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Preview: The Honda Indy 200 at Mid-Ohio Presented by the HPD Ridgeline

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Official Release
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Chip Ganassi Racing has won nearly half of the INDYCAR races held at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course since 1996, which bodes well for Scott Dixon in his bid to win a record-tying seventh NTT INDYCAR SERIES championship this season. But that also bodes well for the driver he and the rest of the field are chasing for the series title.

Alex Palou, Dixon’s first-year teammate, has regained the top spot in the standings and holds a healthy 28-point lead over Arrow McLaren SP driver Pato O’Ward heading to the 10th of 16 races on the calendar. Dixon trails Palou by 53 points, a deficit that will take more than one race weekend to overcome. Only two other drivers – Team Penske drivers Josef Newgarden and Simon Pagenaud – are within 100 points of the series lead. Newgarden trails by 88, Pagenaud by 94.

All of which makes it imperative for those chasing Palou to gain ground in this weekend’s The Honda Indy 200 at Mid-Ohio Presented by the HPD Ridgeline.

Twenty-six car-and-driver combinations are rolling into the permanent road course in Lexington, Ohio, for the 38th INDYCAR race held since 1980. The weekend schedule includes all three levels of the Road to Indy, with doubleheader races for Indy Lights and Indy Pro 2000 with USF2000 staging three races.

On-track activity will effectively be non-stop through Sunday’s main event. INDYCAR’s action begins Friday at 2:30 p.m. (ET) with a 45-minute practice live on Peacock, NBC’s streaming service. A second 45-minute practice, also on Peacock, will be held at 9:05 a.m. Saturday, with three rounds of knockout qualifying for the NTT P1 Award set for Saturday at noon (live on Peacock, delayed on NBCSN until 8 p.m.).

The 80-lap INDYCAR race is Sunday at noon on NBC, with the green flag set for 12:05 p.m. The INDYCAR Radio Network will have complete coverage on its affiliates, INDYCAR.com, the INDYCAR Mobile App powered by NTT DATA and SiriusXM Channel 205.

Among the storylines to monitor:

The Second Half
Applying a legendary quote from baseball great Yogi Berra, it’s getting late early in this NTT INDYCAR SERIES season.

Of course, a different, improving phase of a pandemic is part of that, but the calendar just turned to July and yet nine races have been held. Last year, only one had by this point.

Also, at Sunday’s checkered flag the season will be almost two-thirds completed, and for those drivers with significant ground to make up on the standings leader, the season finale won’t be a double-points race as it has been in recent years. Assuming all drivers participate in the Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach on Sept. 26, those with designs on the title must be with 45 points of the lead to mathematically have a chance.

Thus, it’s time for many to get motoring. Include former series champions Dixon (No. 9 PNC Bank Grow Up Great Honda), Newgarden (No. 2 XPEL Team Penske Chevrolet), Pagenaud (No. 22 Menards Team Penske Chevrolet), Will Power (No. 12 Verizon 5G Team Penske Chevrolet), Ryan Hunter-Reay (No. 28 DHL Honda) and Sebastien Bourdais (No. 14 ROKiT/AJ Foyt Racing Chevrolet) in that group. Each is 88 points – or more – out of the lead.

A Large Field
Twenty-six cars are three more than competed in last year’s doubleheader at the 13-turn, 2.258-mile flowing road course, and the driver lineup includes returnees and newcomers.

Back in the lineup after recent injuries are Felix Rosenqvist (No. 7 Arrow McLaren SP Chevrolet) and Rinus VeeKay (No. 21 Sonax/Autogeek Chevrolet).

Rosenqvist missed the two most recent races – the back end of the Chevrolet Dual in Detroit on June 13 and the REV Group Grand Prix at Road America on June 20 – due to lingering effects from his abrupt, nose-first impact with the Turn 6 barrier in Race 1 at Belle Isle Park. VeeKay suffered a broken right clavicle in a cycling accident June 14, with surgery the next day forcing him to be held out of the Road America race. He was in Chevrolet’s simulator earlier this week and was cleared by INDYCAR’s medical staff Wednesday.

Santino Ferrucci will be back in Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing’s No. 45 Hy-Vee Honda for a fourth time this season, and he has had top-10 finishes in the first three, including finishing sixth in the 105th Indianapolis 500 presented by Gainbridge. He finished sixth and 10th in the Detroit races.

The newcomer in the Mid-Ohio field is Ryan Norman, a two-time race winner in Indy Lights who has been driving for Bryan Herta Autosport with Curb-Agajanian in IMSA’s Michelin Pilot Challenge series.

A former motocross rider, the 23-year-old Norman hails from a Cleveland suburb, which makes Mid-Ohio his home track. The circuit is also one where he has a significant amount of experience, competing in six Indy Lights races with Andretti Autosport and testing last week in the No. 52 KOINU INU/EVO Honda of Dale Coyne Racing with RWR in which he will make his NTT INDYCAR SERIES debut.

This will be INDYCAR’s largest field at Mid-Ohio since the 2011 race when there were 27 cars.

Best Driver, Best Team
As mentioned, Chip Ganassi’s Indianapolis-team has dominated INDYCAR races at Mid-Ohio, winning 11 of 23 races since Alex Zanardi won the first of his two in 1996. Other race winners for the team include Juan Pablo Montoya, Dixon, Dario Franchitti and Charlie Kimball. The team won five in a row from 2009-2013, with Kimball’s win in ’13 the fastest ever at the track (117.825 mph).

Dixon has won at Mid-Ohio a record six times, most recently in 2019. His starting position hasn’t been a factor in the races he has won — he has started as high as the pole (2011) and as far back as 22nd (2014).

For capturing a sixth INDYCAR championship in 2021, Dixon is a leading candidate for Best Driver at the ESPYs. Fan voting, which plays a significant role in determining the annual winner, continues through 8 p.m. (ET) Friday, July 9. Votes can be cast at this link. https://www.espn.com/espys/story/_/id/31633865/espys-2021-vote-best-driver

Challengers Are Plentiful
For all of the Dixon and Ganassi dominance at Mid-Ohio, it was Andretti Autosport which fared the best overall last year.

Colton Herta (No. 26 Gainbridge Honda) led the team’s podium sweep of the second race, with Alexander Rossi (No. 27 NAPA AUTO PARTS/AutoNation Honda) and Hunter-Reay rounding out the podium and a top-five Honda sweep. Rossi won the 2018 race and finished third in last year’s first race, won by Power.

Power has been the best of INDYCAR’s Mid-Ohio qualifiers, earning the NTT P1 Award a record five times, including two of the past three.

Be mindful of the hometown motivation of Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing and Meyer Shank Racing. Both teams consider this the second-most important race on the schedule after the Indianapolis 500 because both outfits either started in the Columbus area or still maintain facilities there.

The team co-owned by Bobby Rahal, David Letterman and Mike Lanigan fields 2015 Mid-Ohio winner Graham Rahal (No. 15 Fifth Third Bank Honda), Takuma Sato (No. 30 Panasonic/Mi-Jack Honda) and Ferrucci, while MSR co-owners Michael Shank and Jim Meyer have Jack Harvey (No. 60 AutoNation/SiriusXM Honda) primed for this event.

Pagenaud (2016) and Newgarden (2017) are also former winners at the track.

A Change in Race Distance
Last year’s two races at Mid-Ohio were 75 laps, lower than the standard 85 or 90 used since the resumption of INDYCAR racing in 2007.

For the first time in track history, INDYCAR will stage an 80-lap race, the goal to force teams to decide between making the strategy based on two stops or three.

“It just makes people do different things,” said Ferrucci, who finished 14th in each race last year. “You can either do fuel savings or you can run hard and fast. It definitely changes up the grid a little bit, and I’m looking forward to it. It will make the racing more entertaining.”

Zone Offroad Offers First to Market Lift Options for the 2021 Ford Bronco

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Official Release
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Zone Offroad is excited to announce first to market lift options for the much-anticipated 2021 Ford Bronco. These two newly released lift kits are the first of many upgrades from Zone Offroad to increase the stance and help the Bronco conquer trails and go beyond. One-inch leveling kits are now available for both standard and Sasquatch-equipped Broncos. Two-inch lift kits are available for pre-order, designed for the non-Sasquatch-equipped Broncos with shipment anticipated in late-July.

The new lift options will help allow clearance for larger tires while working within the factory suspension parameters to offer improved clearance without sacrificing drivability. These newly released upgrades are the first of a wider range of Zone Offroad lift kits and accessories planned for the Ford Bronco that will be designed to build on the aggressive appearance and performance of the new trucks.

2021 Ford Bronco (All Trim/Shock Packages) 1” Lift System from Zone Offroad

Building on the Bronco’s four-corner coilover design, Zone Offroad offers a 1″ leveling kit designed to level out the stance and eliminate the factory nose-low rake. The Zone Offroad kit not only improves appearance, but also allows clearance for larger aftermarket wheel/tire packages without sacrificing drivability. The leveling kit uses a two-piece design with upper and lower strut mount spacers that are easy to install and provide the desired level stance on all Bronco models. The spacers are made of high-strength American steel, laser cut for a precision fit and finished in a durable black e-coating. Paired with the longer replacement hardware and step-by-step instructions, installation of the leveling kit can be completed within a few hours.

Features and Benefits

  • Kit levels stance without affecting ride quality or driveability
  • Allows clearance for aftermarket wheel and tire packages
  • Two-piece upper/lower strut spacer design for simple bolt-on installation to achieve level stance without the need to rotate the strut top hat
  • Does not require strut disassembly
  • No cutting involved in installation                                                                                                                                     

2021 Ford Bronco Base, Big Bend, Black Diamond & Outer Banks 2” Spacer Lift System from Zone Offroad

Building off the impressive design and capability of the new 2021 Ford Bronco and its four-corner coilover design, the team at Zone Offroad are offering a 2″ spacer lift system designed for the base model (non-Sasquatch equipped) Broncos. The new 2″ spacer lift systems lift and level the truck’s stance and eliminate the factory nose-low rake and allow clearance for up to 35-inch tires.

The kit is designed to take advantage of the impressive suspension travel on the new Bronco, utilizing top-mounted strut spacers to raise the stance without sacrificing ride quality or overall drivability. The spacers are built from heavy duty semi-aromatic glass-fiber reinforced nylon resin, offering strength and a clean OE appearance once installed. Paired with the longer replacement hardware and step-by-step instructions, installation of the spacer lift system can be completed within a few hours.

Features and Benefits

  • Spacer lifts system lift and levels stance without affecting ride quality or drivability
  • Allows clearance for larger aftermarket wheel and tire packages
  • Top-mount design for bolt-on installation
  • Does not require strut disassembly
    • Strut must be slightly compressed to rotate the top hat
  • Designed to work within the operating limits of the factory upper control arm

Additional details are available at Zone Offroad.

Trans Am TA2® Grid Grows with NASCAR Entries for Road America

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Official Release
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Top NASCAR talents like Newman, Bell, Mayer and more set to field TA2® cars at Road America

Elkhart Lake, Wisc. (1 July 2021)- American Muscle will be showcased this Independence Day weekend as more than 60 Trans Am drivers bring thunder back to Road America for the NASCAR Cup Series JOCKEY Made in America 250 presented by Kwik Trip July 1-4.

The TA2® class will tie a Road America entry record of 38 cars, the most drivers entered for the event since 2015. (VIDEO: TA2 Road America Highlights from 2020)

Coming off a flag-to-flag victory last week at Mid-Ohio, Rafa Matos leads the TA2® championship by 35 points over reigning class champion Mike Skeen (147-112).

Championship contender Thomas Merrill returns to the Mike Cope lineup after missing the last round at Mid-Ohio. While he missed out on Trans Am at Mid-Ohio, Merrill arrives to the Wisconsin dells hot off a victory last weekend at Watkins Glen in the LMP2 class.

Adam Andretti extended his TA2® drive with Peterson Racing, following a third-place finish in the TA2® class.

Local driver Adam Pecore is a sleeper this weekend in the TA2® class. Pecore recently purchased his No. 94 Camaro from BC Racing (formerly the No. 20), finishing seventh just last weekend at Mid-Ohio in his TA2® debut. Pecore, who has found most of his success in vintage racing and SCCA Road Racing, dominated the June Sprints at Elkhart earlier this year, winning in the GT2 class (similar car to TA2).

While the TA2® regulars will be looking to make the most of Road America in the championship battle, there will be another set of racers with a completely different agenda this weekend with a large contingent of NASCAR drivers targeting their own success.

With a high level of competition as well as a ruleset that puts the racing in the drivers hands with no driver aids, Trans Am continues to be the choice for a growing number of drivers looking to develop their road racing skills on the way to NASCAR glory.

Just this year, NASCAR driver development entries including Sam Mayer, Ty Gibbs, Mathew Butson, Connor Mosack, Brandon Jones, Derek Kraus and Natalie Decker, as well as NASCAR Cup team owner Justin Marks, NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series driver Scott Lagasse Jr. and NASCAR Xfinity driver and coach Michael Self have also all competed in Trans Am.

Fielding the No. 8 Jageman Stamping/QPS/M1-SLR Chevrolet Camaro, Mayer rejoins the TeamSLR crew leading the championship with two class wins in the new Trans Am ProAm Challenge. The local-Wisconsin favorite will be running beside his weekend teammates: up-and-coming NASCAR talents Connor Mosak and Austin Green, son of former NASCAR driver David Green.

With years of experience in NASCAR and Trans Am, TeamSLR’s Lagasse Jr. serves as the perfect mentor for the 18-year-old Mayer.

“I am lucky to have the opportunity to race with Scott Lagasse and TeamSLR,” said Mayer. “Scott has taught me a lot about braking and the minute things that add up to make a better lap. The TA2® cars are a similar drive on road courses to the ARCA cars, and getting this extra seat time with a driver like Scott is invaluable.”
Silver Hare Racing (SHR) and Mike Cope Race Cars are also driving young talent to TA2®.

Harrison Burton and Christopher Bell will join SHR at Road America for additional seat time prior to his Xfinity Race on Sunday. While Bell has participated in combined NASCAR/Trans Am events before, this will be his first outing with SHR. Self serves as the SHR’s Team Operations Manager and was the driving force to get Bell on its roster.

Following his first NASCAR Cup win on the Daytona road course in February, Bell thanked Self for the victory for all his help and road racing coaching.

“I first got introduced to TA2 back in 2015 through Justin Haley,” said Self. “I remember getting in his car for a few laps at Sebring and thinking, ‘Man, this is just like driving a NASCAR K&N car. I can’t believe more guys aren’t utilizing this. The package in terms of the transmission, brakes, tires and components are really important to utilize properly when trying to be a good road racer,” Self continued. Since then, I’ve vouched for the TA2® cars with everyone I talk to that wants to improve their road racing for NASCAR competition purposes, and I believe the results have continued to speak for themselves. As far as I’m aware, there’s still nothing else out there that translates to a NASCAR Cup or Xfinity car, or ARCA like the TA2 car does.”

Mike Cope Race Cars has also partnered with championship-winning NASCAR teams and drivers to develop skills and in some cases, just freshen them up ahead of events. The Mike Cope stable this weekend will include Xfinity driver Riley Herbst and 20-year NASCAR Cup veteran Ryan Newman.

With the new testing ruleset for NASCAR, drivers like Daytona 500 and Brickyard 400 winner Newman are seeking alternative options to prepare ahead of events. TA2® is the closest thing to getting seat time at Road America for NASCAR drivers, so Newman jumped on the chance to familiarize himself with the iconic course ahead of his Cup race on Sunday.

Combining the prowess of a purpose-built racing platform, relevant manufacturer power plants and a rules package that focuses on excellent cost containment, the TA2® class represents an outstanding value platform in racing. With engines capable of lasting an entire season and cost control measures that allow drivers to fully focus on racing, not the financing of it, while showcasing their talents and skill.

“We firmly believe that the TA2® class is not only a tremendous value for the competitors, but it is also an outstanding platform from the competition side,” said Trans Am President John Clagett. “We’ve attracted a lot of different kinds of racers to this class, and it is a testament to the structure of the class that some of the next guard of NASCAR racers are coming here as part of their development.”

Trans Am will feature in two 100-mile, 25-lap contests at Road America: the TA2® Muscle Car Challenge on Saturday and the multi-class TA/XGT/SGT/GT race on Sunday.

The TA2® field will participate in a test and practice day on Thursday. Friday morning the TA/XGT/SGT/GT classes will hold testing and practice before TA2® qualifies at 1:00 p.m. Central.

Saturday kicks off with back-to-back qualifying sessions for TA/XGT/SGT/GT classes starting at 8:20 a.m. Central. TA2® will take the green at 4:45 p.m. Central for a 100-mile sprint.
The weekend ends on Sunday with the TA/XGT/SGT/GT race starting at 8:00 a.m. Central.

The weekend will not be live streamed but event photos, videos and updates will be available across all @gotransam social media channels.

Colorado Raceway Announces Trucks & Tunes Outlaw Weekend September 3-6, 2021

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Official Release
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Live Performances by Rodney Atkins, Dylan Scott, Adam Calhoun and Many More.

Fountain, Colo. (July 1, 2021) – Pikes Peak International Raceway presents the inaugural Trucks & Tunes – Outlaw Weekend festival Labor Day weekend. September 3-6, guests will be able to participate in, and spectate, four days full of all-make, all-model trucks, motorsports and live music performances on multiple stages. 

PPIR boasts 1,300 acres with the onsite camping options. Camping allows for easy access to the weekend’s activities including drag racing, tire burnouts, truck show, truck wrap competition, beards and beer belly contest, food, drinks, children’s area, and of course, three nights of amazing performances at the base of Pikes Peak – America’s Mountain.

Live Musical Performances By:

Rodney Atkins
Dylan Scott
Adam Calhoun
Caylee Hammack 
Justin Champagne
Nappy Roots
Brother Dege
Christopher Shayne Band

“We’re excited to add this new Outlaw Weekend to our lineup of events. This is another opportunity for guests to experience a venue with an incredible motorsports history alongside live music and entertainment. We continue to develop unforgettable, adrenaline-filled festivals that people look forward to year after year,” said PPIR COO, Joe Garone. 

Tickets go on sale next week. For more details visit TrucksTunes.com or follow #TrucksTunes on social media: Facebook | Instagram | Twitter.

Pikes Peak International Raceway is Colorado’s premier venue for cultural music and motorsports events. Located in Fountain, south of Colorado Springs, the site is open to the public year-round hosting a variety of festivals and concerts. PPIR also offers performance driving programs, training and corporate experiences. The 1,300-acre property includes a banked one-mile oval, 1.3-mile road course, ⅛-mile drag strip and multi-functional meeting spaces.

Scott Smithson Up For Challenge With Atlanta Speedwerks in IMSA Michelin Pilot Challenge At Second Watkins Glen Round

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Official Release
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Photo credit Daylon Barr Photography

Smithson Joins Ryan Eversley In No. 94 Honda Civic TCR For Friday’s Race Just Days After Eversley Won and Teammates Brian Henderson and Robert Noaker Finished Fourth

WATKINS GLEN, New York (July 1, 2021) – Atlanta Speedwerks driver Scott Smithson may have the toughest job in the paddock this week, co-driving the No. 94 Dinner With Racers/Lemons of Love Honda Civic TCR with Ryan Eversley in IMSA Michelin Pilot Challenge.

Smithson, who is driving a select schedule this season, missed last Saturday’s four-hour race while the rest of the series got experience on the 3.7-mile circuit. Eversley, who now leads the Driver’s Championship with the 94 car leading the Team Championship, won the race while paired with team owner and driver Todd Lamb for Atlanta Speedwerks’ first IMSA victory. Meanwhile, Robert Noaker and Brian Henderson were qualifying on the Motul Pole and finishing a strong fourth in the No. 84 Sabelt/Pagid Honda Civic TCR after leading the most laps.

Instead, Smithson arrived on Wednesday afternoon to a track that he’s yet to visit previously, for a car that he’s driven in just one other race to date. Though Smithson and Eversley did earn a podium at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course, he wasn’t a full weekend behind the rest of the field.

Thankfully, Atlanta Speedwerks had a plan. The team arrived at Watkins Glen nearly a month ago for four consecutive race weekends, beginning with Porsche Club of America and then an SCCA Super Tour race, followed by two consecutive IMSA races. Smithson climbed into one of the Atlanta Speedwerks’ SCCA Spec Miatas for the Chin Track Day on Thursday morning to get a feel for the track.

“The track is awesome,” Smithson said. “It flows really well, and it’s just a beautiful track. Driving the Spec Miata, I got some orientation but in talking to Ryan, you drive the TCR car a little bit different. All in all, I think we’ll be good.”

In all, Smithson was able to get about 60 minutes of track time. With just an hour of IMSA Michelin Pilot Challenge practice in advance of Thursday evening’s qualifying session and Friday’s two-hour race, the Chin Track Days – longtime friends of Atlanta Speedwerks, who carry a Chin Track Days decal on the Honda TCR cars – proved an invaluable resource, even in a car other than the Honda Civic TCR race car.

The key to the race may be Smithson’s ability to race the situation as it presents itself, rather than try to match last week’s victory. That’s especially true as the race is half the distance, and rain is a strong possibility.

“To be completely honest, it’s a little bit of added pressure because I want to bring it home for Ryan and get him another win,” Smithson said. “But I have to play it smart. It’s a brand-new track for me. Conditions might not be optimal. So I need to bring the car home and let him get it done.”

Instead, Smithson will have to do the best he can and know he played a role in last week’s victory from afar, including watching his personal backer, Qelo Capital, joining Sabelt, Pagid Brakes, Valvoline, Dinner With Racers and Lemons of Love in victory lane on the side of the Honda Civic TCR.

“It was bittersweet, because I wanted to be a part of it but it’s awesome to see that car and the Qelo brand in victory lane,” Smithson said.

Smithson and Eversley, Noaker and Henderson, and the rest of the IMSA Michelin Pilot Challenge field run the first official session of this two-day event at 3:35 p.m. EDT on Thursday afternoon before Smithson and Henderson qualify their respective cars in a 15-minute session at 7:55 p.m. EDT. Henderson will be looking for the fifth-consecutive Motul Pole in as many races during the 2021 season, while Smithson will be trying to keep Eversley and the team car atop the point standings during Friday’s two-hour race at 2:35 p.m. EDT. Friday’s race can be streamed live through TrackPass on the NBCSN app.

About Atlanta Speedwerks
Atlanta Speedwerks is a professional road racing team and prep shop, providing road racing services, car builds, roll cages, arrive and drive programs, and performance parts. Headquartered near Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta, the company runs winning arrive & drive programs in IMSA Michelin Pilot Challenge, Mazda MX-5 Cup, Porsche Club of America and SCCA Spec Miata, among others. Professional coaching and driver development round out the company’s offerings.

CHEVROLET NTT INDYCAR SERIES-MID-OHIO: RINUS VEEKAY, DRIVER OF NO. 21 SONAX/AUTOGEEK ED CARPENTER RACING ZOOM TRANSCRIPT

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Official Release
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CHEVROLET RACING IN NTT INDYCAR SERIES
HONDA INDY 200 AT MID-OHIO
MID-OHIO SPORTS CAR COURSE IN LEXINGTON, OHIO
TEAM CHEVY DRIVER CONFERENCE TRANSCRIPT
RINUS VEEKAY ZOOM TRANSCRIPT
JULY 2-4

THE MODERATOR: It’s been a rather interesting couple weeks for Ed Carpenter Racing’s Rinus VeeKay, from a top-3 starting positing at Detroit to deciding to ride to Road America on a bike, which didn’t exactly go as planned. Regardless, Rinus rejoins the NTT INDYCAR Series this weekend for the Honda Indy 200 at Mid-Ohio presented by the HPD Ridgeline, back in the No. 21 Sonex Autogeek Chevrolet as he continues his pursuit of an NTT INDYCAR Series championship, and Rinus joins us before traveling to central Ohio later today.

First off, Rinus, how are we feeling?

RINUS VEEKAY: I’m feeling good. Feeling strong. I got quite a good range of motion in my left shoulder again. No pain. I’ve been on the simulator and just felt great. No distractions from any weird feelings or pain.
Yeah, ready to race and ready to win.

THE MODERATOR: We saw on social media yesterday you already spent some time in the sim. How did it go, and how about the wear and tear on the shoulder this week, and what do you expect?
RINUS VEEKAY: Well, I’m already in the gym like every day trying to use the arm and like strengthen the muscles. I think it’s not going to be an issue. Like the movement I need to turn the wheel is a movement that’s not painful to me. Luckily that’s all right for me.
Yeah, I just feel very strong like on the simulator, we were I think four tenths faster than I was last year with the progression of the car and me driving a little bit better, I think.
I think we keep improving, just like every race this season, so I’m ready.

THE MODERATOR: I know you’ve got good memories at Mid-Ohio. No one can forget the pass on the outside of Colton Herta in race 1 last year. What did you learn from Mid-Ohio last year that maybe you can use going into the weekend this year?
RINUS VEEKAY: Well, it’s going to be very close. Hopefully it’s not going to be half wet in qualifying just like last year. But I think it’s going to be fine.
Of course it was a double-header, which I’m not a huge fan of, because I like the buildup to just one race. So I think a single-header is going to be great for me.
I like the track, and yeah, I think just like last year, you’ve got to stay out of trouble because it’s quite close. Like maybe the front three get away, and you want to be part of the front three and just fight it out there on track.

Q. I’m just wondering, the simulator, as you approached that, did you try to do a full race kind of like mode, or how did you approach it to make sure that you’re basically A-ok to drive a full race, if you follow my drift?
RINUS VEEKAY: Well, we did like all short stints just to get the car better, but I’ve been in the car like driving for 10 minutes and like a two-minute break in between for like two hours at a time, and I had no issues.
We did take it easy with tightening the belts because normally I have my Hans device there which kind of takes a little bit of the pressure off the set of the belts just being directly over. Took it a little easy, didn’t take any risks, but I’m 100 percent confident that it’s going to be no issue.
With all the heavy corners in Mid-Ohio, they all go left, so it’s not going to be an issue.

Q. Does the simulator give you — how does it give you the sensation of driving Mid-Ohio? Was that what you were doing? How does it figure in, factor in or throw in the physical nature of it, or can it do that?
RINUS VEEKAY: Well, I think Mid-Ohio on the simulator from Chevy, it’s one of the best correlated tracks. Like the whole feeling of oversteer you have is the actual feeling I have in the real car.
You’re really working on that track. I always get out of the car super sweaty, so no, it’s not just driving on a simulator for fun, it’s definitely tough but also very, very good help to getting into the mode for that weekend and also going through some procedures you never have time for on the race weekend.

Q. Are you being forbidden from riding a bicycle by your team? Have they looked at the Tour de France crashes and gone, wait a minute, maybe you shouldn’t do this?
RINUS VEEKAY: Well, we haven’t really talked about it. I think it’s — I’ve got to build it up slowly. I might step on the bike again in the off-season when I have time to recover if something crazy happens, but this was just a stupid accident.
Many of the other INDYCAR drivers, they’re on the bike, and it’s a good way to work out. I bought like a virtual rear wheel form of bike so I can ride on Zwift, which also many drivers do, and then I can ride inside without falling off.

Q. I kind of wanted you to walk me through what happened and what went through your mind when you went down? Did you know instantly you were hurt? And what part of your bike ride were you on and what was the decision to go from where you were to Chicago that day?
RINUS VEEKAY: Yeah, so I was riding with my trainer Raun, and we were just side by side on a bike trail, very safe actually, nothing crazy. I don’t know what caused it. I think my steering wheel went sideways and threw me over the bike. I knew I fell hard, but then I was on the ground — actually no pain but just little shocks.
And then I feel my shoulder and I feel the bone not being where it’s supposed to be. I immediately knew that was going to be a problem.
But yeah, had no pain at all until I got to the hospital. Lucky and happy with that.
And then yeah, we were going to ride from Indiana Dunes State Park, so we drove from Chicago to there. My parents dropped me off, and Raun, and then we would drive from there to our hotel in Chicago, which was going to be around 70 miles, and yeah, we crashed around mile 15.
Didn’t even get a good workout in, but that’s not a problem. Good thing is I can be in the car this weekend.

Q. What were you doing during the race that you weren’t able to race, and was it hard for you? What was your role that weekend instead?
RINUS VEEKAY: Well, I just tried to be a part of the team, so be in the pit stand during the race and be at the pre-race meetings and just be around and learn from what the team was doing and use the opportunity to have eyes like from outside and look at things from another perspective.

Q. That race that you missed with Oliver filling in for you, I know you guys have been Road to Indy rivals I guess you would say for a couple years now, what was your impression of what he was able to do just hopping in and putting together a top-12 finish, and how did you guys’ relationship evolve over the weekend, being able to work together rather than against each other a little bit?
RINUS VEEKAY: Yeah, I think he did really well. Of course it’s not easy to step into a brand new team, brand new car on Road America; it’s a hard track. But just like he told me, the car was very good to drive, so that made it a lot easier. You kind of have the same feeling in the car.
Yeah, I think he did really well, and yeah, I think it was a great opportunity for him, and then in race weekend it was pretty cool working with him instead of against him.
But yeah, he was doing well on the team and looked very professional. Also I think like everyone saw, we had some fun and some non-intended puns, but no, it was a lot of fun. Definitely could have been a lot worse missing a race.

Q. Looking forward now that you’re back in the car with seven races to go, I know missing out on a race certainly with Alex winning one isn’t ideal for your championship hunt. You’re a little bit more than 100 points back now. We’ve only seen a couple two-time race winners so far this year. It looks like for someone anywhere from fourth beyond who’s going to hope to make a championship run, you’re probably going to have to win two or three of these next seven races. With how tight we’ve seen the championship be this first half or so of the season, do you feel like a run like that is possible or doable either for you or anyone else beyond second or third place?
RINUS VEEKAY: Well, we’ve seen Scott Dixon do it last year, so I think it’s definitely possible. You’ve got to be lucky yourself and other guys got to be a little unlucky.
But I’m not really focused on that. I just want to get back in the top 5 in the championship and just do the best I can and show some great racing and of course try to win every weekend.
You know, as much as — you can work as hard as possible, but it’s almost impossible.
Yeah, it’s definitely going to be tough to catch up, but that’s not really any of my worries. I’m just going to give it all and see where I end up.

Q. Going from your rookie season to fighting to be top 5, maybe even top 3 in the championship by season’s end through eight races this year, in what way do you feel like you’ve made the biggest improvements from your rookie season to now?
RINUS VEEKAY: I think just the teamwork. My way of working together with the team and just the whole atmosphere and I can just be myself, and I think now like my engineer Matt Barnes can really read what I am doing. Like he can really take everything out of my words and use it as a valuable change on the car, and every change we do is perfect.
I feel like the whole car team has improved but also the whole teamwork, and of course I get more comfortable every day in the car.

Q. Obviously this weekend it’s a very kind of packed field with 26 drivers on the grid. How important is it to kind of roll off really well tomorrow?
RINUS VEEKAY: Yeah, it’s going to be important, just like my first race when we started off practices I think P3, P2. When you feel you’re right there when you start the weekend, you’re going to have a good weekend. Even the simulator it felt better than average.
I think we can have a good start and go for a podium and hopefully win again. I think it’s definitely possible.
Even though we have two practices now, which is very nice, it’s still going to be not that much time, so got to give it all.

Q. In terms of the track itself, is there any particular section of the track that you particularly enjoy, or is it just the whole thing in general?
RINUS VEEKAY: I kind of enjoy Turn 9. It’s always a nice corner, turning in fully on the curve and then falling off the track where you’re always like fighting the oversteer. I think it’s definitely a very — yeah, a very sensational track. It just feels great to drive there, especially with a good car.

Q. Back in Road America, you had made a comment that you had talked to Josef about sort of how it went for him when he had a similar situation when he was at ECR; have you been leaning on anybody else for advice during this time?
RINUS VEEKAY: Well, yeah, I’ve talked with Josef a little bit, but yeah, also in the team, they know him very well, so everyone still has memories from how that went.
He only drove, I think, nine days after surgery. I’m already way past, two weeks, so I’m not worried at all. I got a message on Instagram from a V8 Supercar driver Shane van Gisbergen about hyperbaric oxygen treatments that have really helped his clavicle recover. He drove eight days after surgery.
I immediately searched for a clinic that did that, and I did three hours of hyperbaric chambers a day. Yeah, I think it really helped and like sped up the recovery process.

Q. What was some of Josef’s advice and what were some of the things you guys talked about?
RINUS VEEKAY: Well, he told me it might feel good now after surgery because it’s super strong, but take it easy. You don’t want to hurt yourself even more. Yeah, just be responsible. That’s definitely good advice, but also he told me — yeah, when he was driving he had no pain, and they worked around with a few different Hans device pads to relieve the pressure that’s on there. We’ve done that last Monday, and we’ve found really good ones. I’m able to be in the car with belts super tight and have no pain.

Q. How has your training regimen changed with all of this, and do you foresee it getting back to normal in the near future, or are you sort of in a new mode for the rest of the season as far as training goes?
RINUS VEEKAY: Well, I did a lot of like upper body like bench press, shoulder press, that kind of stuff, and now it’s tough, I’m still recovering. Yesterday I could finally do some push-ups, but overhead I’m still — it’s still very tough.
With strength training, I’m building it up and doing lots of stretching, too. But then cardio-wise, yeah, no cycling of course right now, so trying to do a bit of running. I did a 5K run yesterday without pain, so that’s good. Possibly going to do a run while everyone is doing the track walk today.
Trying to get some cardio in, but I think I’m ready for the race weekend.

Q. I just heard that you said that something that helped you this year was the connection with the team. What did you learn staying in the wall with the team the last race that you can improve your driving?
RINUS VEEKAY: So I think definitely strategy-wise. Normally they just tell me, pit this lap, and they got to change the strategy when there’s a yellow or a red flag or anything. I just listened to them.
But now when I was on the wall I learned — I got to see how they think and why they make certain decisions, so now I can think with them and possibly decline some of their strategies when they say something, because yeah, I learned some stuff that I definitely would have struggled with in the race.
Yeah, it’s definitely good to learn that. Even makes me stronger for the future.

Q. I already heard what you said about all your training, all your process from healing. What do you think will be the challenge for this return for you, this middle sector with fast corners? Do you think it will be a problem from something specific or just you have to try?
RINUS VEEKAY: I think it’s not going to be a problem. I feel confident. I was first a little bit worried about maybe my neck would be painful with the pressure, with the G-forces, but I’ve done some neck training and felt nothing, feel super strong. Definitely no worries, and as long as I don’t go overhead with my arms, it’s going to be fine. So if I cheer going past the checkered flag first, I’ve got to do it like — got to throw up my right hand instead of my left hand.

Q. I know you talked about what you did and how Oliver did, but how did you feel watching someone else drive the No. 21?
RINUS VEEKAY: Yeah, it’s definitely weird to see your own car leave pit lane and you not being there in the car. That was weird, but no, I felt okay once I accepted it, of course.
I tried to see everything from a positive perspective, and I think I really did well that weekend. Yeah, I’m very excited to be in the car again this week.

Q. Did you feel like left out when someone else was driving the No. 21?
RINUS VEEKAY: I didn’t feel very left out. I was still in the meetings with the team and doing everything I normally do, just not driving. I still tried to be part of the team and not leave them alone, so I just tried to be with them and learn as much as possible and still give the team a good feeling that I’m still there.

Q. After Mid-Ohio we have a summer break of sorts. I was wondering what your plans were and if the injury changed what you were going to do over the next month?
RINUS VEEKAY: No, I’m still going to do what I was supposed to do. I’m going to go to Curaçao, the Caribbean, after Mid-Ohio, where I’ll see my girlfriend for the first time since January 4th. Then she’s going to come to Nashville, so she’s going to stay for a long time.
Yeah, just going to relax a little bit, and yeah, try to build up the recovery in my shoulder and try to build up all the workouts.

Q. Has your girlfriend been to an INDYCAR race before?
RINUS VEEKAY: She has not. Unfortunately with COVID it’s hard to get her across from Europe, but right now if she stays 14 days in the Caribbean, she can get into the U.S.
That’s our plan, and I think she’ll love it, definitely.

THE MODERATOR: Great to see you back up and at it and already training and ready to go this weekend. Thank you so much for doing this this morning, and safe travels to Ohio.

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.

Mustang S197 | Staggered Wheels and Tires Review

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Official Release
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Plus Enter to Win a Set of Rovos Wheels Courtesy of AmericanMuscle 

PAOLI, Pa. (July 1st, 2021) – AmericanMuscle (AM) has released a new video showcasing a staggered wheel and tire setup suitable for all 2005 to 2009 Mustangs. AM host, Justin Dugan breaks down the pros, cons, and fitment of 255’s staggered with 275’s in the rear, wrapped around 20″ wheels.  In keeping with the theme, AM is also rolling out a new daily-entry sweepstakes for July. The grand prize is a set of four Rovos wheels valued at up to $1500.

“This setup is ideal for those of you who want a more aggressive, old-school muscle car stance with those wider wheels and tires in the rear, says Justin. With fitment for all 2005 –2009 Mustangs, the video gives viewers a look at 20 x 8” wheels with 255/35R20 tires in the front, paired with 20 x 10” wheels and 275/35R20 tires in the back. Popular with AM customers, this staggered setup delivers stock-like handling with increased traction from the wider rear tires. Justin shares customer images and gives details on navigating the wheel and tire pages at americanmuscle.com.

Rovos Parts provides premium wheels for the true automotive enthusiast. Throughout July, customers can enter daily to walk away with a complete set of their own. No purchase is necessary to enter or win. The contest period ends at 12:01 am on July 31st, 2021.  

New and seasoned Mustang owners will benefit from AM’s new staggered wheels and tires video. The new episode gives viewers a good overview to help them decide if this combination is right for them. AM’s wheel and tire tech guide is also available to help answer any additional fitment related questions. While on the site, customers are encouraged to fill out their daily entry form to win a set of four Rovos tires valued at up to $1500. The grand prize winner will be chosen at the end of July and notified shortly thereafter. Full details and sweepstakes rules can be found on the entry page below. 

Enter Sweeps Here: https://www.americanmuscle.com/mustangwheels.html

________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

About AmericanMuscle

Starting out in 2003, AmericanMuscle quickly rose to be one of the leading aftermarket Mustang parts providers in the business. With the addition of Challenger in 2018 and Charger in 2020, AmericanMuscle provides the most sought-after parts, accessories, and fast shipping. Located just outside of Philadelphia, AmericanMuscle is dedicated to supporting the Mustang, Challenger and Charger communities with the highest level of customer service. Please visit http://www.AmericanMuscle.com for more information.

CHEVY NCS AT ROAD AMERICA: Team Chevy Advance

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TEAM CHEVY ADVANCE
JOCKEY MADE IN AMERICA 250
ROAD AMERICA
ELKHART LAKE, WISCONSIN
JULY 4, 2021

RACE #20 – ROAD AMERICA
Chevrolet drivers in the NASCAR Cup Series (NCS) and NASCAR Xfinity Series (NXS) return to road course competition this holiday weekend, looking to create fireworks at the 4.048-mile venerable circuit of Road America. Team Chevy, which has won seven of the past eight NCS races and sits atop the Manufacturer Standings, will aim for its 10th victory of the season in the Jockey Made in America 250 Presented by Kwik Trip. The 62-lap race on the 14-turn multi-elevational road course is Sunday, July 4.

It will be the NASCAR Cup Series first visit to Road America since the track’s inaugural season in 1956. In the first and only NCS race held at the Wisconsin road course, four Chevrolet drivers finished in the top-10 of the 63-lap race, led by Paul Goldsmith’s fourth place finish in a 1956 Chevy owned by Smokey Yunick.

AJ Allmendinger, who will drive the No. 16 Hyperice Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 1LE for Kaulig Racing in the NCS event, has the distinction of visiting Victory Circle at Road America in two different series. He won the 51-lap Champ Car Series race in 2006 from the fifth starting spot; and in 2013, won the 50-lap NASCAR Xfinity Series race from the pole.

Allmendinger, who will also drive the No. 16 Hyperice Camaro SS in the NASCAR Xfinity Series’ Henry 180 on Saturday, July 3, was runner-up in 2020 NXS race at Road America and started from the pole in 2019. Chevrolet has won seven of the 11 NXS races at Road America.

Other Team Chevy drivers who have raced in NXS at Road America include Austin Dillon, Chase Elliott, Alex Bowman, William Byron, Kurt Busch, Kyle Larson, Ross Chastain, Ricky Stenhouse Jr., Tyler Reddick, Ryan Preece and James Davison.

With a third-place finish, Justin Allgaier led three Team Chevy drivers in the top five in the June 27 NXS race at Pocono Raceway. Allmendinger, who finished fifth at Pocono, remains second in the Driver Standings. Chevrolet continues atop the Manufacturer Standings.

Chevrolet NASCAR Camping World Truck Series (NCWTS) drivers will next race in the 200-lap Corn Belt 150 presented by Premier Chevy Dealers on Friday, July 9, in Knoxville, Iowa. Team Chevy’s Zane Smith is fourth in the Driver Standings.

CHEVROLET REMAINS ATOP STANDINGS
Chevrolet is first in the NCS Manufacturer Standings. Hendrick Motorsports’ Kyle Larson moved to just two points of the top of the Driver Standings following his second- and ninth-place finishes at Pocono Raceway.

Larson has placed first or second in seven of the past eight points races in the No. 5 Hendrick Motorsports Camaro ZL1 1LE, including three wins in a row. Hendrick Motorsports teammates William Byron remains third and reigning NCS champion Chase Elliott is sixth.

ROAD MASTERS
Chevrolet drivers have won two of the three NCS road course races this season and paced all manufacturers with 151 laps led of the 216 total. Kyle Larson won the Series’ most recent road course race at Sonoma Raceway; and Chase Elliott won in NASCAR’s debut at Circuit of The Americas, capturing Chevrolet’s 800th victory in NASCAR’s premier division. Elliott is seeking his seventh career road course victory. Career Chevrolet driver Jeff Gordon is the NASCAR Cup Series leader with nine, including five at Sonoma Raceway.

TAKING IT IN STAGES
Chevrolet drivers have amassed 17 stages wins, including a field-high 12 by Kyle Larson (Las Vegas, Atlanta x2, Kansas, Dover x2, Charlotte x3, Sonoma x2, Nashville). Others contributing to the total are Chase Elliott (Daytona RC); William Byron (Homestead, Pocono2) and Kurt Busch (Nashville, Pocono1).

BOWTIE BULLETS
· Chevrolet leads manufacturer with 804 NCS victories.
· Chevrolet tied its 2020 win total of nine through only 19 races thus far this season.
· Chevrolet leads manufacturers in laps led (2,182) of the 4,861 total and top-10 finishes with 87.
· Kyle Larson paces all drivers with 1,441 laps led. His previous career best was 1,352 in the 36 races in 2017.
· Austin Dillon is tied for most laps completed 99.92% (4,857).
· Kurt Busch holds the final provisional Playoff spot. Tyler Reddick is one place above in 15th and Austin Dillion is 14th with seven races left in the NCS regular season.
· Kyle Larson’s 12 stage wins are more than twice as many as any other driver.

TUNE IN
NBC will telecast both the NASCAR Cup Series Jockey Made in America 250 Presented by Kwik Trip at 2:30 p.m. ET Sunday, July 4, and the NASCAR Xfinity Series Henry 180 live at 2:30 p.m. ET Saturday, July 3. Live coverage of the races can also be found on MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Channel 90.

QUOTABLE QUOTES
KYLE LARSON, NO. 5 HENDRICKCARS.COM CAMARO ZL1 1LE – 2nd IN STANDINGS
LARSON ON WHAT HE THINKS OF ROAD AMERICA:
“I’ve raced there before in an Xfinity car in 2013. I remember it was a really fun racetrack – a really long racetrack. I’m definitely excited to get back there this weekend because it’s a really cool place. Whether on the simulator or iRacing, it’s good to get visuals of elevation changes ahead of time.”

CLIFF DANIELS, CREW CHIEF, NO. 5 HENDRICKCARS.COM CAMARO ZL1 1LE
DANIELS ON HIS PREVIOUS ROAD AMERICA EXPERIENCE:
“Kyle has raced there before and I did in Xfinity, as well, but there’s not much you can pull from those past experiences. It’s been such a long time, so we’re trying to take a fresh look at understanding the race. We’ll go back and watch some Xfinity races from the past couple of years to try to get a feel for what is important there, what do we need to attack and what we need to tune.”

WILLIAM BYRON, NO. 24 LIBERTY UNIVERSITY CAMARO ZL1 1LE – 3rd IN STANDINGS
BYRON ON RETURNING TO ROAD AMERICA:
“I’m excited for this road course. I finished sixth there in the Xfinity Series in 2017. I had a good run and felt like it was one of my best road course races in that series overall. I expect more of the same this weekend in the Cup car. You just want to make sure that the car turns well and that you’re good in the braking zones. For us as a team, I think we will start off getting back to the basics of road course racing. We’ve had some bad luck recently but normally we’re really good at this style of racing. I’m excited that it’s another new track for the series and I think it will race really well for our cars.”

RUDY FUGLE, CREW CHIEF, NO. 24 LIBERTY UNIVERSITY CAMARO ZL1 1LE
FUGLE ON RETURNING TO ROAD COURSE RACING:
“Honestly, this weekend we’re looking to set the reset button on our road course racing program for the No. 24 team. After Sonoma and how things ended and some misfortune at the DAYTONA Road Course, we really want to get back to the speed and execution we had at COTA. Even with suffering damage there, we were able to make it back through the field and on a strategy that set us up well for the end before the weather picked up. William feels like road course racing has become one of his strengths over the last couple years and we want to keep him confident in that. So, the plan is to have a nice, basic weekend of executing like we need to and having a solid plan should any misfortune arise. We know what we’re capable of – it’s just a matter of maximizing where we can and there’s potential for that this weekend.”

CHASE ELLIOTT, NO. 9 NAPA AUTO PARTS CAMARO ZL1 1LE – 6th IN STANDINGS
“I’ve raced up at Road America a couple times in the Xfinity Series and I always really enjoyed going there. It’s a cool racetrack. There are a lot of race fans up there – a lot of people that enjoyed having us racing there. I’ve always felt very welcome and I don’t anticipate this weekend being any different. I am looking forward to getting back up there.”

ALEX BOWMAN, NO. 48 ALLY CAMARO ZL1 1LE – 11th IN STANDINGS
“The morale is obviously super high at Hendrick Motorsports. It’s really cool to see it that way. I think there’s not one thing. It’s each and every individual at Hendrick Motorsports from top to bottom in every department, it’s everybody at Chevrolet. Our engines are strong, bodies are great, chassis are great. The guys putting them together are doing a great job. Having Chad in a new role is really good. Mr. H and Jeff and everybody are giving us all the tools we need to put the parts and pieces together to go win races. Yeah, it’s not one thing. It’s a culmination of everybody’s hard work. It’s cool to be a part of it and be the guy that gets to drive ’em.”

“I am excited to get to Road America this weekend. I raced there in the Xfinity Series back in 2013, so getting back there is going to be a lot of fun. It is a long race track and really long lap times, but it is a fun place and really technical.”

GREG IVES, CREW CHIEF, NO. 48 ALLY CAMARO ZL1 1LE
“It was definitely odd to win and then have to get ready to race again the next day. Very thankful that we were able to have a good car again on Sunday and able to come home seventh. Saturday kind of was going as planned, obviously we knew that the No. 5 car had four tires and we had two tires. You never want to see your teammate have an issue like that, but we were in the position we needed to be in and it just worked out. On the last lap we were talking about what we needed for Sunday’s race to be better. So, when we crossed the line first, it was a roller coaster of emotion and a surprised celebration for me on the box.”

“It is definitely an advantage having track time at a place like Road America. The hardest part is probably only remembering the corners that were most prevalent. Hendrick has great cars right now and the power has been strong from the Hendrick engine shop, so I know that we can get another good finish this weekend.”

AUSTIN DILLON, NO. 3 DOW SALUTES VETERANS CAMARO ZL1 1LE – 12th IN STANDINGS
THE SPECIAL PAINT SCHEMES – THAT’S SOMETHING THAT RCR STARTED YEARS AGO WITH (DALE) EARNHARDT IN THE ALL-STAR RACE.
“I think RCR does a great job of changing it up and bringing in different paint schemes. This No. 3 Dow Salutes Veterans Camaro ZL1 1LE and putting all the veterans on it, it’s really grown over the years that we’ve had it. I think six or seven years now that we’ve been doing this car. It started with 350 names and now it’s 1,900 names. It’s just a spiderweb effect of everyone that really enjoys seeing their name on the car. But more than anything, it’s for our veterans and the people that allow us to go race on the weekends that have made this country what it is today.”

THE SEASON TO THIS POINT, YOU GUYS ARE ABOVE THE CUTLINE IN THE PLAYOFFS. ARE YOU PLEASED WITH WHERE YOU ARE? GIVE US A RECAP OF HOW YOU FEEL YOUR SEASON IS.
“I’m pleased with the consistency. We show up each and every weekend and have strong, consistent cars that withstand the races. I think the next part of that evolution is just getting a little bit more speed. We would like to be where some of our other Chevy teammates are. Getting a win would be nice; that would lock us into the Playoffs. With seven races to go though, points-wise, it’s a pretty good position. You just can’t have another person win, so you’re always on edge. You want to be that person that locks yourself in.”

ANOTHER ROAD COURSE RACE THIS WEEKEND. ANOTHER WILDCARD RACE?
“Yeah, for sure. The road courses have turned into wildcard races. Taking care of your stuff, trying to make it to the end of these things becomes a demo-derby out there. This is going to be one of those ones that if you stay on track, you’re going to have a pretty good run.”

“Road America is just a big place. A lot can go on in one lap. You can have one good corner and be proud of it and then the next one could be really terrible. By the end of the lap, you haven’t put together anything. You really just have to be consistent, put yourself in a good position to capitalize on other peoples’ mistakes.”

TYLER REDDICK, NO. 8 KALAHARI RESORTS AND CONVENTIONS CAMARO ZL1 1LE – 13th IN STANDINGS
“It’s nice going into the weekend with some experience that Cup veterans may not have since I’ve raced at Road America in the Xfinity Series. It makes me wish we weren’t having practice or qualifying so the Cup veterans could feel a little bit of what I felt heading into the Sonoma race weekend without turning a lap there! Regardless, this weekend is going to be a great opportunity for our team. I feel like the approach you have for Road America is similar to that of COTA, and I felt really good about where we were with our car on the dry at that track. We learned some things about our road course program at Sonoma Raceway a few weeks back too, but that course isn’t as similar to Road America as COTA is. Road America is all about attacking the entry and nailing the apex. You don’t have to worry about drive-off as much as you do at Sonoma. I’m excited about the opportunity for our team this weekend and know we are bringing a great No. 8 Kalahari Resorts and Conventions Chevrolet to the track.”

DANIEL SUAREZ, NO. 99 GOOD SAM PATRIOTIC CAMARO ZL1 1LE – 18th IN STANDINGS
WHAT ARE YOUR THOUGHTS ON ROAD AMERICA?
“I am thrilled with going to Road America. I have raced there a few times and looking forward to having some fun. It’s a very tricky race track. We won’t have to worry about rain delays this weekend since we will have rain tires.”

SEASON SO FAR?
“We are moving in the right direction. Seventh-place at Nashville was nice and we had two decent finishes in Pocono but we know we can do even better. We just have to keep working, keep communicating and eliminate the mistakes.”

ERIK JONES, NO. 43 SCAG POWER EQUIPMENT CAMARO ZL1 1LE – 26th IN STANDINGS
AT 4.048-MILES, ROAD AMERICA IS NOW THE LONGEST CUP SERIES COURSE ON THE SCHEDULE. HOW DOES THAT TRACK COMPARE TO OTHER ROAD COURSE CIRCUITS ON THE SCHEDULE?
“Road America is tough. I have only been there twice with the NASCAR Xfinity Series and it is a tough place. It is such a big track. There are a lot of places to gain and lose time. You can really get behind on your laps pretty quickly. You have to be focused and really make sure you are executing every part of the race track; making the most lap time as you can that entire lap and there are always places that you can do better. It is challenging as a driver, but it is fun.

“Plus, it is an awesome location. I love going up there because the fans are always excited. I am excited to see what the turnout is going to be for the NASCAR Cup Series race.”

COREY LAJOIE, NO. 7 DIAMOND CREEK WATER CAMARO ZL1 1LE – 29th IN STANDINGS
“4th of July weekend at Road America will be a race you don’t want to miss. It will be my first time seeing this track, which is the longest one on the cup schedule, so it will be a steep learning curve. I’ve spent a bunch of time watching film and turning iRacing laps so hopefully it applies. The name of the game will be to stay on course, maintain some track position at the end of the race and bring home another solid finish in the Diamond Creek Water Chevy Camaro.”

Chevrolet NASCAR Cup Series Statistics

Manufacturers Championships:
Total (1949-2020): 39
First title for Chevrolet: 1958
Highest number of consecutive titles: 13 (2003-15)

Years Won: 1958, 1959, 1960, 1961, 1972, 1973, 1974, 1976, 1977, 1978, 1979, 1980, 1983, 1984, 1985, 1986, 1987, 1988, 1989, 1990, 1991, 1993, 1995, 1996, 1998, 2001, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015

Drivers Championships:
Total (1949-2020): 32
First Chevrolet champion: Buck Baker (1957)
Highest number of consecutive titles: 7 (2005-11)
Most Recent: Chase Elliott (2020)

Years Won: 1957, 1960, 1961, 1973, 1976, 1977, 1979, 1980, 1984, 1985, 1986, 1987, 1990, 1991, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 2001, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2013, 2014, 2016, 2020

Event Victories:
Record for total race wins in single season: 26 (2007)

2021 STATISTICS:
Wins: 9
Poles: 3
Laps Led: 2,182
Top-five finishes: 40
Top-10 finishes: 87

CHEVROLET IN NASCAR CUMULATIVE STATISTICS:
Total Chevrolet race wins: 804 (1949 to date)
Poles won to date: 720
Laps led to date: 238,887
Top-five finishes to date: 4,105
Top-10 finishes to date: 8,489
Stage wins: 17 – Chase Elliott (Daytona RC), William Byron (Homestead, Pocono 2), Kyle Larson (Las Vegas Motor Speedway, Atlanta x2, Kansas, Dover x2, Charlotte x3, Sonoma x2, Nashville), Kurt Busch (Nashville, Pocono 1)

Total NASCAR Cup wins by corporation, 1949 to date

       General Motors: 1,138
       Chevrolet: 804
       Pontiac: 154
       Oldsmobile: 115
       Buick: 65

       Ford: 808                                                         
       Ford: 708
       Mercury: 96
       Lincoln: 4

       Fiat Chrysler Automobiles: 467
       Dodge: 217
       Plymouth: 191
       Chrysler: 59

       Toyota: 158

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.

Toyota Racing – NCS Road America Quotes – Christopher Bell – 07.01.21

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Official Release
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Toyota Racing – Christopher Bell
NASCAR Cup Series Quotes

ELKHART LAKE, Wis. (July 1, 2021) – Joe Gibbs Racing driver Christopher Bell was made available to media prior to the Road America race weekend earlier today:

CHRISTOPHER BELL, No. 20 SiriusXM Toyota Camry, Joe Gibbs Racing

How exciting is it for the NASCAR Cup Series to get to experience Road America?

“Yeah, I’m excited about it, and I just love going to new racetracks so being able to add a track to the Cup schedule, I think is really cool. Road America is a great venue. It’s always put on really good Xfinity races, so I’m expecting the Cup race to be great as well.”

How much have your Cup teammates asked you for advice and has there been a common ask between them?
“I think a lot of people are noticing how narrow the track, that’s for sure. It’s very unique in that aspect for stock cars, but you still have enough room to move around and race too. I think a lot of them have simulator laps and Kyle (Busch), I think came up here and tested as well. They are world class racecar drivers. They will figure it out. Honestly, they haven’t really reached out to me, but I’m sure they are going to be tough to beat whenever they get here.”

How similar are these TransAm cars to Cup? Do you think running the TransAm race can give you certain insights that your Xfinity experience at the track cannot?

“I think it’s just key to have the track time. I haven’t been to this track in a number of years now, so just being able to get on track more than just the one practice we have in Cup is beneficial. The cars are completely different than the Cup cars, but it’s still track time. You are still shifting gears, and the shift points relatively match up. It’s not like testing a Cup car, but it is helpful.”

What is the primary objective as we head to the Playoffs?

“We are just trying to get more consistent. Week-in and week-out, we are very, very inconsistent at the moment and we need to get to where we are competitive week-in and week-out. Over the last, it seems like, 10 to 12 races, it’s been really trying. At the beginning of the year, we started off really strong and had great cars week-in and week-out, so just trying to get more consistent and thankfully, I think the Playoff schedule is going to look pretty good for us. The tracks in the Playoffs, we’ve run well this year, so I’m looking forward to that, but it’s been really disappointing how inconsistent we’ve been and that’s our focus right now.”

What is your situation with Sprint Cars with Coach (Joe Gibbs)?

“I haven’t been able to race anything all year, so it looks like it’s starting to open up a little bit and I got to go do those two sprint car races in PA (Pennsylvania), but we will have to see what it looks like going forward. I don’t really know how to answer you, but yeah, I hope I get to do more in the future.”

Is there some more learning that you are still doing?

“You are always learning. I don’t think I’m where I need to be as a driver yet, but yeah, I think it’s a combination of me getting connected with Adam (Stevens, crew chief) and Adam understanding my feedback. We’ve had a couple good races over the last couple weeks. I know Texas and Nashville, where we didn’t start off very good and we actually improved the car and made the car better for the end of the race. That’s probably the two only times that we’ve done that this year, and Pocono too. From Pocono 1 to Pocono 2, we made our car tremendously better and got more competitive. That’s a good sign. Just hopefully, we can start hitting it a little bit better off the truck and being more competitive. At Nashville, we didn’t hit the setup off of the truck and fortunately, we had practice to learn that, but a number of these racetracks across the year – if you are bad off of the truck, then there is nothing to do. You can’t work on it or anything. It’s been tough, but hopefully, we can start being more consistent with that and being closer when you get off the truck because if you are close, you can dial it in. If you are in left field, then it’s a lost cause.”

Do you think the Cup car will react differently at Road America than the Xfinity Series car?

“I think it’s going to be very similar, especially the rules package that we have right now is really close to the Xfinity cars, so I think brake markers and stuff is going to be slightly different. I think we might have a little more horsepower in the Cup car versus the Xfinity car, so that’s going to change things a little bit, but I think the on-track product will be really similar and you know, we have a lot of really talented road course racers in the Cup Series, so there is going to be a lot of competitive cars and I think the on-track product will be similar to what we are used to seeing out of the Xfinity Series cars.”

What’s it going to be like to have only two more races after this one with practice for the rest of the season?

“Fortunately, we are starting to hit the second half of the season where we’ve been to places before. So, like Atlanta, we went there earlier in the year, so that will help, and it won’t be as big of a deal, hopefully, going back to the races for a second time because we’ve already been there once and especially for me, this is my first year working with Adam Stevens (crew chief) and being at Gibbs (Joe Gibbs Racing). Just him figuring out what I need in the racecar to be competitive and what my balance needs to be like and stuff like that. There have been a couple races where we have been really off, and we’ve been able to learn from that too and hopefully apply that going forward.”

We are about 11 months from the transition from Leavine Family Racing to Joe Gibbs Racing. What was the transition like and what was it liking working with guys for a team that would be shutting down?

“Yeah, that was very, very different, especially, with the team shutting down and all of the mechanics not knowing really what was going on and my crew chief announcement hadn’t been done yet, so I didn’t know if I was going to be driving with Jason (Ratcliff) again or someone else, so it was tough. The end of the line is right there. They know that after Phoenix that it’s over. I was really worried about the motivation of the mechanics and the team to see how they would continue on throughout the course of the season knowing that they are essentially getting fired or let go no matter what happens and what the outcome is, but I was really, really proud of everyone on that 95 car last year and if you look back at it, Texas, which I think was either the second or third race to the end, was probably our best race all year and then Martinsville at the end of the year, we had a good showing. We had really good racecars at the end of the year too. I was really proud of the group for keeping digging and not letting the end, so to speak, be part of their motivation.”

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NASCAR Cup Series Preview – Road America

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This weekend the NASCAR Cup Series (NCS) heads to Road America for the first time since 1956. This will be race no. 20 for the NCS at the 4.048-mile Multi-Elevational Road Course. Road America will be the fourth road course of seven on the 2021 NCS schedule. So far this season at the three road courses we have visited, we have had three different winners. Christopher Bell won at the Daytona Road Course, Chase Elliott won at the inaugural Circuit of The Americas, and Hendrick Motorsports teammate Kyle Larson won at Sonoma Raceway.

With only seven races remaining in the regular season, winning becomes more crucial each week. Eleven drivers have victories but to retain their spot in the 16-driver post-season field, they cannot fall out of the top 30 in points.

Alex Bowman, Kyle Busch, Kyle Larson and Martin Truex Jr. have already clinched a spot in the Playoffs. Ryan Blaney, William Byron, Chase Elliott, Joey Logano and Brad Keselowski can ensure their place in the post-season with a win this weekend. Denny Hamlin needs a win and 49 points.

Christopher Bell and Michael McDowell could secure a spot in the playoffs with a win and enough points to put them solidly in the Top-30, but they can only clinch with help.

Hendrick Motorsports drivers Chase Elliott and Kyle Larson are favored to win at Road America this weekend. Fans interesting in playing the odds can place legal NASCAR bets securely and obtain helpful tips. Elliott has made two NASCAR Xfinity Series (NXS) career starts at Road America with a fourth-place finish in both races and would be a driver to bet on this weekend.

The first and only previous Cup Series race at this venue was held on August 12, 1956, and was won by NASCAR Hall of Famer driver Tim Flock. He led 17 laps and scored his fourth win of the season. Flock passed away in 1998 and was also named one of NASCAR’s 50 Greatest Drivers the same year. In 2014 Flock was enshrined in the NASCAR Hall of Fame.

The Road America road course is located in Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin, and is 4.048-miles in length with multiple elevations and 14 turns, presenting many unique challenges.

The July 4th Jockey Made in America 250 Presented by Kwik Trip race will consist of 62 laps and three stages. Stage 1 will be 14 laps and Stage 2 will be 15 laps with a final stage of 33 laps.

Drivers will have one practice session on Saturday from 12:35 p.m. to 1:25 p.m. ET with qualifying scheduled for Sunday morning at 11:05 a.m. ET. 

While no active Cup Series drivers participated in that first race, the Xfinity Series has raced at Road America since 2010. There are 28 drivers entered in the Cup Series race that have competed in Xfinity Series events at the track. Four of those drivers have one Xfinity win at the track including Austin Cindric (2020), Christopher Bell(2019), Michael McDowell (2016) and AJ Allmendinger (2013).

The Jockey Made in America 250 Presented by Kwik Trip Cup Series race will air live Sunday on NBC at 2:30 p.m. ET with radio coverage by MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio. 

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