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Larson clinches championship spot with a win at Texas

By
Andrew Kim
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Photo by Ronald Olds for SpeedwayMedia.com.

The 2021 comeback, dream season for Kyle Larson became even brighter as the California kid dominated and fended off the field through four restarts under the final 25 laps to win the Autotrader EchoPark Automotive 500 at Texas Motor Speedway on Sunday, October 17.

By winning the Playoff’s Round of 8 opener at the Lone Star state for his eighth victory of the season, Larson punched his ticket to the Championship 4 Round at Phoenix Raceway scheduled in early November as he will contend for his first NASCAR Cup Series championship.

The starting lineup was based on a performance metric formula, weighing the driver’s and owner’s results from a previous Cup event, the owner points position and the fastest lap recorded from a previous Cup race. With that, Kyle Larson, winner of last weekend’s Playoff event at the Charlotte Roval, started on pole position and was joined on the front row with Denny Hamlin.

Prior to the event, Playoff contender Chase Elliott started at the rear of the field due to his No. 9 Kelley Blue Book Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 1LE failing pre-race inspection twice. Other competitors who started at the rear of the field due to two inspection failures included Corey LaJoie, rookie Chase Briscoe, Garrett Smithley and David Starr. Prior to the start, Alex Bowman, who was recently eliminated from the Playoffs, and Justin Haley also dropped to the rear of the field due to unapproved adjustments to their respective machines.

When the green flag waved and the race commenced, Larson received a push from Kyle Busch to jump to an early advantage for a full lap. With Larson leading the first lap, he had the green No. 18 Interstate Batteries Toyota Camry piloted by Kyle Busch close in his rearview mirrors while the No. 22 AAA Insurance Ford Mustang driven by Joey Logano started to close in. Denny Hamlin maintained fourth while Martin Truex Jr. was challenged by Tyler Reddick and others for more.

By the fifth lap, Larson was out in front by nearly half a second over Kyle Busch. While Hamlin started to challenge Logano for third, Ryan Blaney moved up to fifth followed by teammate Brad Keselowski.

Through the first 10 laps of the event, Larson stabilized his advantage to nearly half a second over Kyle Busch while Logano, Blaney and Hamlin were in the top five. William Byron, following his elimination from the Playoffs, was up in sixth followed by Keselowski, Truex, Tyler Reddick and Chris Buescher. Meanwhile, Chase Elliott was up in 18th.

Ten laps later, Larson extended his advantage to more than two seconds over Logano, who overtook Kyle Busch earlier. Blaney, meanwhile, started to close in on Logano and Busch for more while Byron was up in fifth ahead of Hamlin’s No. 11 Craftsman Toyota Camry.

When the competition caution flew on Lap 25, Larson was leading by more than three seconds over Logano, who had teammate Blaney starting to challenge him for the runner-up spot. Behind, Byron moved his No. 24 AXALTA Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 1LE ahead of Kyle Busch. While seven Playoff contenders were in the top 10, Elliott, the eighth and final title contender, was up in 13th in between Buescher and Bubba Wallace.

Under the competition caution, the leaders pitted and Byron, who opted for a two-tire pit stop, leapfrogged from fourth to the lead followed by Truex, Kyle Busch, Reddick, Christopher Bell and Logano, who made light contact with Justin Haley’s Spire Motorsports car while exiting his pit stall. Following the pit stops, however, Kyle Busch was sent to the rear of the field for speeding on pit road.

When the race restarted on Lap 30, Byron maintained the lead ahead of Truex and Reddick as the field fanned out to multiple lanes entering the first two turns. Just then, the caution returned for a 10-car wreck that started when Bubba Wallace, who was in between Kurt Busch and Keselowski, got loose underneath Busch, clipped Michael McDowell and was hit by Ross Chastain while Alex Bowman got turned after being hit by Cole Custer, Aric Almirola and Ryan Newman. Also involved were Ricky Stenhouse Jr., teammate Ryan Preece, Haley, Cody Ware and Joey Gase as many were taken out of contention. 

In the midst of the carnage, Kyle Busch, who sustained minimal rear-end damage but managed to dodge most of the carnage, pitted for fresh tires along with Keselowski and Blaney.

Following an extensive cleanup, the race restarted on Lap 39. At the start, Truex engaged in a heated side-by-side battle with Byron as the field again fanned out while jostling for positions. Truex managed to lead the following lap by a nose before Byron fought back on the inside lane and cleared Truex entering the backstretch. Behind was Matt DiBenedetto along with Logano and Bell while Hamlin was in sixth. Meanwhile, Elliott was left in a battle with Austin Dillon and Larson for eighth.

On Lap 43, Reddick made the slightest of air contact with Truex entering Turn 3, which wiggled Truex’s car up the track and dropped him from second to fifth as Reddick, DiBenedetto and Logano took advantage of Truex’s misfortune.

Through the first 50 laps of the event, Byron was leading by six-tenths of a second over Reddick while third-place DiBenedetto trailed by more than two seconds. Teammates Hamlin and Truex were in the top five ahead of Elliott. Bell, Larson, Blaney and Logano were in the top 10 followed by Austin Dillon, Erik Jones, Kevin Harvick, Kurt Busch and Daniel Suarez. Kyle Busch, meanwhile, was in 16th ahead of Keselowski, Chris Buescher, Chase Briscoe and Corey LaJoie.

Ten laps later, Byron continued to lead by six-tenths of a second over Reddick while third-place Hamlin trailed by more than four seconds. Behind, teammates Larson and Elliott moved in the top five ahead of Blaney, DiBenedetto, Bell, Truex and Erik Jones. Kyle Busch was in 11th, Logano was back in 12th and Keselowski was mired in 17th.

Another 10 laps later, Byron stretched his advantage to more than a second over Reddick. Meanwhile, Larson flew his way to third place ahead of Hamlin, Elliott and Blaney while Kyle Busch worked his way up to seventh. Truex, however, slipped back to 10th in between DiBenedetto and Kurt Busch while Logano and Keselowski were in 13th and 17th.

On Lap 82, Larson returned to the lead after gaining a huge momentum entering the backstretch and overtaking teammate Byron on four fresh tires compared to no fresh tires to Byron.

Three laps later, Larson slowly started to extend his advantage to nearly seven-tenths of a second over teammate Byron while Reddick, Hamlin and Elliott remained in the top five. 

Another five laps later, Larson’s advantage grew to more than a second over teammate Byron.

On Lap 95, Larson pitted under green along with Byron, Reddick, DiBenedetto, Logano and others. Soon after, names like Elliott, Harvick and Hamlin, who led two laps, pitted. In the midst of the pit stops, Kyle Busch, racing with race engineer Seth Chavka serving as an interim crew chief, was leading with plans on winning the stage after pitting under the previous caution for the multi-car wreck.

At the Lap 100 mark, Kyle Busch was leading by three-tenths of a second over teammate Bell while Blaney, Kurt Busch and Buescher were in the top five. By then, Truex pitted under green. Soon after, Bell surrendered the runner-up spot to pit.

When the first stage concluded on Lap 105, Kyle Busch claimed his seventh stage victory of the season. Blaney settled in second ahead of Larson, Kurt Busch, Byron, Briscoe, Hamlin, Elliott, Reddick and Keselowski. By then, 12 competitors were scored on the lead lap while names like Truex and Logano were behind a lap.

Under the stage break, the lead lap competitors pitted as Kyle Busch retained the lead ahead of Larson, Kurt Busch, Truex, Blaney and Byron.

The second stage started on Lap 112. At the start, Kyle Busch received a push from Byron to clear Larson entering the first turn and maintain the lead. 

The following lap, Briscoe nearly made contact with Blaney entering Turn 3, but both competitors kept their cars straight as Briscoe moved up to sixth behind teammate Harvick. Meanwhile, Larson challenged Kyle Busch for the lead while Byron and Elliott were in third and fourth.

After battling Busch side-by-side for a full lap, Larson reassumed the lead approaching Lap 117 ahead of Kyle Busch while Harvick challenged Byron for third ahead of Reddick, Elliott and Briscoe. 

By Lap 120, Larson was out in front by nearly half a second over teammate Byron while Kyle Busch settled in third ahead of Reddick, Harvick and Elliott. Logano made his way up to seventh ahead of teammate Keselowski, Briscoe and Blaney while Hamlin and Truex were in 11th and 12th.

Through the first 150 laps of the event, Larson, racing in his No. 5 HendrickCars.com Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 1LE, stabilized his advantage to nearly three seconds over teammate Byron while Kyle Busch, Reddick and Harvick were in the top five. Blaney and Elliott were in sixth and seventh followed by Keselowski, Keselowski and Hamlin while Truex was in 11th. 

Nearly five laps later, green flag pit stops occurred as Elliott pitted his No. 9 Kelley Blue Book Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 1LE. Soon after, Austin Dillon pitted along with Logano, Reddick, Erik Jones, DiBenedetto.

Just three laps shy of the halfway mark scheduled on Lap 167, the fourth caution of the event flew due to debris reported on the backstretch. 

Under caution, the leaders pitted and Larson retained the lead upon exiting his pit stall followed by Kyle Busch, Byron, Keselowski, Harvick and Blaney.

When the race restarted on Lap 170, Larson received a push from teammate Byron to maintain the lead ahead of Kyle Busch and clear the field. While Byron and Kyle Busch battled for second, Penske teammates Blaney and Keselowski dueled for fourth and more while Harvick was in sixth.

By Lap 180, Larson was leading by three-tenths of a second over teammate Byron while Blaney, Keselowski and Harvick were in the top five. While Kurt Busch was up in sixth, brother Kyle was back in seventh ahead of Hamlin, Briscoe and Truex.

At the Lap 200 mark, Larson continued to lead by six-tenths of a second over teammate Byron while Blaney, Harvick and Keselowski remained in the top five. Kurt Busch, Briscoe, Hamlin and Reddick were running sixth through ninth while Kyle Busch was mired back in 10th ahead of Truex and Logano.

When the second stage concluded on Lap 210, Larson, who encountered brief lapped traffic, fended off a hard-charging, teammate Byron and notched his 16th stage victory of the season. Blaney fended off Harvick to finish behind the two Hendrick Motorsports teammates while Keselowski, Kurt Busch, Hamlin, Briscoe, Reddick and Kyle Busch were scored in the top 10. The Playoff contenders finishing outside of the top-10 stage points spots were Truex (11th), Logano, (12th) and Elliott (15th).  

Under the stage break, the leaders pitted and Larson retained the lead following his service and after beating teammate Byron back to the pit exit line. Keselowski followed suit along with Blaney, Kurt Busch and Harvick. Following the pit stops, Daniel Suarez was penalized for speeding on pit road.

With 118 laps remaining, the final stage commenced. At the start, Larson was being pushed by Blaney on the inside lane while Byron was being pushed by Keselowski on the outside lane. Entering the backstretch, however, Larson persevered for the lead while Blaney challenged Byron for second. 

The following lap, Kurt Busch, who was in sixth, dropped off the pace through the backstretch and made his way to pit road under green for two fresh left-side tires.

Back at the front, Larson was leading by a narrow margin over teammate Byron while Harvick was in third along with Keselowski, Blaney, Hamlin, Logano, Kyle Busch, Briscoe and Reddick. 

With 110 laps remaining, Larson slowly started to pull away with the lead while Harvick and Byron battled for second ahead of Keselowski and Blaney.

Down to the final 100 laps of the event, Larson stretched his advantage to more than a second over teammate Byron while Keselowski, Blaney and Harvick were in the top five. Reddick was up in sixth followed by Briscoe, Hamlin, Logano and Kyle Busch while Elliott and Truex were in 11th and 12th.

With 75 laps remaining, teammates Larson and Byron remained in first and second despite both battling vibration issues to their respective Chevrolets. Keselowski was in third, trailing by three seconds, while Blaney and Reddick remained in the top five. By then, Kyle Busch was outside of the top 10 in 11th while Elliott occupied 10th place. Not long after, Bell pitted under green. 

Fifteen laps later, the caution flew when Briscoe, who was having a strong run in the top 10 and was battling Hamlin earlier before making contact with Hamlin and touching the Turn 4 outside wall, cut a right-rear tire and shredded debris through the backstretch. 

Under caution, the leaders pitted and Larson retained the lead followed by Byron, Keselowski, Reddick, Hamlin and Blaney.

With 54 laps remaining, the race restarted under green. At the start, Larson received a push from Keselowski to clear teammate Byron and remain as the leader ahead of the field. 

Four laps later, the battle for the lead started to ignite as Byron challenged Larson for the lead. Despite keeping his leader and teammate within his sights, Byron still could not gain a run to seal the deal over Larson.

Another 10 laps later, Larson stabilized his advantage to three-tenths of a second over teammate Byron and six-tenths of a second over Keselowski while Reddick trailed by less than a second. Blaney was in fifth ahead of Hamlin, who had Daniel Suarez and Elliott closing in. Harvick and Logano were in the top 10 just ahead of Kyle Busch and Truex. 

With 36 laps remaining, the seventh caution of the event flew when the motor on Logano’s No. 22 AAA Ford Mustang blew up through the backstretch, which forced the 2018 Cup champion to end his race in the garage and place an early blow to start the Round of 8.

Under caution, some led by Elliott pitted while the rest led by Larson remained on the track.

Down to the final 30 laps of the event, the race restarted under green as Larson and Byron dueled for the lead followed by Reddick and Keselowski. Just then, the caution returned as Kyle Busch got Buescher sideways while rookie Anthony Alfredo, who made contact with teammate Michael McDowell, spun and backed his car into the outside wall in Turn 1. As Alfredo’s car slid down the track, fire then erupted beneath Alfredo’s car and the Turn 1 surface, though Alfredo was able to safely exit out of his car. The incident was enough for the event to be red-flagged for 11 minutes.

When the red flag was lifted and the race restarted with 25 laps remaining, Larson received a push from Reddick to remain as the leader while Reddick challenged Byron for second. Behind, Hamlin made his way into fourth place ahead of Blaney while Keselowski slipped to sixth ahead of Harvick. 

The following lap, a three-wide action occurred between Hamlin, Blaney and Harvick as they battled for fourth for a full lap in front of Truex and Kyle Busch. Then, Blaney made contact with Hamlin entering the frontstretch, which resulted in a tire rub and smoke coming out of Hamlin’s No. 11 Craftsman Toyota. Despite the contact, Hamlin, for the moment, continued in seventh behind Keselowski, Harvick and Blaney.

Back at the front, Larson continued to lead ahead Reddick, who overtook Byron for second as Keselowski remained in the hunt.

Then nearing the final 20 laps of the event, the caution returned when Hamlin spun through the backstretch after cutting the left-rear tire, which came from the contact with Blaney. Despite having minimum damage to his car, Hamlin, who also had a flat right-front tire, pitted and continued.

Down to the final 16 laps of the event, the race restarted under green. At the start, Byron shoved teammate Larson to the lead before trying to fend off Reddick and Harvick for second. 

Shortly after, the 10th caution of the event flew when Truex, who was bumped by Suarez, made hard contact into the Turn 3 outside wall before limping his No. 19 Bass Pro Shops Toyota Camry to his pit stall with significant right-side damage. The damage was enough to knock Truex out of contention in the closing stages of the event. 

With nine laps remaining, the race restarted as teammates Larson and Byron retained the front row. At the start, Larson received another strong shove on the inside lane from Reddick to retain the lead. While Byron retained second, Reddick also fended off Keselowski, Blaney, Bell and Harvick to settle in third while challenging Byron for more. 

With seven laps remaining, Reddick slipped beneath Byron in Turn 3 while trying to take second, which resulted with Reddick slipping out of the top five as Larson ran away with the lead.

Just then, the 11th caution flew when Briscoe and Buescher made contact entering the backstretch, which resulted with Buescher spinning and getting hit by Hamlin before making hard contact with the inside wall and ending his race with a wrecked race car.

With the race set to a two-lap shootout, the green flag waved as teammates Larson and Byron occupied the front row once again. At the start, Larson was able to clear Byron entering the first two turns to keep the lead as the field battled and fanned out behind.

When the white flag waved and the final lap started, Larson continued to lead while Keselowski challenged Byron for second. With the side-by-side battles occurring behind him, Larson streaked away from the field and came back around to claim his eighth checkered flag of the 2021 season.  

By claiming his 14th NASCAR Cup Series career win and sweeping both Texas Motor Speedway Cup events of this season (he won the All-Star Race at Texas in June), Larson will make his first appearance in the Championship 4 Round as a title contender as he looks to deliver a second consecutive title for Hendrick Motorsports.

“This is unreal,” Larson said on NBC. “I knew we’d have a good shot to win today and our car was amazing. That’s probably the best 550 [mph] package, intermediate car we’ve had all year. Thanks to everybody on this No. 5 team, HendrickCars.com, [owner] Rick Hendrick. This is so cool. We get to go race for a championship in a few weeks. This is crazy. I just got good pushes from behind me, really. I tried to stay patient on the throttle, to keep them to my back bumper and thankfully, I was able to just barely clear them every time into [Turn] 1 and not have to fight them off of [Turn] 2. Thanks to William [Byron], Tyler [Reddick], Brad Keselowski, anybody who was ever behind me, especially Brad there that last restart. Just awesome to win and hope we can get some more wins throughout the rest of the year.”

“I don’t think we’re gonna lose focus on Kansas [Speedway] or Martinsville [Speedway], but I definitely think we can shift a little bit more to Phoenix [Raceway] car,” Larson added. “Really look forward to that. I love the West Coast. I love Phoenix. We’ve always been fast there. I think we should have a good shot. Our team’s been so strong all year long and might as well close it out now.”

Byron received a push from Bell through the frontstretch to claim the runner-up spot, which moved Bell up to third and dropped Keselowski to fourth while Harvick finished in the top five. 

“It’s all about the push,” Byron said. “I think here at Texas, the shortest lane kind of wins out because of the way the track kind of separates into Turn 1. The AXALTA Chevy was fast all day. We just never quite got control. I think [Larson] was definitely better than us that first stage and then, I was right there with him the rest of the time and it was just clean air, basically. Congrats to [Larson]. Kyle really deserves it. They’ve been awesome all year, flawless on pit road, pit calls and everything. Our team’s right there and I think we’re building something really good for years to come.”

“The last few times we’ve been here, you get 40-, 50-, 100-lap runs in the end and jeez, we didn’t run more than two laps at the time for the last 45, 50 laps,” Keselowski said. “That’s not what we needed. We needed the long runs to be able to keep them honest. We had the long-run speed. Those guys were just blistering fast, [Larson] and [Byron]. Every restart, they just drove away from me. It’s kind of like, ‘Come on, give me some laps and let their stuff wear down!’ Just wasn’t the way it played out. We gained a point, but we moved up from eighth to sixth [in the standings], so that’s a nice little win for us. If you keep running like that, scoring high 30s, low 40s in points, we’ll transfer in.”

Finishing in the top 10 were Blaney, Elliott, Kyle Busch, Reddick and Suarez. Hamlin, meanwhile, limped across the finish line in 11th place and with damage to the front nose of his car following his involvement in the previous caution.

“It just gets wild and crazy,” Blaney said. “There’s not a ton of room here to kind of go on restarts and then, just trying to help each lane kind of move forward. You hope the lane you pick moves forward and I thought we could run third or fourth. I thought the top two, [Larson] and [Byron], were pretty spectacular. I thought we could run third or fourth and just lost a couple of spots here and there on each restart. Gained one, lose one and then, we ended up sixth. Proud of the Dex Imaging Ford Mustang team today. Good stage points. We got a good finish out of it. Go on to Kansas and keep on at it…Just gotta keep doing what you’re doing. I don’t think you can ever get comfortable unless you’re [Larson] right now for the next two races. You just have to keep racing like you have been. We did a good job on pit road and didn’t make any mistakes today. Had a fast enough car to run up at the front. You hope to bring that every single week. We’ll keep on focusing on one race at a time.”

“I thought by the end, we were decent,” Elliott said. “Just by that point, obviously, too late…Congrats to Kyle. Hopefully, we can join those guys in Phoenix. I’m looking forward to these next two weeks. I think we can run good at the next couple [races]. We all got to be super close in points. I feel like we just go do our jobs these next two weeks and control what’s in our hands. and we’ll be alright. “

“We probably missed four or five points there at the end of the day, but we missed four or five points at the stage as well, too” Kyle Busch said. “That’s about all we missed out on. We just didn’t have it. Certainly, [Larson] and [Byron] were the class of the field again. We were just slow. I found some laps where I could run wide open and I was able to just barely, barely, barely make the same time as them. Anytime I had to get out of the gas, they would just drive away. Got to go back to the drawing board for next week. Try to figure out some better stuff for Kansas. We’ll go get’em next week.”

“We just didn’t have quite a fast-enough car,” Hamlin said. “I thought we were fifth at best, honestly. Two wrecks at the end. [Blaney] just got bounced up into us there. We got our tire cut, hit the wall and then, [Buescher] and [Briscoe] got into it there and came across the nose. The fact that there was that much attrition was a good thing for us because we were able to rally on that green-white-checkered to get to 11th…I’m pretty optimistic about next week at Kansas. We need some tools to fix this car because it is destroyed.”

There were eight lead changes for five different leaders. The race featured 11 cautions for 55 laps. Only 15 of 39 starters finished on the lead lap.

Results.

1. Kyle Larson, 256 laps led, Stage 2 winner

2. William Byron, 55 laps led

3. Christopher Bell

4. Brad Keselowski

5. Kevin Harvick

6. Ryan Blaney

7. Chase Elliott

8. Kyle Busch, 20 laps led, Stage 1 winner

9. Tyler Reddick

10. Daniel Suarez

11. Denny Hamlin, two laps led

12. Erik Jones

13. Matt DiBenedetto

14. Austin Dillon

15. Chase Briscoe

16. Kurt Busch, two laps down

17. Michael McDowell, two laps down

18. Aric Almirola, three laps down

19. Cole Custer, four laps down

20. Corey LaJoie, five laps down

21. Chris Buescher – OUT, Accident

22. BJ McLeod, 10 laps down

23. David Starr, 11 laps down

24. Garrett Smithley, 13 laps down

25. Martin Truex Jr. – OUT, Accident, one lap led

26. Josh Bilicki, 15 laps down

27. Timmy Hill, 17 laps down

28. Ross Chastain, 23 laps down

29. Anthony Alfredo – OUT, Accident

30. Joey Logano – OUT, Engine

31. Quin Houff – OUT, Suspension

32. Bubba Wallace – OUT, Accident

33. Alex Bowman – OUT, Accident

34. Ricky Stenhouse Jr. – OUT, Accident

35. Ryan Newman – OUT, Accident

36. Ryan Preece – OUT, Accident

37. Justin Haley – OUT, Accident

38. Cody Ware – OUT, Accident

39. Joey Gase – OUT, Accident

Bold indicates Playoff contenders.

Playoff standings.

1. Kyle Larson – Advanced

2. Ryan Blaney, +17

3. Denny Hamlin, +9

4. Kyle Busch, +8

5. Chase Elliott, -8

6. Brad Keselowski, -15

7. Martin Truex Jr., -22

8. Joey Logano, -43

The 2021 NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs will continue next weekend at Kansas Speedway on Sunday, October 24, which will occur at 3 p.m. ET on NBCSN. 

Ford Performance NASCAR: Texas 2 (Keselowski, Harvick and Blaney Post Top-10 Finishes at Texas)

By
Official Release
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Ford Performance Notes and Quotes
NASCAR Cup Series
Autotrader EchoPark Automotive 500 (Texas Motor Speedway)
Sunday, October 17, 2021

FORD FINISHING RESULTS
4th – Brad Keselowski (P)
5th – Kevin Harvick
6th – Ryan Blaney (P)
13th – Matt DiBenedetto
15th – Chase Elliott
17th – Michael McDowell
18th – Aric Almirola
19th – Cole Custer
21st – Chris Buescher
22nd – BJ McLeod
23rd – David Starr
26th – Josh Bilicki
29th – Anthony Alfredo
30th – Joey Logano (P)
35th – Ryan Newman
(P) denotes playoff driver

RYAN BLANEY, No. 12 DEX Imaging Ford Mustang (Finished 6th)

A SIXTH-PLACE FINISH TODAY MEANS YOU ARE NOW SECOND IN THE POINTS AS YOU HEAD TO KANSAS. HOW DO YOU FEEL ABOUT YOUR PERFORMANCE TODAY OVERALL? “It was a pretty decent day. I didn’t think we had winning speed today. I thought the 5 was pretty incredible and the 24 was fast too. The 2 and me, I thought we were pretty good. Probably the third or fourth place cars. All the late race restarts at the end get so wild and crazy and you have no idea what is going to happen and who is going to get checked up and stuff like that. Not a bad day. We got good stage points and finished good and we will move on to Kansas.”

BRAD KESELOWSKI, No. 2 Discount Tired Ford Mustang (Finished 4th)

YOU LOOKED LIKE THE ONLY CAR THAT COULD CONTEND WITH THE 24 AND 5. WHAT MORE DID YOU NEED? “Well, we didn’t need all those yellows. We had the car balanced really well with the Discount Tire Ford on the long runs. The last few times we have been here you get 40 or 50 or 100 lap runs at the end but today, geez, we didn’t run more than two laps at a time for the last 45 or 50 laps. That is just not what we needed. We needed the long runs to be able to keep them honest. We had long run speed but the 5 and 24 were just blistering fast on the restart and drove away from me. I just wanted some laps to let their stuff wear down.”

YOU CAME IN 16 POINTS BELOW THE CUT LINE AND YOU LEAVE 15 POINTS BELOW. YOU GAINED A POINT AFTER ALL OF THAT: “We gained a point but we moved up from eighth to sixth so that is a nice little win for us and gives us a better pit stall for next week. If we can keep running like that and scoring high 30’s or low 40’s in points then I think we will transfer in.”

JOEY LOGANO, No. 22 AAA Insurance Ford Mustang — (Retired on Lap 298 with engine issue) — Finished 30th

DID YOU HAVE ANY WARNING THAT THE CAR WAS GOING TO BLOW UP? “I thought it was starting to maybe give up a little bit of power in that run. We were just getting passed. Not really though. It just kind of let go. It is one of those days when nothing went right. The strategy didn’t go the way we wanted it to early in the race. Cautions didn’t fall the way we hoped they would and every time we started fighting our way back something happened and we ended up like this. Now we know what we have to do these next two weeks. We better go find a way to win.”

“It was a grind. We had a good start of the race and rode it up there to second and then we put two tires on and the car got real loose and we lost track position that run. We started making gains and we had a caution that fell right after we pitted and put us down a lap at the wave around. That happened a couple of times. We came back from the rear three times throughout the race. I’d like to know how we would be if we just picked it up and put it in a top-three spot. Maybe we would be okay. We have to move on. It is what it is now. We can’t change it. Not many points today, so that is a bummer. We will be fighting from here.”

WHAT IS THE ‘HOLY CRAP’ MOMENT WHEN SMOKE IS POURING OUT OF YOUR CAR? “I don’t know if it is a holy crap moment. It is just a real letdown moment. I said it earlier but Roush Yates has built us good motors. I don’t have any room to complain. We haven’t blown one up in years. At least not on the 22 car. It is bad timing, I will say that, but it is what it is.”

A LITTLE CONTACT WITH HAMLIN THERE RIGHT BEFORE THIS HAPPENED. DID THAT IMPACT YOUR CAR? “A little bit. It didn’t help. But he does that all the time. I will have to race the same way. He has hit me in the left rear quite a few times. It is what it is.”

DO YOU FEEL LIKE MAYBE THEY TWEAKED THE MOTORS TO TRY TO GET FASTER? “We are in a position that we have to fight. If you look at where the Hendrick cars are, they are faster than us. I don’t know what broke. We just got out of the car so it is hard to say what it was.”

DO YOU FEEL BETTER GOING INTO KANSAS KNOWING THAT TEAM PENSKE HAD SOME GOOD SPEED ON THIS 1.5 MILE TRACK TODAY? “Yeah, it helps us feel a little more confident. I think that was probably one of the best 1.5 mile tracks we have had. It has been that way of late, making steady gains. It looks like the 5 and 24 are the best of the field but there are times the 12 and 2 can get up there. We were just fighting track position all day. If we could have gotten track position I wonder what it would have looked like”

Toyota Racing – NCS Texas Post-Race Report – 10.17.21

By
Official Release
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TEXAS PROVES TREACHEROUS FOR TOYOTA PLAYOFF CONTENDERS
Bell and Busch Claim Top-10 Finishes

FORT WORTH (October 17, 2021) – Christopher Bell (third) and Kyle Busch (eighth) both scored top-10 finishes for Toyota in Sunday’s NASCAR Cup Series race at Texas Motor Speedway. Busch along with his Toyota teammates of Denny Hamlin and Martin Truex Jr. are still alive in the quest for the Championship 4 that will compete in Phoenix. While Busch had a solid finish along with a stage win, both Hamlin and Truex were involved in on-track incidents.

Toyota Post-Race Recap
NASCAR Cup Series (NCS)
Texas Motor Speedway
Race 33 of 36 – 334 laps, 501 miles

TOYOTA FINISHING POSITIONS
1st, Kyle Larson*
2nd, William Byron*
3rd, CHRISTOPHER BELL
4th, Brad Keselowski*
5th, Kevin Harvick*
8th, KYLE BUSCH
11th, DENNY HAMLIN
25th, MARTIN TRUEX JR.
27th, TIMMY HILL
32nd, BUBBA WALLACE
*non-Toyota driver

TOYOTA QUOTES

CHRISTOPHER BELL, No. 20 Rheem/Watts/Opteon Toyota Camry, Joe Gibbs Racing

Finishing Position: 3rd

How were you able to come back from two laps down to claim a top-three finish?

“Adam (Stevens, crew chief) did a great job making the right calls – putting tires on at the end really helped us. We kept gaining on this Rheem Camry every pit stop. I felt like we were pretty strong at the beginning of the race and then we kind of lost the handle in the middle stages and fell back and lost some track position, so fortunate to come home third for sure. I’m really happy for this 20 group. I think we have some strong races coming up.”

KYLE BUSCH, No. 18 Interstate Batteries Toyota Camry, Joe Gibbs Racing

Finishing Position: 8th

You are above the cut line, does that give you something to salvage this day?

“That’s about the only thing we got out of today. Just we were off. I don’t know how we missed it, why we missed it, or what but just taking off on fire off, there’s just no grip whatsoever. We would just chatter the front tires, so we missed it today. We missed it big time. I don’t know what is going on, but that wasn’t the way to perform on the opening day today. Thanks to Interstate Batteries. I appreciate all of their people that were with us today. I just feel bad that we didn’t do a better job. We have to go back to work. Next week is Kansas – same kind of thing.”

Do you think Kansas will be similar?

“It’s going to be similar. It’s not going to be as one groove-ish fighting for the first lane of that spray. You are going to be able to widen out and race all over the track, so hopefully that should be a little better.”

DENNY HAMLIN, No. 11 Craftsman Toyota Camry, Joe Gibbs Racing

Finishing Position: 11th

What do you take away from this race?

“I think we went a different direction with our car and we weren’t just as fast as we were in previous mile-and-a-half races. I thought we were kind of a third-to-fourth place car on the long run, seventh-to-eighth on the short run. Just weren’t ourselves today in that case and then obviously getting in two wrecks at the end didn’t help, but the fact that there was a lot of attrition and the fact that the team did a phenomonal job fixing the car got us back up to P-11.”

What can you take into next week’s race at Kansas?

“It’s insane. I think we ended up gaining a point over the cut, somehow. I don’t know. It’s just a crazy day. The way these cars race where we are packed up for a couple laps, you just never know. It’s going to be the same way at Kansas. Hopefully we bring a fast piece there and we can go there and compete for a win.”

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

Finishing Position: 25th

Do you feel like you gave him (Daniel Suarez) enough room?

“I’m not sure. I’ll have to see it. I was definitely running tight trying to get all we could and maybe I squeezed him (Daniel Suarez), maybe he came up, I’m not sure. I don’t even know if we touched. I got loose and when I gathered it up (shown replay). Yeah, we touched for sure. It’s really fast right there and yeah, hit the splitter and went straight to the fence. Tough spot to have contact like that. I don’t know. It is what it is.”

How do you bounce back in the next couple of races?

“Try to win one of them, I guess.”

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

CHEVROLET RACING IN NATIONAL HOT ROD ASSOCIATION: BRISTOL – POST-RACE RECAP & QUOTES

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Official Release
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CHEVROLET RACING IN NATIONAL HOT ROD ASSOCIATION
NHRA THUNDER VALLEY NATIONALS
BRISTOL DRAGWAY IN BRISTOL, TENNESSEE
OCT. 17, 2021

Chevrolet drivers head to Las Vegas in title hunt

• Brittany Force sets track speed record, reaches Top Fuel semifinals
• No. 5 qualifier Robert High advances to Funny Car semifinals

BRISTOL, Tenn. (Oct. 17, 2021) – Another semifinal appearance and bonus points accumulated in qualifying at the Thunder Valley Nationals were beneficial to Brittany Force in her quest for a second National Hot Rod Association (NHRA) Top Fuel championship.

Force reached the semifinal for the second consecutive event after qualifying third and setting the Bristol Dragway speed record in the Flav-R-Pac Chevrolet dragster. The 2017 NHRA Top Fuel titleholder remained second in the standings heading into the penultimate event of the Countdown to the Championship Oct. 29-31 at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.

“Overall, happy with our semifinal finish,” said Force, whose 333.58 mph pass in in the third round of qualifying reset the track Top Fuel record. “This Flav-R-Pac/Monster Energy team stayed No. 2 in points and we’re looking forward to Vegas.”

Teammate Robert Hight advanced to the Funny Car semifinals in the Automobile Club of Southern California Camaro SS. John Force, driving the PEAK Antifreeze & Coolant Camaro SS, fell in the quarterfinals. He is tied for fourth in points.

Chevrolet Pro Stock competitors will join the John Force Racing trio at Las Vegas. Greg Anderson, driving the HendrickCars.com Camaro SS, takes an 81-point lead over reigning champion Erica Enders in the Melling Performance/Elite Motorsports Camaro SS.

The last of eight races in the Constant Aviation Factory Stock Showdown will also be conducted. Aaron Stanfield, driving the Janac Brothers Racing Chevrolet COPO Camaro, locked up his second consecutive championship a few weeks ago at Madison, Illinois.

CHEVROLET FROM THE COCKPIT

TOP FUEL:

BRITTANY FORCE, JOHN FORCE RACING, FLAV-R-PAC CHEVROLET DRAGSTER (No. 3 qualifier, fell in semifinals): “I was really proud to be running this Flav-R-Pac car at my favorite race on the circuit, the Thunder Valley Nationals. We made some good passes all weekend long, starting Friday night. We had a few issues going rounds today and the boys had a lot of work, but they pulled it together and git us to that starting line.”

FUNNY CAR:

JOHN FORCE, JOHN FORCE RACING, PEAK ANTIFREEZE & COOLANT CHEVROLET CAMARO SS (No. 6 qualifier, fell in quarterfinals): “Not what we were looking for today. Bit of a rough go through the whole weekend. We’re still in the hunt though. Two races left, points and a half in Pomona. We’ll be good. Still have some fight in us.”

ROBERT HIGHT, JOHN FORCE RACING, AUTO CLUB OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA CHEVROLET CAMARO SS (No. 5 qualifier, fell in semifinals): “We qualified well this weekend. We put up some good runs, thought we had a competitive Chevy. We got outrun today, wish things were different. But we’re still out here to win. There are two races left in the season and we’ll be out there just like everyone else looking for wins.”

About Chevrolet
Founded in 1911 in Detroit, Chevrolet is now one of the world’s largest car brands, available in 79 countries with more than 3.2 million cars and trucks sold in 2020. Chevrolet models include electric and fuel-efficient vehicles that feature engaging performance, design that makes the heart beat, passive and active safety features and easy-to-use technology, all at a value. More information on Chevrolet models can be found at www.chevrolet.com.

TPC Racing Scores Porsche Sprint Challenge Team Championship, Two Podiums at Indianapolis

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Official Release
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Pedro Torres and Jordan Wallace Earned Podiums, Rob Lorndale Cemented Third in Season-Long Gold Class Championship

INDIANAPOLIS, Indiana (October 17, 2021) – TPC Racing added the season-long Porsche Sprint Challenge North America Team Championship in the Gold Class to their illustrious racing history, with drivers Pedro Torres, Rob Lorndale and Rich Schoeneborn contributing to a season that included five runner-up finishes and three third-place finishes during the official 14-race point-scoring season. Lorndale added a season-long third-place in the Driver Points, capped by a bronze medal during Friday’s race at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

The season ended on a high note for the team’s individual drivers as well.

Lorndale earned his third-place finish on Friday in the No. 6 TPC Racing Porsche 911 GT3 Cup despite contact during the 40-minute sprint that left him unable to continue in Saturday’s second race. Lorndale, running just his first season of professional racing, earned a total of five podium finishes on the season – improving dramatically throughout the season to reach his number one goal.

Torres, who missed one weekend for personal reasons, still rode a series of podium finishes to a fifth-place overall in the Driver Points. Torres needed to drive his No. 16 Stoneleaf/TPC Racing Porsche 911 GT3 Cup to a second-place finish during Sunday’s race to secure both his fifth podium finish and a the team’s championship title. Torres did everything he needed to do, finishing seven seconds ahead of third place to lock down the title.

Jordan Wallace, who ran the No. 35 Dasbold/TPC Racing Porsche Cayman GT4 in the Silver Class for the final portion of the season, capped his rookie season with a third-place finish during Saturday’s race. It was the second podium of the season, all in the past three races, for Wallace, who also swept the Indianapolis weekend at the Porsche Together Fest in a pair of non-points paying races.

While the season has concluded for TPC Racing’s Porsche Sprint Challenge North America drivers, the team returns to action during the Petit Le Mans race week at Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta. Vernon McClure will drive TPC Racing’s No. 10 Main Street Homes/TPC Racing Porsche 911 GT3 Cup in Porsche Carrera Cup North America during a doubleheader event, starting with a test session next week at the track.

Harris Levitas, Director of Race Operations: “That was a really great season this year. I’ve got thank the TPC Racing team for all the hard work they put in this year. All the guys here and all the guys at the shop, they’ve been working like crazy and the Gold Class championship comes down to all the hard work they put into this. Paul, Trevor, Ian, Bob – everybody did such an incredible job. Rob and Pedro put in their hard work and brought us to this championship. Indy is a really cool place to be, there’s so much history here and our team really likes this track. We’ve had very fast cars here every time we’ve come here. We’ve had some really good results here and that makes it that much more fun to come back to. Friday was a race we all want to forget, but we rebounded today and I’m proud of the effort for that.”

Rob Lorndale, Driver, No. 6 Porsche 911 GT3 Cup: “I feel terrific about the season as a whole. I’ve gotten to become really good friends with Pedro this year, and I’ve gotten to be great friends with Spencer as well in addition to learning from him. It was a great experience. My goal at the beginning of the season driving at this new, higher level was simply to improve as a driver and a racer. I feel really good about the progress I made over the course of the season. The Team Championship for TPC Racing really was a team effort, and I’m proud to be a part of what is a great team and contribute to the Team Championship, which is an incredible accomplishment. Mike, Harris, all of the crew, Pedro, Rich – it was a tremendous effort by everybody and everyone should feel really good about what we accomplished together. The together part of that is really important and really cool.”

Pedro Torres, Driver, No. 16 Porsche 911 GT3 Cup: “It was a good weekend. I wish I had a little bit more speed today, I just didn’t. It was a little bit lonely. I like the track (at Indianapolis). A couple of sections are almost autocross, not a lot of speed and a little technical, but it also has a couple of turns that are quite gutsy. Coming into the back you have to stay flat and the car is moving. The guys are great, Harris did a great job. Working with (TPC Racing driver coach) Spencer Pumpelly is fantastic, I like his driving style. Next season we’re looking into Carrera Cup and Porsche Sprint, and maybe some other things, so that’s pretty exciting. It’s my first year competing which was great, and now we’ll develop from there and work on being more consistent.”

Jordan Wallace, Driver, No. 35 Porsche Cayman GT4: “I want to say a big thank you to Dasbold, my supporters, and all of my family and friends who put it on the line to make it this far in the first place. I think the story of the season was adversity, and I think we showed up at the right times and put our best foot forward, especially at the end of the season, to show we are one of the top drivers and teams on the grid. I’m just really pleased with the work that we put in and the amount of effort, time and energy that we’ve all put in trying to be great. That meant a lot to me coming into the last race of the season and I’m glad we could put it back on the podium at probably one of my favorite race tracks in the country now, Indianapolis.”

About TPC Racing: TPC Racing is the Mid-Atlantic’s premier maintenance, service, tuning and modification center dedicated solely to Porsche sportscars. TPC Racing specializes in R&D and sales of high-performance modifications for Porsche sports cars and race cars, offering a wide range of vehicle upgrades. Best known for a line of forced induction solutions for the Porsche 911, Cayman and Boxster, a long-time focus on only one make, Porsche, has enabled TPC Racing to become experts in Porsche service, tuning, and racing. In 2000, TPC Racing began entering races under its own banner, scoring an SGS-class Championship in 2004 in the Grand-American Rolex Series and was a class winner in the 2006 Rolex 24 At Daytona, and captured the 2013 and 2016 IMSA Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge USA Gold Cup Championships. More information can be found at www.TPCRacing.com.

Mercedes-AMG Team Craft-Bamboo Racing Leads Top-10 Mercedes-AMG GT3 Intercontinental GT Challenge Qualifying Sweep

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Official Release
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Winward Racing and SunEnergy1 Racing Secure Class Pole Positions for Today’s Indianapolis 8 Hour

INDIANAPOLIS, Indiana – All four Mercedes-AMG Motorsport Customer Racing teams eligible for Intercontinental GT Challenge championship points in today’s Indianapolis 8 Hour qualified inside the top 10 Saturday in a close Pole Shootout at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Jules Gounon was the fastest of the four Mercedes-AMG GT3 entries in the 15-car shootout in the No. 99 Mercedes-AMG Team Craft-Bamboo Racing Mercedes-AMG GT3, turning a top lap time of 1:33.515 (99.667 mph) on the 2.54-mile IMS road course. Marvin Dienst was seventh fastest overall at 1:34.013 (99.139 mph) to win the Silver Cup class pole in the No. 33 Winward Racing Mercedes-AMG GT3 while Mikael Grenier locked down the Pro-Am-class pole in the No. 75 SunEnergy1 Racing Mercedes-AMG GT3 with a lap time of 1:34.232 (98.909 mph).

Raffaele Marciello qualified eighth fastest overall in the No. 89 Mercedes-AMG Team AKKA ASP Mercedes-AMG GT3 as Mercedes-AMG was the only manufacturer to place each of its four points-eligible entries in the Pole Shootout top 10. Marciello recorded a top lap time of 1:34.130 (99.015 mph) in the No. 89, which the team took delivery of at IMS for the first time early Saturday morning after a multi-day shipping delay.

The Indianapolis 8 Hour is scheduled to start today at 10 a.m. EDT with live flag-to-flag coverage on the SRO GT World YouTube page and live segment coverage on the CBS Sports Network (CBSSN) from 12 – 2 p.m. EDT and 4 – 6:30 p.m. EDT.

Gounon co-drives with Maro Engel and Luca Stolz in the Mercedes-AMG Team Craft-Bamboo Racing entry, with Engel slated to start the 8 Hour in the No. 99.

Philip Ellis pulls the opening driving shift in the Winward Racing No. 33 he will share in the 8 Hour with Dienst and Russell Ward.

Marciello’s teammates include Daniel Juncadella and starting driver Timur Boguslavskiy who will take the green flag in the Mercedes-AMG Team AKKA ASP No. 89.

Team owner and driver Kenny Habul will start the 8 Hour in his No. 75 Mercedes-AMG GT3 with Martin Konrad joining him and Grenier in the driver lineup.

A trio of DXDT Racing entries in the Pro-Am class complete the Mercedes-AMG Motorsport customer teams competing in the Indianapolis 8 Hour.

Erin Vogel, Michael Cooper and Thomas Merrill qualified 18th overall and third in Pro-Am in the No. 19 DXDT Racing Mercedes-AMG GT3 while DXDT’s other pair of entries share row 11 on the starting grid.

George Kurtz, Colin Braun and Ben Keating qualified 21st and sixth in Pro-Am in the No. 04 DXDT Racing Mercedes-AMG GT3 and David Askew, Ryan Dalziel and Scott Smithson roll off 22nd and seventh in Pro-Am in the No. 63 DXDT Racing Mercedes-AMG GT3.

The DXDT race-starting drivers are Vogel, Kurtz and Askew.

Jules Gounon, Driver – No. 99 Mercedes-AMG Team Craft-Bamboo Racing Mercedes-AMG GT3: “It was very good. I tried my maximum in qualifying, we missed the pole by nearly nothing, but we still have eight hours to make it up tomorrow. We’re going to work even harder tonight to find a solution on the setup. The Mercedes-AMG GT3 feels good on the long runs, so we are really happy to be back and on the second row for the Indianapolis 8 Hour. It’s such a strong field this year so we can be proud of what has been achieved today. This is the first race in two years for Craft-Bamboo, so they too can be proud of their work. Thanks to the engineers and crew for a fantastic car as always. We’ll try to have a clean race, as best as possible, and hopefully we will have big smiles on Sunday night.”

Marvin Dienst, Driver – No. 33 Winward Racing Mercedes-AMG GT3: “I drove it and I think myself and the team seem to be quite happy with the performance. We were struggling a bit in the first qualifying round, but the average was quite clear, so we made it into the Pole Shootout. We had one shot with a clean lap, and quite a decent lap as well. It was not a maximum push because we’re fighting in the Silver Cup class and didn’t go all in and taking the full risk to get the overall pole. It’s a long race ahead, so we just tried to get the pole position in class. We are starting P7 and P1 in class by quite a bit of margin as well and we cannot complain in any way.”

Raffaele Marciello, Driver – No. 89 Mercedes-AMG Team AKKA ASP Mercedes-AMG GT3: “It was not the best qualifying for us. It was not easy getting the car just Saturday morning, so for sure we can do better. We do not start in a very good position, but we have tonight to work and to see what we can improve.”

Mikael Grenier, Driver – No. 75 SunEnergy1 Racing Mercedes-AMG GT3: “It’s not easy getting to the Pole Shootout, so Kenny and Martin did very well. We were hoping for the top five, but we didn’t have any tires ready because we didn’t expect to make it to the Pole Shootout. You have to pre-heat them, they were not really hot, so we missed the peak on the tire, but we can still be happy. At the start of the race, we have to stay out of trouble. The Mercedes-AMG GT3 is really good on tire degradation, but it’s pretty cold, so I don’t think anyone is going to suffer too much, but normally the long run is really good. We also focused the setup more for the long run than for qualifying because it’s an endurance race. Kenny and Martin did really well last year, we finished third in Pro-Am, and it’s the same thing this year. The Pro-Am victory is the main goal.”

Bobby McCarty, Carson Kvapil score wins, earn championships in CARS Tour season finale Saturday at South Boston Speedway

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Bobby McCarty (22) leads Connor Hall (77), Jonathan Shafer (91, partially hidden) and Mason Diaz (24) into the second turn during the 125-lap Late Model Stock Car Division race of Saturday night’s season-ending Autos By Nelson 250 presented by Bojangles at South Boston Speedway. McCarty won the race and captured his third career Solid Rock Carriers CARS Tour Late Model Stock Car Division championship. Photo Courtesy Joe Chandler/South Boston Speedway

By Joe Chandler
Director, Public Relations
South Boston Speedway

SOUTH BOSTON, Va. (Oct. 17, 2021) — Bobby McCarty of Kernersville, North Carolina became the first three-time Solid Rock Carriers CARS Tour Late Model Stock Car division champion in the series’ history and Carson Kvapil of Mooresville, North Carolina earned his first CARS Tour Super Late Model crown, with both drivers scoring wins in Saturday night’s season-ending Autos By Nelson 250 presented by Bojangles at South Boston Speedway.

Saturday night marked the fourth time in the seven-year history of the Solid Rock Carriers CARS Tour that the series has held its season-ending championship race at South Boston Speedway.

McCarty entered the 125-lap Late Model Stock Car Division race with a slim one-point edge over Kaden Honeycutt of Aledo, Texas in the chase for the division championship. The Greensboro, North Carolina resident started on the outside pole and led all 125 laps in winning the race and securing the series title. Honeycutt finished seventh in the race.

The win was McCarty’s third victory of the season on the CARS Tour circuit and his second of the season at South Boston Speedway. McCarty won South Boston Speedway’s showcase 200-lap NASCAR Late Model Stock Car Division race in July.

“I never really thought about the championship,” remarked McCarty. “I really wanted to win this race. We came to South Boston Speedway twice this year and won both races. I think in Late Model Stock, in this day and age, it says a lot.”

The race was slowed by 10 caution periods and was stopped twice by red flags due to mishaps. McCarty got good starts and surged into the lead on each restart, the last one coming with 18 laps to go. McCarty finished 3.328 seconds ahead of runner-up Daniel Silvestri of Ashburn, Virginia.

“I knew the car was good, I just didn’t know how good,” McCarty noted. “It was phenomenal. This was the best racecar I’ve ever sat my butt in, and I can’t thank all of the guys at Nelson Motorsports enough.”

Pole winner Connor Hall of Hampton, Virginia, Jonathan Shafer of Ashland, Ohio and Mason Diaz of Manassas, Virginia rounded out the top five finishers.

Solid Rock Carriers Cars Tour Super Late Model Division champion Carson Kvapil (holding trophy front left) and Solid Rock Carriers CARS Tour Late Model Stock Car Division champion Bobby McCarty (holding trophy front right) are pictured with their respective teams following Saturday night’s season-ending Autos By Nelson 250 presented by Bojangles at South Boston Speedway. The two drivers won their respective races in Saturday night’s event. Photo Courtesy Joe Chandler/South Boston Speedway

Kvapil headed into the 125-lap Super Late Model race, the final Super Late Model race in CARS Tour history, trailing series point leader Matt Craig by an eight-point margin. He needed to have a perfect night – win the pole in qualifying, lead the entire race and win the race to win the championship, and he pulled off a sweep.

“Winning the CARS Tour championship is the highlight of championships I’ve won,” Kvapil said after scoring his fourth win of the season and capturing his first career CARS Tour Super Late Model Division championship. “Everything that could have happened for us happened. Everything was spot on. From the green flag the car did not change. It was perfect the whole race. We were able to run away from them, control our pace and win the championship.”

Ryan Moore of Troutman, North Carolina finished in second place, 2.357 seconds behind Kvapil. Craig finished third with Kodie Conner of Kannapolis, North Carolina and Justin Crider of Statesville, North Carolina rounding out the top five finishers.

Team Penske NASCAR Xfinity Series Race Report – Texas

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Team Penske NASCAR Xfinity Series Race Report
Track: Texas Motor Speedway
Race: Andy’s Frozen Custard 335
Date: October 16, 2021

No. 22 Snap-on Ford Mustang – Austin Cindric
Start: 2nd
Stage 1: 1st – Tenth Stage Win of 2021
Stage 2: 11th
Finish: 5th
Status: Running
Laps Completed: 200/200
Laps Led: 34
Point Standings (behind first): 2nd (-4)

Notes:

  • Austin Cindric and the No.22 Snap-on Ford team opened the Round of 8 with a solid fifth-place finish Saturday afternoon at Texas Motor Speedway. The reigning series champion won the first stage for his 10th stage victory of the season and lead a total of 34 laps. The finish was also Cindric’s sixth top-five and seventh top-10 in eight starts at the Lone Star 1.5-mile oval. He heads into Kansas Speedway second in points, trailing championship points leader AJ Almendinger by 4 points.
  • The starting lineup was once again set per the NASCAR rulebook, which gave Cindric the second starting position. During the opening laps he steadily chipped away at championship rival AJ Allmendinger’s lead, capturing the top position on lap 14. He reported his Snap-on Ford was a little tight but solid. The third caution was displayed with six laps remaining in the first 45-lap stage, setting up for mixed pit road strategy and a one lap dash to the Stage 1 finish. Cindric was able to hold on to the lead position and capture the Stage 1 win. He came to pit road during the caution for four tires, fuel, and an adjustment to loosen up his Mustang as he restarted Stage 2 in the 19th position.
  • He slipped to the 24th position on the restart, going three-wide but over the course of the caution filled second stage, raced his way to 11th. He radioed to his team that his Snap-on Ford was still tight and could use more turn. He pitted during the stage caution on lap 94 for four tires, fuel, and an air pressure adjustment to improve the balance on the No. 22 Mustang. Cindric lined up sixth when the race went green on lap 97.
  • Shortly after the restart, Cindric raced his way back inside the top-five, running fourth when the ninth caution slowed the race on lap 141. Cindric said his Mustang was still a little tight and needed more stability to run with the leaders. Crew chief Brian Wilson called his driver to pit road for four tries, fuel, and another air pressure adjustment. Cindric restarted third with 51 laps to go. Over the course of the green flag run, Cindric fell to the fifth position still battling a tight racecar. The caution was displayed once again on lap 172 allowing the field to pit one final time. Wilson called for a round of wedge out of the Snap-on Ford to help the Mustang turn better, in addition to four fresh tires and fuel. The Mooresville, N.C. native restarted eighth with 21 laps left and raced his way to the fifth position by the end of the 200-lap race.

Quote: “It was a solid day. Obviously, the strategy there in Stage 1 that made for an eventful Stage 2 trying to get back through the field with our Snap-on Ford Mustang. I wish that would have been able to be more straight-up because we could have had good stage points. Otherwise, we just struggled tight and struggled to keep up with the track. I felt like we made a really good adjustment on the last run but just didn’t have enough laps. It was an interesting day. No major dramas. I feel like we brought a good package, it was just really hard to predict what the track was going to do with the resin they added. It was fun trying to learn that throughout the day. Obviously, we wanted to win to lock in, but we have a good amount of points to work with for the next two weeks.”

Monster Energy Racing: Riley Herbst Texas NXS Race Report

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Herbst Finishes 12th at Texas
Monster Energy Ford Driver Earns 16th Top-15 of Season

Date: Oct. 16, 2021
Event: Andy’s Frozen Custard 335 (Round 30 of 33)
Series: NASCAR Xfinity Series
Location: Texas Motor Speedway in Fort Worth (1.5-mile oval)
Format: 200 laps, broken into three stages (45 laps/45 laps/110 laps)
Start/Finish: 20th / 12th (Running, completed 200 of 200 laps)
Point Standing: 11th (2,067 points)
Race Winner: John Hunter Nemechek of Joe Gibbs Racing (Toyota)
Stage 1 Winner: Austin Cindric of Team Penske (Ford)
Stage 2 Winner: John Hunter Nemechek of Joe Gibbs Racing (Toyota)

Overview:

After a 200-lap battle in the Lone Star State, Riley Herbst and the No. 98 Monster Energy team brought home their 16th top-15 finish of the 2021 season. The Las Vegas native finished 12th in Saturday’s Andy’s Frozen Custard 335 at Texas Motor Speedway in Fort Worth. After starting 20th, Herbst wasted no time in his drive forward, moving up to 16th by lap eight. When the competition caution came out on lap 20, the 22-year-old driver reported that his No. 98 Monster Energy Ford Mustang fired off fine but became tight. Crew chief Richard Boswell kept Herbst out on the track to stick to the team’s pit strategy. After the lap-26 restart, Herbst ran as high as 13th for the remainder of the stage. A late-stage caution on lap 40 presented an opportunity for the No. 98 team. Herbst pitted for four tires, fuel, and a double adjustment to combat his tight-handling racecar. A majority of the leaders stayed out at that time, so while Herbst finished the stage in 20th, he was able to restart the second stage in sixth. When the race went back green on lap 52, the Las Vegas native was consistent. He ran as high as fifth and reported that his Ford Mustang was the best it had been all day. Herbst finished sixth to earn five bonus points and restarted the final stage seventh on lap 98 after a scheduled pit stop. He was battling for eighth when an accident brought out the caution flag on lap 100. The team kept its driver on the track to restart eighth. Herbst struggled in the dirty air on the restart and fell back to 14th. When the caution came out on lap 142, Herbst was running 13th. He reported that the car was good, but he continued to struggle with passing, similar to many other competitors. The No. 98 Monster Energy team brought its driver down pit road for four fresh tires and fuel. Herbst continued to run in the top-12 after the restart. He was 11th when another caution flag flew on lap 172. Boswell made the call to bring Herbst down pit road for the final stop of the race to put on four tires and fill up on fuel. In the final 21 laps, Herbst battled in the top-12, where he ultimately finished.

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

“Man, Texas is a tough track. We struggled with a tight Monster Energy Ford Mustang initially. During the second stage, we really showed some speed while running in the top-10. Unfortunately, it was hard to pass all day, so when we got shuffled back to 12th on the final restart, it was hard to get back up to the front. We’ll take what we learned and head to Kansas.”

Notes:

● Herbst finished sixth in Stage 2 to earn five bonus points.

● Herbst’s 12th-place result equaled his previous best finish at Texas – 12th, earned in June.

● John Hunter Nemechek won the Andy’s Frozen Custard 335 to score his second career Xfinity Series victory, his first of the season and his first at Texas. His margin over second-place Daniel Hemric was 1.316 seconds.

● There were ten caution periods for a total of 54 laps.

● Nineteen of the 40 drivers in the Andy’s Frozen Custard 335 finished on the lead lap.

● A.J. Allmendinger remains the championship leader after Texas with an four-point advantage over second-place Cindric.

Next Up:

The next event on the Xfinity Series schedule is the Kansas Lottery 300 on Saturday, Oct. 23 at Kansas Speedway in Kansas City. The race starts at 3 p.m. EDT with live coverage provided by NBC and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.

Race Car Driver – Features of the Profession Every Novice Racer Should Know

By
SM
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Lovers of speed and thrills dream of becoming car racers. The description of the profession, its advantages, disadvantages, training options, and career opportunities will help you better understand the features of this unique specialty. Its representatives take part in various competitions, risk their lives, but get a good financial reward. The experts of essaysadvisor.com have compiled detailed material on the features of this profession. 

Areas of activity

A racecar driver (car pilot) is a person who devotes his whole life to competitions on the world’s circuits. There are many directions in this profession. They differ from each other by the type of cars and tracks on which athletes compete.

The main directions:

  1. Ring car and motorcycle racing. Athletes participating in such races drive a certain number of laps on specialized tracks. The most famous competitions are the Formula 1 and MotoGP championships. Endurance races. These competitions are held on the same tracks as circuit racing. The only difference is the maximum duration of the races (up to 24 hours). Auto and motorcycle racers involved in these series appear in teams of 3-4 people and are served by dozens of assistants (mechanics).
  2. Rally. Rally competitions are held on natural tracks with different surfaces (soil, gravel, sand, ice, and others). Their participants overcome particular small parts separately from each other. Crews consist of a pilot and navigator, who must sit next to him and tell the correct direction.
  3. Autocross. This direction is represented by circuit racing on a dirt track. Athletes have to overcome ramps, hills, and pits and fight with their rivals.
  4. Drag Racing. Auto racers who choose this direction compete for only 20-30 seconds. All the rest of the time, they are busy preparing the car for the races. The goal of such races is to develop the highest possible speed to outrun a car of their rivals.
  5. Drift. Such races are especially spectacular. That is why they are often attributed not to competitions but the show. Their participants pass the sharp turns of the road with controlled drifting.
  6. Trophy-Raid. These competitions are attended by racing drivers who prefer large SUVs and trucks. The route runs through the rugged terrain, where athletes are waiting for a variety of natural obstacles. 
  7. Karting. This direction is created especially for young participants and young racers who are just mastering their profession. Competitions are held on circular tracks.

Pros and cons of the profession

Every day the racer earns money, risking his life and health. Despite this, the profession has many positives that make you love it. 

The main advantages:

  • the prestige of the profession;
  • the opportunity to constantly experience the release of adrenaline;
  • high wages;
  • the chance to become a world-famous athlete;
  • the opportunity to travel to different countries.

The main disadvantages:

  • high risk of injury, including fatal injury;
  • great responsibility;
  • the need to drive the car on the race track in all weather conditions.

Personal qualities

A man who wants to participate in the races and become a winner must have specific personal qualities. Without them, it will be virtually impossible to succeed.

Necessary qualities are courage, determination, high reaction rate, self-confidence, concentrating attention, excellent vision and hearing, developed willpower, purposefulness, and working in a team.

Key Responsibilities

Before starting a race car driver career, you need to understand that a pilot’s duties include more than just participating in races. In addition to their direct functions, the car racer performs a dozen other tasks needed during the competition.

The primary duties are:

  • studying all the features of the track (angles of the roadway, steepness of turns, optimal braking points, etc.);
  • development of racing strategy;
  • assessing the condition and capabilities of the car;
  • conducting training and test runs;
  • giving interviews to the media;
  • improvement of racing technology.

Requirements

Only a person who meets all the requirements of the profession can take part in racing. But, unfortunately, there are quite a few of them. So the selection of candidates for car racing is considered one of the toughest.

The list of requirements:

  • perfect health and excellent physical condition;
  • no problems with the vestibular apparatus, vision, and hearing;
  • the ability to tolerate increased overload well;
  • knowledge of the technical characteristics of the vehicle and the acts of car racing;
  • the ability to repair breakdowns;
  • having driving experience in various weather conditions;
  • skills of work on preparing.

Employment Options and Career

Before committing yourself to the car racing profession, you need to find out where to train, potential salaries, and possible places of employment. This information will help you understand the appropriateness of your choice and determine the right course of action. Car racer is not the most in-demand profession. Because of this, it is almost impossible to get into motorsports without a lot of money in your pocket. For one reason or another, Athletes who could not achieve success have a chance to prove themselves in related professions.

Possible jobs:

  • a sports club;
  • children’s sections and racing schools;
  • a company that organizes competitions;
  • a racing team (positions of a mechanic, analyst, navigator, and others).

It is enough to look at his expensive personal property to understand how much a professional racer earns. In most cases, the income of top riders depends on the chosen direction and the team in which it is located. As a result, the salary varies widely and can reach tens of millions of dollars. At the same time, an amateur athlete is limited to a diploma or a cup for winning competitions.

Professions requiring high qualifications

The racers, engineers, and mechanics get all the applause. But there are other vital roles behind the scenes of motorsports, especially in the super-professional world of racing.

The most visible and widely known professions in motorsports are drivers, engineers, and auto mechanics. But in the racing world, a lot depends on many specialists, including experts from some unique branches of science.

Fuel Specialist

Engine designers get all the glory, but fuel chemists are the Atlantis of development in motorsports, bringing everything into balance. Their job is to fine-tune fuel chemistry, optimize octane numbers to fit a vehicle’s characteristics, make adjustments for its weight, acceleration, and, of course, its unique engine architecture. A perfectly matched fuel can add 40 horsepower to a Formula 1 race car.

This role also includes developing new additives that must comply with the rules for each sport. As a result, fuel chemists sometimes have to find creative ways to get around regulations.

To be a specialist in this field, you have to learn and take your knowledge seriously. But there are times when you don’t have time to do the written work that students are asked to do in large numbers. This is where online services for writing student papers can help you. Experts can also help in writing MBA letter of intent. Such companies are ready to offer essays discounts so as not to hit the students’ pockets.

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