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TPC Racing Leaves VIR Porsche Sprint With First Career Podium for Driver Rich Schoeneborn

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Official Release
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In addition to Shoeneborn’s Podium, Vernon McClure Earned Sunday’s “Apex’n Award” for Passing The Most Cars on Track

DANVILLE, Virginia (June 7, 2021) – TPC Racing stared down a difficult Porsche Sprint Challenge North America by Yokohama doubleheader weekend at Virginia International Raceway (VIR) this past weekend, leaving with a podium finish and an additional award for passing the most cars in Sunday’s race.

Rich Schoeneborn, making his championship debut in the No. 76 Concrete Services Inc Porsche 911 GT3 Cup, had the best finish of the weekend of TPC Racing’s six-car entry when he grabbed a third-place Gold Cup finish in Saturday’s 40-minute Sprint Race. Shoeneborn followed that up by punching through some opening corner chaos down the inside of turn two and running the race distance for a fourth-place class finish.

Vernon McClure also dodged Sunday’s early-race chaos to make multiple positions. Starting 13th in the No. 101 Main Street Homes/TPC Racing Porsche 911 GT3 Cup, McClure found a gap in the traffic and climbed all the way to fifth on the opening lap. He made his way into fourth and was challenging for the podium when a small mistake with three laps to go caused a spin, ultimately leading to a seventh-place position. It was a strong run for McClure, who hadn’t been been behind the wheel since the Porsche Carrera Cup North America debut at Sebring in March and will return to that championship in less than three weeks at Watkins Glen International. His run also earned him the race’s Apex’n Award for passing the most cars on track during the race.

Michael Levitas and Rob Lorndale were not as fortunate in the opening corners. Levitas, who qualified the No. 36 Erin Levitas Foundation/TPC Racing Porsche 911 GT3 Cup fifth overall for Sunday’s race, dodged the first spinning car but spun himself coming back onto the track and was forced to sit sideways while the entire field went by. While cars split left and right around Levitas, Lorndale’s No. 6 TPC Racing Porsche 911 GT3 Cup came to a stop just behind him and also rejoined the race at the tail end of the field.

Levitas, who also led the opening lap in Saturday’s race, rebounded and drove through the field to finish in sixth place overall and in the Platinum Cup class. Lorndale finished fifth in Gold Cup class for the second-consecutive day and held fourth place in the season-long point standings.

Jordan Wallace earned a fifth-place finish on Saturday, and was ninth on Sunday, in the Silver Cup driving the No. 35 TPC Racing Porsche Cayman GT4 Clubsport.

TPC Racing’s Lamborghini Super Trofeo entry of Scott Schmidt and Trevor Andrusko rode a roller coaster through the weekend as well. Andrusko started eighth overall and first in the Am class in the No. 38 Lamborghini Sterling/Erin Levitas Foundation Lamborghini Huracan for Sunday morning’s 50-minute race. Andrusko led the class until the mandatory pit stop with 15-minutes remaining, passing the car to Schmidt. Unfortunately, late contact and damage left the car in sixth place and unable to return for Sunday’s afternoon race.

TPC Racing returns to action at Watkins Glen International, June 25-27, with Lamborghini Super Trofeo and Porsche Carrera Cup North America entries. The next Porsche Sprint Challenge North America race is July 30 to August 1 at Road America.

Noteworthy:

  • TPC Racing also fielded an entry for Pedro Torres in the Gold Cup class. Torres qualified second in the Gold Cup class for Saturday’s race, but an incident in qualifying two left his car severely damaged and unable to compete in the weekend’s doubleheader.
  • Engine troubles on the test day for Lorndale left his car out of commission for the event weekend. Fellow Porsche Sprint Challenge competitors ACI Motorsports loaned TPC Racing a Porsche 911 GT3 Cup for Lorndale to use for the VIR doubleheader.

Harris Levitas, Director of Race Operations: “There were a ton of positives to the weekend. It seems like everything that could have gone wrong did, but we had just as many good things happen. We had awesome TPC Racing prepared cars. The guys worked so hard from COTA to this preparing the cars and we were fast right off the truck. Having Rich Schoeneborn join us for the first time after doing track days and club racing and land on the podium was fantastic to see. Rob had engine troubles, but luckily it happened on the test days and we were able to enter a leased car from ACI. We have to thank the Talkie family and Kurt Swearingin and everyone there at ACI for helping us make that happen. The 36 car had a critical start in race one and took the lead. On Sunday, Vernon got the hard charger and had a shot at third place. Jordan did an excellent job coming from the back in race one after we had a transponder issue, but got held up by a slow Gold Cup car in race two and that hurt him. But he did a great job for his second time out and will be even better in the next race. We had an electrical gremlin at COTA in the Lamborghini and the team went through everything and had it in perfect working order this weekend. Trevor did a fantastic job with his stint, and Scott was finding more time in his stint and was catching back up. They’ve come a long way in a very short time of racing. It’s such a strong car. Unfortunately Scott was involved in a pretty heavy hit, but it goes to show the way these Lamborghinis are built. What would have been total structural damage in another car was mostly superficial. We’ll put a new engine in at the shop and be back stronger than ever at Watkins Glen.”

Vernon McClure, Driver, No. 101 Porsche 911 GT3 Cup: “It’s great to be here. I love this track, it’s my favorite track and I’m pretty close to home here. The car was good today and I learned a lot yesterday in the race. I was right up there in fourth and I had my chance, I just blew it in turn four. It was awesome anyway. It was fun to race with everybody and be right in there. I got to finish right behind Levitas. The start was awesome for me because I went from 13th to fifth. I saw all these cars going both ways and it parted for me and I took off. I had a few laps and passed a few cars. It was a lot of fun.”

Rich Schoeneborn, Driver, No. 76 Porsche 911 GT3 Cup: “It couldn’t have gone much better. I’m ecstatic about the whole weekend. Things lined up and I raced the race I planned on, staying clean and consistent lap after lap. Some luck came my way as well. Today was super hot and the track got greasy. I saw a lot of cars sliding around and I made some mistakes and said ok, dial it down just a hair and bring this thing home in one piece. The car was great, the series is great and what a weekend to have my son here with me from Annapolis, Maryland. He’s driven the car at driver’s experience days but he’s never seen me race and he was stunned to see me on the podium! I was grinning the whole way around the track.”

Rob Lorndale, Driver, No. 6 Porsche 911 GT3 Cup: “It’s been a difficult week. We came to test for two days before the race weekend and I had a mechanical from the moment I got in the car. The guys worked like crazy to try and fix it but it wasn’t something that could be fixed at the track. I ended up renting a competitor’s spare car for the weekend, had no practice time in it, and jumped in. I felt reasonably comfortable in the car but I was cognizant of the fact that it was not my car and I needed to return it in one piece. I just really tried to play it conservatively and pick up some points. I maintained fourth place in the season-long standings which was my goal. I really enjoy VIR. I’m from the Washington, DC area and I have a fair number of laps here. It’s really terrific, it just wasn’t the weekend I hoped for.”

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.

Newman Finishes 33rd After Getting Caught Up in Late Accident at Sonoma

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Official Release
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SONOMA, Calif. (June 6, 2021) – Roush Fenway Racing driver Ryan Newman brought his No. 6 Guaranteed Rate Ford Mustang down pit road for the final time on lap 87 of Sunday’s NASCAR Cup Race at Sonoma Raceway, in hopes that scuffed tires would be the key down the stretch with a handful of laps remaining in the event.

The strategy looked to pay off, with the team picking up several spots before Newman got caught up in a multi-car melee at the end of the race, dropping the No. 6 to a disappointing 33rd place finish.

Newman started the race 24th and while running on a pit strategy that varied from much of the field, ran much of the race between 15th and 25th position. Working off the strategy he started the second stage in 14th position, and advance to as high as 12th on lap 44.

Newman pitted on the final caution and placed scuffed (slightly used) tires on his Guaranteed Rate Ford and restarted in 29th on lap 87. As the field moved into an overtime finish, Newman had moved to 24th and was zoning in on the top 20 when he was struck from behind in the last-lap multi-car accident that sent his car spinning out of control and forced the 33rd-place run.

The NASCAR Cup Series returns to action next weekend at Texas Motor Speedway for the All-Star Race on Sunday, June 13. It is scheduled for 8 p.m. ET on FS1, and coverage can also be heard on MRN and SiriusXM Channel 90.

Buescher Finishes 16th in Wild Sonoma Ending

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Official Release
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SONOMA, Calif. (June 6, 2021) – In a chaotic final set of laps at Sonoma Raceway Sunday afternoon, Chris Buescher maintained composure and finished 16th in the Fastenal Ford Mustang, despite being caught in the middle of a scuffle in the final turn in NASCAR overtime.

The scheduled 90-lap race went into overtime after a yellow at lap 87. Overall, the race saw five natural cautions, one of which came late in the race and played a major factor in the No. 17 team’s pit cycle.

Buescher started the day from the 12th spot after a top-10 last week, and used some varying pit strategy throughout the day to put himself in position late. With a competition caution at lap 10, crew chief Luke Lambert brought the Fastenal Ford to pit road at lap eight, just prior to the scheduled yellow, putting Buescher ahead of the cycle.

He restarted 10th on the ensuing green and would pit under green just a few laps later to sacrifice the track position and end the opening stage in 34th. But, with the pit stop just prior to the stage flag, Buescher was again on the positive side of the track position when the field took the stage two green flag at lap 23, where he started 11th.

He worked his way inside the top-10 by lap 31 when another yellow was displayed, and hit pit road under that break to restart 19th. But, with just five to go in the second 20-lap stage, Buescher powered past five machines to end the segment in 14th.

He fired off 10th for stage three, and hit pit road under green at lap 55 while running 14th. He was getting set to pit again under green just past lap 70 when the yellow came out, putting him below the 20th spot on the ensuing restart with just 16 to go.

Despite the flip in the pit cycle, Buescher worked his way back to 18th for another restart with 11 to go, and would fight through the multiple incidents in the closing laps to bring home the 16th-place result.

The NASCAR Cup Series returns to action next weekend at Texas Motor Speedway for the All-Star Race on Sunday, June 13. Buescher is set to compete in the NASCAR All-Star Open for a chance at racing into the All-Star Race. It is scheduled for 6 p.m. ET on FS1, and coverage can also be heard on MRN and SiriusXM Channel 90.

BRIGGS & STRATTON RETURNS TO SPONSOR THE MOTORPLEX AT ROAD AMERICA

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Official Release
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Sponsorship to begin in 2022; reinforces commitment to the Milwaukee and kart racing communities

ELKHART LAKE, Wis., June 7, 2021 – Briggs & Stratton today announces a long-term agreement with Road America earning Briggs & Stratton title rights to its renowned Motorplex, a world-class, multi-use, multi-configuration one-mile track used by the Road America Karting Club and the Road America Supermoto School. Road America also uses the Motorplex facility for numerous auto manufacturers’ new car introductions, ride-and-drive events, driving schools, media, and multiple group event-based programs. This announcement further solidifies Briggs & Stratton’s commitment to racing and to the Milwaukee area.

Beginning in 2022, the CTECH Manufacturing Motorplex will become the Briggs & Stratton Motorplex. While this is a newly-formed agreement, the two organizations are not new to working together. In 1999, Briggs & Stratton helped fund the development of the Motorplex. The Company then sponsored the Briggs & Stratton Tunnel between turns #1 and #3 for more than 15 years. Now, given the Company’s growing presence in the kart racing community, it will renew its focus on the Motorplex, which is one of the nation’s premier kart racing facilities that has recently been enhanced with a track resurfacing in 2018 and a new two-story pavilion opening soon.

Briggs & Stratton’s racing engine program is a specialized division within the Company’s Power group.

“This sponsorship reinforces Briggs & Stratton’s place in the Milwaukee community as a large and growing employer with a very bright future,” says Steve Andrews, President, and CEO of Briggs & Stratton. “Our racing division fuels the passion for thousands of racers around the world and we are pleased to continue to support racing through this sponsorship – and by manufacturing the leading 4-cycle kart racing engine platform.”

“We couldn’t be prouder to have Briggs & Stratton return to the Motorplex,” said Mike Kertscher, Road America’s President and General Manager. “Their name and reputation fit the image of what the Motorplex is all about; they are committed to excellence in their products and the Road America experience; their values mesh with those of Road America and our partners, and they are a company that embraces the racing industry. Additionally, we want to thank CTECH for its commitment to the motorplex since 2017 and value their partnership at Road America as the official cart and cabinet provider.”

In addition to the naming rights, Briggs & Stratton will use the facility to help enable and propel its product testing and future product development.

To learn more about Briggs & Stratton and its family of brands, visit www.basco.com. To learn more about Briggs & Stratton racing, visit www.briggsracing.com.

About Briggs & Stratton
Briggs & Stratton, headquartered in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, is focused on providing power to get work done and make people’s lives better. Briggs & Stratton is the world’s largest producer of gasoline engines for outdoor power equipment, and is a leading designer, manufacturer and marketer of commercial lithium-ion batteries, power generation, pressure washer, lawn and garden, turf care and job site products through its Briggs & Stratton®, Simplicity®, Snapper®, Ferris®, Vanguard®, Allmand®, Billy Goat®, Murray®, Branco® and Victa® brands. Briggs & Stratton products are designed, manufactured, marketed and serviced in over 100 countries on six continents.

About Road America: Established in 1955, Road America is conveniently located between Milwaukee and Green Bay in Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin. The world’s best racers have competed at this legendary four-mile, 14-turn road circuit for over 65 years. Along with over 500 events held seasonally at the 640-acre facility, several major weekends are open to the public, which include the IndyCar Series, the MotoAmerica Series, three vintage racing events, numerous Sports Car Club of America (SCCA) events, the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship, and NASCAR. Road America’s park-like grounds offer amazing viewing opportunities, numerous camping options, fantastic concessions, and high-speed excitement to hundreds of thousands of spectators each year. Fans can also stay and play in cabins conveniently on the grounds and find all sorts of souvenirs, collectibles, and apparel at the 7,500 sq. ft Paddock Shop. Affectionately known by many as America’s National Park of Speed, Road America can accommodate groups of all sizes, including weddings and corporate events in the Tufte Conference Center. In addition to public race weekends, Road America offers various group event programs, including geocaching, disc golf, and off-road adventure tours, karting, and the Road America Motorcycle and Driving Schools. For more information, visit www.roadamerica.com Follow Road America on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, or YouTube or call 800-365-7223

Meyer Shank Racing Ready for Double Duty in Detroit

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Official Release
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#60: Jack Harvey, Meyer Shank Racing Honda

Following Indianapolis 500 victory, MSR set for dual IMSA and INDYCAR programs and looks to win in Detroit once again

Pataskala, Ohio (7 June 2021) – After a breakthrough Indianapolis 500 victory on Memorial Day Weekend with driver Helio Castroneves, Meyer Shank Racing is looking for more success this weekend in Detroit. The team will be in full force with single car efforts in both the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship as well as in NTT INDYCAR competition for the Detroit Grand Prix double-header.

Harvey Set to Make INDYCAR Detroit Debut

Having shown strength on several road courses on the INDYCAR Series calendar, Jack Harvey will look to add another podium result to his resume this weekend as he takes the No. 60 AutoNation / SiriusXM Honda to the streets of Belle Isle for the Detroit Grand Prix double header on Saturday (2:00pm ET, NBC) and Sunday (12:00pm ET, NBC).

Harvey has had some of his best results on street courses including this year’s Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg, which saw the MSR driver qualify on the front row and capture a fourth place finish.

Having seen some promising outings earlier this season not deliver the full potential, Harvey is eager to get back to the front this weekend and take a maiden INDYCAR victory.

“I’m definitely excited to hit the reset button and head into Detroit,” said Harvey. “Street courses are one of my favorite kinds of circuits to race on and I’m really excited to experience Detroit for the first time. Hopefully it will be a good weekend for the team.”

Meyer Shank Racing Ready for First IMSA Street Course of 2021

With only two street courses on the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship calendar, Meyer Shank Racing will take on the first one this weekend – the Detroit Grand Prix with Dane Cameron and Olivier Pla in the No. 60 AutoNation / SiriusXM Acura DPi (Saturday, 5:00pm ET, NBCSN).

Meyer Shank Racing has had a strong past in Detroit with its Acura GTD program. After being selected as the factory GTD team for the debut of the Acura NSX GT3 in 2017, MSR scored the first-ever victory for the Acura NSX with Katherine Legge and Andy Lally in Detroit. The 2018 event saw MSR make its own personal history after scoring its first-ever 1-2 finish with both of its Acura NSX GT3s. MSR followed those results up the following year with a second place finish among the GTD field..

After taking a year off from racing on the streets of Detroit due to the pandemic in 2020, MSR is hoping to return in a big way. Cameron is the reigning winner of the Detroit Grand Prix having scored a big win in 2019 onboard the Acura ARX-05 DPi. He also has a third place finish under his belt from the 2018 edition of the event.

“First of all, I’m so happy and proud of the team for the massive Indy 500 win, it’s such a huge achievement for everyone,” said Cameron. “I am super excited to be heading back to Detroit, its one of my favorite rounds on the calendar and I was really bummed we weren’t able to race there in 2020. Its a super fun layout and it will be great to have fans back in the paddock for the first time! The result at Mid-Ohio wasn’t what we wanted, but we had some good speed so I’m hoping we can put it all together this weekend and get a win.”

Pla will be making his Detroit debut this weekend onboard the No. 60 Acura DPi. Although new to the Acura platform, Pla has clocked in countless laps during testing to help prepare him for the two hour sprint race on Saturday.

“I’m looking forward to the Detroit weekend, I really love driving on street circuits and I always felt very comfortable racing at tracks like this one,” said Pla. “Like Mid-Ohio, it will be a tricky race with the strategy and the traffic, but we are ready for the action and hopefully can give MSR a good result.”

Saturday will feature both the INDYCAR Race 1 at 2:00pm ET on NBC which will then be followed by the IMSA main event at 5:00pm ET on NBCSN. Sunday will stage the second INDYCAR race which is set to be broadcast live on NBC starting at 12:00pm ET.

Additional radio coverage can be found on SiriusXM Ch. 202 (IMSA) and SiriusXM Ch. 205 (INDYCAR).

Wood Brothers Team Working on a Rebound After Disappointing Sonoma Run

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Official Release
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After watching Matt DiBenedetto and the No. 21 Menards/Knauf Insulation team struggle to a 23rd-place finish in Sunday’s Toyota/Save Mart 350 at Sonoma Raceway, Eddie Wood said he’s taking the long view of his team’s slump since a fourth-place finish at Kansas Speedway on May 2. The team has a best finish of 18th and a worst of 24th in that five-race span.

“I’ve been racing in NASCAR for a long time,” Wood said. “I’ve been through some really good times, and I’ve been through some where things don’t go right and you can’t find the speed you need.

“But I’ve learned that if you keep working hard and doing the things you need to do to improve eventually the pieces start to fall into place and it will turn around.”

Wood said disappointing races generally aren’t always a matter of just bad luck.

“You can’t panic, and you can’t quit,” he said. “You just have to do what you think is best, keep working hard and it’ll eventually turn around.

“It did earlier this year after we had a rough start to the season, and things will get better again.

“I am confident of that. We’re not even to the halfway point of this season, so there’s time to get things fixed and make this year one we’re all proud of.”

At Sonoma, DiBenedetto and the Menards/Knauf team started 17th and showed early signs of speed. They were able to finish ninth in the first 20-lap Stage, earning two bonus points.

DiBenedetto stayed on the track following the caution for Stage One and ran as high as second place before drivers on fresher tires overtook him.

But from that point on, the No. 21 Mustang ran outside the top 10 for the most part and was involved in a couple of late-race fender benders before taking the checkered flag in 23rd place.

DiBenedetto, who remains in 17th place in the Cup Series standings, said that once he fell back in Sunday’s race it was more than he could overcome.

“When we had track position we could hang in there a little bit,” he said. “But we had some trouble on a pit stop and some tire issues and lost our track position.

“When we got buried in the back of the pack it was just a mess. We got banged around some and got some damage on those late-race restarts.

“We just have to do a better job as a team and get out there and execute.”

Up next for DiBenedetto and the Wood Brothers team are the NASCAR All-Star Open – and possibly the All-Star race – at Texas Motor Speedway next Sunday followed by the next Cup Series points race, at Nashville Superspeedway on June 20.

Menards

A family-owned and run company started in 1958, Menards is recognized as the retail home center leader of the Midwest with 236 stores in 15 states. Menards is truly a one-stop shop for all of your home improvement needs featuring a full-service lumberyard and everything you need to plan a renovation or build a home, garage, cabin, shed, deck, fence or post frame building. Menards is known for friendly Customer Service and as the place to “Save Big Money” with low prices every day, and sales too! For more information, please visit Menards.com to learn about our store locations, offerings and services.

Wood Brothers Racing

Wood Brothers Racing was formed in 1950 in Stuart, Va., by Hall of Famer Glen Wood. Wood Brothers Racing is the oldest active team and one of the winningest teams in NASCAR history. Since its founding, the team won 99 races (including at least one race in every decade for the last seven decades) and 120 poles in NASCAR’s top-tier series. Fielding only Ford products for its entire history, the Wood Brothers own the longest association of any motorsports team with a single manufacturer. Glen’s brother, Leonard, is known for inventing the modern pit stop. The team currently runs the Ford Mustang driven by Matt DiBenedetto in the famous No. 21 racer.

Kyle Larson Races to Dominating Victory at Toyota/Save Mart 350 Sunday at Sonoma Raceway

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Official Release
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SONOMA, Calif. (June 6, 2021) – Kyle Larson held off two of the sport’s top road course racers – Chase Elliott and Martin Truex Jr. – to win the Toyota/Save Mart 350 in a thrilling overtime finish Sunday at Sonoma Raceway.

Larson, who started on the pole, dominated the action in the NASCAR Cup Series race in his No. 5 Hendrick Motorsports Chevy Camaro, winning the first two stages and leading a race-best 57 laps on the iconic 2.52-mile, 12-turn road course to take his third victory of the year, ninth win of his career and first-ever victory at Sonoma.

In the closing laps, Larson had to outduel defending series champion and recent road course master Elliott, three-time Sonoma winner Truex Jr. and Team Penske’s Joey Logano to take the checkered flag. Larson finished .614-of a second in front of Elliott at the checkered flag.

“It was not easy,” said Larson of his first career road course victory in the Cup Series. “Any road course isn’t easy, just trying to keep it on track is tough; especially when you’ve got two of the best behind you on the last restart, Chase (Elliott) and Martin (Truex, Jr.). I felt like I did a good job at the one before and stretched it out a little bit and didn’t want to give him another try at it, but he kept the pressure on. Martin was strong too, but what a car. This HendrickCars.com Chevy, thank you Mr. Hendrick. The is unbelievable. I thought I would be okay today, but I just didn’t know how I would race. I don’t think of us really do with no practice. But our car was really good there and I can’t say enough about it.”

Elliott, who had won five of the last six road course races including the most recent one at Circuit of The Americas in Texas two weeks ago, started second in his No. 9 Hendrick Motorsports Chevy and finished there after leading 13 laps of the race. He said even though it was the best he’s run here, it just wasn’t good enough to get the trophy today.

“Congratulations to Kyle (Larson) and Cliff (Daniels, crew chief), and everybody on the No. 5 team. They’ve been doing an amazing job,” Elliott said. “I’m really proud of our NAPA group, though. I feel like we were a lot better there at the end than we were at the beginning; and definitely the best I’ve ever been here, I feel like, at Sonoma, in particular. I’m pleased with that. I wish we could have gotten another spot, but we’ll try again.”

Truex, who was trying for the Sonoma three-peat and his fourth career win here in his No. 19 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota after winning in Wine Country in 2018 and 2019, said Larson definitely had the car to beat today.

“Our only hope was for it really to go green the rest of the race there in that third stage once we both pitted and we were one-two,” Truex Jr. said. “(Kyle Larson) drove by me and he was just super-fast for 10 laps. Our only chance was if the race would have gone green from there and I still don’t even know. He was really fast for 15 laps then obviously once we started getting all those cautions, we were toast. Definitely not what we needed.”

Larson, a native of Elk Grove near Sacramento, won the Coca-Cola 600 last Sunday in Charlotte, N.C., and said he spent the last week relaxing with family and friends in the Bay Area, and winning today in front of all his peeps was a great way to finish off his trip.

“(Winning here) means a lot,” said Larson, who said he spent quite a bit of time at Sonoma Raceway as a youngster watching races and dreaming of one day becoming a professional race car driver.

“Northern California will always be home to me, even if I live way out on the East Coast now,” Larson continued. “Thanks to all the fans for coming out. I know there’s a lot of Sprint Car fans in the stands and around this race track. I got to see a lot of my friends here today. I’ve got my family here. This is unbelievable.

“And to get back-to-back wins in the Cup Series is something I’ve always dreamed of doing and to get it done feels great. To win last week on Memorial Day weekend, four in a row now, if you count my dirt racing too. And we’ve got a big week of racing coming up. I look forward to all that and just look forward to keeping the streak going.”

There were eight cautions in the race, the worst incident coming with four laps to go after Ryan Preece ran off track and then when he drove back onto the track, his Chevy made contact with Cody Ware’s car, sending both cars careening in different directions.

Another late-race caution with 14 laps to go cut down a huge lead that Larson had built and gave the rest of the field some hope. In that incident, Ross Chastain, Corey LaJoie and Kevin Harvick tangled in Turn 11, and also collected the cars of William Byron, Alex Bowman, Christopher Bell and Erik Jones. However, after each restart, Larson was able to get back on the gas quickly and pull away from his rivals.

“On each of those last restarts, I got good launches, was able to do that,” Larson said. “On each of them I felt like I lost a little bit of front grip. Kind of went through there and pushed a little bit too much, couldn’t get on the gas as soon as I needed to. Same with three, three and four. Chase was actually able to stay closer to me than I wanted him to by the time we got to seven. He’s really good at out-braking people. I didn’t want to go in there and make a mistake. I can get good drive off to kind of stretch out from him. Just had to make sure I hit my marks and didn’t enter into the fast corners too fast, slide out and lose speed. My car was really good. I didn’t really have to run 100-percent. I could run 95-percent, just limit my mistakes a little bit better.”

Kyle Busch, Kurt Busch, Chastain, Denny Hamlin, Bowman and Ryan Blaney completed the top 10. ARCA Menards West winner from Saturday and Cup rookie Chase Briscoe finished 17th after starting 25th. It was the fourth consecutive victory for Hendrick Motorsports and with the effort Larson cut Hamlin’s series lead to 47 points. It was the fourth straight 1-2 finish for Hendrick Motorsports and the first time since 2014 that the Hendrick team has posted four-straight wins.

Prior to the green flag, San Francisco 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan, serving as the race’s Grand Marshal, welcomed the large Bay Area contingent of fans back to live sports before saying the most famous words in motorsports. Shanahan, who said this was his first visit to a NASCAR race, toured the pits, met with several drivers and had a brief interview session with media members.

Other celebrities who attended today’s race included NBA legend and NASCAR team owner Michael Jordan, who was here to cheer on his driver Bubba Wallace and the No. 23 Toyota team; Food Network star Guy Fieri, an admitted gearhead who drove the honorary pace car; and U.S. Skateboarding champ Mina Stess, who performed a skating demonstration during pre-race ceremonies.

The NASCAR Cup Series moves on to Texas Motor Speedway near Dallas for the prestigious NASCAR All-Star Race on Sunday, June 13 (8 p.m. ET, FS1, MRN Radio).

NASCAR Cup Series Race – 32nd Annual Toyota/Save Mart 350
Sonoma Raceway
Sonoma, California
Sunday, June 6, 2021
1. (1) Kyle Larson, Chevrolet, 92.
2. (2) Chase Elliott, Chevrolet, 92.
3. (19) Martin Truex Jr., Toyota, 92.
4. (13) Joey Logano, Ford, 92.
5. (5) Kyle Busch, Toyota, 92.
6. (30) Kurt Busch, Chevrolet, 92.
7. (29) Ross Chastain, Chevrolet, 92.
8. (4) Denny Hamlin, Toyota, 92.
9. (7) Alex Bowman, Chevrolet, 92.
10. (11) Ryan Blaney, Ford, 92.
11. (18) Erik Jones, Chevrolet, 92.
12. (16) Daniel Suarez, Chevrolet, 92.
13. (6) Austin Dillon, Chevrolet, 92.
14. (15) Bubba Wallace, Toyota, 92.
15. (9) Brad Keselowski, Ford, 92.
16. (12) Chris Buescher, Ford, 92.
17. (25) Chase Briscoe #, Ford, 92.
18. (22) Corey LaJoie, Chevrolet, 92.
19. (10) Tyler Reddick, Chevrolet, 92.
20. (23) Cole Custer, Ford, 92.
21. (27) Ryan Preece, Chevrolet, 92.
22. (8) Kevin Harvick, Ford, 92.
23. (17) Matt DiBenedetto, Ford, 92.
24. (20) Christopher Bell, Toyota, 92.
25. (32) James Davison, Chevrolet, 92.
26. (35) Scott Heckert, Ford, 92.
27. (26) Aric Almirola, Ford, 92.
28. (21) Michael McDowell, Ford, 92.
29. (36) Josh Bilicki, Ford, 92.
30. (31) Ben Rhodes(i), Chevrolet, 92.
31. (28) Anthony Alfredo #, Ford, 92.
32. (34) Garrett Smithley(i), Ford, 92.
33. (24) Ryan Newman, Ford, 92.
34. (37) Cody Ware(i), Chevrolet, Accident, 84.
35. (3) William Byron, Chevrolet, Accident, 76.
36. (33) Quin Houff, Chevrolet, Rear Gear, 69.
37. (14) Ricky Stenhouse Jr., Chevrolet, Engine, 40.

Average Speed of Race Winner: 71.445 mph.
Time of Race: 3 Hrs, 14 Mins, 42 Secs. Margin of Victory: .614 Seconds.
Caution Flags: 8 for 18 laps.
Lead Changes: 13 among 7 drivers.
Lap Leaders: K. Larson 1-9;D. Hamlin 10-11;K. Larson 12-21;K. Busch 22-27;W. Byron 28-32;K.
Larson 33-42;K. Busch 43-44;C. Elliott 45-57;K. Larson 58-64;J. Logano 65-66;K. Busch 67-68;K.
Larson 69-72;J. Logano 73-75;K. Larson 76-92.
Leaders Summary (Driver, Times Lead, Laps Led): Kyle Larson 6 times for 57 laps; Chase Elliott 1
time for 13 laps; Kurt Busch 2 times for 8 laps; Joey Logano 2 times for 5 laps; William Byron 1
time for 5 laps; Denny Hamlin 1 time for 2 laps; Kyle Busch 1 time for 2 laps.
Stage #1 Top Ten: 5,9,18,19,48,3,8,1,21,43
Stage #2 Top Ten: 5,22,48,1,9,24,18,2,11,20

Marco Polo Motorsports Rides the Rollercoaster of GT4 America at VIR

By
Official Release
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ALTON, Vir., (June 6, 2021) – Marco Polo Motorsports experienced lows and highs during Rounds 5 and 6 at Virginia International Raceway. Though the No. 71 KTM X-Bow and drivers Nicolai Elghanayan and Mads Siljehaug had a sluggish start in the scorching heat and humidity, they were able to secure fifth in class and valuable points for the GT4 America championship on Saturday.

Setup challenges from rounds three and four at the Circuit of the Americas followed the team into the weekend start in Virginia. However, the expanded partnership with Germany-based Reiter Engineering gave the group strong optimism headed into the race weekend.

“We’re having a little bit of an uphill battle right now,” said Elghanayan. “But it’s all learning. Reiter has already helped us improve drastically over the 2020 season. The key to a successful program in motorsport is to always learn and grow, and our partnership with Reiter is a big reflection of that spirit.”

The No. 71 KTM X-Bow started race one from seventh in class. After navigating out of class traffic and back and forth position exchanges and with Tomas Mejia of No. 38 ST Racing, Siljehaug was able to acquire some solid weekend points towards the championship. With the car balance still not at optimal configuration, the crew dug into the mechanics while Elghanayan and Siljehaug examined data and in-car footage.

Qualifying second in class for race two provided a favorable starting position on Sunday. Siljehaug was able to swiftly navigate the team into first in class while reporting to the team that the car felt strong in the warm conditions. A well-strategized entrance in the pit window and smoothly executed driver change had Elghanayan entering onto the clear track while maintaining the team’s first-in-class position. After a shuffle in position that brought Elghanayan to fourth in class, the car had contact with the No. 24 Heart of Racing Team Aston Martin while fighting to gain back ground, damaging the KTM and rendering it unable to finish the race.

“We had a little fault,” said Siljehaug. “But we will definitely come back stronger, and we can only get better. Everyone has put in a lot of work to keep our progress going, and I’m excited to see what we can do moving forward.”

Reiter Engineering made great strides in setup throughout the weekend and bring a renewed excitement and confidence to Marco Polo Motorsports, knowing the car was brought so close to its full potential.

GT4 America will continue the 2021 championship at Road America on August 27-29. All series information and schedule updates can be found at www.gt4-america.com.

About Muellerized…KTM X-BOW Sales and Support
Muellerized Inc. is California’s KTM X-BOW Dealer, with multiple models including the new 2020 X-BOW Comp R in stock. The shop was founded as a suspension and chassis specialist shop in 2004 by third generation champion racer John Mueller, who utilizes his 36 years of road racing experience to craft winning solutions. Muellerized offers a full range of vehicle services for street, track day, and competition vehicles. – muellerized.com

About Kollin Altomare Architects
Beyond providing full-service architecture, interior design and planning services, we create elegant, inspired projects. Not only award-winning luxury hotels, resorts, spas, residential, retail, dining and leisure destinations, but enduring partnerships with the people who hire us. Driven to be Creatively Responsible and Responsibly Creative, we deliver design solutions that surpass the expectations of both our clients and their customers.

Craftsmen Industries
For racing professionals looking for the ultimate in customized automotive transport, Craftsmen Industries, the trusted leader in custom-built transporters, introduces the Craftsmen Transporter. Inspired by the great European racing design, Craftsmen Transporters are Precision-Built, Lightweight, Fast, High-Performance and High-Design. For more details, please visit www.craftsmenind.com/transporters.

KTM Sportcar GmbH
With headquarters in Graz (manufactory) and Wels (racing), KTM Sportcar GmbH is the manufacturer of KTMs super sports car, the X-BOW, since 2008. More than 1,300 vehicles have been sold since, distributed in more than 40 countries worldwide, amongst them markets like Australia, China or North America. With a maximum of 100 cars manufactured per hand per year, KTM is one of the most exclusive car manufacturers worldwide. Besides homologated models for street use, KTM is focused in racing, especially in spec racing series like the “X-BOW BATTLE” or in the SRO GT4 category. With titles in 2008, 2009, 2016, 2017, 2018 and 2019, the KTM X-BOW GT4 (developed together with Reiter Engineering) is one of the most successful GT4 vehicles, racing against the biggest as well as most legendary sports car manufacturers in the world and on the most iconic tracks like Nürburgring, Bathurst or Spa-Francorchamps.

Josh Berry Earns Jordan Anderson Racing Third Consecutive Top-Ten Finish in Road Course Debut at Mid-Ohio

By
Official Release
-

Jordan Anderson Racing NASCAR Xfinity Series Race Report
Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course; June 5, 2021

Track: Mid- Ohio Sports Car Course- Road Course (2.258 Miles)
Race: B & L Transport 170
Date: June 5, 2021
Format: 75 Laps –25/25/25; 169.35 Miles

No. 31 Bommarito Automotive Group Chevrolet Camaro SS – Josh Berry

Start: 31
Stage 1: 17
Stage 2: 28
Finish: 8
Status: Running
Laps Completed: 78 (3 Laps of NASCAR Overtime)
Laps Led: 0

Stage One Recap:

  • Berry would start the B & L Transport 170 from the 31st position after the starting lineup was determined by the competition-based performance metrics system; fastest lap in the previous race 15 percent, driver finish from previous race 25 percent, owner points 25 percent, and driver points 35 percent.
  • As the green flag waved and the cars raced towards Turn-1, No. 9 would get pushed off the track at the green flag damaging his car and would come to a stop on track bringing out the first caution of the race. Berry would navigate the dodging and braking cars to successfully gain eight spots moving into the 23rd position.
  • The Lap-5 restart would see Berry advance into a multi-lap battle with No. 8 the pair would trade positions for several laps before Berry would seize the spot.
  • The second caution would fall on Lap-8 with the No. 31 Bommarito Automotive Group Chevrolet sitting in the 23rd position.
  • With restricted pit stops being used this weekend teams would opt for using strategy to complete their service and gain track position once stops would cycle through after the completion of the Stage break.
  • Lap-22 would see the leaders come to pit road for their fuel only pit stop under green flag conditions.
  • Berry would jump up seven positions by remaining on track.
  • Hitting his marks, the remaining two laps Berry was able to compete Stage 1 in the 17th spot.

Stage Two Recap:

  • At the stage break, Berry would come to pit lane to make his fuel only stop first as teams are not allowed to fuel and change tires on the same stop. After fueling complete Berry would leave pit lane and would make another lap around the 2.258-mile track and return to pit lane for his four-tire change.
  • With the leaders pitting off sequence to remain out front Berry would get shuffled back to 20th on the restart as no positions can be gained or lost on pit road under the revised pit rules. Berry would gain two additional positions as the No. 51 and No. 8 would encounter pit penalties and be forced to start at the tail.
  • Lap-32 would see the No. 7 car go to the garage with drive train problems. Berry would advance another position to the 19th spot.
  • With the possible help from another car and misjudging the braking zone Berry would go off track on Lap-34 successfully avoiding the gravel trap but would lose significant amount of track position fading back to 32nd.
  • The fourth caution would fall on Lap-42 as the No. 51 would stall on track. Berry would remain on track and restart in 30th.
  • With nothing to lose Crew Chief Arthur (Artie) Haire would call Berry to pit lane on Lap-45 for a fuel only stop under green flag conditions in search of gaining track position once pit stops cycle back around after the stage break.
  • Rejoining the field in the 29th position after the fuel stop, Berry would advance one position in the final two laps to finish Stage 2 in 28th position.

Final Stage:

  • Under the stage break, Berry would come to pit lane for his four tires only stop after previously completing his Fuel only stop. The gamble to come to pit road early would pay off as pit stops would cycle thru. Berry would restart the final Stage in the 13th position.
  • When the green flag flew Berry would hit his braking marks in each corner still trying to get the hang of racing a road course.
  • Dropping back a few positions to 17th the sixth caution would come out on Lap-68 as the No. 10 would spin into the gravel trap and would become stuck.
  • As the field would restart the Stage on Lap-72 No. 22 at the front of the field would get punted into the grass and out of contention, and just a lap later the seventh caution would come out for a multi-car accident with lead cars with some of the front-runners inquiring heavy damage.
  • With cars in front having to go to pit road for repairs Berry would restart in the 7th position.
  • Coming to the restart the No. 02 would stop on track forcing NASCAR to remain under caution for another lap forcing NASCAR overtime.
  • As the race restarted on Lap-77 Berry sitting in the 7th position would drop back a few spots coming to the white flag, but the No. 8 would spin out of fourth spot in turn 3 and the No. 98 would slow considerably after making contact with No. 23. Berry would navigate thru the dirt and tire smoke to slip back into the 8thposition.
  • When the checkered flag flew on Lap-78, Berry would cross the line in the 8th position. Giving JAR its third top-ten finish in NXS in three weeks.
  • Josh Berry Quote Box:
  • “I’m tickled to death to finish inside the top 10 – I really am” Said Berry. “I have never run a road course in anything other than iRacing or a go kart. I’m tickled to death and happy for this group. They’re working hard, trying to build something and this should get them enough points where they can keep on keeping on. It’ a good day for all of us.”
  • “It’s just difficult,” Berry said of road course racing. “I didn’t know the limit of the brakes and the car. I didn’t want to make a mistake early on and lose a lot of time. I wanted to make it to the end, that was the number one goal.”
  • B & L Transport 170 Recap:
  • Despite getting a pit road penalty as the final stage of the BL Transport 170 was set to start, No. 16-AJ Allmendinger drove through the field and won his second race of the season.
  • No. 11-Justin Haley finished second, No. 54-Ty Gibbs finished third, No. 19-Brandon Jones and No. 23-Andy Lally rounded out the top five. No. 68-Brandon Brown, No. 1-Michael Annett, No. 31-Josh Berry, No. 39-Ryan Sieg and No. 92-Josh Williams made up the rest of the top 10.
  • Allmendinger and Haley won the two stages, both recording their third stage win(s) of the season.
  • There were 7 lead changes among 5 drivers and 7 cautions for 23 yellow flag laps.

Bommarito Automotive Group; Bommarito Automotive Group is celebrating its 50th year in the St. Louis marketplace, the Bommarito Automotive Group currently operates 20 automotive franchises throughout every St. Louis neighborhood led by president John Bommarito and the over 900 dedicated team members. Bommarito is recognized by the St. Louis Business Journal as Missouri’s No. 1 selling automotive group and is currently ranked 52nd in the nation. What once started as a vision to have one Bommarito vehicle in every driveway, is today a reality thanks to the family’s ‘Where Price Sells Cars” mission.

For more information on the Bommarito Automotive Group or to see the vehicles they currently have in stock, visit them online at Bommarito.com, and follow their social channels on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

NASCAR Xfinity Series Championship Standings:

After 13 events and the third event JAR could compete in, JAR moves up to 40th in the NXS Owner Point Standings after Berry’s 8th place finish on Saturday afternoon. That finish arns enough points to successfully lock the team in the field for the Alsco Uniforms 250 powered by Cheddar’s next weekend at Texas Motor Speedway.

Next Race:

Jordan Anderson will look to make his first NXS start of 2021 behind the wheel of the Jordan Anderson Racing No. 31 Bommarito Automotive Group Chevrolet Camaro SS when the NASCAR Xfinity Series visits the Texas Motor Speedway; Saturday, June 12, 2021, for the Alsco Uniforms 250 powered by Cheddar’s. LIVE coverage will be on Fox Sports 1 (FS1), Performance Racing Network (PRN), and SiriusXM Channel 90 at 4:00 P.M. EST.

About Jordan Anderson Racing

Jordan Anderson Racing (JAR) is a NASCAR Xfinity Series (NXS) team, and NASCAR Camping World Truck Series (NCWTS) team, owned by owner/driver Jordan Anderson. Established in 2018, JAR has competed full-time in the last three NCWTS seasons claiming back-to-back runner-up finishes in the 2020 & 2021 season opening NextEra 250 at Daytona International Speedway. JAR fields a full-time entry in the NXS Series; the No. 31 Chevrolet Camaro SS driven by Jordan Anderson, Tyler Reddick & Josh Berry. JAR also fields the No. 3 Chevrolet Silverado for select drivers in the NCWTS.

NASCAR slot game review – hold onto your seat!

By
SM
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NASCAR and slot game enthusiasts will have loved the fact that a game was designed with motorsports in mind, as Bally Technologies decided to give the extremely popular stock car racing league their own place in the online slot game world.

Although there will be many who play Immortal Romance slot game and many other modern games, there is no denying that NASCAR: Hold Onto Your Seat! is a slot game that still provides players with the thrills and excitement that those games offer.

Themes and Visuals

There are a total of five different NASCAR race legends available on the playing grid that help bring the theme to life, especially as these legendary individuals can help players race their way to the checkered flag and pick up jackpot wins. The five drivers include Clint Bowyer, Jimmie Johnson, Kevin Harvick, Dale Earnhardt, and Jeff Gordon.

The car icon and the number icon will be influenced by which driver is chosen, whilst the basic icons all include things that petrolheads would expect to see, such as speedometers, wrenches, tires, and checkered flags.

The game is played across a playing grid that consists of 5 reels and 3 rows, whilst bets can be placed from as low as $0.40 per spin and for a maximum of $3.20 per spin that is made. 

Bonuses and the special features

There are a number of different special bonus rounds and features available in this NASCAR: Hold Onto Your Seat! slot game, with special symbols available being the way to trigger them.

There is just one wild symbol in this game, however, it can provide players with more opportunities to win as it can perform a substitution trick where possible.

The Bonus Wheel Spin free game will allow for wilds to do a lot more, though, as they can appear locked on the reels and in stacks. 

The game also features a huge four scatter symbols, with each being connected to the four different bonus rounds that can be triggered. Just three are needed to trigger one of the following bonus games:

  • Pit-Stop Bonus
  • U-Race Bonus
  • Burnout Bonus
  • Jackpot NASCAR Trophy

The Pit-Stop Bonus will see players be required to choose five of the 15 bolts available to reveal a cash prize, or various upgraded parts such as the engine, tires, fuel, and a wrench. Each of the items to be unlocked will increase the prize to be won.

The payer can get a set of reels for a free spins game with the U-Race Bonus, and a virtual race circuit with five NASCAR racing cars will also appear.

Players will receive five free spins and will also get to choose one of three directions for their chosen driver to head in. Players will then be able to get a win multiplier on the next spin; starting from 2x and going to 8x.

The Burnout Wheel bonus is a traditional free spins game that will allow players to try and obtain as many free spins that they can. Options on the wheel include:

  • Ten free spins
  • Ten free spins with 5x the win
  • Fifteen free spins with 2x the win
  • Five free spins with added wilds
  • Ten free spins with locked wilds

Jackpot prizes

Winning the jackpot in this NASCAR: Hold Onto Your Seat! slot game is what players should be looking to achieve, especially as it is a progressive jackpot that can potentially reward players rather lucratively.

All players will be able to try and win the six-figure prize regardless of the bet that they place, with the jackpot starting at $400,000 and being able to reach double that amount at certain moments.

To win the prize, lucky players will simply need to land all five of the NASCAR trophy icons on one line, although those who land three will win a smaller jackpot.

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