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Our Motorsports Post Race Report – Mid-Ohio

By
Official Release
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LEXINGTON, Ohio (June 5, 2021) – The Our Motorsports team had two cars running for top five finishes at the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course when the No. 02 car of Brett Moffitt had an equipment malfunction that led to fuel loss. At the time Moffit was in 2nd place and preparing for the green flag in an overtime shootout. The No. 23 car of Andy Lally battled to a 5th place finish. This results in Lally’s best career finish in the NASCAR Xfinity series.

The 75 lap, 170 mile race began with Moffitt starting in 18th and Lally in 27th. Shortly after the drop of the green flag, Lally had moved up to 15th, with Moffitt right behind in 16th. Within a few laps of the green Lally started having issues with radio communication and felt the car was loose. At lap 15, the Our Motorsport Chevys continued to be running neck and neck in the 15th and 16th positions. When the first green and white checkered was waived, Moffitt ended the stage in 12th with Lally in 30th after a green flag pit stop.

At the start of stage two, Moffitt rolled off 17th with Lally behind him in 19th. Lally battled with several previous Xfinity Series Champions throughout the stage and by lap 33 Lally fought his way to the 5th position. Lally’s No. 23 Chevy continued to show tremendous speed throughout the rest of the stage. Coming in for green flag pit stops resulted in a 21st and 22nd finish for the stage.

When the green flag came back out, Moffitt started 10th before battling his way into the top five. Lally started the stage in the 30th position due to an uncontrolled tire during his green flag stop. With under 5 laps to go both Our Motorsports teammates were running within the top ten. Moffitt found himself in the perfect position with 2 laps to go and in 2nd. Heartbreak set in when the green flag was about to fly for the 2 lap shoot out. Moffitt found himself unable to move his No. 02 Chevy. Due to unfortunate circumstances, Moffitt had an equipment malfunction that led to fuel loss resulting in a 31st finish for the team. Although Moffitt felt heartbreak, teammate Lally was able to cross the finish line in 5th. After a hard day, the Our Motorsports team learned a lot and are hopeful to find themselves in victory lane in the weeks to come.

The NASCAR Xfinity Series returns to action next weekend at Texas Motor Speedway in Fort Worth, Texas. The Alsco Uniforms 250 is set for Saturday, June 12 at 4 p.m. ET on FS1.

Two Mercedes-AMG Motorsport Customer Racing Victories and Six Total Podium Finishes Highlight Successful Saturday of SRO America Championships Competition at VIRginia International Raceway

By
Official Release
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Erin Vogel and Michael Cooper Co-Drive DXDT Racing Mercedes-AMG GT3 to First Fanatec GT World Challenge America Pro-Am Race Win; Kenny Murillo and Christian Szymczak Secure Overall Pirelli GT4 America Victory in No. 72 Murillo Racing Mercedes-AMG GT4

DANVILLE, Virginia – A first-time Mercedes-AMG GT3 Pro-Am class winner in Fanatec GT World Challenge America powered by AWS competition, along with the first overall Pirelli GT4 America victory of the season for the Mercedes-AMG GT4, highlighted a successful day of SRO America Championships competition on Saturday for Mercedes-AMG Motorsport Customer Racing teams at VIRginia International Raceway. Erin Vogel became the first female driver to secure a North American race win in a Mercedes-AMG GT3, co-driving with Michael Cooper to the duo’s first World Challenge victory in the No. 19 DXDT Racing Mercedes-AMG GT3. Saturday’s other race winners were Christian Szymczak and Kenny Murillo, who co-drove the No. 72 Murillo Racing Mercedes-AMG GT4 to the overall Pirelli GT4 America win and their third Silver-class victory of 2021.

Exceptional driving, flawless pit stops and strong team execution were at the foundation of both victories, which anchored a solid six podium showings on the day for Mercedes-AMG Motorsport customer teams across three SRO America series.

The breakout win for Vogel and Cooper came in only their fifth race start together in their first year with both the Mercedes-AMG GT3 and DXDT Racing.

Starting driver Vogel stayed in touch with the Pro-Am field throughout her race-opening stint and skilfully avoided the contact and off-course incidents that knocked more than one competitor from contention.

Cooper took over from Vogel in a well-executed and masterfully timed pit stop before the 90-minute race’s halfway mark. Cooper returned to the race with a comfortable lead on the Pro-Am field and stayed up front to the finish by maintaining a fast pace straight to the checkered flag.

The No. 19 crossed the finish line nearly eight seconds ahead of the nearest Pro-Am competitor and third overall, sharing the top three with the Pro-class first and second place finishers.

As they have done all season, Murillo and Szymczak were in contention from the start of the one-hour Pirelli GT4 America race.

Despite being knocked off track momentarily in the opening laps frenzy, starting driver Murillo soon worked his way back into the top-three battle. He pitted at half distance to give the No. 72 to Szymczak, who was soon back in the race in second place after the Murillo crew’s outstanding pit work.

Szymczak caught and passed the race leader with just over 12 minutes remaining and held the lead to the finish for a 2.532-second victory.

The win extends the Silver-class championship lead that the No. 72 team and drivers hold heading into Sunday’s second and final Pirelli GT4 race.

Four other entries secured podium finishes Saturday, including the No. 33 Winward Racing Mercedes-AMG GT3 of Russell Ward and Mikael Grenier.

Ward moved into race-winning contention in his race-starting stint and pitted from second place to hand the No. 33 off to Grenier. The stop was going to plan only to see the team hit with a penalty after a bizarre incident.

A wheel that had been removed from the No. 33 in the stop was momentarily loose and was errantly grabbed by a pit-side videographer before a Winward crew member could retrieve it. Despite the outside interference, the No. 33 was assessed a drive-through penalty, which the team pitted from the lead to serve.

Undeterred, Grenier raced back into the top five in his race-closing stint and eventually took the checkered flag just behind Cooper fourth overall and third in Pro.

Additional podium finishers Saturday included George Kurtz and Colin Braun, who joined DXDT teammates Vogel and Cooper on the GT World Challenge Pro-Am podium in third in the No. 04 DXDT Racing Mercedes-AMG GT3.
Kurtz and Braun secured the top-three finish in a charge back to the front following an unscheduled tire change after a contact incident with another competitor.

The day’s other podium players included the No. 16 Capstone Motorsports Mercedes-AMG GT4 team and co-drivers John Allen and Kris Wilson and Chris Cagnazzi in the No. 39 RENNtech Motorsports Mercedes-AMG GT4.

Allen and Wilson finished third in the Pirelli GT4 Am class while Cagnazzi, in just his second weekend competing in a Mercedes-AMG GT4, finished third in the GT4 class of the GT America powered by AWS 40-minute race that brought Saturday’s full schedule to a close.

Sunday’s final day of competition at VIR begins with the second GT America race at 9:10 a.m. EDT. Pirelli GT4 America follows at 11:10 a.m. EDT for its second of two races that set the stage for the featured and final GT World Challenge race that closes out the weekend with a 1:45 p.m. EDT start.

Sunday’s GT World Challenge America race will be featured in live coverage on the CBS Sports Network (CBSSN) beginning at 1:30 p.m. EDT in addition to worldwide livestreaming of all Sunday races on the SRO GT World YouTube channel.

Live timing and scoring, as well as session reports and one-stop video viewing for GT World Challenge, are available at gt-world-challenge-america.com.

Erin Vogel, Driver – No. 19 DXDT Racing Mercedes-AMG GT3: “It was slick out there, but DXDT Racing gave us a really great car. It’s probably the best Mercedes-AMG GT3 we’ve had yet this season. We also had one of the best pit stops we’ve had so far and came out third best out of the whole field. Today was truly a team effort. Michael was really consistent in the car and stayed out there in the lead, kept that gap and preserved it all race. I knew from the beginning that the Mercedes-AMG GT3 was going to be a good fit. I’m hoping this is the start of more races like this. It takes a couple races for everything to gel, and this felt like this was the first race that it has.”

Michael Cooper, Driver – No. 19 DXDT Racing Mercedes-AMG GT3: “Erin and I have been chipping away slowly but surely, getting better and better and figuring out this Mercedes-AMG GT3. We’ve been working on the pit stops a lot, trying to dot every “I” and cross every “T” and I think that really showed today. I’m looking forward to the rest of the year. We’ve got a decent starting spot for tomorrow, I think it’s seventh or so, but we’ve got an alternate tire strategy and we’re going to get aggressive with it.”

Christian Szymczak, Driver – No. 72 Murillo Racing Mercedes-AMG GT4: “We really worked on our pit stops this weekend and got really, really good at that. We’re working hard and keeping our heads down and getting the job done. We’re having a good time because we’re doing what we’re supposed to do and that’s why we’re getting results. I didn’t doubt that I would catch the leader but getting past him was another story. He had good speed, so it took a while to get past him, and that was one of the difficult parts of the race. After that, I made it a point to just focus and not look behind me. I don’t usually do that!”

Kenny Murillo, Driver – No. 72 Murillo Racing Mercedes-AMG GT4: “I was surprised how hard people were racing at the start. I got bumped off in Turn 1, and the competition gave me the option to go three-wide through Turn 3. I let them have it and one car went flying off. Instead of being too ambitious early, I was more methodical and started to just take it one car at a time. I knew Christian was quicker than the other drivers he would be racing against, and I knew where to be to put us to be in a winning position. It’s hard to control what others do, so you just focus on yourself and be sure to hand the car over in a winning position. That’s the main goal. When we first came here and tested it, the feedback was that the Mercedes-AMG GT4 felt like it was almost built and tested here. The VIR circuits plays to the car’s strong suits, which for the Mercedes-AMG GT4 is the momentum corners and some high-speed stuff. It’s hard to mess that up. The Mercedes-AMG GT4 is so solid around here.”

Chris Cagnazzi, Driver – No. 39 RENNtech Motorsports Mercedes-AMG GT4: “The Mercedes-AMG GT4 is amazing. When I got in it for the first time, it felt right at home for me. So much control with this car, the stability is great, I just took to it right away. It’s a really great car. Our first race was COTA, and I only had one test before that. As I get more and more used to the car with some testing and some races, I think I’ll just get better and better with it.”

Chase Briscoe Races To Victory In General Tire 200 ARCA Menards West Series Race at Sonoma Raceway

By
Official Release
-

SONOMA, Calif. (June 5, 2021) – NASCAR Cup Series rookie Chase Briscoe raced to the victory in the General Tire 200 ARCA Menards West Series race Saturday at Sonoma Raceway.

Briscoe, who used the start to gain more experience on the 12-turn Sonoma Raceway road course, started third and took the lead early in his No. 14 Ford Fusion and never looked back. Only 13 of the 22 cars that started the 50-lap race finished.

Briscoe finished in front of Dylan Lupton for the victory, his first in the ARCA Menards West Series and seventh career ARCA Series win. It was his first-ever start at Sonoma.

“It’s a really cool place and I’ve never been out here,” Briscoe said. “I learned a lot running 50 laps today. Tomorrow is going to be tougher than today was. This is a cool part of the country, I haven’t been out here before and I’m enjoying it so far. I want to thank the fans for coming out. It should be a lot of fun tomorrow.”

Lupton started sixth in his No. 4 Toyota and worked his way to the front to grab the runner-up spot.

“Overall it was a good day, we wanted one spot better, but Chase was really good out there,” Lupton said. “We really struggled with the carousel and in the second half of the race we had motor issues and it really hurt our restarts. I want to thank the team for giving me a great car and now it’s time to go celebrate a good finish.”

P.J. Pedroncelli finished third in his No. 33 Chevy after starting 14th and was followed by Cole Moore in the No. 99 NAPA Toyota and Todd Souza, who rounded out the top five after starting second in the No. 13 Ford.

“We didn’t have a fast car in qualifying, but we saved our stuff and it paid off at the end,” Pedroncelli said. “I drove hard and made a good finish.”

Other notable finishers included pole winner Jake Drew, who ran up front but a late race spin relegated him to a seventh-place finish. Stock car rising star Jesse Love, who started eighth, finished 19th after having his share of issues navigating his No. 16 Toyota around the challenging road course. NASCAR Camping World Truck Series regular Zane Smith started fourth, but exited the race after the engine on his No. 17 Chevrolet billowed smoke shortly after the green flag. Smith, currently sixth in the Truck points standings, finished 21st.

In the first of two Historic Trans Am races for the weekend, Richard Goldsmith, of Gilroy, drove his No. 77 1970 Dodge Challenger to the victory, which was a 30-minute timed race. Saratoga’s Jim Hague finished second in a ’70 Mustang, Jeffrey O’Neill of Larkspur was third in a ’69 Mustang, Patrick Byrne of Spokane, Wash. took fourth in a ’67 Mustang, and Holland, Mich.’s Bill Ockerlund in a ’69 Camaro rounded out the top five.

FOX NASCAR lead announcer Mike Joy finished 18th behind the wheel of the black and gold No. 89 1966 Mustang among the 22 cars that took the green flag.

Tomorrow’s Historic Trans Am race is also a 30-minute timed race and is scheduled for a 10:30 a.m. PT start.

Briscoe and the rest of the NASCAR Cup Series stars will hit the iconic road course in California wine country Sunday for the Toyota/Save Mart 350, the third of seven road course races on the 2021 schedule. The green flag is scheduled to wave at 1 p.m. PT with coverage on FS1 and PRN Radio.

General Tire 200
ARCA Menard West Series results from Saturday’s 50-lap race.
Sonoma Raceway, Sonoma, Calif.

  1. Chase Briscoe, Ford
  2. Dylan Lupton, Toyota
  3. P.J. Pedroncelli, Chevrolet
  4. Cole Moore, Toyota
  5. Todd Souza, Ford
  6. Dean Thompson, Ford
  7. Jake Drew, Ford
  8. Bridget Burgess, Chevrolet
  9. Ryan Philpot, Chevrolet
  10. Bobby Hillis Jr., Chevrolet
  11. Takuma Koga, Toyota
  12. Trevor Huddleston, Ford
  13. Paul Pedroncelli, Chevrolet
  14. Deric Nascimento, Toyota
  15. Tim Spurgeon, Chevrolet
  16. Brian Kaminsky, Chevrolet
  17. Dave Smith, Toyota
  18. Tony Toste, Toyota
  19. Jesse Love, Toyota
  20. Joey Iest, Ford
  21. Zane Smith, Chevrolet
  22. Rodd Kneeland, Chevrolet

Allmendinger rallies from late penalty to win at Mid-Ohio

By
Andrew Kim
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LEXINGTON, OHIO - JUNE 05: AJ Allmendinger, driver of the #16 RAMCO Specialties Inc Chevrolet, celebrates in victory lane after winning the NASCAR Xfinity Series B&L Transport 170 at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course on June 05, 2021 in Lexington, Ohio. (Photo by Sean Gardner/Getty Images)

From a late penalty to victory, AJ Allmendinger became the first repeat winner at the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course after the Los Gatos, California, native fended off teammate Justin Haley, Ty Gibbs and the field in overtime to win the B&L Transport 170 at Mid-Ohio on Saturday, June 5, as he also claimed his second victory of this year’s NASCAR Xfinity Series season.

The starting lineup was based on a performance metric formula, weighing the driver’s and owner’s results from a previous Xfinity event, the owner points position and the fastest lap recorded from a previous Xfinity race. With that, Austin Cindric, the regular-season points leader, started on pole position and was joined on the front row with Ty Gibbs, winner of Friday’s ARCA Menards Series event at Mid-Ohio and last weekend’s event at Charlotte Motor Speedway.

Prior to the event, Kris Wright and Ryan Ellis dropped to the rear of the field due to unapproved adjustments.

When the green flag waved and the race commenced, Cindric and Gibbs battled for the lead through the first two turns.

It did not take long, however, for the first caution of the event to fly when Noah Gragson drove off the track and through the grass, where he destroyed the front nose from his car that was also leaking fluid and smoke. Behind, Cody Ware spun in Turn 2. While Ware continued, Gragson parked his battered car between Turns 2 and 3 as his race came to an early end.

Following the incident, the race restarted on the fifth lap. At the start, Cindric maintained the lead followed by Gibbs, Harrison Burton, Jeb Burton, Justin Allgaier and the field.

Three laps later, the caution returned when Tommy Joe Martins due to fluid on the course when the engine from Tommy Joe Martins’ machine expired.

Another four laps later, the race restarted, with Cindric and Gibbs retaining the front row. At the start, Gibbs made his move beneath Cindric’s No. 22 PPG Ford Mustang to take the lead. Cindric, though, was quick to reassume the advantage in Turn 4, where he continued to fend off Gibbs and lead when the field returned to the start/finish line.

On Lap 15, AJ Allmendinger muscled his No. 16 Ramco Specialties Chevrolet Camaro into the lead over Cindric. 

Three laps later and with Allmendinger still leading, Harrison Burton damaged the front nose and splitter from his No. 20 Dex Imaging Toyota Supra after going off-course in Turn 1. Despite the incident, the race continued to run under green.

In the final laps of the first stage, names like Ty Gibbs, Daniel Hemric, Andy Lally and Myatt Snider pitted for fuel. Back on the track, Allmendinger continued to lead by more than three seconds over Cindric. 

In Turn 9, Miguel Paludo spun in the gravel trap, but the race continued to run under green. With a healthy advantage over the field, Allmendinger was able to navigate his way back to the start/finish line and win the first stage on Lap 25. Cindric was scored in second place followed by Haley, Jeb Burton, Justin Allgaier, Brandon Jones, Riley Herbst, Alex Labbe, Michael Annett and Jeremy Clements.

Under the stage break, nearly the entire field led by Allmendinger pitted while Gibbs, Snider, Hemric, Ryan Sieg and Lally remained on the track.

The second stage started on Lap 30 with Gibbs and Hemric on the front row. At the start, Gibbs maintained the lead over Hemric, Snider and the field. Cindric, meanwhile, was back in seventh while Allmendinger was in fifth behind Andy Lally. By then, Justin Allgaier took his car to the garage due to a mechanical issue.

Just past the Lap 40 mark and with Gibbs still leading, the caution flew due to Jeremy Clements stalling his car in the Acura Bridge.

Four laps later, the race restarted. At the start, Allmendinger, who restarted alongside Gibbs, made his move to take the lead in Turn 2. By Turn 5, teammate Justin Haley moved into the runner-up spot while Gibbs was shuffled back in third in front of Brandon Jones, Hemric and Jeb Burton.

On Lap 46, trouble ignited for Daniel Hemric, who limped back to pit road after he blew a left-rear tire, which damaged the left-rear side of Hemric’s No. 18 Poppy Bank Toyota Supra. He was able to limp back to pit road and keep the race running under green.

Not long after, Allmendinger pitted along with Gibbs, Lally, Brett Moffitt, Josh Williams and Miguel Paludo. During the pit stops, however, Allmendinger was penalized for failing to meet minimum pit stop time and was required to start at the rear of the field for the final stage.

Back on the track, Haley assumed the lead in his No. 11 LeafFilter Gutter Protection Chevrolet Camaro. With the clean air, Haley was able to claim the second stage victory on Lap 50 by nearly two seconds over Brandon Jones. Jones settled in second followed by Jeb Burton, Herbst, Cindric, Labbe, Snider, Brandon Brown, Annett and Ryan Ellis.

Under the stage break, the leaders pitted for tires with some opting to pit again for fuel. During the stops, Andy Lally was penalized for an uncontrolled tire violation.

With 20 laps remaining, the final stage commenced as Ryan Sieg and Cindric started on the front row. At the start, Cindric muscled to the lead on the outside lane in Turn 1 while the field behind scrambled for positions.

Down to the final eight laps of the event, Cindric was leading by nearly 11 seconds over Gibbs while Allmendinger, following his penalty, was in third place, trailing by 13 seconds. Moffitt was in fourth followed by Michael Annett and Haley.

Then, the caution flew when Jeb Burton spun in Turn 4 and was stuck in the gravel trap. Under caution, the leaders remained on the track.

With five laps remaining, the race restarted. At the start, Allmendinger quickly made his move beneath Gibbs and Cindric entering Turn 1. With all three competitors making contact against one another in a three-wide battle, Allmendinger returned to the lead past the first turn. As Brett Moffitt moved into the runner-up spot, contact from Gibbs Annett and Haley resulted with Cindric getting hit and spinning in the grass, which ended Cindric’s hopes of winning.

Despite the incident, the race continued to run under green as Allmendinger retained the lead. Not long after, however, the caution flew due to a multi-car incident in Turn 6 that involved Kris Wright, Alex Labbe and Kyle Weatherman with everyone else scattering around the circuit to avoid the incident.

Under caution, Moffitt, who was running in the runner-up spot, lost power as a result of a fuel pump issue and stalled on the track, effectively ending his hopes of battling for the win.

With the race sent into overtime, Allmendinger received a strong start through the first turn to maintain the lead over teammate Haley and Gibbs while everyone else scattered and scrambled for positions through the first two turns.

When the final lap started, Allmendinger maintained a decent advantage over Haley and Gibbs. With the leaders clearly out in front, chaos ensued behind, starting with Riley Herbst getting into Miguel Paludo in Turn 1 as Paludo spun. Shortly after, Andy Lally bumped into Herbst and sent Herbst’s No. 98 Monster Energy Ford Mustang spinning in Turn 2.

Back to the front, Allmendinger continued to lead Haley and Gibbs through Turns 4 and 5. Having the lead in his sole possession, Allmendinger was able to navigate his way through the 13-turn circuit for a final time to claim the checkered flag and win.

With his second victory of the season, Allmendinger became the first multi-winner of the Xfinity Series event at Mid-Ohio since its inception in 2013. He also claimed his seventh Xfinity career victory, his fifth on a road course and the 10th career win for Kaulig Racing.

“I mean, I’m not gonna lie, I was a little upset,” Allmendinger said on FS1 when mentioning about the penalty. “But we win and lose as a team so I was gonna fight until the checkered flag flew. I knew we had the best car…This Ramco Specialties Chevrolet had some massive rear grip. I lost the restart, [Gibbs] opened up a gap and I know these guys will do it to me, so I barreled in there when I saw a gap and I was gonna come out on the other side clean. That’s all I got there.”

Haley settled in second place for his first top-five result of the season while Ty Gibbs came home in third place and notched his sixth top-five result in seven Xfinity starts this season.

“First of all, congrats to AJ,” Haley said. “That’s amazing. This is LeafFilter’s home, this is [team owner] Matt Kaulig’s home. To finish one-two here is really special. Obviously, you want the LeafFilter car to go to Victory Lane, but I thought we were a little better than AJ there at the end, but I had so much damage. I was just on the splitter so hard…Really, really special day here.”

Brandon Jones finished in fourth place followed by Andy Lally. Brandon Brown finished in sixth place followed by Annett, Josh Berry, Ryan Sieg and Josh Williams.

Hemric settled in 12th while Cindric ended his race in 14th after leading a race-high 30 laps. Riley Herbst and Paludo finished 21st and 27th following their spins on the final lap.

There were seven lead changes for five different leaders. The race featured seven cautions for 23 laps.

Cindric continues to lead the regular-season standings by 96 points over Allmendinger.

Results.

1. AJ Allmendinger, 23 laps led, Stage 1 winner

2. Justin Haley, seven laps led, Stage 2 winner

3. Ty Gibbs, 16 laps led

4. Brandon Jones

5. Andy Lally

6. Brandon Brown

7. Michael Annett

8. Josh Berry

9. Ryan Sieg, two laps led

10. Josh Williams

11. Alex Labbe

12. Daniel Hemric

13. Jade Buford

14. Austin Cindric, 30 laps led

15. Cody Ware

16. Jeb Burton

17. Gray Gaulding

18. Ryan Vargas

19. Matt Jaskol

20. Landon Cassill

21. Riley Herbst

22. Colby Howard

23. Matt Mills

24. Jesse Little

25. Preston Pardus

26. Kyle Weatherman

27. Miguel Paludo

28. Ryan Ellis

29. Myatt Snider

30. Joe Graf Jr., one lap down

31. Brett Moffitt – OUT, Fuel pump

32. Kris Wright – OUT, Accident

33. Jeremy Clements, 10 laps down

34. Jeffrey Earnhardt, 10 laps down

35. Justin Allgaier, 11 laps down

36. David Starr, 12 laps down

37. Bayley Currey – OUT, Electrical

38. Harrison Burton – OUT, Accident

39. Tommy Joe Martins – OUT, Engine 

40. Noah Gragson – OUT, Accident 

Next on the 2021 NASCAR Xfinity Series schedule is a trip to the Lone Star state for a 250-mile event at Texas Motor Speedway, which will occur on Saturday, June 12, at 4 p.m. ET on FS1.

RCR Post Race Report – Mid-Ohio 170

By
Official Release
-

Myatt Snider and the Louisiana Hot Sauce Chevrolet Fight to the Finish at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course

Finish: 29th
Start: 14th
Points: 12th

“I love road course racing, so I had a blast in my career-first appearance at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course in the No. 2 Louisiana Hot Sauce Chevrolet. The results just don’t show how well we ran. It was a really chaotic start and end to the race. At the green flag, the car right in front of me drove off the track and created such a dust cloud that I ended up following him over the curb and getting a little bit of damage to the right-front of the splitter. Luckily, the damage wasn’t bad enough to pit. Handling-wise, the Louisiana Hot Sauce Chevy felt pretty good throughout Stage 1, but we struggled with a really tight condition later in the race. Still, we finished Stage 2 in seventh to earn some stage points. Even though we started Stage 3 in the top five, there was a lot of excitement at the end of the race and we ended up being involved in two separate incidents, including one on the last lap. This isn’t the finish we hoped for, but I have to thank this RCR team for never giving up.” -Myatt Snider

Toyota Racing – Mid-Ohio NXS Post-Race Report

By
Official Release
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GIBBS, JONES SCORE TOP-FIVE FINISHES AT MID-OHIO
Ty Gibbs earns sixth top-five finish in his first seven Xfinity Series starts

LEXINGTON, Ohio (June 5, 2021) – Ty Gibbs (third) and Brandon Jones (fourth) led Toyota with top-five finishes in B&L Transport 170 at the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course on Saturday afternoon.

Toyota Racing Post-Race Recap
NASCAR Xfinity Series
Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course
Race 13 of 33 – 169.350 miles, 75 laps

TOYOTA FINISHING POSITIONS
1st, AJ Allmendinger*
2nd, Justin Haley*
3rd, TY GIBBS
4th, BRANDON JONES
5th, Andy Lally*
12th, DANIEL HEMRIC
19th, MATT JASKOL
32nd, KRIS WRIGHT
36th, DAVID STARR
38th, HARRISON BURTON
*non-Toyota driver

TOYOTA QUOTES

TY GIBBS, No. 54 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota Supra, Joe Gibbs Racing
Finishing Position: 3rd

What else did you need today?

“I felt like we lacked a little bit of overall grip. It took us a little bit to fire off, but my guys did a good job. We kept fighting there. It kind of sucks. The 16 (AJ Allmendinger) did us a little dirty there. I feel like there is a point, you know, we are racing in Xfinity cars at road courses. It’s always going to be rough, but he took it to the next level. I guess I was a little torpedoed. I got the 22 (Austin Cindric) knocked him out, but yeah, I didn’t really have anywhere to go. That’s just part of it – part of the end of these races, things get rough. Next time, going forward. I know what I need to do and my guys are going to work hard. Overall, good day. I will take third place. We were in the top-three I felt like all day and we led some laps. That was good. Going out of here positively. Thanks to everybody that was watching.”

What was missing at the end of the race to keep you from victory?

“We just lacked a little grip and then 16 (AJ Allmendinger) took us three-wide there, but it’s just frustrating. I really feel like there’s not too much respect going on here, and I could care less about respect at all but it’s just sort of like a point where there’s sportsmen-like and after that, it’s just dirty and that was dirty, but I mean, they dork around at Daytona. So I guess that’s what they want to do, but moving forward I’m definitely going to be way more aggressive and use the bumper, maybe spin people out, but overall, just a good day. Kind of frustrating being first and second, third, just couldn’t get it done. Kind of sucks.”

BRANDON JONES, No. 19 Menards/Swiffer Toyota Supra, Joe Gibbs Racing
Finishing Position: 4th

How pleased are you with this fourth-place finish?

“This was awesome. I mean, I know it’s not a win, but it’s almost a win for me. Road courses just aren’t our strong suit, but we put a lot of time into it, go to a lot of different schools to learn how to do it. So this is big. I said I want to finish top-six, that would have been a big day for me and so top-five is even better. Thanks to Menards, Swiffer, everyone that did so much for us this weekend. I had the ARCA race yesterday with Menards, I think truthfully, that prepared me for the day as well. So, I guess I’m becoming a road racer. I guess we’ll see if we can get a win soon.”

About Toyota

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

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

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

DGR ARCA Menards Series Race Recap: Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course

By
Official Release
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Friday, June 4
Track: Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course, 13-turn, 2.258-mile road course
Race: 7 of 20
Event: Dawn 150 (42 laps, 152.624 kilometers)
Thad Moffitt, No. 46 Dirteeze Ford Fusion

Start: 9th
Finish: 3rd

  • Moffitt started the Dawn 150 from the ninth position after the starting grid was determined by practice speeds. He quickly moved the Dirteeze Fusion into sixth position and held steady there until caution flag waved on lap 19.
  • The caution period lead into the scheduled lap 21 competition break for pit stops. Derek Smith called the No. 46 down pit road for fresh tires, fuel and adjustments to help with the balance and drive off the corner.
  • Green flag waved briefly with 20 laps remaining allowing Moffitt to take fifth position before the caution flag waved again for oil on the race track. The race resumed with 17 laps to go and the Ford driver began to fight his way forward and advanced as high as second on lap 27.
  • He was passed for second with 13 laps remaining, but was able to run clean and consistent laps for the remainder of the race and capture a podium finish in his Mid-Ohio debut.
  • The third-place result matches Moffitt’s career-best finish from Phoenix (Ariz.) Raceway earlier this season. He has three top-five and six straight top-10 finishes so far in the 2021 ARCA Menards Series campaign.

Next event: General Tire #AnywhereIsPossible 200 at Pocono Raceway in Long Pond, Pennsylvania on June 25 at 6 p.m. ET.

Uncle Nearest named promotional partner of Nashville Superspeedway ahead of track’s Father’s Day Weekend NASCAR tripleheader weekend

By
Official Release
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LEBANON, Tenn. (June 4, 2021) – Tennessee-based Uncle Nearest Premium Whiskey, the fastest-growing American whiskey brand of all time and the most awarded American whiskey or bourbon of the last two years, is a promotional partner of Nashville Superspeedway, track officials announced today.

Uncle Nearest’s award-winning whiskeys will be available for sampling in Nashville Superspeedway’s Premium Plus locations during the June 18-20 NASCAR tripleheader weekend, which includes the sold-out, inaugural, “Ally 400” NASCAR Cup Series race on Sunday, June 20 (2:30 p.m. CT, NBCSN), the first Cup Series race in Middle Tennessee in 37 years.

Headquartered in Shelbyville, Tennessee, 35 miles south of Nashville Superspeedway, Uncle Nearest’s whiskeys have dominated spirit awards in 2019, 2020 and 2021, including winning Wine Enthusiast’s Spirit Brand of the Year, two World’s Best honors by Whisky Magazine, Double Gold honors two years in a row at the San Francisco World Spirits Competition and the Bourbon Trophy at the International Wine & Spirits Competition.

Uncle Nearest Premium Whiskey is inspired by the best whiskey-maker the world never knew, the first known African American master distiller, Nearest Green. Nearest helped perfect the famed Lincoln County Process that distinguishes Tennessee whiskey from bourbon.

On Saturday, June 19, Uncle Nearest is re-opening its Shelbyville distillery to guests for the first time since the COVID-19 pandemic struck last spring and unveiling Phase Two of its $50 million upgrading project, including the Master Blender House, a 20,000-square-foot Welcome Center, Single Barrel Rickhouse and Philo & Frank, the world’s first non-alcoholic speakeasy.

“It is an honor to partner with Nashville Superspeedway on this historic weekend. We look forward to sharing the story of Uncle Nearest and raising a glass with NASCAR fans,” said Katharine Jerkens, senior vice president of global sales and marketing for Uncle Nearest.

“Uncle Nearest’s story and whiskey are a unique link to American history and are part of the cultural fabric of Middle Tennessee,” said Erik Moses, Nashville Superspeedway’s president. “As NASCAR brings America’s best drivers back to Nashville, our fans will no doubt enjoy Uncle Nearest’s premium whiskey as part of an unforgettable Father’s Day Weekend at Nashville Superspeedway.”

Tickets are available for Nashville Superspeedway’s first two races on its Father’s Day weekend slate, including the “Tennessee Lottery 250” NASCAR Xfinity Series race on Saturday, June 19 (2:30 p.m. CT, NBCSN) and the “Rackley Roofing 200” NASCAR Camping World Truck Series race under the lights on Friday, June 18 (7 p.m. CT, FS1).

Fans can order tickets for the June 18-19 events by visiting NashvilleSuperSpeedway.com or calling 866-RACE-TIX.

Keep track of Nashville Superspeedway’s latest news and updates at NashvilleSuperSpeedway.com via social media at Facebook.com/NashvilleSuperspeedway, on Twitter at @nashvillesupers and Instagram @nashvillesuperspeedway. For questions about media relations, employment, or other inquiries, interested parties are encouraged to e-mail info@nashvillesuperspeedway.com.

About Dover Motorsports, Inc.

Dover Motorsports, Inc. (NYSE: DVD) is a promoter of NASCAR sanctioned motorsports events whose subsidiaries own and operate Dover International Speedway in Dover, Del., and Nashville Superspeedway in Lebanon, Tenn. The company also plays host to the Firefly Music Festival, produced by AEG Presents. For more information, visit www.DoverMotorsports.com.

About Uncle Nearest, Inc.

Uncle Nearest Premium Whiskey honors the world’s first-known African American master distiller, Nearest Green. Uncle Nearest is currently available in all 50 states and 12 countries, and is sold in more than 25,000 stores, bars, hotels, restaurants and at its 270-acre distillery in Shelbyville, Tenn., dubbed as “Malt Disney World.” For more information, please visit the Uncle Nearest website, and follow on Instagram and Facebook @unclenearest.

Big Machine Vodka Spiked Coolers Named Title Sponsor of NTT INDYCAR SERIES Road Race Aug. 14 at IMS

By
Official Release
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INDIANAPOLIS (Friday, June 4, 2021) – The Big Machine brand is increasing its already substantial involvement with INDYCAR and Indianapolis Motor Speedway as its refreshing new adult vodka juice pouches, Big Machine Vodka Spiked Coolers, will become the title sponsor of the NTT INDYCAR SERIES race Saturday, Aug. 14 on the IMS road course.

“Big Machine’s enthusiasm for IMS, INDYCAR and motorsports is incredible,” IMS President J. Douglas Boles said. “Scott Borchetta and his team have been such engaged, dynamic partners over the last decade, and this title sponsorship of the NTT INDYCAR SERIES road race during Brickyard Weekend takes that to a new level. We’re so grateful for our loyal friends at Big Machine, and their support will help us to elevate this exciting triple-header race weekend even higher.”

The Big Machine Spiked Coolers Grand Prix will take center stage Saturday on the 14-turn, 2.439-mile circuit at IMS, featuring the talented driver lineup and ultra-competitive, wheel-to-wheel action of the NTT INDYCAR SERIES. It’s one of three major events that weekend on the road course, as the NASCAR Xfinity Series also will compete Saturday and the NASCAR Cup Series will race on the IMS road course for the first time Sunday, Aug. 15.

“Big Machine is celebrating 10 years as an IMS sponsor, and we’re so proud to announce this new, multi-year agreement highlighting our incredible new Spiked Coolers,” said the all-things Big Machine CEO, Scott Borchetta. “There is no other track in the world like IMS and, as the recent Indy 500 highlighted, it never disappoints. This is going to be a fantastic weekend of racing that fans will not want to miss.”

Big Machine Vodka Spiked Coolers are the latest in Big Machine Distillery’s long line of high-quality products and are available in three delicious flavors – Tropical, Lemonade and Cranberry. The ready-to-drink adult vodka juice cocktails come in eco-friendly pouches with straws included, making them the perfect drink for the pool, lake or racetrack. Spiked Coolers are currently available in multiple states, including Indiana and Tennessee. A more complete list of locations can be found at spikedcoolers.com.

This multiyear partnership also includes designation of Big Machine Vodka, “The Smoothest Tasting Vodka, Period!”, as the Official Vodka of the Brickyard Weekend, Indianapolis Motor Speedway and Indianapolis 500, and Big Machine Hand Sanitizer as the Official Hand Sanitizer of the Brickyard Weekend, Indianapolis Motor Speedway and Indianapolis 500.

Big Machine has been a valued partner in a variety of IMS events for a decade with its music & entertainment, spirits and hand sanitizer divisions. In addition to its NTT INDYCAR SERIES sponsorship at IMS, Big Machine is also the title sponsor of the series’ newest spectacle, the Big Machine Music City Prix, coming up Aug. 8 on the streets of Nashville, Tennessee.

Visit IMS.com for more information and for tickets to the Big Machine Spiked Coolers Grand Prix and the other races during Brickyard Weekend Aug. 13-15.

CHEVY NCS AT SONOMA: Alex Bowman Press Conference Transcript

By
Official Release
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NASCAR CUP SERIES
TOYOTA/SAVE MART 350
SONOMA RACEWAY
TEAM CHEVY PRESS CONF. TRANSCRIPT
JUNE 4, 2021

ALEX BOWMAN, NO. 48 ALLY CAMARO ZL1 1LE, Teleconference Transcript

IT’S BEEN A REALLY BIG WEEK FOR HENDRICK MOTORSPORTS WITH THE WIN IN CHARLOTTE AND A LOT OF CELEBRATING. WHAT’S IT BEEN TO BE A PART OF ALL THAT?
“Yeah, for sure. Really for the last couple of weeks, and all year, the atmosphere at Hendrick Motorsports has been pretty amazing. Lately, this week, has been really special. Sunday night was really special getting all of us together in Victory Lane and getting some photos and all that was really cool. To see Mr. Hendrick finally get to be number one on the all-time wins list was really special and I’m really glad to have been a small part of it.”

WITH HENDRICK MOTORSPORTS BEING AS STRONG AS IT IS ACROSS THE BOARD RIGHT NOW, HOW MUCH COMPETITION AMONG THE TEAMS IS THERE, AND IF SO, HOW DO YOU BALANCE WANTING THE COMPANY TO DO WELL AS A WHOLE AND WANTING TO INSERT THE NO. 48 AS THE TOP TEAM IN THE STABLE?
“Your teammates are kind of your benchmark sometimes and you always want to beat those guys. You see that in really any type of motorsports. It’s really the only sport where you’re going directly against your teammates sometimes. Always want to run the best we can and beat everybody, right? I think Charlotte was a struggle for us. I was shocked we finished fifth. We really struggled with our race car. But it’s great to see the entire company be so strong. I know we were pushing extremely hard trying to be 1-2-3-4 at Charlotte. That would have been really special to kind of add to that night. But William (Byron) and I came up one spot short. It’s been really good. I think the inner-team competition is really friendly, especially at this point in the year. It’s only pushing us all to be better. It’s not like, a tearing each other down, type of competition. It’s like we’re racing each other for wins and the four teams are definitely pushing each other to get faster and faster.”

HOW MUCH MORE CONFIDENCE DO YOU HAVE GOING TO SONOMA?
“Yeah, going to a road course, I’m going to need the fastest pit crew on pit road to make up for my lack of road course skills. It’s great to have them. They’ve been so strong all year. Strategy is really key at Sonoma. There’s a big balance between Stage points and just trying to finish the race the strongest you can. Just trying to balance that and being a good shot to try and go win that thing. The last time we were there, we were really fast in practice. I drove off the race track, like around, in qualifying and kind of ended up 12th. And then during the race we had a power steering failure. I’m excited to get back there because I feel like that’s a road course that I can be really fast at and try to get Hendrick Motorsports another win.”

LOOKING AHEAD TO THE ALL-STAR RACE, WHAT ARE YOUR THOUGHTS ABOUT IT BEING IN TEXAS? IT LOOKS LIKE A LONG SET-UP IS NOT GOING TO HELP YOU AT ALL THERE.
“It’s going to be interesting. To be honest, I’m so focused on Sonoma this week that kind of had forgotten about it until you said that. Going for a big payday there. We’ve been strong there in the past, but I guess the rules are a little bit different for that deal. Strategy is going to be key in trying to be out front. We all know how fast it goes at that place, so just trying to that the right way. We have a really fast pit crew. Like I said, I haven’t really looked at how the Stages play out, or the segments, but hopefully our pit crew gets us out first there at the end and we can drive away from them.”

LOOKING AHEAD FROM SONOMA, IS THERE ANYTHING YOU FEEL LIKE YOU CAN LEARN THIS WEEKEND THAT YOU CAN APPLY TO ANY OF THE REMAINING ROAD COURSE RACES THIS SEASON?
“Yeah, I think any time we go to a road course I’m trying to learn how to be a better road course racer, honestly. I feel like if you look at our race cars at Hendrick Motorsports and I feel like we have some of the best road course cars in the garage. On the No. 48 side of things, I just need to continue to learn and improve. I don’t have a road course background. I don’t have a ton of experience. I really just ran a couple of Xfinity races, and then when I got to Cup. So, just trying to continue to improve and continue to get better at all of them and build confidence to be able to attack these places.”

WHAT’S THE TOUGHEST PART OF ROAD COURSE RACING FOR YOU? IS IT LIKE BRAKING OR SHIFTING?
“All of the above (laughs). I feel like some places, the place I feel like the places that people haven’t been, and they don’t have the huge notebook at, like the first year we went to the ROVAL, we’ve been really fast there. But you know when we go to Watkins Glen or Sonoma, where these guys have been going forever, it’s hard to catch up. Just trying to really like just being confident in attacking the race track. I feel like I get pretty worried about messing up and just trying to make it to the end and end up with a solid top-10. We do that, for the most part. But just confidence in attacking the rack track.”

JEFF GORDON IS A MASTER AT ROAD COURSES. DO YOU LEAN ON HIM OR ANYBODY ELSE FOR ADVICE?
“Yeah, for sure. My first year at Hendrick I especially leaned on Jeff a lot. It’s always changing, right? The cars have changed a little bit. Jeff was so good at these places. Chase (Elliott) is extraordinary at these places. I feel like Kyle (Larson) and William (Byron) don’t get the credit they deserve because they are both super good at road courses as well. Hendrick Motorsports has three really good road course racers and then me. But I’m going my best to catch up.”

DOES CHASE ELLIOTT GIVE YOU ANY OF HIS SECRETS?
“I think Chase doesn’t think he has any secrets. I feel like it comes really naturally to him. So, I’m extremely jealous that it comes as naturally to him as it does because he is so good. Not that he’s not working hard to be that good, but it’s like it doesn’t seem as difficult for him as it is for me to go as fast. Yeah, I’m just trying to learn from him. It’s hard to hide secrets these days, just with the way the data is and everything. I’m just trying to dissect that and learn from him.”

KYLE BUSCH WAS ASKED AFTER THE CHARLOTTE RACE, WHERE HE THINKS JGR RANKS AGAINST HENDRICK MOTORSPORTS. HE BASICALLY SAID KYLE LARSON AND THE NO. 5 TEAM ARE A 10 AND WE’RE A SEVEN. DO YOU FEEL LIKE YOU’RE A LITTLE BIT MORE AHEAD BECAUSE PEOPLE CAN’T PRACTICE AS MUCH AS IN PREVIOUS SEASONS?
“I don’t know. I feel it’s just the way the sport goes. We’ve seen it in the past. You’ve watched teams dominate. When I got to Hendrick Motorsports in 2018 it was ugly for us for a while. It’s great to be a part of and it’s been a lot of fun. I think we’re the best we’ve ever been since I’ve been there. And that makes going to the race track fun. You have a chance to win each and every week. But at the same time, it comes and goes. We’ve got the best in the world trying to catch us. We’ll just have to wait and see how the season plays out, but it’s been great to be a part of it this year.”

IT’S BEEN TWO YEARS SINCE THE LAST CUP RACE AT SONOMA. DO YOU EXPECT THE TRACK TO BE ANY DIFFERENT THAN WHAT IT’S BEEN, AND WILL IT AFFECT THE SET-UP OF THE CAR OR NOT?
“I think the biggest difference for us is just going back with the low downforce package. When we were there in 2019, the cars had the big splitter and the big spoiler and all that stuff. Going back without that, with less downforce on the car, it’s going to change quite a bit. We haven’t been to that track configuration with low downforce so, the first time through the carousel without downforce and all that stuff. Just trying to predict, obviously with no practice, so hopefully we nail it right. But I’ve spent a lot of time in the simulator trying to get it dialed in and hopefully we’ll be solid.”

HAS THERE BEEN ANY EXTRA SPECIAL PREPARATION FOR SONOMA LIKE SIMULATOR TIME OR LOOKING AT FILM FROM PRIOR YEARS?
“I wouldn’t say extra. It’s my job to be the most prepared I can each and every week. I feel like the team does the same thing. They are trying to be extremely prepared every week. Yes, I’ve been in the simulator a lot. Yes, I’ve watched a lot of film and all that stuff. But we do that every week. It’s the same everywhere we go. We don’t leave any stoned unturned just trying to figure everything out and be as prepared as we can be. It’s a lot of hard work, but that’s kind of the norm at Hendrick Motorsports.”

CONCERNING THE RECENT HENDRICK MOTORSPORTS DOMINANCE, YOU ARE DOING THIS IN AN ERA WITH MINIMAL PRACTICE AND QUALIFYING. AND YET YOU ARE DOMINATING THE CIRCUIT. HOW PROUD OF YOU THAT WITHOUT FULL NORMALCY AND PREPARATION, THAT AS A TEAM, YOU ARE DOING THIS?
“I’m extremely proud of everybody at Hendrick Motorsports, from top to bottom. Everybody has worked really hard and had a couple of rough years. Last year I’ve been really strong and then to be able to fire off this year like this has been incredible. I’m just proud of everybody from the chassis shop, fab shop, engine shop, guys that sweep the floors, everybody. Everybody is giving it their all and it’s paying off. It’s cool to see, and I’m just proud of everybody in the organization.”

YESTERDAY, GM AND CHEVY BROKE GROUND ON THE NEW CHARLOTTE TECHNICAL CENTER AND SAID THEY ARE GOING TO HAVE THREE DRIVER-IN-THE-LOOP SIMULATORS WHEN IT OPENS NEXT YEAR. HOW MANY DO YOU GUYS HAVE RIGHT NOW THAT YOU’RE USING WITH CHEVY?
“We just have one. So yeah, the added simulators are definitely going to help us. Having it closer and right now, it’s a big balance between all the Chevy teams to get time in there. So having more opportunities to be in there more I think is a big gain. Being closer to us is a gain. I’m excited for that. I think it’s great. It’s awesome what Chevrolet is doing and their commitment to the sport; obviously they are a huge piece of why Hendrick Motorsports has been so strong lately. All the Chevy teams are working extremely well together. And to have that kind of backing and support from Chevrolet is awesome.”

HOW DO YOU DIVIDE TIME TO USE THE SIMULATOR? DO YOU HAVE TO BOOK TIME WITH CERTAIN TEAMS AND DRIVERS?
“Yeah, I don’t know exactly how it works. I kind of just get told hey, this is when we’re going in. But my understanding of it is that yeah, obviously you’ve got to book ahead of time and have shared time between teams and organizations and different race teams going in there. So yeah, I think that’s probably one of the bigger things about having multiples of them is just being able to be in there a little bit more.”
Team Chevy high-resolution racing photos are available for editorial use.

About Chevrolet
Founded in 1911 in Detroit, Chevrolet is now one of the world’s largest car brands, available in 79 countries with more than 3.2 million cars and trucks sold in 2020. Chevrolet models include electric and fuel-efficient vehicles that feature engaging performance, design that makes the heart beat, passive and active safety features and easy-to-use technology, all at a value. More information on Chevrolet models can be found at www.chevrolet.com.

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