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Dyson Completes WGI Trans Am Sweep, Mosack Scores First TA2® Victory

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Official Release
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Joiner and Oakes clinch respective class titles two rounds early

WATKINS GLEN, N.Y. (12 September 2021)- Leaving nothing to chance, Chris Dyson pulled away from the field to win another spectacular Trans Am Series presented by Pirelli race on Sunday to complete a doubleheader weekend of combined-class racing at Watkins Glen International.

After winning Saturday’s race, Dyson continued his march toward his first TA title by beating Boris Said by 5.848 seconds on Sunday. CD Racing’s Guy Smith took third in Dyson Racing’s No. 21 Amamos LaVida Tequila Ford Mustang, beating out Amy Ruman’s No. 23 McNichols Corvette in a thrilling late-race battle.

“God bless the empire state, God bless New York, I am so proud to be back here,” said Dyson, who made his professional debut at The Glen 20 years ago. “It was just magnificent up here today. We made some tweaks overnight, and it worked out fantastically for us today. The ALTWELL CBD Ford Mustang feels so good and was fast every single lap. I could push; I could drive into a pace; we definitely had our hand in it today the whole way. I’m really proud we got a one-three finish for the team, so that’s terrific for the points. To win two in a row here at Watkins Glen is very satisfying for us.”

Dyson saw troubles take out challengers Ernie Francis Jr. and Tomy Drissi. After going out with clutch problems in the closing laps of Saturday’s run, Francis dropped a belt and later overheated in the No. 98 Future Star Racing Ford Mustang but was able to take the checkered flag two laps down after having led in the early stages of the race.

Dyson had battled with Drissi on Saturday, and the two were once again in close contention on Sunday as Drissi challenged Dyson up until sustaining tire and suspension problems exiting Turn 4, sending him into the guardrail.

Said started the No. 2 Pancho Weaver Technique/SRI Dodge Challenger from the back of the 34-car grid after missing Saturday’s race. He thrilled his many fans in the large crowd by storming into contention, but had nothing for Dyson following the final restart. Said won the Chill Out move of the race for coming from last to second.

“I love coming here, it’s like my home track,” Said explained. “Of all the tracks I’ve raced from all over the world, this circuit is badass and the best I’ve ever driven. I had a blast coming from the back, I wanted Chris (Dyson) really bad, he’s a good blocker. I tried to put the fender on him but didn’t want to rough him up too much to upset him and his championship. He won today fair and square. Pancho Weaver builds the best cars, and I had a lot of fun today driving from the back.”

The run to the Trans Am podium was a welcome one for Smith, who celebrated his birthday in style.

“I actually went into neutral, I was so busy trying to keep her back, I wasn’t even looking at what I was doing,” Smith admitted about his late race battle with Ruman. “It was a bit of a comeback. She drove really, really well, and was super late on the brakes.. This Trans Am racing is just crazy. It’s a lot of fun, the racing is first class, and we put on a good show for everybody.”

Ken Thwaits took fourth in the No. 4 Franklin Road Apparel Camaro, and was the TA Masters winner.

Following the caution for Drissi, the Lap 21 restart generated a major incident in the Esses that turned around the TA2® race.

Up until that point, Connor Mosack had dominated the class in the No. 92 Nik Taylor/IFS M1-SLR/Fields Chevrolet Camaro, and the Team SLR driver got away on a clean restart. Behind him, though, cars began spinning – including three of the cars dueling for second. Mike Skeen, Misha Goikhberg and Thomas Merrill all spun into the wall; Saturday winner Rafa Matos missed the wreck but fell from third to seventh while avoiding the incident; and Tyler Kicera managed to sneak through without damage and advanced to second in the class. (VIDEO: TA2 Race Highlights)

After a black flag to clean up the incident, Mosack went on to win by 0.883-seconds ahead of Kicera for his first TA2® victory.

“It feels amazing,” Mosack said. “Team SLR gave me a great car – it was the best car all weekend. It’s a big relief; it takes a lot off my shoulders to finally get my first win. I feel there’s more to come the rest of the year. Hopefully, we can get it done again at VIR. I saw the wreck behind me, and it took out some of the good guys. But I knew we still had some good guys behind us, and I had to hold them off there at the end. It definitely wasn’t an easy race, but as the laps went on, the car got better, and that helped us out.

Kicera came through the incident unscathed to take second in the No. 5 Silver Hare Racing Ford Mustang. The Pennsylvanian considers WGI his home track, making his racing debut there 10 years ago.

“The seas parted, and I drove through,” said Kicera. “It’s been a really long weekend. “We’ve battled uphill the whole time. Huge thanks to Silver Hare Racing for all their help getting the car put back together twice this weekend. I don’t know how I made it through that crash, but I did, and tried to give Connor (Mosack) everything at the end there. I thought I might have had him on the restart, but Rafa (Matos) was coming, and I just went into defense mode to try and maintain second. It was a fun race and great result for us.”

Matos fought back to take third in the No. 88 3-Dimensional Services Group Ford Mustang.

“Today was a day to just finish and get the points,” said Matos, who extended his lead in the TA2® title chase. “We were able to avoid the crash, going up the Esses that was a big wreck, I had to go through the grass and my grill was full of grass. I am really happy with where we finished today, and hope to clinch the championship in Virginia.”

Matos’ teammate Doug Peterson was the TA2® Masters winner, placing 12th despite a late incident after losing power steering.

Erich Joiner placed 10th overall after leading all the way in XGT, unofficially clinching the title in the No. 10 Good Boy Bob Coffee Roaster Porsche 991 GT3 R. He was challenged by the late addition of Simon Gregg to the class.

“The first few laps I was asking my crew, ‘where’s Simon (Gregg) where’s Simon?'” explained Joiner. “He’s a world class driver and he got me in Sonoma earlier this year so I was worried about him! It was a huge race, and I made it through that wreck, thankfully. We had a good time out there and put on a great show for the fans here camping and those watching from home.”

With his TA class Camaro unable to race, Simon Gregg unloaded his spare car, a Mercedes AMG he occasionally runs in Trans Am West and now uses as a show car to promote the Peter Gregg Foundation in tribute to his father, a three-time Trans Am winner at Watkins Glen.

SGT also saw an unofficial title clinch, with Justin Oakes winning his sixth race of the year in the No. 11 Droneworks Corvette.

“I have an amazing team from GSpeed,” Oaks said. “My coach Jason Heart is incredible at getting me up to speed fast and getting me comfortable with the tracks. It’s my first year in the series, it’s a brand new car, so I had a lot of learning to do. We’ve done a great job together as a team. Again, I had great competitors to race against. It was really fun going against Natalie (Decker) there at the end. I just couldn’t be happier.”

Oakes survived a late challenge from Natalie Decker, who came up only 0.720-seconds shy in the No. 29 NI29 Technologies Audi R8.

“It’s a dream to be racing here,” Decker said. “I’ve been wanting to come here since I was a little girl. Thank you so much to Tony Ave. I love his team, he has the best crew. It was great to put WiscLift and Nerd Focus on the podium with a second-place finish.”

Milton Grant finished third in the SGT class and first in the SGT Masters Class.

Next up for the Trans Am Series presented by Pirelli is a visit to Virginia International Raceway on Sunday, Sept. 26. The campaign concludes at the Circuit of The Americas on Sunday, Nov. 7.

Wagner Sweeps Mazda MX-5 Cup Weekend in Monterey

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Official Release
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MONTEREY, Calif. (Sept. 12, 2021) – Gresham Wagner (No. 5 Spark Performance) went two-for-two on Idemitsu Mazda MX-5 Cup presented by BFGoodrich® Tires race wins this weekend at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca. Selin Rollan (No. 87 Hixon Motor Sports) was runner-up once again and Chris Nunes (No. 32 JTR Motorsports Engineering) was third.

The 45-minute, Round 12 race was a bit of a heartbreaker for Rollan, who started from pole position and lead every lap until the final one.

The race’s only full-course caution came late in the race and set up a two-lap dash to the finish.

On the restart, Rollan got wide in Turn Two. But he wasn’t alone as most of the field behind him also brought too much speed and enthusiasm into the corner. Everyone was able to recover as Wagner pulled alongside, but Rollan was able to stay with him and hold the lead.

“I guess I got too deep in on the brakes, maybe they weren’t warm enough, but I had nothing on the pedals, and I went straight,” Rollan said. “Luckily my competitors followed me through. I really don’t know, it seems like all of our tires were not up to temp and we were sliding everywhere, and Gresham slid in turn three and I got him there, but that was crazy.”

On the final lap, Wagner had a second shot to make the pass in Turn Two and this time it stuck. Wagner crossed the finish line 1.377 seconds ahead of Rollan.

“With a restart with two to go, it really is just whatever situation is thrown at you, you have to take it and run with it,” Wagner said. “So I was pretty content to take a second-place finish after the win yesterday. But you know, it got so crazy there and an opportunity presented itself, so I had to go for it, and it ended up working out. It takes a lot of trust from everyone and a lot of good racing to come out of that with everyone still running and on track to make it to the line.”

“I was happy to get second, get the pole, get the most laps led,” Rollan said. “It was a great Hixon Motor Sports MX-5 Cup car, it was handling well. I think Gresham did a good job staying behind me and keeping the pressure on and congrats to him.”

With the double victory, Wagner takes over the points lead with just two more races left on the schedule.

“When it comes down to the championship being this close, a weekend like this is even more important than earlier in the season,” Wagner said. “It’s really going to come down to ten points here and ten points there, so to get both wins and maximize the points haul going into Road Atlanta – it’s a perfect situation. But you know, as quick as it’s come to me this weekend, it can go away in Rounds 13 and 14. It’s definitely good to have the momentum and to be on top heading into the final round, but it’s still so easy to slip up and lose a few points. It’s really going to come down to the final race of the season. I got a little bit of margin, but not much.”

A third-place finish for Nunes was a welcome result after a disastrous Race One, where contact with Rollan damaged his car and killed his pace.

“Yesterday was a little disappointing as you had mentioned but there’s always things we’re learning from, that’s why we’re out here racing in MX-5 Cup,” Nunes said. “I learned to stay back, not dice for the lead early on in the race and we did that today. Today’s race, it was intense. We rode in third. There was a yellow right near the end and that’s when we needed to make the charge to the front. We all kind of butchered the second corner there, everyone pushed wide, it kind of turned it into about an eight-car race. I fell back to fifth, back up to third, and that’s where we finished. I diced with Selin a little at end. We had a little kiss and a make-up from yesterday because we got to dice clean today.

“So overall, it was a great race,” continued Nunes. “I’m on the podium, that’s great for points. I couldn’t have done it without my BFGoodrich tires keeping me hooked up, my Kicker Audio keeping me cool and collected throughout the race and my Sure Can gas can keeping my car powered. Thank you to them and thank you to all the fans.”

Behind Nunes, a pair of rookies, Luca Mars (No. 41 Copeland Motorsports) and Sam Paley (No. 28 McCumbee McAleer Racing) finished fourth and fifth respectively. This further tightens the battle for Rookie of the Year, which comes with an $80,000 prize from Mazda.

If style points were given out in Mazda MX-5 Cup races, Paley might be going home with some bonus points. On the opening lap he went spinning through the sand in Turns Nine and 10, held on, got the car straightened out and rejoined the race without issue, although in last place. The Rookie of the Year leader then charged back to a fifth-place finish, ensuring he maintained that lead.

Just behind Paley was Michael Carter (No. 08 Carter Racing Enterprises) who had to start from the back because of a transponder issue in qualifying. Carter was able to climb through the field and finish sixth.

While watching those around him make mistakes, Moisey Uretsky (No. 55 McCumbee McAleer Racing) kept his nose clean and his tires on the track. This helped him climb eight positions in the race, from 17th on the grid to ninth at the finish, earning him the Hard Charger Award. The prize comes with $1,000 for him and $1,000 for his crew chief.

“Keep your head up and avoid all the carnage, that’s my advice,” Uretsky said. “Just keep your eyes up, because there’s always something happening on track. But that’s why we love it, because there’s a lot of tough racing. It sucks when people have contact and they go off, but that’s part of why we race hard. It’s because you’re racing so close that mistakes are bound to happen, but if you didn’t race that close, it wouldn’t be as much fun.”

If you missed any of the MX-5 Cup craziness from WeatherTech Raceway, the races will air on NBCSN, Tuesday, September 21, at 4pm ET.

Only two more races remain in the 2021 Mazda MX-5 Cup and they are nearly eight weeks away. Rounds 13 and 14 take place at Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta, November 10 – 12. That leaves the title contenders a lot of time to think about the $250,000 up for grabs from Mazda for winning the championship.

About: The Idemitsu Mazda MX-5 Cup presented by BFGoodrich® Tires is the signature spec series for Mazda Motorsports. The series has been operated by Andersen Promotions since 2017 and is currently sanctioned by IMSA. Mazda-powered grassroots champions can earn Mazda scholarships for this pro-level series. The Idemitsu Mazda MX-5 Cup champion is awarded $250,000 as the top rookie nets $80,000.

Find out more at http://www.mx-5cup.com.

Erik Jones Finishes in the 21st-place at the Richmond Raceway

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Official Release
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Erik Jones and the No. 43 Petty’s Garage Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 1LE team finished in the 21st-place in the NASCAR Cup Series (NCS) Federated Auto Parts 400 Salute to First Responders at the Richmond (Va.) Raceway on Saturday, September 11.

The lineup for the 400-lap event was determined by using NASCAR’s competition-based formula, which takes into account finishing positions from the previous race (weighted 25% owner and 25% driver, 32nd-place Darlington), the ranking in team owner points (35%, 27th-place) and the fastest lap from the previous race (15%). Jones started at “The Action Track,” located in Richmond, Va., from the 31st-place on Row 16.

In a patriotic paint scheme honoring Joseph Vigiano, John Vigiano II, and Lt. Peter C. Martin, Richard Petty Motorsports and Jones remembered all those perished on September 11, 2001 and honored the first responders. These heroes were selected to be honored on the No. 43 Petty’s Garage Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 1LE because items of theirs were given to Richard Petty directly, to be displayed in the Petty Museum. John T. Vigiano II was a firefighter and Joseph Vincent Vigiano was an NYPD detective. Their father, John Vigiano Sr., a retired FDNY captain, sent items of his sons to Richard Petty.

At the end of Stage 1 on Lap 80, Jones was scored in the 17th-place. By the end of Stage 2 on Lap 235, he was in the 24th place. The 25-year-old Byron, Michigan, native was scored as high as the 12th-place at the Richmond Raceway.

“It was a decent day for our team in the No. 43 Petty’s Garage Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 1LE. It was cool to have a special 9/11 remembrance paint scheme on the Richard Petty Motorsports Chevrolet. We lost the balance in the middle-part of the race and got a bit behind and could not make it up from there.

“I am looking forward to the Bristol (Motor Speedway) next week – it is my favorite place to go.” -Erik Jones

Ricciardo leads a 1-2 victory for McLaren in Italian Grand Prix

By
Andrew Kim
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While championship contenders Max Verstappen and Sir Lewis Hamilton were left fuming towards one another with wrecked race cars following a midway collision, Daniel Ricciardo rose to the occasion and snapped winless droughts for himself and the McLaren F1 Team by winning the Italian Grand Prix at Monza Circuit on Sunday, September 12.

The 32-year-old veteran from Perth, Australia, started the weekend by sharing the front row with former teammate Verstappen following a third-place result in the Italian Grand Prix F1 Sprint that occurred on Saturday, September 11. After leading the first 21 laps, Ricciardo returned to the lead on Lap 27, which he kept for the remainder of the event as he led a 1-2 finish across the line with teammate Lando Norris settling in a career-best runner-up result.

With his eighth career victory in Formula One and first driving for McLaren, Ricciardo’s Italian win snapped a three-year winless drought that spans back to the 2018 Monaco Grand Prix. In addition, McLaren achieved its first victory in F1 since the 2012 Brazilian Grand Prix and its first 1-2 finish since the 2010 Canadian Grand Prix.

“It’s definitely been crazy, it’s been a whirlwind, for sure,” Ricciardo said. “Definitely, there’s been days where it’s been the most challenging of my career to date. To come back to this point, to win, this result feels unbelievable. I’m certainly like overwhelmed and I’m on cloud 9 right now, but I’m not surprised. There was something in me that I knew that if we had a chance this week, we were gonna take it, whether a win or a podium. It was time to make the comeback.”

Teammate Norris, who is still pursuing his first victory in F1, settled in second for his fourth podium result of the season. Still, there was nothing but a beaming smile across the Bristol, England’s face with the team victory.

“Of course I’m happy,” Norris said. “I’m happy with my result, but [I’m] even happier knowing the fact that Daniel was first and as a team, we had a one-two, which I don’t think we would’ve ever believed coming into this season and even coming into this race. I’m so happy for everyone, for the mechanics, engineers, for [CEO] Zak [Brown] and the owners. It makes the race special. It makes the hard work and the pain worthwhile. When you are rewarded like this weekend and have a result like we did, it makes it so much worthwhile.”

While the McLaren F1 Team celebrated, Verstappen and Hamilton were left fuming over one another following another on-track incident that resulted with both remaining in a tight draw for the championship battle. 

The incident occurred on Lap 26 of 53 when Hamilton had just exited pit road and was blending back on the track at full speed. While Norris got by Hamilton, Hamilton then batted dead even with Verstappen through the first turn when Verstappen, who went to the outside of Hamilton’s Mercedes, bumped the curbs while off the course and ended up on top of Hamilton’s car, sending both competitors into the gravel trap and out of the race.

“We saw that it was gonna be tight into Turn 1,” Verstappen said. “Lewis also realized that, so after the white line, he moved to the left on the braking. I already had to move on to the green side next to the track. Nevertheless, I thought we were gonna have a nice fight into Turn 1 through Turn 2, but as soon as I was next to him, he just kept squeezing me more and more to the left. Unfortunately, he ran me a bit too much out of road and then, I clipped the sausage curb and that’s why we touched.”

“I was ahead going into the corner and the next thing you know, I guess Max went over the second curb or something like that,” Hamilton said. “He, obviously, knew at that point that he wasn’t going to make the corner and drove into me. The next thing you know, his [car’s] on top of me. Definitely unfortunate. We’ll speak to the stewards after this, for sure.”

Following the event and the review of the incident, Verstappen was given a three-place penalty for the next scheduled Grand Prix event in Russia by the stewards. Nonetheless, Verstappen retained his lead in the drivers’ standings by five points over Hamilton.

Behind the McLarens, Sergio “Checo” Perez, Red Bull’s second competitor, crossed the finish line in third place, but he was penalized five seconds for overtaking Charles Leclerc while off the course in the event. As a result, Valtteri Bottas, who won the Italian Grand Prix Sprint qualifying event on Saturday but started Sunday at the rear of the field due to an engine penalty, was promoted to third place as he claimed his eighth podium result of the season.

Leclerc, driving for Ferrari, finished fourth while Perez fell back to fifth. Carlos Sainz Jr. came home in sixth followed by Lance Stroll, Fernando Alonso, George Russell and Esteban Ocon.

Finishing outside the top-10 points-paying positions were Nicholas Latifi, Sebastian Vettel, Antonio Giovinazzi, Robert Kubica and Mick Schumacher. Giovinazzi rallied from an opening lap spin while Kubica filled in as an interim competitor for Kimi Räikkönen for a second consecutive Grand Prix event.

Rookie Nikita Mazepin retired in 16th, just ahead of Hamilton and Verstappen. Pierre Gasly, who claimed his maiden Grand Prix victory at Monza a year ago, could only complete the first couple of corners in the event before retiring after running into the rear of Ricciardo, losing his front wing and going dead straight into the barriers, which knocked him out of the event. Teammate Yuki Tsunoda did not even take the grid or compete in the event due to a mechanical issue, thus placing him in 20th place.

Results:

1. Daniel Ricciardo, 27 points, 48 laps led

2. Lando Norris, 18 points, one lap led

3. Valtteri Bottas, 18 points

4. Charles Leclerc, 12 points, one lap led

5. Sergio Perez, 10 points

6. Carlos Sainz Jr., eight points

7. Lance Stroll, six points

8. Fernando Alonso, four points

9. George Russell, two points

10. Esteban Ocon, one point

11. Nicholas Latifi

12. Sebastian Vettel

13. Antonio Giovinazzi

14. Robert Kubica

15. Mick Schumacher

16. Nikita Mazepin – Retired

17. Lewis Hamilton – Retired, two laps led

18. Max Verstappen – Retired, two points, one lap led

19. Pierre Gasly – Retired

20. Yuki Tsunoda – Did not start

Following an eventful Italian Grand Prix, Max Verstappen continues to lead the drivers’ standings by five points over Hamilton. With Mercedes’ Valtteri Bottas finishing third, two spots ahead of Red Bull’s Sergio Perez, Mercedes continues to lead the constructors’ standings by 18 points over Red Bull Racing with McLaren trailing by 147 points.

The Formula One competitors will be taking a one-week break before returning to action at Sochi Autodrom for the Russian Grand Prix on Sunday, September 26.

Newman Runs 20th in Calm Richmond Race

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Official Release
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RICHMOND, Va. (Sept. 12, 2021) – In a 400-lap race that featured just two natural cautions, Ryan Newman drove his Oscar Mayer Ford Mustang to a 20th-place finish Saturday night at Richmond Raceway.

With the 16 playoff contenders automatically starting in positions 1-16, Newman was pushed to a 24th-place starting spot in his 39th Cup start at the ¾-mile track. A competition caution flew at lap 30 with a fairly short opening stage followed by two lengthier runs to the finish.

Newman worked his way inside the top-15 in the first 50 laps of the race, jumping up to P14 just after one of only two natural cautions on the night. He went on to finish the stage in 22nd.

After rolling 21st for stage two, green-flag pit stops were the story as he went a lap down to the leaders just before lap 150. He finished that segment in 22nd, and with only one caution in the final 147 laps, went on to finish 20th.

Newman and the No. 6 team are back in action next weekend at Bristol Motor Speedway for another short-track race under the lights. Race coverage Saturday gets underway at 7:30 p.m. on NBCSN, and can also be heard on PRN and SiriusXM Channel 90.

Buescher Finishes 24th in Richmond Saturday Night

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Official Release
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RICHMOND, Va. (Sept. 12, 2021) – It was a mostly uneventful 400 laps for the NASCAR Cup Series Saturday night at Richmond Raceway, where Chris Buescher finished 24th in his Fastenal Ford Mustang.

Buescher rolled off the grid 18th to start the night in his 11th start at the Virginia track. Green flag pit stops dominated the strategy for the event, as just two non-stage caution flags flew.

Buescher concluded the first stage in 31st, then improved five spots to 26th in stage two. The race’s final caution flag flew with just over 150 laps remaining, but with the lack of opportunities to gain track position under yellow Buescher was only able to drive to 24th by the checkered flag.

He and the No. 17 team are back in action next weekend at Bristol Motor Speedway. Coverage for Saturday night’s race is set for 7:30 p.m. ET on NBCSN, and can also be heard on PRN and SiriusXM Channel 90.

DiBenedetto Finishes 18th at Richmond

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Official Release
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Matt DiBenedetto and the No. 21 Menards/Dutch Boy team had a fast start to Saturday night’s Salute To First Responders at Richmond Raceway but wound up 18th, two laps down at the finish.

DiBenedetto lined up 28th for the start of the 400-lap run on the 20th anniversary of the Sept. 11 terrorist attack on the United States. Some aggressive driving at the drop of the green flag propelled him to 19th place by the fourth lap.

He faded a bit as the opening run went on but still was in 20th place when the Competition Caution flag flew at Lap 32.

The Menards/Dutch Boy Mustang continued to show speed just after restarts, and DiBenedetto drove it up to 13th place by Lap 67 and ended the first Stage in 13th.

Problems on pit road during the caution period following the first Stage led to a second stop and left him 29th for the ensuing restart.

DiBenedetto ran long during the next round of green-flag pit stops and moved to the head of the pack before heading to pit road. When those stops cycled out, he was a lap down.

Despite running in the free pass position for a long stretch, he was never able to rejoin the lead lap and ended up losing a second lap before the checkered flag fell.

DiBenedetto said the pit-road issues and a lack of caution periods to work on the Menards/Dutch Boy Mustang led to a disappointing night.

“We had a definite top-10 car, had good speed, but the pit-stop issue kind of ended our day where we couldn’t recover since the whole race was green flag,” he said, adding that the response to the track’s tribute to the heroes of Sept. 11, 2001, was the most memorable part of the night. “The patriotism at the track for 9/11 was incredible. The pre-race ceremonies were touching, and it was awesome to hear fans screaming ‘USA’ in the stands.”

Next up for DiBenedetto and the Wood Brothers team is another Saturday night race – a 500-lapper at Bristol Motor Speedway.

Menards

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Wood Brothers Racing

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

HaasTooling.com Racing: Cole Custer Richmond Race Report

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Official Release
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Custer Finishes 22nd at Richmond
HaasTooling.com Demo Day Team Struggles with Balance

Date: Sept. 11, 2021
Event: Federated Auto Parts 400 Salute to First Responders (Round 28 of 36)
Series: NASCAR Cup Series
Location: Richmond (Va.) Raceway (.75-mile oval)
Format: 400 laps, broken into three stages (80 laps/155 laps/165 laps)
Start/Finish: 21st / 22nd (Running, completed 397 of 400 laps)
Point Standing: 28th with 436 points

Race Winner: Martin Truex Jr. of Joe Gibbs Racing (Toyota)
Stage 1 Winner: Denny Hamlin of Joe Gibbs Racing (Toyota)
Stage 2 Winner: Denny Hamlin of Joe Gibbs Racing (Toyota)

Stage 1 Recap (Laps 1-80):

● Cole Custer started 37th and finished 27th.
● The HaasTooling.com Demo Day Ford driver, set to start 21st, had to drop to the rear of the field at the start of the race. But he didn’t stay there long, as he advanced to 26th by the time the competition caution came out on lap 30.
● During that caution, the No. 41 team brought their driver down pit road for four tires, fuel and an air pressure adjustment to combat a tight-handling racecar. Unfortunately, the team was handed a penalty for an uncontrolled tire and had to start at the rear again.
● Custer worked his way up to 28th after just 16 laps and continued to pass cars as the stage continued. He reported that his racecar had trouble turning in the center of the turn.
● The 23-year-old driver held onto his No. 41 HaasTooling.com Demo Day Ford Mustang to finish 27th in the stage.
● During the stage break, Custer came down pit road for four tires, fuel and another round of adjustments. He restarted the second stage 22nd.

Stage 2 Recap (Laps 81-235):

● Custer started 22nd and finished 20th.
● During the opening laps of the second stage, Custer began to lose spots as the long run continued. He came over the radio on lap 110 to tell the team that his car was still tight and lost rear grip on the long runs.
● On lap 133, the No. 41 HaasTooling.com Demo Day team brought their driver to pit road for four tires, fuel and another set of adjustments during green-flag stops. He rejoined the field 29th after his stop.
● Custer’s Ford mustang started to respond better on the long run, and he climbed all the way up to 21st during the caution-free run.
● The HaasTooling.com Demo Day team brought Custer down pit road for another round of green-flag pit stops on lap 181. After four tires, fuel and another set of adjustments, the No. 41 rejoined the field 23rd.
● During the remainder of the caution-free Stage 2, Custer climbed as high at 20th, where he finished the stage.
● The team pitted again during the stage break for four tires, fuel and an air pressure adjustment.

Final Stage Recap (Laps 236-400):

● Custer started 20th and finished 22nd.
● The HaasTooling.com Demo Day Ford driver reported that his Ford Mustang was starting to become loose before the caution flag waved on lap 251. After the race went back green on lap 254, Custer began to fall back as the Ford Mustang struggled on the short run.
● As the run continued, Custer reported that his Ford Mustang was still not turning in the center of the corners and needed more rear grip.
● On lap 290, the No. 41 HaasTooling.com Demo Day team brought Custer down pit road for four tires, fuel and more air pressure adjustments to try and help the balance of his racecar.
● During the next run, Custer reported that his Ford Mustang was starting to get too free. The No. 41 team brought Custer down pit road for their final stop of the race on lap 353 for four tires, fuel and an adjustment to help tighten handling.
● Unfortunately, the 23-year-old racer was unable to overcome the balance issues on his racecar and had to settle for a 22nd-place finish.

Notes:

● Martin Truex Jr. won the Federated Auto Parts 400 Salute to First Responders to score his 31st career NASCAR Cup Series victory, his fourth of the season and his third at Richmond. His margin over second-place Denny Hamlin was 1.417 seconds.
● There were five caution periods for a total of 30 laps.
● Only nine of the 37 drivers in the Federated Auto Parts 400 Salute to First Responders finished on the lead lap.

Cole Custer, driver of the No. 41 HaasTooling.com Demo Day Ford Mustang for Stewart-Haas Racing:

“Today was just a rough day at Richmond. We struggled with the balance of our No. 41 HaasTooling.com Demo Day Ford Mustang throughout the entire race. We’ll take what we learned today and move ahead to Bristol.”

Next Up:

The next event on the NASCAR Cup Series schedule is the Bass Pro Shops Night Race on Saturday, Sept. 18, at Bristol (Tenn.) Motor Speedway. It is the third race of the 10-race playoffs and the last race in the Round of 16. It starts at 7:30 p.m. EDT with live coverage provided by NBCSN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.

Cummins/Rush Truck Centers Racing: Chase Briscoe Richmond Race Report

By
Official Release
-

Briscoe Finishes 16th at Richmond
Cummins/Rush Truck Centers Driver Nearly Misses Season’s Eighth Top-15

Date: Sept. 11, 2021
Event: Federated Auto Parts 400 Salute to First Responders (Round 28 of 36)
Series: NASCAR Cup Series
Location: Richmond (Va.) Raceway (.75-mile oval)
Format: 400 laps, broken into three stages (80 laps/155 laps/165 laps)
Start/Finish: 26th / 16th (Running, completed 398 of 400 laps)
Point Standing: 23rd with 505 points

Race Winner: Martin Truex Jr. of Joe Gibbs Racing (Toyota)
Stage 1 Winner: Denny Hamlin of Joe Gibbs Racing (Toyota)
Stage 2 Winner: Denny Hamlin of Joe Gibbs Racing (Toyota)

Stage 1 Recap (Laps 1-80):

● Chase Briscoe started 26th and finished 25th.

● The Cummins/Rush Truck Centers driver said his Ford Mustang was tight across center and lacking forward when the field was slowed under yellow for the lap-30 competition caution. He pitted for tires, fuel and a track bar adjustment and restarted in the 25th position on lap 37.
● With a handful of the leaders restarting in the rear after receiving pit road penalties, Briscoe slipped back to the 26th position. He ultimately moved back into 25th at the conclusion of the first stage.
● At the break, Briscoe brought the No. 14 Ford Mustang to pit road for tires, fuel and an air pressure adjustment to help with forward drive off of turn four. He restarted 19th for the second stage.

Stage 2 Recap (Laps 81-235):

● Briscoe started 19th and finished 16th.
● The Cummins/Rush Truck Centers driver was running 18th when the field began to make green-flag stops on lap 130. He brought his Ford Mustang to pit road on lap 132 for tires, fuel and additional adjustments, though he said the handling of his car had improved.
● Briscoe rejoined the field in the 20th position.
● On lap 182, Briscoe pitted from 15th to make a scheduled green-flag pit stop for fresh tires. He returned to the track in the 20th position, one lap down, and drove his way into the 16th spot before the end of the second stage on lap 235.
● Briscoe pitted for tires, fuel and a slight air pressure adjustment at the stage break, but he told the team he was happy with the handling of the Cummins/Rush Truck Centers Mustang.

Stage 3 Recap (Laps 236-400):

● Briscoe started 14th and finished 16th.
● The Cup Series rookie driver started the final stage in 15th, the first car one lap down. On the initial start on lap 245, he lost the Lucky Dog position to Austin Dillon.
● When the fifth caution of the race occurred on lap 251, Briscoe stayed on track to restart 15th on lap 255.
● Briscoe made a scheduled stop under green on lap 293. He pitted from the 17th position for tires, fuel and no adjustments.
● The Cummins/Rush Truck Centers driver made his final green-flag stop on lap 342. His Ford fired off too tight, and he asked for an air pressure adjustment to help with his front turn.
● Briscoe was in 19th place once the green-flag pit stop cycle was complete, and he picked up three positions before the checkered flag.

Notes:

● Briscoe was the highest finishing NASCAR Cup Series rookie for the 24th time this season.
● Briscoe’s 16th-place result bettered his previous best finish at Richmond – 22nd, earned in the series’ prior race at the track in April.
● Martin Truex Jr. won the Federated Auto Parts 400 Salute to First Responders to score his 31st career NASCAR Cup Series victory, his fourth of the season and his third at Richmond. His margin over second-place Denny Hamlin was 1.417 seconds.
● There were five caution periods for a total of 30 laps.
● Only nine of the 37 drivers in the Federated Auto Parts 400 Salute to First Responders finished on the lead lap.

Chase Briscoe, driver of the No. 14 Cummins/Rush Truck Centers Ford Mustang for Stewart-Haas Racing:

“This was one of my best runs at Richmond, for sure. I think we still have a long way to go, but I don’t hate it as much as I used to. It certainly helps when the car is handling the way it’s supposed to. The result doesn’t show the effort put in and how strong we were, but I feel like it was something that I can build on now that I kind of understand how to drive the track.”

Next Up:

The next event on the NASCAR Cup Series schedule is the Bass Pro Shops Night Race on Saturday, Sept. 18, at Bristol (Tenn.) Motor Speedway. It is the third race of the 10-race playoffs and the last race in the Round of 16. It starts at 7:30 p.m. EDT with live coverage provided by NBCSN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.

No. 10 Smithfield/Tuesday’s Children Ford Racing: Aric Almirola Richmond Race Report

By
Official Release
-

Almirola Finishes 14th at Richmond
Smithfield Ford Driver Remains Three Points Ahead of Playoff Cutoff

Date: Sept. 11, 2021
Event: Federated Auto Parts 400 Salute to First Responders (Round 28 of 36)
Series: NASCAR Cup Series
Location: Richmond (Va.) Raceway(.75-mile oval)
Format: 400 laps, broken into three stages (80 laps/155 laps/165 laps)
Start/Finish: 9th / 14th (Running, completed 399 of 400 laps)
Point Standing: 11th (2,056 points, three points ahead of top-12 cutoff)

Race Winner: Martin Truex Jr. of Joe Gibbs Racing (Toyota)
Stage 1 Winner: Denny Hamlin of Joe Gibbs Racing (Toyota)
Stage 2 Winner: Denny Hamlin of Joe Gibbs Racing (Toyota)

Stage 1 Recap (Laps 1-80):

● Aric Almirola started ninth and finished 10th, earning one bonus point.
● Almirola said his Smithfield Ford turned good in the middle of the turns but struggled with drive off the turns.
● The No. 10 team radioed that Almirola was the second fastest car on track before the competition was called.
● He pitted for four tires, fuel and air pressure adjustments to restart ninth.
● The Smithfield driver raced to eighth before a caution was called on lap 42.
● Almirola restarted seventh. His drive off of the corners continued to affect his speed, causing him to fall outside of the top-10.
● Almirola raced back inside the top-10 before the stage ended.
● He pitted under caution for four fresh tires, fuel and chassis adjustments and gained two spots on pit road.

Stage 2 Recap (Laps 81-235):

● Almirola started eighth and finished eighth, earning three bonus points.
● The Smithfield driver continued to battle drive off of the turns and fell outside of the top-10.
● Almirola made the pass for 10th on lap 131. He pitted a lap later under green for four fresh tires, fuel and adjustments.
● When green-flag pit stops cycled through, Almirola gained a position and was scored ninth.
● Almirola raced to eighth by lap 166.
● He pitted under green for four fresh tires, fuel and adjustments on lap 180.
● Almirola was scored sixth when green-flag pit stops cycled through.
● He pitted at the end of the stage for four fresh tires, fuel and air pressure adjustments to improve the handling.

Final Stage Recap (Laps 236-400):

● Almirola started seventh and finished 14th.
● The Smithfield driver was scored ninth after a caution on lap 251.
● Almirola continued to battle handling issues throughout the run. He pitted under green on lap 295 for four fresh tires, fuel and adjustments.
● As Almirola exited pit road he reported a loose wheel and was forced to pit again, putting him a lap down in 20th.
● Almirola drove to 16th before pitting under green with 54 laps to go.
● He drove the No. 10 Ford to 14th by lap 361 and held his position inside the top-15 to the checkered flag.

Notes:

● Almirola earned his eighth top-15 of the season and his eighth top-15 in 19 career starts at Richmond.
● This was Almirola’s third straight top-15 at Richmond. He finished sixth in the series’ prior visit to the track in April and eighth last September.
● Martin Truex Jr. won the Federated Auto Parts 400 Salute to First Responders to score his 31st career NASCAR Cup Series victory, his fourth of the season and his third at Richmond. His margin over second-place Denny Hamlin was 1.417 seconds.
● There were five caution periods for a total of 30 laps.
● Only nine of the 37 drivers in the Federated Auto Parts 400 Salute to First Responders finished on the lead lap.

Aric Almirola, driver of the No. 10 Smithfield/Tuesday’s Children Ford Mustang for Stewart-Haas Racing:

“We didn’t have a race-winning car, but I thought we could have run fifth to eighth, so I’m a little frustrated but it’s a team sport and we’ll go to Bristol and keep fighting.I think we’re competitive. We’re in the hunt. We had a loose lugnut and I had to pit again under green, and then got us behind. I don’t know where we finished. I think we finished 14th instead of sixth or seventh, which is about where we were running, so frustrating that we gave up those points. This situation we can’t really give up any points. It would have been a lot nicer to go to Bristol plus 12 instead of plus three or four, but it is what it is. It’s no big deal. We’ve got to put our head down and go race. It’s the same situation. We’ve just got to go racing and score as many points as we can. You just hate to give up six, seven, eight points.”

Playoff Standings (with one race to go before Round of 12):

  1. Denny Hamlin (2,127 points) 1 win
  2. Martin Truex Jr. (2,113 points) 1 win
  3. Kyle Larson (2,151 points) +88 points
  4. Joey Logano (2,093 points) +40 points
  5. Ryan Blaney (2,081 points) +28 points
  6. Kevin Harvick (2,078 points) +25 points
  7. Chase Elliott (2,072 points) +19 points
  8. Christopher Bell (2,070 points) +17 points
  9. Brad Keselowski (2,066 points) +13 points
  10. Kyle Busch (2,061 points) +8 points
  11. Aric Almirola (2,056 points) +3 points
  12. Kurt Busch (2,053 points) +0 points
  13. Alex Bowman (2,053 points) -0 points
  14. Tyler Reddick (2,048 points) -5 points
  15. William Byron (2,035 points) -18 points
  16. Michael McDowell (2,015 points) -38 points

Next Up:

The next event on the NASCAR Cup Series schedule is the Bass Pro Shops Night Race on Saturday, Sept. 18, at Bristol (Tenn.) Motor Speedway. It is the third race of the 10-race playoffs and the last race in the Round of 16. It starts at 7:30 p.m. EDT with live coverage provided by NBCSN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.

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