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Advance discount tickets now available for ARCA Menards Series Allen Crowe 100 at the Illinois State Fairgrounds

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Official Release
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As it has since every year since 1983, the ARCA Menards Series returns to the Illinois State Fair on Sunday, August 22 for the Allen Crowe 100, the first of two races the series will contest on one-mile dirt tracks in 2021. Fans can get a jump on the ticket rush at the gate by stopping at one of the several Springfield-area and central Illinois-area Menards locations to purchase advance discount tickets for just $20, a savings of $10 off the race day ticket price.

The race, which will return to its traditional spot on the closing day of the Illinois State Fair in 2021 after moving to October due to the pandemic last season, will be the fifteenth race of the 20-race championship in the Toledo, Ohio-based stock car tour’s 69th season. After the most recent race, on the road course at Watkins Glen International in New York, Ty Gibbs holds a perilously small two-point advantage over hard-charging Corey Heim in the battle for the series title.

Gibbs, the grandson of Pro Football Hall of Fame head coach and NASCAR Hall of Fame car owner Joe Gibbs, has won seven times in the ARCA Menards Series in 2021, and has also scored three victories in the NASCAR Xfinity Series this year. Gibbs became just the sixth driver in history to win in his Xfinity Series debut when he won on the road course at Daytona International Speedway in February, and he has backed it up with wins at Charlotte Motor Speedway and at Watkins Glen.

His dominant season in the ARCA Menards Series has seen him win at Phoenix Raceway, Kansas Speedway, Toledo Speedway, Charlotte Motor Speedway, Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course, Iowa Speedway, and Winchester Speedway. He’s led 989 laps, more than three times the next nearest competitor – Heim – and he’s started from the General Tire Pole in nine of the series’ 13 races to this point.

But the dirt tracks have not been kind to Gibbs in his tenure in the ARCA Menards Series. He finished 15th in his debut at Springfield in 2019 and improved to tenth in 2020. That could leave the door wide open for Heim, who has finished seventh and eighth in his two previous Springfield appearances. Heim has also made one start at the other one-mile dirt oval on the ARCA Menards Series schedule, finishing third at the Southern Illinois State Fairgrounds in Du Quoin in 2019.

Heim, in his first full season driving for two-time ARCA Menards Series champion Bill Venturini and his family-owned team, narrowed Gibbs’ points advantage with his fifth win of the season in the most recent round at Watkins Glen. Heim’s other wins in 2021 have come at Daytona International Speedway, Talladega Superspeedway, Pocono Raceway, and Elko Speedway.

For complete ticket information, please visit TrackEnterprises.com; for updated event information, log on to ARCARacing.com.

Mayhew Tools To Sponsor Doug Coby and GMS Racing at Bristol Motor Speedway

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Official Release
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Statesville, NC — When six-time NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour champion Doug Coby makes his NASCAR Camping World Truck Series debut at Bristol Motor Speedway next month, a familiar sponsor and colors will be on his No. 24 GMS Racing Chevrolet Silverado.

Doug Coby will carry the Mayhew Tools name in a special American Flag style paint scheme that mirrors the scheme he runs for his own race team on the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour. Mayhew Tools, a company based in Turner Falls, Massachusetts, has been a sponsor of Coby’s Modified efforts since 2017.

Coby, who has two Whelen Modified Tour wins to date during the 2021 season, and also a victory in the inaugural Superstar Racing Experience (SRX) event at Stafford Motor Speedway, is excited to showcase the colors and sponsorship to the Truck audience in his debut.

“It’s exciting for me because Mayhew Tools stepped up to help Mike Smeriglio’s team on the Whelen Modified Tour when I was driving for him, and they stood behind me when I started my own team,” Coby said. “They help me with whatever they can. To have them with me on the Truck with GMS Racing in my debut, it shows there is a strong commitment between the two of us. It’s a cool feeling to have people behind you that want to contribute to everything that you are doing. The American Flag paint scheme is a fan favorite and I am excited to showcase it to a national audience.”

The UNOH 200 presented by Ohio Logistics will take place on Thursday, September 16 at 9 p.m., live on Fox Sports 1, MRN, and Sirius XM NASCAR Radio Channel 90.

“Doug has been successful with the Whelen Modified Tour and the short tracks and we are excited to support him on this bigger stage,” John Lawless, President of Mayhew Tools, said. “We have been with Doug for a while and not only do we think he has a lot of talent, but he is a wonderful spokesman for Mayhew Tools. We think he will go out there and do well and we wanted to be involved in his Truck debut.”

GMS Racing President Mike Beam remarked, “I am looking forward to watch Doug Coby make his truck debut with our team at Bristol in September. Earlier this year, I had the chance to work with Doug through the SRX Series, and his ability to drive became apparent right away. This opportunity is a big one for him, and we are proud to represent his longtime sponsor, Mayhew Tools, onboard our No. 24 Silverado.”

For more information on Doug Coby Racing, visit dougcobyracing.com.

ABOUT MAYHEW TOOLS:

Founded in 1856, Mayhew Tools is the oldest punch and chisel manufacturer in the United States, growing their extensive professional grade, American made product line to include pry bars, pneumatics, cable ties, and more. In 2020, the company extended their product line to include a complete line of dual drive and socket bits and sets. Serving the Industrial, Automotive, Hardware, and Construction industries, Mayhew’s premium hand tools are sold globally through an extensive distributor network. For more information, contact Mayhew Tools at 800.872.0037 or visit Mayhew.com.

ABOUT GMS RACING:

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

CHEVROLET NTT INDYCAR SERIES-INDIANAPOLIS ROAD COURSE TWO: TEAM CHEVY ADVANCE FOR BIG MACHINE SPIKED COOLERS GRAND PRIX

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Official Release
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CHEVROLET RACING IN NTT INDYCAR SERIES
BIG MACHINE SPIKED COOLERS GRAND PRIX
THE ROAD COURSE AT INDIANAPOLIS MOTOR SPEEDWAY
TEAM CHEVY ADVANCE
AUGUST 12, 2021

RACE 12 OF 2021 NTT INDYCAR SERIES SEASON

Chevrolet returns to site of winning performances
Team Chevy has recorded wins in past three races on IMS road course

DETROIT (Aug. 12, 2021) – After finding direction on their first foray on the streets of Nashville, Tennessee, last weekend, Chevrolet teams return to the familiar Indianapolis Motor Speedway road course as the drive to the NTT INDYCAR SERIES championship continues.

Team Chevy will compete in the 85-lap/207-mile Big Machine Spiked Coolers Grand Prix on Saturday, Aug. 14. Chevrolet has won eight of the 10 NTT INDYCAR SERIES races, including the past three, on the technical 2.439-mile, 14-turn road course that incorporates Turns 1 and 2 and the front stretch of the famed oval.

“Team Chevy has had success on the challenging Indianapolis Motor Speedway road course, most recently in May with Rinus VeeKay of Ed Carpenter Racing earning his first NTT INDYCAR SERIES victory,” Chevrolet INDYCAR program manager Rob Buckner said. “Teams and their Chevrolet trackside engineers will work together to incorporate the familiarity of the racetrack with performance gains to hopefully produce another victory and solid results by all drivers.”

VeeKay, driving the No. 21 Sonax/Autogeek Chevrolet, led 33 laps and won by nearly five seconds on May 15. He has also recorded third- and fifth-place finishes and earned his maiden pole in 2020 on the IMS circuit. The team has produced a T-shirt, featuring VeeKay celebrating his first Series victory in his 19th race, for this weekend.

“Getting my first podium here last year and now winning, it was a dream. We are going back to Indy and hopefully I can have some luck again,” said VeeKay, who turns 21 on Sept. 11.

Team Penske’s Will Power and Josef Newgarden won the October 2020 races on the IMS road course in their Chevrolet-powered race cars. Power, driver of the No. 12 Verizon 5G Team Penske Chevrolet, is a four-time winner on the road course – all from the pole. Teammate Simon Pagenaud is a three-time winner.

With five races left, Pato O’Ward is six points out of second place in the Driver Standings and Newgarden is fourth. O’Ward, a two-time winner this season, has a best finish of fifth on the IMS road course.

RC Enerson, 24, will make his fourth NTT INDYCAR SERIES start and first since 2019 in the No. 75 Top Gun Racing Chevrolet. Enerson, of New Port Rickey, Florida, an Indy Lights graduate, posted a best finish of ninth at Watkins Glen International in three NTT INDYCAR SERIES races in 2016.

The racing weekend includes Chevrolet teams competing in the NASCAR Xfinity Series race on Aug. 14 and the inaugural NASCAR Cup Series race on the road course on Sunday, Aug. 15. Chevrolet drivers won 17 of the 27 races on the 2.5-mile oval dating to 1994, including five by Jeff Gordon.

“The race weekend at Indianapolis Motor Speedway will be extra special with the rare opportunity to catch up with our Chevrolet NASCAR Cup Series and NASCAR Xfinity Series personnel and watch the races,” Buckner added. “We wish our Chevrolet teams good luck as they close in on regular-season championships and their respective Playoff events.”

Spectators will have the opportunity to view some of Chevrolet’s newest production vehicles, including a Corvette convertible 3LT, Bolt EUV, Silverado 1500 Trailboss, and participate in a Q&A with NTT INDYCAR SERIES drivers at the Chevrolet display near Pagoda Plaza. The display will be open from 2-8 p.m. Friday, Aug. 13; 7 a.m.-4 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 14; and 8 a.m.-1 p.m. Sunday, Aug. 15. Participating drivers include:
Friday, Aug. 13
5:05-5:20 p.m. – Conor Daly
5:30-5:45 p.m. – Pato O’Ward, Felix Rosenqvist
Saturday, Aug. 14
9:45-10 a.m. – Rinus VeeKay and NASCAR Cup Series driver William Byron
NBCSN will telecast the 85-lap Big Machine Spiked Coolers Grand Prix at 12:30 p.m. ET Sunday, Aug. 14, and qualifying live at 7 p.m. ET Friday, Aug. 13. The race, qualifications and practice will also be broadcast live on INDYCAR Radio Network affiliates, Sirius 211, XM 205, Indycar.com, and on the INDYCAR Mobile app powered by NTT DATA. Practice and qualifications will stream on Peacock Premium.
A Chevrolet Corvette C8 Stingray will lead the field to the green flag.

Team Chevy will be represented by:
A.J. Foyt Enterprises
Dalton Kellett, No. 4 K-Line Insulators AJ Foyt Racing
Sebastien Bourdais, No. 14 ROKiT AJ Foyt Racing
Arrow McLaren SP
Pato O’Ward, No. 5 Arrow McLaren SP
Felix Rosenqvist, No. 7 Vuse Arrow McLaren SP
Carlin
Max Chilton, No. 59 Gallagher Carlin
Ed Carpenter Racing
Conor Daly, No. 20 U.S. Air Force
Rinus VeeKay, No. 21 Sonax/Autogeek
Team Penske
Josef Newgarden, No. 2 XPEL Team Penske
Scott McLaughlin, No. 3 CarShop Team Penske
Will Power, No. 12 Verizon 5G Team Penske
Simon Pagenaud, No. 22 Menards Team Penske
Top Gun Racing
RC Enerson, No. 75 Top Gun Racing

Chevrolet IndyCar V6 Year-By-Year Results since 2012
2021 ­– 4 wins, 5 poles in 11 races
Wins – Pato O’Ward (Texas2, Detroit2); Rinus VeeKay (Indy RC1); Josef Newgarden (Mid-Ohio). Pole – Pato O’Ward (Barber Motorsports Park, Detroit1); Josef Newgarden (Detroit2, Road America, Mid-Ohio).
2020 – 7 wins, 11 poles in 14 races
Wins – Simon Pagenaud (Iowa1); Josef Newgarden (Iowa2, St. Louis2, Indy RC2, St. Petersburg); Will Power (Mid-Ohio1, Indy RC3, St. Petersburg). Poles – Josef Newgarden (Texas, Road America1, Iowa2), Will Power (Indianapolis road course, St. Louis1, Mid-Ohio1, Indy RC3; St. Petersburg), Pato O’Ward (Road America2), Conor Daly (Iowa1), Rinus VeeKay (Indy road course October)
2019 – 9 wins, 9 poles in 17 races
Driver/owner championship (Josef Newgarden/Roger Penske); Indianapolis 500 win (Simon Pagenaud)
2018 – 6 wins, 9 poles in 17 races
Indianapolis 500 win (Will Power)
2017 – 10 wins, 11 poles in 17 races
Engine Manufacturer Championship; driver/owner titles (Josef Newgarden/Roger Penske)
2016 – 14 wins, 13 poles in 16 races
Engine Manufacturer Championship; driver/owner titles (Simon Pagenaud/Roger Penske)
2015 – 10 wins, 16 poles in 16 races
Engine Manufacturer Championship; driver/owner titles (Scott Dixon/Chip Ganassi);
Indianapolis 500 win (Juan Pablo Montoya). First manufacturer to capture all titles since Chevrolet returned to INDYCAR in 2012
2014 – 12 wins, 14 poles in 18 races
Engine Manufacturer Championship; driver/owner titles (Will Power/Roger Penske)
2013 – 10 wins, 11 poles in 19 races
Engine Manufacturer Championship; Indianapolis 500 win (Tony Kanaan)
2012 – 11 wins, 10 poles in 15 races
Engine Manufacturer Championship; driver/owner titles (Ryan Hunter-Reay/Michael Andretti)
Total – 93 wins, 104 earned poles in 160 races

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.

CHEVROLET RACING IN NATIONAL HOT ROD ASSOCIATION: TOPEKA – PRE-RACE ADVANCE & QUOTES

By
Official Release
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CHEVROLET AT TOPEKA

What: Menards NHRA Nationals presented by PetArmor
When: Friday, Aug. 13-Sunday, Aug. 15
Where: Heartland Motorsports Park in Topeka, Kansas
TV: FOX will telecast eliminations live at 3 p.m. ET Sunday, Aug. 15

Team Chevy heads to Topeka with confidence building
Drivers looking to collect points with three regular-season races left

DETROIT (Aug. 12, 2021) – Brittany Force and the Monster Energy/Flav-R-Pac Chevrolet dragster have been consistently spectacular in National Hot Rod Association (NHRA) Top Fuel qualifications, setting records and earning the No. 1 spot in half the events this season.

Climbing onto the victory platform is the only thing missing.

Force will look to claim her sixth top qualifier honor of the season and record her 11th career victory in the Menards NHRA Nationals presented by PetArmor this weekend at Heartland Motorsports Park in Topeka, Kansas.
The 2017 Top Fuel champion is third in the standings with three regular-season races remaining before the Countdown to the Championship.

“After a weekend of match racing with my Monster Energy/Flav-R-Pac guys in Norwalk for Night Under Fire, we’re ready to get back to competition mode and go after a Topeka win,” said Force, who has been the No. 1 qualifier at the track in 2014 and ’16. “We’re going into this race third in points and with the Countdown around the corner, it’s time to step it up.”

The event was not contested in 2020 because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Robert Hight, driver of the Automobile Club of Southern California Camaro SS, won the 2019 Funny Car race on the way to his third championship.

“We have a good car. Jimmy Prock and Chris Cunningham have this Chevy Funny Car figured out,” said Hight, who produced the lowest elapsed time (3.895 seconds) and speed (330.88 mph) of the 2019 Funny Car event. “I’m more than ready for Topeka. We’ve done well there in the past. I’m looking forward to getting back in the car.”

Teammate John Force, driving the PEAK/BlueDEF Platinum Camaro SS Funny Car, leads all drivers with nine wins at Heartland Motorsports Park. He sits third in the regular-season standings – 36 points out of the top and one point ahead of Hight. The event will mark Force’s 800th in Funny Car competition in his record-setting career.

Pro Stock racers will be competing at the facility for the first time since May 2018, when Deric Kramer won in his Camaro SS.

Greg Anderson continues his pursuit of tying Warren Johnson’s 97 career victories, which stands as the most in Pro Stock and second behind Force’s NHRA-record 153. Anderson, the No. 1 qualifier in eight of the nine Pro Stock races in his HendrickCars.com Camaro SS, has advanced to the final round in three of the past four races.

Competition will include the fifth round of the Constant Aviation Factory Stock Showdown. Chevrolet drivers have won three of the events in their COPO Camaros, most recently by Stephen Bell at Denver.

FOX will telecast eliminations live at 3 p.m. ET Sunday, Aug. 15.

CHEVROLET FROM THE COCKPIT

TOP FUEL:

BRITTANY FORCE, JOHN FORCE RACING, FLAV-R-PAC CHEVROLET DRAGSTER (five-time No. 1 qualifier; runner-up in Charlotte and Norwalk; third in points): “I’ve had some success over the years at Heartland Park Topeka with two No. 1 qualifiers. This Monster Energy / Flav-R-Pac team always plans to dominate. We want to pick up points wherever we can and are ready to get back in that winner’s circle.”

FUNNY CAR:

JOHN FORCE, JOHN FORCE RACING, PEAK/BLUEDEF PLATINUM CHEVROLET CAMARO SS (two-time winner this season; No. 1 qualifier in Charlotte four-wide; third in points; nine-time winner at the track): “Topeka is an old school race. Been coming there for years. A lot of good memories, wins, final rounds. Great fans and a great racetrack. Where we are in points, we need to keep it going. The Countdown is almost here. The Heartland race could really shake things up with how close everyone is. It’s tough out there, but we’re hanging in there. I just have to get out there and not screw it up. And that’s what I’m trying to do. I’m ready for Topeka. We tested and went match racing, Night Under Fire, and it kept me on my toes.”

ROBERT HIGHT, JOHN FORCE RACING, AUTO CLUB OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA CHEVROLET CAMARO SS (two-time winner and two-time runner-up; No. 1 qualifier in Las Vegas four-wide; three-time winner at track; fourth in points): “It was 25 seasons ago that I flew in and met John’s team and went to work doing the clutch. Then I got my Funny Car license here. There’s a lot of fond memories for me here at Heartland Motorsports Park. I’ve won the race a few times too so it’s a good stop for me on the Camping World schedule. It’s a great racetrack, the fans are great, it’s one of my favorites.”

PRO STOCK:

GREG ANDERSON, KB RACING, HENDRICKCARS.COM CHEVROLET CAMARO SS (two-time winner; No. 1 qualifier in eight of nine races; points leader): “We got a lesson out of Pomona what to expect this weekend with hot air and track temperatures. It will be the same for everybody. I think we have something to go off of and we’ve raced at Topeka before when it’s been really hot. My group of guys like that and think we have the car for it.”

KYLE KORETSKY, KB RACING, LUCAS OIL CHEVROLET CAMARO SS (first-year full-time driver; three-time semifinalist; first Pro Stock appearance at track): “We surround ourselves with what I think are the best in the business and letting the clutch out on Friday night (in the first round of qualifying) I have nothing but confidence that the race car is going to go down the racetrack as fast as it can. We’re looking to get that No. 1 spot; I have a good feeling about it. Our car performs very well on hot tracks, and I think the KB guys have the tune-up for the hot track. Coming off Pomona with the semifinal was great, but obviously we want to win. It was a confidence booster, and we want to stay consistent and gain those points every round. My goal is to get in the top five before the Countdown.”

DALLAS GLENN, KB RACING, RAD TORQUE SYSTEMS CAMARO SS (first-year full-time driver; earned first win at Charlotte four-wide): “The last leg of the Western Swing was a little tough on our RAD Torque/KB Racing Chevrolet Camaro team because we couldn’t fix the engine how we wanted since we were so far from home. We were a little down on power but did the best considering. We came back home last week and found the problem so I see no reason why we can’t have a successful weekend in Topeka.”

AARON STANFIELD, ELITE MOTORSPORTS, JANAC BROTHERS CHEVROLET CAMARO SS (three-time winner this season; second in points; first Pro Stock appearance at track): “I’m extremely hungry and I have a lot of great people around me. I want to do well and continue to do well. I’m just thankful for the people I’m around and for the people who have given me these great opportunities.”

TROY COUGHLIN JR., ELITE MOTORSPORTS, JEGS MAIL ORDER CHEVROLET CAMARO SS (runner-up in season opener; transferred to final quad at Charlotte; semifinalist at Sonoma; first Pro Stock appearance at track): “I love this time of the year because everything starts to get more intense. It brings out the best in people and I love to race when stakes are high. We’ve had a steady first half of the season and I know without question we have a car and team capable of big things. These yellow and black guys have been making gains across the board, both in the engine shop and on the car itself, so we couldn’t be in a better position.”

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.

DJ KENNINGTON AND CASTROL EDGE DODGE TEAM HEAD TO GP3R

By
Official Release
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Photo Credit: Matthew Manor

August 12, 2021. DJ Kennington and the #17 Castrol Edge Dodge team will attack the first street course of the 2021 NASCAR Pinty’s Series season this weekend at the Grand Prix de Trois-Rivieres. opener. Kennington has a remarkable record of consistency at the famed circuit, posting 11 top-ten finishes and scored a memorable victory. The team looks to build on a second-place finish in the last race at Sunset Speedway.

Here’s what you need to know.

Race Event:
Grand Prix de Trois-Rivieres, Trois-Rivieres, QC
Race three of 11 in 2021
This is the 14th NASCAR Pinty’s Series race at this event

The Track:
1.53-mile paved street course (60 laps)

Best finish: Winner 2013

Career Victories: 21

Most Recent Win: Jukasa Motor Speedway 2020

DJ Quote: “Our Castrol Edge Dodge team is always pretty consistent at GP3R. It was great to snag with win in 2013 and we’ve been on the podium a few times. We showed our speed in the last race at Sunset and we’ll be ready for action again this weekend”

TV & Live Streaming
The race will be streamed live on TSN.ca and the TSN app in Canada and through Trackpass on NBC Sports Gold in the US. Start time is 2PM ET. The race will also be broadcast live on RDS2. Broadcast time on TSN is Sunday August 22 at 1PM ET.

Race fans can follow DJ Kennington and the #17 Castrol Edge Dodge team on their official social media platforms:

Twitter www.twitter.com/@djkracing
Instagram www.instagram.com/djkracing
Website www.djkracing.ca
Facebook https://www.facebook.com/DJKenningtonRacing/

Is anyone actually interested in winning a race? Asking for a friend.

By
SM Staff
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Kyle Larson, driver of the #5 drives during the NASCAR Cup Series Quaker State 400 presented by Walmart at Atlanta Motor Speedway on July 11, 2021 in Hampton, Georgia. (Photo by Sean Gardner/Getty Images)

With the 2021 NASCAR Cup Series regular-season wrapping up three weekends from now, there isn’t much excitement concerning who’s going to win, who wants to win, and who might desperately need the win.

After all, we all know that Daytona is only good for one thing, which is quickly eradicating almost an entire season’s worth of pesky excess old-stock sheet metal inventory,

If anything, it’s almost as if the regular-season championship trophy will be Kyle Larson’s to do whatever he wants with it, even if it’s to blow up for a trending TikTok destruction video, which will be infinitely more interesting than whatever passes for Cup Series entertainment these days.

As the 2021 Cup Season grinds along, it is beginning to resemble a great many other things throughout history that nobody was really interested in. It’s almost as if the title series sponsor is ATARI’s legendarily bad “ET the Extra-Terrestrial” 2600 video game cartridge, and nobody really cares who wins or loses this year. But unlike all those unsold copies of that game that conveniently disappeared (and were dug up recently), there really isn’t a landfill large enough to bury what remains of the rest of this season.

We need something, anything, where we can speed up the process where we finally put the Model-T-in-comparison, current-generation car out to pasture, and begin NASCAR’s Jiminy-Christmas-we’re-finally-getting-18-inch-wheels-with-single-lug-nuts modern era with the 2022 NG masterpiece (which remains to be seen).

I’ve spent practically the entire 2021 season attempting to put my finger on just what’s wrong this year. It seems that NASCAR is being brought to us by malaise, apathy, doldrums, or any other apathetic nouns. It’s almost as if an other-dimensional Sesame Street is now a title sponsor of the series, and those are the low-effort words of the day.

Is there nobody other than Kyle Larson who really wants to win a race here of late? Why is everyone else in the field practically rupturing their left rotator cuff in how hard they wave Larson past them during an event? I suspect that there are other reasons why Larson is already being loudly thought of as the regular-season champion, but I don’t get paid enough to think that high up in the racing world political food chain. In the end, racing is merely really loud entertainment bread and circuses for fans around the world. isn’t it?

Oddly enough, I think that there is a trio of factors that are producing low-effort “bucket list” results this season, with bucket list meaning “we snagged a win which guarantees us a spot in the Championship so now we’re gonna coast until Daytona.” It’s what practically every other driver in the top 16 has done this year. Eight of the top 16 drivers only nailed one win so far in 2021, and those single-win drivers now look like perpetual backmarkers in every race, the now somehow-dystopian Dick Trickles and Derrick Copes of the 21st Century.

On a side note, I will give kudos to Penske Racing (and more specifically the No. 2 and No. 22) for attempting to make things interesting at Watkins Glen this past weekend, however by taking themselves out in quite possibly the most pointless accident throughout all of the motor racing on Sunday. That’s also taking into account the IMSA race at Road America and the Indycar Music City Grand Prix, both of which saw their own fair share of ridiculous accidents.

Getting back to the wheezing, rusty squeezebox of 2021, we have Kevin Harvick. He was the dominant winner of last year’s regular season with somewhere around seven wins at this exact point in 2020, finishing the Chase with two additional wins, and of course, we can’t forget that incredible implosion when it really counted.

Fast Forward to this point in 2021. Has anyone seen Harvick lately? Is he still racing? Some of his fans might be curious as to whether or not he’s still among the breathing. Due to COVID regulations these days, we can’t get close enough to him to place a mirror under his nose in an attempt to verify.

Hasn’t Harvick had at least one win for the last bazillion seasons? I do see a No. 4 car out there occasionally when Larson is easily driving around it.

Oh, and hey, isn’t there one of them there foreign teams out there a drivin’ in NASCAR? I think it starts with a ‘T’? Talbot-Lago? Thomas Flyer? Tucker? Trabant?

Oh yeah, silly me! Toyota!

Speaking of Toyota, Denny Hamlin also hasn’t won all season, and if anything, he’s attempting to emulate the zero-win 1977 British Sidecar Motorcycle Champion George O’Dell on his way to possibly upending Kyle Larson for the regular-season championship. This is also an interesting development for Hamlin, given that he finished up 2020 with seven wins. But he might also need to have a mirror placed under his nose this year, as he can’t seem to be bothered to push for a win this year.

So, given that the top two drivers from 2020 appear to be stuck in ‘coast’ mode throughout all of 2021 so far, and eight out of the top 16 drivers are one-and-done backmarkers, what exactly does this all mean?

The first of the trio of factors concerning why 2021 is something of a bust so far is this. I am almost entirely convinced that nobody other than deep-pockets Hendrick Racing wants to spend any money racing the old Model T current-generation car. It really is a Model T in comparison to the Next Generation/2022 car, and whatever you don’t have to spend on the old crapbox can go towards the NG.

Hey, it is actually better just to coast along this year because all of us have a major reset to pay for in 2022, nothing from the old car applies to the new one, meaning parts inventory, specialized tools, nothing remains behind. Don’t build anything new unless you absolutely have to and this is evidenced by accidents no longer having any heart or backbone here of late. Hey, don’t beat on each other because if we break something expensive, that takes away from the new car development.

Of course, I don’t have any evidence that this is going on, but something similar did happen in the corporate world in the mid-1990s. The Chevrolet Corvette was supposed to be replaced by the 5th generation car for the 1993 model year. But due to an incredible comedy of errors, the new replacement never materialized when it was supposed to for the 1993 model year and ended up being delayed until the 1997 model year. With Chevrolet, realizing that they done gone and screwed the Corvette pooch, GM ended up having to do three things at the same time.

– Skip all the throwing away of old 4th-generation Corvette tooling (1984-1992) or replace tooling that had already been disposed of. This part is mind-boggling.

–  Perform updates to the old 4th-generation Corvette platform as time went along (1993-1996 model year), because Chevrolet didn’t think that it was fair to screw over the Corvette faithful by shoving old junk onto their customers (the 1996 Grand Sport is an incredible Corvette by the way). Mind-blowing.

– Also invest in the all-new 5th-generation Corvette at the same time, including new technologies that had never been tried (hydro-formed frame rails, anyone?) The Corvette went from having something like 16 pieces welded together for a frame to two hydro-formed frame rails. Given that the C5 Corvette ended up delivering mind-blowing performance all while having a minimum of (typical) GM engineering headaches speaks volumes to the Corvette Faithful in the halls of General Motors.

NASCAR could probably learn something from Corvette here concerning what to do with both an outgoing car and the incoming unit.

Keep in mind that also during this time, the Corvette Faithful inside General Motors managed to create a masterpiece during the middle of one of GM’s most turbulent times imaginable.

They were facing bankruptcy due to bone-headed investments into their mid-sized sedan platform, and the Corvette was on the chopping block. Not sure why this is important, but I think it’s more to demonstrate that NASCAR is operating with similarly deep pockets (in regards to what was spent on the C5 Corvette, $255-ish million, the OEM’s are spending somewhere around $140 million each, aren’t they?) and we’re getting an entire field of backmarkers out on the track while NASCAR teams sort out whatever they are trying to do with the existing season and the outgoing cars.

I think that’s what annoys me the most about this racing. Looking back at the Corvette one more time, Chevrolet demonstrated that they had a serious responsibility to Corvette owners to provide the best product they could (within reason), and buyers were rewarded with a superior product for 1997, the C5 really is an incredible car.

In comparison, concerning their final product here of late, what has an entire field of push-Kyle-Larson-to-the-front backmarkers done for us lately, other than remind us of the startling competition that can be found in practically every other race series out there?

The second factor is this. If teams are merely coasting along to a hide-the-remains-of-2021-in-a-landfill finish, how exactly are the fans being rewarded for doing their darndest to get back to tracks during Covid-is-still-lurking-like-a-stalking-butler-in-the-background during 2021? All they’re seeing is stately Gentleman’s Racing, with the only things missing being World War 1 leather aviator helmets, glass driving goggles, and mechanics riding in cars again.

To summarize, I think that NASCAR fans are being slightly short-changed, but who knows? NASCAR just might get away with it, because everyone kinda wants the old car to go away already. It’s like the expired milk in the fridge that can’t be replaced until Thanksgiving, but it’s all we’ve got to work with if we want our Kraft mac and cheese, so we’ll put up with it for now.

And third in the trio of factors concerning why nobody is really interested in the 2021 season. I’m not entirely sure that the teams have their hearts into the next-generation car. From what I am seeing with the NG cars, NASCAR’s top rung is going to be nearly a complete reset when the 2022 season begins next year. Everything concerning the old car is going to be thrown away or sold, nothing carries over from the old car and nobody is talking about this. Geez, one might think that this would be sorta important as the 2021 regular season winds down, but once again, nuthin’ but crickets.

And if you’re doing really well with the old car such as a pair of certain top-performing-in-2020 drivers, freaking out about getting all-new cars to work is an actual thing, especially if you’re not Hendrick Racing or Penske or Gibbs (although I think that Penske might be the early spoiler in 2022).

To that end, I’m not seeing much of any excitement about the new cars, either. I’m having trouble remembering the last time they were mentioned during a race broadcast, and there are even a few possible rumblings out there concerning whether or not the NG cars are crash testing all that well.

In addition to all that, to be a bit honest with you, has anyone actually seen the new cars recently? They’re kinda ugly-looking (the Mustang is the best out of the three, but that’s not saying much). It’s as if the stork has just dropped off Bugs Bunny with his new gorilla family, and the gorilla dad hasn’t decided if he wants to keep the Next Generation car or crush it with a tree, And, we’re supposed to be excited about this car?

Hendrick Motorsports Media Advance: Indianapolis

By
Official Release
-

Indianapolis Motor Speedway
Sunday, Aug. 15, 2021
2.43-Mile Road Course
1:00 PM ET
Location: Speedway, Indiana
TV: Fox
Event: NASCAR Cup Series (24 of 36)
Radio: SiriusXM, PRN

5 KYLE LARSON
Age: 29 (July 31, 1992)
Hometown: Elk Grove, California
Resides: Mooresville, North Carolina
Crew Chief: Cliff Daniels
Standings: 1st

No. 5 HendrickCars.com Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 1LE

FIVE FOR FIVE: On Sunday at Watkins Glen International, Kyle Larson led the final 26 laps to capture his fifth points-paying victory of the 2021 NASCAR Cup Series season. The driver of the No. 5 HendrickCars.com Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 1LE also visited victory lane at Nashville Superspeedway, Sonoma Raceway, Charlotte Motor Speedway and Las Vegas Motor Speedway this year. In June, Larson scored a $1 million payday in the non-points NASCAR All-Star Race at Texas Motor Speedway.

THREE WHEELING: Following the 26th race of the 2021 NASCAR Cup Series season, playoff points will be awarded to the top 10 drivers in the standings with 15 markers awarded to first place, 10 to second, eight to third, seven to fourth, and so on. Larson is currently tied atop the standings but holds the tiebreaker with three races remaining in the regular season.

FIVE-STAR: Through 23 of 36 Cup Series races, Larson leads the series in wins (career-best five), stage wins (12), playoff points (37), and laps led (career-best 1,468). He is tied for most second-place finishes (five), most top-five finishes (12), most top-10s (16) and most pole positions (one). Larson has also paced the field a series-high 88 times on road courses.

ROAD RACING ENTHUSIAST: In June at Sonoma Raceway, Larson won both stages and led 57 of 92 laps to capture his first Cup Series road course victory. Overall, he has 19 starts on road courses in the Cup Series with two wins, four top-five finishes, seven top-10s and four stage victories (second-most all-time).

THREE FOR THREE: Larson has scored three consecutive victories in three very different disciplines. On Monday night in a dirt sprint car, Larson won the Front Row Challenge at Oskaloosa Speedway in Iowa. Prior to his victory in a stock car at Watkins Glen last weekend, the 29-year-old driver won the World of Outlaws dirt late model Prairie Dirt Classic at Fairbury Speedway in Illinois on July 31.

SLIDE JOB: The 60th Knoxville Nationals is scheduled for Aug. 11-14 at the famed Knoxville Raceway in Iowa. In five Knoxville Nationals A-Main starts, Larson has scored four top-six finishes, including a second-place finish in 2017. Although last year’s event was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Elk Grove, California, native won the Capitani Classic held at the famed half-mile dirt oval. HendrickCars.com will appear on the No. 57 entry and on Larson’s uniform, gloves and helmet.

QUICK TIME: At 13.69 seconds, the No. 5 pit crew owns the quickest average time for four-tire pit stops in 2021. The over-the-wall crew is comprised of gasman Brandon Harder, jackman Brandon Johnson, tire carrier R.J. Barnette and tire changers Donnie Tasser (front) and Calvin Teague (rear).

YOUR CAR NEEDS: This weekend, Larson will drive the No. 5 HendrickCars.com Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 1LE. From the convenience of home, customers can select the category, make, model and vehicle packages that are important to them from the nearly 30,000 new, high-quality pre-owned and certified cars, trucks and SUVs available at HendrickCars.com. The website also makes it easy for customers to find one of Hendrick Automotive Group’s 93 dealership locations nationwide.

WE’RE HIRING: Hendrick Automotive Group is hiring more than 300 technicians at its dealerships throughout the country. Positions are open for all skill levels and offer tuition and training reimbursement. Interested people can apply at HendrickCars.com.

9 CHASE ELLIOTT
Age: 25 (Nov. 28, 1995)
Hometown: Dawsonville, Georgia
Resides: Dawsonville, Georgia
Crew Chief: Alan Gustafson
Standings: 6th

No. 9 Hooters Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 1LE

NEW TRACK WRANGLER: The NASCAR Cup Series season will take on the Indianapolis Motor Speedway road course for the first time this weekend and Chase Elliott, driver of the No. 9 Hooters Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 1LE, is no stranger to bringing home a win at new tracks on the circuit. The 25-year-old driver has won at the DAYTONA Road Course and Circuit of The Americas in their inaugural Cup Series debuts.

ROAD RACING RECAP: Elliott is set to make his 18th Cup Series road course start Sunday at the Indy road course. He has garnered seven road wins across five different tracks with a combined 10 top-five finishes, 12 top-10s and 326 laps led. On road courses in 2021, Elliott has led the second-most laps of all drivers (86).

RUNNING DOWN THE RECORD: Elliott’s seven road course wins are the most of all active drivers and the third-most all-time road course wins behind only Jeff Gordon (nine) and Tony Stewart (eight). The Dawsonville, Georgia, native also leads the way for the most wins on different road courses in the series (five).

TAKE NOTE: Elliott’s wins account for seven of the last 12 road course victories in the Cup Series. He holds the second-best all-time win percentage on road courses (41.18%) and remains the youngest road course winner at 22 years, 8 months, 8 days. Elliott also holds the best average finish (7.88) of active drivers and the third-best all-time average of drivers with at least five starts. Elliott has garnered the most stage wins (six) of all time at road courses, as well.

23 RACES DOWN: We are down to the final three races of the 2021 regular season. Elliott’s two wins and 13 top-10 finishes are tied for career bests for him through 23 races in a year. His five runner-up finishes, 10 top-fives and 11.6 average finishing position are all career bests for him through this period. Elliott has spent 1,846 laps inside the top five and 3,381 laps running in the top 10.

GUSTAFSON AT ROAD COURSES: Crew chief Alan Gustafson continues to lead the charge with seven wins at road courses – the most of active crew chiefs. This weekend at the Indianapolis road course, the 46-year-old crew chief will call his 40th road course race from atop the pit box. In his previous 39 starts, Gustafson has garnered 14 top-five finishes, 20 top-10s and 383 laps led.

NOT LETTING UP: The No. 9 team owns the third-best average time for four-tire pit stops at 13.8 seconds through 23 races. The Hooters pit crew is comprised of jackman T.J. Semke, gasman John Gianninoto, tire carrier Jared Erspamer and tire changers Chad Avrit and Nick O’Dell.

WELCOME BACK, HOOTERS: This weekend at Indy, Hooters will make its second 2021 appearance on the No. 9 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 1LE with the Night Owl paint scheme. A casual dining establishment with a deep history in NASCAR, the Atlanta-based company will be a three-race primary sponsor of the No. 9 team this year. Elliott also piloted the No. 9 Hooters Chevrolet in May at Darlington and will again later this season in the NASCAR Cup Series playoffs at Bristol Motor Speedway.

HOME SWEET HOME: No. 9 team engineer Tom Gray hails from Indianapolis. Gray attended Purdue University and majored in mechanical engineering technology. The Indy native was interviewed by Gustafson on “Behind the 9.” Watch the episode here.

24 WILLIAM BYRON

Age: 23 (Nov. 29, 1997)
Hometown: Charlotte, North Carolina
Resides: Charlotte, North Carolina
Crew Chief: Rudy Fugle
Standings: 3rd

No. 24 Axalta Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 1LE

BEST YEAR YET: After 23 races in the 2021 NASCAR Cup Series season, William Byron is having his best season yet at the highest level of competition in the No. 24 Axalta Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 1LE. So far, Byron has collected one win (Homestead-Miami Speedway), one pole (Road America), eight top-five finishes and 15 top-10s (tied for the fourth-most by a driver this season) all while leading 245 laps and collecting three stage wins. His eight top-five finishes and 15 top-10s are the most the 23-year-old driver has earned in a season at the Cup level.

THREE TO GO: With only three more races until the 2021 NASCAR Cup Series playoffs begin, Byron continues to be a model of consistency. The Charlotte, North Carolina, native has spent 4,076 laps running in the top 10 – the second-most in the series – and 2,194 laps in the top five – the third-most throughout the field. Byron holds the third-best average running position in the Cup Series of 8.91 and an average finishing position of 11.65, placing him in third for the driver points standings.

HISTORY MAKER: While this weekend’s event at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway road course is considered a new venue for Cup Series drivers, Byron has made history at the venue before. In 2017, Byron made his first trip to the Indianapolis Motor Speedway oval in the NASCAR Xfinity Series. While battling for a championship, Byron became the youngest driver to win a major race at the historic 2.5-mile oval at 19 years, 7 months and 23 days.

WHAT’S IN A NUMBER?: Byron would love to kiss the bricks again this weekend, and if he does, he will add to the already lengthy legacy the No. 24 has at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Dating back to 1994, Jeff Gordon won the inaugural Brickyard 400 before going on to win the crown jewel event four more times – the most by a car number at IMS. On Sunday, the Cup Series will compete on the IMS road course for the first time and Byron will have the chance to extend the history of the No. 24 if he captures the checkered flag for the first-time event like Gordon did 27 years ago.

ROAD COURSE RESULTS: Despite limited road course racing in his background, Byron has stepped up his road course skills throughout his time in the Cup Series, finishing in the top 10 in four of the last eight races. In five of the last 10 road course events, Byron has led laps, including leading the most during last year’s race at the Charlotte ROVAL. Byron has also led the fifth-most laps on road courses during the 2021 season (20). Two of Byron’s total Cup Series stage wins have come during road course races.

ROAD COURSE RUDY: While this will be the first time for most at the IMS road course, crew chief Rudy Fugle is poised to take on the 2.43-mile venue using his road course knowledge. Already in 2021, Fugle and Byron have five road course starts together. While the duo’s good road course runs aren’t shown in their finishes this season, they turned their luck around last Sunday and scored a sixth-place result at Watkins Glen International. Aside from five road course starts in the Cup Series, Fugle has seven other road course races under his belt, all coming in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series. In those seven starts, Fugle has one win (Erik Jones, 2015), three top-five finishes and five top-10s. One of those seven truck starts was also with Byron where the duo raced to a 10th-place finish at Canadian Tire Motorsports Park in 2016.

ALL ABOUT AXALTA: When the Cup Series takes on the Indy road course for the first time, Byron will climb behind the wheel of the No. 24 Axalta Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 1LE. Now in its 29th year of partnership with Hendrick Motorsports, Axalta will return as primary partner on Byron’s No. 24 for 14 races in 2021. For a better look at Byron’s No. 24 Axalta Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 1LE, click here.

48 Alex Bowman
Age: 28 (April 25, 1993)
Hometown: Tucson, Arizona
Resides: Concord, North Carolina
Crew Chief: Greg Ives
Standings: 11th

No. 48 Ally Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 1LE

TURNING LEFT AND RIGHT: In the NASCAR Cup Series, Alex Bowman has 17 starts at road courses with two top-five finishes and seven top-10s. He has finished inside the top 15 in 11 of 13 road course starts while behind the wheel for Hendrick Motorsports and has an average finish of 11.2 while driving for the organization. The No. 48 team has placed inside the top 10 in five of the last eight road course events in the series.

INDY STATS: The driver of the No. 48 Ally Chevrolet has five previous Cup Series starts at the famed Indianapolis Motor Speedway on the oval track. This weekend marks the first NCS event on the 2.43-mile road course at IMS and Bowman’s first time on the 13-turn circuit. Bowman made two starts in the NASCAR Xfinity Series on the IMS oval and has an average finish of 16.

CALLING ROAD COURSES: Crew chief Greg Ives has called 19 Cup Series races on road courses at Hendrick Motorsports. The Bark River, Michigan, native’s drivers have captured two top-five results and nine top-10s at Circuit of The Americas, the Charlotte ROVAL, Road America, the DAYTONA Road Course, Sonoma Raceway and Watkins Glen International. This weekend’s event will mark the inaugural NCS event on the IMS road course and Ives’ first time calling the shots on this circuit. On the famed Indy oval, Ives has six starts in the series with his best finish of 13th coming in 2016 with Jeff Gordon behind the wheel.

HOMETOWN TRACK: Two members of the No. 48 Ally team call Indiana home. Engineer Tim O’Brien grew up in Fort Wayne, Indiana, approximately 130 miles from the famed Indiana speedway. The 38-year-old attended Purdue University in West Lafayette, Indiana, and received his mechanical engineering degree in 2005. He has been a part of Hendrick Motorsports for six years and started racing go-karts when he was 12. Front end mechanic Ty Sipes hails from Bloomfield, Indiana, located approximately one hour and 45 minutes southwest of Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Growing up, Sipes gained experience at local racetracks working on USAC Series cars. Prior to joining Hendrick Motorsports in 2014, Sipes was a mechanic with Kasey Kahne’s World of Outlaws sprint car team.

PIT ROAD STATS: Following last weekend’s event at The Glen, the No. 48 pit crew continues to sit fifth on the chart for the fastest four-tire pit stop average in the NASCAR Cup Series with a time of 13.86 seconds. The team had the fastest single stop at Dover International Speedway (12.18 seconds) on May 16 and had the third-fastest stop at Atlanta Motor Speedway (12.25 seconds) on July 11. The No. 48 pit crew includes fueler Jacob Conley, tire carrier Allen Stallings, jackman Dustin Lineback, and tire changers Scott Brzozowski (front) and Devin DelRicco (rear).

PADDING THE RECORD: With Kyle Larson’s performance Sunday at Watkins Glen International, Hendrick Motorsports extended its NASCAR Cup Series record for all-time road-course victories to 24, which is 11 more than any other team. The organization has won on road courses with a series-high seven different drivers: Jeff Gordon (nine wins), Chase Elliott (seven), Tim Richmond (three), Larson (two), Jimmie Johnson, Ricky Rudd and Geoff Bodine. Hendrick Motorsports also has the most road course stage wins of any team with 11.

ROAD RUNNERS: In NASCAR Cup Series road races since 2018, Hendrick Motorsports has gone to victory lane in nine of 13 events, including eight of the last nine. The team has won 10 of 24 stages (the most) and led more than anyone else with 502 of 1,140 laps (44%). It has posted four 1-2 finishes during the stretch, all coming in the last eight races.

DÉJÀ VU: Sunday will mark the Cup Series’ first-ever race on the road course at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, 27 years after NASCAR’s debut at the historic venue. On Aug. 6, 1994, Hendrick Motorsports won the inaugural event on the IMS oval with driver Gordon. Dating back to that race, Hendrick Motorsports has won six of the last 13 Cup events held on new tracks, including three of the last four. In 2021, the team has gone to victory lane at two of the three new tracks on the circuit: Elliott at Circuit of The Americas and Larson at Nashville Superspeedway.

INDY TRENDY: Although Hendrick Motorsports has never raced on the venue’s road course, it has posted a record 10 NASCAR Cup Series wins competing on the storied Indianapolis Motor Speedway oval – twice the total of any other team. The organization holds the track records for Cup Series top-five finishes (27), top-10s (42) and laps led (1,030). Its five Cup pole positions on the Indy oval are tied for the most.

NINE ON THE LINE: Over the last 11 NASCAR Cup Series points races, Hendrick Motorsports has won eight times (most), scored six-runner-up results (most), finished 1-2 on five occasions (most), won 10 of 26 stages (most), and led 1,335 of 2,221 laps raced (60%). With 44 total entries across the most recent 11 events, the team has scored 21 top-five finishes (most) and 29 top-10s (most).

23 AND WE: After 23 of 36 points-paying races in 2021, the four-car Hendrick Motorsports stable has won 11 times, which is its most ever at this time of the year. Its 16 stage wins are the most in history by any organization going into the 24th points race. Hendrick Motorsports has its most top-five finishes (36) and posted its fourth-most laps led (2,083) at the 23-event mark. The team’s 56 top-10s in 2021 represent the second-most by anyone ever at this point in a season.

QUOTABLE /

Kyle Larson, driver of the No. 5 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 1LE, on racing at Indianapolis Motor Speedway and on road course layout: “There is just a different vibe at Indianapolis – the history, the fans, the facility. I think it’ll be cool to run the road course layout this weekend and we all want to say we won the inaugural event. With my racing (in Iowa) this week, I’ll be watching a lot of tape of other series on the road course layout to familiarize myself with it ahead of practice on Saturday.”

Cliff Daniels, crew chief of the No. 5 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 1LE, on pit strategy at Indianapolis road course: “We do think about the regular-season point standings and want to win it, but that hasn’t played into how we’ve called a race. All year long, we’ve been aggressive trying to get stage points and trying to maximize our day across the board. Everyone thought our strategy (of racing for stage wins and not pitting just prior to end of stages) at Sonoma (Raceway) was bananas, but it worked out. We’ll learn a lot during practice on Saturday, and that should help us refine the gameplan we have worked on this week.”

Chase Elliott, driver of the No. 9 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 1LE, on the configuration of Indianapolis Motor Speedway road course: “You know, that road course, to me, is not going to be your average infield road course. That place was the host of an F-1 event, many INDYCAR events over the years, and obviously Xfinity last year. It was laid out probably more like a traditional road course – a place that was kind of made for it and has a little more flow to it than some of the infield tracks that we see, like the ROVAL. A lot of these tracks have infield tracks. We just might not go to them. But I think it’ll be more like a normal road course, more so than the ROVAL. One thing about those types of tracks is they don’t have any elevation really. And that, to me, is kind of what makes them different. Charlotte has a little more elevation and up and down than you might think, but watching that race last year, the thing that stood out to me the most was it is super flat. There is really no up and down to it. So, I think that could be a little different than the norm.”

Elliott on moving from the oval to road course: “The oval has always been a place that I wanted to do well at; unfortunately, I just never have. I was old enough for Dad’s win at the Brickyard that I was a part of those photos. I always thought it would be really cool to have a win there, just win that race and have my family there. I am not sure what the road course will bring. It’s definitely going to bring a different feel for me because it is hard to view it as the same event as what Dad won. I am still excited about it and looking forward to it. I have never run there or run anything on the course. The big thing this weekend will be practice on Saturday. Until you get to a place and you can see it, feel it, and kind of find your rhythm with it, it’s hard to tell especially with a new road course.”

William Byron, driver of the No. 24 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 1LE, on preparing and racing the Indy road course for the first time: “I think it’s going to be really interesting. I honestly would compare it to the ROVAL just based on the laps I have run already on the Chevy simulator. I feel like a lot of the corners are low speed but there are also very high-speed braking zones to manage, as well, like the ROVAL. There’s a lot of tight radius corners, too, but I feel like that’s going to make for good racing. Continuing to prep for this weekend, I’m going to re-watch the Xfinity Series race from there last year and then Saturday’s race, as well. Their cars are pretty similar to us, especially on the road courses with their horsepower and downforce package. They’re a little bit slower than our cars but the characteristics are the same.”

Alex Bowman, driver of the No. 48 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 1LE, on running the road course at Indianapolis: “Going to Indy, there is a lot of history; most of that comes on the oval. It’s cool to get the opportunity to run the road course. It will be a new challenge for us. I think having two road course events back-to-back will help me be more prepared for the second race. We have been racing ovals for quite a while. It would be really cool to be the next Hendrick Motorsports driver to win at Indianapolis Motor Speedway and the first to win on the road course.”

Greg Ives, crew chief of the No. 48 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 1LE, on preparation for the Indy road course: “We have a good game plan in place for the Indy Chevrolet based on video and whatever you can to gain knowledge since we haven’t been there before. The foundation that you build is from the feedback from the driver and the things that hurt us in Watkins Glen that you can adjust and apply for Indy. You may adjust your game plan as far as what you are going to practice and try, but all in all, you are always learning and can always apply what to do and what not to do.”

Roush Fenway Weekly Advance | Indy Road Course

By
Official Release
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Roush Fenway Weekly Advance | Indy Road Course

The NASCAR Cup Series heads to Indianapolis for its sixth of seven road course events this season, the first time ever for the NCS to visit the 14-turn road course. Jack Roush has 15 road course wins all-time, including five in the Cup Series as the team heads into another new track on the schedule.

Verizon 200 at the Brickyard
Sunday, August 15 at 1 p.m. ET
NBC, SiriusXM Channel 90
· Ryan Newman, No. 6 Oscar Mayer Hot Dogs Ford Mustang
· Chris Buescher, No. 17 Castrol Ford Mustang

Watkins Glen Recap, Indy RC Preview

· Newman finished 25th a week ago at Watkins Glen, while Buescher drove to a 17th-place finish in the Socios Ford.

· Oscar Mayer returns to the No. 6 with a new-look hot dog scheme.

· Castrol makes its first-ever appearance on the No. 17 at Indy, the first of two-straight primary events for the official oil partner of Roush Fenway.

All New Indy This Weekend

While the iconic Indianapolis Motor Speedway has hosted many memorable events over the years, this weekend marks the first of its kind in Cup Series history, with the Cup stars hitting the road course for the first time ever. The Xfinity Series tried their hand at the 14-turn course last season, with both series – along with IndyCar – set to battle it out on the 2.439-mile track this weekend.

Overall Roush has 228 Cup starts on road courses with five wins, 38 top fives and 77 top-10s, leading 577 laps with an average 17.7 finish. In total, the organization has 360+ starts on road courses with 15 wins, 69 top fives, 134 top-10s, 11 poles and nearly 900 laps led.

Last Practice and Qualifying Event Until Finale

With the shortened weekend schedules in 2021, the opportunity to get on track prior to the green flag dropping has been very limited, but that changes this weekend with a practice session set for 11:05 a.m. on Saturday, followed by qualifying first thing Sunday morning at 9:05 a.m., ahead of the race at 1 p.m. It marks the final event to feature both practice and qualifying until the season finale at Phoenix in November.

Chasing History

Indianapolis is one of just the few NCS tracks that Roush Fenway has not visited Victory Lane at, and the only on the circuit that isn’t hosting a race for the first time in 2021. Despite not earning a victory, Roush Fenway has finished in the second position on four separate occasions (1998, 2003, 2006 and 2008) with drivers Mark Martin, Matt Kenseth and Carl Edwards.

Ragan’s Row

Former Roush Fenway driver David Ragan earned the organization’s first pole position at the famed 2.5-mile speedway in the 2011 running of this event. Overall, Roush Fenway has had one of its Fords on the front row at the hallowed speedway four times.

Tale of the Tape

Roush Fenway has made 99 starts in the NCS at Indianapolis dating back to 1994. In that span, RFR has 16 top-five and 31 top-10 finishes, with an average finish of 18.6. Jack Roush’s Fords have completed 14842 of the 15903 (93.3 percent) of the laps at the famed 2.5-mile track.

Xfinity Wins in Indiana

Roush Fenway has earned victories in the Xfinity Series in the state of Indiana before, recording two victories at the then named Indianapolis Raceway Park with Greg Biffle in 2002 and Edwards in 2009. Biffle’s victory was his fourth and final win of the 2002 NASCAR Xfinity Series season that helped propel the Roush Fenway driver to the Xfinity Series championship.

Jason Myers reaches goal with sweep of limited sportsman division twinbill; Joins his father as a winner at South Boston Speedway

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Official Release
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Jason Myers, with his father Billy Myers (right) proudly watching, celebrates in Victory Lane after winning the first race of the twin 25-lap Limited Sportsman Division races on August 7 at South Boston Speedway. Myers went on to score a sweep of the twin races and collect the first two wins of his racing career. Photo Courtesy Joe Chandler/South Boston Speedway

By Joe Chandler
Director, Public Relations
South Boston Speedway

South Boston, Va. (Aug. 11, 2021) – When Jason Myers started his racing career in the Limited Sportsman Division ranks four years ago he had one primary goal – win a race.

The Hurt, Virginia resident accomplished that goal, and more, at South Boston Speedway on August 7 when he won the pair of 25-lap Limited Sportsman Division races and became the first Limited Sportsman Division driver to score a sweep of a twinbill this season at “America’s Hometown Track.”

“I could have never dreamed this,” Myers remarked after scoring the sweep. “Four years ago, when I started racing, I wanted to get one win in my career. To get two in one night, it’s special.”

In sweeping the South Boston Speedway twinbill Myers joined his father, Billy Myers, as a race winner at South Boston Speedway. Billy Myers won numerous Limited Sportsman Division races at South Boston Speedway and won the South Boston Speedway Limited Sportsman Division title three times, the first time in 1997, and later scoring back-to-back championships in 2000 and 2001.

As he grew up Jason Myers watched his father race and win races. Myers has had his father working beside him on his racing team throughout his racing career. He said he was happy to finally deliver a win to his father and his racing team.

“I’m super proud of my team,” the double race-winner said, “and super glad I got this win for them. I’m super proud of everyone. I’m so thankful for the people around me and the equipment that I have.”

Winning the pair of 25-lap Limited Sportsman Division races is a huge bright spot in Jason Myers’ racing career and in his 2021 season. Myers has had a fast car all season, but tough luck and unexpected misfortunes have virtually taken him out of contention to win the division title.

“We’d been really good all season, but we just had a lot of bad luck,” Myers pointed out.

“It’s been horrible. We keep throwing money at it (the car) and hope that it sticks. All year we’ve been very competitive and just haven’t had a lot of results to show for it.”

Myers was winless entering the August 7 twinbill, had two poles, and had managed only two Top-Five finishes in nine starts. He had not scored a Top-Five finish since May 15 and was virtually out of contention for the division championship. It was a tough situation to swallow after having entered the 2021 season on an optimistic note with the hope of scoring a win and being in the thick of the battle for the division championship.

“We always come into the season with big expectations,” Myers said.

“You have to. With another season dwindling away where we hadn’t had a win you start to put doubt in your mind. You’re like ‘can I really win?’ Everything just came together tonight.”

Myers will be looking to add to his win total when NASCAR racing returns to South Boston Speedway on Saturday night, August 21 with the Italian Delight Family Restaurant Night at the Races presented by Southside Disposal racing program.

The six-race program will be headlined by twin 75-lap races for the NASCAR Advance Auto Parts Weekly Series Late Model Stock Car Division competitors. A 50-lap race is set for the Limited Sportsman Division. Twin 15-lap races are slated for the Budweiser Pure Stock Division and a 15-lap race is set for the Budweiser Hornets Division.

Registration and pit gates will open at 2 p.m. Practice will begin at 3:45 p.m. and grandstand gates will open at 5:30 p.m. Qualifying begins at 6 p.m. and the first race of the night will get the green flag at 7 p.m.

Advance adult general admission tickets for the August 21 event are priced at $10 each and may be purchased online on South Boston Speedway’s website, www.southbostonspeedway.com, through Friday night, August 20. Adult general admission tickets online and at the gate on race day are priced at $15 each. Kids ages 12 and under will be admitted free when accompanied by a paying adult.

Fans and competitors are urged to visit the South Boston Speedway website and the speedway’s social media channels for the latest news and updates about the speedway and events at “America’s Hometown Track.”

NASCAR Legend Gordon To Serve as BC39 Honorary Starter, Turn Laps Aug. 18

By
Official Release
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INDIANAPOLIS (Wednesday, Aug. 11, 2021) – NASCAR Hall of Fame driver and five-time Brickyard 400 winner Jeff Gordon will serve as honorary starter for night one of the Driven2SaveLives BC39 Powered by NOS Energy Drink on Wednesday, Aug. 18 at The Dirt Track at IMS.

As a part of his duties, Gordon will wave the green flag for the Stoops Pursuit race at 8 p.m. (ET) Wednesday on the quarter-mile dirt track located inside Turn 3 of the famed Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

Additionally, before Gordon climbs into the flag stand, he will turn exhibition laps in a Clauson Marshall Racing United States Auto Club Midget car in front of the crowd, something he hasn’t done in nearly 30 years.

“Like so many others, racing on dirt played a huge role in my driving career, so it was very special to get the opportunity to make some laps recently at The Dirt Track at IMS,” Gordon said. “I had forgotten how much fun it was to slide a dirt midget around a quarter-mile dirt track. With the BC39 coming up, it creates a great opportunity to come back and do it again.

“I’m very thankful to everyone at IMS for making this possible, and I’m excited to be the honorary starter for night one. I’m also thankful to my longtime friend Tim Clauson and Clauson Marshall Racing for providing me a great car to drive. It’s going to be a fun night!”

Gordon will drive a white Clauson Marshall Racing USAC Midget car. It will feature Gordon’s name on the front of the car and logos from Driven2SaveLives, the namesake of the race, and the Jeff Gordon Children’s Foundation, the four-time NASCAR Cup Series champion’s pediatric cancer foundation benefitting families and kids with cancer.

“Jeff’s success on short tracks across the Midwest propelled him to a national stage, and with that he truly helped develop and bring popularity to grassroots racing across the country,” IMS President J. Douglas Boles said. “I can’t wait for him to return to his roots here at IMS for all of us to appreciate what he’s done for our local short tracks and for our fans to see one of their favorite adopted Hoosiers back in a USAC Midget car.”

The appearance of Gordon, the 1989 USAC National Midget Series Rookie of the Year, 1990 USAC National Midget Series champion and 1991 USAC Silver Crown Series champion, will be just one part of a spectacular lineup of activities scheduled for night one of the two-night grassroots racing event.

“When Jeff said he wanted to run laps on a race-prepped IMS Dirt Track, my immediate thought was to get him here to do it for the BC39,” Clauson Marshall Racing co-owner Tim Clauson said. “Although it’s only exhibition laps in nature, I am really excited to get to share with the fans the enjoyment of watching Jeff back on the dirt.”

USAC champions and NASCAR and INDYCAR stars will hit the dirt Wednesday for hot lap sessions and heat races the same night Gordon serves in his honorary starter duties. After Gordon lights up the crowd, a selection of drivers from the Driven2SaveLives BC39 Powered by NOS Energy Drink field will take part in the Stoops Pursuit race.

On Thursday, Aug. 19, the field will run hot lap sessions before qualifying races set the lineups for the five main races that will dwindle the field down into the Driven2SaveLives BC39 Powered by NOS Energy Drink feature race. Tickets are still available for the USAC National Midget event at IMS.com.

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