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NASCAR Top-10 Power Rankings: Sonoma

By
Jeffrey Boswell
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Chase Elliott, driver of the #9 NAPA Auto Parts Chevrolet, leads the field during the NASCAR Cup Series Toyota/Save Mart 350 at Sonoma Raceway on June 06, 2021 Photo by Carmen Mandato/Getty Images.

Note: The quotes in this article are fictional.

1. Kyle Larson: Larson started on the pole at Sonoma and held off Hendrick teammate Chase Elliott on an overtime restart to secure the win in the Toyota/SaveMart 350.

“It’s awesome to win in my home state,” Larson said. “And there’s nothing like drinking wine out of the winner’s trophy here in Wine Country. And you can equate the grapes used to make this wine with the competition—stomped.”

2. Denny Hamlin: Hamlin finished eighth at Sonoma.

“Michael Jordan was at the race,” Bowman said. “He was in the 23XI Racing garage. Luckily, Bubba Wallace has given him no reason to smoke a cigar.”

3. Chase Elliott: Elliott finished second to Kyle Larson at Sonoma as Hendrick Motorsports scored its fourth consecutive 1-2 finish.

“Kyle is in the zone,” Elliott said. “I don’t think there’s anyone who can stop him, except himself. Not only has he put his past behind him, he’s put everyone else behind him.”

4. Martin Truex Jr.: Truex finished third in the Toyota/SaveMart 350, rebounding from an uncharacteristic subpar finish in Charlotte.

“I’d won the last two races at Sonoma,” Truex said. “So, I was looking to make it three in a row. It wasn’t to be. Anyway, it seems that the term ‘three in a row’ is used to describe Hendrick Motorsports’ race wins, or Hendrick Motorsports’ race finishes, or Tim Richmond’s sex life.”

5. William Byron: Byron was caught in a late accident and finished 16 laps down in 35th.

“Some drivers just aren’t good at road course racing,” Byron said. “I don’t want to name names, but I’ll name numbers. Those numbers are 42 and 7. And fittingly, after a road course race, that is the ‘circuitous’ way to place blame.”

6. Alex Bowman: Bowman finished ninth at Sonoma as Hendrick Motorsports teammates Kyle Larson and Chase Elliott finished 1-2.

“Celebrity chef Guy Fieri drove the ceremonial pace car,” Bowman said. “One thing you can count on a celebrity chef ceremonial pace car driver not to do is ‘overcook’ the tires.”

7. Joey Logano: Logano took fourth at Sonoma, posting his seventh top five and third in the last four races.

“I’m not sure Hendrick Motorsports can be beat,” Logano said. “They’ve won six races this year, and four straight. Apparently, while the rest of us think we’re playing chess, HMS is playing ‘checkers.'”

8. Kyle Busch: Busch finished fifth at Sonoma, posting his fifth top five of the year.

“Attendance at Sonoma Raceway was at 33%,” Busch said. “That’s roughly the percentage of people that can tolerate me. And I’m talking about my family, not fans.”

9. Kevin Harvick: Harvick was victimized late in an accident triggered by Corey LaJoie and Ross Chastain and finished a disappointing 22nd.

“Those guys don’t know any better,” Harvick said. “Also, they can’t get any better.”

10. Brad Keselowski: Keselowski finished 15th at Sonoma, and has now gone five races without a top-10 finish.

“I guess my heart just isn’t in it,” Keselowski said. “I’m probably leaving Penske Racing at season’s end. That explains why I didn’t ‘fare well.'”

Eclipse Claims to Sponsor the No. 23 in Texas

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Official Release
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STATESVILLE, Nc (June 7, 2021) – As the NASCAR Xfinity Series prepares to head to Texas Motor Speedway, Our Motorsports announces today that Eclipse Claims will serve as the primary sponsor of the No. 23 Chevrolet with driver Tanner Berryhill at this weekend’s Alsco Uniforms 250.

Eclipse Claims Consulting is a public claims adjustment and independent insurance appraisal company. They specialize in claims recovery and mediation as well as insurance policy analysis for businesses and homeowners. They are an insurance adjusting firm offering to policyholders, assisting in factual investigation, insurance coverage evaluation, and claims submission.

“I’m so pumped to be back in the No.23 Eclipse Claims Our Motorsports Chevy this weekend,” said Berryhill. “I feel like I was really able to knock the dust off at Darlington and now I’m ready to go from the drop of the green flag. It should be a great weekend working with Danny Johnson and all of the guys on the No. 23 car now that we have some history together. I’d like to give a huge welcome to Eclipse Claims Consulting as a first time sponsor in NASCAR. It’s truly incredible what Tim, president of Eclipse, has been able to do with his company in such a short time. I’m excited to help him grow his company even further through our race program! He’s been backing me for several years now and we are just thrilled to be able to work out a NASCAR program with him.”

Eclipse Claims has a long standing relationship with Berryhill’s motorsports career. The company has sponsored Berryhill in miscellaneous dirt midget events including the Chili Bowl Nationals since 2019. However, this Saturday’s 300-mile event in Fort Worth, Texas, will mark the company’s first outing with Our Motorsports.

“Eclipse Claims Consulting is excited for the opportunity to join Our Motorsports and the No. 23 Chevrolet driven by Tanner Berryhill for the Xfinity race at Texas Motor Speedway,” said Tim Woodard, President of Eclipse Claims. “This opportunity provides Eclipse Claims to be the primary public insurance adjusting service for any NASCAR teams, members, sponsors, and fans. This is a unique opportunity to raise awareness to people that they have options when it comes to insurance claims settlements.”

The on track action kicks off at 4 p.m. ET on Saturday, June 12. The 200-lap race will be broadcast on FS1 and PRN.

ABOUT Eclipse Claims:

Eclipse Claims Consulting, LLC is a public claims adjustment and independent insurance appraisal company. We specialize in claims recovery and mediation as well as insurance policy analysis for businesses and homeowners. We are an insurance adjusting firm offering services to policyholders, assisting in factual investigation, insurance coverage evaluation, and claims submission. Fire, Hurricane, Tornado, Flood, Hail, Earthquake and Collapse. Each of these holds its own unique challenges when it comes to substantiating your claim. With years of experience, Eclipse Claims Consulting has faced them all, successfully bringing hundreds of homeowners through every type of disaster. Contact us to tap into our expertise and ensure the best possible outcome for your claim. For more information check out www.eclipseclaims.com.

GMS Racing Adds Daniel Dye for Select ARCA Races

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Official Release
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STATESVILLE, N.C. (June 7, 2021) – GMS Racing officials announced today that Daniel Dye will pilot the team’s No. 21 Chevrolet in the ARCA Menards Series East as well as select ARCA Menards Series events this season. Dye’s GMS debut will be in the ARCA Menards Series East event at Southern National Motorsports Park on June 12.

“I am incredibly grateful for the opportunity to drive for GMS Racing this season. The history of success GMS has had, with multiple wins and championships over the last few seasons, speaks for itself,” said Dye. “I’m excited to continue learning and growing throughout the season, and hopefully, we’ll collect a couple wins along the way.”

The 17-year-old has already collected four top-10 finishes in four starts in the ARCA Menards Series East in 2021. Veteran crew chief Chad Bryant will continue to lead the GMS team.

“GMS is excited about Daniel (Dye) joining our ARCA program,” said Mike Beam, president of GMS Racing. “He has shown promise so far in his young career and we are looking forward to watching his continued growth in the 21 this season.”

Dye’s first race behind the wheel of the No. 21 will be Saturday night at Southern National Motorsports Park in the Southern National 200. The fifth round of the ARCA Menards Series East schedule will air live on NBC Sports Gold TrackPass at 8pm ET.

About GMS Racing – GMS Racing competes full-time in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series with drivers Sheldon Creed, Zane Smith, Tyler Ankrum and Chase Purdy. The team also competes in the ARCA Racing Series with Jack Wood and Daniel Dye. Since the team began in 2014, GMS Racing won the 2016 and 2020 Camping World Trucks Championship, the 2015 ARCA Racing Series championship as well as the 2019 & 2020 ARCA East championship and 2020 Sioux Chief Showdown championship. GMS has grown to occupy several buildings located in Statesville, N.C. The campus also includes operations for GMS Fabrication. More information can be found at https:/gmsracing.net

DXDT Racing Secures Historic Win, Shows Quality Competition in Heated VIR Weekend

By
Official Release
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ALTON, Vir., (June 7, 2021) — DXDT Racing persevered through high temperatures in a challenging race weekend at VIRginia International Raceway, competing in three doubleheaders across the Fanatec GT World Challenge America powered by aws, GT America powered by aws, and TC America powered by Skip Barber Racing School. Despite the sweltering conditions, the team delt with the highs and lows as only a professional race team can: through teamwork, consistency, and perseverance, each of the six DXDT Racing cars put in a commanding performance, bringing in a total of six top-five finishes, two podiums, and one historic win.

GT World Challenge America
Race one at VIR proved to be one of the most action-packed races so far in the 2021 season. The No. 63 Mercedes AMG GT3 of David Askew and Ryan Dalziel suffered from an incident in qualifying and unfortunately had to miss race one. George Kurtz led the team charge to the green flag in the No. 04 CrowdStrike/AWS Mercedes AMG GT3 starting from seventh overall and third in class. Kurtz’s stint was one filled with battles, holding off the No. 77 Acura NSX GT3 of Michael Di Meo, and fighting with the No. 93 of Taylor Hagler for sixth. He finished his stint and pitted from seventh, and after a longer stop to make changes to the No. 04 Mercedes, the car rejoined some positions behind, but Colin Braun took over and had the car back up to fifth in no time.

Meanwhile, Erin Vogel and the No. 19 Mercedes AMG GT3 started eleventh overall and seventh in class following a shortened qualifying session in the morning. Vogel found herself shuffled back several positions on the aggressive start, but she kept the car clean and put in consistent laps to climb up to ninth overall by the end of her stint. The smooth execution continued in pit lane, where the pit stop proved to be a flawless performance by both drivers and crew. The driver change, as well as fueling and the tire change, happened in perfect timing, moving the No. 19 to first in class and fourth overall. Their stop, as well as attrition for others in pit lane, gave co-driver Michael Cooper a 16-second gap over Jan Heylen in the Wright Motorsports Porsche. As the No. 19 led its first laps of the 2021 season, Colin Braun engaged in a heated battle with the No. 93 of Jacob Abel for third place in class. Lap after lap, Braun worked to set up the pass, and eventually secured the podium position by the drop of the checkered flag. All eyes were on the No. 19 of Erin Vogel and Michael Cooper, who crossed the line in first in class, and third overall, netting their first win as a pair for DXDT Racing. Erin Vogel made SRO America history on Saturday afternoon, becoming the first woman to win a GT3 race in North America, as well as the first woman to win while racing a Mercedes AMG GT3 in North America.

The blistering temperatures that were present for race one returned for race two, making tire conservation and participant heat tolerance keys to a strong race. The No. 04 Mercedes AMG GT3 was the closest team car to the front, with Colin Braun starting in fifth place overall, with Michael Cooper and the No. 19 Mercedes AMG GT3 in eighth. Due to missing the second qualifying session, the No. 63 Mercedes AMG GT3 had to start from the back with Ryan Dalziel at the wheel but made quick work of that situation. In the first five laps, he passed seven cars, climbing up to eighth place. An early-race caution allowed for the field to bunch back up after they had slightly spread out. Braun took advantage of a Lamborghini locking up on the restart and climbed to fourth place overall. Another Lamborghini had an off-track excursion, and Braun claimed another spot to take third place overall, racing behind the class leader, Jan Heylen in the No. 20 Porsche. The move also allowed Dalziel to move up to seventh and put heavy pressure on the No. 9 Lamborghini. He made the pass in turns two and three, advancing to third in class. Just as Braun set the fastest lap of the race, he slowed on track and was forced to end his race early with suspension damage.

As the race continued on, the No. 63 Mercedes and No. 19 Mercedes were still in the fight, as Ryan Dalziel continued his climb to second in class, and Michael Cooper closed in on fifth position as the pit window opened. The pair pitted one lap apart, and after flawless pitstops from both crews, they rejoined in the same positions as which they entered. Erin Vogel took over from Cooper in the No. 19, and gained another spot to run fourth in class. David Askew also gained a position to take the class lead after the race leader was given a drive-through penalty for a pit stop infraction. Though the class leader had enough of a gap that his re-entry would have been close, Askew pushed hard to pass the pit exit as the former leader was attempting to rejoin. From there, attrition appeared for both DXDT Racing cars in the final minutes, but both Vogel and Askew pressed on to finish fifth and sixth in the final race.

DRIVER QUOTES

David Askew | Fanatec GT World Challenge America powered by AWS
No. 63 CrowdStrike/ DXDT Racing Mercedes-AMG GT3
The ups and downs of racing: Saturday was a great day for DXDT and today not so good. But I think everybody had fun at VIR. It’s a great place to race. It’s a great field of cars with some great competition. It’s just so much fun to be here. Yesterday I had an issue in qualifying that hurt the car a little bit and we elected not to race. Today, there was still something not quite right with the car but I’m not going to blame it on the car. It was tough driving up there. I had fun for a while. I had a good battle with the leaders for a little bit. That’s the way it goes.

Ryan Dalziel | Fanatec GT World Challenge America powered by AWS
No. 63 CrowdStrike/DXDT Racing Mercedes-AMG GT3
It was a good weekend as a whole. We obviously had an incident in the first qualifying but the team rallied and rebuilt the car, which has been fast. It’s a little disappointing that we didn’t get to qualifying. I think we have a front-running car, as we showed in race two. After missing race one, we missed a little on the adjustments to the track. I think David struggled a little bit in his stint in the race, but so did many of the other teams and drivers here. It was a very demanding weekend for competitors.

George Kurtz | Fanatec GT World Challenge America powered by AWS
No. 04 CrowdStrike/DXDT Racing Mercedes-AMG GT3
We have to learn from this weekend. This is a long season. Some weekends are great and others not so much. This is one of those. We’ll regroup and be back at it.

Colin Braun | Fanatec GT World Challenge America powered by AWS
No. 04 CrowdStrike/DXDT Racing Mercedes-AMG GT3
I don’t know what happened in our final race. I went through turn three and felt like the right rear tire was flat, but it wasn’t. So I think we had some sort of suspension issue. Normally this thing is a tank. We had a little light touch on the other side at the start but I don’t know. We ran a lot of laps after that before something happened. I’m really disappointed for CrowdStrike and George. I felt like we were in a really good position. We were going fast and doing our thing. These things happen from time to time. I’m just disappointed for the DXDT guys.

Erin Vogel | Fanatec GT World Challenge America powered by AWS
No. 19 CrowdStrike/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 in race one. This weekend 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 of races for everything to gel, and this felt like this was the first race that it has.

Michael Cooper |Fanatec GT World Challenge America powered by AWS
No. 19 CrowdStrike/ 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.
GT America
George Kurtz started the first GT America race of the weekend in third and produced a strong performance in the sprint event. In the second half of the race, he found himself in an intense three-way battle for the lead with the No. 45 of Charlie Luck and the No. 70 of Brandan Iribe, and momentarily took the top position before the side-by-side action recommenced. The duel led to Kurtz suffering a cut tire, and he was forced to pit for a fresh one, able to quickly rejoin. He was able to make up some lost time, finishing sixth in class.

Running in the sister car, the No. 58 CrowdStrike Mercedes AMG GT3, Moses started fifth and kept his nose out of trouble, quietly gaining two spots before a late-race full-course caution. The caution turned into a red-then-checkered flag, ending the 40-minute spring race early. The No. 58’s stealthy climb up to fifth place overall marked Moses’ second top-five of the season, following a fourth-place finish in race one at Circuit of the Americas.

In race two, Moses followed a similar strategy from the day before, biding his time while the pack ahead raced hard for position. He started fifth but got shuffled to sixth in the opening lap, right behind teammate George Kurtz, who started second. Kurtz also saw the No. 04 Mercedes moved back on the start, but dug in to catch the two cars ahead and create a three-car fight for third place in class. He put heavy pressure on Jeff Burton’s Lamborghini, who briefly lost his pace after putting two tires onto the grass. Kurtz pressed on to race alongside Jason Daskalos in the No. 27 Audi R8 LMS, but as the pair raced side by side they had contact, sending Kurtz off course. Though the car had damage, he was able to safely pull off to an access road, ending his difficult weekend early.

Downtown Nashville will host rounds seven and eight of the GT America series, with a temporary street course to be made of the city streets.

DRIVER QUOTE

CJ Moses | GT America powered by AWS
No. 58 CrowdStrike/ DXDT Racing Mercedes-AMG GT3
The weekend overall went better than planned. I didn’t plan to get in the top-five. The GTA drivers are pretty stout with George and a lot of guys who also run GT World Challenge. I was pleased with where we ended it up and keeping the car on the track. I have a good mid-race pace but I need to be faster at the beginning. I had a good start in the second race but didn’t get the pace quick enough and the leaders pulled away. Once you get that gap, you’re not going to make it up on these guys. Overall I’m very pleased the car is back in one piece. We’re going to get ready and have a good pace for Nashville. No one is going to have practice. It’ll be a level playing ground when we start, so we’ll see how we get up to speed on the streets of Nashville.
TC America
Following two race events in cold or wet temperatures, VIRginia International Raceway gave Kevin Boehm and the No. 9 Honda Civic a curveball for the weekend. Boehm knew the heat would make for a challenging race for the Civic, which seemed to be struggling with the 90-degree temperatures. He bided his time in race one of TC America, starting fifth in class. He dropped to seventh and was in the process of settling in and working his way up when a large crash brought an early race red flag, concluding the event sooner than planned. Race two was also interrupted by a lengthy caution and another red flag, but Kevin was able to gain two overall positions over the course of the race, earning a fifth-place finish in the TC class, marking his fifth top-five of the season.

Rounds seven and eight of the TC America championship will take place August 17-20 at yet another fan-favorite road course, Road America in Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin.

DRIVER QUOTE

Kevin Boehm | TC America
No. 9 CrowdStrike/DXDT Honda Performance Development Civic Type R TC
This weekend definitely didn’t go as planned but I love a challenge because it forces me to get better. We have just over two months before TC America Road America in August, so time to double down, fix whatever issue is plaguing the car, and show up strong.
Thanks to my sponsors and partners, especially CrowdStrike Racing, AWS, and DXDT Racing for the continued support. It was also nice to have family and friends visiting at the track this weekend.

ABOUT DXDT RACING
DXDT Racing is a high-performance sports car racing team founded in 2014 by team principal David Askew and located in Statesville NC. The Team’s primary focus is GT3 and Touring Car racing in North America. DXDT is a provider of turnkey racing support and delivers customized racing solutions for its clients and sponsors. DXDT is a performance driven team comprised of highly experienced racing professionals capable of delivering wins and championships, including ten wins in GT World Challenge and a Rookie of the Year in 2020 alone. Follow the team on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook for race season updates.

ABOUT CROWDSTRIKE®
CrowdStrike® Inc. (Nasdaq: CRWD), a global cybersecurity leader, is redefining security for the cloud era with an endpoint protection platform built from the ground up to stop breaches. The CrowdStrike Falcon® platform’s single lightweight-agent architecture leverages cloud-scale artificial intelligence (AI) and offers real-time protection and visibility across the enterprise, preventing attacks on endpoints on or off the network. Powered by the proprietary CrowdStrike Threat Graph®, CrowdStrike Falcon correlates over 2.5 trillion endpoint-related events per week in real time from across the globe, fueling one of the world’s most advanced data platforms for security. For more information, visit crowdstrikeracing.com

Wright Motorsports Increases Point Leads Following Podium Success at VIR

By
Official Release
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ALTON, Vir., (June 7, 2021) – After securing four podium finishes across four races in the Fanatec GT World Challenge America and GT America series, Wright Motorsports has extended their points lead over the competition in both championships, showcasing the strength and consistency of the Porsche customer racing program. The No. 20 Porsche 911 GT3 R of Fred Poordad and Jan Heylen earned two consecutive podium finishes in the headlining races, and Charlie Luck secured double wins on Saturday and Sunday in the No. 45 Porsche 911 GT3 R in GT America.

GT World Challenge America
After an impressive opening qualifying session by Fred Poordad in the No. 20 Porsche 911 GT3 R, the Wright Motorsports Porsche started race one from the Pro/Am pole position and fifth overall on Saturday afternoon. He maintained his position with smooth, clean laps throughout his stint, gaining a position before the mandatory pit stop. The field had a brief caution before the pit window, and the Wright Porsche came in for its pit stop after one lap of being back to green racing. Like many of the competitors in pit lane, the team faced attrition during the stop, rejoining fourth in class and seventh overall. Not discouraged, Jan Heylen took over from Poordad, methodically climbing back up the chart. He quickly took sixth overall, claiming third in class, then charged towards the No. 93 Acura NSX, running in second. He took the position, also breaking into the top five overall with just a few laps left. He held on to second place to the checkered flag, earning the fifth consecutive podium for the No. 20 Wright Motorsports Porsche 911 GT3 R, and holding on to the points lead.

The weekend heat hit an all-time high just in time for race two at VIRginia International Raceway. Jan Heylen started the No. 20 Porsche 911 GT3 R from class pole position, side by side next to the overall polesitter. He kept the position in the opening two laps, and a full course caution appeared, briefly halting the fight. On the restart, Heylen charged forward, putting heavy pressure on the No. 33 of Mikael Grenier. The Wright Motorsports Porsche held tight and set up the pass, taking the overall lead with 43 minutes remaining. Heylen pitted shortly after, bringing the car in for tires, fuel, and a driver change to Fred Poordad. The No. 33 Mercedes rejoined with their Pro-ranked driver, and after a brief battle, the Pro/Pro car assumed the lead. Not long after, the team received a call for a drive-through penalty for a rare pit lane infraction. The team quickly acquiesced to the call and rejoined in third behind the No. 63 Mercedes and the No. 77 Acura NSX GT3. Poordad focused forward, quickly pulling in the No. 63, passing down the inside of turn one to take second place in the Pro/Am class. He held the position to the checked flag, earning another second-place finish, securing valuable points in the championship fight. In the provisional standings, the No. 20 Wright Motorsports pairing of Fred Poordad and Jan Heylen hold a 28-point lead over the No. 04 DXDT Racing duo of George Kurtz and Colin Braun.

From VIRginia International Raceway, the GT World Challenge America competitors have two and a half months off until rounds seven and eight at Road America, August 17-29.

DRIVER QUOTES

Fred Poordad | No. 20 Porsche 911 GT3 R
We’re making it a habit of coming in second, but it’s a learning experience that will only make the team stronger; we’re going to gel together over this. We showed good pace, the team did a great job and gave us an awesome car. We look to get even stronger over the rest of the season. Big thanks to Wright Motorsports and Jan, my co-driver.

Jan Heylen | No. 20 Porsche 911 GT3 R
All in all, it was a good weekend with two podium finishes. Bringing the car up to first place twice and then losing out is all a part of racing and we win and lose as a team. We learn from every weekend and come back and be better prepared. We extended our points lead, and that’s what’s most important, even though we’d love to have been on the top step today.
GT America
Charlie Luck earned his first overall win in GT America on Saturday afternoon, after starting from pole position. He took the green flag for the 40-minute race, holding off the No. 70 McLaren of Brendan Iribe, despite the McLaren being in a higher class. Lap after lap, Luck proved to be smooth and measured, but ultimately, the No. 70 got by. The next few laps of the race produced a three-way battle for position, with Luck and George Kurtz and the No. 04 Mercedes AMG GT3 again dueling for position while Iribe got shuffled back to third. Luck took the position and Kurtz pitted with a flat tire, allowing Luck to pull away and secure his first overall win, and at his home track.

Under similar conditions the following day, Charlie Luck put in another successful performance in the Wright Motorsports No. 45 Porsche 911 GT3 R. He started from third place overall and jumped to second in the opening turns. He briefly took the overall lead position from Iribe, but the faster class car soon reclaimed its position. Luck held second place overall for the remainder of the race, finishing first in class, sweeping the weekend. Luck’s success of the weekend not only keeps him in the lead for the Masters points but also moves the driver up to the points lead in the main SRO3 class as well.

Rounds seven and eight of the 2021 GT America championship will see a new venue: a temporary street course in downtown Nashville at the Music City Grand Prix, August 6-8.

DRIVER QUOTE

Charlie Luck | No. 45 Porsche 911 GT3 R
This weekend has been over the top. It’s been a bunch of learning. Yesterday, we battled and fought hard and did some pushing ad bumping. Both Brendan Iribe and George Kurtz did such a good job. I think the learning today is all about pace. We got in the wrong spot at the wrong time with traffic, where Brendan was able to make it through quicker than we were. The biggest takeaway this weekend is able to bring is confidence. I know I can drive this car, and I have a much higher degree of confidence with each race. How cool is it to be able to do this in the sport we love with people you enjoy doing it with? It is such a privilege to compete in this sport.

Wright Motorsports
Wright Motorsports is the premier Porsche race engineering facility in Ohio and a multi-series, international racing team known for superb car preparation, expert race strategy and driver development. Located in Batavia, Ohio, it is owned and directed by John Wright, a certified Porsche factory-trained technician. As a crew chief John Wright has played a key role in winning eight driver and seven team championships in World Challenge, IMSA (ALMS) and the Grand-Am Rolex Series. Wright Motorsports won the team championship in Porsche GT3 Cup USA in 2012, 2013 and 2015, and went on to win the Pirelli World Challenge Overall, Sprint, Team and Manufacturer’s titles in 2017. The 2020 season will see the team return to IMSA Weathertech SportsCar Championship. For more information, visit wrightmotorsports.com

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

By
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).

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