to time constraints, the TA/XGT/SGT/GT sessions were combined and cut to 12 minutes, with the TA2® class divided into two groups with 10 minutes a piece for qualifying.

Eliminated from the championship for the first time in his Trans Am career, seven-time champion Francis ran only two laps – both under the track record – capped by a flyer of 2:05.871-seconds in the No. 98 Future Star Racing Ford Mustang. It was the 23-year-old driver’s fifth pole of the season, the 52nd of his career and 23rd in the TA class.

“It’s always great to get a track record,” Francis said. “The car has had good pace all weekend. We got it off the trailer and were already super quick. We are super happy with that. We put some new Pirelli Tires on there and the car was almost a second quicker than second place. We couldn’t get the championship done this year but if we can end the season with a win, we will be super happy.”

Third-generation driver Matt Brabham qualified second in his Trans Am debut, running 2:06.771-seconds in the No. 20 ALTWELL CBD Ford Mustang. He is filling in for Chris Dyson as the recently crowned 2021 TA champion forced to miss the event due to a family matter.

“I am super grateful for the opportunity to race in Trans Am, but obviously I am hoping all the best for Chris and his family,” said Brabham. “Everyone on the CD Racing team has been so great and welcoming. It’s been quite fun learning the car, but I was a bit disappointed in myself during qualifying. I didn’t play traffic right and wished I would have got an open lap to show what the car and I can do. Second place is still super good, especially the first time out. The car and team did such a great job.”

Tomy Drissi took third, 2:07.942-seconds in the No. 8 Lucas Oil Chevrolet Camaro. The Hollywood veteran enters the finale second in the championship.

Pro-Am point leader Oscar Teran was fourth, 2:08.743-seconds in the No. 3 Oscar Teran Ford Mustang, followed by Ken Thwaits, 2:09.283-seconds in the No. 5 Franklin Road Apparel Chevrolet Camaro.

In TA2®, Matos quickly got down to business, shattering the track record by two seconds on his first lap in the No. 88 3-Dimensional Services Ford Mustang. Entering the event with the title already in hand, Matos improved twice to win his fourth pole of the season and 15th of his career with a lap of 2:10.539-seconds.

“It’s always nice to start from pole position,” explained Matos. “It gives us the freedom to pace ourselves for the first part of the race. But, there’s a lot of hungry guys out there. Misha (Goikhberg) is looking for his first win. There’s (Connor) Mosack, who is in good form today. I expect to have a very exciting race tomorrow. Dealing with 50-plus cars is going to be very difficult.”

Misha Goikhberg will start second in the class, 2:10.736-seconds in the No 20 BC Race Cars Camaro. Mosack, currently third in the points, will start third, 2:10.962-seconds, followed by former TA2® champions Cameron Lawrence, making his season debut in the No. 6 Franklin Road Apparel Camaro, and Adam Andretti in the No. 86 3-Dimensional Services Mustang.

Carl Rydquist captured his fourth TA2® West Coast pole of the season. He was 12th fastest overall, running 2:14.181-seconds in the No. 47 Racecars4Rent/Group Wholesale Ford Mustang.

Thomas Merrill recorded the fastest lap in Saturday’s lone practice, running 2:11.376-seconds in the No. 26 Mike Cope Race Cars Ford Mustang before sustaining a blown engine near the end of session. While it appeared his weekend was finished, veteran TA2® competitor Tom Sheehan graciously stepped up and loaned Merrill his backup car, keeping his quest to finish third in the championship alive. Merrill led the second qualifying group, eighth overall in 2:12.864-seconds in the No. 91 HPTuners Ford Mustang.

Erich Joiner scored his seventh consecutive pole in XGT, running 2:10.096-seconds in the No. 10 Good Boy Bob Coffee Roasters Porsche 991 GT3 R. It was the 10th Trans Am pole of his career.

In SGT, Justin Oakes took his sixth pole of the season and eighth of his career in the No. 11 Droneworks Corvette, running a track record lap of 2:12.226-seconds.

“Everything really came together today,” said Oakes. “We did a lot of tuning to the car when we were in Indy (for SCCA National Runoffs) and got the car really dialed in. We’ve improved and learned so much since we were here at COTA last year, and that’s the biggest difference in our gains. I think we can go even faster tomorrow with some minor adjustments to the car.”

Second in the class – and leading the four SGT West competitors – was Cindi Lux, 2:17.973-seconds in the No. 45 Lux Performance/Black Rock Coffee Dodge Viper.

Sean Young made his Trans Am debut by capturing the GT class pole. He ran 2:24.204-seconds in the No. 74 Corsair Racing Aston Martin Vantage.

Sunday’s races will each be 30 laps, with a 75-minute time limit. The TA2® event takes the green flag at 11:50 a.m. CT, with the TA/XGT/SGT/GT race set to start at 2:50 p.m. CT.

Follow live timing and scoring at: www.gotransam.com/livetiming

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