Home Blog Page 2539

Ford Performance NASCAR: Coca-Cola 600 Post-Practice Quotes with Harvick, Keselowski, Blaney and Logano

By
Official Release
-

Ford Performance Notes and Quotes
NASCAR Cup Series
Charlotte Motor Speedway Post-Practice Media Availability | Friday, May 28, 2021

BRAD KESELOWSKI, No. 2 Keystone Light Ford Mustang — YOU WON THIS RACE LAST YEAR, BUT THE CHOOSE RULE WASN’T AROUND THEN. HOW DOES THAT CHANGE A TWO-TIRE CALL IF YOU ARE ABLE TO PICK THE POSITION YOU’RE RESTARTING FROM? “The choose rule definitely changed, I think, the way the strategy and the races flow because being able to pick your lane with new tires give you options to be where you want to be. I can’t say specifically how it would have played out because you don’t know what everybody would have done, but I suspect it would have been definitely harder to defend the lead position I was in.”

WILL YOU BE BACK WITH TEAM PENSKE IN 2022? “I can’t talk about that, but I appreciate you asking. When I can, I’ll tell you.”

HAS IT BEEN A DISTRACTION WITH ALL THE RUMORS AND REPORTS? “No, it’s not difficult for me. I think I’m in a spot where I’m just head down, finished second last year in points and won four races and looking for one more spot.”

DO YOU THINK IT CAN IMPACT THE PERFORMANCE OF THE TEAM? “My team is pretty tough. They’ve got a really good mental toughness and they’re in a good spot.”

WHEN DO YOU THINK YOU WILL REVEAL YOUR PLANS FOR 2022? “As soon as I’m allowed to.”

KEVIN HARVICK, No. 4 Mobil 1 Ford Mustang — WHAT’S IT LIKE BACK TO A NORMAL WEEKEND? “We really have been doing things for a year-and-a-half, so we’ve been going to the racetrack doing our job. It hasn’t been exactly like this, obviously, but I’ve been as busy this month as I’ve been throughout my whole career, but being here to practice is different than it has been and I’m happy to see my guys and be able to be in the garage and actually go through some things, instead of just jumping in and jumping out.”

DO YOU FEEL LIKE YOU’VE MADE SOME GAINS THE LAST FEW WEEKS? “I think we’ve gained a little bit of speed. I think Kansas was a good step for us as far as speed goes. I think we’ve just been grinding it out. I don’t think we’re fast enough by any means, so we just keep grinding it out and having good finishes and doing what we have to do with what we have.”

DID YOU TALK TO NASCAR AT ALL ABOUT LAST WEEK AND NOT RED FLAGGING THE RACE BEFORE YOUR ACCIDENT? “My opinion is we should have never been in the rain anyway. I think everybody is pretty aware of that as we’ve done this and it’s like I explained to those guys. I know they say we’re learning now, but in 1999 when we ran rain tires at Watkins Glen the biggest problem was visibility, so we haven’t fixed the visibility problem since 1999 we’re not gonna fix it now. We’ve put the XFINITY guys in a number of bad situations in rain races in the past and I think as you look at all the stuff that we’ve done in the past with the XFINITY cars in the rain they didn’t need to be out there, either. If you can’t see, you can’t race. Period.”

WILL THESE 600 MILES BE A GOOD TEST TO SEE WHERE YOU GUYS ARE AND WHAT YOU’VE BEEN DOING THE LAST COUPLE OF WEEKS? “That could go either way.”

RYAN BLANEY, No. 12 BodyArmor Ford Mustang — DO YOU KNOW ANYTHING ABOUT BRAD’S PLANS? “I didn’t hear anything about it until you all did. I wish him the best. It’s definitely a change. It’s exciting for him to become an owner again. It’s cool for him, so hopefully it works out good for him.”

IS THERE SOMETHING YOU’RE LOOKING FOR IN A TEAMMATE? “I don’t know what we’re doing there yet. I’m sure they’re working on it, but you look at someone, Austin is obviously gonna be, no matter where he goes if it’s the 21 or 2 it doesn’t matter, but someone with good experience and a hunger to get better. That’s what you want in a teammate to push each other and I’m sure we’ll find the right guy.”

IT SEEMS YOU CAN GET THINGS DONE ON THE 500 TRACKS. IS THERE SOMETHING YOU’RE DOING DIFFERENTLY OR YOUR TEAM IS DOING DIFFERENTLY? “I’m not really sure. We’ve just had really good cars on 550 tracks. Todd does a good job. We have an aero package, or whatever you want to call it, that we build them to be able to run hard. We’ve never really been known for amazing straightaway speed. Other teams are kind of known for that. We make sure we handle good and that helps me be able to drive the car really hard. I think between all of our cars it jockeys back and forth on who is better each weekend on mile-and-a-halves, but I enjoy the bigger tracks. You can run cars really hard with the high downforce stuff. That’s got me in trouble a few times on some short track stuff, but it just works out for the 550s.”

DO YOU THINK YOU’RE A BETTER DRIVER WHEN THE TIRE WEAR IS HIGHER? “I prefer tracks that wears tires out. I think I like it so much because I grew up running the past stuff. We’d run 150 laps on the same set and you’d ride around for 100 laps that race in the past late models, and I think that kind of helped me save a little bit of tire from an early age and it kind of helps me now. It just kind of works out, but there are some places I don’t do great with big tire fall off like Richmond. I’m getting better at Richmond, but I like it just because I think I grew up doing so much of saving tires.”

JOEY LOGANO, No. 22 Shell/Pennzoil Ford Mustang — WHAT DO YOU THINK ABOUT THE BRAD NEWS AND HIM LEAVING? “I don’t think anything has been officially said, so I’m just kind of focused in on what we’re doing here right now. There’s obviously plenty of stuff to think about and talk about. At this point, we’ve got to focus in on winning the Coke 600. It’s kind of a big weekend for us.”

HOW DOES THE 550 PACKAGE PLAY OUT ON A RACE LIKE THIS? “It makes this last practice very valuable. When I saw that rain earlier I said, ‘Come on. This is like the most important practice we can ever have.’ Just trying to tune our car in and work on some things. Fifty minutes doesn’t really give you much opportunity. If you try to get your balance right and maybe you can swing at it a couple times with just some package changes and maybe some smaller things, but I don’t know if we made a whole bunch of gains yet, but I think you kind of have to look at it right now at what the other cars and what our competition is and see where we’re at. This track can be deceiving sometimes. A lot of times the guy winning the race just still doesn’t feel good. It’s one of one of those racetracks where it’s bumpy. The car is moving around a lot and dirty air is a big piece here as well, too. I’ve got to go back and kind of see where we stack up. It doesn’t feel great. I know that, but I don’t think it feels great for anybody, so kind of have to figure that out right now.”

HOW MUCH DOES THE TRACK CHANGE FROM 6 P.M. ON? “It’s gonna change a fair amount. It’s gonna change a lot in looking at the forecast. It’s gonna cool off a lot from even what it is now, so it will definitely change here some, but just in general the track has changed from one and two to three and four. The bumps that have developed, I don’t know if the garbage isn’t packed in as good over there or whatever it is. I should know more about this stuff with my dad being a garbage man, but I’d say they didn’t compact it as good over there as they did in one and two, or something is different because that track in one and two stays smooth, but three and four becomes a cobblestone road for us out there.”

WHAT DO YOU LOVE ABOUT THIS RACE AND WHAT DO YOU HATE ABOUT IT? “I just want to win it. I wouldn’t say there’s much that I hate about it. I love racing, so I’m fine with it. I love the challenge of 600 miles. Its definitely more challenging. More points are available with the four stages, so there’s a lot on the line throughout this race. You’ve got to make sure you’re on it because 600 miles is a long one. It’s a tough one. but we’ll be up to the challenge.”

THE STATE HAS PROPOSED $10 MILLION FOR CHARLOTTE MOTOR SPEEDWAY AS PART OF THE STIMULUS PLAN. WHERE WOULD THAT MONEY BE BEST USED? “That’s a loaded question right there. Ten million dollars sounds like a lot of money, and it is, but when you look at a facility this big it would take added investment. You think about building a garage, doing a garage similar to others that have included more fan engagement — those type of things are gonna be a lot more than $10 million with how big these garages are, so that’s gonna be a pretty hefty investment. That’s probably the first thing that comes to mind is how do we make the fan engagement better. One of the amazing things is the TV. I think it’s fantastic that they have it here. It’s one of the best things that any racetrack can have is to be able to see everything that’s going on over the loud speakers and those type of things. I think sound is always so important at these places. What good is the guy up there talking and keeping everyone entertained if you can’t hear him, so keeping all of that stuff up to date, but without knowing off the top of my head, I don’t know. I haven’t been up in a suite in two years to know what those look like or anything, but I don’t feel like this racetrack is in bad shape, in my mind. It’s our home track. We’re here a lot, but I’m sure there will be some things they’ll find and I’ll be interested to see what they do with it.”

YOU SAID EARLIER THIS WEEK THAT AMERICA IS BACK THIS WEEK. HAVE YOU FELT THAT YET? “It absolutely feels like that. I was talking to someone earlier, I was like, ‘Oh my gosh, I haven’t seen you in two years.’ To see someone walking through the garage, practice, you guys all actually being able to come up and talk to us, this is a first, especially without masks on. It’s nice to see everyone’s faces again and not be zooming. I’m over the zoom. I’m over it. I like it. It’s nice that we have the ability to do it, but it’s nothing like face to face.”

A LOT OF ROAD COURSES COMING UP IN THE SUMMER, A NEW VENUE AT NASHVILLE AND THE POCONO DH. HOW MUCH CAN THIS STRETCH TEST A TEAM? “I think at this point look at what happened last year. We can adapt and do anything as a sport. You’ve got a lot of new racetracks as you said, but we did that a little bit last year. The Daytona road course, we showed up with no practice and ran it and everything went fine. Rain racing, I wouldn’t say everything went fine, but it was OK, so there are things like that that we’ve been able to do and I think as a race team we’ve got to be open to adapt and be open to trying new things and not be stubborn and just go off of that.”

John Hunter Nemechek gets KBM back on track with Charlotte win

By
Briar Starr
-
Photo by Andrew Boyd for SpeedwayMedia.com.

After finishing fifth, eighth, and 12th during the last three races, John Hunter Nemechek brought the No. 4 Kyle Busch Motorsports truck back to victory lane at Charlotte Motor Speedway with their first win since Richmond this past April.

“Started today, hitting the fence in the third lap of practice and having to fix our truck and luckily we were able to fix it,” Nemechek said. “I didn’t hit the fence too hard, I don’t know how I didn’t pancake the right side. Overall, the team did an awesome job repairing it.”

“You couldn’t really pass during that first stage, the PJ1 wasn’t really run in yet and everybody was kind of bottom hunting. Pit crew did an awesome job during the first stop, which helped us gained track position, and led from there on out. We had a dominate truck I feel like. We got damage there when the 13 (Johnny Sauter) ran into someone who was stopped on the top. Knocked our camera off that created a big hole in the roof. Overall, a solid victory, and nice to get our third win.”

Nemechek started fourth based on the metric system after qualifying was canceled due to afternoon rain showers. From there, the Mooresville, North Carolina native finished third in Stage 1, took the lead on Lap 39 to win Stage 2 and regained the lead on Lap 72. He went on to win his third Camping World Truck Series win of the 2021 season.

Todd Gilliland and the No. 38 Front Row Motorsports truck were given the pole position.

Stage 1: Lap 1 – Lap 34

Stage 1 was relatively caution-free as the 2020 Truck Series champion, Sheldon Creed, dominated the stage and took home his first stage victory of the year. Gilliland, Nemechek, Austin Hill, Zane Smith, Tyler Ankrum, Derek Kraus, Matt Crafton, Ben Rhodes and Hailie Deegan completed the Top 10 finishers for Stage 1.

Stage 2: Lap 38 – Lap 60

Nemechek shone in the second stage when he gained the lead one lap after the restart. Two cautions would slow the stage. The first one occurred on Lap 49 when the No. 15 of Tanner Gray and the No. 32 of Bret Holmes both made hard contact in Turn 4 causing damage to both trucks. The second caution came on Lap 55 as Stage 1 winner, Creed, wrecked in Turn 4. It appeared as though Creed was going to save the truck but he was collected by the No. 23 of Chase Purdy, eventually ending Creed’s night due to too much damage.

During the caution, race leader Nemechek came down pit road for a pit stop.

A one-lap dash restart ended Stage 2 and this time, the No. 21 of Zane Smith took the green-checkered flag followed by Austin Hill, Majeski, Kraus, Truex, Crafton, Hocevar, Friesen, Enfinger and Nemechek to round out the top 10. Unfortunately for Smith, he was penalized for having pit crew members over the wall too soon.

Stage 3: Lap 68 – Lap 134

On Lap 72, Nemechek retook the lead and had a comfortable advantage heading into the final pit stops with 33 laps to go when he pitted. However, things got interesting with 20 to go, when the No. 13 of Johnny Sauter and the No. 14 of Trey Hutchens had a scary accident on the frontstretch. Sauter had nowhere to go when Hutchens was slowed on the fronstretch and he hit the back of the No. 14 hard, causing major damage to both trucks. Sauter suffered extensive damage as the entire right side of his truck was torn off with the chassis of the truck exposed.

Meanwhile, Nemechek was leading the race and had some minor damage above the windshield. After the late yellow, there was a restart with 10 laps to go. His only challenger during the final laps was the youngster, Carson Hocevar, who was trying to chase down Nemechek for his first win.

But ultimately, Nemechek hit his marks as the race wound down and brought home Kyle Busch Motorsport’s third win of the season.

Carson Hocevar, Ben Rhodes, Stewart Friesen, Todd Gilliland, Chandler Smith, Ty Majeski, Derek Kraus, Austin Hill, and Zane Smith completed the Top 10.

Nemechek led three times for 71 laps en route to victory. There were five cautions for 31 laps and 12 lead changes among nine different leaders.

Official Results of the North Carolina Education Lottery 200 at Charlotte Motor Speedway:
  1. John Hunter Nemechek, led 71 laps
  2. Carson Hocevar, led five laps
  3. Ben Rhodes
  4. Stewart Friesen, led one lap
  5. Todd Gilliland, led five laps
  6. Chandler Smith
  7. Ty Majeski
  8. Derek Kraus
  9. Austin Hill
  10. Zane Smith, won Stage 2, led 13 laps
  11. Christian Eckes, led three laps
  12. Ryan Truex, led one lap
  13. Hailie Deegan, 1 lap down
  14. Grant Enfinger, 1 lap down
  15. Jack Wood, 1 lap down
  16. Tyler Ankrum, 1 lap down, led two laps
  17. Austin Wayne Self, 1 lap down
  18. Timmy Hill, 1 lap down
  19. Bayley Currey, 1 lap down
  20. Drew Dollar, 1 lap down
  21. Dawson Cram, 1 lap down
  22. Tanner Gray, 1 lap down
  23. Kris Wright, 2 laps down
  24. Danny Bohn, 3 laps down
  25. Cory Roper, 5 laps down
  26. Spencer Boyd, 6 laps down
  27. CJ McLaughlin, 7 laps down
  28. Akinori Ogata, 9 laps down
  29. Keith McGee, 11 laps down
  30. Matt Crafton, 20 laps down
  31. Johnny Sauter, OUT, Accident
  32. Trey Hutchens III, OUT, Accident
  33. Jennifer Jo Cobb, OUT, Suspension
  34. Chase Purdy, OUT, Damage Vehicle Policy
  35. Sheldon Creed, OUT, won Stage 1, led 33 laps
  36. Bret Holmes, OUT, Accident
  37. Tate Fogleman, OUT, Rear Gear
  38. Timothy Peters, OUT, Steering

Up Next: The NASCAR Camping World Truck Series will head to Texas Motor Speedway on Saturday June 12 live on Fox Sports 1 and MRN Radio at 1:00 p.m./ET.

CHEVROLET NTT INDYCAR SERIES INDIANAPOLIS 500: TEAM CHEVY FINAL PRACTICE RECAP

By
Official Release
-

CHEVROLET RACING IN NTT INDYCAR SERIES
105TH INDIANAPOLIS 500 PRESENTED BY GAINBRIDGE
INDIANAPOLIS MOTOR SPEEDWAY
TEAM CHEVY FINAL PRACTICE RECAP
MAY 28, 2021

Team Chevy drivers finished final practice for Indy 500with strong runs

INDIANAPOLIS – MAY 28, 2021

All 16 Chevy powered drivers completed the 1:45 hour final practice (cut 15 minutes short by weather) without incident and are ready to roll in Sunday’s 105th running of the Indianapolis 500 presented by Gainbridge..

Simon Pagenaud, No. 22 Menard’s Team Penske Chevrolet, was the fastest of the Bowtie Brigade setting the second quickest lap of the session at 227.157 mph.

Teammate Josef Newgarden, No. 2 Shell Fuel Rewards Cheveolet was third on the charts at 226.856 mph followed by Conor Daly, No. 47 US Air Force Ed Carpenter Racing Chevrolet with a speed of 226.399 mph.

Will Power, No. 12 Verizon 5G Team Penske Chevrolet, was sixth, with rookie teammate Scott McLaughlin, No. 3 Pennzoil Chevrolet in seventh. Sage Karam, No. 24 DRR-AES Indiana Dreyer & Reinbold Racing Chevrolet in 10th.

Remainder of the Team Chevy drivers finished Carb Day as follows:
11.Pato O’Ward. No. 5 Arrow McLaren SP Chevrolet
12.Max Chilton, No. 59 Gallagher Carlin Chevrolet
14.Sebastien Bourdais, No. 14 ROKiT/AJ Foyt Racing Chevrolet
16.Juan Pablo Montoya, No. 86 Arrow McLaren SP Chevrolet
17.JR Hildebrand, No. 1 ABC Supply/AJ Foyt Racing Chevrolet
24.Felix Rosenqvist, No. 7 Vuse Arrow McLaren SP Chevrolet
25.Dalton Kellett, No. 4 KITS.com/K-Line Insulators/AJ Foyt Racing Chevrolet
30.Ed Carpenter, No. 20 SONAX Ed Carpenter Racing Chevrolet
31.Rinus Veekay, No. 21 Bitcoin Ed Carpenter Racing Chevrolet
32.Simona De Silvestro, No. 16 Rocket Pro/Paretta Autosport Chevrolet

NBC will telecast the 200-lap race at 11 a.m. ET Sunday, May 30. Former race car driver Danica Patrick will lead the field to the green flag in the 2021 mid-engine Chevrolet Corvette Stingray hardtop convertible. The 2021 race marks the 32nd time for Chevrolet to pace dating to 1948, and the 18th time since 1978 for America’s favorite sports car.
Will Power and Conor Daly Press Conference Transcript

THE MODERATOR: Looking at low 70s and sunny on Sunday.
WILL POWER: I saw low 60s. The most recent.
THE MODERATOR: Depends who you talk to.
We’ll take questions.
Q. Will, much better day for Penske today. Is this what you knew all along, once you were out of qualifying trim you would be much better?
WILL POWER: We have been. Low boost race trim we’ve been very good all the time. It’s just a bit confusing why we’re not fast in the qualifying high boost level.
Yes, haven’t really ventured far from our original setup from the last couple weeks. Yeah, in a good window, got a new engine obviously. It’s probably a little bit better. Felt good, felt good. It’s just going to be a matter of catching a good yellow or if it’s cool you can pass. Hoping for a cooler day. We’ll see what happens.
Q. Roger said this morning, the question was are the cars going to be okay on Sunday, and he said our cars are always good on Sunday. Is that accurate?
WILL POWER: Yeah, I mean, based on practice, yes. We’ve had pretty good cars. Even last year in the race, they were reasonable. Obviously starting way back there just makes it super hard.
Q. You each have said two different things. You said you hope it’s cool on Sunday, Scott hopes it’s warmer. Some people actually called today racing, the racing was amazing today. What is the better show for the fans?
WILL POWER: Cooler.

Q. Selfishly you want it warmer?
WILL POWER: It’s pretty tough back there. Either way…
Q. Conor, what time do you and Ferrucci throw down so we’re all there?
CONOR DALY: I don’t really care. I’m happy to do so. Just kind of crazy. It was a bit ridiculous. I don’t really mind. It was on track, he hits the curb in turn two, nearly crash, but also decides to drive me all the way into the grass.
WILL POWER: Who is that?
CONOR DALY: Santino. Earlier on when I passed him, the guy tries to, like, I don’t know. I was like I thought this is Carb Day. I get it, but I thought we were practicing. I didn’t know we were sacrificing our vehicles for a prize today.
Q. Conor, do you feel you’ve had a good two weeks?
CONOR DALY: We were until we went out today. Completely different. It’s actually very confusing.
WILL POWER: Loose?
CONOR DALY: I won’t tell you.
WILL POWER: It was loose for me. Massive push.
CONOR DALY: We were pretty good. I think it was just a much more difficult science project today. I think when you work towards the days getting hotter and hotter, we thought we made the right moves. I was very happy Sunday afternoon. Sunday afternoon I was like let’s go racing right now. Now I want another four days of practice.
WILL POWER: How much practice we have, engineers still want to try stuff. It’s crazy.
CONOR DALY: Tough, for sure. I think we made some progress towards the end. We’re not bad, but I didn’t feel as sporty as before. We’ll have to put our thinking caps on, go through our notes.
Q. Obviously Sunday is going to be a little sunnier, probably a little warmer. Do you experiment with practice today for setups for Sunday or for the conditions you ran in today?
WILL POWER: You try to run the downforce level that you’d run on Sunday. The track temp will certainly spread things out. If you have a clear day, it’s such a cool track temp today, everything works together, also keeps the tires under you. Track temp will certainly change the game, even if it was a cool temperature like this.
Q. I notice the wind direction is coming out of the north. Sunday looks the same. Anything play a factor that you can to over to Sunday?
WILL POWER: Different every day, honestly.
CONOR DALY: It’s been different. I think the wind is still very powerful. Something better about each corner every day.
WILL POWER: Two was awesome today. You can just be hooked up. Four sucked. That could just change. If the wind changes 180, it will be the opposite so… That’s this place. You never work it out.
Q. Will, from your position, are you going to have to be like a Tasmanian devil to get up to the front?
WILL POWER: No, obviously you can’t be too conservative but you can’t be too aggressive either. You don’t want to end up in the wall. Just a methodical day. Good pit stop sequences, maybe fish for a lucky yellow, strategy call like that.
Yeah, you can’t force it around this place. You just can’t. You got to get a good balance and get in that rhythm. It’s very difficult to tell if you can pass 32 cars back. Like last year at the start, qualified 24th or something. Yeah, you couldn’t do much at all. It’s a bit more downforce this year, I’m hoping that you can, if you got a bit better car, get through a few cars.
Starts and restarts will matter, and good pit stops.
Q. Will, the broadcast picked up you talking some talk about you discussing Simona’s steering trace during qualifying, being quite impressed by what you’ve seen. Can you tell us a bit more about that, if that was the case?
WILL POWER: Yeah, no, she held onto it and didn’t lift. More impressive than what I did, I reckon. She didn’t hit the wall, but she was catching it multiple times a lap.
Yeah, she certainly wasn’t scared of the car, put it that way. We all looked at her, went, Yeah, man. That’s hanging it out. She didn’t lift. That’s pretty good.
Q. Will, your race pace today seemed good. Is that a confidence booster for Sunday?
WILL POWER: Yeah, we actually improved the car by the end there. Car’s really nice. Yeah, it would just be a matter of circumstance and also performance to make it happen, to get to the front. It’s not impossible.
Last year where I started, I felt like we didn’t have a very car at all. We could have finished sixth if I didn’t go long in the last pit stop. You can move forward, no question, just through other people’s mistakes and doing a solid day.
Q. Conor, definitely hasn’t been the start to the year that any driver wouldn’t want from the Texas accident, Truck Series start, the accident. When it comes to readjusting for this type of month, what this track means to everybody, what has it been like this year with that stuff behind you? What’s the mindset been like?
CONOR DALY: You can’t change the past, you can’t predict the future. You just got to be the best you can be every day.
That stuff, I’ve been through a lot of that stuff before, wild and crazy times. As do most drivers. I think we’ve had an incredible couple weeks so far. Even from qualifying at Indy GP. We had great progress with the car there, which I’m excited to use at Detroit, as well.
Yeah, I mean, obviously it would be fantastic to just have a nice Sunday, you know what I mean? Something where we can go to the end, Things went okay today. We’ll try to avoid any type of chaos that goes on, but also we want to be patiently aggressive, be there at the end, but also take advantage of every possible start and restart.
You’re going to be putting your life on the line those starts and restarts how this is going. You better be ready to find some new areas of the track that you’ve never been to before.
Q. All right. Last year by leading 111 laps, you went from ninth to third in all time laps led. I don’t know if you knew that. During the course of the race, you passed Vukovic, Parnelli Jones, Foyt and Mario to run third. I think this year if it’s 82 laps that you lead, you would pass Ralph De Palma and Al Unser. You could very easily leave here on Sunday as the all-time lap leader. I think that is an astonishing accomplishment.
WILL POWER: That’s big.
CONOR DALY: Put that on a T-shirt (laughter).
THE MODERATOR: We’ll let you guys go.

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.

106th Indianapolis 500 Logo Captures Iconic Winner’s Wreath in Design

By
Official Release
-

INDIANAPOLIS (Friday, May 28, 2021) – The logo for the 106th Indianapolis 500 presented by Gainbridge captures one of the most visible and beloved traditions of “The Greatest Spectacle in Racing” – the winner’s wreath.

The 106th Indianapolis 500 is scheduled for Sunday, May 29, 2022.

Bold burgundy and gold colors highlight the design that features the wreath presented to every Indianapolis 500 winner in Victory Circle since 1960, when Jim Rathmann triumphed after an epic duel with Rodger Ward.

The core of the design remains the continuation of the type lock-up introduced with the unveiling in May 2018 of the logo for the 103rd Running of the race. This lock-up creates a strong, consistent annual brand appearance for the event, made unique by various new elements each year.

As in recent years, the wordmark leans forward, representing speed and a never-ending commitment to progress. That design is placed over a new shield of dark red.

A gold line encircles the burgundy shield and white wordmark, with the wreath leaves also in gold. The timeless legacy of the “500” and IMS also is saluted through the inclusion of the famous Wing and Wheel logo of the track.

The original winner’s wreath featured “exotic-looking” dark yellow and brown flowers. It was created by Indianapolis-based florist Bill Cronin, who was a consultant for the Rose Bowl parade and 500 Festival parade.

In 1989, the current wreath design was created by adding 33 ivory-colored cymbidium orchids with burgundy tips (representing each of the cars in the starting field of the race), red, white and blue ribbon, checkered flags and a base of cedar blocks inscribed with “BorgWarner.”

Julie Harman Vance, the owner of the Buck Creek In Bloom flower shop in Yorktown, Indiana, has made the wreath every year since 1992.

Ford Performance NASCAR: Ford’s Riley Herbst Leads NASCAR XFINITY Series Practice at Charlotte Motor Speedway

By
Official Release
-

Ford Performance Notes and Quotes
NASCAR XFINITY Series
Charlotte Motor Speedway Post-Practice Media Availability | Friday, May 28, 2021

Riley Herbst, driver of the No. 98 Monster Energy Ford Mustang for Stewart-Haas Racing in the NASCAR XFINITY Series, posted the fastest speed in today’s practice at Charlotte Motor Speedway at 178.435 mph. He conducted a Q&A session afterwards and spoke about his day and expectations for tomorrow’s race.

RILEY HERBST, No. 98 Monster Energy Ford Mustang — HOW WAS PRACTICE? “Hopefully, we didn’t get cancelled out. That was my biggest thing. I’ve been looking forward to this practice since probably Atlanta, just working with a new team and want as much experience with them and Richard as possible and really glad the rain stayed away, and were able to put some quick lap times down and have a good Ford Mustang.”

WHAT DO YOU FEEL YOU NEED TO PICK UP ON TO GET A PLAYOFF SPOT OVER THE SUMMER MONTHS? “I feel like the biggest thing is doing what we’re doing. I knew it was gonna be a challenge this year. I knew that they had fast cars last year, but me and Chase are different race car drivers and we both want a little bit something different in our race cars, and it was gonna take a while to figure out. To be honest, we had better speed than I expected the first few races at the mile-and-a-halves and we just didn’t get the finishes. I feel like that’s why we’re looking out of the playoffs right now, but the biggest thing we can pick up on is just unloading off the truck better. This is huge being able to work on the race car, so Richard and the boys know what I want in the race car and we can move forward to the next mile-and-a-half and racetracks going forward.”

HOW WAS THE TRACTION COMPOUND DURING PRACTICE? “I don’t know. That traction compound, PJ1, I feel like they shouldn’t even put it on the racetrack because it’s just so inconsistent from each time. Last year we had it and that was the place to be. It was like you had super softs on and if you weren’t in it, you were in trouble, but now if you touch it, you’re gonna spin out. I think it adds a cool feature to it, I just wish it was more consistent.”

CHEVROLET NTT INDYCAR SERIES INDIANAPOLIS 500: TEAM CHEVY ADVANCE

By
Official Release
-

CHEVROLET RACING IN NTT INDYCAR SERIES
105TH INDIANAPOLIS 500 PRESENTED BY GAINBRIDGE
INDIANAPOLIS MOTOR SPEEDWAY
TEAM CHEVY ADVANCE
RACEDAY MAY 30, 2021

Team Chevy drivers prepped, ready for the 105th Indianapolis 500
Front-row starter Rinus VeeKay leads 16 Chevrolet entries into 200-lap battle

DETROIT (May 28, 2021) – Rinus VeeKay will have a front-row seat for the start of the 105th Indianapolis 500 presented by Gainbridge. What VeeKay, and 15 other Team Chevy drivers, want most is an unobstructed view of the twin checkered flags after 200 laps on Sunday, May 30.

VeeKay, who qualified third in the No. 21 Bitcoin Chevrolet for Ed Carpenter Racing, will be the youngest front-row starter in Indianapolis 500 history at 20 years, 261 days old.

“Very grateful to the team for all the sleepless nights, all the hard work. Definitely also big kudos to Chevy for giving me the great power to bring me to the front row,” said VeeKay, who earlier this month claimed his initial NTT INDYCAR SERIES victory by outdueling the field on the Indianapolis Motor Speedway road course. “I was the fastest teenager in 500 history last year. Now I’m the youngest front row. That’s pretty cool. I think we can definitely go for a 500 win from here.”

Ed Carpenter Racing claimed a front-row spot for the seventh time in nine years. Teammate and team principal Ed Carpenter, a three-time Indy 500 pole winner, qualified fourth in the No. 20 SONAX Chevrolet. Carpenter, who has qualified in the top 10 the past nine years, has a best finish of second in 2018.

“Chevy has been a great partner; they give us so many tools and help us thrive,” said Carpenter, whose team has used Chevrolet power since the Bowtie brand returned to engine manufacturer competition in 2012. “At the end of the day, we’re happy with where we’re starting the Indy 500.”

The 16 entries powered by Chevrolet’s 2.2-liter, twin-turbocharged, direct-injected V6 engine include three Indy 500 winners. In 2019, Simon Pagenaud transferred his pole start to the biggest victory of his career.

“We had an incredible package in ’19, and Chevy power really helped us tremendously all month. We knew we had a shot,” said Pagenaud, who drives the No. 22 Menards Team Penske Chevrolet. “I think this year we’re close to being where we were in ’19, but I think the whole field is a lot closer. I can’t control the others. I can only control myself and my team, and I think we’re doing everything we can to be in the same spot.”

Of note
VeeKay, of The Netherlands, holds the distinction of the youngest front-row qualifier. The previous record was 21 years, 144 days old by Carlos Munoz in 2013. A.J. Foyt IV is the youngest driver to start the Indianapolis 500. His 19th birthday was on race day in 2003.

Juan Palo Montoya, driving the No. 86 Arrow McLaren SP entry, and Will Power in the No. 12 Verizon 5G Team Penske Chevrolet are the other Team Chevy Indianapolis 500 winner competing this year. Montoya won in 2000 (powered by GM brand Oldsmobile) and 2015 (with Chevrolet). Power won in 2018 in a Chevrolet.

Team owner Roger Penske, who has four Chevrolet entries in the 33-car field, has 18 Indianapolis 500 victories. The first came in 1972 with driver Mark Donohue and the most recent in 2019 with Pagenaud.

This year marks the 60th anniversary of A.J. Foyt’s first victory in the Indy 500. He also won in 1964, 1967 and 1977 as a driver, and 1999 as a team owner. A.J. Foyt Racing has three Chevrolet entries in the race. Rick Mears and Al Unser are the only other four-time winners.

Simona De Silvestro brings an historic team to the grid with her and team owner Beth Paretta. Paretta Autosport is the only female-owned and female forward team in the field. Starting 33rd, the Swiss-born driver will make her sixth Indy 500 start.

Chevrolet has registered 11 Indianapolis 500 victories:
1988 Rick Mears
1989 Emerson Fittipaldi
1990 Arie Luyendyk
1991 Rick Mears
1992 Al Unser Jr.
1993 Emerson Fittipaldi
2002 Helio Castroneves
2013 Tony Kanaan
2015 Juan Pablo Montoya
2018 Will Power
2019 Simon Pagenaud
General Motors brand Oldsmobile has powered five winners:
1997 Arie Luyendyk
1998 Eddie Cheever
1999 Kenny Brack
2000 Juan Pablo Montoya
2001 Helio Castroneves
Tune in
NBC will telecast the 200-lap race at 11 a.m. ET Sunday, May 30. Former race car driver Danica Patrick will lead the field to the green flag in the 2021 mid-engine Chevrolet Corvette Stingray hardtop convertible. The 2021 race marks the 32nd time for Chevrolet to pace dating to 1948, and the 18th time since 1978 for America’s favorite sports car.

TEAM CHEVY STARTING LINEUP WITH QUALIFYING SPEED:
AJ Foyt Racing
22. JR Hildebrand, No. 1 ABC Supply/AJ Foyt Racing (229.980 mph)
27. Sebastien Bourdais, No. 14 ROKiT/AJ Foyt Racing (229.744)
30. Dalton Kellett, No. 4 KITS.com/K-Line Insulators/AJ Foyt Racing (228.323)
Arrow McLaren SP
12. Pato O’Ward, No. 5 Arrow McLaren SP (230.864)
14. Felix Rosenqvist, No. 7 Vuse Arrow McLaren SP (230.744)
24. Juan Pablo Montoya, No. 86 Arrow McLaren SP (229.891)
Carlin
29. Max Chilton, No. 59 Gallagher Carlin (229.417)
Dreyer & Reinbold Racing
31. Sage Karam, No. 24 DRR-AES Indiana Dreyer & Reinbold Racing (229.156)
Ed Carpenter Racing
3. Rinus VeeKay, No. 21 Bitcoin Ed Carpenter Racing (231.511)
4. Ed Carpenter, No. 20 SONAX Ed Carpenter Racing (231.504)
19. Conor Daly, No. 47 U.S. Air Force Ed Carpenter Racing (230.427)
Paretta Autosport
33. Simona De Silvestro, No. 16 Rocket Pro/Paretta Autosport (228.333)
Team Penske
17. Scott McLaughlin, No. 3 Pennzoil Team Penske (230.557)
21. Josef Newgarden, No. 2 Shell Fuel Rewards Team Penske (230.071)
26. Simon Pagenaud, No. 22 Menards Team Penske (229.778)
32. Will Power, No. 12 Verizon 5G Team Penske (228.876)

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.

SS GreenLight Racing | Joe Graf Jr. Charlotte Motor Speedway Event Preview

By
Official Release
-

SS GreenLight Racing | NASCAR Xfinity Series
Charlotte (N.C.) Motor Speedway | Alsco Uniforms 300

Fast Facts
No. 07 SS GreenLight Racing Team:
Driver: Joe Graf Jr. (@JoeGrafJr)
Primary Partner(s): Bucked Up Energy
Manufacturer: Chevrolet Camaro
Crew Chief: Jason Miller
Driver Points Position: 26th | Owner Points Position: 34th
Chassis Intel: SSGLR Chassis No. 719; a brand new chassis for SS GreenLight Racing.
Engine: Earnhardt-Childress Racing Engines (ECR)

Notes of Interest:

Full of Energy: Bucked Up Energy and its sister products will continue their role as the primary partner of Graf’s No. 07 Chevrolet Camaro this weekend. Charlotte is the sixth race of 2021 but is the 28th race overall in a multi-year, multi-race deal with the former ARCA Menards Series winner.

Bucked Up is the everyman (or woman) energy drink. We don’t care about the color of your collar; whether blue or white, we all require energy to power our days. We want something that tastes like success, enhances mood and focus, and most of all delivers long-lasting energy.

Bucked Up Energy New Flavors: Bucked Up Energy is now available in 10 different flavors including four recently released new flavors.

Gym n’ Juice pays homage to those classic west coast vibes with a citrusy, smooth flavor that is sure to drive you back to the early-coastal ‘90s.

Bucked Up Energy Strawberry-Kiwi features two delicious flavors fused to form one. The result — a zero sugar, solar-sweet source of energy so abundant the world might actually start revolving around you.
Pink lemonade prodigies innovate, fusing an otherwise basic beverage with refreshing cranberry, and thinly sliced lemons, for garnish — earning its sweet, refreshing, and jubilant. And yet, miraculously sugar-free taste.

Mango Tango tastes like a well-placed double entendre — two meanings, up to your interpretation. Perhaps, it’s a melodic, upbeat fiesta of juicy goodness pulling sultry-sweet dance moves on your tongue. Or we could be using Tango as code, letting you decide the most fitting “T” descriptive word.

Giving Thanks: As Memorial Day approaches, the annual hometown race at Charlotte Motor Speedway has always been a way for NASCAR teams to pay respects to those that have served, currently serving or paid the ultimate price in the line of duty for their heroic services of defending our country.

During Saturday’s Xfinity Series race at Charlotte, Joe Graf Jr. and the SS GreenLight Racing team will recognize Marine Corps Sergeant James Montegari who served from 2002 to 2008 in field artillery, with also a tour in Iraq.

Now out of active duty, Montegari, 45, is a United States history teacher at Don Bosco Prep High School in Ramsey, New Jersey. Teaching for nearly a decade, he was also Graf’s teacher during his junior year of High School.

“Joe was a good kid,” recalled Montegari. “He used to come to my classroom after school and tell me about his races and how when he graduated he was going to try and go to pro. I’ve kept in touch with Joe since he graduated and have been following him since he competed in ARCA, as well attending New York University.

“Now, he is a NASCAR driver, and I could not be prouder of him. I cannot thank him enough for what he and his team are doing this weekend at Charlotte.”

Striking Gold!: Last weekend at Circuit of the Americas, G-Coin made its debut in the NASCAR Xfinity Series as the primary partner of the team’s No. 07 Chevrolet Camaro.

To help boost its partnership with Joe Graf Jr., G-Coin is giving away $1,000 in FREE gold to one lucky person during the month of June.

For entry guidelines and to enter, please click here.

Saving You Some Money: As summer approaches, Joe Graf Jr.’s other marketing partner Z Grills wants to help the NASCAR community save money – but also enjoy the perfect barbecue.

On the heels of their third race partnership of the season earlier this month at Dover (Del.) International Speedway, Z Grills Racing (ZGrillsRacing.com) is offering a 10 percent discount off your TOTAL purchase, using the code NASCAR at checkout.

Joe Graf Jr. Xfinity Series Charlotte Motor Speedway Stats: Joe Graf Jr. will make his second Charlotte (N.C.) Motor Speedway this weekend. Last May, he started 28th but raced to a solid 19th place run in his No. 08 Core Development Group Chevrolet Camaro.

Joe Graf Jr. Xfinity Series Career Intermediate Nuggets: At tracks greater than 1.0-mile in size, Graf has competed in 24 NASCAR Xfinity Series races. He holds an average starting position of 24.3 and an average result of 23.5.

Put Me In Coach: In an effort to strengthen his physique, Joe Graf Jr. began working with new trainer and former NASCAR Cup Series Josh Wise during the offseason.

In addition to Wise, Graf has also been working with former NASCAR driver and open-wheel driver Scott Speed on being more discipline behind the wheel of his No. 07 Bucked Up Energy Chevrolet Camaro.

From the Pit Box: Industry veteran Jason Miller is Joe Graf Jr.’s crew chief.
He will crew chief his 234th race on Saturday afternoon.

In his previous 233 races, Miller has earned two top-five and eight top-10 finishes.

He will lead his 12th Xfinity Series race at Charlotte and looks to improve on a track-best 16th earned in 2019 with driver Ray Black Jr.

Hello From The Other Side: Graf Jr. has a teammate at SS GreenLight Racing. Cody Ware will drive the No. 17 Nurtec ODT Toyota on Saturday afternoon.

Ware, a veteran racer is poised to make his 26th career NASCAR Xfinity Series start and second at Charlotte. He returns to the 1.5-mile track layout for the first time since 2016.

Follow on Social Media: For more on Joe Graf Jr. visit JoeGrafJr.com, like him on Facebook (Joe Graf Jr.), follow him on Twitter (@JoeGrafJr) and Instagram (@joegrafjr).

For more on SS GreenLight Racing, please like them on Facebook (SS GreenLight Racing) and follow them on Twitter (@SSGLR0708) and visit their website at SSGreenLight.com.
Joe Graf Jr. Pre-Race Quotes:

On Charlotte Motor Speedway: “I’m glad to be back at Charlotte Motor Speedway this weekend. I’ve had some success at the track in the ARCA Menards Series and we had a solid top-20 finish last year, but we are looking for a top-15 or better on Saturday afternoon.

“Everyone is working hard right now and hopefully, that hard work is rewarded with a good finish on Saturday afternoon and give our team some momentum to take to Mid-Ohio next weekend.”

On Recognizing Former Teacher James Montegari: “Mr. Montegari has always been one of my biggest supporters through it all and that has always meant a lot to me. Not only did he put his life on the line to protect all of us on the battlefront, but now he’s teaching and giving back in more ways than one.

“We have the chance to recognize and thank him for his service this weekend at Charlotte and I’m glad he’ll be there in person not only to see it, but cheer us on.”

On Recent Performances: “The last several races have been tough; however, it is during times like this that all your mental discipline and training really come to the forefront.

“I can’t stress enough the importance of mental toughness in overcoming obstacles you don’t control. We have an amazing pit crew, but two weeks in a row they have suffered late-race problems that ruined our day.

“When I look at the speed and balance of our cars this year they are much better than last year. That isn’t from luck. That is from the hard work and grind it out mental toughness of this team.

“It’s such a shame that we have had such a rough month or so, but this is no different from life. We all experience highs and lows in life. Like anyone at a low point, we are going to remain mentally tough and keep moving forward. We embrace the suck. We
know it can’t last.

“Going forward we are going to focus on what we can control and continue to execute at our highest level. There are a ton of races left in the season and hopefully, we have shaken the bad luck. I would be worried if our cars lacked competitiveness, but they don’t. We have a lot of racing left and we are due for some good luck.”
Race Information:

The Alsco Uniforms 300 (200 laps | 300 miles) is the 12th of 33 NASCAR Xfinity Series races on the 2021 schedule. Practice is set for Fri., May 28 from 4:35 p.m. – 5:25 p.m. Qualifying is set for race day, Sat., May 29 beginning at 10:05 a.m. The race will take the green flag later in the day shortly after 1:00 p.m. with live coverage on FOX Sports 1, the Performance Racing Network (Radio) and SiriusXM NASCAR Channel 90. All times are local (ET).
About SS Green Light Racing:

As one of the most tenured teams in all of NASCAR, SS GreenLight Racing led by team owner and former driver Bobby Dotter has been a mainstay in the sport fielding entries in either the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series or the Xfinity Series competition since 2001.

Charlotte Motor Speedway, Blue Cross NC Work Together To Drive Out Childhood Hunger in Greater Charlotte Area

By
Official Release
-
Charlotte Motor Speedway and Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina, along with Speedway Children’s Charities are teaming up to address childhood hunger in the Charlotte area with its “Drive Out Hunger” initiative. (CMS photo)

(CHARLOTTE, NC) May 28, 2021 — Building on its longstanding partnership, Charlotte Motor Speedway (Speedway) and Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina (Blue Cross NC), along with Speedway Children’s Charities (SCC), are teaming up to address childhood hunger in the Charlotte area with its “Drive Out Hunger” initiative. Through a series of events, the organizations will work together to drive out childhood hunger by encouraging both monetary and non-perishable food donations.

“What makes partnerships like this so special is that we can take activations like the ‘Drive Out Hunger’ campaign beyond the speedway and into the community and make a positive impact for others in need in our community,” said Greg Walter, executive vice president and general manager at Charlotte Motor Speedway. “We’re grateful for partners like Blue Cross NC who share our passion for service and help bring wonderful programs like this to life.”

A “Drive Out Hunger” campaign branded Pace Car will make its debut during the Coca Cola 600 race weekend and remain at the speedway for races and events throughout the year. This visual representation of the campaign aims to bring awareness to the initiative and encourage fans to donate to help “drive out hunger.”

This collaboration builds on Blue Cross NC’s ongoing commitment to address critical non-medical drivers of health, specifically food security.

“Nearly 15% of Mecklenburg County’s households are considered food insecure, and as an insurer that calls North Carolina home, it is crucial that we are actively working to combat food insecurity in our own backyards,” said Reagan Greene Pruitt, vice president of marketing and community engagement at Blue Cross NC. “Ensuring that all North Carolinians have access to food is something Blue Cross NC is committed to as we continue to work to make health care better for all.”

“Drive Out Hunger” events set to take place throughout the year at the speedway include:

  • Camper Food Donation Drives — Campers staying at Charlotte Motor Speedway for race events will find bins located throughout the camping areas to donate non-perishable foods.
  • Gate Entry Canned Goods Collections at select events at Charlotte Motor Speedway and the zMAX Dragway.
  • Summer Movie Nights — Ticket proceeds will benefit the initiative. Canned goods will also be collected at the events.

All donations collected throughout the year will be donated to local community partners through Speedway Children’s Charities.

For more information regarding the “Drive out Hunger” initiative, please visit https://www.charlottemotorspeedway.com/driveouthunger/.

###

About Charlotte Motor Speedway

For more than 60 years, Charlotte Motor Speedway has set the standard in motorsports entertainment for fans of all ages. Known as America’s Home for Racing, Charlotte Motor Speedway is the only race vacation destination where fans can immerse themselves in the

heart of NASCAR country. Visitors can attend one-of-a-kind race spectacles including the Coca-Cola 600 and Bank of America ROVAL™ 400; take behind-the-scenes speedway and race shop tours; explore the NASCAR Hall of Fame and drive an 800-horsepower stock car. Through every event and every decade, Charlotte Motor Speedway puts FANS FIRST with a never-ending commitment to enhance the fan experience. That tradition continues with unmatched value through affordable tickets, unparalleled pre-race entertainment and more opportunities for fans to see their favorite drivers. For all the latest news and information, visit

www.charlottemotorspeedway.com, follow on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram, or download the Charlotte Motor Speedway mobile app.

About Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina:

Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina (Blue Cross NC) is committed to making health care better, simpler and more affordable. We have been driving better health in North Carolina since 1933, working to tackle our communities’ greatest health challenges. Blue Cross NC serves its customers and communities of more than 3.8 million members, including approximately 1.1 million on behalf of other Blue Plans. Blue Cross NC is an independent licensee of the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association. Visit Blue Cross NC online at www.bluecrossnc.com. All other marks are the property of their respective owners.

NASCAR Makes Long-Awaited Return to Sonoma Raceway

By
Official Release
-

SONOMA, Calif. (May, 28, 2021) – For the first time in almost two years, the North Bay will be transformed into Thunder Bay as the sights and sounds of NASCAR make their long-awaited return to the twisting, turning layout of Sonoma Raceway, June 5-6.

The Toyota/Save Mart 350 NASCAR Cup Series race will mark NASCAR’s first race in the state of California in more than 15 months and the first race in Sonoma in nearly two years.

The return of racing at Sonoma Raceway also signals the return of race fans to the facility as well. Sonoma County authorities have given the green light to host a reduced capacity crowd that will be thirsting for the roar of engines.

No one will be more excited to get back to the 12-turn, 2.52-mile road course than Martin Truex Jr. The 2017 NASCAR Champion has won the past two Cup races in Sonoma and will be trying to join Jeff Gordon as just the second driver to ever win three races in a row at Sonoma. Gordon won the 1998, 1999 and 2000 Toyota/Save Mart 300s.

“I’ve been waiting for a while to go back to Sonoma and try to get the three-peat,” Truex said. “Sonoma is such a fun track and it’s a great part of the country. It’s beautiful and always great weather. I can’t wait to get there and see all of our fans in California that we haven’t seen in quite a while.”

More impressively for Truex, is he has won the past two races on two different configurations. The 2018 race marked the final race for “The Chute”, which was introduced in 1998 and shortened the track to 1.949 miles and eliminated the famous Carousel. The Carousel, which will be in use again this year, returned to the track layout in 2019. Truex and legendary racer Ricky Rudd are the only two drivers to win NASCAR Cup races on both layouts.

Other storylines to watch include Chase Elliott’s pursuit of Jeff Gordon’s career road course win record. Gordon won a NASCAR-record nine road course races during his career. Elliott, the defending series champion, picked up his sixth career road course victory at Circuit of the American in Austin just a week ago.

There will be a distinct California feel to the race as well as five native Californians are expected to compete in the Toyota/Save Mart 350. Kyle Larson (Elk Grove), Kevin Harvick (Bakersfield), Matt DiBenedetto (Grass Valley), Tyler Reddick (Corning) and Cole Custer (Ladera Ranch) make up more than 10 percent of the starting field.

This year’s event is a one-day show for the NASCAR Cup Series as there will be no practice or qualifying due to previously established limitations issued by NASCAR on the duration of race weekends due to Covid-19 precautions.

However, there will still be plenty of racing action throughout the weekend as the General Tire 200 for the ARCA Menards Series West hits the track on Saturday. In addition, the Historic Trans Am Series will compete in timed races on Saturday and Sunday and will feature NASCAR on Fox lead announcer Mike Joy trading in his tie and microphone for a driving suit and a steering wheel.

The General Tire 200 is set to start at 2 p.m. on Saturday, June 5 and Sunday’s Toyota/Save Mart 350 will begin at 1 p.m. on Sunday, June 6. Sunday’s race will be televised live on Fox Sports 1.

What Are The 10 Most Fuel-Efficient Truck Engines?

By
SM
-

Commercial trucks are very important in transportation industries as they carry huge weights of cargo in large quantities. They should have good towing, payload capabilities, and withstand long hauls and trips. Proper selection of a good truck is important in achieving your targets, growing your business, and truck safety.

Factors to Consider

One of the important factors in selecting a good commercial truck is a fuel-efficient engine. It doesn’t only affect the truck’s overall performance, but also helps in reducing pollution and global warming emissions. It’s also cost-efficient for your business as you’ll spend a lot less on gas.

Here’s a quick guide on 10 of the most fuel-efficient truck engines:

  • Volvo D11. This is Volvo’s smallest engine. It’s lightweight and features 9 types that range from 325-425 hp and 1,250-1,550 lb-ft of torque. 2 out of the 9 types are considered Eco-Torque engines with two drive modes that mostly stay in Low Torque mode for fuel efficiency.
  • Detroit DD15. It has the same fuel efficiency as the DD13 – from 6.0 MPG to 6.9 MPG at 1,625 RPM. The variations are between 400-505hp and about 1,471-1,671lb-ft of torque. When it’s time for rebuilding, a DD15 rebuild kit ensures quality and durability.
  • Paccar PX-7. The PX-7 is known for its endurance and dependability. Its 11 variations range from 200-360 hp and 520-800 lb-ft of peak torque ratings. It weighs under 1,200 pounds making it lighter, thus minimizing fuel consumption. Its fuel economy and long life make it perfect for your fleet.
  • Cummins 2020 X15 Efficiency. The 2020 X15 Efficiency engine features up to 5% better fuel economy than the X15 Efficiency. It also features the best uptime, decreased Greenhouse Gas emissions, and increased down speedingto have top-notch performance at a lower RPM. Engines that run at lower speeds usually last longer.
  • Volvo D13TC. The TC or “Turbo Compounding” process results in 6% less fuel consumption by capturing energy from the exhaust gas and returning it to the drive train. The Volvo D13TC features 405-455 horsepower, 1,850 lb-ft of torque, and four configurations: High Torque, Economy, Adaptive Gearing, and Super Direct.
  • International A26. This diesel engine is 50 lbs. lighter and 5% more fuel-efficient than the 2017 N13, and the high-pressure common rail helps maximize fuel injection pressure to lower emissions. Its reduced weight allows the truck to haul more freight without getting fined by the DOT for overweight regulations.
  • Cummins 2018 ISX12N. This is the latest series engine to run on compressed natural gas, liquefied natural gas, and renewable natural gas, which means cheaper fuel per gallon than a diesel engine and fewer emissions. It features 400 hp, 1,450 lb-ft of torque and 2,100 RPM.
  • Detroit DD8. It features 7 variations ranging from 260-375 hp and 660-1,050 lb-ft in torque. It gets 8.5 MPG with good driving practices. The maintenance intervals can reach up to 60,000 miles for the engine oil and filter. It’s usually used for bucket trucks or tow trucks.
  • Cummins 2018 X12. This engine is 900 lbs lighter than X15 engines. It also provides fuel efficiency and allows trucks to haul heavier freight. Maintenance intervals can reach up to 60,000 miles for the oil drain, 50,000 miles for the fuel filter, and 300,000 miles for DEF and valve train.
  • Volvo D13. This engine features 22 variations with 375-500 hp and 1,450-1,850 lb-ft torque at 1000 RPM. It also features maximum fuel savings and engine life.

Fuel-Saving Tips

Truck drivers can also help improve their trucks’ fuel efficiency. Driving economically can make drivers an asset to the company and save the environment by limiting fuel use. Here are some tips to help save fuel:

  • Minimize speed. Evidently, driving faster means burning more fuel. Every 1 MPH speed increase results in a 0.14 MPG decrease in fuel. A good range is between 55-60 MPH.
  • Do not overfill the tank. Fuel heated by the engine or the sun overflows in the tank. It can cause fuel spill and add weight to the truck and slow it down.
  • Have a good driving technique. Being gentle is the best technique to save up fuel. Keep a steady movement and minimize unnecessary stops. Hard pressure on the pedal will quickly empty the fuel tank.
  • Proper tire pressure. Correctly inflated tires can help save fuel, have a longer lifespan and create safer road conditions.

Fuel efficiency is important in extending the engine lifespan of your fleet. Make sure you have a robust process in place for managing fuel usage and cost. You contribute to making a positive impact not only on your company but also on the environment.

1...2,5382,5392,540...6,755Page 2,539 of 6,755