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TPC Racing Has Good ‘Big Picture’ Weekend In Porsche Carrera Cup, Lamborghini Super Trofeo at Watkins Glen

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Official Release
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Team Program Featuring Vernon McClure, Scott Schmidt and Trevor Andrusko Continued to Make Progress in Dual Doubleheader Weekend

WATKINS GLEN, New York (June 27, 2021) – TPC Racing left Watkins Glen doubleheaders for Porsche Carrera Cup North America and Lamborghini Super Trofeo having overcome some challenges laid down with an overall improvement to both programs.

Vernon McClure drove his No. 10 Main Street Homes/TPC Racing Porsche 911 GT3 Cup to sixth and eighth-place finishes in the Pro-Am class during Friday and Saturday’s 45-minute races, respectively. Despite just his second visit to Watkins Glen and just his second event in the new-generation Porsche 911 GT3 Cup that makes up the Porsche Carrera Cup field, McClure leaves Watkins Glen with a clean car on a weekend when many others didn’t.

“I’m extremely proud of Vernon,” Harris Levitas, Director of Race Operations, said. “He did such a great job for being out of the car for almost four months. We didn’t have an opportunity to test here before the race and for Vernon to just jump in, it’s a challenge. The Porsche Carrera Cup field is really strong. Our TPC Racing team did a fantastic job prepping the car back at the shop and we unloaded right away with a good car that Vernon felt comfortable with. Vernon got himself up to speed, looked over data with his coach Spencer Pumpelly, and truly did a great job.”

Schmidt and Andrusko faced an equally daunting challenge in the No. 38 Lamborghini Sterling/Erin Levitas Foundation Lamborghini Huracan. A significant impact two weeks ago at Virginia International Raceway left the TPC Racing car unable to be repaired in time for Watkins Glen, leaving the team to work with Wayne Taylor Racing to borrow a car for the weekend.

“We’re extremely grateful for the help we received from Wayne Taylor Racing,” Levitas said. “I just can’t thank our TPC guys enough, working late, getting everything sorted, and we had a car we could contend with. Luckily we were able to finish the weekend. The way the season started that’s a victory in itself. Scott and Trevor are doing a great job. Their attitudes are perfect and they are keeping positive. Luck just hasn’t gone our way. I think we’re getting there at Road America. They turned some faster laps today, and we wanted to give Scott some more on his birthday but it was a great weekend.”

The duo had an issue with the Lamborghini wheel during Friday’s race that ended their day early and were set for a Saturday comeback during the 50-minute races. That opportunity went away when the car refused to refire during the mandatory pit stop after Andrusko got behind the wheel. A quick-thinking TPC Racing crew pushed the car until it fired, but after the car had fallen an additional lap behind.

“We came into this race with a new car to us, and a borrowed car so some things are different,” Andrusko said. “We struggled with that in practice, but found our pace. We’re thankful for the Wayne Taylor guys stepping in and showing us the ropes a little bit because it is a new program. We’re learning by firehose this year, but we’re getting to it. After the trouble on the pit stop on Saturday, I put my head down and chased them and showed that we can do it, and we will do it, but obviously this season is a little more difficult than usual.”

In all, Schmidt and Andrusko leave Watkins Glen with additional experience having overcome significant challenges during the weekend in a young program that is only five events old.

“We started with a new car and did five different setups until we found one that worked for us,” Schmidt said. “We gained speed through the weekend and at the end of the day we started a little slow but picked up the pace and placed in the top 20 overall. We’ll keep that going and get better for Road America.”

Both the Porsche Carrera Cup and Lamborghini Super Trofeo return to action at Road America, August 6-8, for an additional pair of doubleheaders in each championship.

About TPC Racing:
TPC Racing is the Mid-Atlantic’s premier maintenance, service, tuning and modification center dedicated solely to Porsche sportscars. TPC Racing specializes in R&D and sales of high-performance modifications for Porsche sports cars and race cars, offering a wide range of vehicle upgrades. Best known for a line of forced induction solutions for the Porsche 911, Cayman and Boxster, a long-time focus on only one make, Porsche, has enabled TPC Racing to become experts in Porsche service, tuning, and racing. In 2000, TPC Racing began entering races under its own banner, scoring an SGS-class Championship in 2004 in the Grand-American Rolex Series and was a class winner in the 2006 Rolex 24 At Daytona, and captured the 2013 and 2016 IMSA Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge USA Gold Cup Championships. More information can be found at www.TPCRacing.com.

Meyer Shank Racing Takes Second in Sahlen’s Six Hours of The Glen

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Official Release
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Watkins Glen, New York (27 June 2021) – After a late race caution eliminated the team’s 15 second leading advantage on the field, Meyer Shank Racing (MSR) finished second in the Sahlen’s Six Hours of The Glen on Sunday.

Drivers Olivier Pla and Dane Cameron combined to lead 125 laps of the 200 lap race in the No. 60 MSR Acura DPi on their way to a second podium (12 Hours of Sebring) of the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship season.

Starting the race from the front row, Cameron made a decisive move to take the lead on the opening lap and ran out front for 47 of the 51 lap opening stint before turning the car over to Pla for his first laps behind the wheel. Pla and Cameron traded turns onboard the AutoNation / SiriusXM Acura, managing the pace of the race in what looked to be a run to the top of the podium.

It was a strong team performance, as the No. 60 Acura ran in first or second position for all but six laps of the race, when the car was classified third.

Cameron had raced to a 15 second advantage by lap 169 before turning the Acura over to Pla for the closing stint. But that lead was erased as the field regrouped for a caution period following an incident for an LMP2 with just 40-minutes to go. The team took to pit lane for a fast final service for a splash of fuel and left side tires only as Pla returned to the fray in second position.

Working through intense traffic in pursuit of the lead, Pla had to keep a close eye on fuel strategy as he gave chase all the way to the line. Pla closed the gap to the leader 1-second per lap but GT traffic slowed his charge and Pla came up just 0.965-seconds short of victory.

“Dane (Cameron) gave me the car with a massive gap, but that last yellow came at the wrong moment, so I knew what I had to do and after that and that it would be a fuel saving race,” said Pla. “I was able to close in on the Mazda at the end, but unfortunately traffic got in the way. We just needed another lap, it’s a shame. The Meyer Shank Racing team did a perfect job and we know what pace we have so we will need to keep it going.”

The pace will prove beneficial to MSR who will be competing at Watkins Glen for a second round of competition on Friday.

“I am disappointed to come up short after what was a really great day – the best day of the year for us,” said Cameron. “I am proud of everyone for executing so well today. It hasn’t been an easy year with results, but today was a good showing for us. There was an odd call during the yellow about spacing, so when it stayed green longer than expected, that is when things changed. While we didn’t win today, I am super happy with the effort this Meyer Shank Racing team put in today. P2 is good and in a couple days we get to do it again knowing we have a great package. Today wasn’t our day but we will go after it on Friday.”

The team will return to Watkins Glen for the WeatherTech 240 this Friday, July 2 (6:00pm ET, NBCSN).

CHEVY NCS AT POCONO: Jeff Gordon Press Conf. Transcript

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Official Release
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NASCAR CUP SERIES
POCONO RACEWAY
TEAM CHEVY PRESS CONF. TRANSCRIPT
JUNE 27, 2021

JEFF GORDON, VICE CHAIRMAN AND CO-OWNER OF HENDRICK MOTORSPORTS, Press Conference Highlights:

NOTE: On June 23, 2021, Jeff Gordon, the four-time NASCAR champion, television broadcaster and NASCAR Hall of Fame member, was named vice chairman of Hendrick Motorsports, which makes him the second-ranking team official to chairman and majority owner Rick Hendrick. Gordon will formally assume the strategic executive management role on Jan. 1, 2022.

Q&A’s:

HOW BIG OF A DECISION WAS IT FOR YOU TO LEAVE THE FOX GROUP AND WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO YOU TO TAKE ON THIS ROLE OFFICIALLY?
“I’m excited. It’s been in discussion for a long time between Rick and myself. My presence has been there but now it gets ramped up to a whole other level. It wasn’t a choice about leaving Fox. It was really about the opportunity and the timing of moving into this role full time. That was tough. I really enjoyed working with Fox and I had a great team there. I learned a lot about and got a great perspective on entertainment and the TV side of the sport. And I think, forever it will help me in this new position to try to keep us connected to the TV partners in a bigger way. I had a lot of fun, especially this year working with (Clint) Bowyer and Mike (Joy) and those folks. This year was a lot of fun. I’m forever grateful, really, for that opportunity and appreciate Eric Shanks and his whole team for bringing me on board. Maybe it wasn’t a mutual decision, but it was one of those things where they understand. From the very beginning they knew that I had an equity position at Hendrick and that one day this could be home. So, this is more about coming home for me.”

DID YOU ALWAYS FEEL THAT YOU WERE GOING TO BE ON THIS OWNERSHIP PATH?
“You have to understand that I’ve been a part of this since 1999. I’ve been behind the scenes, understanding and learning the business side of it. Gradually, overtime, obviously my focus was on driving throughout all those years. But as I started getting closer to stepping away in 2015 from the driving role, my interest level in the business side, the culture that Rick has created and how he’s done that and how it impacts things far beyond just what I was doing as a driver, was interesting to me. So, each year, that ramped up more and more as I had pretty much half the season to dedicate my time to it. And the more I did that, whether it was coming to the track or being back at the shop on race day or just talking to the marketing department about sponsorship or talking to NASCAR about Next Gen or any business decisions that were going on there with other owners, I realized that this is where my true passion lies. I love the sport. I love racing. But the competition and being a partner with one of the best owners there will ever be in NASCAR, that’s really what I was getting excited about looking ahead.”

WHAT DO YOU HAVE TO LEARN WITH THIS NEW JOB NOW?
“Well, luckily right now, we’re in a great position and it’s about maintaining what we currently have. But that all got started so many years ago before I even got to Hendrick Motorsport with Rick, and the culture that he creates and how he treats people and how he finds talent and nurtures that and of course right now, we’ve learned a lot about how our teams are working together more than they ever have before. And we’re seeing the success because of that. Right now, it’s about maintaining it. But as we move forward, it’s just continuing to look at the business model and try to understand how we take care of our current partners and nurture those relationships and make sure that they’re excited about NASCAR and Hendrick Motorsports. They certainly are right now, and we want to continue to see that grow. But also, what new partners can we potentially look at and bring in. I’ve got to say this. Coming into this race track today got me very, very excited again. This reminds me of the older days, or that period of time that we all talk about when the sport was super-hot, that’s the feeling of energy I feel this weekend here at the track. So that certainly makes it easier to look at what we’re going to do in the future with the sport. Of course, right now, a lot of attention, besides this year, in trying to keep that going this year is Next Gen. A lot of attention is being put on how we race. Where do we put our efforts for Next Gen and try to maintain some kind of competitive advantage? That’s going to get cut down dramatically, but we’re still going to be out there racing at a high level and we just want to make sure we’re doing it the right way.”

IS IT DIFFICULT TO SET EXPECTATIONS FOR THE NEXT GEN CAR RIGHT NOW, AT LEAST FROM THE ORGANIZATIONAL STANDPOINT SINCE THERE ARE SO MANY UNKNOWNS?
“Oh, there are so many unknowns. And it’s so hard to really even get deep into that conversation because we don’t really even have a chassis and a body and a car to go out there and test. Yes, we’ve been doing these group efforts with our OEM and with NASCAR, but it’s not been a full-fledged effort. So, we’re still in the development stage and we’re working hard to be ready to go in February, but there’s still a lot of work ahead of us. It’s progressing, though, and it’s exciting. You’re always going to put yourself in a position to where you want to fall back on your people and the strengths that you currently have, and I think those strengths are going to play out well for us next year. But until we get into it, we won’t know exactly how to take advantage of the areas of expertise that we have in the areas of engineering and dynamics and horsepower and all those things that are making us successful now will still be very important next year.”

INAUDIBLE
“I think this is where the decision to step away from TV and be 100 percent committed and dedicated to Hendrick Motorsports, where I can spend all my time nurturing those relationships. And it goes even deeper than the drivers. I have a good relationship with the crew chiefs and drivers. A lot of these guys I’ve worked with and the people that I’ve worked with, that’s an easy thing to do. But some of the newer relationships, you want to build. Alex (Bowman) would be one of those guys that came on with (Dale) Jr., and he and I did double-duty when Jr. was out there in ’16 – ’17, and so that was a fun way to get to know Alex. But yeah, it wasn’t one of those relationships that like (Kyle) Larson. I saw him at dirt tracks, and we had that background. William Byron drives the No. 24 car and he and I built a relationship with having that in common. And, of course Chase Elliott, he originally drove the No. 24 car and he’s been there the longest. So, I want to build a strong relationship with all these guys. But I will say that yeah, Alex, it probably took us a little while where we could bond and maybe at Chili Bowl, he and I spending some time there. But now that we’ve gotten him signed up, I look forward to getting even closer with him. And a lot of that relationship, besides Dale Jr., was also with Rick Hendrick. The car enthusiasts in both of them created a natural bond. And the Midgets and the Sprint Cars are the thing that’ll create the natural bond with Alex and me, moving forward.”

AS YOU BECAME MORE ENGRAINED WORKING IN THE HENDRICK SIDE OF THE ORGANIZATION, HOW DIFFICULT DID IT BECOME TO BALANCE THE HENDRICK WORK AND THE TV WORK?
“It was tough. As much as maybe there were some of those that criticize me, I think I worked extremely hard trying to separate those two, which is why I purposely didn’t come to the haulers and spend as much time with the crew chiefs and drivers the first half of the season. I tried to be respectful of what they were focused on and do my job in the booth the best I possibly could. But of course, it’s hard not to be biased when you have that kind of relationship. Even if I wasn’t still an equity owner at Hendrick, my entire career I drove for this organization. So, I know the people more than I know the people at any other organization. They’ve always been like family and no matter what role I’m in, that’s the case. So, up in the booth I tried to be as non-biased as I could and call it the way I see it, and I take a lot of pride in the effort I put into that.”

WHAT WERE YOUR WORK HOURS LIKE?
“That’s why I say, I really tried to minimize my hours at Hendrick Motorsports during that period of time; and stay as much as I could be focused on the TV side of it in that preparation. And that’s why this decision, this is why it’s the perfect timing because right now, I know that in order for me to do this job the way I want to do it and the way I think Rick wants me to do it and be the most beneficial to the organization, is to be there 100 percent of the time and dedicate all my time. Rick and I had all these conversations when I was stepping out of the car and looking at doing TV. And so, he was comfortable with that. I don’t want to say we had a plan that hey, in 2021…. It’s I want you in this role one day. Go do TV. That’ll be a good transition. And it was. He’s a smart guy and he gives great advice. And we’ve always stayed very close in those conversations. We all knew that one day this would hopefully come and now the day is finally here. Just this week, I’m spending more time already at the shop. And that usually would happen when my duties at Fox were over. But that’s going to be year-round now, and I’m excited about that because there’s a lot of excitement in our organization right ow. So, it makes a great time for me to get into this role.”

QUESTION REGARDING CHAD KNAUS
“Oh listen, we’ve got tremendous depth. There’s a reason why we’ve had the success over the years and Chad has played a big role in that as a crew chief and he’s playing a big role right now in his new position as VP of Competition. But our organization is working together more than we ever have. Again, that’s the vision that Rick and Marshall (Carlson) have set forth. Of course, I’ve been in those conversations to some degree throughout all the years. But to see that vision play out the way it’s playing out, and we’ve been behind up until the second half of last year. So, it’s exciting to see that vision playing out because of how they’ve been working together and because of the common goal and working with Chevrolet also created that with our race cars. And now that’s playing out each and every weekend. But now how do you maintain it? And the only way to do that is to have a lot of talent and bring all those great minds together like what’s happening right now.”

DID WORKING THE TV-SIDE GIVE YOU ANY PERSPECTIVE TOWARD THE BUSINESS SIDE THAT MAYBE YOU DIDN’T EXPECT?
“Oh yeah. That’s one of my goals is to really connect with our TV partners and make sure that our drivers and crew chiefs recognize that their personality, their performance, the show on the race track, that it means way more than you think. As a competitor, you get very narrowly focused on the competition. And this sport wouldn’t have the fans and wouldn’t be as big as it is if millions of people weren’t watching it on TV. And they want to see rivalries, right? They want to see personalities and frustrations and excitement. I think that my perspective, coming from the last six years doing TV, it is definitely going to be present at Hendrick Motorsports and how we move forward. And I think our guys do a great job with that, but there’s no doubt we can do more.”

REGARDING DIVERSITY, WHAT DO YOU HOPE TO DO IN YOUR NEW ROLE TO HELP THE SPORT?
“Well, diversity is important for every business and every company in every sport. We’ve already seen it take great leaps forward and just what’s happened in the last few years. I’ve got to get in there and really understand how that group works. And listen, I feel like I come from an interesting background in coming from California, where I grew up and the type of racing that I did before I got into NASCAR. So hopefully there is some small relatability there that I can bring to the table. But I’m more about listening and hearing. There are some incredible people on that committee and that board. I’m excited about joining it and continuing to bring more of that diversity to NASCAR on every facet, from the driver’s side, pit crew side, sponsorship side, and it only benefits all of us to do that.”

YOU HAVE BEEN ONE OF THE SPORT’S MOST INFLUENTIAL FIGURES FOR DECADES. WHAT DO YOU FEEL LIKE YOU CAN BRING FROM THAT PERSPECTIVE TO THIS ROLE?
“I think that’s where Rick and I share the passions. He’s done it from his own time behind the wheel, but more so than anything else, as an owner and as a business owner. That’s what I love about Rick. He does not like to finish second in anything that he does. And that’s the way I was as a race car driver. So, the experience behind the wheel as a race car driver, not just in NASCAR but going all that way back to being a kid, being with one team and seeing the way that Rick operates the team and his leadership and how he focuses on the people working together, as well as what I see that he does at Hendrick Automotive Group, he’s a hard-working guy, too. I’m sure if he was here right now, he would say I’m just going to get Jeff to work a little harder (laughter).

“And I plan on doing that. I’m really excited about this challenge and this role. I feel like I’m at the place in my life where I’m really, ready for it. And most importantly, I’m just fortunate to work side-by-side with a guy that’s shown us all how to do it right for so many years and will continue to do that for a number of years to come. Yeah, it’s the same old basics. That’s the thing about Rick. It’s common sense. It’s hard work. And it’s people. And all I want to do is continue to compliment that moving forward.”

RICK PROBABLY CONSIDERS YOU FAMILY. BUT IS THERE ANY AWKWARDNESS WHERE IT’S KIND OF LIKE RICK AND THEN YOU AND THEN MARSHALL?
“You know what? Marshall has been somebody I’ve worked side-by-side with for many years. He, Jeff Andrews, Chad Knaus, and so many people at Hendrick, and Marshall is 100 percent supportive with me in this role. We both have strengths that we bring. Some that I can’t bring that he does; and because I was a driver at one time that he never experienced. I can tell you we make a great team. To me, it’s not about titles. It’s about how we’re going to work together as an organization and Marshall is 100 percent on board with it and I’m 100 percent on board with the role that he plays, which Is very important.”

IS JIMMIE JOHNSON GOING TO BE INVOLVED?
“Well, he’s up there driving at Watkins Glen. Rick Hendrick is up there for that 6-hour race. Obviously Ally, one of our partners, is part of that and Rick Hendrick is a part of that. So, in some ways, yes. I don’t know. We’ll see. If he is ever wanting to step away from INDYCAR; hey listen. He’s been a tremendous asset to us over the years. We would love to have him on board in some way.”

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 – NXS Pocono Post-Race Report – 06.27.21

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Official Release
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GIBBS LEADS TOYOTA WITH RUNNER-UP FINISH
Gibbs continues stellar rookie season with his seventh top-five finish in first eight starts

LONG POND, Pa. (June 27, 2021) – Ty Gibbs (second) led Toyota with a top-five finish in the Pocono Green 225 at Pocono Raceway on Sunday afternoon.

Toyota Racing Post-Race Recap
NASCAR Xfinity Series
Pocono Raceway
Race 16 of 33 – 225 miles, 90 laps

TOYOTA FINISHING POSITIONS
1st, Austin Cindric*
2nd, TY GIBBS
3rd, Justin Allgaier*
4th, Noah Gragson*
5th, AJ Allmendinger
6th, DANIEL HEMRIC
7th, BRANDON JONES
14th, SANTINO FERRUCCI
25th, AUSTIN HILL
29th, JESSE LITTLE
30th, MASON MASSEY
33rd, DAVID STARR
37th, HARRISON BURTON
*non-Toyota driver

TOYOTA QUOTES

TY GIBBS, No. 54 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota Supra, Joe Gibbs Racing
Finishing Position: 2nd

How hard were you digging for this win?

“Just pushing as much as I can. It feels good to leave everything in the racecar. Just trying my hardest. I made some mistakes. I think I could have maybe crossed him over a little bit better. Lap cars helped me. They were kind of in the way. Overall, just a good day. I’m happy to drive a Xfinity car. I’m thankful to be in this series. Thank you to all of my crew, Chris Gayle (crew chief), everybody who works on my Joe Gibbs Racing No. 54.”

DANIEL HEMRIC, No. 18 Poppy Bank Toyota Supra, Joe Gibbs Racing
Finishing Position: 6th

No win today, but a lot of speed today for your Daniel.

“Not only speed but speeding on pit road. Unbelievable Poppy Bank Toyota Supra. So proud of Dave Rogers (crew chief). Not only this week, but every week to bring the best racecars that we can. That was for sure the best JGR (Joe Gibbs Racing) Toyota that I’ve had. It’s tough to swallow when you give them away like that. I don’t know if I just mis-executed on my lights or what. I thought I gave enough back, especially after the first time, but I just sped again under green and that was it for us. I’m proud of these guys. I don’t know what else you can do. You just have to keep showing up and hope it will turn around.”

About Toyota

Toyota (NYSE:TM) has been a part of the cultural fabric in North America for more than 60 years, and is committed to advancing sustainable, next-generation mobility through our Toyota and Lexus brands plus our 1,800 dealerships.

Toyota has created a tremendous value chain and directly employs more than 47,000 in North America. The company has contributed world-class design, engineering, and assembly of more than 40 million cars and trucks at our 14 manufacturing plants, 15 including our joint venture in Alabama that begins production in 2021.

Through its Start Your Impossible campaign, Toyota highlights the way it partners with community, civic, academic and governmental organizations to address our society’s most pressing mobility challenges. We believe that when people are free to move, anything is possible. For more information about Toyota, visit www.toyotanewsroom.com.

RCR Post Race Report – Pocono Green 225

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Official Release
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Myatt Snider and the Crosley Furniture Chevrolet Team Earn Top-10 Finish at Pocono Raceway

Finish: 10th
Start: 19th
Points: 12th

“Today was a solid day for our Crosley Furniture Chevrolet team. We finally were able to get our luck turned around and brought home a well-deserved top-10 finish. At the beginning of the race, our No. 2 Camaro fired off too loose, but Andy Street (crew chief) made some good adjustments on our pit stop before the end of Stage 1. We elected to stay out during the stage break, which allowed us to gain track position. Our Chevrolet lacked a little drive off turn three, but to run inside the top five throughout the entire middle segment and earn stage points was a needed boost for our team. Despite having the oldest tires on the track before making our scheduled green flag stop, I was able to hold steady inside the top five, showing how good our car actually was. The race went caution free from that point forward, but I steadily worked my way back up front. My Richard Childress Racing team is one of the best and we will take this momentum to Road America next week.” -Myatt Snider

Monster Energy Racing: Riley Herbst Pocono NXS Race Report

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Official Release
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Herbst Finishes 35th at Pocono
Spin in Final Stage Ends Strong Run for Monster Energy Driver

Date: June 27, 2021
Event: Pocono Green 225 Recycled by J.P. Mascaro & Sons (Round 16 of 33)
Series: NASCAR Xfinity Series
Location: Pocono (Pa.) Raceway (2.5-mile triangle)
Format: 90 laps, broken into three stages (20 laps/20 laps/50 laps)
Start/Finish: 10th / 35th (Accident, completed 45 of 90 laps)
Point Standing: 15th (341 points, 339 out of first)
Race Winner: Austin Cindric of Team Penske (Ford)
Stage 1 Winner: Harrison Burton of Joe Gibbs Racing (Toyota)
Stage 2 Winner: Ty Gibbs of Joe Gibbs Racing (Toyota)

Overview:

A solid day for Riley Herbst and his No. 98 Monster Energy Ford Mustang went up in smoke after a spin on lap 45 of Sunday’s Pocono Green 225 Recycled by J.P. Mascaro & Sons at Pocono (Pa.) Raceway. The 22-year-old driver was forced to settle for a 35th-place finish after racing his way up into the top-five from the rear of the field. After being sent to the back due to unapproved adjustments at the start of the 90-lap race, Herbst quickly picked off the competition and made his way into the top-15 by lap 11. He was just two spots short of a top-10 finish in Stage 1. The No. 98 Monster Energy team pitted during the break and restarted 16th for Stage 2. In a strategy call on a lap-35 caution, crew chief Richard Boswell opted to keep his driver out on track with a handful of laps to go in the stage in an attempt to gain track position and earn stage points. This ultimately worked out for the team as it finished fifth in the second stage to earn six bonus points toward the playoffs. Herbst came down pit road under the final stage break for four fresh tires and fuel to put him on the offensive at the outset of Stage 3. He restarted 21st on lap 45. In a battle for position, Herbst got loose and spun in the Tunnel Turn. The damage sustained was too much for the No. 98 team to continue.

Riley Herbst, driver of the No. 98 Monster Energy Ford Mustang for Stewart-Haas Racing:

“Everybody’s on different tires and pit strategy. I felt like we had a decent Ford Mustang driving back up through the field. I cleared one of the backmarkers and he decided to drive it all the way back into my outside through the Tunnel Turn and I didn’t know he was there. I cleared him down Long Pond. It’s a frustrating day for sure and hurts us in points and everything. Hopefully, we can go get really good points at Road America next week.”

Notes:

● Herbst finished fifth in Stage 2 to earn six bonus points.

● Austin Cindric won the Pocono Green 225 Recycled by J.P. Mascaro & Sons to earn his 12th career victory, his fourth of the season and his first at Pocono. His margin over second-place Ty Gibbs was .331 of a second.

● There were six caution periods for a total of 21 laps.

● Seventeen of the 40 drivers in the Pocono Green 225 Recycled by J.P. Mascaro & Sons finished on the lead lap.

● Austin Cindric remains the championship leader after Pocono with a 101-point advantage over second-place A.J. Allmendinger.

Next Up:

The next event on the Xfinity Series schedule is the Henry 180 on Saturday, July 3 at Road America in Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin. The race starts at 2:30 p.m. EDT with live coverage provided by NBC and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.

Ford Performance NASCAR: Cindric Wins at Pocono (Post Race Press Conference)

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Official Release
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Ford Performance Notes and Quotes
NASCAR Xfinity Series — Pocono Green 225
Pocono Raceway | Sunday, June 27, 2021

FORD FINISHING RESULTS

1st — Austin Cindric
17th — Ryan Sieg
35th — Riley Herbst

AUSTIN CINDRIC, No. 22 Car Shop Ford Mustang — VICTORY LANE INTERVIEW

“You have to be good at everything and that is what this team has proven throughout the year. I am just the one that gets to drive these Ford Mustangs. I am excited about it. I had to execute in every facet and we had everything thrown at us today. I am super proud of this Car Shop Ford Mustang team. Everybody who partners up with us. To finally get one here. Ever since I have been racing ARCA it feels like this one always gets away, so I am really excited.”

THE FINAL STRETCH THERE, THE LONG GREEN-FLAG RUN. YOU SEE THAT BLACK CAR COMING., WHAT WAS GOING THROUGH YOUR MIND? “We gave him a chance didn’t we? We had to make it exciting I guess. I didn’t want it but I guess everybody else did. We will take it and we will take the trophy for sure.”

RILEY HERBST, No. 98 Monster Energy Ford Mustang (Retired on Lap 47 Due to Accident)

“Everybody is on different tires and pit strategy. I felt like we had a decent Ford Mustang driving back up through the field. I cleared one of the backmarkers and he decided to drive it all the way back into my outside through the tunnel and I didn’t know he was there. I cleared him down Long Pond. It is a frustrating do for sure and hurts us in points and everything. Hopefully, we can go get really good points and Road America next week

POST-RACE PRESS CONFERENCE

AUSTIN CINDRIC, No. 22 Car Shop Ford Mustang — FINISHED 1st

WHAT WERE YOU THINKING WHEN THE 66 RAN OUT OF FUEL RIGHT IN FRONT OF YOU? “I thought he was going to run the apron but then he didn’t have the capacity to do so. That was almost the worst-case scenario to be honest. I was trying to manage the lead and my temps and the gap. We just had enough. I felt like lap traffic was fairly respectful to us. All in all I can’t do too much complaining. Circumstances are circumstances and if he would have been 50 yards ahead it would have been a big deal. It all works out and makes a more exciting race. It made me tense up a little more, but that is racing.”

WHAT WERE YOU THINKING WHEN TY GIBBS WAS TRYING TO GET AT YOU THERE AT THE END? “Well, that is certainly his job. He got gifted a three-second buffer and it is his job to do something with it. I think he did everything he could. I think he ran a great race. I feel like our strategy was a little better. We were fairly even matched all day in clean air. I just tried to manage my stuff and my gap and it worked out for us.”

CAN YOU TALK A LITTLE ABOUT THE PIT STRATEGY, COMING IN WHEN YOU DID IN THAT STAGE SO THAT WHEN THINGS CYCLED YOU WOULD BE OUT FRONT? “It was total execution. That is on the pit crew and that is on Brian and that is on me getting good restarts. Starting 13th, it really opened up our strategy. Making our way inside the top-five under green, I feel like everyone executed really well today and made the strategy possible. I am really proud of the effort. The pit crew guys did a great job today. Those guys are improving every week and I am proud of them and proud of Brian and this whole 22 team for bringing such a fast race car.”

LAST YEAR IN THIS RACE YOU HAD A SUPER-FAST CAR AND GOT WRECKED OUT. TO WIN THIS YEAR, DO YOU FEEL LIKE THERE IS ANY REDEMPTION? “Absolutely. This is one of several racetracks that I feel like from last year it was probably one I was looking forward to the most right off the bad, getting to go for another Xfinity championship to come back to places like Pocono and Bristol and so on. We had some get away from us that were out of our control. That is racing. There are plenty of guys that can say that. When you can come back and accomplish your goals, some that have a little bit of emotion behind them, it is pretty fun.”

YOU HAVE 14 MORE PLAYOFF POINTS THAN YOUR NEXT CLOSEST COMPETITOR, HOW IMPORTANT IS THAT? ALSO, HOW DO YOU FEEL ABOUT GOING TO ROAD AMERICA NEXT WEEKEND? “It is important and I want more. Greedy as always as a race car driver. Road America, I am so excited about. If I wasn’t driving that weekend I would be going. I think that part of the country has such a passion for short track racing and a Cup race has been absent from that part of the country, that and Road America is an awesome place and awesome race track. I am doing double duty there. My brake foot is going to be worn out but I don’t really care. It is going to be a lot of fun and hopefully we can have some strong runs.”

Cindric emerges triumphant over Gibbs at Pocono

By
Andrew Kim
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Photo by Kirk Schroll for SpeedwayMedia.com.

Executing the race when it mattered most, Austin Cindric cycled to the lead under the final 15 laps and held off rookie Ty Gibbs amid the lapped traffic to win the Pocono Green 225 at Pocono Raceway on Sunday, June 27, as he claimed his fourth NASCAR Xfinity Series victory of the season in his bid to defend his series title.

The starting lineup was based on a performance metric formula, weighing the driver’s and owner’s results from a previous Xfinity event, the owner points position and the fastest lap recorded from a previous Xfinity race. With that, Harrison Burton started on pole position and was joined on the front row with Justin Allgaier.

Prior to the event, Riley Herbst dropped to the rear of the field due to unapproved adjustments. Jesse Iwuji also started at the rear of the field for a driver change.

When the green flag waved and the race commenced, Harrison Burton launched ahead with the lead on the outside lane, where he was pursued by Allgaier and the field fanning out to two lanes through the three tricky lanes.

After leading the first lap, Harrison Burton was out in front by half a second over Allgaier, with AJ Allmendinger, Daniel Hemric and Jeb Burton in the top five. Noah Gragson was in sixth followed by Brandon Jones, rookie Ty Gibbs, Austin Cindric and Justin Haley.

Following the first five laps of the evert, Harrison Burton continued to lead by seven-tenths of a second over Allgaier with Hemric in pursuit. Teammates Allmendinger and Jeb Burton continued to run in the top five while Gragson, Cindric, Gibbs, Haley and Brandon Jones were in the top 10. By then, newcomer Sam Mayer, piloting the No. 8 JR Motorsports Chevrolet Camaro, was in 11th, Myatt Snider was in 19th in between Brandon Brown and rookie Josh Berry and Riley Herbst was in 24th.

Five laps later, Harrison Burton remained in front of teammate Hemric by four-tenths of a second, with Allgaier trailing by less than a second. Behind, Cindric was in the top five behind Allmendinger while Mayer moved into the top 10 behind Gragson, Jeb Burton, Gibbs and Haley.

Just then, the first caution of the event flew when Josh Williams spun and wrecked in Turn 1 following contact from Santino Ferrucci. Under caution, some like Mayer, Brandon Jones, Josh Berry, Michael Annett, Myatt Snider, Ryan Sieg and others pitted while the rest led by Harrison Burton remained on the track.

When the race restarted on Lap 17, the field battled dead even until Harrison Burton was able to clear and retain the lead over Allgaier and Hemric. 

With Harrison Burton out in front, a three-car battle ensued between Cindric, Allmendinger and Gibbs for fourth place. Behind, Haley got loose in Turn 2 and nearly clipped Gragson in Turn 2, but both managed to continue inside the top 10 without an incident. 

On the final lap of the first stage, Hemric mounted a charge on teammate Harrison Burton for the lead, but Burton managed to keep his No. 20 Dex Imaging Toyota Supra out in front. In the end, he claimed the first stage victory on Lap 20 and his second stage victory of the season. Hemric settled in the runner-up spot followed by Allgaier, Cindric and Allmendinger while Gibbs, Gragson, Jeb Burton, Haley and Berry were in the top 10.

Under the stage break, some led by Allgaier pitted while the rest led by Harrison Burton pitted.

The second stage started on Lap 24 with Allgaier and Snider starting on the front row. At the start, Allgaier managed to clear Snider on the outside lane to retain the lead entering the first turn while a three-wide battle occurred behind between Haley, Hemric and Mayer for third place. 

Shortly after, the caution flag returned for a big accident involving Haley, who made contact with Mayer into the outside wall and was turned as he made pounded the inside wall in Turn 1 before coming back across the track. His No. 11 LeafFilter Gutter Protection Chevrolet Camaro was then hit by the No. 6 JD Motorsports Chevrolet Camaro piloted by Ryan Vargas before coming to a rest near the outside wall. Following the incident, Haley exited his battered car and laid down on the ground before being attended to by the medical personnel. After getting back up, Haley made the trip to the medical center, where he was evaluated and released. 

The wreck placed the event in a red-flag period for over five minutes. When the red flag was lifted and the field proceeded in a cautious pace, few like Landon Cassill, Loris Hezemans and Ryan Sieg pitted while the rest led by Allgaier remained on the track.

When the race restarted under green on Lap 28, Allgaier boosted ahead from the field on the outside lane followed by Hemric and Harrison Burton while Snider fell back on the inside lane through the first turn.

Returning back to the start/finish line, Hemric started to pursue Allgaier for the lead while Cindric challenged Snider for fourth place. 

By Lap 30, Allgaier was leading by two-tenths of a second over Hemric while Harrison Burton trailed by four-tenths of a second. Cindric and Snider remained in the top five.

The following lap, Hemric gained a run entering the frontstretch and drag-raced with Allgaier to the start/finish line before clearing Allgaier’s No. 7 Hellmann’s Chevrolet Camaro entering the first turn and taking the lead.

On Lap 34, the caution returned when Harrison Burton got loose underneath Allgaier in Turn 1, spun and made left-side contact with the outside wall. The incident occurred as Burton was attempting to take over the runner-up spot over Allgaier. Despite returning to pit road, Harrison Burton’s race came to an end.

Under caution, some led by Hemric pitted while the rest led by Ty Gibbs remained on the track. Following the pit stops, Hemric was assessed a pit road speeding penalty and sent to the rear of the field.

With two laps remaining in the second stage, Gibbs and Noah Gragson battled dead even for the lead through the first turn before Gibbs managed to clear Gragson on the outside lane.

Through the final lap and with the field behind battling for positioning, Gibbs managed to retain the top spot and claim the second stage victory on Lap 40, thus recording his second stage victory in his debut Xfinity Series season. Gragson settled in second followed by Brandon Jones, Snider and Herbst while Cindric, Jeb Burton, Allmendinger, Berry and Allgaier were in the top 10.

Under the stage break, some led by Brandon Jones pitted while the rest led by Gibbs remained on the track.

With 46 laps remaining, the final stage commenced as Gibbs and Cindric started on the front row. At the start, Gibbs received a push from Gragson to retain the lead over Cindric entering the first turn. 

At the halfway point on Lap 45, Gibbs was still leading by a narrow margin over Cindric and Gragson. Then, Gibbs got loose entering Turn 1, which allowed Cindric to assume the lead while Gragson challenged Gibbs for the runner-up spot. Just then, the caution returned when Riley Herbst wrecked his No. 98 Monster Energy Ford Mustang in Turn 2.

When the race restarted with 41 laps remaining, Cindric retained the top spot on the outside lane while Gibbs challenged Gragson for the runner-up spot. Behind, Snider was in fourth followed by Brandon Brown, who had Allgaier, Jeb Burton and Allmendinger battling behind.

At the front, Cindric continued to lead by a narrow margin over Gibbs with third-place Gragson trailing by half a second.

With Cindric leading under the final 40 laps, Allgaier and Snider battled for fourth while Hemric and Allmendinger battled for seventh behind Jeb Burton. In addition, Mayer was battling ninth ahead of Brandon Jones.

Down to the final 35 laps of the event, Cindric extended his advantage to nearly a second over Gibbs while Gragson trailed by more than two seconds. By then, Allgaier, who was in fourth place, pitted under green.

A lap later, Snider, who took over fourth place, peeled his No. 2 Crosley Furniture Chevrolet Camaro into pit road for his service. The next lap, Gragson pitted along with Jeb Burton, Allmendinger, Josh Berry and Cindric, giving the lead back to Gibbs. The following lap, Gibbs pitted, which allowed Hemric to take the lead.

With Hemric still leading, teammate Brandon Jones pitted for fuel the following lap. Mayer also pitted, but slid through his pit box during his service, which cost him the lead lap when he returned to the track.

Under the final 30 laps, Hemric, who has yet to pit, continued to lead followed by Brett Moffitt, Jeremy Clements, Brandon Brown, Alex Labbe, Austin Hill, Tommy Joe Martins, Kyle Weatherman, Blaine Perkins and Landon Cassill. Far behind, Cindric was in 20th followed by Allmendinger, Brandon Jones, Allgaier, Gibbs, Gragson, Jeb Burton and Snider.

With 20 laps remaining, Hemric continued to lead by mover 20 seconds over Clements, with Brown, Labbe and Martins in the top five. Cindric, meanwhile, worked his way up to seventh while Gibbs was in 10th. Allgaier was in 12th while Gragson was in 15th in front of Allmendinger.

The following lap, Hemric pitted for four tires and fuel for his No. 18 Poppy Bank Toyota Supra. Then, disaster struck for Hemric, who was busted for speeding on pit road for a second time and was forced to serve a drive-through penalty through pit road. 

With Hemric out of contention, Clements was leading by more than six seconds over Labbe while third-place Cindric was in third place. Gibbs moved up into fourth followed by Allgaier.

Down to the final 15 laps of the event, Cindric was back out in front of the field as Clements and Labbe pitted. Gibbs moved back up into the runner-up spot followed by Allgaier, Ryan Sieg, Gragson and Allmendinger.

With 10 laps remaining, Cindric was leading by more than three seconds over Gibbs while Allgaier, Gragson, Sieg and Allmendinger continued to run in the top six.

Down to the final five laps of the event, Cindric, who was approaching lapped traffic, continued to lead by three seconds over Gibbs. Behind, Allgaier remained in third place ahead of teammate Gragson and Allmendinger. Hemric, meanwhile, was mired back in seventh behind teammate Brandon Jones.

With three laps remaining, Cindric nearly tangled with the lapped car of David Starr, which allowed the No. 54 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota Supra driven by Gibbs to cut the deficit within a second.

When the final lap started, Cindric was leading by less than half a second over a hard-charging Gibbs. Through the first two turns, Cindric continued to lead over Gibbs. Then on the final turn, Gibbs attempted to draw himself to Cindric’s rear bumper, but he did not have enough momentum to complete the run, which allowed Cindric and his No. 22 Car Shop Ford Mustang to remain out in front and fend off Gibbs to take the checkered flag for the fourth time of this season.

In addition to claiming his fourth victory of the season, Cindric collected his 12th NASCAR Xfinity Series career victory as he became the sixth different winner in six Xfinity events at Pocono Raceway, a streak that started since 2016.

“Well, I didn’t know what happened to [David Starr] there,” Cindric said on NBCSN. “I went from a three-second lead to a half a second lead, so these thing’s never easy. I had to avoid two wrecks today, but it’s awesome to, obviously, be in front of all you great people. I’m so excited to see people back in the race track, get the Car Shop Ford Mustang to Victory Lane. I’m over the moon. We’ll keep putting our heads down. We gotta keep getting better. We got strong competition and lot of racing left.”

The runner-up result was Gibbs’ second of the season in his eighth series career start. In his eight career Xfinity starts, Gibbs has finished in the top five in all but one, with his average result being 4.25.

“The lapped cars, definitely, helped me, to my advantage,” Gibbs said. “There were just in the way and messed up. Cindric got stuck up behind them and I was luckily closing. Just put myself in a weird spot where I tried to go under him and maybe, give him a little tap, but I think I could’ve gotten wider and crossed him back over because he went low and I was stuck behind him in the air. Just learning. I’m very thankful to be here…I can’t thank everybody enough. This is a blast and a dream come true running the Xfinity Series.”

Allgaier came home in third place followed by teammate Gragson and Allmendinger.

Hemric, following his late speeding penalty, finished in sixth place followed by teammate Brandon Jones, Jeb Burton, Berry and Snider. 

Sam Mayer settled in a disappointing 18th place, a lap down, in his Xfinity debut while Sieg, who was running short on fuel, fell all the way back to 17th.

There were 11 lead changes for eight different leaders. The race featured six cautions for 21 laps.

Austin Cindric continues to lead the regular-season standings by 101 points over AJ Allmendinger and 112 over Daniel Hemric.

Results.

1. Austin Cindric, 26 laps led

2. Ty Gibbs, 11 laps led, Stage 2 winner

3. Justin Allgaier, 10 laps led

4. Noah Gragson, one lap led

5. AJ Allmendinger

6. Daniel Hemric, 18 laps led

7. Brandon Jones

8. Jeb Burton

9. Josh Berry

10. Myatt Snider

11. Brett Moffitt

12. Michael Annett

13. Jeremy Clements, two laps led

14. Santino Ferrucci

15. Brandon Brown

16. Alex Labbe, one lap led

17. Ryan Sieg

18. Sam Mayer, one lap down

19. Jade Buford, one lap down

20. Tommy Joe Martins, one lap down

21. Landon Cassill, one lap down

22. Jeffrey Earnhardt, one lap down

23. Matt Mills, one lap down

24. Colby Howard, one lap down

25. Austin Hill, one lap down

26. Kyle Weatherman, one lap down

27. Loris Hezemans, one lap down

28. Carson Ware, two laps down

29. Jesse Little, two laps down

30. Mason Massey, two laps down

31. Jesse Iwuji, two laps down

32. Joe Graf Jr., two laps down

33. David Starr, three laps down

34. Blaine Perrkins – OUT, Suspension

35. Riley Herbst – OUT, Accident

36. Joey Gase – OUT, Clutch

37. Harrison Burton – OUT, Accident, 21 laps led, Stage 1 winner

38. Justin Haley – OUT, Accident

39. Ryan Vargas – OUT, Accident

40. Josh Williams – OUT, Accident

Next on the 2021 NASCAR Xfinity Series schedule is a trip to Road America in Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin, which will occur on Saturday, July 3, at 2:30 p.m. ET on NBC.

Stewart Snares Second Straight SRX Win

By
Official Release
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ROSSBURG, OHIO - JUNE 26: Tony Stewart #14 celebrates in victory lane after winning the Camping World Superstar Racing Experience event at Eldora Speedway on June 26, 2021 in Rossburg, Ohio. (Photo by Dylan Buell/SRX via Getty Images)

NASCAR Hall of Famer Drives From Last to First in Camping World SRX Series Race at Eldora

ROSSBURG, Ohio (June 26, 2021) – Tony Stewart made it back-to-back victories in the Camping World SRX Series by winning the third race of the six-race short-track series Saturday night at Eldora Speedway.

Stewart put on a show at the track that he owns, starting from last in the 12-driver field to lead twice for six laps – all in the last seven laps of the 50-lap feature race at the half-mile, high-banked clay oval.

“Jack Hewitt was probably the best I’ve ever seen here at Eldora and I learned a couple of things watching him win the 4-Crown one year where he won all four divisions, and I used that line a lot early in the race here today and it helped out a lot,” said Stewart, referring to sprint car and midget racer Hewitt’s sweep of the 1998 4-Crown Nationals at Eldora.

Stewart won the previous Camping World SRX Series event at Knoxville (Iowa) Raceway on June 19, taking his first SRX win and the series’ first on a dirt track. Eldora marked the second and final dirt track race on the SRX schedule and Stewart showcased his versatility by holding off local all-star Kody Swanson by .481 of a second.

“Kody found the bottom. I couldn’t roll the bottom as good as he could. I was real dependent on being up on the top. I just think that’s what Eldora does – the complexion of the track changes during the race,” Stewart said.

“I thought the top was good in the beginning in the main and then Kody got just crushing everybody on the bottom and got rolling through there. But the good thing was when he went by, everybody else followed him down there like they were in a parade and left the top open. And the longer we went, I finally got the momentum going on the top to get back by him.”

Swanson, the five-time USAC Silver Crown champion who leads the division in wins (30) and poles (31), nearly pulled off another victory for the local all-stars, emulating Doug Coby’s win in the Camping World SRX Series season opener on June 12 at Stafford (Conn.) Motor Speedway.

“I felt like we had a really strong car through the middle of the race,” said Swanson, who was forced into a backup car for the feature race after sustaining damage to his primary car in the second heat race. “I really appreciate everybody with SRX and the guys on the crews. They built 16 cars to come out and put this on in a short amount of time and I appreciate them letting me have a chance in a backup car. I hate to tear up their equipment and I hate to lose.

“I felt like we were really good in the middle of the race and the bottom just kind of gave up a little bit and I got the top of (turns) one and two working. But once Tony had track position, it was hard to get back by him. I felt like I had a chance there but I just didn’t hit the bottom perfect and he got back around. It’s awful hard to beat him here at Eldora.”

Four-time and reigning Indianapolis 500 champion Helio Castroneves acquitted himself well at Eldora, finishing a stout third and rising to second in the Camping World SRX Series championship standings, 33 points behind Stewart.

“It was crazy, especially on the restarts with PT. My goodness, I didn’t have anywhere to go except the wall and I kept hitting the wall,” said Castroneves, with his reference to P.T. being fellow driver Paul Tracy. “After that, something happened. It was really difficult – my car was really loose. So in the end, I said I’ve got to go to the bottom because I saw some of the guys go to the bottom – that’s the only way for my car to have a shot. The long runs were terrible for me. Restarts were the best. So, I kept it relatively clean, but man, I can’t believe it’s my first podium on the dirt. That is awesome.”

The most talked-about driver was Tracy. The 2003 NTT INDYCAR Series champion led the first 25 laps of the 50-lap feature and used the bumper and fenders of his purpose-built SRX racecar prodigiously to protect that lead and then defend his position as Swanson, Castroneves, Marco Andretti and Bobby Labonte surged toward the front.

“I know I’m going to have some Bobby Labonte fans after me because he’s super pissed at me, and rightly so,” Tracy said. “He got by me on the restart. I was running on top and I decided I was going to cut to the bottom like Tony did and I just got it all wrong. He turned in a little earlier than I thought he would and I tagged him and that was it. So that was my bad and I went over to apologize to him he was having none of it.

“The SRX cars put on a great show. I felt really good on this track. This is a wonderful track that Tony has and I couldn’t be happier with how we ran overall tonight. We picked up a lot of points and hopefully made some new fans. I’m sure we made some enemies because those Bobby Labonte fans probably hate me.”

The fender-banging and door-slamming proved entertaining and crowd-pleasing, but the repercussions left a lot of work for Camping World SRX Series co-founder Ray Evernham and his team of mechanics.

“I think we had another good show tonight but, as race director, I’ve got a couple of phone calls to make to some people this week where I’ll have to say, ‘Look, this is for fun.’ We’ve got a lot of torn-up cars, but it sounds like the fans like it,” Evernham said.

“We should’ve put Kody in that practice car to begin with. It looked like he liked it better than his original car. I knew when both of them got to the front, when Kody was on the bottom and Tony was on the top, I knew it was going to be pretty exciting. I thought Kody had it won on the last lap because I thought he was rolling the bottom good enough to slide up in front of Tony.

“I thought it was great, but I’ve got to wait what and see the fans think.”

After two straight dirt-track races at Knoxville (Iowa) Raceway and Eldora, the Camping World SRX Series returns to pavement for its fourth race July 3 at Lucas Oil Raceway in Brownsburg, Indiana. Bobby Santos III is the local all-star who will join the Camping World SRX Series regulars at the .686-mile asphalt oval near Indianapolis.

Santos is from Franklin, Massachusetts, and is best known for his success on the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour. Nicknamed “Bobby New England,” Santos has 149 career Modified Tour starts with 19 victories, 54 top-five finishes and 18 pole positions to go along with his 2010 series championship. Additionally, Santos has excelled in USAC, scoring 10 career Silver Crown wins, including four at Lucas Oil Raceway. Two of his seven career National Sprint Car victories have come at Lucas Oil Raceway, as well as one of his 11 career victories in the Champion Midget category. The versatile Santos is a four-time winner of the A.J. Foyt Championship (2006, 2011, 2017 and 2020), which is awarded to the driver with the season-best points tally at Lucas Oil Raceway in USAC’s top-three series – Silver Crown, Sprint Car and Midget.

Returning to the Camping World SRX Series for a second straight week is Scott Speed. The Manteca, California-native finished sixth on the dirt at Eldora and now he will test his mettle on asphalt.

Speed is one of the most versatile drivers in motorsports. His career began with his climb up the American open-wheel ladder and it took him all the way to Formula One in 2006 and 2007, after which he turned his attention to American stock car racing, where Speed rose to the elite NASCAR Cup Series as a driver for Team Red Bull. Over the last decade, Speed has made his mark on the worldwide Rallycross stage, winning three Summer X Games gold medals from 2013 through 2015 for Team USA and five consecutive Rallycross championships from 2013 through 2017 for Andretti Autosport.

After Lucas Oil Raceway, the Camping World SRX Series ventures north to Slinger (Wis.) Speedway on July 10 before its season finale July 17 at the Nashville (Tenn.) Fairgrounds Speedway.

Every Camping World SRX Series race is broadcast live at 8 p.m. ET on the CBS Television Network with streaming on Paramount+ Premium.

Heat Race No. 1 (12 minutes, 24 laps):
Note: Starting lineup determined by random draw.

  1. Tony Stewart (Started 4th; led laps 13-17, 19-21, 23-24)
  2. Helio Castroneves (Started 3rd; led laps 18, 22; completed 24/24 laps)
  3. Paul Tracy (Started 9th; completed 24/24 laps)
  4. Marco Andretti (Started 8th; completed 24/24 laps)
  5. Bobby Labonte (Started 7th; completed 24/24 laps)
  6. Kody Swanson (Started 2nd; completed 24/24 laps)
  7. Ernie Francis Jr. (Started 10th; completed 24/24 laps)
  8. Bill Elliott (Started 6th; led laps completed 24/24laps)
  9. Michael Waltrip (Started 11th; led laps completed 24/24 laps)
  10. Scott Speed (Started 12th; led laps completed 24/24 laps)
  11. Tony Kanaan (Started 1st; led laps 1-12; completed 24/24 laps)
  12. Willy T. Ribbs (Started 5th; led laps completed 24/24 laps)

Heat Race No. 2 (12 minutes, 11 laps):
Note: Drivers’ finishing positions in Heat Race No. 1 were inverted for start of Heat Race No. 2.

  1. Marco Andretti (Started 9th; led laps 4-11)
  2. Paul Tracy (Started 10th; completed 11/11 laps)
  3. Tony Stewart (Started 12th; completed 11/11 laps)
  4. Scott Speed (Started 3rd; completed 11/11 laps)
  5. Bobby Labonte (Started 8th; completed 11/11 laps)
  6. Helio Castroneves (Started 11th; completed 11/11 laps)
  7. Bill Elliott (Started 5th; led laps completed 11/11 laps)
  8. Tony Kanaan (Started 2nd; led laps completed 11/11 laps)
  9. Willy T. Ribbs (Started 1st; led laps 1-3; completed 11/11 laps)
  10. Ernie Francis Jr. (Started 6th; completed 3/11 laps)
  11. Michael Waltrip (Started 4th; completed 3/11 laps)
  12. Kody Swanson (Started 7th; completed 3/11 laps)

Feature Results (50 laps):
Note: Starting lineup was based on average finishing positions in Heat Race Nos. 1-2.

  1. Tony Stewart (Started 1st, but went to back after pace laps; led laps 44-45, 47-50)
  2. Kody Swanson (Started 9th; led laps 26-33, 34-35, 46; completed 50/50 laps)
  3. Helio Castroneves (Started 4th; completed 50/50 laps)
  4. Marco Andretti (Started 3rd; completed 50/50 laps)
  5. Paul Tracy (Started 2nd; led laps 1-25, 34-35; completed 50/50 laps)
  6. Scott Speed (Started 6th; completed 50/50 laps)
  7. Tony Kanaan (Started 10th; completed 50/50 laps)
  8. Ernie Francis Jr. (Started 8th; completed 50/50 laps)
  9. Willy T. Ribbs (Started 12th; completed 50/50 laps)
  10. Michael Waltrip (Started 11th; completed 50/50 laps)
  11. Bobby Labonte (Started 5th; completed 45/50 laps)
  12. Bill Elliott (Started 7th; completed 45/50 laps)

Camping World SRX Series Championship Standings (after Round 3 of 6):
1.    Tony Stewart (129 points)
2.    Helio Castroneves (96 points, -33)
3.    Ernie Francis Jr. (90 points, -39)
4.    Marco Andretti (80 points, -49)
5.    Bobby Labonte (75 points, -54)
6.    Paul Tracy (64 points, -65)
7.    Michael Waltrip (57 points, -72)
8.    Bill Elliott (46 points, -83)
9.    Tony Kanaan (45 points, -84)
10.  Willy T. Ribbs (38 points, -91)

Note: Points are awarded in both heats and the feature. In each heat, the winner receives a maximum of 12 points. Second place earns 11 points with every position in descending order receiving one fewer point, with the 12th-place finisher earning one point. Points increase in the feature, with the winner receiving 25 points, second place 22 points, third place 20 points, fourth place 18 points, fifth place 16 points, sixth place 14 points, seventh place 12 points, eighth place 10 points, ninth place eight points, 10th place six points, 11th place four points and 12th place two points.

About Camping World SRX Series:

The Camping World SRX Series was created by a team consisting of Sandy Montag and The Montag Group, George Pyne, NASCAR Hall of Fame crew chief and team owner Ray Evernham, and legendary driver Tony Stewart. The Montag Group leads business operations and Evernham oversees all racing operations. Pyne is a member of the Board and serves as an advisor. For more information, please visit us online at www.SRXracing.com, on Facebook, on Twitter and on Instagram.

Steven Aghakhani and Jacob Eidson Score First Win of Season Saturday in No. 6 SADA Systems/USRT Lamborghini at Watkins Glen International

By
Official Release
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Image: Jamey Price/@jameypricephoto

Hard-Fought IMSA Lamborghini Super Trofeo North America Pro-Class Victory Sets Stage for Premiere of Steven Racing Feature Film “The Pursuit of Speed” Saturday, July 10 in Century City

WATKINS GLEN, New York (June 26, 2021) – Steven Aghakhani and Jacob Eidson charged to their first race win of the 2021 IMSA Lamborghini Super Trofeo North America season Saturday at Watkins Glen International in the No. 6 SADA Systems US RaceTronics (USRT) Lamborghini Huracán Evo.

The hard-earned overall and Pro-class victory came after another pair of competitive drives by starter Eidson and race-closer Aghakhani that bookended a typically spot-on pit stop by the USRT team. The great pit work ultimately put Aghakhani back in the race in first place, and he skillfully defended the lead to the end of the 50-minute sprint for a 0.462 of a second margin of victory.

“The overall win here was amazing,” Aghakhani said. “Jacob had an amazing first stint and kept the car where we wanted it. I hopped in, did exactly what I had to do, and just went out there and held everybody off. We are putting in extra time and extra practice and the results show. We had a very unlucky first race Friday, and we weren’t in the brightest mood today, but we had to pick ourselves up. We have a whole war to win, and this is what our actual pace should be.”

Eidson took the green flag at the start of the race from third on the grid and never ran out of the overall top-three in his race-opening stint.

“The start got a little bit hairy but we all got through there clean,” Eidson said. “I just put my head down and handed the keys to Steven. Thankfully, through some poor decisions by other drivers, we were able to get the lead and finish off with the win. That’s exactly how we wanted to complete the weekend.”

Aghakhani took over from Eidson shortly after the race’s halfway point and dealt with bold challenges from the competition while even in pit lane.

“I got in the car and Richard Antinucci, our main competitor this year, decided to slow down and manipulate the pit speed in the fast lane,” Aghakhani said. “I knew that’s not allowed, so I just kept pushing him forward and forward to stay on our timing. We were the only ones playing by the books, he got a penalty and we got the lead.”

Saturday’s victory made up for a disappointing DNF (Did Not Finish) after a left rear tire blow out in Friday’s first 50 minute Lamborghini race at Watkins Glen.

The breakout win also sets the stage for the private red-carpet premiere of the documentary movie “The Pursuit of Speed” in two weeks in Aghakhani’s hometown of Los Angeles. The full-length feature film is an inside look at Aghakhani’s 2020 IMSA Lamborghini Super Trofeo season that also delves into the intricacies of the dual team director/driver and father-and-son relationships between Steven and his father, Armik Aghakhani.

The film by Jeffrey John Hart is set for its premiere on Saturday, July 10 at the AMC Century City 15 on Santa Monica Blvd. in Los Angeles.

Next up on track for Aghakhani and Lamborghini Super Trofeo North America is Rounds 7 and 8 of the 2021 championship in another weekend doubleheader schedule of 50-minute races at Road America, in Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin, August 6 – 8.

Aghakhani’s Lamborghini racing programs run with the support of several key sponsor partners in 2021. SADA Systems, Inc. is a privately held global leader in providing business and technology consulting services that transform organizations through cloud-based solutions at www.sada.com. Insignia Mortgage focuses on providing flexible portfolio lending options for clients with non-traditional lending needs. Learn more at www.insigniamortgage.com. Magic Laundry Services (MLS) is one of the largest independently owned hospitality linens and dry-cleaning operations in the country, catering primarily to the hospitality industry. Learn more at www.magiclaundryservices.com. TKX Associates specializes in consulting and staff augmentation at www.tkxassociates.com, Shegerian & Associates is a Los Angeles based firm at www.shegerianlaw.com. The Tax & Business Consulting Group is a Los Angeles-based public accounting firm at www.alllp.com. Equeduct provides capital funding solutions for small businesses at www.equeduct.com. O’Gara Coach, at www.ogaracoach, is a luxury and high-performance auto dealer in Beverly Hills, Westlake Village and San Diego. Additional valued partners include Forgiato Wheels at www.forgiato.com, Speed Society at https://speedsociety.com and the Pro Automotive Repair Center in Glendale, California.

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