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Carter Langley among a talented group of young Late Model drivers making an impact at South Boston Speedway

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Official Release
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Carter Langley buckles his seat belts as he prepares for the start of a recent NASCAR Advance Auto Parts Weekly Series Late Model Stock Car Division event at South Boston Speedway. Photo Courtesy Joe Chandler/South Boston Speedway

By Joe Chandler
Director, Public Relations
South Boston Speedway

South Boston, Va. *(Aug. 3, 2021) – Racing fans at South Boston Speedway have watched a group young, talented NASCAR Advance Auto Parts Weekly Series Late Model Stock Car Division drivers make an impact at the .4-mile oval this season. Jacob Borst, Camden Gullie, Landon Pembelton and Carter Langley are all in the Top-10 in the track point standings.

Langley, 16, scored 11 wins in Limited Late Model competition before moving up to the Late Model Stock Car ranks. Among the four young drivers, Langley has the least amount of experience racing at South Boston Speedway. Despite having raced at “America’s Hometown Track” only once prior to this season, that coming in a Late Model race in 2018, he is in the thick of the chase for a top-five finish in the track point standings.

The Zebulon, North Carolina resident occupies seventh place in the point standings. However, he is only five points out of sixth place and 31 points out of fifth place entering the twin 50-lap NASCAR Advance Auto Parts Weekly Series Late Model Stock Car Division races headlining Saturday night’s Davenport Energy Night event at South Boston Speedway.

Langley has posted three Top-Five finishes and six Top-10 finishes in 11 starts, with a pair of fourth-place finishes being his best finishes this season. That is a solid effort for the young driver who was on the fence about racing at South Boston Speedway at the start of the season.

“I was really on the iffy side because I came here in 2018 and raced one race and it was hard on me,” Langley explained. “I really wasn’t in shape for it. I came to South Boston Speedway at the beginning of this year, and it was tough on me to begin with because a lot of tracks don’t have as much grip as this track does. It got even worse throughout the summer.

“I’ve been doing more conditioning,” continued Langley. “I’ve figured out now that racing isn’t just getting in the car and working on it at the shop and working on it at the racetrack. It’s about your mental and physical health too.”

Langley admits it took some time to adapt to racing at South Boston Speedway after having raced at several tracks including Southern National, Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, Dillon, South Carolina, Caraway Speedway, Ace Speedway and Carteret County Speedway, all of which are low-grip tracks.

“South Boston Speedway has the most grip of any track I have ever been to,” Langley pointed out. “It definitely wears you out more than other tracks, but it’s a lot more fun to drive than the rest of the tracks. South Boston Speedway doesn’t look too difficult, but it’s more difficult than people think it is. If you come here and race and are successful, I believe you can go anywhere and race and be successful.”
Langley says he feels good about what he has accomplished at South Boston Speedway thus far this season.

“I feel like this is a good year for us,” he remarked. “The best-of-the-best racers come to South Boston Speedway, and that’s what we wanted. We came here to South Boston at the start of the season with a knife to a gunfight. We really didn’t have enough motor and not enough car until the past two races. We recently got a new car, and I think it’s going to be really good.

“We really weren’t expecting much (at the start of the season),” he continued, “but now that we have this new car, I have better expectations for the rest of the season. The feel like the best part of the season is coming.”

When asked what he sees in his immediate future Langley says he envisions racing Late Model Stock Cars for the next couple of years.

“Maybe in the future, if I get good enough to do it, I would really like to have a Late Model race team and rent out rides,” Langley said. “I’ve still got a long way to go before I can do that. I really like Late Models and I really like working on these cars too. I’ve always liked short tracks. I feel like I could stay here (in Late Models) for the rest of my life if I wanted to.”

Saturday night’s Davenport Energy Night event at South Boston Speedway will feature the NASCAR Advance Auto Parts Weekly Series Late Model Stock Car Division competitors in twin 50-lap races. The six-race card also includes twin 25-lap races for the Limited Sportsman Division teams, a 30-lap race for the Budweiser Pure Stock Division and a 15-lap race 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 Saturday night’s Davenport Energy Night event are priced at $10 each and may be purchased online on South Boston Speedway’s website, www.southbostonspeedway.com, through Friday night, August 6. 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.

Tickets purchased for the rained-out July 17 event will be honored at any one of South Boston Speedway’s three remaining regular-season events – August 7, August 21 and September 4.
Individuals that purchased tickets online for the rained-out July 17 event have already received vouchers in their online ticket account for the amount of paid tickets they had.
Persons that purchased tickets over the phone or in person can stop by the speedway office Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. until 5 p.m. to exchange those tickets or exchange them at the next event.

Updates and the latest news about South Boston Speedway’s racing events can be found on the South Boston Speedway website and through the speedway’s social media channels.

DXDT Racing Ready to Make Trio of Mercedes Sing on Nashville Streets

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Official Release
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STATESVILLE, N.C., (August 3, 2021) – The streets of Nashville will be singing this weekend as the GT America championship brings sports car racing to the Capital of country music. The Inaugural Music City Grand Prix will be a packed weekend of non-stop racing, as both sports cars and open-wheel cars descend on the city streets. DXDT Racing will enter three Mercedes AMG GT3 cars in the GT America doubleheader, one of four series racing in the event.

After an almost two-month break since rounds five and six at VIRginia International Raceway, the drivers of DXDT will be eager to get back on track behind the wheels of the Mercedes AMG machinery. Full-season GT America entrants CJ Moses and George Kurtz will be joined by teammate, GT World Challenge America driver David Askew in his series debut. For Askew, he’ll go from a two-driver, 90-minute race to being the sole pilot for the pair of the 40-minute races.

As a brand-new street circuit, the temporary downtown course will offer a level playing field of sorts to competitors, as no one has yet to compete on the 2.17-mile, 14-turn route. The track will be unlike any other street course in recent SRO America years, starting on the Korean War Veterans Memorial Bridge and racing a loop around the Nissan Stadium parking before heading back to the bridge to race across the Cumberland River. With the course set with large concrete barriers on either side, street courses leave little room for error. Offering no runoff, the slightest mistake can lead to steep consequences. With two races in one weekend, competitors will need to take great care of their machinery to be able to perform well in both races.

In addition to GT America, the Nashville event will host racing from the NTT IndyCar Series, TransAm, and Stadium Super Trucks. On-track activities begin on Friday, August 6, with racing taking place both on Saturday and Sunday, August 7 and 8. Race one will begin at 7:25 PM CT on Saturday, followed by race two on the proceeding afternoon at 2:45 PM CT. Both races will air live on YouTube.com/GTWorld. Visit musiccitygp.com for all event information.

DRIVER QUOTES

David Askew | Fanatec GT World Challenge America powered by AWS
No. 63 CrowdStrike/ DXDT Racing Mercedes-AMG GT3
I’m looking forward to the challenge of racing in the GT America race in Nashville. The championship looks very competitive, as my two teammates George and CJ know all too well. Having two races on a street circuit multiplies that challenge even more. This is something I’ve always wanted to try. Street racing puts a premium on finding the limit of the car, the track, and the driver, and the key is having those all work together in an arena where you can’t make mistakes. I’m personally excited about the opportunity.

George Kurtz | GT America
No. 04 CrowdStrike/AWS/DXDT Mercedes-AMG GT3
It is always exciting to race on a street circuit. That adds to the level of excitement we’re all feeling ahead of this new event in Nashville. On the track, I’m sure it will be a completely different focus with a premium on driving smart and not making mistakes. We have seen that this is a very competitive championship so everyone – driver, crew, and engineers – will have to execute to the best of our abilities in a new environment.

CJ Moses | GT America
No. 58 CrowdStrike/AWS/DXDT Mercedes-AMG GT3
Street-circuit racing is one of the most exciting aspects of motorsports. I’ve certainly enjoyed the street races I’ve done. The thing I like about it is that everything has to be as close to perfect as possible. There is no margin for error, and I think we are going into Nashville with good momentum from our weekend in Virginia. The circuit should be fantastic and the weekend will be one of the most dynamic of the year. I can’t wait.

SCHEDULE: All Times U.S. Central
Friday, August 6
12:40 PM – 1:10 PM Test Session
1:15 PM – 1:45 PM America Practice 1
6:15 PM – 6:45 PM America Practice 2

Saturday, August 7
2:50 PM – 3:10 PM Qualifying
4:00 PM – 4:30 PM Driver Autograph Session
7:25 PM – 8:05 PM Race 1

Sunday, August 9
2:45 PM – 3:25 PM Race 2

All qualifying and race sessions will stream live on YouTube.com/GTWorld.

ABOUT DXDT RACING
DXDT Racing LLC is a high-performance sports car racing team founded by team principal David Askew in 2014 and located in Salt Lake City, Utah. The Team’s primary focus is on GT3 and GT4 racing in North America. The team has fielded cars in various racing series such as SRO’s World Challenge GT America Powered by AWS, IMSA’s Michelin Pilot Challenge, and Lamborghini’s Super Trofeo series. Although the team is young, DXDT is comprised of a group of highly experienced professionals with championship winning backgrounds.

ABOUT CROWDSTRIKE®
CrowdStrike® Inc. (Nasdaq: CRWD), a global cybersecurity leader, is redefining security for the cloud era with an endpoint protection platform built from the ground up to stop breaches. The CrowdStrike Falcon® platform’s single lightweight-agent architecture leverages cloud-scale artificial intelligence (AI) and offers real-time protection and visibility across the enterprise, preventing attacks on endpoints on or off the network. Powered by the proprietary CrowdStrike Threat Graph®, CrowdStrike Falcon correlates over 2.5 trillion endpoint-related events per week in real time from across the globe, fueling one of the world’s most advanced data platforms for security. For more information, visit crowdstrikeracing.com

Taylor and Albuquerque Hope to Grab an Elusive Win at Road America in the No. 10 Konica Minolta Acura ARX-05

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Official Release
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Brownsburg, Ind. (August 3, 2021) – The No. 10 Konica Minolta Acura ARX-05 team arrives at Road America as the current 2021 IMSA WeatherTech Championship points leaders in what has become one of the most competitive seasons in recent memory. While the team has not won at Road America in their 15-year history, they will be looking to both hold onto their Championship lead as well as their first victory at the track.

Co-drivers Ricky Taylor and Filipe Albuquerque will pilot the blue and black No. 10 Konica Minolta DPi machine around the 4.0 mile, 14-turn permanent road course. The No. 10 Konica Minolta team’s history includes four podium finishes, two pole positions and 133 laps led.

Ricky Taylor’s last pursuit at Road America concluded in his sole victory at the track while driving the Acura ARX-05. His success at the track includes three podium finishes and two pole positions.

“So far this season we’ve had some strong runs controlling the points situation,” said Ricky Taylor, coming off two recent poles at the back-to-back races at Watkins Glen. “When we get to Road America that’s somewhere where the Acura really excels. Last year Wayne Taylor Racing finished second and the Acura won, so I think the combination of the two should bode well for us. Road America is always a tough race for managing traffic, but when you’ve got pace it makes everything a little easier. Hopefully we keep building on the momentum of this season. We want to win races and hopefully we can win at Road America.”

This will be Filipe Albuquerque’s third time racing at Elkhart Lake. The Portuguese driver will look to best his top finish of sixth place at the track.

“Road America is a track that everyone really likes,” said Filipe Albuquerque. “It’s a track that suits our car again. We are seeing that strategy is playing a big role with a mix of luck this year too as the competition is so close. We’ve only have had one race where we haven’t been to the podium this season and that shows our performance and execution from the entire team.”

“Now that we have a narrow lead in the championship, we just have to take it race by race,” said team owner Wayne Taylor. “Everyone is just so competitive that it is difficult, so we have to keep our nose clean. Road America is one of our favorite tracks because it’s very much like a European track, but it’s the one race that we have never won at. Ricky and Filipe have both raced there which is great and everyone is upbeat about it. We’re going to have a lot of guests at the track with Konica Minolta and Harrison Contracting, plus we are running the Lamborghini Super Trofeo program. It’s going to be a good weekend. We’ve been off for too long, so I’m looking forward to getting back to racing.”

Practice for the IMSA SportsCar Weekend at Road America will begin this Friday at 6:10 p.m. ET. Qualifying for two hour and 40-minute sprint race will begin at 4:05 p.m. ET on Saturday. Green flag for the IMSA SportsCar Weekend race will wave at 2:40 p.m. ET on Sunday with live broadcast coverage beginning at 2:35 p.m. ET on IMSA.TV and TrackPass on IMSA Sports Gold.

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.

Bridget Continues to Learn and Gain Experience at Colorado

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Official Release
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TOOELE, UT, August 2, 2021 – Bridget Burgess and BMI Racing headed east with the HMH Construction Chevrolet to Colorado National Speedway for round 4 of the ARCA Menards West.

Throughout the day, there was a weather watch with officials warning the teams there may be a change of schedule due to potential rain. Just as Bridget was getting into the car to start practice/qualifying the clouds opened and the rain started to fall. While there was hope that it would ease, unfortunately, it did not, and practice was cancelled with the race being moved up to a 7 pm start time.

The lineup was determined by owners’ points with Bridget starting 10th in the HMH Construction Chevrolet for the NAPA Auto Parts Colorado 150. A stacked field of 18 cars accelerated past the grandstand as the green flag dropped.

Due to the lack of practice ARCA had a planned competition caution at lap 25 to allow the teams to make any changes needed. Bridget chose to stay out commenting over the radio “the car feels good, no changes needed”.

Bridget continued working her lines for the rest of the race, working hard to hold her position at some points, as well as making gains and moving up to 7th during the race. The last 10 laps were a battle and Bridget did her best to hold on to the position but unfortunately couldn’t and finished the race in 9th, her 2nd top 10 of the year in the HMH Construction Chevrolet.

While Bridget was disappointed with her performance over the last 10 laps of the race, she felt it was a good learning experience, knowing what the weaknesses are that she needs to work on.

A replay of Saturday’s NAPA Auto Parts Colorado 150 will broadcast on NBCSN on Wednesday, Aug. 11, starting at 3 p.m. ET.

Bridget’s next race will be the ARCA Menards West will return to action on Aug. 21 with a 150-lap race at California’s Irwindale Speedway.

Bridget is powered by these great companies:
HMH Construction, GEARWRENCH, Rugged Radios, Cometic Gasket, Circle Track Warehouse, Ferrea Racing Components, FK Rod Ends, Fragola Performance Systems, GC Cooling Fan, GT Radial, Hawk Performance, Impact Race Products, K&N Filters, Kellerstrass, Konig, Lucas Oil, Miller Electric, ProAm, PSC Motorsports, Streamline Customer Designs, Sunoco Race Fuel, Tilton, XS Power

Facebook page: BridgetBurgess8 | Instagram: BridgetBurgess8 | Twitter: 8BridgetBurgess

Corey Heim – No. 51 JBL Tundra Camping World Trucks Watkins Glen Preview

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Official Release
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Corey Heim: Driver, No. 51 JBL® Toyota

NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Overview:
Event: United Rentals 176, Race 15 of 22, 72 Laps – 20/25/27; 176.4 Miles
Location: Watkins Glen (N.Y.) International Raceway (2.45-mile, seven-turn road course)
Date/Broadcast: Aug. 7, 2021 at 12:30 p.m. ET on FS1, MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR 90

The Story on Corey:
Corey Heim will make the second start of his NASCAR Camping World Truck Series career behind the wheel of the No. 51 JBL Tundra in Saturday’s Camping World Truck Series event at Watkins Glen. Heim was originally slated for a two-race deal with KBM in 2021 but will now make three starts with the addition of Watkins Glen to his schedule. The Toyota Racing Development product will also drive the No. 51 Tundra Oct. 30 at Martinsville (Va.) Speedway.

Heim made his NASCAR Camping World Truck Series debut at Darlington (S.C.) Raceway May 7. Despite not getting any practice or qualifying time, The Georgia native was impressive behind the wheel of his Toyota. After starting 13th, he finished the opening stage eighth and by the end of the second stage had moved into the runner-up position behind his KBM teammate John Hunter Nemechek. With just under 30 laps remaining, he restarted on the front row next to Nemechek, but as the field exited the restart zone another competitor tapped the bumper of the JBL Tundra sending Heim into Nemechek and a 17-truck pileup ensued. With major damage all around his Toyota, the over-the-wall crew threw feverishly attempted repairs but ended up with a 23rd-place finish when the six-minute clock expired under NASCAR’s damaged vehicle policy.

The 19-year-old driver will be pulling double duty this weekend, as he will pilot the No. 20 Camry for Venturini Motorsports in Friday’s 41-lap ARCA Menards Series event. Entering Friday’s event, Heim has raced just once on a road course, he started on the pole, led three laps, and finished seventh at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course in Lexington, Ohio in June.

Heim currently ranks second in the ARCA Menards Series standings, seven points behind Ty Gibbs with 12 races completed. He opened the season with a victory at Daytona (Fla.) International Speedway in February and also has victories at Talladega (Ala.) Superspeedway, Pocono Raceway in Long Pond, Pa., and Elko (Minnesota) Speedway. He leads the ARCA Menards Series this year with an average finish of 2.5 and 12 top-10 finishes, while he is tied with Gibbs with 11 top-five finishes.

In addition to his four ARCA Menards series wins this season, the Toyota Racing Development driver earned his first victory in the series finale last October at Kansas Speedway in Kansas City. Across 28 career ARCA Menards Series starts, the talented teenager has recorded five wins, 397 laps led, 21 top-five and 27 top-10 finishes, resulting in an average finish of 4.3.

Heim has also found his way to victory lane in the Late Model Ranks the last few seasons. Most recently, the Georgia driver brought home a victory March 27 in the Super Late Model Georgia Spring Nationals at Crip Motorsports Park in Cordele, Ga. It was his second Super Late Model win at his home state track, where he also won CRA SpeedFest at the 3/8-mile track in 2020. On the CARS Tour, Heim has one Super Late Model win at South Boston (Va.) Speedway in 2018 and one Late Model Stock victory at Hickory (N.C.) Motor Speedway in 2020.

Entering the final race of the regular season, the No. 51 sits fourth in the Camping World Trucks owner standings. Owner-driver Kyle Busch has collected victories at Atlanta Motor Speedway in Hampton, Ga., and Kansas Speedway in Kansas City, while Martin Truex Jr. got his first-ever Truck Series victory at the Bristol (Tenn.) Motor Speedway Dirt Track.

Mardy Lindley has guided the No. 51 team to three victories across seven races is in his first season as a crew chief at KBM. Before arriving at KBM, Lindley guided his drivers to 32 wins and four ARCA Menards Series East championships since 2013, including back-to-back titles with Sam Mayer the last two seasons. Additionally, he earned the ARCA Menards Series Sioux Chief Showdown championship with Mayer in 2020. Behind the wheel, the second-generation driver won 11 races on the Pro Cup Series from 2000 to 2006 and was crowned the series champion in 2001. Across two road course starts as a crew chief in the Truck Series, Parker Chase produced a best result of 12th at the Daytona Road Course earlier this season. In his line ARCA Series event atop the pit box, he finished third with Sam Mayer in the 2020 event at the Daytona Road Course.

Corey Heim, Driver Q&A:

Corey Heim | Watkins Glen Preview
You’ve raced on a road course in ARCA just one time. How do you feel about road course racing?
“I’m really excited because regardless of where we go with KBM I know Mardy and all the guys on the 51 team are going to bring a really good JBL Tundra for me. Like you mentioned, I made one start at Mid-Ohio in ARCA a couple months ago and it went well for the most part. We didn’t get the finish that we wanted but we had a lot of speed, and I learned a lot. Without that it might have been a little bit of a struggle, but I that experience will help me do well this weekend.”

How beneficial will it be getting to run the ARCA Menards Series race on Friday before getting in the truck on Saturday?
“I think it is going to benefit me a lot actually. Me coming into a road course race with no practice in the Truck Series is going to be tough, but I think the ARCA race is going to help me a bunch. Having an entire race under my belt, plus the combined practice and qualifying session as well. I think I’ll have all the experience and all the seat time I’ll need prior to the truck race and I’m excited to get going.”

How do you think racing at Watkins Glen will compare to what experienced Mid-Ohio?
“I don’t know. As far as the sim I’ve done so far, I think Mid-Ohio is a little bit more technical and Watkins Glen is a little more of a high-speed type of race track. Through the bus stop, the carousel and all the way down the backstretch as well, it’s all really high speed, but not quite as technical. It will all come down to me adapting to the race track and getting my braking points right. Of course, just being fast and trying to go win the race.”

Corey Heim Career Highlights:

  • Across 28 career ARCA Menards Series starts has five wins, 397 laps led, 21 top-five and 27 top-10 finishes resulting in an average finish of 4.3.
  • Picked up his first career ARCA Menards Series victory at Kansas Speedway Oct. 16, 2020.
  • Brought home a victory March 27, 2020, in the Super Late Model Georgia Spring Nationals at Crip Motorsports Park in Cordele, Ga. It was his second Super Late Model win at his home state track, where he also won CRA SpeedFest at the 3/8-mile track in 2020.
  • On the CARS Tour, has collected one Super Late Model win at South Boston (Va.) Speedway in 2018 and one Late Model Stock victory at Hickory (N.C.) Motor Speedway in 2020
  • Captured the 2017 Atlanta Motor Speedway Thursday Thunder Pro Series championship and the 2016 Atlanta Motor Speedway Young Lions Legends Car championship
  • Corey Heim’s No. 51 JBL Tundra:
  • KBM-X134: The No. 51 team will unload X134 for Saturday’s race at Watkins Glen. Parke Chase piloted this Tundra in two road course events for the 51 this year, with a best result of 18th at the Daytona (Fla.) International Speedway Road Course in February. Erik Jones won with the Tundra at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park in 2015. Prior to being converted to a road course truck for the 2014 season, KBM-X134 was victorious at Martinsville (Va.) Speedway in October of 2012 with Denny Hamlin.
  • KBM Notes of Interest:
  • KBM drivers have earned one win, 85 laps led, nine top-five and 11 top-10 finishes, with an average finish of 12.4 across 29 starts on road courses. Erik Jones collected KBM’s lone road-course victory in 2015 at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park.
  • KBM holds the Camping World Truck Series records for most career wins (88) and most wins in a single season (14 in 2014). With his victory at the Bristol Motor Speedway Dirt Track, Truex Jr. became the 16th different driver to win a Truck Series event for KBM. In addition to collecting a series-record seven Owner’s Championships, the organization has produced two championship-winning drivers: Erik Jones (2015) and Christopher Bell (2017).
  • With 37 victories, the No. 51 is the winningest number in KBM’s Truck Series fleet.

SNICKERS Racing: Kyle Busch Watkins Glen Advance

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Official Release
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KYLE BUSCH
Welcome Back

HUNTERSVILLE, North Carolina (Aug. 3, 2021) – As the NASCAR Cup Series heads to Watkins Glen (N.Y.) for Sunday’s Go Bowling at the Glen, there’s more than one reason to welcome back NASCAR’s top series to Upstate New York.

The series will return to action Sunday after a two-week summer hiatus while its television partner, the NBC family of networks, has been immersed in coverage of the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. The historic road course at Watkins Glen will also host NASCAR for the first time in two years as last year’s scheduled race there was not held because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Sunday’s race on the 2.45-mile, seven-turn road course will be the fifth of seven road-course events on the schedule this season.

For Kyle Busch, driver of the No. 18 SNICKERS Toyota Camry for Joe Gibbs Racing (JGR), Watkins Glen is one of his favorite road courses on the schedule, as he has brought home two victories, six top-five finishes, and 12 top-10s in 15 starts there.

After Busch’s inaugural Cup Series victory at The Glen in 2008, he nearly won for the second time in his 2011 and 2012 visits there before breaking through again in 2013. A third career victory Sunday in New York’s scenic Finger Lakes Region would continue to solidify Busch and the SNICKERS team as a contender each time the series comes to town.

As far as overall road-course proficiency, Busch is tied with David Pearson and Mark Martin with four Cup Series road-course wins apiece. That’s some pretty good company, already. But with a fifth road-course win, he could tie Darrell Waltrip, Tim Richmond and Dan Gurney on the road-course win list. The top three in all-time road-course wins in the Cup Series includes Chase Elliott and Jeff Gordon with seven apiece, while Tony Stewart is the all-time leader with nine wins.

So as Busch heads to Upstate New York for some road racing this weekend in his SNICKERS Camry, he would like nothing more than to welcome Watkins Glen back to the schedule with a third win there, which would be a timely victory with only four regular-season races remaining before the 2021 NASCAR Cup Series playoffs begin on Labor Day weekend.

KYLE BUSCH, Driver of the No. 18 SNICKERS Toyota Camry for Joe Gibbs Racing:

You’ve had some success at Watkins Glen. What makes it challenging and different than some other road courses you race at?

“I like going to Watkins Glen. It’s a road course, but it’s kind of a high-speed road course. The difference in the two road courses, you think of Sonoma as like a Martinsville-type road course and you would think of Watkins Glen like a 2-mile oval, like a California- or Michigan-type road course. Watkins Glen has some speed and has some wide-open spaces a little bit, but there is still a lot of great racing that happens there since you are able to out-brake people getting into the corners, or having a better run through the Bus Stop, or maybe getting by someone in the Carousel. It’s a fun place to race. I really like Watkins Glen and I hope we can have another solid run there with our SNICKERS Camry.”

What are your expectations for Watkins Glen this weekend?

“Watkins Glen has obviously been a really good place for me over the years and a place I really enjoy. We’ve just got to keep coming to the track and executing like we have. There are a lot of factors in strategy that affect a road-course race and hope we can execute like we have been and get another win. Certainly, the extra bonus points any time we can get them could be a big deal in the playoffs.”

What is the most fun part of a lap at Watkins Glen?

“To me, going through turn one and up through the esses is pretty cool and a lot of fun. It’s challenging, yet a lot of fun. As you come down the front straightaway, it’s a downhill braking zone, so you feel like you don’t have to brake as soon as you need to, but you need to in order to get slowed down for turn one. You try to stay out and get a good, hard cut to the right for turn one and accelerate out of there as quickly as you can to get set up for the esses. (You) stay wide on the left and then turn into the right-hander in (turn) two – smooth. You’re getting out of the gas but not using too much brake, just rolling off in there. As the car gets in there and loads, it actually takes a really big set because that’s when you start going back uphill. So the car will load up and that’s when you get back in the gas really wide open. And then you have to turn back to the left and be able to roll back out of it just enough to make the car bend. And then you’re back wide open again to the right-side guardrail and just keeping it tight through the right-hander that we call turn five.”

What is the most challenging part of a lap at Watkins Glen?

“I’d say the most challenging thing is the culmination of the Inner Loop and the Carousel. All of that together is a lot harder to figure out how to make speed through there than just going through there traditionally. That’s an area of the racetrack a lot of guys really try to abuse. They’ll get off on the right side, get off on the left side and throw dirt up on the racetrack and then it just makes for a real mess.”

What does it take to be successful at Watkins Glen?

“At Watkins Glen, the biggest thing is pit strategy. Obviously, you’ve got to pick and choose when you’re going to pit and stick to your plan. Whether or not we can still do it on two stops, I’m unsure of. You definitely have to be good at being able to carry speed there, obviously, through the esses and down the long backstretch. That seems to be the key part of the racetrack.”

Event Overview:

● Event: Go Bowling at The Glen
● Time/Date: 3 p.m. EDT on Sunday, Aug. 8
● Location: Watkins Glen (N.Y.) International
● Layout: 2.45-mile, seven-turn road course
● Laps/Miles: 90 laps, 220.5 miles
● Format: Stage 1: 20 laps / Stage 2: 20 laps / Final Stage: 50 laps
● TV/Radio: NBCSN / MRN / SiriusXM NASCAR Radio

Meet the No. 18 SNICKERS / Joe Gibbs Racing Team

Primary Team Members:

Driver: Kyle Busch
Hometown: Las Vegas

Crew Chief: Ben Beshore
Hometown: York, Pennsylvania

Car Chief: Nate Bellows
Hometown: Fairfax, Vermont

Spotter: Tony Hirschman
Hometown: Northampton, Pennsylvania

Race Engineer: Jaik Halpainy
Hometown: Blockville, New York

Over-The-Wall Crew Members:

Gas Man: Matt Tyrrell
Hometown: Fort Lauderdale, Florida

Front Tire Changer: Blake Houston
Hometown: Enochville, North Carolina

Jackman: T.J. Ford
Hometown: Charlotte, North Carolina

Tire Carrier: Joe Crossen
Hometown: Salisbury, North Carolina

Rear Tire Changer: Jeff Cordero
Hometown: Salem, Connecticut

Road Crew Members:

Race Engineer: Seth Chavka
Hometown: Soldotna, Alaska

Truck Driver: Chris Miko
Hometown: Bronx, New York

Truck Driver: Tom McCrimmon
Hometown: Spicer, Minnesota

Mechanic/Tire Specialist: Justin Peiffer
Hometown: Lebanon, Pennsylvania

Mechanic: Scott Eldridge
Hometown: Warsaw, Indiana

Notes of Interest:

● Playoff Points: Busch has now racked up 14 important playoff points he can carry over through each round. Busch also currently sits fourth in the point standings with 10 top-five finishes and 14 top-10s with just four regular-season races remaining before the playoffs begin.

● Road-Course Ringer: Busch scored his fourth career Cup Series road-course win in June 2015 at Sonoma (Calif.) Raceway, and he heads to Watkins Glen with 13 top-five finishes and 22-top-10s in 38 combined starts at Sonoma, Watkins Glen (N.Y.) International, the Daytona (Fla.) International Speedway road course, Road America in Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin, and the Charlotte (N.C.) Motor Speedway Roval.

● Alone in Ninth: Busch’s win at Pocono (Pa.) Raceway in June was the 59th in the career of the two-time Cup Series champion, moving him past Kevin Harvick into sole possession of ninth on the all-time win list. Next up on the list is Dale Earnhardt, the seven-time Cup Series champion and NASCAR Hall of Famer who won 76 races during his storied career.

● 222 and Counting: Busch will be aiming to add to his record 222 overall wins among NASCAR’s top three series this weekend at Watkins Glen. In addition to his 59 Cup Series wins, Busch has 102 in the Xfinity Series and 61 in the Camping World Truck Series.

EVENT PREVIEW: Wright Motorsports to Tackle Multiple Race Venues in One Weekend

By
Official Release
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BATAVIA, Ohio. (August 3, 2021) – The 2021 motorsport season has presented Wright Motorsports with one packed race event after another, and this weekend is no exception. Starting this Thursday, Wright Motorsports will be supporting six Porsche entries at two different events, spanning over 600 miles. In Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin, the IMSA-sanctioned series of the WeatherTech SportsCar Championship, Michelin Pilot Challenge, and Porsche Carrera Cup North America will race at the famed fan-favorite permanent road course, Road America. Meanwhile, GT America, sanctioned by SRO America, will be competing in the inaugural Music City Grand Prix on the temporary course on the downtown streets of Nashville, Tennessee.

“The expansion we’ve seen at Wright Motorsports this year has really shown the strength of our program and the quality of the individuals we have to make it happen,” said Team Owner John Wright. “We’ve taken great care to get everyone in place and ready for our multi-city race weekend, and we’re ready to get racing.”

IMSA WEATHERTECH SPORTSCAR CHAMPIONSHIP | ROAD AMERICA
The drivers and crew of the Wright WeatherTech effort are no doubt eager to get back to racing after the previous round at Lime Rock Park was cut short due to prolonged lightning in the area. With the race red-flagged mid-event, teams had no opportunity to put their professional drivers in and let their strategy play out as intended. Weather won’t seem to be a factor this weekend, with Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin offering perfect summer days with temperatures ranging from high-50s in the morning to mid-80s in the afternoons.

Fourteen other entries are listed in the GTD class to compete against the No. 16 1st Phorm Porsche 911 GT3 R of Patrick Long and Trend Hindman, making it the largest class of the event. While the team leads the Michelin Endurance Cup points, the endurance championship within the full-season championship, Wright Motorsports currently stands fifth in the overall standings, just three points away from the next position ahead. Four races remain in the 2021 championship, the next three of which being sprint events. Sunday’s race, the IMSA SportsCar Weekend, will run for two hours and forty minutes, beginning on August 8 at 1:40 PM CT, airing live domestically on NBC Sports Gold’s TRACKPASS, and tape-delayed on NBCSN starting at 8:00 PM ET.

This will also mark the first event that autograph sessions have been on the schedule since the COVID-19 pandemic began in spring 2020. Long and Hindman will be signing outside the Wright Motorsports transporter in the WeatherTech paddock from 10:45 AM to 11:15 AM CT on race day.

DRIVER QUOTES

Patrick Long
No. 16 Wright Motorsports Porsche 911 GT3 R
Road America’s long straights and flowing corners make it one of my favorite tracks to visit in the world. The racing is always fierce when we stop off here, so we will be hard at work to quickly dial our setup and hone-in our long-run pace. I am excited to get after it.

Trent Hindman
No. 16 Wright Motorsports Porsche 911 GT3 R
Dwelling on past rounds is generally not the way to move forward, especially in the midst of a championship hunt, but I think this Wright Motorsports/1st Phorm team is motivated for redemption – I know I certainly am. I’m excited to get right back to work with Pat and the team at a racetrack that seemingly suits the 911 GT3 R quite well. The strength and resolve this organization has shown all year long is pretty remarkable, the desired results will come as long as we keep doing what we are doing.

MICHELIN PILOT CHALLENGE | ROAD AMERICA
After a third-place finish last month at Lime Rock Park, the No. 16 Wright Motorsports Porsche 718 Cayman GT4 Clubsport, driven by Ryan Hardwick and Jan Heylen, jumped from fifth to second in the championship point standings. The team will be riding that momentum into Road America for the Road America 120, a two-hour sprint race on Friday, August 7. The team has shown strong pace and strategy all year long, finishing in the top five for every race entered this season.

The Road America 120 will begin on Sunday, August 7 at 4:35 PM CT, airing live on NBC Sports Gold’s TRACKPASS streaming service.

DRIVER QUOTES

Ryan Hardwick
No. 16 Porsche 718 Cayman GT4 Clubsport
I am excited to be heading into Road America tied for the Michelin Pilot Challenge championship lead. This might be one of the toughest tracks for our Porsche Cayman GT4, but our Wright Motorsports team is up for the challenge. We are going to keep doing what we have been doing, and that is focusing on consistent race finishes.

Jan Heylen
No. 16 Porsche 718 Cayman GT4 Clubsport
For the first time this year, we’ll be going into the weekend leading the championship, and that’s always a good place to be in, and something we’ve worked really hard on the last few weeks. We just need to continue doing what we’re doing and be consistent. Now more than ever, it’s important that we keep that championship in mind and that we make all the right moves and decisions to keep us upfront. Hopefully, we come out of this weekend extending our lead in the championship. Road America is a super fun track, and it presents a lot of good overtaking opportunities. For us, like any other time this year, we’re going to need a little help with the weather. It gets harder for us when it’s too hot. Hopefully, we’ll have cool mornings and not too hot afternoons. The car has been good all year. The team has been super consistent, and Ryan is doing a really good job. We’ll keep doing what we’re doing and come away with a lot of points. A win would be nice. In all the series and classes we compete in, we’ve been consistent. A win is missing here.

PORSCHE CARRERA CUP NORTH AMERICA PRESENTED BY THE CAYMAN ISLANDS | ROAD AMERICA
Coming off a successful weekend at Watkins Glen in June, the trio of Wright Motorsport Porsche 911 GT3 Cup race cars also have strong momentum heading into Road America for their next double header. Max Root not only picked up his first pole position of the year, but he and John Goetz together earned the team three podium finishes in two races. Hutton McKenna has also shown a strong consistency in the first half of the season and will look to continue to improve his progression as the team enters the remaining races of the year.

Both races will air live on imsa.tv and porschecarreracup.us, on Saturday, August 7 at 11:35 AM CT and Sunday, August 8 at 9:45 AM CT, respectively.

DRIVER QUOTES

John Goetz
No. 57 Porsche GT3 Cup
I’m looking forward to a fun race at a wonderful track! Our Wright team is on point and ready to roll. The Porsche [type] 992 Cup car keeps feeling better and better.

Max Root
Moorespeed-Wright Motorsports No. 7 Porsche GT3 Cup
I’m very excited to get back to the Porsche Carrera Cup North America with Moorespeed and Wright in the No. 7 car. We have some great momentum coming form the last event at Watkins Glen. We’re going to take all the energy and trail it right into Road America. It’s a beautiful track; four miles of American excellence. I’m looking forward to maximizing the car and enjoying the weekend with the boys.

GT AMERICA | NASHVILLE
Charlie Luck will be taking on new challenges in GT America this weekend, as the series heads to the inaugural Music City Grand Prix on the streets of Nashville. The series, in its inaugural season, will join the likes of IndyCar, Stadium Super Trucks, and TransAm for the exciting new addition to the race calendar. Not only will the weekend present Luck and the other competitors with the task of learning a new course layout, but the temporary street course will provide little forgiveness to any car that suffers a mistake or misfortune. With two races in two days, the field will have to take special care of the machinery to make the most out of the doubleheader event in downtown Nashville.

Race one will take place Saturday evening, August 7 at 7:25 PM CT, followed by race two on Sunday, August 8 at 2:45 PM, and both races will air live on youtube.com/GTworld.

DRIVER QUOTE

Charlie Luck
Porsche 911 GT3 R
I’m very excited to get back to the Porsche Carrera Cup North America with Moorespeed and Wright in the No. 7 car. We have some great momentum coming from the last event at Watkins Glen. We’re going to take all the energy and trail it right into Road America. It’s a beautiful track; four miles of American excellence. I’m looking forward to maximizing the car and enjoying the weekend with the boys.

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1st Phorm
1st Phorm is a sports nutrition company based in St. Louis, MO. In 2009, CEO Andy Frisella and his business partner Chris Klein started the brand, and since then, it has become the fastest growing supplement company in the world. 1st Phorm has set the standards in the industry for quality and helping people reach their goals. This new racing partnership is not their first time in the exotic car scene either. 1st Phorm has been the title sponsor for the Gold Rush Rally for six years running. With over a million followers across social media, 1st Phorm has amassed a huge cult-like following known as, “The Legion of Boom.” They stand for a movement in the fitness world. To turn it back to what it was meant to be. Helping others improve their lives, to be a good human… and to drop the excuses and do the work. 1st Phorm is a winning brand and they don’t expect anything less when it comes to their race team. For additional info: www.1stphorm.com

Mountain Motorsports
Mountain Motorsports is a group of motorcycle and powersports dealerships with multiple locations in the southeastern United States. The company was founded by lifelong friends Ryan Hardwick and Justin Price when they opened their first location as a single-line Honda dealership in Sevierville, Tennessee in 1999. The company has since grown into one of the largest retailers of motorcycle and powersports vehicles in the nation, spanning nine dealership locations representing eleven of the industry’s most well-known brands. For additional info: www.mountainmotorsports.com

Una Vida Tequila
Una Vida translates to One Life. That is how this brand started. By people who want to live their “One Life” to the absolute fullest and to their highest potential. A group of guys from the Midwest who love great quality tequila, and want their One Life to have meaning and impact others.

One Life, One Tequila is our CORE BELIEF. We’re building the only tequila brand you will ever need to drink. Una Vida is bigger than just tequila we’re also building a culture of people who want to live their life to their utmost potential.

Our story begins and continues to grow bottle by bottle. It’s a life mission for us to create a community of people who all raise a glass knowing they’re living their ONE LIFE! For more information, visit unavidatequila.com

Wright Motorsports
Wright Motorsports is the premier Porsche race engineering facility in Ohio and a multi-series, international racing team known for superb car preparation, expert race strategy and driver development. Located in Batavia, Ohio, it is owned and directed by John Wright, a certified Porsche factory-trained technician. As a crew chief John Wright has played a key role in winning eight driver and seven team championships in World Challenge, IMSA (ALMS) and the Grand-Am Rolex Series. Wright Motorsports won the team championship in Porsche GT3 Cup USA in 2012, 2013 and 2015, and went on to win the Pirelli World Challenge Overall, Sprint, Team and Manufacturer’s titles in 2017. The 2020 season will see the team return to IMSA Weathertech SportsCar Championship. For more information, visit wrightmotorsports.com

Meyer Shank Racing Ready for Big Double Race Weekend in Nashville and Road America

By
Official Release
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#06: Helio Castroneves, Meyer Shank Racing Honda

Pataskala, Ohio (3 August 2021) – After a busy summer break from racing action, Meyer Shank Racing (MSR) is back in a big way with both of its INDYCAR and IMSA programs this weekend.

MSR has the inaugural Big Machine Music City Grand Prix which will see the largest non-Indianapolis 500 grid since 2013 with an expected 28 cars set take on the streets of Nashville (August 8th, 5:30pm ET, NBCSN). Simultaneously, MSR’s IMSA program will compete on the 4.048-mile Road America circuit for the IMSA SportsCar Weekend (August 8th, 2:40pm ET, TRACKPASS).

Helio Castroneves Makes INDYCAR Return to Complete MSR’s Two-Car Lineup in Nashville

Driver Lineup:
Helio Castroneves – No. 06 Transcard Honda
Jack Harvey – No. 60 AutoNation / SiriusXM Honda

Tune in:
Sunday August 8th, 5:30pm ET on NBCSN
SiriusXM Ch. 205

After collecting his fourth Indianapolis 500 victory in May and recently signing with MSR to compete in the full 2022 INDYCAR season, Helio Castroneves will make his second INDYCAR start of the season on the streets of Nashville on Sunday.

Castroneves will be sporting a new livery for the Big Machine Music City Grand Prix as his No. 06 Indy Car will be sponsored by Chattanooga-based company Transcard. The world leader in payment technology solutions will make its INDYCAR debut with Castroneves as he takes on the Music City Grand Prix.

Castroneves will be joined by MSR regular Jack Harvey as he continues his full-season campaign in the No. 60 AutoNation / SiriusXM Honda. With the team headed to the music capital, Harvey’s Indy Car will also display SiriusXM ‘The Highway’ (SiriusXM Ch. 56) signage along the side pod to promote the country music station’s presence during the race weekend.

The Highway will be recording live at the Music City Grand Prix on Friday, August 6th from 3:00-7:00pm CT at Margaritaville and will be open for fans to listen onsite.

Both Castroneves and Harvey will also be guests on SiriusXM’s live taping of Brick-by-Brick on Thursday from 7:00-8:00pm CT at Margaritaville.

Although it will be the first time that INDYCAR takes on the streets of Nashville, it will be a return to Music City for Castroneves who last raced at Nashville Superspeedway in 2008. Castroneves has seven race starts and three podium finishes on the Nashville Superspeedway oval.

Driver Quotes:

Helio Castroneves:
“I’m so excited to be back racing with MSR this weekend in Nashville. We obviously had an incredible start together with the Indy 500 win, but now we need to turn our focus to the next five races that we are doing together. I spent some time in Nashville last month and got to see the area, and boy I can tell you that I am so excited to drive this track. It’s been quite some time since I drove on a street course, but they are some of my favorites. It’s time to get back to work and hopefully we can have another successful weekend.”

Jack Harvey:
“I’m really looking forward to racing in Nashville this weekend. I’ve never been, so I’m super excited to check out the city as well. This track looks like it’s going to be pretty interesting, so I’m definitely looking forward to getting out there for the first practice on Friday. I really love street course racing, and with it being a new track for everyone, it should be interesting to see how the field plays out.”

Dane Cameron and Olivier Pla Ready to Take on Road America for IMSA SportsCar Weekend

Driver Lineup:
Dane Cameron & Olivier Pla – No. 60 Acura ARX-05 DPi

Tune in:
Sunday August 8th, 2:40pm ET TRACKPASS
Sunday August 8th, 8:00pm ET NBCSN (delayed coverage)
SiriusXM Ch. 202

Both Dane Cameron and Olivier Pla are aiming to turn their IMSA season around starting with the IMSA SportsCar Weekend at Road America on Sunday. The No. 60 Acura has shown pace the last few IMSA outings and qualified on the front row in both Watkins Glen races, but unfortunately was unable to translate that pace into a top result.

Cameron brings with him a second-place finish (2019) at Road America onboard the Acura DPi and is hoping to turn that knowledge into a first victory for MSR this weekend. Pla’s last outing at Road America saw the Frenchman driving a LMP2 which started on the front row and finished seventh.

Driver Quotes:

Olivier Pla:
“Road America is one of those special places where we are all look forward to racing at. The track is one of the best in North America. We’ve had a tough season so far, but we made some progress at Watkins Glen and we’re all hoping to continue that going into Road America this weekend.”

Dane Cameron:
“I can’t wait to get to Road America. I’ve had a lot of great success there over the years and I love the track and the area. Watkins Glen felt like a missed opportunity for us, so I’m hoping for some redemption this week.”

CORVETTE RACING AT ROAD AMERICA: Building Momentum

By
Official Release
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· Program looking for fifth victory of 2021 IMSA season
· Team’s last race before return to 24 Hours of Le Mans
· Road America served as important venue for C8.R and Le Mans development

DETROIT (Aug. 3, 2021) – Corvette Racing is back at its spiritual home this weekend as it enters the second half of the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship. Historic and picturesque Road America is set to play host to Corvette Racing for the 20th time with the program searching for its ninth victory at the 4.048-mile, 14-turn road course.

Both of the team’s mid-engine Chevrolet Corvette C8.Rs will be in action for the two-hour, 40-minute race. Antonio Garcia and Jordan Taylor return as defending GT Le Mans (GTLM) race-winners in the No. 3 Mobil 1/SiriusXM Corvette C8.R. They are on a three-race winning streak and won last year’s GTLM Drivers Championship.

The first-year pairing of Tommy Milner and Nick Tandy reeled off consecutive runner-up finishes at Watkins Glen and Lime Rock Park, and they scored a victory in a non-points race at Detroit to start Corvette Racing’s summer swing.

Continuing that team momentum is as important as ever. Directly after Road America, Corvette Racing departs for France and its return to the 24 Hours of Le Mans. As is tradition, the team in May used Road America – with its long straights and sections of fast, flowing corners – to test and develop the Corvette C8.R’s low-downforce setup and aerodynamic package.

Road America also was the site of the first on-track test for the C8.R in 2018, another example of how Chevrolet continues to use the track to improve the Corvette brand… a practice that dates back more than 60 years.

Chevrolet on Display at Road America
Chevrolet’s ties with Road America will be evident all over the circuit, including the famed Corvette Bridge at Turn Six and the immersive Chevrolet Motorsports Display that will be open to fans throughout the weekend. Located at the top of the Midway near the Victory Podium, the Chevrolet Motorsports Display will be full of Chevrolet vehicles that spectators can learn more about during a busy event.

The Chevrolet Motorsports Display opens at 9 a.m. Friday plus 8:30 a.m. Saturday and Sunday. Numerous Chevrolet vehicles and other highlights include:

• A Corvette Racing C8.R showcar
• A 2022 Corvette Stingray IMSA GTLM Championship Edition coupe
• Additional Chevrolet products such as the Camaro Coupe 2SS, Blazer RS, Silverado Trail Boss, and Tahoe RST
• A special display with various Corvette Racing artifacts
• An opportunity to receive a Corvette T-shirt

In addition, the Chevrolet Stingray coupe will serve as Official Pace Vehicle for the Road America event’s premier races, including the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship and Michelin Pilot Challenge.

Corvette Racing will contest the IMSA SportsCar Weekend on Aug. 6-8 from Road America in Elkhart Lake, Wis. Same-day coverage on NBCSN starts at 8 p.m. ET with live streaming coverage on TrackPass and NBC Sports Gold at 2:35 p.m. ET. Live audio coverage from IMSA Radio will be available on IMSA.com.

ANTONIO GARCIA, NO. 3 MOBIL 1/SiriusXM CHEVROLET CORVETTE C8.R: “It’s good to have three weekends in a row ahead of Le Mans. Road America is good preparation for us to practice and compete, especially one week ahead of the Test Day. It will bring everyone up to speed and to be at 100 percent. It will be challenging for the team – being on one side of the world in a very competitive race and then fly halfway across the world to the most challenging race will do. Road America is the closest you can get to the speeds will run at Le Mans. That will be very helpful.”

JORDAN TAYLOR, NO. 3 MOBIL 1/SiriusXM CHEVROLET CORVETTE C8.R: “Last year was an unexpected win. We weren’t in a great position but the way the race played out and the strategy calls we made were big. Antonio basically had to survive the last couple of laps in the rain to bring it home for the win. It was a huge day for the team with a 1-2 finish and for the 3 car in the championship. Since then, we’ve had a couple of tests there so we’ve learned some things to be more competitive when we do go back. Having that win last year really gave us some confidence.”

TOMMY MILNER, NO. 4 MOBIL 1/SiriusXM CHEVROLET CORVETTE C8.R: “Road America will be a more important race than usual. It’s a place we typically go to for testing at Le Mans. We won’t run the cars there this week in the same test spec, but it will be our last real-world test of all our processes ahead of the Test Day and Le Mans itself. I imagine it will be a little bit more ramped up all weekend as we focus on that race, but also having an eye toward going to France a few days later. There are some challenges with that with the team having already sent some equipment and spares over. I don’t see that being a problem, but I’m sure there could be some heartburn for some of the guys if there are issues! We approach each race as its own isolated event but we have to look at the big picture, too. This will be a big weekend for sure.”

NICK TANDY, NO. 4 MOBIL 1/SiriusXM CHEVROLET CORVETTE C8.R: “The track at Road America is fantastic, the area is fantastic and the history of the circuit is phenomenal. There is some great stuff at Road America but there also are places where it’s a straight, 90-degree corner, straight and 90-degree corner. Having said that, it is one of those places where it’s so incredibly fast with no room for error in many places. Because of that, it’s an awesome lap when you have a car on the limit even if you are on your own. Some tracks when you are on your own, it’s not much fun and needs that racing aspect. A quick lap at Road America is different and a lot of fun.”

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

  1. Antonio Garcia/Jordan Taylor – 1,852
  2. Tommy Milner/Nick Tandy – 1,661
  3. Cooper MacNeil – 1,604
  4. Augusto Farfus/Jesse Krohn/John Edwards – 1001
  5. Mathieu Jaminet – 994

Team Standings

  1. No. 3 Corvette Racing – 1,852
  2. No. 4 Corvette Racing – 1,661
  3. No. 79 WeatherTech Racing – 1,604
  4. No. 24 BMW Team RLL – 1,001
  5. No. 25 BMW Team RLL – 966

Manufacturer Standings

  1. Chevrolet – 1,875
  2. Porsche – 1,726
  3. BMW – 1,052
  4. Ferrari – 330

CORVETTE RACING AT ROAD AMERICA: By the Numbers
• 1: As in one team, one manufacturer and one model of car for 23 years: Corvette Racing, Chevrolet and the Chevrolet Corvette.
• 4: Generations of Corvette Racing entries at Road America since 2002 – Corvette C5-R (2002-2004), Corvette C6.R (2005-13), Corvette C7.R (2016-19) and Corvette C8.R (2020). Last year’s event was the first Road America race appearance for the mid-engine racing Corvette.
• 4: Number of cars Tommy Milner passed in the final 15 minutes of the 2016 Road America race. He and Oliver Gavin went on to win in class and capture the GTLM Drivers Championship.
• 8: Number of victories at Road America for Corvette Racing, the most of any entrant in IMSA.
• 8: Pole positions at Road America for Corvette Racing by four different drivers.
• 10: Number of drivers who have won races at Road America for Corvette Racing – Gavin (four); Olivier Beretta (three); Johnny O’Connell (two); and Kelly Collins, Ron Fellows, Antonio Garcia, Jan Magnussen, Milner, Andy Pilgrim and Jordan Taylor (one each).
• 11: Fastest race laps for Corvette Racing drivers at Road America. That includes one each for Milner (2019) and Garcia (2020).
• 13: Manufacturer Championships for Chevrolet and Corvette Racing since 2001.
• 20: Number of Road America events for Corvette Racing counting this year’s IMSA race.
• 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.
• 31: Number of drivers for Corvette Racing since 1999.
• 117: Victories worldwide for Corvette Racing – 109 in North America and eight at Le Mans.
• 244: Event starts by Corvette Racing since 1999.
• 11,561.14: Number of racing miles completed by Corvette Racing in its 19 previous trips to Road America. That represents 2,848 laps or more than 98 trips across Lake Michigan.
• 324,328.95: 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 Road America (wins in bold)
2002
No. 3 Corvette C5-R: Ron Fellows/Johnny O’Connell/Oliver Gavin – 2nd in GTS (Fellows pole; Gavin fastest race lap)
No. 4 Corvette C5-R: Andy Pilgrim/Kelly Collins – 1st 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 – 5th in GTS (Gavin pole, fastest race lap)

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

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 pole, Beretta fastest race lap)

2006
No. 3 Corvette C6.R: Ron Fellows/Johnny O’Connell – 1st in GT1
No. 4 Corvette C6.R: Olivier Beretta/Oliver Gavin – 2nd in GT1 (Gavin 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 – 1st in GT1
No. 4 Corvette C6.R: Olivier Beretta/Oliver Gavin – 3rd in GT1 (Gavin pole, fastest race lap)

2009
No. 3 Corvette C6.R: Jan Magnussen/Johnny O’Connell – 3rd in GT2
No. 4 Corvette C6.R: Olivier Beretta/Oliver Gavin – 6th in GT2

2010
No. 3 Corvette C6.R: Olivier Beretta/Johnny O’Connell – 4th in GT2
No. 4 Corvette C6.R: Oliver Gavin/Jan Magnussen – 3rd in GT2 (Gavin pole, fastest race lap)

2011
No. 3 Corvette C6.R: Olivier Beretta/Tommy Milner – 14th in GT
No. 4 Corvette C6.R: Oliver Gavin/Jan Magnussen – 5th in GT

2012
No. 3 Corvette C6.R: Jan Magnussen/Antonio Garcia – 6th in GT
No. 4 Corvette C6.R: Oliver Gavin/Tommy Milner – 4th in GT

2013
No. 3 Corvette C6.R: Jan Magnussen/Antonio Garcia – 2nd in GT
No. 4 Corvette C6.R: Oliver Gavin/Tommy Milner – 3rd in GT

2014
No. 3 Corvette C7.R: Jan Magnussen/Antonio Garcia – 6th in GTLM
No. 4 Corvette C7.R: Oliver Gavin/Tommy Milner – 7th in GTLM

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

2016
No. 3 Corvette C7.R: Jan Magnussen/Antonio Garcia – 6th in GTLM
No. 4 Corvette C7.R: Oliver Gavin/Tommy Milner – 1st in GTLM (5th to 1st in final 15 minutes)

2017
No. 3 Corvette C7.R: Jan Magnussen/Antonio Garcia – 4th in GTLM
No. 4 Corvette C7.R: Oliver Gavin/Tommy Milner – 5th in GTLM

2018
No. 3 Corvette C7.R: Jan Magnussen/Antonio Garcia – 3rd in GTLM (Garcia fastest race lap)
No. 4 Corvette C7.R: Oliver Gavin/Tommy Milner – 2nd in GTLM

2019
No. 3 Corvette C7.R: Jan Magnussen/Antonio Garcia – 4th in GTLM
No. 4 Corvette C7.R: Oliver Gavin/Tommy Milner – 6th in GTLM (Gavin pole, Milner fastest race lap)

2020
No. 3 Corvette C8.R: Antonio Garcia/Jordan Taylor – 1st in GTLM (Garcia fastest race lap)
No. 4 Corvette C8.R: Oliver Gavin/Tommy Milner – 2nd in GTLM
Team Chevy high-resolution racing photos are available for editorial use.

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.

KENNINGTON SCORES SECOND PLACE RESULT IN CASTROL EDGE DODGE

By
Official Release
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DJ Kennington racing the #17 Castrol Edge Dodge at Sunset Speedway. Credit: Matthew Manor

August 2, 2021. DJ Kennington and the #17 Castrol Edge Dodge team expected to have a strong start to the 2021 NASCAR Pinty’s Series during the opening round this past Sunday at Sunset Speedway in Innisfil, Ontario. Kennington scored a second-place finish in the second of two 125-lap races at the 1/3-mile oval, however a part failure cost them a better result in race one.

During preseason testing the #17 Castrol Edge Dodge was quick at Sunset Speedway and in the early stages of race one, The First Responders 125 Kennington had no difficulty keeping up with the leaders.

The race was halted for several hours after only seven laps due to rain in the area. Once the action resumed Kennington continued his strong pace. However just before the midpoint of the race he suddenly lost power to the engine.

Diving to pitlane the #17 Castrol Edge Dodge team went to work and diagnosed the problem as faulty fuel pump. A straightforward issue to resolve, but race one was ruined “It was a brand-new part, just one of those quirky things that it failed” explained Kennington.

In the nightcap event, The General Tire 125, Kennington lined up third in the #17 Castrol Edge Dodge at the start and had plenty of pace to keep up with the other frontrunners runners.

In the closing laps Kennigton was running third in the #17 Castrol Edge Dodge when the second-place car spun out moving Kennington up one spot and setting up a two-lap dash to the finish. On the restart Kennington pushed as hard as he could but raced clean on the final two laps securing a second-place result.

“I got really close to the bumper of the leader but I’m not going to deliberately spin someone out” said Kennington after the race. “Great bounce back by the Castrol Edge Dodge team to fix the issues from race one. We got good result in race two and we expect to be running up front every week” he added.

“Thank you to all our supporters, Castrol, Spark Power coming on board with us this year. And of course, to all the fans that came out and for waiting out the rain delay” added Kennington.

TV & Live Streaming
Both races will be broadcast on TSN August 8, 1:00PM ET for race one and August 15, 11:00AMET for race two. RDS2 August 13, 9:30PM ET, August 23, 7:00PM 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/

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