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Mazda MX-5 Cup Championship Heats Up as it Heads West

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Official Release
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#87, Hixon Motorsports, Mazda MX-5,, Selin Rollan

MONTEREY, Calif. (Sept. 7, 2021) – WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca is a track that was sorely missed on the Idemitsu Mazda MX-5 Cup presented by BFGoodrich® Tires schedule last year. The picturesque circuit is where this series made its debut in 2006. Since then, it’s been nothing but door-to-door, action-packed racing.

The only West Coast race on the 2021 calendar, this California track will host Rounds 11 and 12 of the Idemitsu Mazda MX-5 Cup this weekend. Laguna Seca’s challenging layout, variable weather and slippery track surface might just bring the championship picture into focus by separating the better from the best.

Michael Carter (No. 08 Carter Racing Enterprises) comes to Laguna Seca with an 80-point lead in the championship over Gresham Wagner (No. 5 Spark Performance). A further 130 points behind Wagner is Selin Rollan (No. 87 Hixon Motor Sports). Of the three, only Rollan has notched a victory there.

“Laguna is definitely a track where passing opportunities don’t come easy,” Rollan said. “I’m expecting not to hit fifth gear at all on this track, meaning the draft won’t play much of a role. Most passes will be done by capitalizing off of others’ mistakes.”

Laguna Seca’s most infamous turn is the Corkscrew; a blind, downhill, left-right, but the circuit is also notorious for something else: sand. It blows across the surface of the track and limits the amount of grip. This effect is exaggerated with each off-course excursion a driver makes.

“I don’t think it’s much of an issue as long as you are on the racing surface where you should be,” Wagner said. “Obviously, if you go way off-line, there will be marbles and loose gravel to contend with, but that’s not massively different than usual. The thing I have to keep in mind is dropping tires off the track. While we can usually get away with dropping wheels and small offs, the sand really grabs the tires and can pull the car into it. You have to be mindful of how much more punishing the loose sand can be compared to compacted dirt and grass.”

Mazda MX-5 Cup’s textbook photo finishes are likely to continue. A brief glance at prior margins of victory at Laguna Seca shows few that were over one second.

A man who knows a thing or two about close finishes is Carter, who won the most recent MX-5 Cup race at Road America by a mere 0.008-second.

“I remember having a lot of good racing last time we were here in 2019, and I expect more of the same this time around,” Carter said. “I can see where it can be hard to pass, but I see a lot of good opportunities as well.”

Passes will have to be made with precision at Laguna Seca, because $250,000 is on the line for the series champion with only four races left in the season.

The current leader in the Rookie of the Year Championship is the “California Kid,” Chris Nunes (No. 32 JTR Motorsports Engineering). While it might be expected that he has experience at Laguna Seca, but that’s not quite the case as Nunes, who comes from off-road racing and has never been to six of the seven tracks on the MX-5 Cup schedule, is set to make his first start at Laguna Seca.

But Nunes won’t be alone, as his closest competitor for the rookie title, Sam Paley (No. 28 McCumbee McAleer Racing) is also making his Laguna Seca debut. After a phenomenal weekend at Road America, Paley is only 30 points behind Nunes. Rookies Luca Mars (No. 41 Copeland Motorsports) and Aaron Jeansonne (No. 24 Provision Motorsports) are also within striking distance for the rookie crown and the $80,000 that comes with it.

Saturday’s Mazda MX-5 Cup race is slated for 12:00pm PT. Sunday’s race will go green at 9:25am PT. Both races will be streamed live on IMSA.com/tvlive.

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.

Ford Performance NASCAR: Aric Almirola Media Availability Transcript (Richmond)

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Official Release
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Ford Performance Notes and Quotes
NASCAR Cup Series
NASCAR Media Zoom | Tuesday, September 7, 2021

Aric Almirola, driver of the No. 10 Smithfield Ford Mustang, is coming off a 16th-place finish in Sunday’s Southern 500 at Darlington. He goes into this weekend’s second playoff race of Round 1 in 11th place, three points above the cut line for advancement to Round 2. He was a guest earlier today on a media Zoom call and talked about the playoff race.

ARIC ALMIROLA, No. 10 Smithfield Ford Mustang — WHAT DO YOU MAKE OF ALL THE ATTRITION WE SAW AT DARLINGTON AND WHAT DID YOU THINK ABOUT YOUR RACE? “I honestly can’t explain the amount of attrition between the playoff drivers, but it does seem to happen when we get to the playoffs. We see it time and time again where playoff drivers end up with bad races and find themselves in a hole. I guess it’s just the way it works and it creates a lot of excitement for TV and the sport in general seeing guys trying to dig out of holes to make it to the next round of the playoffs. As far as our race goes, we overcame some adversity for sure. We had some things not go our way, late race cautions and a tire going down and several different things just popping up and happening that we had to overcome, so for us, getting out of there with a 16th -place finish and being three points about the cut line, while not ideal, especially with a car that was capable of running anywhere from seventh to 10th most of the night, we didn’t take ourselves out. We kept fighting, kept grinding away the whole night. It’s a long race. Five hundred miles at Darlington is a long long race, but to get out of there with a decent night, scoring some stage points and found ourselves leaving Darlington three points above the cut line is a good spot to go to these next two weeks that are good tracks for us.”

WHAT DO YOU EXPECT AT RICHMOND? “More of the same. It’s gonna be tough. It’s gonna be intense. There’s gonna be a lot of battling and I have no doubt that you will see a playoff car or a couple or a few run into some trouble. It just happens and you just don’t want to be that guy. We’ve been fortunate going to Richmond in year’s past, especially in the playoffs where we’ve always had good cars. We’ve run in the top five, scored a lot of stage points and had good finishes, so that’s been one of our best racetracks and we’re taking the same car we won at Loudon with, so hopefully we can produce a similar result.”

HOW MUCH HAS CHANGED SINCE THE LAST RICHMOND RACE, OR IS IT WHOEVER WAS GOOD THERE THE FIRST TIME WILL BE GOOD THIS TIME? “It’s hard to say because I feel like Richmond doesn’t change, but everybody always seems to find a way to get better, so you can’t rest on your laurels. If you were good at Richmond last time, you can’t automatically assume that you’re going to beat the competition. Everybody is always looking to find ways to make their cars better from the last race and you just look at Darlington. I know the patch was an added difference and something new about Darlington, but you go back and look at the spring race and look at the cars that ran good, and then you look at this race and there were some different cars running up front. So, I think the race teams, the organizations, everybody works hard to find more speed in our cars, more downforce, all those things, so that usually equates to stiffer competition and win the playoffs, so everybody brings their A-game, so I have no doubt that even though we’ve run good at Richmond and we ran good there in the spring, we’re still fine-tuning and tweaking on what we had there in the past to try and make it a race-winning car instead of a top-five car.”

HOW MUCH DO YOU PAY ATTENTION TO WHAT’S GOING ON IN DAYTONA WITH THE NEXT GEN TEST TUESDAY AND WEDNESDAY? “I honestly am paying zero attention. I am not a good multi-tasker, so for me right now, to be the best that I can be, I am just totally focused on the playoffs and really focused on Richmond this week. That’s the approach I’ve always taken. When it comes playoff time I focus on one week at a time and last week I was totally focused on Darlington. This week I’ll be totally focused on Richmond and I’m not even worried about Bristol, so I can’t be worried about Next Gen racing if my focus is right now on Richmond.”

WHAT WENT SO RIGHT IN THE FIRST RICHMOND RACE FOR YOU THIS YEAR? “I do feel like going to Richmond this time around I have so much confidence because I didn’t feel like our cars were where they needed to be earlier this year, and yet we still went to Richmond and ran in the top 10 and finished seventh. So, to go there and run like we did in the spring, where I felt like our cars were still off, especially the 750 stuff that we’ve made significant gains on, it gives me a lot of confidence knowing that we ran well there in the spring and that we’re going back with a lot better race car and it’s a place that we just, for whatever reason, I don’t know way, but I always run good there. It doesn’t matter the team or the crew chief or whatever, I always show up to Richmond and tend to run well there — very similar to Loudon. I’m excited about it. It’s a great place for us. It’s Smithfield’s backyard, so it always feels good to go up there and run good, and then this weekend in particular we’re running a really cool, special paint scheme to honor and remember 20 years ago 9/11, so I’m pretty excited about this weekend on all fronts.”

CAN YOU GO BACK TO YOUR FIRST CUP START WITH GIBBS. WHAT DO YOU REMEMBER ABOUT THAT EXPERIENCE? “I remember it being an extremely nerve-wracking weekend. We were going there with an R&D car, kind of experimenting for Gibbs at the time. I remember that back then you had to qualify your way in. When you came as a non-top 35 in points car, and back then they used to get 48-50 cars trying to qualify for 43 spots, and Vegas was one that everybody wanted to go run because the purse was big. If you made it at Vegas, it was a good payday and it was a great place for Gibbs to go and try and experiment and work on some new technology and new setups, so I remember being a nervous wreck. I remember qualifying in and feeling like the weight of the world was lifted off of me, and then I remember waking up race day morning and feeling like the weight of the world was right back on me. I just remember being really nervous, just wanting to go and perform and run well to just kind of prove that I belong and I remember being really devastated that we wrecked and the race didn’t go really how I envisioned or hoped it would.”

DO YOU SEE THE TROUBLE THE PLAYOFF DRIVERS ENCOUNTERED WAS DUE TO TOO MUCH AGGRESSION OR JUST SOME BAD LUCK? IS IT BETTER TO GO FOR THE WIN AT ALL COST OR AVOID SOME OF THAT TROUBLE AND JUST TRY TO POINT YOUR WIN INTO THE NEXT ROUND? “That’s certainly a balance, but if you look historically over the last several years the first round is definitely a round that you’ve got to survive. Winning obviously makes it way easier, but surviving is key because on any given year you look back and at least two or three cars end up taking themselves out just from one or two bad races, wrecks, blown engines, whatever it is, so when you look at the first round it is about surviving, but you have to be aggressive. It’s such a balancing act between not making mistakes and don’t wreck, don’t take yourself out, but at the same time you’ve got to race for every point. Every single stage point matters. Every single point in position on the racetrack at the end of the race matters, so it really is a tough challenge and a balancing act between being aggressive to go get the spots that you need to go get, and making sure that you don’t put yourself in a bad position to get tore up and have a DNF.”

WHERE WERE YOU ON 9/11 AND WHAT DO YOU REMEMBER FROM THAT DAY? “I remember exactly where I was that day. I was a senior in high school and I was in drafting class. I was in an architectural engineering class and I was drawing on graph paper and I remember our teacher got a phone call or got notified, I don’t remember exactly how he got notified, but he got notified and he turned on the little tube TV that was mounted up on a wall bracket in the classroom and put the news on and we all put our pencils down and just sat there in shock. We couldn’t believe what we were witnessing. I remember it being very somber in the classroom and just a lot of emotion and everybody was very quiet and glued to the TV, trying to figure out what was going on. Shortly after that, we all got dismissed from school. If you drove to school, you could leave. Otherwise, you had to wait for the buses to come or for your parents to come pick you up. I was a senior in high school. I drove, so I was able to hop in my truck and drive home. I just remember getting home as fast as I could and turning the news back on trying to understand and wrap my head around the tragic events that had happened that day.”

McDowell Heads to Richmond with New Game Plan Love’s Travel Stops Colors Back Again

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Official Release
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MOORESVILLE, N.C. (September 7, 2021) – The NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs did not begin how Michael McDowell and the No. 34 Love’s Travel Stops team had wanted. After an early race crash, McDowell and the team are now 20 points behind the cutoff to advance to the second round.

But, with other championship contenders also having accidents, the deficit is not too difficult for the team. McDowell knows he can be right back into the championship chase with two good races at Richmond this Saturday night and Bristol after that.

“Immediately after our accident on Sunday night, we were thinking that we had to win,” said McDowell. “That may still be true, but with how things unfolded, and other guys having trouble, we’re not in a huge hole. We just need to be smart and get these points back in both races. We need two top-10 finishes and just see how it plays out. We don’t need to get everything at once on Saturday night in Richmond.

“Our team is used to fighting back,” continued McDowell. “We’ve had some rough patches that we’ve worked through. Darlington was a bad race, but the car was fast. So, we take that positive and move forward to these next two weeks. We don’t need to get it all back this Saturday night, but it’s where we start our comeback.”

McDowell heads into Richmond Raceway with 20 previous Cup starts and best finishes of 12th and 16th. Saturday night’s race will be televised live on NBCSN at 7:30 p.m. ET.

ABOUT LOVE’S TRAVEL STOPS
Love’s Travel Stops & Country Stores is the nation’s leading travel stop network with more than 540 locations in 41 states. Founded in 1964 and headquartered in Oklahoma City, the company remains family-owned and operated and employs more than 29,000 people. Love’s provides professional truck drivers and motorists with 24-hour access to clean and safe places to purchase gasoline, diesel fuel, fresh coffee, restaurant offerings and more. Love’s has over 400 truck service centers, which include Speedco and Love’s Truck Care locations. Love’s and Speedco combined is the largest oil change, preventive maintenance and total truck care nationwide network. Love’s is committed to providing customers with “Clean Places, Friendly Faces” at every stop. To learn more, visit loves.com.

ABOUT FRONT ROW MOTORSPORTS
Front Row Motorsports (FRM) is a winning organization in the NASCAR Cup and Camping World Truck Series and the 2021 Daytona 500 champions. The team was founded in 2004 and is owned by successful entrepreneur, Bob Jenkins. FRM fields the No. 34 and the No. 38 NASCAR Cup Series teams along with the No. 38 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series team– from its Mooresville, N.C. headquarters. Visit teamfrm.com and follow FRM on social media: Twitter at @Team_FRM, Instagram at @team_frm and Facebook at facebook.com/FrontRowMotorsports.

The No. 10 Konica Minolta Acura ARX-05 Team Hoping for Strong Weekend to Begin West Coast Swing

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Official Release
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Brownsburg, Ind. (September 7, 2021) – The 2021 IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship points leaders, Ricky Taylor and Filipe Albuquerque enter the seventh round of the season at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca with a slim 41-point lead over a pack of contenders who are coming increasingly closer to their No. 10 Konica Minolta Acura ARX-05 rear view mirrors.

With Ricky Taylor and Acura taking home top honors last year, the No. 10 Konica Minolta Acura ARX-05 team and teammate Filipe Albuquerque are looking to add a third podium finish to their season best at this beloved permanent 2.238-mile, 11-turn road course. With its last victory at Laguna Seca in 2013, the team’s history is strong with four pole positions, six podium finishes, and 314 laps lead.

“Laguna Seca has always been a great track for the Acura,” said Taylor, whose notable statistics include five poles, four podium finishes and one victory at the track. “We’re definitely defending off the No. 31 and the Mazda in the championship right now. We must have a good weekend, so we can capitalize on that before we get to Long Beach and Road Atlanta try to build a little bit of a gap before the end of the season. I know the guys are going to execute well. We got a little unlucky at Road America from what could have been a good points day, so we have to make up for that coming here to Laguna. Filipe and I can’t wait to get back on track together and to continue the momentum after the Le Mans break. We’re excited to be reunited in our No. 10 Konica Minolta Acura ARX-05.”

This will be Filipe Albuquerque’s third attempt at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca where the Portuguese driver will work to better his top finish of fifth.

“Laguna Seca is a very special place in the world,” mentioned Filipe Albuquerque. “I just can’t wait to get back to driving the No. 10 Konica Minolta Acura ARX-05. We were so strong at Road America, and Laguna is another track that suits us. The championship is so close that it will be very important for us to win this race. We need to keep the lead and get a bit more room to breathe in the championship. We are optimistic about it, but we know our competitors are very strong as well. We will see how it goes, but we will also have fun driving the car there.”

“We need to focus on winning this race as we now we take one race at time.” said Team Owner Wayne Taylor. The No. 10 Konica Minolta Acura ARX-05 team has three more events of the season to capitalize on the 2021 IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship.

On-track action begins on Friday, September 10th at 7:30 p.m. ET. Qualifying for Sunday’s main event is on Saturday at 4:55 p.m. ET. Green flag for the two-hour and 40-minute race will waive on Sunday at 4:10 p.m. ET. Flag to flag coverage will air on NBC Sports and TrackPass on NBC Sports from 4:00 p.m. ET to 7:00 p.m. ET.
About Konica Minolta
Konica Minolta Business Solutions U.S.A., Inc. is reshaping and revolutionizing the Workplace of the Future. The company guides and supports its customers’ digital transformation through its expansive office technology portfolio, including IT Services (All Covered), content services, managed print services and industrial and commercial print solutions. Konica Minolta has been included on CRN’s MSP 500 list nine times and The World Technology Awards recently named the company a finalist in the IT Software category. Konica Minolta has been recognized as the #1 Brand for Customer Loyalty in the MFP Office Copier Market by Brand Keys for fourteen consecutive years, and received Keypoint Intelligence’s BLI 2021 A3 Line of The Year Award and BLI 2021-2023 Most Color Consistent A3 Brand Award for its bizhub i-Series. Konica Minolta, Inc. has been named to the Dow Jones Sustainability World Index for nine consecutive years and has spent four years on the Global 100 Most Sustainable Corporations in the World list. Konica Minolta partners with its clients to give shape to ideas and works to bring value to our society. For more information, please visit us online and follow Konica Minolta on Facebook, YouTube, LinkedIn and Twitter. Wayne Taylor Racing’s existing lineup of partners that also features Harrison Contracting, Acura Motorsports , Hammer Nutrition and CIT.

WMI DRIVERS GAIN PLENTY OF POSITIONS DURING THE WEEKEND AT CTMP

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Official Release
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(September 7, 2021) The Wight Motorsports Inc (WMI) cars competed in the final road course event of the 2021 NASCAR Pinty’s season Sunday afternoon at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park near Bowmanville, Ontario. Sunday’s race was the second half of a twin bill on the famous road course, and both Mark Dilley and TJ Rinomato each gained plenty of positions during the race.

The Sunday race was the traditional 51-lap affair following a 30-lap sprint race on Saturday. Both Rinomato and the third WMI driver JF Laberge experienced mechanical issues during qualifying and making repairs meant they both would start at the rear of the field. Mark Dilley rolled off 18th.

Both Dilley and Rinomato would make some forward progress in the early stages. Regrettably Laberge went off course and had contact with the tire barrier. The car was damaged and could not continue.

Meantime Dilley and Rinomato continued their steady performance. Rinomato completed the race, maintaining consistent speed and bringing the car home with barely a mark on it in 17th position.

Once again veteran Mark Dilley had a strong performance. Though not known as a road racer Dilley used his driving skills gaining six positions during the race finishing in 12th spot.

Quotes from David Wight, WMI Principal
“How about that Mark Dilley. Two very good performances, back-to-back on a really tough road course from a guy that’s more known for oval racing, terrific job”.

“TJ Rinomato had a transmission issue in qualifying, we got it corrected and he also did a nice job running his race and picking up five spots.

“Not a great day for JF. We had a few struggles with the road course program this year, but that part of the schedule is behind us now. We’ve shown we have fast race cars at Flamboro and we had a very good test session there last week”.

SUNDAY PERFORMANCE
DRIVER STARTED FINISHED
Mark Dilley 18 12
TJ Rinomato 23 17
J. F. Laberge 24 23

The 2021 NASCAR Pinty’s Series will consist of 11 total races in Ontario and Quebec with a mixture of oval tracks, road and street courses.

Next up The WMI drivers are right back in action this coming Sunday, September 12th at Flamboro Speedway near Hamilton, Ontario for twin 125-lap races. Watch the live stream on the TSN app, TSN.ca or through Trackpass on NBC Sports Gold in the US beginning at approximately 6PM and 8PM Eastern.

Race fans can get the latest information regarding WMI and the drivers on these social media channels:

Wight Motorsports Inc Twitter @Wightmotorsport Instagram @wightmotorsport

Donald Theetge: Twitter @DonaldTheetge

J.F. Laberge: Instagram jf_laberge https://www.facebook.com/jflracingmtl

Mark Dilley: Twitter @MarkDilley9 Instagram @markdilley

TJ Rinomato: Twitter TJ_Rinomato Instagram @tjrinomato

Monster Energy Athletes Complete Clean Sweep of 2021 Pro 4 Season at Crandon

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Official Release
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Johnny Greaves goes back-to-back on weekend as CJ Greaves wins title

Going into the World Championship Off-Road Races at Crandon International Raceway, it was already a given that a Monster Energy athlete would take home the 2021 Championship Off-Road Pro 4 title, as CJ Greaves and Kyle LeDuc were the only two racers with a mathematical shot at the crown on Saturday. The bigger question was if Monster’s three-truck lineup of LeDuc, Greaves, and Johnny Greaves could complete a sweep of every Pro 4 race this year.

And complete it they did. Johnny Greaves put on a masterclass all weekend long, launching to a commanding lead in Saturday’s season finale to make it 11 for 11 for the Monster squad in COR Pro 4 events. CJ Greaves drove a steady race to finish sixth and lock up the season-long championship And if all that wasn’t enough, Johnny Greaves swept the weekend for Pro 4s on Sunday with Monster’s third straight triumph in the World Championship race.

After securing his 100th career Pro 4 victory earlier this season, Johnny Greaves had back-to-back near misses at Bark River for win number 101, leading both of those races up to the halfway point before running into trouble. There was no such adversity at Crandon, where he ran away with the lead early and withstood every challenge thrown his way in the second half of the race. Defending class champion LeDuc put himself into the mix for the win, and a shot at reclaiming in the points lead, but he would have to pull off early with rear-end damage. That opened the door for CJ Greaves to count off laps and cruise to the championship in an easy sixth place, going with his second place finishes in both the Pro Stock SXS race and championship from earlier in the day; he’d do the same in the Pro Stock World Championship race the next day.

Sunday’s Pro 4 World Championship race was more of the same for Johnny Greaves, who kicked off the morning with his fifth career victory in that event, and first since 2012. The win was the third in a row for the Monster team, as CJ Greaves took the victory in 2019 and LeDuc won last year. Finally, to cap off the weekend, Johnny Greaves scored a second place finish in the Crandon World Cup as the top Pro 4 finisher in a mixed class field. Both Johnny and CJ Greaves had been weaving their way through the Pro 2s into the closing laps of the race, before CJ would have to pull off just a lap shy of the finish with mechanical issues.

With the Championship Off-Road season complete, Johnny and CJ Greaves will focus on promoting Chaos at the Creek, the final SXS Sports King of the Elements presented by Monster Energy event of the year, at 141 Speedway on September 17-18. LeDuc, meanwhile, will focus on completing the Extreme E season with Chip Ganassi Racing.

About Monster Energy

Based in Corona, California, Monster Energy is the leading marketer of energy drinks and alternative beverages. Refusing to acknowledge the traditional, Monster Energy supports the scene and sport. Whether motocross, off-road, NASCAR, MMA, BMX, surf, snowboard, ski, skateboard, or the rock and roll lifestyle, Monster Energy is a brand that believes in authenticity and the core of what its sports, athletes and musicians represent. More than a drink, it’s the way of life lived by athletes, sports, bands, believers and fans. See more about Monster Energy including all of its drinks at www.monsterenergy.com.

Meyer Shank Racing Set for IMSA WeatherTech and INDYCAR West Coast

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Official Release
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MSR ready for double attack at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca and Portland International Raceway

Pataskala, Ohio (7 September 2021) – This weekend marks the start of a busy three week stretch of competition for Meyer Shank Racing’s (MSR) IMSA and INDYCAR programs. The Monterey Sports Car Championship at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca is set for September 12 at 4:00pm ET on NBCSN while the Grand Prix of Portland will kick off on September 12 at 3:00pm ET on NBC.

Meyer Shank Racing Ready to Tackle WRLS with Acura DPi

Driver Lineup:

Dane Cameron & Olivier Pla, No. 60 Acura ARX-05 DPi

Tune in:

Sunday, September 12, 4:00pm ET on NBCSN

SiriusXM Ch. 202

With the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship season officially at the penultimate round, Dane Cameron and Olivier Pla are hoping to gain a final bit of momentum to close out the 2021 season strong. MSR’s previous outing at Road America saw Cameron and Pla combine to lead 31 laps. The pace had all things pointing towards a podium finish, but coming up just one lap short on fuel forced the No. 60 into pit lane and finish fifth.

It’s a homecoming weekend for Cameron who is originally from Glen Ellen, CA. Cameron comes into the race weekend with strong results at the 2.238-mile road course. The Californian has five podium finishes in the last five race seasons at WRLS which includes his win onboard the Acura DPi in 2020.

“Being from Northern California I’m always excited to go home and race at Laguna Seca,” said Cameron. “It’s a pretty challenging place to get right these days with a low grip surface, but it’s always suited the Acura ARX-05 well. I am confident we will be in the fight for the win on Sunday.”

Having just completed his 14th 24 Hours of Le Mans, Pla is ready to get back into IMSA action at Laguna Seca. Pla’s first and only race start at Laguna Seca was in 2017 which saw him lock in a seventh place finish in the Prototype category. He now looks forward to taking on the iconic west coast circuit onboard the Acura DPi.

“I have been to Laguna once in 2017 and I liked the track a lot,” said Pla. “The mix of uphill and downhill corners and that mixed with a low grip track surface makes it challenging, but fun too. I’m really looking forward to racing there again.”

MSR Aiming to Continue its Strong Past at Portland with Harvey and Castroneves

Driver Lineup:

Jack Harvey, No. 60 AutoNation / SiriusXM Honda

Helio Castroneves, No. 06 AutoNation / SiriusXM Honda

Tune in:

Sunday, September 12, 3:00pm ET on NBCSN

SiriusXM Ch. 205

Just 730 miles up the coast from Monterey, MSR will be competing in the Portland Grand Prix as the INDYCAR season stages its final three rounds of competition. MSR is excited to welcome back Helio Castroneves for his fourth race of the season as the Brazilian will close out the final three INDYCAR races on the west coast. Castroneves will be joined by MSR season regular, Jack Harvey.

The visit to Portland International Raceway will be the third for MSR which has proven to be a strong contender since its debut race in 2018 with Harvey. In just his first partial INDYCAR season with MSR and his sixth career INDYCAR race with MSR, Harvey qualified the No. 60 Honda 13th – his best qualifying result at the time. Harvey came back the following year with the same strength, qualifying the No. 60 Honda on the second row in fourth. Harvey was on his way to a podium finish until he was taken out by a competitor from behind.

Now coming back to the shortest circuit on the INDYCAR calendar at just 1.9-miles, Harvey is aiming to get that podium finish that he nearly captured two years ago.

“We have been really strong at Portland the two times that we’ve been there, so that’s always a good sign with any race that you’re heading to,” said Harvey. “It was unfortunate that we did not finish the race in 2019, but knowing what we know about the track and the car, I’m certain we can roll off the trucks strong again this year and hopefully get that finish we deserve.”

Castroneves will be making his return to MSR since his last outing at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Road Course last month. Castroneves and MSR participated in a series test at PIR to help refresh the 2021 Indianapolis 500 winner with the west coast circuit. Castroneves has six race starts at PIR and last raced there in 2001 with CART, when he qualified third.

“I’m super excited to go back to Portland, it’s probably been over 20 years since I’ve been there,” said Castroneves. “We had a great test there and it looked like we were right on the pace.”

CORVETTE RACING AT LAGUNA SECA: California Dreaming

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Official Release
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· Twenty-third consecutive appearance in Monterey for Corvette Racing
· Team’s first race in IMSA since runner-up finish at 24 Hours of Le Mans
· Track saw program clinch GT Le Mans Drivers, Team titles in 2020
· GTLM points leaders Garcia, Taylor part of 12:30p ET Zoom today

DETROIT (Sept. 7, 2021) – After a strong showing at the 24 Hours of Le Mans, Corvette Racing is back in the U.S. and returns to its quest of a second straight GT Le Mans (GTLM) title as the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship starts its West Coast swing this weekend.

Picturesque WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca in Monterey, Calif., is the site of the Hyundai Monterey Sports Car Championship and the second race at the circuit for the mid-engine Chevrolet Corvette C8.R. Sunday’s race is the seventh of 10 points-paying events for Corvette Racing, which is coming off second- and sixth-place finishes in the GTE Pro class at Le Mans.

Laguna Seca has been a fixture on Corvette Racing’s calendar since the program’s first year of competition. It’s one of two tracks at which the team will have competed in each of its 23 years to date. The other is Sebring, and Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta will be the third with the season-ending Petit Le Mans.

The Corvette C8.R raced at Laguna Seca during its 2020 debut season with Antonio Garcia and Jordan Taylor finishing second. The result was enough to clinch the GTLM Drivers championship and the Team title for the No. 3 Mobil 1/SiriusXM Corvette C8.R. Chevrolet went on to claim the Manufacturers title.

They also were second at Le Mans in the first race there for the C8.R. Garcia has three wins at Laguna Seca and Taylor two.

Tommy Milner and Nick Tandy, teaming in the No. 4 Mobil 1/SiriusXM Corvette, look to close the gap on their teammates in the GTLM standings. They teamed for a victory at Detroit and the Rolex 24 qualifying race, and added runner-up finishes at Daytona, the Watkins Glen sprint round and Lime Rock Park.

Milner, a past Laguna Seca winner, has set the fastest GTLM race lap the last two years in Monterey while Tandy was third in GTLM a year ago.

Corvette Racing will contest the Hyundai Monterey SportsCar Championship on Sept. 10-12 from WeatherTech Laguna Seca in Monterey, Calif. Live television coverage will air at 4 p.m. ET on Sept. 10 with live streaming coverage on TrackPass and NBC Sports Gold. Live audio coverage from IMSA Radio will be available on IMSA.com, Sirius 219, XM 202 and SiriusXM Online 992.

ANTONIO GARCIA, NO. 3 MOBIL 1/SiriusXM CHEVROLET CORVETTE C8.R: “As we have seen everywhere we’ve gone, the C8.R has been an upgrade in every single aspect compared to C7. I could feel that also at Laguna Seca last year. I felt like we were more competitive there than over past years. This year will be different again because we have a year’s worth of development. I’m looking forward to getting back there. I like the area, I like the track and everything about the event. Maybe we can give the C8.R its first victory there.”

JORDAN TAYLOR, NO. 3 MOBIL 1/SiriusXM CHEVROLET CORVETTE C8.R: “Laguna Seca is such a unique track and is always a tricky one to get right. The surface is very slippery which usually leads to pretty high tire degradation throughout the race. Last year was obviously great. Going there and clinching the championship. This year we have the same goal, going there to execute as well as we can all weekend. We’re in a good spot in the championship, but we’re going there to win the race.”

TOMMY MILNER, NO. 4 MOBIL 1/SiriusXM CHEVROLET CORVETTE C8.R: “Laguna Seca is definitely one of the most challenging tracks we go to. It’s not just about its layout but also the track surface and weather conditions. It’s a place that seems like all the tire data that we learn all throughout the year doesn’t apply for whatever reason. It’s a tricky one for sure for that reason with very low grip and traffic. I feel like we are always used to high-grip surfaces and then going there, it’s quite a bit different with high degradation. Having been there already once with the C8.R, we’ll have some knowledge and data to go off of.”

NICK TANDY, NO. 4 MOBIL 1/SiriusXM CHEVROLET CORVETTE C8.R: “I’m very keen for a victory at Laguna Seca. For one, Tommy and I have been so close to winning races. We just need one or two things to go our way on the No. 4 Corvette side. Second, Laguna Seca is one of the few tracks in IMSA where I haven’t won a race. It would be nice to check off both those boxes and end the season strong. It’s never easy at this track and will require a lot of work and study to get us in optimum shape going into the race. If we can keep controlling the things we can at Laguna Seca then I think we will have an excellent weekend.”

2021 WeatherTech SportsCar Championship – GTLM (After Six of 10 Events)
Driver Standings

  1. Antonio Garcia/Jordan Taylor – 2,207
  2. Tommy Milner/Nick Tandy – 1,993
  3. Cooper MacNeil – 1,984
  4. Matt Campbell – 1,372
  5. Augusto Farfus/Jesse Krohn/John Edwards – 1001

Team Standings

  1. No. 3 Corvette Racing – 2,207
  2. No. 4 Corvette Racing – 1,993
  3. No. 79 WeatherTech Racing – 1,984
  4. No. 24 BMW Team RLL – 1,001
  5. No. 25 BMW Team RLL – 966

Manufacturer Standings

  1. Chevrolet – 2,230
  2. Porsche – 2,108
  3. BMW – 1,052
  4. Ferrari – 330

CORVETTE RACING AT LAGUNA SECA: By the Numbers
• 1: As in one team, one manufacturer and one model of car for 23 years at Laguna Seca: Corvette Racing, Chevrolet and the Chevrolet Corvette.
• 3: Tracks where Corvette Racing has competed in each of its 22 previous years: Sebring, WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca and Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta.
• 4: Generations of Corvette Racing entries since 1999 – Corvette C5-R (2000-04), Corvette C6.R (2005-13), Corvette C7.R (2014-2019) and Corvette C8.R (2020).
• 7: Number of Laguna Seca victories for Corvette Racing dating back to 2004.
• 10: Laguna Seca victories for the current Corvette Racing for the current driving lineup – Oliver Gavin (four), Antonio Garcia (three) and Tommy Milner (two) and Jordan Taylor (one).
• 11: Victories at Laguna Seca for Chevrolet in IMSA competition.
• 12: Drivers who have competed for Corvette Racing at Laguna Seca. Of those, seven went on to win at Monterey.
• 13: Manufacturer Championships for Chevrolet and Corvette Racing since 2001.
• 25: Tracks at which Corvette Racing has won races – Baltimore, Charlotte Motor Speedway, COTA, Canadian Tire Motorsport Park/Mosport, Daytona, Detroit, Houston, Laguna Seca, Le Mans, Lime Rock, Long Beach, Miami, Mid-Ohio, Portland, Road America, Road Atlanta, Sebring, Sonoma, St. Petersburg, Texas, Trois Rivieres, Utah, VIR, Washington DC and Watkins Glen.
• 26: Number of GT Le Mans wins in the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship for Corvette Racing since the start of 2014.
• 117: Victories worldwide for Corvette Racing – 109 in North America and eight at Le Mans.
• 246: Event starts by Corvette Racing since 1999.
• 12,795.65: Number of racing miles completed by Corvette Racing in its 21 previous trips to Laguna Seca. That represents 5,800 laps… or more than 750 trips around Carmel’s famous 17-Mile Drive.
• 330,467.26: Total number of racing miles completed by Corvette Racing since its inception. To put that in perspective Apollo 13 – the longest manned spaceflight in history – covered “just” 248,655 miles. Simply put, the program has raced to the moon and back… and then some.

Corvette Racing at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca (wins in bold)
1999
No. 3 Corvette C5-R: Ron Fellows/Chris Kneifel – 2nd in GTS

2000
No. 3 Corvette C5-R: Ron Fellows/Andy Pilgrim – 2nd in GTS (Fellows pole)
No. 4 Corvette C5-R: Justin Bell/Kelly Collins – 4th in GTS

2001
No. 3 Corvette C5-R: Ron Fellows/Johnny O’Connell – 2nd in GTS
No. 4 Corvette C5-R: Andy Pilgrim/Kelly Collins – 3rd in GTS

2002
No. 3 Corvette C5-R: Ron Fellows/Johnny O’Connell – 5th in GTS
No. 4 Corvette C5-R: Andy Pilgrim/Kelly Collins – 3rd in GTS

2003
No. 3 Corvette C5-R: Ron Fellows/Johnny O’Connell – 2nd in GTS
No. 4 Corvette C5-R: Oliver Gavin/Kelly Collins – 3rd in GTS

2004
No. 3 Corvette C5-R: Ron Fellows/Johnny O’Connell – 1st in GTS (O’Connell fastest race lap)
No. 4 Corvette C5-R: Olivier Beretta/Oliver Gavin – 2nd in GTS (Beretta pole)

2005
No. 3 Corvette C6.R: Ron Fellows/Johnny O’Connell – 2nd in GT1
No. 4 Corvette C6.R: Olivier Beretta/Oliver Gavin – 1st in GT1 (Gavin fastest race lap)

2006
No. 3 Corvette C6.R: Ron Fellows/Johnny O’Connell – 3rd in GT1
No. 4 Corvette C6.R: Olivier Beretta/Oliver Gavin – 2nd in GT1 (Beretta fastest race lap)

2007
No. 3 Corvette C6.R: Jan Magnussen/Johnny O’Connell – 2nd in GT1 (Magnussen pole, fastest race lap)
No. 4 Corvette C6.R: Olivier Beretta/Oliver Gavin – 1st in GT1

2008
No. 3 Corvette C6.R: Johnny O’Connell/Jan Magnussen – 2nd in GT1 (Magnussen pole, fastest race lap)
No. 4 Corvette C6.R: Olivier Beretta/Oliver Gavin – 1st in GT1

2009
No. 3 Corvette C6.R: Jan Magnussen/Johnny O’Connell – 2nd in GT2 (Magnussen pole, fastest race lap)
No. 4 Corvette C6.R: Olivier Beretta/Oliver Gavin – 10th in GT2

2010
No. 3 Corvette C6.R: Jan Magnussen/Johnny O’Connell – 6th in GT2
No. 4 Corvette C6.R: Oliver Gavin/Jan Magnussen – 3rd in GT2

2011
No. 3 Corvette C6.R: Olivier Beretta/Tommy Milner – 7th in GT
No. 4 Corvette C6.R: Oliver Gavin/Jan Magnussen – 5th in GT

2012
No. 3 Corvette C6.R: Jan Magnussen/Antonio Garcia – 2nd in GT
No. 4 Corvette C6.R: Oliver Gavin/Tommy Milner – 1st in GT (Gavin fastest race lap)

2013
No. 3 Corvette C6.R: Jan Magnussen/Antonio Garcia – 1st in GT
No. 4 Corvette C6.R: Oliver Gavin/Tommy Milner – 9th in GT

2014
No. 3 Corvette C7.R: Jan Magnussen/Antonio Garcia – 1st in GTLM
No. 4 Corvette C7.R: Oliver Gavin/Tommy Milner – 5th in GTLM

2015
No. 3 Corvette C7.R: Jan Magnussen/Antonio Garcia – 7th in GTLM
No. 4 Corvette C7.R: Oliver Gavin/Tommy Milner – 6th in GTLM

2016
No. 3 Corvette C7.R: Jan Magnussen/Antonio Garcia – 4th in GTLM
No. 4 Corvette C7.R: Oliver Gavin/Tommy Milner – 7th in GTLM

2017
No. 3 Corvette C7.R: Jan Magnussen/Antonio Garcia – 4th in GTLM
No. 4 Corvette C7.R: Oliver Gavin/Tommy Milner – 8th in GTLM

2018
No. 3 Corvette C7.R: Jan Magnussen/Antonio Garcia – 3rd in GTLM
No. 4 Corvette C7.R: Oliver Gavin/Tommy Milner – 5th in GTLM (Gavin pole)

2019
No. 3 Corvette C7.R: Jan Magnussen/Antonio Garcia – 3rd in GTLM
No. 4 Corvette C7.R: Oliver Gavin/Tommy Milner – 4th in GTLM (Milner fastest race lap)

2020
No. 3 Corvette C8.R: Antonio Garcia/Jordan Taylor – 2nd in GTLM (Taylor pole)
No. 4 Corvette C8.R: Oliver Gavin/Tommy Milner – 6th in GTLM (Milner fastest race lap)

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.

THE HOPE MORTGAGE CHAMPIONSHIP NIGHT AT GRANDVIEW SPEEDWAY ON SATURDAY

By
Official Release
-

51ST ANNUAL FREEDOM 76 WILL REWARD WINNER WITH AT LEAST $30,000 ON SEPT. 18

BECHTELSVILLE, PA September 7, 2021 . . . The NASCAR Modified and Sportsman Championships will be decided at Grandview Speedway this Saturday, September 11. And The Hope Mortgage Team of Conshohocken has made the Championship Night even more interesting by adding $5,000 in prize money plus providing a fireworks show.

Eleven time and defending T.P.Trailers Modified Champion Craig Von Dohren holds the top spot in the standings with 4843 points after 18 races, all part of the national Advance Auto Parts Weekly Racing Series, have been run. Brett Kressley, who led the standings for much of the season, is very close behind with 4696 points. The title is Von Dohren’s to lose with an off night and Kressley’s to win with a strong finish giving him his first Modified championship. Third spot belongs to Jared Umbenhauer with 4312 points.

Doug Manmiller has had some impressive efforts in recent weeks including a victory giving him 3967 tallies. And in fifth is five time champion Duane Howard with 3934 points. Popular racing talent Kenny Gilmore sits on top of the T.P. Truck Equipment Sportsman standings with 3643 counters looking for his first title.

Dylan Hoch has had a strong effort in recent weeks and has tallied 3510 points putting him in a strong second place. Defending champion Brian Hirthler is third with 3410. Jimmy Leiby holds on to fourth with 3105 counters and in fifth is Kyle Lilick having accumulated 2984 points. Thanks to Hope Mortgage there will be many cash awards. Topping the list of awards will be $1,000 going to the winner of the 30-lap Modified feature making for a total of $3,800 including track prize money and $300 from T.P.Trailers of Limerick, PA.

The winner of the 25-lap Sportsman feature will receive $1,000 from the Hope Team along with the regular prize money and $200 from T.P.Truck Equipment for a first place offering of $1,800.

Heat winners in each division of competition on the Hope Mortgage Team Championship Night will receive money based on the number of qualifying events run.

Each division will have a Hard Luck award of $250 while the Hard Charger in each division will take home an extra $250.

And five non-qualifiers in each division, randomly selected, will receive $100 of the Hope Mortgage Team money.

THOSE WITH CAMPERS PLEASE NOTE. Campers can enter the speedway grounds on Saturday September 11 and have the camper remain on the grounds until the 19th. However, because there are no hookups, sleeping in the campers can only take place on Saturday, September 18th to the 19th.

Coming up on Friday, September 17th, is the Freedom38 Sportsman race which will reward the winner with $2,000. That night will see action get the green at 7:30 p.m.

On Saturday night, September 18th, the 51st Annual Freedom 76 will feature many of the outstanding talents in dirt track Modified racing trying to take home the $30,000 jackpot. As is normal it is expected that there will be outsiders entering the classic event hoping to take home the big bucks. Racing starts at 7 p.m.

Full info on the weekend of racing, including camping information, is available at www.grandviewspeedway.com or telephone 610.754.7688.

GRANDVIEW SPEEDWAY UNOFFICIAL POINT STANDINGS FOR NASCAR T.P.TRAILERS

MODIFIEDS AS OF SEPTEMBER 5, 2021

  1. Craig Von Dohren, #30 4843*
  2. Brett Kressley, #19K 4696*
  3. Jared Umbenhauer, #19 4312*
  4. Doug Manmiller, #44 3967*
  5. Duane Howard, #15G 3934*
  6. Jeff Strunk, #88Z 3687*
  7. Danny Bouc, #357 3186**
  8. Kevin Hirthler, #117 3023
  9. Ryan Grim, #17 2888
  10. Craig Whitmoyer #99 2549
  11. Justin Grimm, #61 2389
  12. Brad Arnold, #27 2354
  13. Brad Grimm, #23 2277
  14. Jack Butler, #5 2258
  15. Jesse Leiby, #456/51 2121
  16. Cory Merkel, #16M 2057
  17. Dylan Swinehart, #81 1933
  18. Brett Gilmore,  #7 1882
  19. Nate Brinker, #14N 1806
  20. Mike Lisowski, #15 1796
  21. Also Feature Winners: Kevin Graver, #7A – Brad Brightbill, #14B/41 – Ryan Lilick, #49

UNOFFICIAL POINT STANDINGS FOR NASCAR T.P.TRUCK EQUIPMENT SPORTSMAN

AS OF SEPTEMBER 5, 2021

  1. Kenny Gilmore, #7 3643**
  2. Dylan Hoch, #35 3510****
  3. Brian Hirthler, #4/117 3410
  4. Jimmy Leiby, #9L/9 3105
  5. Kyle Lilick , #104 2984*
  6. Kyle Smith, #77K 2954**
  7. Dakota Kohler, #59K/9 2435
  8. Mark Kemmerer, #F10 2395
  9. Kenny Bock, #6 2040
  10. Nathan Mohr, #17M 1986
  11. Ryan Beltz, #221/127 1897
  12. Decker Swinehart, #83 1876*
  13. Logan Bauman, #14/22 1874
  14. Chris Esposito #31A 1836
  15. Parker Guldin, #11 1803
  16. Joey Vaccaro, #53 1733
  17. Mike Schneck, #2 1702
  18. Bryan Rhoads, #922 1638
  19. Jesse Landis, #973 1547*
  20. Lex Shive, #5K 1531 Also Feature Winner: Cole Stangle #20
  • denotes feature win (Feature wins listed are only for those that are NASCAR point events.)

NASCAR Top-10 Power Rankings: Darlington

By
Jeffrey Boswell
-
Photo by Matt Beamer for SpeedwayMedia.com.

Note: The quotes in this article are fictional.

1. Kyle Larson: Larson won Stage 2 and nearly chased down Denny Hamlin for the win before settling for the runner-up spot.

“I’m still the heavy favorite to win the Cup championship,” Larson said. “So, I have a reputation to uphold, and another one to dispel.”

2. Denny Hamlin: Hamlin won Stage 1 and held off Kyle Larson over the closing laps to win the Cook Out Southern 500. It was Hamlin’s first win of the season and locked him into Round 2 of the Playoffs.

“Nothing beats the drama of the opening race of the NASCAR championship Playoffs,” Hamlin said. “That statement was true until my girlfriend Jordan Fish started tweeting.

“I’d like to thank Cook Out for sponsoring this race. After my convincing victory in the Cook Out Southern 500, the appropriate words to my opponents are ‘I drink your milkshake.'”

3. Martin Truex Jr.: Truex overcame an error-prone night at Darlington to salvage a fourth in the Cook Out Southern 500.

“In addition to that infraction,” Truex said, “I had a loose wheel earlier in the race. Unfortunately, our entire race was defined by our mistakes. It was a case of ‘mistaken identity.'”

4. Chase Elliott: Elliott suffered a left-front flat tire after making contact with Christopher Bell on Lap 327. Eliott’s No. 9 Chevy tagged the wall and his night was over. He finished 31st.

“I wasn’t happy,” Elliott said, “but I’m a professional. I can give an interview without cussing on national television. You can’t say the same for Kyle Busch. Kyle certainly made an ass of himself. Of course, you can’t spell ‘ass’ without two ‘S’ bombs.”

5. Ryan Blaney: Blaney had a brake issue on Lap 319, which sent his No. 12 Mustang for a spin. Blaney dropped well down in the order and finished 22nd.

“I did a full 360-degree spin and didn’t hit anything,” Blaney said. “So, unlike my car, I deserve credit for ‘not breaking.'”

6. Joey Logano: Logano posted a solid start to the Playoffs with an eighth-place finish at Darlington.

“I’m still harboring some ill will towards Denny Hamlin for blocking me at Daytona,” Logano said. “But I feel like Denny deserves some slack. I know Darlington isn’t a superspeedway, but in light of the week’s event, it’s an ‘(a lot on his) plate’ race for Denny.”

7. William Byron: Byron’s night at Darlington ended on a Lap 200 crash, triggered by a left-front tire valve stem issue that caused a flat and sent Byron’s No. 24 Axalta Chevy hard into the wall. He finished 34th.

“I knew I had a tire issue,” Byron said. “I could actually hear the tire deflating. It sounded like this: ‘SSSSSSSSSSS.’ That’s also the sound of the censored version Kyle Busch giving an interview.”

8. Kevin Harvick: Harvick finished fifth in the Cook Out Southern 500.

“I’m thrilled with our finish,” Harvick said. “Especially in light of the troubles that befell so many other playoff contenders. For example, Kyle Busch’s race was a real ‘S’ show, figuratively and quite literally.”

9. Kyle Busch: Busch made contact with Austin Dillon on Lap 126 and slammed the wall hard, ending his night. He finished 35th.

“I took my No. 18 Toyota straight to the garage,” Busch said, “and nearly ran over several people in the process. As they say, it’s ‘(Get out of) my way or the die way.'”

“Then during a live television interview, I dropped only two ‘S’ bombs. So, everyone should be commending me for showing restraint.”

10. Alex Bowman: Bowman blew a tire on Lap 16 at Darlington and scraped the wall, seriously damaging the right side of his No. 48 Ally Chevy. He limped home with a 26th-place finish.

“I clipped my Hendrick teammate William Byron in the accident,” Bowman said. “Then, my car caught on fire when it was being repaired in the pits. Two things were extinguished on Sunday—fire, and my playoff hopes.”

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