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CR7 Motorsports carries momentum to Charlotte Motor Speedway

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Official Release
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CONCORD, N.C.: On the heels of their season-best finish of fourth last weekend at Circuit of the Americas, CR7 Motorsports heads to Charlotte (N.C.) Motor Speedway for Friday night’s N.C. Education Lottery 200 looking to keep the team pointed in the right direction.

The NASCAR Camping World Truck Series’ first ever visit to Austin, Texas certainly drew attention to the state-of-the-art road course and while the Toyota Tundra 225 was soaked with rain, the team’s charge led by Grant Enfinger played into their hands.

With a methodical and steady approach, Enfinger, 36, was able to muscle his No. 9 Good Sam | Grant County Mulch Chevrolet Silverado through the field to post the team’s first top-five of the year but third overall.

Now, the team looks to showcase their speed at Charlotte, often considered hometown court for the teams and drivers.

“We are really proud of Grant’s efforts at Circuit of the Americas and glad to have him back this weekend for Charlotte,” said Codie Rohrbaugh, team manager and CR7 Motorsports mainstay driver.

“Having Grant, a part of the CR7 Motorsports team is a luxury and has been extremely beneficial to us as an organization. Results have shown that this year and we’re hoping to continue that pace on Friday night.”

Enfinger, a native of Fairhope, Ala. is no slouch when it comes to racing at Charlotte Motor Speedway.
In four previous Truck Series starts, he has delivered two top-10s and four top-12s with an average showing of 10th. Both driver and team hope they can improve on that statistic.

“Grant always has tremendous feedback, and he has certainly done his part to help make our intermediate program better,” added Rohrbaugh. “Doug (George, crew chief) and him have an executed plan of what they want to do during practice and qualifying on Friday and I think they will easily be able to deliver.”

Overall, looking at the team’s program, Rohrbaugh is satisfied with the direction of the team heading into the summer stretch.

“Whether it’s me or Grant behind the wheel, you can see that there has been progress in 2021,” he said. “We’re getting there but there’s still work to be done. We want to be competitive week in and week out. Eventually, we’d like to take our team from contenders to winners. Everyone is working hard to achieve that goal, we just have to keep ourselves focused and humble and we will get there soon.”

It’s a busy weekend at Charlotte for CR7 Motorsports. In addition to Friday night’s NASCAR Camping World Truck Series race, the organization will field an ARCA Menards Series entry for Saturday night’s General Tire 150 with Jason Kitzmiller behind the wheel.

Enfinger, a six-time NCWTS winner has no prior ARCA Charlotte starts, however, Rohrbaugh competed in two ARCA Menards Series races with a best finish of ninth in the 2018 edition.
CR7 Motorsports has 35 NCWTS starts to their credit with a career-best finish of third at Daytona (Fla.) International Speedway (February 2020). Additionally, the team owns six other top-10 finishes including two this season at Circuit of the Americas (fourth | Grant Enfinger) in May 2021 and Las Vegas (Nev.) Motor Speedway (seventh | Grant Enfinger) in March 2021. An 11th place qualifying effort at Talladega (Ala.) Superspeedway (Oct. 2019) is the team’s best time trials effort to date.

With 13 races remaining, Enfinger despite missing one race is seventh in the championship driver standings, just 22 points from fifth.

CR7 Motorsports holds a respectable 19th in the championship owner standings after nine races.

In 20 career ARCA starts, Rohrbaugh has a best finish of seventh twice at Pocono (Pa.) Raceway (July 2018 and Daytona (Fla.) International Speedway (February 2019). He has qualified a career-best fourth on four different occasions, most recently at Kansas Speedway (Oct. 2018).

Marketing partnership(s) opportunities are also available for the No. 9 Grant County Mulch Chevrolet in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series, as well as the team’s ARCA Menards Series No. 97 A.L.L. Construction | Grant County Mulch Chevrolet program with driver Jason Kitzmiller for the 2021 seasons and beyond. Interested inquiries are encouraged to contact tonya@gcmulch.com or 304.257.8783.

The N.C. Education Lottery 200 (134 laps | 201 miles) is the 10th of 22 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series races on the 2021 schedule. Practice begins on Fri., May 28th from 11:35 a.m. – 12:25 p.m. Qualifying is set for later in the day beginning at 5:35 p.m. The field will take the green flag a short time later after 8:30 p.m. ET with live coverage on FOX Sports 1, the Motor Racing Network (Radio) and SiriusXM Satellite Radio NASCAR Channel 90. All times are local (ET).

What Is a Car Service Manual and Why You Need One

By
SM
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Photo by krisana_antharith at https://depositphotos.com/

Here’s How a Good Car Service Manual Could Save your Life

Servicing or maintaining any vehicle can be very expensive nowadays—the parts are already costly, but labor rates hit rocket high. But what if you have the knowledge and tools to repair your beloved car yourself? In that case, it might be much cheaper, sure, but you won’t be doing a proper job without a car service manual. 

At the end of the day, that’s what every single professional mechanic uses when doing repairs on any vehicle. Each model requires different steps, even for some simple things like changing a light bulb. But with a proper car service manual to help you out, you can fix pretty much anything.

With this handy book, you can find the recommended manufacturer specifications when rebuilding an engine, and even a step-by-step guide on how to do the job. Most importantly, a repair manual for cars contains reliable information and life-saving electrical diagrams, since it comes from the manufacturer itself. Hence, you won’t be searching the internet for piston ring clearance or piston skirt diameter, relying on undependable sources on random forums anymore.

And, that’s not all—a car service manual can even let you diagnose the issue using troubleshooting charts, just like professional mechanics do. Interested? Read on to find out how a service and repair manual can save you money and make you a better DIYer.

What is a Car Service Manual?

A car service manual is a handbook issued by the manufacturer or a specialized company that contains instructions and guidance for the maintenance or repair of a specific vehicle. Of course, minimal knowledge is essential here, but don’t worry. Everything you don’t understand and is alien terminology can be explained by your car dealer, your best buddy, or the internet! By reading the car manual we can learn the importance of regular Mercedes oil changes for their vehicles. This is crucial for prolonging the lifespan of engine components.

Just be sure to pick the right service and repair manual for your specific model and you’ll be on the right track. Every car is unique, and that’s why you need to be thorough when finding the right service manual. You don’t want to waste your time and find yourself troubleshooting an electrical system for hours only to realize you have the diagram for the wrong car model.

Apart from cars, there are also repair manuals for a plethora of other things, from motorcycles, powersports, trucks, tractors, semi-trucks, to farm, marine, and construction equipment, but also electronics and appliances. If it can be serviced, there’s a repair manual for it—and you can probably find it here.

Benefits of Using a Repair Manual

No matter whether it’s a car or a DSLR camera, we all know how expensive repairs can be. The price of the repair depends on three things: the price of the replacement parts, the labor rate, and the number of working hours needed to perform the repair. You can minimally influence the price of a certain car part, as it depends on the manufacturers’ or the dealers’ margin, but that’s as far as you can go. 

Still, with a repair manual, you can certainly influence the price of the labor. Working hours can often end up more expensive than the actual price of the replacement part. 

And even if you have a big enough budget to take your car to a repair shop, there is another element why you should use a car repair manual. Namely, if you have spare time and you are also handy with tools, plus you like fixing things, a repair manual is fundamental for your next project.

Hard Copy vs. Software

Hard copies of car manuals are often bigger than an encyclopedia, and it’s sometimes hard to find the information you need when you need it. Paper books also take a lot of space and books that are not bestsellers or famous classics are usually not welcomed on the shelves next to your fireplace.

On the other side, we live in an era surrounded by phones, tablets, and computers, and we can get around faster and find what we specifically need. The ctrl+F/cmd+F shortcut is a solution that requires far less time than browsing through the pages of your hard copy car service manual. Besides, the virtual pages will stay clean of all the greasy hands and in mint condition long after the car’s existence.

And you can have all of that right there in your pocket, ready at all times. With a service manual software copy, you can even use it while on the road, since the hard copy is truthfully too big and probably won’t fit in your glovebox. 

Last Words

All of the above are good reasons to buy a car service manual from a financial point of view, but there is one more reason for that.

As we suppose that you are a car guy, there is an element of bonding with your car when you know what happens inside and how it works. As absurd as it sounds, there is a soul somewhere in those pistons, beating up and down the cylinders. And when the engine starts coughing, the automatic transmission starts to change gears when it shouldn’t, or the dashboard lights up like a Christmas tree, it’s good to know what is going on how you can fix it. 

What are high output alternators?

By
SM
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A vehicle’s stock alternator is designed to take care of the vehicle’s specific electrical requirements despite it coming with a stock alternator designed to cater to the car’s basic needs, such as powering the lights and sound system. However, in the contemporary scenario, automobiles are so advanced, high output alternators are a perfect substitute for a conventional alternator for supplying amps.

How do the high output alternators work on vehicles?

A high output alternator is an excellent upgrade to contemporary vehicles. The latest vehicle is different from a traditional vehicle in its features like modern seats with cooling and heating systems, higher electrical supply for power windows, ignition systems, power gates, navigation systems, compressors, and more. Consequently, these alternators are specially created for giving a higher amperage for covering these extra needs, improving its performance.

A high output alternator will save battery power while providing the required electrical performance and amperage to the automobile. When a higher output alternator is at play, amperage is provided back to the battery when the engine is used, and charging devices with a high output alternator can produce more amps to provide the vehicle with the said amperage needed to keep it going.

If the alternator fails, a high-output alternator may be used for supplying the required amps. Alternators operate based on the charging system’s load, so the higher the amps needed, the higher the charging system’s strain, and the higher the alternator’s operating temperature.

High output alternator types

A simple alternator, commonly used in cars, sends out the required electrical energy for the primary functions, including engine start, audio, and lighting. On the other hand, conventional alternators can only operate for a couple of minutes while undergoing intense load before overheating and causing damage. These alternators are designed to prevent any defects arising from overheating. Considering the type of the automobile, its utilization of energy, the added features, there are various types of high output alternators. High output alternators for audio, applications, and all other functions are the three basic types of high output alternators.

Design Breakdown

High output alternators are built with intensely concentrated diodes to generate and manage scaled-up Electric currents and the intense warming up, as they are designed to achieve high output functions. Diodes are essentially wires that create an electric current. These wires, teamed up with the temperature-resistant components that ensure increased longevity, form separate parts of a high output alternator. This design helps the alternator deliver high performance in even the most sophisticated automobiles.

Conclusion:

If any vehicle needs to be updated and this upgrade necessitates delivering a high level of electric energy in the automobile, high output alternators can be used. An alternator’s final choice is determined by the nature of the upgrade and the role that the alternator must perform. It’s essential to inspect the alternator regularly to determine if it’s functioning properly or if a replacement is necessary. In general, noisy sounds from a car, dim lighting, or a malfunctioning sound system may all be attributed to the failure of the alternator, as these malfunctions usually occur when the car’s alternator collapses. Thus, it is important to regularly check that the alternator is functioning efficiently and replace it if it isn’t.

Luxury Car Rental in Dubai

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SM
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Dubai is an ideal spot for benefiting luxury rent a car solutions from a well-reputed organization. It is necessary to have suitable transportation and what is preferable to rent a luxury car. Each individual has their unique voyaging prerequisites, which is why one can look over a range of vehicles that match your transportation needs impeccably. While there might be numerous reasons, you ought to select to rent a car in Dubai on your next trip, here are a couple of them.

Luxury and Convenience

Suppose you are an ardent voyager that frequently drives across Dubai for both business and pleasure. In that case, you can decide to do such effortlessly and accommodation by profiting from a top-notch car rental. You can effortlessly head to your desired destination without agonizing over postponements or depending on public transport.

Smooth Travelling Experience

Can’t decide on your future travel plans? Traveling around with a luxury car rental in Dubai through our administration will empower you to make changes to your travel plans according to your desire. Speedy and subjective administrations permit you to traverse the UAE in your preferred luxury vehicle flawlessly. You can rent from a stunning range of vehicles and skirt the chaos of going by public transport that is costly and need connectivity to specific spots.

Rent and Drive without the Hassle

Before you rent a luxury car in Dubai, you must secure your International Driving Permit (IDP). An IDP is an official document that allows you to drive in over 150 countries worldwide, including the United Arab Emirates. You can apply for an international driving permit online or secure one at your local auto club. The process is relatively simple and only takes a few minutes. Once you have your IDP, you’ll be able to rent a luxury car in Dubai without any problems.

Easy Approachability

Visiting the popular places in Dubai with your family in a luxury vehicle appears to trouble you. Stress when you can rent a choice vehicle in Dubai at economical costs without much of a stretch. Decide to go on an outing with minimal expense rentals with your friends and family over remaining in long queues, going by public transport that needs availability just as costs a fortune. Cruise all over in a vehicle with sheer solace, simple openness, and bother-free go with a top-quality vehicle.

Economical Travelling Solutions

Why decide to purchase a vehicle and go through years clearing its loans, keeping it up, and adhering to only one decision when you can without much of a stretch rent from an amazing choice of vehicles in Dubai at an expense proficient cost. Moreover, public vehicles like taxis regularly drill an opening in your pockets because of their costly nature, particularly when traveling to vacation destinations. Economic car rentals with savvy fuel settle on an ideal transportation decision across Dubai and give you a wonderful travel experience you’ll always remember.

Freedom in All Your Travel Adventures

Nothing allows you to make the most of your travel adventures like independence. With a perfect range of luxury vehicles at convincing costs, journey around the beautiful roads of Dubai without the problems of following severe public transport timings, binge spending on costly cabs, and adjusting your travel plans because of other such burdens. Explore the amazing sights of Dubai by driving your vehicle with independence and freedom.

Choose Luxury

Decide to go with solace and convenience. One can appreciate a captivating adventure with consistent car rental administrations across Dubai. Regardless of your area in Dubai, a qualitative car rental organization will consistently be at your administration. They comprehend the precise and changed travel requirements and offer cunning solutions that match your transport needs impeccably.

Opt for the Popular

One can settle on modern and in-vogue vehicles that are ideal for each car, sweetheart. Regardless of whether you decide to hire a cheap car rental Dubai service for an adventurous outing, corporate occasions, business-related trips, or delight, you can go with the most recent and trending range of vehicles that are created with complexity. You can experience a luxury travel journal with fun and excitement and have a lovely trip with you in a vogue and luxurious vehicle.

Max Gutiérrez to make ARCA Menards Series debut at Charlotte Motor Speedway

By
Official Release
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MOORESVILLE, N.C.: Rette Jones Racing (RJR) development driver Max Gutiérrez will make his ARCA Menards Series (AMS) debut in Saturday night’s General Tire 150 at Charlotte (N.C.) Motor Speedway.

Gutiérrez, a rookie competitor in the developmental ARCA Menards Series East (AMSE) heads to Charlotte on the heels of a top-five finish in his most recent race at Dover (Del.) International Speedway on May 14.

Currently, Gutiérrez’s participation in the premier ARCA division is a one-race deal, but both sides will explore opportunities to enhance Gutiérrez’s stock car resume as the 2021 season continues.

“I am very thankful for this opportunity to make my ARCA Menards Series debut this weekend at Charlotte,” said Gutiérrez who won the ARCA East season-opener at New Smyrna in February.

“Any track time is critical to me right now and as I look to move forward in my racing career – competing at these bigger tracks will certainly help me grow and become a better driver.”

Earlier this month, Gutiérrez participated in an open test session at the 1.5-mile speedway where he maneuvered the sixth quickest time overall impressing many in the garage and even himself.

“The test certainly went better than I expected but I credit the Rette Jones Racing team for bringing me a great race car,” added Gutiérrez. “Mark (Rette, crew chief | co-owner) made me feel extremely comfortable behind the wheel of our No. 30 TOUGHBUILT | TekNekk | TELMEX | TELCEL Ford Fusion and because of that we were able to lay down some pretty quick laps.

“Getting another opportunity to practice on Saturday before the race will be important for us to get our car dialed in for the race. I know I still have a lot to learn about racing on a mile-and-a-half track, but I believe Charlotte will be a great opportunity for me to consume more knowledge with the hope of bringing the Rette Jones Racing team home with a top-10 finish.”

Gutiérrez’s hood will honor Feliciano Isidoro and Maria Georgina Sabates at Charlotte, close friends of Gutiérrez and his family.

Last year during the coronavirus pandemic, they reached a significant milestone of their 100th birthdays, just months apart.

This weekend the two would have celebrated their 77th anniversary together. During their marriage, they raised seven children including former NASCAR Cup Series team owner Felix Sabates alongside brothers Art, Jose and sister Manty who will attend Saturday night’s ARCA race to support Gutiérrez and RJR.

Feliciano Isidoro and Maria Georgina Sabates were passionate about their love of Motorsports, especially NASCAR and building friendships with former Cup drivers Kyle Petty and Jamie McMurray along the way.

“I cannot thank TOUGHBUILT. TekNekk and TELCEL enough for giving up their space on the hood to allow us to recognize two special individuals,” added Gutiérrez. “The Sabates family has done so much for the sport of NASCAR for many decades, and this is an opportunity to honor the family for not only what they have done for me – but for everyone involved in the sport.”

Rette says he was impressed with the speed from his young driver earlier this month and
believes he can back it up at the team’s hometown track.

“We are excited about having Max drive for us at Charlotte this weekend,” added Rette. “He certainly impressed a lot of people, myself included with his quick adaption to Charlotte and continuing to post competitive and consistent laps from the start of the test to the end of it.
“This race will be a huge learning curve for Max, but he is up for the challenge and has already shown that he can adapt to the speeds. Hopefully, we can have a clean and fun race and bring home a strong finish that can carry us on to the next one.”

In addition to TOUGHBUILT. TekNekk and Jimmy Morales Escuderia TELMEX | TELCEL, BolsaDX.mx, Distributed Ledger Inc. (DLI), GoGig, Ford Performance, Goodridge Fluid Transfer Systems, Jones Group Demolition and Abatement and JRi Shocks join the Mooresville, N.C.-based team as partners this weekend.

RJR is co-owned by Canadian entrepreneur and former race car driver Terry Jones.

The General Tire 150 (100 laps | 150 miles) is the sixth of 20 races on the 2021 ARCA Menards Series schedule. A combined practice and qualifying session begins on Sat., May 29 with a forty-five-minute practice session from 4:30 p.m. – 5:15 p.m. The race is set to take the green flag shortly after 7:00 p.m. The event will be televised live on FOX Sports 1 (FS1), while ARCARacing.com will stream live timing and scoring throughout the entire weekend festivities. All times are local (ET).

For more on Max Gutiérrez, please visit maxgutierrez.com, like him on Facebook (Max Gutierrez Racing) or follow him on Instagram (@maxgutierrezmx).

For more on Rette Jones Racing, please visit RetteJonesRacing.com, like them on Facebook (Rette Jones Racing) or follow them on Twitter (@RetteJones30).

About TOUGHBUILT Industries Inc.:

TOUGHBUILT is an advanced product design, manufacturer and distributor with emphasis on innovative products. Currently focused on tools and other accessories for the professional and do-it-yourself construction industries.

We market and distribute various home improvement and construction product lines for both the do-it-yourself and professional markets under the TOUGHBUILT brand name, within the global multibillion-dollar per year tool market industry. All of our products are designed by our in-house design team.

Since launching product sales in 2013, we have experienced significant annual sales growth.

Our current product line includes three major categories, with several additional categories in various stages of development, consisting of Soft Goods & Kneepads and Sawhorses & Work Products.

Our mission is to provide products to the building and home improvement communities that are innovative, of superior quality, derived in part from enlightened creativity for our end users while enhancing performance, improving well-being and building high brand loyalty.

Additional information about the company is available at: toughbuilt.com.

About Rette Jones Racing:

Headquartered in Mooresville, North Carolina, Rette Jones Racing (RJR) was founded in 2015 with the intent of building a successful racing operation built around the fundamentals of hard work and a never give up attitude.

Owned by racers Terry Jones and Mark Rette, RJR plan to field a full-time entry in 2021 in the ARCA Menards Series East, while also hopeful to field vehicles in the ARCA Menards Series and NASCAR Camping World Truck Series (NCWTS).

The winning ARCA East team also offers technical and setup intel as part of its technical alliance partnership program.

CHEVROLET NTT INDYCAR SERIES INDIANAPOLIS 500: MEDIA DAY – TEAM CHEVY DRIVERS GROUP THREE

By
Official Release
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CHEVROLET RACING IN NTT INDYCAR SERIES
INDIANAPOLIS 500
INDIANAPOLIS MOTOR SPEEDWAY
MEDIA DAY – TEAM CHEVY DRIVERS GROUP TWO
MAY 27, 2021

SELECTED QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS FROM THE SEVEN TEAM CHEVY INDYCAR DRIVERS IN GROUP THREE OF MEDIA DAY ROTATION:

SIMONA DE SILVESTRO, NO. 16 ROCKET PRO/PARETTA AUTOSPORT CHEVROLET:
HOW HAS THE MONTH OF MAY GONE FOR YOU AND PARETTA AUTOSPORT?
“It’s good to be back. We’ve had a lot of interesting scenarios and definitely a bit of interesting qualifying, and that just show what IMS can do to you. Super happy to be back in the show and be racing this weekend.”
HOW STRESSFUL WAS SUNDAY FOR YOU?
“It was stressful in the sense because you knew you had just that one shot; you had to get it done. If you crash or you lift, you’re not going to make the race, so that was a bit stressful. The team put so much work into it and me as well coming back after six years I really wanted to be in the field. That was definitely a bit of pressure, but happy the run went OK, and we made the show.”
WHAT ARE YOUR EXPECTATIONS FOR THIS SUNDAY STARTING FROM THE 33RD STARTING POSITION?
“We don’t have pressure from behind, so moving forward is what we need to do. I think we have a really strong race car and I’m excited about it. I think the team is amazing, they are really on top of it with the pit stops as well. It’s a long race and we just need to execute all the things we can control and hopefully and luck is on our side and we can finish strong.”
DO YOU HAVE ANY EXPECTATIONS?
“I think the first thing is we need to finish. I think we have the potential to be in the top 10 and that’s what we’re aiming for. You want to win this race and maybe things fall our way. We have our work cut out for us, but we’ll try to execute the best we can and be there at the end. I’m confident with the race car I have and I’m looking forward to Sunday.”

PATO O’WARD, NO. 5 ARROW MCLAREN SP CHEVROLET:
HOW HAS THE MONTH GONE FOR YOU?
“I thought we had a car to get into the Fast Nine, but we didn’t get a second turn to go. We’re starting on the outside of Row 4. Not a bad place to start. I feel like my race car has been solid. My Chevy has been good to me so far. I think we’ve been doing a good job with what we have. I just want to start the race already.”
HOW SIMILAR ARE THE THREE CARS AT ARROW MCLAREN SP?
“Felix (Rosenqvist) and I are similar, and Juan Pablo (Montoya) is completely different, and he went his own way. I feel strong in the race car. We’ll be in a good place.”
HYPOTEHTICALLY, YOU WIN THE 500. WHERE DOES THE FIRST MILLION DOLLARS GO?
“I’d probably buy myself something as a present. Not quite sure. Whenever I get to having that problem, I will choose.”

FELIX ROSENQVIST, NO. 7 VUSE ARROW MCLAREN SP CHEVROLET:
HOW HAVE THINGS PROGRESSES THIS MONTH FOR YOU AND THE NO. 7 TEAM?
“It’s been a lot calmer than my previous ones, I think. I’ve learned how to handle the month a little bit to my benefit, take it one day at a time and not get too stressed about it. It doesn’t help you to think that it’s the biggest race in the world. You do what you can.”
WHAT’S IT BEEN LIKE HAVING JUAN PABLO (MONTOYA) WORKING WITH YOU THIS MONTH?
“It’s been fun. He cracks me up. Having him and Pato (O’Ward) as my teammates, it’s definitely not a quiet time at any point. It makes the days pass faster. Technically, Juan Pablo is very experienced. He knows what he wants from the car and will say it. It’s a good learning experience for me and Pato as well. You can always make the car better and that’s Juan’s mentality for the whole month. And he’s been looking good out there, and that pushes us as well. We obviously want to beat him on track, but we’re working very good together.”
HOW HAS JUAN BEING WITH THE TEAM HELP YOU FOR THE REST OF THE SEASON?
“He did the GP with us, which was helpful because our performance on the road courses as a team has been up and down, a bit hit and miss. There’s just no testing for us and when we try something it’s a big risk. To have Juan Pablo there and give his feedback with his experience that really lined us up in a good direction. I’m not the one to decide, but he’d be welcome to join us for the whole season.”
HOW DO YOU PREPARE YOUR MIND FOR SUNDAY?
“I certainly haven’t been topping any practice times, but I think where you place is practice is kind of overrated. I think all three of us have been good in traffic and have bene working hard on our car in traffic. I think as a team we’re up there with others. We’re focusing on ourselves. If I’ve been in the shadows on the time sheet, I think that’s a good thing because we can surprise a few people on Sunday. That’s when it all counts.”

CONOR DALY, NO. 47 U.S. AIR FORCE ED CARPENTER RACING CHEVROLET:
HOW DO YOU LIKE YOUR FIGHTER JET FOR SUNDAY?
“I feel great and the car is incredible. This is probably the most confident I’ve been before the race. I’ve had a great time. The car has been enjoyable to drive. If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it. That’s been kind of the moto we’ve been going with, but we’ve always made a couple of changes that we think can help.”
WHAT ARE YOUR EXPECTATIONS FOR SUNDAY?
“We’re going forward. We have an incredible race car. If it’s cold, I’ll feel even better. I said at the beginning of practice week that if it’s cold for the race we’re going to have a pretty serious machine. Who knows what will happen on Sunday, but we just have to get through there with no mistakes and be there for the last 20 laps.”
YOU SEEM VERY RELAXED.
“I just try to be me, and I’ve had a really great time these last two weeks and enjoy being at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway and having a great car. I think when you feel like you have a really good car underneath you, everything in life seems to be much happier. It’s amazing how car performance leads to happier life. It’s been fun.”
LAST LAP, DO YOU WANT TO BE FIRST OR SECOND OR THIRD?
“I’d say second for us. Our car tows up really well. If there’s anyone in front of me, I think we have the ability to get that magic run out of Turn Four that you want, that we’ve seen happen before. I think that we have an incredibly efficient car when it’s in the draft. Second place out of Turn Four and let’s have a drag race to the line.”

DALTON KELLETT, NO. 4 K-LINE INSULATORS/AJ FOYT RACING CHEVROLET:
DO YOU HAVE ANY PERSONAL EXPECTATIONS FOR SUNDAY?
“The main thing for me Sunday is focusing corner by corner, lap by lap; focusing on driving. We all want to win but it doesn’t help me to focus on that. You have to drive the race.”
IT’S YOUR SECOND 500, HOW IS IT DIFFERENT?
“It’s so great to be here at IMS and have the fans back. I’ve been focusing on the race car and we had quite the drama in qualifying sitting on that bump spot in 30th but we got through. I’m looking forward to being on track on Sunday.”
WORKING WITH SEBASTIEN (BOURDAIS) AND JR (HILDEBRAND) THIS MONTH, WHAT HAS THAT BEEN LIKE?
“It’s been great. They both have been extremely helpful to me as kind of the more green member of the team. They take the time to sit down and go over stuff – more the race running. That’s been really helpful and talking about position in the car.”
LARRY FOYT SAID HE’S BEEN IMPRESSED WITH HOW YOU ARE GETTING ON IN YOUR SECOND SEASON. WHAT DO YOU PUT THAT DOWN TO?
“I think part of that is experience, not having to do everything for the first time on the race weekend. The other part is I’ve learned from the lessons of last year and the stuff that we worked on in the offseason and trying to keep working on technique and try to keep developing the car. It’s been a fun process.”

JUAN PABLO MONTOYA, NO. 86 ARROW MCLAREN SP CHEVROLET:
HOW HAS IT BEEN JOINING THE TEAM THIS MONTH?
“It’s been good; busy preparing for the race. I think we’ve got a pretty good race car, so we’ll see what it brings.”
WHAT ARE YOUR THOUGHTS ABOUT SUNDAY FOR THE 86 CAR?
“I have no idea. I really don’t know. I do have a pretty good car; pretty happy and comfortable. We’ve been making strides all week, making it better every time we’ve been out. We’ve done everything we need to do, and now it’s a matter of how good we are in the race, how good Chevy is, and we’ll see where we stand.”
WHAT WOULD BE A GOOD RESULT FOR YOU SUNDAY?
“You come here and try to do the best possible. The strategy might not go your way and you’ll have a horrible result, or things go your way, and you have an amazing day. It’s really tough to know this is the way we need to do it.”
WHAT’S IT BEEN LIKE WORKING WITH PATO (O’WARD) AND FELIX (ROSENQVIST) THE LAST COUPLE OF WEEKS?
“It’s been good, we have a good relationship. We’ve had a lot of fun.”
HOW WILL THE AERO PACKAGE FOR MORE PASSING BE OFFSET BY HOW TIGHT THE FIELD IS?
“From my point of view, the thing that’s going to help the most is the cooler temperatures on Sunday. At the end of the car, the driver who does the best job of handling the car will look a lot better. That’s been my experience here.”

RINUS VEEKAY, NO. 21 BITCOIN ED CARPENTER RACING CHEVROLET:
HOW DOES GOING OFF THE FRONT ROW GIVE YOU CONFIDENCE?
“I’ve very excited to go out on Sunday and go flying. Very good confidence racing from the front row, and we have a potential race-winning car. Ed (Carpenter), too, and Conor (Daly). I think we can work as a team and hopefully get that first 500 win for the team. You just never know how the 500 is going to be anyway.”
YOU SAID AFTER QUALIFYING IN THE FAST NINE THAT THE CAR WAS ON THE LIMIT. CAN YOU TAME IT FOR THE RACE?
“Our car was very sketchy in qualifying, but sketchy is fast around here. We have a very good race car and it’s going to be different this weekend with the colder temperatures. Our car is very good and the same for Ed and Conor.”
HOW WILL THE AERO PACKAGE FOR MORE PASSING BE OFFSET BY HOW TIGHT THE FIELD IS?
“I think the cars are a lot better following with the new aerodynamic package and the new features. The field is very tight and it’s hard to judge. It’s going to be a good race and I expect much passing. The cooler temperatures will be way easier to follow, too.”

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.

Jason Kitzmiller optimistic ahead of Charlotte ARCA debut

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Official Release
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CONCORD, N.C.: Set for his third ARCA Menards Series start of the 2021 season, CR7 Motorsports’ Jason Kitzmiller invades Charlotte (N.C.) Motor Speedway for Saturday night’s General Tire 150 hopeful to deliver his fourth career top-10 finish.

Kitzmiller will eye his 10th career ARCA start determined to improve on his respectable 15th place showing in his most recent race at Talladega (Ala.) Superspeedway last month.

Kitzmiller was headed towards back-to-back top-10 finishes at the legendary 2.66-mile superspeedway, but he was shuffled in the final laps of the event and nearly wrecked by another competitor before recovering control of his No. 97 A.L.L. Construction Inc. Chevrolet SS and producing his eighth straight top-15 ARCA finish.

“Talladega was a little hard to swallow because everyone on the CR7 Motorsports team definitely brought me a fast race car. Unfortunately, there was a lot of jockeying for position there in the closing laps and some impatience by others that nearly sent us home destroyed.

“I had to make that decision on either get wrecked and hope we finish inside the top-10 or back out of the draft and recover and keep our superspeedway car intact for Daytona next year. I think we made the right decision – but I’m motivated to go to Charlotte and finish what we started at Talladega.”

Charlotte’s unique 1.5-mile track will be a new track for Kitzmiller and to prepare him for his first intermediate track of the year, Kitzmiller and his Todd Myers-led team participated in an open test at the facility earlier this year where Kitzmiller maneuvered the 14th quickest lap overall.

“Between the weather, I got to make 31 laps around Charlotte and those were some pretty important laps,” added Kitzmiller. “I like Charlotte, it’s extremely fast and bumpy at the same time. Momentum and concentration is definitely key as well as handling.

“I definitely understood how much our car changed with the drop not only in track conditions but ambient temperatures. All of that is good notes for the race this weekend. Hopefully, we have a good practice on Saturday afternoon and find us in a prime spot for our first top-10 of the year.”

Not competing for points and racing for wins, the team’s often laid-back approach has seemed to work for the Statesville, N.C.-based organization, but once the headsets go on and Kitzmiller straps behind the wheel of his race car, business becomes the priority.

“We don’t necessarily have a strategy at this point, we’ll just see how the race unfolds,”
added Kitzmiller. “It just depends on how those opening laps unfold. 100 laps will go by quickly at Charlotte, but we need to make sure we stay on the lead lap and keep ourselves in the mix.

We just have to wait and see how it all flows and hope we can drive out of the parking lot knowing our Charlotte debut together was a success.”

Kitzmiller and CR7 Motorsports will run a partial ARCA schedule in 2021 with a firm schedule announced soon.

Kitzmiller will also continue to adorn a decal remembering CR7 Motorsports general manager Mark Huff who passed away last week after a brief illness. Huff was responsible for helping revive the ARCA Menards Series team in 2020.

“I will always Mark for his carrying of people on this CR7 Motorsports team and his enormous work ethic. He did a lot for the team and is irreplaceable. We will race to win in his honor on Saturday night.”

Marketing partnership(s) opportunities are available for the No. 97 A.L.L. Construction Chevrolet and No. 9 Grant County Mulch Chevrolet for the 2021 ARCA Menards Series and NASCAR Camping World Truck Series seasons and beyond. Interested inquiries are encouraged to contact at tonya@gcmulch.com or 304.257.8783.

The General Tire 150 (100 laps | 150 miles) is the sixth of 20 races on the 2021 ARCA Menards Series schedule. A combined practice and qualifying session begins on Sat., May 29 with a forty-five-minute practice session from 4:30 p.m. – 5:15 p.m. The race is set to take the green flag shortly after 7:00 p.m. The event will be televised live on FOX Sports 1 (FS1), while ARCARacing.com will stream live timing and scoring throughout the entire weekend festivities. All times are local (ET).

CHEVROLET NTT INDYCAR SERIES INDIANAPOLIS 500: MEDIA DAY – TEAM CHEVY DRIVERS GROUP TWO

By
Official Release
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CHEVROLET RACING IN NTT INDYCAR SERIES
INDIANAPOLIS 500
INDIANAPOLIS MOTOR SPEEDWAY
MEDIA DAY – TEAM CHEVY DRIVERS GROUP TWO
MAY 27, 2021

SELECTED QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS FROM THE FOUR TEAM CHEVY INDYCAR DRIVERS IN GROUP ONE OF MEDIA DAY ROTATION:

JR HILDEBRAND, NO. 1 ABC SUPPLY/AJ FOYT RACING CHEVROLET
HOW HAS THE MONTH OF MAY BEEN GOING FOR YOU AND HAVING TONY STEWART AS A FILL ENTRY?
“It’s been very cool. A lot of people have asked me. I’m just trying to feed off the energy of it. It’s been great. The team has done an awesome job so far. Heading into qualifying just to our race trim through the week, we had a pretty good feeling for what we were looking for early in the week and couldn’t quite find it. We were trying a lot of different stuff. By the end of the day on Thursday, we had made some really significant gains on how the car was feeling in traffic. And then, rolled into Friday. You’re never really sure what to expect. But as far as being on our side of the fence, we felt like we found some speed and ended up being the fastest car on the team on Saturday and had a really strong qualifying run from our perspective from what we felt like in that short period of time we could work on and extract. I think a lot of that, honestly, is due to the work just over the week that the crew has been doing on the cars. A huge credit to them to find a little extra speed for us and I’m feeling good heading into race day.”

SCOTT MCLAUGHLIN, NO. 3 PENNZOIL TEAM PENSKE CHEVROLET
HOW IS THE MONTH MAY GOING FOR YOU?
“I’m enjoying it. It’s been a really interesting month. You’re once an IMS rookie and I’m really taking it in my stride. I enjoy every moment. It’s been an up and down month, obviously, for me. As a team, we’re a little bit underwhelmed with that qualifying speed. But I think in our race trim and the cooler temperatures will certainly help us move forward.”

DID YOU EVER THINK YOU’D BE HERE AT A PRESS CONFERENCE TODAY FOR THE INDY 500?
“Absolutely not. I think I always had the ambition and the want to come over to America and race. But I thought a touring car race was probably where it was going to be if I was able to achieve anything because that’s what I’ve known for my whole time. I’ve really enjoyed my time at INDYCAR so far and thankful for the opportunity. It’s so fresh and new for me. Learning a car that’s completely different from what I’ve ever driven before. I’m really enjoying the freshness and the challenge and comradery. My first Indy 500 means everything that I could have ever thought of. I’m really excited for what’s ahead and really don’t know what to think of what it’s going to be like on race day morning for me.”

SEBASTIEN BOURDAIS, NO. 14 ROKIT/AJ FOYT RACING CHEVROLET
HOW HAS THE MONTH OF MAY BEEN GOING FOR YOU?
“The month of May has been interesting. We struggled a little bit early on to find some stuff in traffic that we were comfortable with. And then you transition to qualifying trim and we didn’t do the best job, I don’t think. We probably got a little bit too cautious. If we had done everything right, I think we could have probably been in the top-20. We were too careful. The gaps between the cars made it that the opportunity was pretty unforgiving. When you are not exactly on the money, you are losing quite a few positions. What is done is done. I’m pretty comfortable with what we found Sunday late afternoon with the race car and how we looked. I’m looking forward to it and a better race day.”

WHAT’S IT LIKE TO BE BACK AT INDIANAPOLIS WITH FANS IN ATTENDANCE?
“It’s like the Indy 500 but not quite, though, because I think 130,000 for the 500 is still going to feel pretty empty, but after everything we’ve been through over the last year or so it’s definitely a step in the right direction and I’m definitely looking forward to getting back to normal.”

ON THE EMOTIONS OF THE TEAM AFTER LAST CHANCE QUALIFYING
“It’s very tough for the team. Everybody works very hard, and you have four cars in the team and then one that just doesn’t have speed. The guys worked extra hard to try to put that car in the show and it didn’t make a difference. It’s heart-breaking Charlie (Kimball) is probably one of the drivers that values the 500 the most and has the most appreciation and respect for the place. He missed the show through no fault of his own just because the car isn’t quick enough is a sad one. But it’s super unforgiving. I’m kind of glad it wasn’t my car, but yes, it’s tough to witness it.”

WILL POWER, NO. 12 VERIZON 5G TEAM PENSKE CHEVROLET
HOW HAS MEDIA DAY GONE FOR YOU AND WHAT ARE YOUR EXPECTATIONS FOR SUNDAY?
“Media Day has gone fine. Expectations, obviously we had some good strategy go our way. I think we have a really good car in traffic, I do. I’ve said that from the beginning. Qualifying didn’t go as we expected, but I was really happy to get in the race. It’s been positive. It really has. We executed on Sunday and the team is in good spirits. I think it’s really hard to judge how this race is going to play out; but we need to make up a lot of positions the whole time.”

HOW DO YOU DEAL WITH FRUSTRATIONS OR SETBACKS OR THINGS YOU WEREN’T EXPECTING? IS THERE ANYTHING IN PARTICULAR THAT YOU DO TO KIND OF BOOST TEAM MORALE?
“Actually, we had a dinner last night and talked about race plans, just for my crew. I have been really happy. It’s funny. I’ve been more positive, and happy than I am when I qualify on the front row. It actually was a win for us in getting it right. It just kind of put things into perspective. It turned into a positive, believe it or not.”

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.

Rackley W.A.R. Team Report: Charlotte Motor Speedway

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Official Release
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Team Report
NASCAR Camping World Truck Series News and Notes

Event: North Carolina Education Lottery 200
Date: Friday, May 28, 2021
Venue: Charlotte (N.C.) Motor Speedway
Track Description: 1.5 mile(s)
Race: 201 miles / 134 Laps

Rackley W.A.R.’s NASCAR Camping World Truck Series History … Since entering the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series (NCWTS) in 2021, the Centerville, Tenn.,-based organization has logged nine starts with one driver, Timothy Peters, resulting in an average starting position of 20.8 and an average finishing position of 24.4.

In the Queen City: Willie Allen … Rackley W.A.R. co-owner Willie Allen, who spent seven years as a driver in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series and the NASCAR Xfinity Series (NXS), has experience at the Charlotte Motor Speedway. The 2007 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Rookie of the Year has two NASCAR Camping World Truck Series starts (2007, 2014) at the Concord, N.C.,-facility. He has one NASCAR Xfinity Series start (2010) at the Charlotte Motor Speedway.

Timothy Peters
No. 25 Rackley Roofing Chevrolet Silverado

On Friday, May 28, the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series returns to the Charlotte Motor Speedway under the lights to kick-off Memorial Day weekend. This weekend is the 20th appearance of the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series on the 1.5-mile oval.

For the second week in a row, the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series will hold a practice session and qualifying session, with all on-track activity on Friday. There are, currently, 40 trucks entered to contend for the 36-truck field.

The Beast of the Southeast Statistics … This weekend marks Timothy Peters’ 13th Charlotte Motor Speedway appearance with the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series. He made his series track debut on May 20, 2005.

The Danville, Va.,-native has two top-five finishes and six top-10 finishes at the Charlotte Motor Speedway in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series. In 2011, Peters started from the pole-position, and finished in the 32nd-place after being involved in a mid-race incident.

Speedway Stats: Timothy Peters has 146 combined NASCAR Camping World Truck Series starts on speedways (tracks 1 to 2-miles in length). He has two wins (Las Vegas, Phoenix), 33 top-five finishes and 72 top-10 finishes, and has collected an average finish of 12.8.

Pit Stall Selections … Pit Stall 40, towards Turn 4.
Atop the Pit Box: Chad Kendrick … Chad Kendrick, crew chief for the No. 25 Rackley Roofing Chevrolet Silverado, has two top-five finishes and four top-ten finishes in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series at the Concord, N.C.,-facility in 13 starts. In addition, he is credited with leading 19 laps at the Charlotte Motor Speedway as a crew chief. He has three starts (2008, 2009, 2017) at the 1.5-mile track with Timothy Peters.

Catch the Action … The North Carolina Education Lottery 200 at the Charlotte Motor Speedway will be broadcast live on FS1 on Friday, May 28, starting with NASCAR RaceDay: NCWTS Charlotte at 8:00 p.m. (ET). It will also broadcast live at 8:00 p.m. (ET) on the Motor Racing Network (MRN) and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio. Qualifying for the tenth event of the 2021 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series schedule will air on Friday at 5:30 p.m. (ET) on FS1.

In the Rearview Mirror: Circuit of the Americas (COTA) … Timothy Peters, driver of the No. 25 Rackley Roofing Chevrolet Silverado for Rackley W.A.R., finished in the 32nd-place in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Toyota Tundra 225 at the Circuit of the Americas (COTA) on Saturday, May 22, in Austin, Texas. Peters started in the 18th-place in the 36-truck field, and at the end of Stage 1 on Lap 12 he was in the 17th-place. A mechanical issue dropped him back in the field with an issue with the fuel pump. By the end of Stage 2 on Lap 26, Peters was scored in the 33rd-place. On Lap 27 Peters received an infraction for pitting outside of the assigned pit box which resulted in a one lap penalty that was served on Lap 28.

He was scored as high as the 15th-place at the Circuit of the Americas.

QUOTE WORTHY

Timothy Peters, driver of the No. 25 Rackley Roofing Chevrolet Silverado for Rackley W.A.R.
On the Charlotte Motor Speedway:
“I am hoping for a good weekend at the Charlotte Motor Speedway. It seems like some ‘gremlins’ continue to plague us,
and I hope to get that monkey off our backs this weekend. Our Rackley W.A.R. team has been working hard week-in, and
week-out. I am glad we have another practice session this week to tune-in our No. 25 Rackley Roofing Chevrolet Silverado.”

Follow Rackley W.A.R. on Social Media … To keep up-to-date with the latest news, information and exclusive content,
visit Rackley W.A.R.’s Twitter page – @Rackley_WAR, and on Instagram at @rackley_war. “Like” Rackley W.A.R. on the
official Facebook page at facebook.com/RackleyWAR.

CHEVROLET NTT INDYCAR SERIES INDIANAPOLIS 500: ,MEDIA DAY – TEAM CHEVY DRIVERS GROUP ONE

By
Official Release
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CHEVROLET RACING IN NTT INDYCAR SERIES
INDIANAPOLIS 500
INDIANAPOLIS MOTOR SPEEDWAY
MEDIA DAY – TEAM CHEVY DRIVERS GROUP ONE
MAY 27, 2021

SELECTED QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS FROM THE FIVE TEAM CHEVY INDYCAR DRIVERS IN GROUP ONE OF MEDIA DAY ROTATION:

MAX CHILTON, NO. 59 GALLAGHER CARLIN CHEVROLET:
“We will just have to forget about the Grand Prix and move on to bigger and better things. The Indianapolis 500 is something five or six years ago I wasn’t aware of it to the extent of it I am now. I used to the end of the race in Monaco and think these guys are absolutely heroic. And the first time I actually watched it was through the visor of my helmet. Every year I learn more and more about it. I’ve been though trials and tribulations of not qualifying. We were on the cusp. I knew we were on the right side of it. But it doesn’t make the stress levels amy easier on qualifying day. I am just unbelievably proud of what we did. We were very very disciplined. We were up against power houses like Andretti who is engineering 8 cars. Penske with five and Ganassi with four. So a single car team is not easy. I think we did a fantastic job. We were very very disciplined. Yes we focused on qualifying all week and didn’t do much race running at all. But win a race you aren’t in. So we stuck to it. We were very disciplined. And didn’t get sidetracked by other peoples times. We knew what we needed to do and we actually executed the best we’ve ever done. I did the best qualifying I’ve ever done here. I was flat all four laps and it wasn’t because of downforce. We were trimmed more than ever. I was just really in control my bars and my jacker which allowed me to keep flat. They said at the time we were safe, but it was still very close.”

ED CARPENTER, NO. 20 SONAX ED CARPENTER RACING CHEVROLET:
QUESTION ABOUT OUTLOOK FOR RACE FOR ALL THREE ECR CARS:
“I’m feeling pretty good. We’ve had a really good week and a half of prep. And obviously qualifying weekend went fairly well. Happy to have two of our three cars up in toward the front. And really excited about the race cars we’ve built based on what we learned in practice. I’m just hoping that we can continue the way things have been going. Hopefully we will be in a similar position late in the race from where we are starting and then we can fight for it.”

WERE YOU SURPRISED YOU PUT UP THE BIG QUALIFYING NUMBERS THAT YOU DID? “I think we expected to be able to run over 232 mph for at least a lap based on what we did Saturday. I was encouraged when I saw Rinus time. Any time you have a teammate go before you, you kind of know where you are going to be relative to that. It was good. The guys did a great job with the balance. They had prepared for those conditions Friday. And Fast Friday prepared us pretty well for what we saw in the Shootout. I knew we were going to have a chance. It was going to depend on how big Scott( Dixon) and Colton’s (Herta) first laps were.”

DO YOU HAVE A FEEL FOR FUEL MILEAGE?
“It’s a little hard to tell in those practice sessions. You don’t really know who goes out, and who stays out during those sessions. So it is hard to get an exact measurement on where the competition is. But, I was happy with what we were a le to do and learn. We have good options to be able to do what we need to do come Sunday. But you don’t truly know until the race and everyone is running full stints for real. But I’m always confident in what Chevrolet gives us from a fuel mileage standpoint, but also economy and most importantly reliability.”

JOSEF NEWGARDEN, NO. 2 SHELL FUEL REWARDS TEAM PENSKE CHEVROLET
HOW HAS YOUR MONTH OF MAY BEEN AND WHAT ARE YOUR EXPECTATIONS FOR SUNDAY?
“It’s been good. I’m excited to be here as always. I like seeing the energy again at this track with fans. I can’t wait to get going for Sunday. I think we have a good car. We all feel pretty comfy. We have high expectations without a doubt. We didn’t perform to the level that we would expect or hope in qualifying. But qualifying is one piece of it. The race is another. And I think we’re all very excited to be a part of this field and try to make the most of the day.”

IN YOUR LAST SIX INDY 500’S YOU’VE HAD TOP-10 FINISHES IN FIVE OF THOSE SIX RACES. IT SEEMS LIKE YOU ARE ALWAYS ON CUSP. WHAT IS YOUR MINDSET FOR THIS YEAR’S RACE AND HOW WOULD IT BE TO CELEBRATE IN VICTORY LANE?
“Well, I always believe it can be the year. So that’s no different. We have to be able to attack at the end of this race if we’re able to put ourselves in position. The last couple of times I’ve been up in the mix at the end. First off, you’ve got to be able to put yourself in that mx but then I think be able to capitalize and attack at the very end. That final piece of the puzzle is really what I need. With this team I think we have that. I think we have execution skills, and we can definitely put it all on the line when it really matters. We’ve just got to be prepared to do that.”

ON RACE STRATEGY AND WORKING WITH TEAMMATES
“I think we have the ability to move forward, and I think we can definitely make it happen on race day. I think our cars are all capable of moving forward. This place is a matter of executing at the highest level throughout the day. We have to make strong stops and make the right decisions and if we can drive the car aggressively, I think we will be moving forward all day long and be in the mix. I think any one of us can. That’s our focus right now, to be prepared to do that and hope we have a very strong day.”

BECAUSE OF THE DOUBLE POINTS FOR THIS RACE, DOES THIS RACE BECOME THAT MUCH MORE IMPORTANT?
“Yeah, naturally it does. Because it’s double points it’s double-impactful. I’m still not a huge fan of it. I think it would be nice to see it return to standard points like we have with the season finale. But this is the game that we’re in right now. We know the rules going into it. So, it is important to have a strong race here, but it’s still the Indy 500. I think if you feel like you have a winning car then that overrides anything else on the day. But if you have a so-so car, then, championship-wise, it is a very important event. It’s going to play into the mix here as we go down to the wire. It’s important. You don’t want to think about it because it’s the 500, but it’s impossible not to.”

SIMON PAGENAUD, NO. 22 MENARDS TEAM PENSKE CHEVROLET
HOW HAS THE MONTH MAY BEEN FOR YOU AND WHAT ARE YOUR EXPECTATIONS FOR SUNDAY?
“Well, I’m not going to lie. Qualifying was disappointing. As a team, we worked hard over the Winter trying to find as much as we could to be ready for qualifying day and it turned out to be a disappointment. We are very confident in our race package and we demonstrated it on Monday. Very early in the session we were able to pass many cars and I was very happy with my race car. I was as happy as I was in 1919, so we have a lot of hope. Knowing also my pit crew is the best on pit lane since the beginning of the season. We have a lot of hope we come back to the front. And the goal is to be cracking top-10 at the end of the 100th lap and then I think we’ve got a chance.”

ARE YOU GOING TO BE PLAYING A BIT OF A TEAM GAME TO GET TO THE FRONT OF THE FIELD AND THEN ALONE FOR THE SECOND HALF OF THE RACE?
“I think we have a fantastic car, quite frankly. I’m very energized about the opportunity to go out there Sunday. I think the aero package is very good for racing. I think we’re going to see something different than we saw last year. Because they’re giving us more downforce, I think the racing in the back will also be better. I have a lot of hope. I feel like we have a chance to come back. Obviously, there are some very strong cars, but my goal is to come back to the front and do the best I can. There are no team games to play at this point.”

WHAT’S IS YOUR ATTITUDE LIKE GOING IN AS AN INDY 500 WINNER AS COMPARED TO PREVIOUS YEARS WHEN YOU WERE STILL TRYING TO GET YOUR FIRST VICTORY?
“That’s a great point you make. I didn’t get to enjoy the year after winning the championship here at the speedway. It’s okay. There are a lot of winner-seekers this week and it was fantastic to see the fans come back. Last year was definitely weird with no energy before the race, which is something we’re very sensitive to. The fans have been starving for competition so I’m very excited to be able to give them a great show here. And again, being a 500 winner gives you a lot of confidence and also a sense of achievement. It gives me the opportunity to unlock myself a little bit more going into the race knowing that I’ve done it before.”

SAGE KARAM, NO. 24 DRR-AES INDIANA DREYER & REINBOLD RACING CHEVROLET
YOU PROBABLY HAD A BIT OF STRESS ON SUNDAY GOING THROUGH THE LAST ROW SHOOTOUT, BUT HOW HAS YOUR MONTH BEEN? YOU STARTED OFF FAST
“Yeah, it’s been an up and down month, for sure. We rolled off the truck pretty well. We were fourth on the charts on day one, but obviously I think all the drivers know it doesn’t really matter where you are on the first day of practice. But it felt good. It’s a confidence boost for me and the team. Everything was good until we got to Fast Friday and it seemed like the balance of the car changed quite drastically and then we knew we were in trouble. We knew we were probably going to be battling for the Final Five Shootout there, unfortunately. I’ve done that twice now. It doesn’t get any easier even though you’ve done it before. I didn’t really know what I could do for four laps, so I wasn’t totally confident. Thankfully the team gave me a car that was good enough to be able to get in the show inside of the last row. It’s my fourth time starting there, so I have some experience back there. I kind of know what to expect going into Turn 1. I think I have some good drivers around me too, with Will (Power) next to me, so I’m not really worried too much about who I am around. We’ve just got to make sure we avoid anything that might happen and be on our toes. It’s a long race and I think INDYCAR has done a good job with the car in bringing some new aero pieces. It makes it a bit easier to stay close to people and with a cooler track, I think that’s going to help guys like me and Will with passing.”

HOW DIFFICULT IS IT FOR A ONE-OFF TEAM TO COME INTO THE INDY 500 WHEN THE TEAMS ARE GETTING SO MUCH BIGGER?
“It’s obviously quite difficult. It’s a very competitive field. I’m 31st and a 229-mph average. Usually, 31st is like 227 or 226-mph It just shows how good the field is now days. I think for us we had a two-car operation, the last two years. And it was good. You’d go through a test plan a bit quicker and still get some more data. But we’re not a big team. And I think we operate better at just one car and just putting all your energy and effort into that car. That’s when we ran strong. And we’ve struggled the last two years. So, there are definitely some upsides and downsides to being a one off, one-car entry. But I think we’ve shown in the past that we can compete with the big teams. We’ve just got to put everything together.

“It’s hard for me. Being my first race of the season, and my only race of the season like having a whole year off and then trying to come into the 500 being race ready, I need to re-learn some stuff and get ready by just driving. It’s hard to train for racing without actually just racing. After the first day of practice, my neck was just so sore and I’m sure full-time guys don’t have that. They get used to that stuff. I can’t really like workout for that. So, it’s strange. And the team, itself, like they don’t do live pit stops all year and everything, so they have to get in the swing of that through the month. I think that’s like kind of the downside to it. They do a great job and have been doing it for a long time. They’re so used to it. They know what they’ve got to check off the list and what the important stuff is.”

WAS THERE ANY DOUBT THAT YOU WOULDN’T MAKE THE RACE?
“No, just because I don’t want to manifest the negative energy in the universe. I want to always think positive, and I always believed that I was going to make it and I believed in my team and I think the team believes in themselves and in me, as well. I think everybody always believed we were going to make it. It was just going out and executing four perfect laps. As far as like how the run went, it was a good run. That first lap was pretty good. It was in the 230’s and I wasn’t expecting that. And then like the third and fourth corner of the second lap I started to feel the car getting a little bit tougher to handle. So basically, from Turn 3 and 4 at the end of the second lap on, I was holding on to the car. But I think it was like that for mostly everybody.”

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

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