The world is filled with car enthusiasts today. Whether you’re a long-time enthusiast or just starting, there are some essential things to know about keeping your vehicle up-to-date and functioning properly.
Here are six tips that every car enthusiast should know:
Top Off Necessary Fluids in the Vehicle
Always top off fluids like oil, coolant, brake fluid, windshield wiper fluid, and more when they get low. The owner’s manual will tell you what level and fill to set each fluid. Fuel tank with fresh fuel or diesel exhaust fumes treatment additive.
Keep an Eye on Tire Pressure & Wear Patterns
Tire pressure should always be checked before taking a long drive or any type of road trip. Tires can lose air volume over time, so make sure that all tires have enough air in them at all times and check tire wear patterns as well. Different types of driving will cause different types of wear patterns, from front-wheel drive vehicles braking harder than rear-wheel drive vehicles and other types of driving.
Don’t wait until you get a flat tire to check your tires. Check the pressure weekly and make sure it’s at or near the recommended level for optimal performance.
Inspect Tires For Signs of Damage
Look over both the exterior and interior of the car, checking for any warning signs that could be caused by something as simple as low air in a tire. Look out for anything such as bulges on either side, cuts in the fabric around wheel wells, or unusual sounds when driving down the road. Fixing these issues can help prevent costly repairs later on too!
Tire damage can be caused by improper inflation. Keeping up with regular maintenance will help keep your car in top condition and save you from being stranded on the side of the road, or worse yet, an unexpected breakdown while traveling on vacation!
Car Maintenance & Tune-Ups
Regular maintenance is vital for car enthusiasts to help avoid any significant issues in the future, as a hefty bill for transmission work, engine repair, or anything else that can get expensive quickly. Make sure to take your vehicle to a mechanic once every three years for an inspection and tune-up. You will also want to check oil levels, coolant levels, and more often than not before long drives if possible so you don’t end up stranded on the side of the road somewhere with no way home because there’s something wrong with your car that could have been fixed by just checking it first. A quick trip to a mechanic ashmore will give you peace of mind while on vacation, knowing everything is working properly.
Replace Air Filter Every 20k-30k Miles
Regularly replace your air filter every 20K – 30K miles (about 40-60 thousand miles) to maintain the efficiency of your engine by ensuring that enough oxygen is received.
Regularly clean your air filter with water and a paper towel or washcloth, ensuring all debris has been removed from it before placing it back in your car. Remember that this task should be done every 20K miles (about 40 thousand miles) at a minimum as well!
This will help ensure no dirt or dust gets into the intake system and clogs up vital parts like valves, filters, carbs, etc., which can cause expensive repairs later on down the road when something fails unexpectedly due to lack of maintenance.
In some cases, even preventative maintenance such as cleaning an air filter regularly can save you hundreds if not thousands over the life of your car.
Inspect The Engine Compartment For Loose Items That Could Cause Damage
Walking around the exterior of a vehicle and inspecting under or even inside the hood is an important way to identify potential problems that could arise later on down the road.
Finding items such as nuts, bolts, and screws that have loosened over time can cause expensive repairs that should be addressed now before they get worse, causing parts to break due to excessive vibrations, for example, where they were loose but not secured tightly enough. Checking every few months (depending on mileage) will prevent many headaches in the future caused by simple things like this!
Car enthusiasts should know that preventive maintenance can go a long way in keeping their rides running smoothly. It’s essential to get your vehicle back into good shape, so it’s always ready when you are too!
Autobiography:
Eric Reyes is a passionate thought leader having been featured in 50 distinguished online and offline platforms. His passion and knowledge in Finance and Business made him a sought-after contributor providing valuable insights to his readers. You can find him reading a book and discussing current events in his spare time.
Cars are ubiquitous in modern American life, with entire cities planned out for automobile use rather than pedestrians. Despite being such important tools for everyday life, they have become increasingly expensive over the past few years. According to a report from market watchers, the average price for a new light vehicle is now over $40,000, over $2,000 over the price of the same type of vehicle last year. The price of used cars isn’t much better
You may need a vehicle no matter how expensive it is but it’s understandable if you’d rather look for another way to get a car. An alternative method you can employ to get your own car is fixing an old one.
But which is better for you and your wallet?
Pros of Buying New
Comes with Warranties
When you buy a new, for instance, Subaru you wouldn’t have to worry about replacing Subaru brake parts with pieces from some other vehicle because you couldn’t afford them. A new car comes with warranties that cover such replacements, at least for the first year or so. This means it can be cheaper to maintain them during the period covered by the warranty, provided the damages are included in its coverage.
Brand-New
A brand-new car doesn’t have all the baggage of buying an old or used car has. You won’t have to worry about the car’s mileage, if it’s been in any accidents in the past year or whether a previous owner stored anything smelly in it. When you buy a brand-new vehicle, all you have to worry about are the payments.
High Resale Value
If you end up not liking your new vehicle, it’s brand-new condition will ensure that you can find plenty of buyers. Its relatively new condition will also ensure that you can set a high price for your car. This means it will be easier to recoup any losses or expense you incurred buying the vehicle.
Cons of Buying New
Very Expensive
As wonderful as buying a new car can be, the rising costs can make it such a purchase prohibitively expensive. Aside from costing thousands of dollars, buying a car can come with plenty of additional costs. A car can come with hidden expenses such as parking fees if you don’t have your own garage, and accessories you may need for maintenance. On top of its initial purchase, these expenses can push the price right through the roof.
Varying ROI
When you buy a car, you better have great reason for doing so. If you only use a car to ferry your kids to and from school or because you don’t want the hassle of a short commute, you may be using your money for the wrong reason. The return of investment for a car depends on you and your earning power. But the more you can make use of your car, the better.
Pros of Fixing an Old Car
Cost-Effective
Patching up an old car can cost significantly less than buying an entirely new car. If the vehicle is only missing a few crucial pieces or needs cleaning and some repairs, you can drive away with a perfectly serviceable car with only a few thousand dollars worth of expenses.
It’s Educational
Fixing an old car can teach you a lot about auto repair. If the extent of your automotive repair knowledge is opening the trunk and putting water in the radiator, you may want to take the opportunity to learn how to fix one. This can help you avoid incurring expensive bills whenever your car gets into trouble as you can enact repairs on your own.
You Can Fix Rare Models
Car restoration can not only give you with a vehicle you can drive around in, but it can also be very lucrative. If you ply your cards right, you may end up fixing rare and expensive models. For example, if you find a broken down 1959 Cadillac, you can be looking at a car worth tens of thousands of dollars to the right buyer.
Cons of Fixing an Old Car
Can Go Overbudget
Fixing an old car can become a bottomless money pit, depending on the age and the condition of the vehicle. The price of the parts and the repairs needed to make the car worthy of the road or a collection can be worth much more than you can readily pay up. If the car is in bad enough condition, you may end up paying for repairs and waiting for it to get fixed up years on end.
Unreliable
No matter how much you fix up an old car, it will be almost impossible to make it run as good as new. Your repairs may not take, parts you thought were good enough to function can break apart and it may not even run despite the best of your efforts. This can make all your hard work seem meaningless and your expenses for nothing.
Whether you buy a new car depends entirely on your individual circumstance. If you can find an old car for the right price and in a workable condition, consider fixing it up instead. If you have the money to do so, a new car may just be what you need. Use your best judgment and you can find the automobile of your dreams.
The 2021 comeback season for Kyle Larson continued under the lights in the Lone Star state after the Elk Grove, California, native prevailed over a late battle against Brad Keselowski and Chase Elliott to win the NASCAR All-Star Race at Texas Motor Speedway on Sunday, June 13, and claim his second All-Star career victory.
The starting lineup was determined via random draw, with Kyle Larson, winner of last weekend’s Cup event at Sonoma Raceway, starting on pole position and Kyle Busch joining him on the front row.
Ross Chastain, Tyler Reddick and Aric Almirola transferred to the All-Star Race following their respective segment victories in the All-Star Open along with Matt DiBenedetto, winner of this year’s All-Star Fan Vote.
When the green flag waved and the race commenced for Round 1, the field battled dead even through the first two turns and entering the backstretch led by the two Kyles. At the start/finish line, Kyle Busch’s No. 18 M&M’s Toyota Camry led the first lap over Larson’s No. 5 HendrickCars.com Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 1LE.
Then in Turn 1, the caution waved when Christopher Bell got sideways in Turn 1, though he was able to straighten the car on the apron and not sustain any damage to his No. 20 CRAFTSMAN Toyota Camry. Bell was the only competitor who pitted under caution, with caution laps not counting in the race.
When the race restarted on a 14-lap dash through the first round, the two Kyles battled dead even for the lead again for one full lap before Busch prevailed the following lap. With Kyle Busch leading, Cole Custer challenged Larson for the runner-up spot ahead of Chase Elliott and William Byron with the field battling intensely for spots.
Through the first five laps of the event, Kyle Busch was leading by three-tenths of a second over Larson, with Byron, Custer and Elliott in the top five. Joey Logano and Austin Dillon were in sixth and seventh followed by Brad Keselowski, Kurt Busch and Kevin Harvick.
Two laps later, Larson overtook Kyle Busch to assume the lead for the first time. At the same time, Byron challenged Busch for the runner-up spot, though the former retained the spot.
Not long after, Kyle Busch attempted to challenge Larson back for the lead on the inside lane, but Larson retained the top spot on the outside lane entering the backstretch. Soon after, Byron also took over the runner-up spot while Elliott and Custer battled for fourth.
By Lap 12, the battle for the runner-up spot heated up as Elliott joined teammate Byron and Kyle Busch in an attempt to overtake both. With Larson still leading, Byron was able to clear himself to remain in second while Kyle Busch continued to battle Elliott for third place.
Back at the front, Larson was able to fend off teammate Byron and Kyle Busch to claim Round 1 on Lap 15. Byron, Kyle Busch, Elliott and Custer settled in the top five followed by Austin Dillon, Keselowski, Kurt Busch, Ross Chastain and Logano.
Under the first break, the leaders pitted for early adjustments. Prior to the second round, the top-12 competitors were inverted in positions, a decision made via random draw. The move made Ryan Blaney and Kevin Harvick start on the front row.
When Round 2 started on Lap 16, Blaney received a push from Chastain to retain the lead entering the first turn. Soon after, Chastain attempted to make a move on the outside lane for the lead, but his plan backfired as Keselowski took over the runner-up spot while Chastain was left in a battle with Chase Elliott. Behind, Harvick drifted back to eighth.
The following lap, Chastain got Blaney sideways entering Turn 1, but Blaney maintained the lead and straightened his No. 12 Menards/Wrangler Ford Mustang, though he was left in a battle with teammate Keselowski for the lead.
At the front, teammates Blaney and Keselowski battled dead even for the lead, with Keselowski fighting on the inside lane and Blaney on the outside. Chastain, meanwhile, was in third followed by Elliott and the Busch brothers.
By Lap 20, Blaney was leading by a narrow margin over teammate Keselowski while Chastain, Kurt Busch, Elliott, Byron, Kyle Busch, Logano, Martin Truex Jr. and Custer were in the top 10.
Five laps later, Penske’s Blaney and Keselowski were running first and second followed by Chip Ganassi Racing’s Chastain and Kurt Busch, with Joe Gibbs Racing’s Kyle Busch in fifth and Hendrick Motorsports’ Elliott running in sixth.
When Round 2 concluded on Lap 30, Blaney survived an intense, competitive battle for the lead as he was the leader followed by teammate Keselowski, Chastain, Kurt Busch, Byron, Elliott, Kyle Busch, Custer, Denny Hamlin and Logano.
Under the second break, the leaders returned to pit road for more adjustments.
Prior to the third event, the entire field was inverted, giving DiBenedetto and Almirola the front row.
When Round 3 started on Lap 31, DiBenedetto cleared Almirola to lead the field as Michael McDowell challenged Almirola for the runner-up spot. Behind, Ryan Newman challenged Harvick for fourth as Alex Bowman joined the party.
A few laps later, McDowell made a bid for the lead through the backstretch, but DiBenedetto received a push from Almirola’s No. 10 Smithfield Ford Mustang through Turn 4 to remain in the lead entering the backstretch.
By Lap 35, DiBenedetto was leading by a narrow margin over McDowell followed by Bowman, Almirola and Larson. Newman was in sixth followed by Christopher Bell, Austin Dillon, Hamlin and Harvick.
Two laps later, Bowman moved his No. 48 Ally Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 1LE into the lead.
By Lap 40, Bowman was leading by half a second over DiBenedetto, with Almirola, McDowell and Newman in the top five,
With the field behind battling for position, Bowman was able to retain the top spot and claim Round 3 on Lap 45. DiBenedetto was in second place followed by Almirola, McDowell, Newman, Larson, Hamlin, Bell, Byron and Harvick.
Under the round break, the leaders returned to pit road for adjustments as the race transitioned to evening conditions.
Prior to the fourth round, the top-nine competitors via random draw were inverted, placing Byron’s No. 24 AXALTA Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 1LE into the lead.
When Round 4 started on Lap 46, Byron and Bell battled side-by-side for the lead for one full lap before the former prevailed. Soon after, Larson made his way into the runner-up spot over Bell while DiBenedetto, Bowman and Hamlin battled for fourth. Elliott was mired back in ninth while Kyle Busch was in 17th.
By Lap 50 and at the halfway mark, Byron was leading by two-tenths of a second over teammate Larson, with Bell trailing by six-tenths of a second. DiBenedetto and Hamlin battled for fourth while Bowman, Elliott, Blaney, Newman and McDowell were in the top 10.
With the laps in the fourth round dwindling, Larson started to catch teammate Byron for the lead as he decreased the deficit to a tenth of a second.
Despite being challenged by his teammate for the lead, Byron was able to hold on to the lead and win Round 4 on Lap 60 by a tenth of a second over Larson. Hamlin, Bell, Elliott, Blaney, Bowman, DiBenedetto, Almirola and Newman were scored in the top 10.
Under the round break, the leaders pitted for another round of adjustments.
The lineup for the fifth round was determined via the cumulative results from the first four rounds, giving Byron the lead and teammate Larson the runner-up spot.
When Round 5 started on Lap 61, the entire field battled dead even led by teammates Byron and Larson.
The following lap, names like Hamlin, Bell, DiBenedetto, Reddick, Truex, Harvick and McDowell made a mandatory pit stop under green. Soon after, Kyle Busch pitted along with Newman and Austin Dillon. Then, Kyle Busch and Austin Dillon were assessed a penalty for speeding on pit road.
Back on track, Byron was leading followed by teammates Larson, Elliott and Bowman, with Kurt Busch and Keselowski in fifth and sixth. Soon after, Blaney pitted along with Custer.
By Lap 70, all four Hendrick Motorsports competitors were running first through fourth, with Byron still out in front. By then, Custer and Kurt Busch made their mandatory pit stop under green.
Through Lap 75, Byron continued to lead, though he was one of eight competitors that had yet to pit.
Not long after, Byron pitted along with Larson, Elliott, Bowman and Chastain. Through the next three laps, Keselowski, Logano and Almirola were the final round of competitors to make a mandatory pit stop.
Just then, the caution flew when Chastain, who had just pitted, spun in Turn 1 following contact from Newman. At the time of caution, Keselowski, who was the last competitor to pit, was able to cycle ahead with the lead over Elliott, Byron and Larson.
Under caution, few names like Chastain, Kyle Busch and DiBenedetto pitted. By then, Kyle Busch received the free pass and returned to the lead lap while Austin Dillon was still trapped a lap behind.
When the race restarted on Lap 80, Keselowski and Elliott battled dead even for the lead, with Elliott leading the next lap by a nose. With the battle for the lead heating up in the closing laps, Elliott was able to take the rocket ahead with the lead on the outside lane through the following lap followed by teammates Byron and Larson as Keselowski slipped back to fourth.
By Lap 85, Elliott was still leading by more than a tenth of a second over teammate Byron. Keselowski moved back into third place followed by Larson and Blaney while Logano was in sixth.
When Round 5 concluded on Lap 90, Elliott was able to fend off teammate Byron to remain in the lead. Larson and Blaney settled in third and fourth followed by Keselowski, Logano, Hamlin, Bowman, Kurt Busch and Almirola.
Under the final round break, Austin Dillon received the free pass and returned on the lead lap, making all 21 competitors scored on the lead lap entering the final round. Few names like Harvick, McDowell, Newman, Reddick, DiBenedetto and Austin Dillon pitted while under caution.
Following the mandatory green flag pit stops from all competitors during the fifth round, it was announced that Chase Elliott’s pit crew led by crew chief Alan Gustafson earned $100,000 for being the fastest pit crew of the evening.
The lineup for the final round was determined via the results from the fifth round, keeping Elliott and Byron on the front row.
When the Final Round started on Lap 90 and for a 10-lap shootout to the finish, Elliott peaked ahead in Turn 1 before Blaney made a bold three-wide move while going for the lead over Larson and Byron, with Byron falling back. Through the backstretch, Blaney and Elliott engaged in a heated battle, with Elliott receiving a push from Larson to squeak ahead.
The following lap, teammates Elliott and Larson battled dead even for the lead across the line and for nearly a full circuit before Keselowski bolted his way to the lead beneath Elliott and Larson through Turns 3 and 4. Though Keselowski led the following lap, Larson fought back on the outside lane and reassumed the top spot with seven laps remaining.
With five laps remaining, Larson was leading by nearly a tenth of a second over Keselowski, with Elliott trailing by two-tenths of a second and Logano and Blaney running in the top five. Despite being pressured by Keselowski and Elliott, Larson continued to hold strong with the lead.
Down to the final three laps of the event, Larson continued to lead by a tenth of a second over Keselowski, with Elliott trailing by three-tenths of a second and slowly falling back.
When the final lap started, Larson was ahead by nearly three-tenths of a second over Keselowski, who continued to trail Larson closely, but not have enough to complete his run to the lead. Through the backstretch and Turn 3, Larson stabilized his narrow margin over Keselowski to come back around the finish line and take the checkered flag on Lap 100, thus winning the All-Star Race and a million dollars.
With the victory, Larson became the eighth competitor to claim multiple All-Star victories as he won his first All-Star event since 2019. In addition, he recorded the 10th All-Star victory for Hendrick Motorsports and the first for crew chief Cliff Daniels.
FORT WORTH, TEXAS – JUNE 13: Kyle Larson, driver of the #5 HendrickCars.com Chevrolet, and crew chief Cliff Daniels celebrate in victory lane after winning the NASCAR All-Star Race at Texas Motor Speedway on June 13, 2021 in Fort Worth, Texas. (Photo by Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images).
“Honestly, I can’t believe it,” Larson said on FS1. “That second run there, we were really bad and I was like, ‘Man, we’re in trouble.’ I went backwards that round, so I was like we got an uphill battle and did not imagine myself winning this race today. Cliff and everybody works so hard on this thing, made some good adjustments during those first, second and third rounds, and got us in position. That last restart worked exactly how I needed it to do…I can’t believe it.”
Keselowski finished in second place in his 13th appearance in the All-Star event, which marked his third runner-up event in the event.
“It feels like to run second to the Hendrick cars right now is kind of an accomplishment,” Keselowski said. “They’re just stupid fast. I had [Larson] off of Turn 4, but they just have so much speed. He just motored right on back by me like damn. It feels like a first in class day for the Discount Tire Ford. [Crew chief] Jeremy Bullins and the team did a great job of executing and getting us in position. We just didn’t have enough speed to make the most of it, but good execution day and I’m proud of that.”
Elliott, winner of last year’s All-Star event at Bristol Motor Speedway, settled in third place. Logano and teammate Blaney finished in the top five. Bowman, teammate Byron, Almirola, Kyle Busch and Kurt Busch completed the top 10 on the track.
There were 10 lead changes for eight different leaders. The race featured seven cautions. All 21 starters finished on the lead lap.
Results.
1. Kyle Larson, 17 laps led
2. Brad Keselowski, five laps led
3. Chase Elliott, 12 laps led
4. Joey Logano
5. Ryan Blaney, 15 laps led
6. Alex Bowman, nine laps led
7. William Byron, 30 laps led
8. Aric Almirola
9. Kyle Busch, six laps led
10. Kurt Busch
11. Christopher Bell
12. Michael McDowell
13. Martin Truex Jr.
14. Cole Custer
15. Kevin Harvick
16. Tyler Reddick
17. Matt DiBenedetto, six laps led
18. Ross Chastain
19. Austin Dillon
20. Ryan Newman
21. Denny Hamlin
Next on the NASCAR Cup Series schedule is the series’ inaugural event at Nashville Superspeedway on Sunday, June 20, with the event to occur at 3:30 p.m. ET on NBCSN as FOX’s coverage of this year’s NASCAR season concludes.
CHEVROLET RACING IN NTT INDYCAR SERIES CHEVROLET DETROIT GRAND PRIX STREETS OF BELLE ISLE TEAM CHEVY POST RACE PRESS CONFERENCE TRANSCRIPT JUNE 13, 2021
Pato O’Ward and Taylor Kiel Press Conference Transcript
THE MODERATOR: We’ve been joined by our race winner, Pato O’Ward, driver of the No. 5 AMSP Chevy. We’ve also been joined by president of Arrow McLaren SP, Taylor Kiel. Congratulations. Pato, tell us how you’re feeling. You’re the first guy to win multiple races this season, and after finishing third yesterday, here you are, winner. PATO O’WARD: Yeah, today was pretty good. I knew I had a great car. I made a stupid mistake in qualifying, didn’t transfer. I started in the back, so I knew it was going to be tough. I knew I had to fight my way literally to the front because I remember after the last pit stop Taylor was like, okay, this is the order, everybody has one pit stop, everybody is reset, so it’s like, well, we’re staying here unless we have a yellow and I can ship it. So yellow came out, and that’s where I — I have a lot of faith in myself whenever the car is wiggling around. I know I’m very strong on cold tires, so I took advantage of it, got by people and got her done. THE MODERATOR: Taylor, obviously an emotional weekend for you this weekend with Felix’s injury. Pato dedicated the race to him. Can you give us your perspective? TAYLOR KIEL: Yeah, I think that’s really it. It says it all, emotional. When you see something like that happen to a race driver, it puts your stomach in your throat. First of all, we’re happy that Felix is okay and he’ll be back with us soon. Certainly bringing home a victory was top of mind in trying to help Felix’s recovery a little bit, but man, what a great effort from everybody, certainly from the men and women on the 7 car to get that thing fixed and ready to compete today. But also the men and women on the 5 car, to make it a race-winning car. We had a great car today. Pato did what he needed to do. The team did what they needed to do. And when you execute like that, we’re tough to beat. Certainly lows and highs, but we’re ending on a high and excited to get to Road America in a week. THE MODERATOR: Have you had a chance to talk to Felix yet? PATO O’WARD: No, I have not seen my phone, but I told Felix this was for him before the race started. TAYLOR KIEL: He’s been texting me a lot. He said he’s never seen 10 laps like that in his life. He was certainly watching. He’s super excited for the team and ready to get back. Q. Pato, pretty big weekend for Mexico sporting-wise, first Brandon Moreno becomes the first Mexican-born UFC champion last night and now this big win for you today. We all know your first win earlier this year was special, but what does it mean to you to win in Detroit in Chevrolet’s backyard and to dedicate this win to your teammate? PATO O’WARD: Yeah, I think first off, I’m really happy that I got it because I truly wanted to get it for the — because yesterday was very mixed emotions. We were on the podium but everything was very focused on Felix being okay, and I consider Felix very close, and it’s not a cool feeling to see that because it can happen to any of us. Yeah, it’s not fun. I was really pleased to hear that he was okay. Yeah, he left the hospital today. He’s feeling better. He’s sore. But yeah, I’m excited that I got this for the team, for him, and yeah. Q. How was that dip in the fountain? PATO O’WARD: Oh, my God. Water has never felt so good. It was like perfectly chilled. Q. Pato, a lot of people are wondering, how do you get your tires warmer than others or how do you keep them so clean heading into a restart? What was your secret for that last climactic restart? PATO O’WARD: Fast hands. Q. What did your car feel like in those last few laps as you were — PATO O’WARD: It was wiggly, but I felt like I still had life in the tire available, so I just had to be very — I knew I only had one chance to get every single guy. I couldn’t spend three chances on Dixon. It had to be one. So every time I would pull out or do something, I had to take the risk of pushing the braking zone or getting that mega exit to be able to get in front of them. But I feel like — I was very happy with how I executed it. Q. Several people I talked to said what stands out about you, at least that they’ve seen, is once you get there like you were just talking about, you do strike, you don’t necessarily delay. Where does that come from, that aggression, whatever you want to call it? PATO O’WARD: The problem is whenever you let people step around over you, then it becomes a habit. You need to — I mean, people know that I’m not here to be fifth or sixth. They know I’m here to win. I’m pretty sure that’s the message that we portrayed today. Q. You’re aggressive, you got two guys in two turns, I think four or five guys in four or five laps and wheel to wheel with Josef. I think you guys touched there; is that correct? PATO O’WARD: Yeah, he was moving me on to the marbles. He knew where to put me in order for me not to be able to get him, but I didn’t move, so we kind of both went into each other, I guess. That straightaway isn’t really straight. Yeah, it was a good battle, I think. I think it makes it more exciting whenever there’s a little rubbin’ rub. Q. How do you balance that? Like you’re aggressive and you go for it? How do you not go over the line? PATO O’WARD: Yeah, I didn’t forget the words that Taylor said. He’s like, okay, this is the caution, everybody is going to stack up, lap cars are going to go, blah blah blah. If you have a chance, take it, but if you don’t, keep the championship in mind. But in my head, the two guys that I’m fighting the championship with are in front of me, and I was not going to be pleased if we ended behind them, especially if we had a restart and we were all together, so if I had the chance I was going to strike. I just had to make sure every strike wasn’t like, Oh, am I going to get it? No, it had to be like boom, definite. Once you’re on the inside, it’s yours. Yeah, I mean, I think they were very clean passes. I don’t think I put anybody in jeopardy in ways of hey, I screwed your race or anything. I felt like I did it very clean. I knew I was racing around very professional drivers, very clean, hard racers, Josef, Colton, Palou, definitely on, Graham, some of them have been racing many years. Some of us have been in INDYCAR very little, but these guys are pros. I was around people that you can get within less than an inch and race. Q. Were you a Juan fan? You fact like him, you drive a little bit like him, you’ve got the confidence of him. PATO O’WARD: I know Juan. I feel like we get along really well. Maybe that’s something Taylor can catch on. I was a little too young in Juan’s time. I was a big Montoya fan when he was in INDYCAR after he was in Formula 1, but I started really watching — Q. After NASCAR? PATO O’WARD: Yeah, I was really watching all the races until maybe I was like seven, eight years old when I really somewhat understood kind of the Formula 1 and INDYCAR racing. But Juan was in like Formula 1 and stuff in 2004, 2003, and then he was an INDYCAR champion the year I was born. Yeah, I don’t think I remember much about back then. Q. Zach said at Indy that you know how important it is for the team to win the INDYCAR championship. How has that message been conveyed to you? PATO O’WARD: They have given me an opportunity that many people would kill for, and I want to be the one that gives them their first championship. Yeah, I mean, there’s not much more to say than that. I have so much faith in this group of people. They have my back, I have theirs. In a business like this you consistently have to show that you are capable and still have it, and I feel like it’s races like these where everyone, that little extra that you may put into something will always be given because they know that you’ll be out there giving it everything you have, to give them what they deserve. Q. One win got you a test. What does two wins get you? PATO O’WARD: I don’t know. I know what a championship will get me, though. Q. What? PATO O’WARD: Maybe I share whenever I win the championship. Hopefully I win it. That’s going to be the goal for sure. Q. So now everybody has got to wait? PATO O’WARD: Yes. I’ll post a picture. Q. Do you change your firesuit before you come in or do you come in wet? PATO O’WARD: Oh, I’m wet. Q. Obviously a lot is going on this weekend. To end on this high note, how does that make the team feel? TAYLOR KIEL: Well, I think it’s the right medicine for the issue that we had. Obviously Felix’s crash is shocking. It’s shocking to watch. It makes everybody sick to their stomach. To rebound like we did, it’s huge, and it’s a good boost to morale for the group. It’s a boost to morale for Felix. I think he’s very excited for his teammate, and it’s the least we can do to try to just bring this group back together and refocus after an event like that that just kind of shakes everybody. Q. How did you guys get to Oliver? Was it because he was here and he was familiar with the team and the car? TAYLOR KIEL: Both, yeah, but Oliver is a good driver, and I think that in a situation like that, it’s not about evaluating or finding the next Pato O’Ward, it’s about calming the waters, and I think Oliver was somebody we were familiar with, we knew he could just hop in and get on with it. We had his belts and his measurements and his seats and he was here and all those things, so it just made a very difficult situation less difficult. Q. Everybody was here until 1:00, 2:00 in the morning? TAYLOR KIEL: Yeah 2:30 I think the group left. Q. So everybody gets pep back in their step after, I suppose? TAYLOR KIEL: I hope so. I think probably by the time they get to Fort Wayne tonight on the way back to Indy, it’ll be — hopefully we’ve got some people that are good to drive tonight. It’s been a heck of a weekend. Q. What do you make of you guys have come so far in two years? TAYLOR KIEL: It’s crazy. You’ve got to sit back and peek your head above water sometimes. We’re grinding so hard to try to be the best team in the paddock, and I think when you’re working that hard and you’re so focused on the goal, it’s hard to see how far you’ve come. It’s moments like this where I try to allow myself to take a step back and look around and go, man, we’re close. We can compete every weekend. When the chips are down and we’re P6, we’ve still got a shot to win. It doesn’t come without a lot of hard work and a lot of great support from our partners, but we’re knocking on the door. I don’t think we’re there yet. We’ve still got a long way to go. But we’ve got a shot and that’s all we can ask for? Q. And you’re wet, as well? TAYLOR KIEL: I am, yeah. Q. Taylor, you have one good car but you have a perfect day now with Pato. Do you feel like you can apply that strategy that works or is it just faith in him? TAYLOR KIEL: Well, I think we can only take strategy so far, and at a certain point the driver takes over, and I think that’s exactly what we saw today. We got ourselves as far as we could go with strategy, which was P6, and we got the yellow that we needed, and after that it was all up to the driver. It’s a mix of both. It’s certainly a team effort, no doubt. Q. Taylor, can you explain how well Felix’s car stood up to a really hard hit and just go over what the safety features did and how much he owes Dallara for building a car that’s really tough? TAYLOR KIEL: Well, I think a lot of things. The car certainly did its job. Like I said earlier, you watch that replay on TV and it’s like, shocking. You take into account the speed and the angle of impact and those types of things. The tub held up extremely well. The aeroscreen did exactly what it needed to do. Certainly all of the safety equipment that Felix was wearing and the safety of the track, obviously there was tires everywhere, but the walls held up, the tires held up. There was only minor repairs. It really was a wonderful job by everything in and around that accident that kept him okay, and to see him literally go to the hospital just to double check, that’s kudos to anybody that’s involved in and around safety in INDYCAR. Q. Two years ago at this track, at this race, your career was at a crossroads. You had just signed with Red Bull, didn’t know what your INDYCAR career was going to be. Any time over the last two years that you’ve doubted where you’re going to be? PATO O’WARD: For sure. My career has almost ended at least four or five times, so honestly if everyone says, oh, it’s easy to make it, it hasn’t been hard enough for you then, because it’s such a tough business to make it. When you do it, you have to continue proving yourself for the next 20 years if you want to have a long career. But yeah, obviously there’s been very high and very low moments. But like I said, these guys gave me an opportunity, and I told them I will get you your wins and I will get you your results, so I hope my bosses are proud of me. But we’ve got a long way to go. I love the group of people that I work with. I think they’re some of the best in the business for sure. I’m very excited to see what we can accomplish in the next years. Q. Pato, second win of your INDYCAR career, now second in just five races or so. I know you were so incredibly excited after that first one that you got in Texas. Can you describe a little bit about how this win feels different like from a career or season perspective? I know it’s not the first one, but maybe in some way it’s even more validating? PATO O’WARD: I was always like telling Taylor, man, at Texas we really had to work for it. It didn’t just land on us. I feel like today we fought for it even harder. I feel like those races maybe them taste so sweet because we truly worked together as a team to get it done. When it’s such a competitive series like INDYCAR, I don’t care what anybody says, there is nothing like this in the world. Nothing, nothing like this in the world. It’s so competitive. The cars are beasts. They’re physical, they’re fast, they’re loud. They’re just hard to control. I feel like that’s what really makes the win feel like you just accomplished something really cool. Q. Kind of a similar but maybe different question for you, Taylor, from the team’s perspective what does a second win in a season do compared to just getting one in a year? TAYLOR KIEL: I think one is relieving and two is validating. It shows you that what you’re doing is sustainable, and that’s something that’s been in our narrative for a long time. We’ve been a flash-in-the-pan team for a long time. We sneak out a win here or there and we’re happy to be there. It’s not the case anymore. Our goal is to compete at the front all the time and win championships, and for us to do that you have to win three, four races a season. By the way, you also have to finish in the top 5 like all the time. That’s what we’re aiming to do, and that’s what we’ve proven that we can do, so that’s the goal. Q. You mentioned a couple minutes ago that you still feel like there’s a ways for this team to go. Is part of that — I know we’ve seen Felix up and down the season before his crash on Saturday. Do you feel like a lot of what we’ve seen from him just comes down to continuing to onboard him with this team and get him to a level of comfort that Pato is with Arrow McLaren SP? TAYLOR KIEL: Yeah, Pato has got a year head start. I feel like the car we produce is very difficult to drive, but it’s fast. I think that we’re working to make that better for both drivers, and there’s no boundaries on that. Whatever Felix needs, he’s going to get, and likewise with Pato. There’s no, hey, here’s the car we’ve got and it is what it is. It’s a continual process, and we’re working towards it. I think if Felix was here he’d tell you that the car is coming to him, and he feels better about where it is today than it was in say St. Pete. We’re never satisfied with results or how good the car is to drive or otherwise. It’s nose down and we’ll continue to work to make it better. Q. I think this got brought up in Texas when you guys won your first race of the year. For so many years we’ve tossed around this team in INDYCAR the big three. I imagine for both of you this might signal the end of us referring to that without you guys included. PATO O’WARD: That has been the plan. I don’t think it’s my place to say, though. TAYLOR KIEL: Well, I think being a part of the big three means that we’re a part of the championship hunt and we’re regular contenders and we’re winning races. If it’s the big three or the big 15 or the big one, it doesn’t matter to me, as long as we’re doing that. That’s what we’re doing now, and I aim to keep it up. If we want to call it whatever we want to, that’s fine, but my goal is to be first at the end of the year. THE MODERATOR: Thanks to Taylor and Pato for joining us.
Josef Newgarden Press Conference Transcript
THE MODERATOR: Good afternoon, everyone. We are joined today by our second-place finisher Josef Newgarden, driver of the No. 2 Hitachi Team Penske Chevy. Josef, obviously a disappointing finish there at the end. Tell us more about your day. JOSEF NEWGARDEN: Yeah, just our breaking day for sure, finished second, and yeah, just kind of was what it was there at the end. Felt like we had a good car and just didn’t work our way strategy-wise and some of the times that we had to pit where we thought we had to pit because a yellow was probably going to come out, I think it all just didn’t play into our favor. Yeah, it is what it is. Move on to the next, but felt like we had a good car. Really proud of our team. I thought they were really resilient this weekend, which is important, and it’s a great job for our partners at Team Chevy to get a one-two here, so pretty stoked for those guys and certainly our partner Hitachi and everybody from Penske Corp that was here supporting us. Q. Last year after St. Pete you were saying Pato is one of the future stars of INDYCAR, in fact you said you were already a fan of him, he was already a star at that time and how clean he’s driven you, now you guys have had some battles this year at Texas and then today. What’s he done differently compared to last year to this year when you’ve been racing him? JOSEF NEWGARDEN: I don’t know that he’s done anything different, but he’s — I think he’s picked up where he left off last year. They were in the fight last year and they’ve got strong cars certainly at McLaren. They were in the fight pretty much all the way through last season. I think you’re seeing a lot of the same. Q. How do you think yourself and the team can bounce back from this going into Road America next week? JOSEF NEWGARDEN: Well, I’m not sure we have to really bounce back. It’s just we were fast today, hopefully fast next weekend, and hopefully it all works out. Q. You’ve been close to a win a couple times this year, just can’t quite get there. What is it going to take for you and Team Penske to finally get a victory this year? JOSEF NEWGARDEN: Well, if I had the answer I’d be doing it but I’m sure it’ll happen at some point. It just hasn’t aligned. Sometimes you get that. You just don’t get everything to line up perfectly. I think we’ve got a lot of the ingredients right. I don’t think we really need to change much, just keep doing our thing. Q. Do you feel the team is taking too risky a calls or anything like that where the cautions could catch you out? JOSEF NEWGARDEN: Nope, nope, I wouldn’t change a thing. Look, you can’t predict these races. You can look like a hero or a zero pretty easily in this sport, so yeah, I would ask anyone to change anything. I think they’re doing all the right stuff, it’s just not worked out. Q. Josef, can you describe just how much of a challenge it was for you just to hold off Colton and Alex at the end there? Those tires looked cooked and one little mistake and you’d probably go from second to fourth. JOSEF NEWGARDEN: Yeah, they were fried. I think probably the worst part was we had to put about 10 extra laps on those tires because we thought the caution was going to come out in that first stint around lap 18 I think we pitted, and you just can’t risk missing the caution. If you miss the caution, you’re just hosed. It just completely ruins your day. I think that compromised us more than anything. Then we had to run 25 laps on used reds, so that was not ideal, and then the cautions bunching us up probably hurt us, as well, just brought the whole field back to it. I think we probably could have held Colton off potentially if we just would have run cleanly to the end there. But that’s kind of impossible to say. I’d have to see that play out. I think, yeah, just the cautions and the potential caution is more of what hindered us today. Q. You and Pato touched on a pretty quick section of the racetrack. I just wanted to get your thoughts on how you saw that. Was it just good hard racing or was it a bit on the limit? JOSEF NEWGARDEN: Definitely I think on the limit, but I think it was good hard racing. There’s a kink on the back straight so it’s not perfectly straight, so to be fighting side by side, I think you probably get a little bit of contact like that. It’s not completely abnormal down in that section of the track. But he was coming like a freight train. My tires were cooked, and he was having great drives off the corner, as you saw. I think that’s what kind of did us in. It almost did us in with Alex, too. Thankfully we were able to hold on to second, but yeah, just hard racing. Q. My question is the fact that it’s been two years now since we’ve been at Belle Isle. Has the track changed or evolved in relation to the tire wear that you’re getting on either the reds or blacks? JOSEF NEWGARDEN: If anything the reds were quite a bit more durable than ’19. I think if you guys cast your thoughts back to ’19, they were diabolically bad for tire wear. You didn’t want to be on them for more than two laps in the race. Certainly they were more resilient today. You could almost make a used set work. A new set would have been preferred, but you could definitely make a used set work for I would say 15, 20 laps. 25 is pushing it, but Firestone made a change and definitely made them more durable, but I think the fact that they are more fragile than the blacks makes it interesting to watch. I think as a spectator it’s probably more fun to see that mix-up and that dynamic than them being just both really durable and just a little time offset. That’s what you set here. You get quite a bit of spread. But a lot less spread than what it was in ’19. Q. Looking back through this season, can you consider this isn’t a bad one, or can you consider a successful one? JOSEF NEWGARDEN: Well, we haven’t completed it yet, so I don’t know how to look at it yet completely. I think looking at half of it, it seems okay. It’s not exactly what we wanted, but it’s not too bad. We’re in the hunt. But we’ve got halfway to go, so a lot of racing to hopefully still be in this fight. THE MODERATOR: Josef, good luck next weekend at Road America.
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Ross Chastain, Tyler Reddick and Aric Almirola claimed starting spots for the 2021 NASCAR All-Star Race after each won a segment during the NASCAR All-Star Open at Texas Motor Speedway on Sunday, June 13. For the final transfer spot, Matt DiBenedetto earned a one-way ticket into the main event after being named the Fan Vote winner.
The starting lineup was determined via driver points, making Tyler Reddick starting on pole position while Chris Buescher joined him on the front row.
Prior to the race, Ross Chastain dropped to the rear of the field due to a violation discovered on his car pinpointing to his aero ducts. As a result, crew chief Phil Surgen was suspended from the weekend and Chip Ganassi Racing was fined $25,000. Austin Cindric (two pre-race inspection failures) and David Starr (unapproved adjustments) also started at the rear of the field.
When the green flag waved and the race started for the first segment, Buescher jumped ahead and battled Reddick for the lead entering the first turn before Reddick received a push from Matt DiBenedetto on the inside lane to take the lead.
With the field jostling for position behind, Reddick led the first lap. Meanwhile, Buescher and rookie Chase Briscoe made their way into second and third over DiBenedetto as Bubba Wallace and Erik Jones joined the battle.
Then, NASCAR declared that Buescher has been assessed a penalty for jumping ahead of the leader, Reddick, prior to the start of the event. In addition, Cindric was penalized for changing lanes at the start of the race.
On the fourth lap, the caution flew when Wallace, who was running in fourth place ahead of Erik Jones and Matt DiBenedetto, got loose and spun in Turn 1 before coming to a rest below the apron. Despite the spin, Wallace continued with no damage to his No. 23 DoorDash Toyota Camry.
Under caution, Wallace pitted along with Daniel Suarez, Quin Houff, Garrett Smithley, Austin Cindric and Ricky Stenhouse Jr. Following the pit stops, Stenhouse was assessed an over-the-wall too soon penalty.
When the race restarted on the eighth lap, Reddick retained the lead over Briscoe, Jones and the field through the first two turns. Not long after, the caution returned when Buescher spun in Turn 3 following a bump from Stenhouse.
Under caution, Buescher pitted along with Stenhouse and Josh Bilicki.
When the race restarted on Lap 13, Reddick retained the lead followed by Jones, Briscoe and the field.
Two corners later, trouble ensued again when Jones, who battled hard against Briscoe, slipped up and spun sideways, where he was hit by Daniel Suarez before spinning back up to the wall with heavy damage as Suarez also made contact with the outside wall. The wreck was enough to knock Suarez and Jones out of contention to make the All-Star Race.
Under caution, Briscoe pitted, but was busted for speeding on pit road.
On Lap 18, the race restarted as Reddick and Ross Chastain started on the front row. At the start, Reddick and Chastain battled for the lead entering the backstretch while DiBenedetto and Corey LaJoie made a three-wide move on Almirola to move up towards the front.
Coming to the final lap of the first segment, Chastain made his move on the outside lane of Reddick through Turns 3 and 4 and he was able to grab the lead past the start/finish line. Through Turn 1, Chastain was able to clear Reddick and pull away.
Following his surge on the final lap, Chastain, who rallied from starting at the rear of the field following pre-race inspection issues, rocketed away to win the first segment on Lap 20 and race his way into the All-Star Race for the first time in his career, joining teammate Kurt Busch in the main event.
“It’s really cool,” Chastain said on FS1. “It’s been a good weekend on-track, but off-track, it’s obviously been really tough. Just fired me up more. This McDonald’s Chevy was obviously really good, coming from the back like that and race with guys like Reddick and those guys. I thought I was getting turned on the backstretch there when he drove into the left rear, but it’s a dream come true. Man, I’m living my dream as a farmer. Now, I get to go NASCAR racing in the All-Star Race with my heroes. It’s amazing.”
Under the segment break, LaJoie pitted along with Justin Haley, Cody Ware, Houff, James Davison, Timmy Hill and David Starr.
At the start of the second segment, Reddick received a push from Cindric on the outside lane to retain the lead ahead of DiBenedetto and Cindric. Meanwhile, Buescher and Almirola battled for fourth place followed by Wallace and Stenhouse.
By Lap 25, Reddick was the leader followed by Cindric, DiBenedetto, Almirola and Buescher. Wallace was in sixth followed by Briscoe, Stenhouse, rookie Anthony Alfredo and LaJoie.
A few laps later, DiBenedetto and Almirola overtook Cindric for second and third. Meanwhile, Reddick continued to lead by nearly a second.
By Lap 30, Reddick was leading by four-tenths of a second over DiBenedetto, with Almirola trailing by nearly a second. Behind, Cindric and Buescher battled for fourth place while Wallace retained sixth place.
With five laps remaining in the second segment, Reddick was still leading despite encountering lapped traffic, but he had Almirola closing in for the lead.
Down to the final two laps of the segment, Almirola drew his car behind Reddick’s rear bumper, but he could not navigate his way around Reddick to take the lead,
On the final lap of the second segment, Reddick was leading by under two-tenths of a second over Almirola, who continued to keep Reddick in pressure. Despite Almirola’s late surge, Reddick was able to beat Almirola by nearly three-tenths of a second to win the second segment on Lap 40 as Reddick transferred to his first All-Star Race, joining teammate Austin Dillon.
“Thankfully, we executed in the second segment,” Reddick said. “We got this thing in the race. That was the hottest 40-lap race I’ve ever done. That was hot.”
Under the segment break, Stenhouse pitted along with Briscoe, Haley, B.J. McLeod and Garrett Smithley.
With 10 laps remaining, the final segment commenced under green. At the start, the field battled through two lanes as Almirola and DiBenedetto battled dead even for the lead. Following a close side-by-side battle with DiBenedetto for a full lap, Almirola pulled ahead with the lead.
With five laps remaining, Almirola was leading by nearly half a second over DiBenedetto and Buescher. Cindric and Briscoe were in the top five followed by Wallace, Haley, Alfredo, Stenhouse and LaJoie.
As Almirola continued to lead, DiBenedetto and Buescher battled for the runner-up spot as both were behind by seven-tenths of a second.
Having a clear lead to his advantage, Almirola, who has endured a difficult 2021 season, was able to navigate his way around the circuit for a final time and come back around to take the checkered flag and win the NASCAR All-Star Open as he punched his ticket into the All-Star Race for the fourth time in his career, joining teammates Kevin Harvick and Cole Custer.
“It just helps make you happy about something,” Almirola said. “It’s been a really tough year and the guys just continued to work their guts out and bring the best cars we can. And here at Texas today, we got a really fast car. We took the long way in, but I’m still glad we’re racing for a million bucks tonight. Just proud to give [my sponsors] something to smile about, really.”
Despite finishing in the runner-up spot, Matt DiBenedetto claimed the 21st and final starting spot to the All-Star Race after being named the Fan Vote winner, a move that allowed him to transfer into the All-Star event for a second consecutive season.
“That’s a relief,” DiBenedetto said. “We struggled a little bit with the car there, but man, thank you so much. That’s really cool. It means a lot to get all the votes from the fans. I can’t tell them how much I appreciate that and an opportunity to be an All-Star.”
Buescher finished in third place followed by Briscoe and Cindric. Wallace rallied to finish sixth followed by Haley, Alfredo, Stenhouse and LaJoie. All eight competitors were among the remaining 18 competitors competing in the Open whom failed to make the All-Star Race.
There were three lead changes for three different leaders. The race featured five cautions for 13 laps.
Results.
1. Aric Almirola – Won third segment, 10 laps led
2. Matt DiBenedetto – Fan Vote winner
3. Chris Buescher
4. Chase Briscoe
5. Austin Cindric
6. Bubba Wallace
7. Justin Haley
8. Anthony Alfredo
9. Ricky Stenhouse Jr.
10. Corey LaJoie
11. Cody Ware
12. B.J. McLeod
13. Josh Bilicki
14. Garrett Smithley
15. Quin Houff, one lap down
16. James Davison, one lap down
17. Timmy Hill, one lap down
18. David Starr, one lap down
19. Tyler Reddick – Won second segment, 38 laps led
20. Ross Chastain – Won first segment, two laps led
21. Erik Jones – OUT, Accident
22. Daniel Suarez – OUT, Accident
The 2021 NASCAR All-Star Race at Texas Motor Speedway will follow suit on Sunday, June 13, at 8 p.m. on FS1.
On a sunny Sunday afternoon in Epping, New Hampshire, the National Hot Rod Association returned to the New England Dragway for the first time in two years after skipping last year due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
John Force defeated Robert Hight in an all-Force final to take home his 153rd career Funny Car victory, while Billy Torrence secured his first Top Fuel victory of the 2021 season and Aaron Stanfield won over No. 1 qualifier Greg Anderson in the Pro Stock finals.
Funny Car
The day started out hot for John Force and his PEAK/BluDef Chevrolet Camaro. After qualifying third, Force won over his first round opponent, Cory Lee, by going 4.279 seconds and 211.03 mph. The victory was almost a given for Force as Lee smoked the tires down the strip.
In the second round, Force had a good race against Kalitta entry, J.R. Todd, to advance to the semi-final. His second run was much better as Force went 3.957 seconds and 329.19 mph to meet Terry Haddock in the semis. Haddock was having great momentum when he upset Ron Capps in the first round after Capps hazed the tires.
As the semis approached, Force won over Haddock with an ET of 3.975 seconds and 324.83 mph to advance for his 259th career final round appearance. It was in the finals where he met his teammate Robert Hight, who won over Alexis DeJoria, Bob Tasca and Tim Wilkerson to set the seventh finals matchup between him and Force.
When the Christmas tree went green, the two Funny Cars were nearly even before Force pulled away with the victory going 3.972 seconds and 327.51 mph over Hight’s 3.993 and 323.35 mph. The victory was Force’s second of the 2021 Funny Car season.
“(The win) represents a team effort. You have to look at both of these cars and all the people that take care of me, that’s what it’s all about,” said Force, who has won two of the last three races this year. “Robert helps me so much trying to help me back in the driver’s seat where I don’t suck so bad and, right now, I’ve got a car and I won today, and I did my job. I want to thank all the people in Epping for coming back and I want to thank Daniel Hood for a great tune-up, and (Tim) Fabrisi for fixing the cockpit in my car.”
In a unique twist, he won the 900th career Funny Car race as well. He was the winner of the 400th Funny Car event back at Englishtown in 1999.
Hight scored the 31st runner-up finish of his career and his second of 2021.
“Really wanted this one for AAA New England,” Hight said. “We all really wanted it. This crew, Jimmy Prock and Chris Cunningham, they worked hard. We went some rounds and got better, but not the result we wanted. You always want to be the ones winning, but I’m glad it stayed in the John Force Racing family. John’s been working hard, too. All of our teams have been and we’re dominating. That’s ultimately what you want. In Norwalk, it will be us.”
1 Bob Tasca III, 495 2 John Force, 480 3 J.R. Todd, 450 4 Robert Hight, 423 5 Matt Hagan, 375 6 Ron Capps, 372 7 Tim Wilkerson, 364 8 Alexis DeJoria, 325 9 Cruz Pedregon, 305 10 Terry Haddock, 226
Top Fuel
You could almost say that No. 1 qualifier Billy Torrence had somewhat of an easy weekend, but the victory wasn’t all that easy for the CAPCO driver. On Saturday, he earned his fifth No. 1 qualifier and the second of the season which put him in a first-round match against Joe Morrison. Torrence got off the line first and won easily over Morrison after Morrison lost a cylinder down the track.
With the first-round victory, Torrence was set to face Don Schumacher Racing’s Antron Brown in the second round after Brown won over Brittany Force. When Torrence and Brown faced each other, it was a straight-up drag race with nearly identical reaction times. Brown had a reaction time of .074 while Torrence’s was .073. Torrence edged Brown with the win by going 3.837 seconds and 326.79 mph to give him an automatic bye in the semi-final.
It was in the finals where he met Mike Salinas after Salinas eliminated Torrence’s son, Steve Torrence, in the semi’s, after he smoked the tires.
Like the semi-final, the Top Fuel final proved to be another close drag race as Billy Torrence won by .002 seconds over Salinas to win his first elusive victory of the year.
“Another great job by the Capco boys,” Torrence said. “It would have been great to race my ‘ol man in an all-Capco final round but hats off to Mike Salinas and that Scrappers team. We just didn’t have anything for them in the semis but, thanks to Billy and the boys, we’re taking another one of these little gold men (a reference to the NHRA “Wally” trophy awarded to event winners) back home to Kilgore.”
With Billy Torrence and John Force taking home victories in the Funny Car and Top Fuel class, Sunday marked the first time in quite some time in either class competition that there was no Don Schumacher Racing driver in victory lane at the New England Dragway. Matt Hagan had won the past three consecutive Funny Car races. However, he was eliminated by Tim Wilkerson in round two, ending his New England Nationals hot streak.
No. 1 qualifier Greg Anderson was looking to make Sunday a very special day up in the northeast. He set the No. 1 qualifier for the 111th time in his career on Saturday and was eager to not only give a Wally to Mr. Hendrick but also tie legendary Pro Stock driver Warren Johnson on the All-time career win list.
Anderson was poised to do just that with victories over John Gaydosh in round one, Troy Coughlin Jr. in round two and Matt Hartford in the semi-finals, to give Anderson his 161st final round appearance. But, he had another competitor who was also looking to make a name for himself, Aaron Stanfield.
Stanfield qualified third on Saturday and faced Alan Prusiensky in the first round. He won with a time of 6.562 seconds and 210.28 mph to help him advance to a round two match up with Richie Stevens. Stanfield secured the second round victory over Stevens going 6.583 seconds and 209.52 mph to see a semi-final appearance for just the third time in his career against competitor, Mason McGaha.
The semi-final was a close race with Stanfield having a reaction time of .051 and McGaha a .056 reaction time. The action was really close but ultimately Stanfield got the semi-final victory after putting down a pace of 6.595 seconds and 209.59 mph to meet Anderson in the final round.
As the finals were set, the two got off the starting line with Stanfield having a quicker reaction time of .037 over Anderson’s .066. The times were still close as both drivers were having a good drag race for the victory. Eventually, Stanfield got the best of Anderson with an ET of 6.576 seconds and 209.88 mph over Anderson’s 6.577 seconds. The victory for Stanfield was the second of his career in just his 27th start.
“It’s been a lot of hard work from all the guys on the team,” said Stanfield, who jumped to second in points. “They’ve been working a lot on this hot rod and I’ve been trying to do my best to do my job behind the wheel. It all gelled together today. Getting to race somebody you grew up watching do well over the years, it’s cool to race him and beat him, so we’re happy.”
Anderson will have to wait another day after nabbing his 65th career runner-up finish, his first of the season.
“I’ll be honest, this is not a good feeling, but the only thing we can do is learn from it and do better next time. The good news is that our HendrickCars.com Chevrolet Camaro is the best race horse out here,” said Anderson. “It’s hard to smile right now, but a day like today just drives you to do better. I’m definitely looking forward to redemption.”
Pro Stock Standings
1. Greg Anderson, 543
2. Aaron Stanfield, 438
3. Mason McGaha, 402
4. Deric Kramer, 390
5. Erica Enders, 388
6. Matt Hartford, 373
7. Dallas Glenn, 343
8. Troy Coughlin Jr, 321
9. Kyle Koretsky, 312
10. Chris McGaha, 240
Final Results
TOP FUEL:
Billy Torrence; 2. Mike Salinas; 3. Steve Torrence; 4. Leah Pruett; 5. Antron Brown; 6. Doug Kalitta; 7. Brittany Force; 8. Justin Ashley; 9. Shawn Langdon; 10. Clay Millican; 11. Joe Morrison; 12. Buddy Hull.
FUNNY CAR:
John Force; 2. Robert Hight; 3. Terry Haddock; 4. Tim Wilkerson; 5. Matt Hagan; 6. J.R. Todd; 7. Bob Tasca III; 8. Cruz Pedregon; 9. Jim Campbell; 10. Ron Capps; 11. Alexis DeJoria; 12. Cory Lee; 13. Blake Alexander.
PRO STOCK:
Aaron Stanfield; 2. Greg Anderson; 3. Mason McGaha; 4. Matt Hartford; 5. Erica Enders; 6. Troy Coughlin Jr.; 7. Dallas Glenn; 8. Richie Stevens; 9. Kyle Koretsky; 10. Chris McGaha; 11. Val Smeland; 12. Bob Benza; 13. John Gaydosh Jr; 14. Kenny Delco; 15. Alan Prusiensky; 16. Deric Kramer.
Up Next: The NHRA Camping World Drag Racing Series will take next weekend off before heading back on the road for the Summit Racing Equipment NHRA Nationals in Norwalk, Ohio on Sunday, June 27.
DETROIT (Sunday, June 13, 2021) – Pato O’Ward took the NTT INDYCAR SERIES points lead with a drive full of championship-caliber mettle, passing Josef Newgarden with three laps remaining to win the Chevrolet Dual in Detroit Race 2 on Sunday at Belle Isle Park.
O’Ward, 22, became the first two-time winner this season in the NTT INDYCAR SERIES after the first seven races opened with different winners. He also won the XPEL 375 on May 2 at Texas Motor Speedway.
Mexican driver O’Ward, who started 16th, powered away from two-time series champion Newgarden’s No. 2 Hitachi Team Penske Chevrolet after the decisive pass in his No. 5 Arrow McLaren SP Chevrolet and drove to victory by 6.7595 seconds. He leads the championship by one point over Alex Palou, who finished third in the No. 10 The American Legion Honda.
O’Ward dedicated his win to teammate Felix Rosenqvist, forced to sit out this race due to a heavy crash in Race 1 Saturday, and longtime McLaren Racing shareholder Mansour Ojjeh, who died June 6.
“I talked to Felix this morning, and the important thing is that he’s OK, but I told him, ‘I’m going to win it for you,’” O’Ward said. “So, this is for him and for Mansour.”
Colton Herta finished fourth in the No. 26 Gainbridge Honda. Graham Rahal placed fifth in the No. 15 United Rentals Honda – identical to his finish Saturday in Race 1.
Detroit Race 1 winner Marcus Ericsson finished ninth in the No. 8 Huski Chocolate Chip Ganassi Racing Honda, slowed by contact with Rinus VeeKay’s No. 21 Sonax/Autogeek Chevrolet in a duel for position on Lap 15.
O’Ward’s charge to the front was breathtaking from the 16th starting position. He passed six cars and jumped to 10th in the opening five laps while racing on the Firestone alternate “red” tires.
But the charismatic O’Ward saved his best maneuvers for last.
Romain Grosjean stopped on course with a small fire in his left front brake on Lap 59, triggering the last of three full-course cautions in the race. On the restart on Lap 63, O’Ward was fifth behind Newgarden, Herta, Palou and Rahal.
But O’Ward dove under Rahal in Turn 1 for fourth and then devoured Palou and Herta for second place with defiant, but clean, maneuvers on the same lap.
Then O’Ward set sail for Newgarden while keeping his eye on his mirrors for Herta’s pressure from behind. Herta locked up trying to pass O’Ward for second with three laps to go, effectively ending his chances for victory.
O’Ward then dove under Newgarden in Turn 7 on Lap 68 for the lead and drove away to glory. Newgarden led 67 of the first 70 laps, with O’Ward pacing the final three trips around the 14-turn, 2.35-mile temporary street circuit.
“He was coming like a freight train,” Newgarden said. “What are you going to do? I just couldn’t do anything. I had so much wheelspin. My rear tires were just shot to death on the last 10 laps. Just trying to be aggressive, and the restarts don’t help you. None of it played into our favor, especially the first caution.”
The race began with NTT P1 Award winner Newgarden as just one of three drivers in the 25-car field to start on Firestone primary “black” tires, joining teammate Will Power in the No. 12 Verizon 5G Team Penske Chevrolet and James Hinchcliffe in the No. 29 Genesys Honda.
That strategy choice forced Newgarden to stretch his first stint on the harder, more durable primary tires as long as possible, while most of the drivers who started on the Firestone alternate “red” tires pitted during the caution created on Lap 1 when Max Chilton’s No. 59 Carlin Chevrolet collided with the back of Hinchcliffe’s car in tight traffic.
Newgarden’s lead built to more than 12 seconds before he pitted on Lap 20 for another set of primary tires. He wanted to run longer to reduce the number of laps on the grippier but less-durable alternate tires late in the race. INDYCAR rules mandate that every driver uses the primary and alternate tires in road and street-course races.
But it was uncertain whether the stalled No. 4 K-Line Insulators/AJ Foyt Racing Chevrolet of Dalton Kellett could be removed from the track without a full-course caution, and Newgarden didn’t want to lose track position pitting under yellow. So, he pitted even though Kellett’s car later was cleared without a full-course caution.
“None of this played into our favor, especially the first caution,” Newgarden said. “We had to pit because we weren’t sure if they were going to go full-course caution, and if we don’t pit, we get completely hosed. So, we had to put an extra seven, eight 10 laps on the (alternate) tires that we didn’t want to. It would have been a lot easier if we kept it cleaner, and that was our plan. But it just didn’t work our way.”
Newgarden built a lead of nearly 10 seconds over Herta during his second stint, also on Firestone primary tires, before pitting for slightly used Firestone alternate tires on his last stop, on Lap 46.
That lead was reduced to 4.3 seconds after Newgarden’s final pit stop, and Herta sliced that gap to .364 of a second on Lap 52 before Jimmie Johnson slid through Turn 1 in his No. 48 Carvana Chip Ganassi Racing Honda on Lap 54, triggering the second full-course caution and packing the field behind Newgarden for a restart.
“It’s hard not to be disappointed,” Newgarden said. “I think we had the car to beat. Cautions at the end, wrong tires at the end. It was a fun strategy. I think we were doing well. It was just the caution that killed us. My rears were shot, and I didn’t really need that. We tried.”
The next race is the REV Group Grand Prix presented by AMR on Sunday, June 20 at Road America in Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin, with live coverage starting at noon (ET) on NBCSN and the INDYCAR Radio Network. On-track action starts with practice at 5:15 p.m. Friday, June 18, streamed live on Peacock.
CHEVROLET RACING IN NTT INDYCAR SERIES CHEVROLET DETROIT GRAND PRIX STREETS OF BELLE ISLE TEAM CHEVY RACE RECAP – O’WARD WINS JUNE 13, 2021
DETROIT – Hard-charging Pato O’Ward, No. 5 Arrow McLaren SP Chevrolet, rocketed from fifth place to the lead in a four-lap span late in Sunday’s NTT INDYCAR SERIES Dual 2 of the Chevrolet Detroit Grand Prix presented by Lear to become the series’ first repeat winner of 2021.
It marked Chevrolet’s seventh victory at Belle Isle since 2012 and its first 1-2 finish at the event since 2016.
O’Ward previously put his name in the win column this season at Texas Motor Speedway Race 2 in early May. In fifth place Sunday following a restart on Lap 64, O’Ward quickly moved up to third within one lap, then caught and passed Josef Newgarden with three laps remaining.
O’Ward, who started 16th, now leads the standings by one point. And after three very hot and muggy days on Belle Isle, O’Ward and his team enjoyed the now-traditional dip in the Scott Fountain.
“Congratulations to Pato O’Ward and the No. 5 Arrow McLaren SP team on their victory in IndyCar Dual 2 at the Chevrolet Detroit Grand Prix,” said Jim Campbell, U.S. vice president Performance and Motorsports. “The temporary street course on Belle Isle is very challenging and Pato showed tremendous skill to make multiple exciting passes to get to the front for the win.
“It was great to have a 1-2 Chevrolet finish with Pato along with Josef Newgarden in the No. 2 IndyCar Chevrolet.”
Two-time series champion Newgarden, No. 2 Hitachi Team Penske Chevrolet, won the pole for Sunday’s race and led the first 67 laps of the 70-lap event on the temporary street course on the way to his second runner-up finish of 2021.
Today’s strong runs by Team Chevy drivers also moved Chevrolet to the lead in the battle for the Manufacturers’ Championship.
Other Team Chevy Drivers finishers for Race Two as follows: Josef Newgarden, No. 2 Hitachi Team Penske Chevrolet – 2nd Will Power, No. 12 Verizon 5G Chevrolet – 6th Simon Pagenaud, No. 22 Menards Chevrolet – 8th Conor Daly, No. 20 US Army Ed Carpenter Racing – 20th Sebastien Bourdais, No.14 ROKIT Chevrolet – 14th Rinus Veekay, No. 21 Sonax/Autoeek Ed Carpenter Racing – 18th Scott McLaughlin, No. 3 PPG Chevrolet – 20th Max Chilton, No. 59 Gallagher Carlin Chevrolet – 22nd Dalton Kellet, No. 4 K-Line Chevrolet – 23rd Oliver Askew, No, 7 Arrow McLaren SP Chevrolet – 25th
Alex Palou completed the podium.
Next on the schedule is June 20 at Road America, Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin.
DRIVER QUOTES
PATO O’WARD, NO. 5 ARROW MCLAREN SP CHEVROLET – Race Winner TELL US ABOUT THOSE TWO RESTARTS. YOU STARTED 6th OR 5th ON THE FIRST ONE, FROM ALL THE WAY BACK THERE TO VICTORY LANE. HOW DID YOU GET IT DONE? “The two guys I’m fighting were in front of me, so I said from behind, there is no good! So, pass them, I guess? It’s tough to pass around this place. These cars are the best of the best, so it’s not like they’re going to make it easy on you. I knew that I’m strong on cold tires. So, I had to take advantage of it.”
HOW WERE YOU ABLE TO MAKE IT WORK WITH JOSEF NEWGARDEN AND WERE YOU SENSING THERE WAS AN OPPORTUNITY THERE, KNOWING HE WAS ON THOSE RED TIRES? “I had such a great car all weekend. Today was my fault that we made it a little extra hard on us starting from the back. But I had a great car under me. I’ve got to thank Arrow Electronics and Team Chevy, man. This is Team Chevy territory. I’m so excited and so pumped to get them this. And, I talked to Felix (Rosenqvist) this morning and the important thing is that he’s okay. But I told him I’m going to win it for you. So, this is for him.
“I told him I was going to get it done. I like to be a man of my word, so I got it done.”
YOU ARE NOW THE CHAMPIONSHIP LEADER “Yes, I should be. There is still a long way to go. We need to continue doing this and we’re in the fight, man. We’re in the fight. We’re leading it. And we just need to keep our head in it.”
AND YOU DID IT COMING FROM 16th. “Yeah, I screwed up in qualifyijng. I owe this to these guys because they gave me a great car all weekend. The plan all along was to get in the fountain and go swimming at the end of the day.”
JOSEF NEWGARDEN, NO. 2 HITACHI TEAM PENSKE CHEVROLET – Finished 2nd YOU HAVE TO RUN THE SOFTER FIRESTONES AT SOME POINT. YOU HAD TO MAKE THEM HANG ON. AND YOU HELD ON FOR A LITTLE WHILE. WHAT WERE THOSE LAST FEW LAPS LIKE? “Sad. Pretty sad. It’s hard not to be disappointed. I think we had the car to beat. It’s just cautions when we didn’t need them and the wrong tires when we didn’t need them. It was a fun strategy. I think we were doing well. It’s just the caution that killed us. My rears were shot. And we didn’t really need that. So, it is what it is. We tried. We went for what we went for. I don’t want to second guess too much. It just didn’t fall our way there at the end, so that’s pretty sad.
“Obviously Team Chevy won still. So, I’m very happy for all our partners. Team Chevy does a lot for us, so to get a one-two is a big thing here in Detroit. I’m super happy about that. And, I’m happy to represent the Penske Corporation here in this town and our great partner in Hitachi. I’m just disappointed. Obviously, we wanted to win, and we had the car to do it.”
THE YELLOWS CAME AT THE WRONG TIME. YOU WANTED TO GO LONGER ON THE FIRST STINT TO MAKE THE LAST STINT A LITTLE BIT SHORTER. BUT TOWARD THE END, THE RACING WITH PATO O’WARD (RACE WINNER) IN THE END, WAS THERE ANYTHING YOU COULD HAVE DONE? “He was coming like a freight train. What are you going to do? I just couldn’t do anything (with) him and (Alex) Palou (finished third). Alex was right behind me and about to pass me, too. I was just trying to hold on to him. I had so much wheel spin. My rear tires were shot to death with the last 10 laps. And you know, just trying to be aggressive with the re-sets on the restarts doesn’t help you. None of it played into our favor; and especially the first caution. We had to pit because we weren’t sure if they were going to go full course caution. If we don’t pit, we get completely hosed. So, we had to put an extra seven or eight or 10 laps on the tires we didn’t want to. It would have been a lot easier if we could have kept them cleaner, and that was our plan. But look, it just work our 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.
Belle Isle, Mich. (13 June 2021) – Jack Harvey was hoping to take lessons learned from Saturday’s Detroit Race 1 into Race 2 on Sunday but unfortunately several instances of bad luck prevented Harvey from moving his No. 60 AutoNation / SiriusXM Honda through the field. The Meyer Shank Racing entry finished 23rd.
Meyer Shank Racing used a similar strategy to Saturday’s race with Harvey starting on the outside of row nine. Unfortunately Harvey’s race got off to a slow start on lap 1 when the No. 30 made contact with the No. 60 Honda and punctured the right rear tire. Harvey limped the No. 60 around the 2.35-mile circuit under yellow until the pits were open to the field.
Despite having to pit on lap 3 for a replacement tire, the team quickly adjusted their strategy to bring Harvey back up through the field. Harvey made his way to a high of sixth before he pitted for his second stop of the race on Lap 27.
But once again, Harvey had a target on his back as he was hit from behind by the No. 51 car going, puncturing yet another right rear tire. Harvey pitted for a new set of alternate tires and dropped back to 23rd. The No. 51 was penalized for the incident, but the damage was done as Harvey lost a lap following the slow trip back to pit lane.
Two final yellow flags slowed the race in the final 15 laps of the race and Harvey was able to make up four positions to finish 19th.
“When we had clear track, I thought we had good pace,” said Harvey. “But I got hit by Takuma, and I got hit by Grosjean, and we got two punctures. I don’t think we’ve had any punctures this year, but we had two today! Really unfortunate, but it’s time to move on from Detroit. I’m eager for Road America, we’ve had good pace at that track so I’m looking forward to a good weekend there.”
The Meyer Shank Racing team will go right into the next round of INDYCAR action next weekend for the Rev Group Grand Prix at Road America on June 20th.
Kyle Busch scored his 99th Xfinity Series win at Texas Motor Speedway Saturday in the Alsco Uniforms 250. He led 94 laps in his Joe Gibbs Racing No. 54 Toyota, winning .433 seconds ahead of second-place finisher, Justin Allgaier.
It was Busch’s second win in two Xfinity Series races this season. But it did not come easily as Busch had to persevere through three restarts in the final laps, coming out on top in overtime. Justin Allgaier was his biggest rival, leading 23 laps, but was unable to make the pass for the lead, and finished second.
“Just being with a great group of guys and Joe Gibbs Racing is pretty awesome to drive to drive these Toyota Supras here in the Xfinity Series,’’ Busch said after the race.
Busch noted that Allgaier’s JR Motorsports Chevrolet was probably just as good as his car and credited his victory to making the right moves on the last restarts.
“I was just able to think through a few things there on a couple restarts that may or may not work but there at the end they did.’’
Busch also had help from the third-place finisher, Team Penske’s Austin Cindric, who was behind Busch and pushed him on the final restarts.
Cindric said his car was not as strong toward the end as it was during the first half of the race.
“We faded halfway through the race,” he said. “We were really good to start with and just didn’t quite have the pieces to keep up with the track with the PJ1 fading away. Overall, it was a great race. It was good to get a playoff point and we had a good points day. We had a lot of people from Odyssey Battery here. The last time I did a suite appearance was back at Fontana last year. It’s great to have them as partners and we hope to keep the momentum going.”
Joe Gibbs Racing drivers Daniel Hemric and Brandon Jones finished fourth and fifth as AJ Allmendinger, Noah Gragson, Brett Mofitt, Justin Haley and Michael Annett rounded out the top 10 finishers.
Cindric leads the driver standings by 108 points over AJ Allmendinger. Hemric (-122), Harrison Burton (-157), Allgaier (-171), Haley (-175), Jeb Burton (-186), Brandon Jones (-226), Gragson (-249) and Michael Annett (-253) round out the top 10 in the championship standings.
The next race for the Xfinity Series is Saturday at Nashville Superspeedway at 3:30 p.m. ET on NBCSN.
