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Moffitt, Lally battle dramatic twists and turns of Circuit of the Americas

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Our Motorsports teammates Brett Moffitt and Andy Lally competed in the NASCAR Xfinity Series’ inaugural visit to Circuit of the Americas in Austin, Texas, scoring 12th and 18th place finishes, respectively. During a soaked qualifying session early Saturday morning, Moffitt qualified 21st in the No. 02 Sokal Chevy. Lally qualified 13th in his No. 23 Chevy sponsored by The A-Team, falling just below the cutoff to advance to Round 2 of qualifying to compete for the pole position.

In the opening laps of the 156-mile contest, Lally settled into 12th while Moffitt was scored 17th on lap seven. During the 1st stage Lally moved up to 11th during a caution on lap 11. Under the yellow flag, Moffitt told his No. 02 crew that he needed front turn and pitted for service in preparation for the restart. Lally, who did not pit, restarted third and Moffitt took the green in 26th for the short sprint to the end of Stage 1. Lally held on to cross the stripe in 4th while teammate Moffitt rallied to a 20th-place finish in the opening segment.

Lally took his first pit stop during the stage break to get fresh tires and fuel. During his appearance on pit road, he was hit with a speeding penalty and had to start at the rear in 32nd. Moffitt restarted in the 15th position. During a lap-19 caution, The A-Team driver Lally reported to his team that his car was “lacking a little more drive off” while Moffitt continued to run steady inside the top-15. The duo returned to the 3.41-mile track’s pit road on lap 27 for four tires and fuel just short of the green-and-white checkered flag for Stage 2, where Moffitt eventually finished 20th and Lally finished 21st. Having just received service, Moffitt and Lally stayed out during the stage break and took the green flag in 10th and 11th for the third and final stage.

With 10 laps to go, Moffitt showed speed in the No. 02, charging up to ninth place on the leaderboard. As the laps clicked away, Moffitt lost a few positions slipping to 12th while Lally held the 18th spot. When the checkered flag flew, Moffitt crossed the finish line in the 12th position with Lally behind him in 18th. During the race the No. 23 gained stage points, which helped gain four spots and up to 23rd in the owner’s points battle. The No. 02 Chevy driven by Moffit is currently 14th for owner points.

The NASCAR Xfinity Series returns to action next weekend at Charlotte Motor Speedway in Concord, North Carolina. The Alsco 300 is set for Saturday, May 29 at 1 p.m. ET on FS1.

KYLE BUSCH RACES TO PIT BOSS 250 VICTORY IN NASCAR XFINITY SERIES AT CIRCUIT OF THE AMERICAS

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AUSTIN, TEXAS - MAY 22: Kyle Busch, driver of the #54 Skittles Gummies Toyota, celebrates in victory lane after winning the NASCAR Xfinity Series Pit Boss 250 at Circuit of The Americas on May 22, 2021 in Austin, Texas. (Photo by Chris Graythen/Getty Images)

AUSTIN, Texas (May 22, 2021) – Kyle Busch essentially went to school Saturday afternoon in the NASCAR Xfinity Series to learn the challenging Circuit of The Americas road course in preparation for Sunday’s much-anticipated NASCAR Cup Series race there. The result, however, was that Busch absolutely schooled the field – earning an 11-second victory in the Pit Boss 250, NASCAR’s Xfinity Series debut on the famed 3.41-mile, 20-turn circuit in the Lone Star State’s capital city.

It marked the two-time NASCAR Cup Series champion’s record 98th win in the Xfinity Series. His No. 54 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota led a race-best 36-of-46 laps. No other driver led more than three laps.

“It’s really really cool to come here for the first race at a new track and to win,’’ Busch said. “Real proud of the effort.

“I think the biggest thing is just all the resources and stuff we have and being able to get laps on the track today, feel the tire, everything like that and then being able to get back out there tomorrow and do everything all over again with the Cup car,’’ the Las Vegas native added. “Thanks to Toyota and TRD, we’ve got some really cool tools we’ve been able to use and I feel like it was a plus for us today.’’

NASCAR Xfinity Series championship contender A.J. Allmendinger – one of NASCAR’s best on road courses – finished second to Busch. Justin Allgaier placed third. Another NASCAR Cup Series champion, Kevin Harvick was fourth, also getting some laps in preparation for Sunday’s race. NASCAR Xfinity Series championship leader Austin Cindric was fifth.

Harrison Burton, Cup regulars Cole Custer and Tyler Reddick and Allmendinger’s Kaulig Racing teammates Justin Haley and Jeb Burton rounded out the Top 10.

Allmendinger and Haley won Stage 1 and Stage 2, respectively. Championship contenders, they opted to stay on track and earn the points rather than join in Busch’s strategy of pitting just prior to the stage breaks. What he conceded in points, he made up for winning the inaugural trophy.

The only laps Busch, 36, didn’t lead were when he pitted or when he made a brief rally after stage breaks. Following the first stage break, for example, he restarted fourth and was leading the field two laps later.

“It’s shocking, Kyle Busch is actually pretty good,’’ Allmendinger said smiling. “It’s always fun to race Kyle. Did everything we could, got a stage win, got a lot of points and finished second. That was as good as we were going to do.’’

The victory marked the 17th season Busch has won an Xfinity Series race and the 27th different NASCAR track where he has hoisted a trophy.

While the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series race, held hours earlier, had some light rain and was run on rain tires, the weather had cleared nicely by the drop of the Xfinity Series green flag. The vast majority of the field opted to pit for slicks (dry tires) during the parade laps and by the race’s midpoint, it was a sunny afternoon. 

Busch will have a chance to earn another COTA victory when he competes in the inaugural EchoPark Texas Grand Prix (2:30 p.m. ET, FS1, PRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio) tomorrow at the sprawling purpose-built road course.

The Xfinity Series next races, Saturday May 29 at Charlotte Motor Speedway in the Alsco Uniforms 300 (1 p.m. ET, FS1, PRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).

–Story by NASCAR Newswire

NASCAR Xfinity Series Race – Inaugural Pit Boss 250
Circuit of The Americas
Austin, Texas
Saturday, May 22, 2021

1. (1)  Kyle Busch(i), Toyota, 46.
2. (7)  AJ Allmendinger, Chevrolet, 46.
3. (9)  Justin Allgaier, Chevrolet, 46.
4. (12)  Kevin Harvick(i), Ford, 46.
5. (8)  Austin Cindric, Ford, 46.
6. (10)  Harrison Burton, Toyota, 46.
7. (3)  Cole Custer(i), Ford, 46.
8. (5)  Tyler Reddick(i), Chevrolet, 46.
9. (6)  Justin Haley, Chevrolet, 46.
10. (11)  Jeb Burton, Chevrolet, 46.
11. (35)  Michael Annett, Chevrolet, 46.
12. (21)  Brett Moffitt, Chevrolet, 46.
13. (17)  Austin Dillon(i), Chevrolet, 46.
14. (22)  Preston Pardus, Chevrolet, 46.
15. (18)  Jade Buford, Chevrolet, 46.
16. (29)  Riley Herbst, Ford, 46.
17. (19)  Brandon Jones, Toyota, 46.
18. (13)  Andy Lally, Chevrolet, 46.
19. (16)  Spencer Pumpelly, Chevrolet, 46.
20. (4)  Alex Labbe, Chevrolet, 46.
21. (23)  Myatt Snider, Chevrolet, 46.
22. (30)  Landon Cassill, Chevrolet, 46.
23. (33)  Jeremy Clements, Chevrolet, 46.
24. (31)  Ryan Ellis, Toyota, 46.
25. (34)  Ryan Sieg, Ford, 46.
26. (14)  Brandon Brown, Chevrolet, 46.
27. (25)  Gray Gaulding, Chevrolet, 46.
28. (27)  Colby Howard, Chevrolet, 46.
29. (26)  Daniel Hemric, Toyota, 46.
30. (2)  Ross Chastain(i), Chevrolet, 36.       
31. (24)  Boris Said, Toyota, 35.
32. (36)  Kris Wright(i), Toyota, Engine, 29.
33. (28)  Timmy Hill(i), Toyota, Engine, 29.
34. (15)  Miguel Paludo, Chevrolet, Rear Gear, 25.
35. (32)  Tommy Joe Martins, Chevrolet, Engine, 19.
36. (20)  Noah Gragson, Chevrolet, Engine, 13.

Average Speed of Race Winner:  72.723 mph.
Time of Race:  2 Hrs, 9 Mins, 25 Secs. Margin of Victory:  11.024 Seconds.
Caution Flags:  4 for 7 laps.
Lead Changes:  6 among 5 drivers.
Lap Leaders:   K. Busch(i) 1-11;A. Allmendinger 12-14;J. Allgaier 15-17;A. Cindric 18-19;K. Busch(i) 20-27;J. Haley 28-30;K. Busch(i) 31-46.
Leaders Summary (Driver, Times Lead, Laps Led):  Kyle Busch(i) 3 times for 35 laps; Justin Allgaier 1 time for 3 laps; Justin Haley 1 time for 3 laps; AJ Allmendinger 1 time for 3 laps; Austin Cindric 1 time for 2 laps.
Stage #1 Top Ten: 16,31,19,23,51,7,5,77,22,8
Stage #2 Top Ten: 11,1,48,77,54,51,7,16,5,15

Team Penske NASCAR Xfinity Series Race Report – COTA

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Team Penske NASCAR Xfinity Series Race Report
Track: Circuit of the Americas
Race: Pit Boss 250
Date: May 22, 2021

No. 22 Menards/Richmond Ford Mustang – Austin Cindric

Start: 8th
Stage 1: 9th
Stage 2: 15th
Finish: 5th
Status: Running
Laps Completed: 46/46
Laps Led: 2
Driver Point Standings (ahead of second): 1st (+77)

Notes:

  • Austin Cindric and the Menards/Richmond racing team scored their eighth top-five finish of the 2021 season with a fifth-place finish Saturday afternoon at Circuit of the Americas. Cindric led two laps at the 20-turn Texas Road Course and showed impressive poise behind the wheel, rallying back from a slow final stop, which dropped him to the 15th position, where he’d fight forward through the closing laps to claim the top-five result. Cindric remains the leader in the series driver standings, stretching his lead to 77 points ahead of Harrison Burton.
  • Cindric qualified his Ford Mustang eighth Saturday afternoon during a qualifying session that consisted of heavy rain. At the drop of the green flag the reigning NASCAR Xfinity Series Champion steadily worked his way to fifth before the first caution fell on lap 10. Cindric communicated his Menards/Richmond Mustang was lacking drive. Crew chief Brian Wilson called his driver to pit road for four tires, fuel and a track bar adjustment. Cindric restarted the one-lap dash to the Stage 1 finish 24th and sliced through traffic to claim a ninth-place finish when the segment concluded on lap 14.
  • Cindric restarted the second stage third, claiming the race lead in turn 1. The 54 of Kyle Busch charged hard recapturing the lead from Cindric two laps later. Wilson called his driver to pit road from the third position with four laps remaining in the second stage for four fresh tires, fuel and adjustments and finished the second stage 15th.
  • Cindric stayed out during the stage caution, lining up eighth when the race went green on lap 32. During the next run, Cindric said the No. 22 Menards/Richmond Ford was still lacking drive but the Mooresville, N.C. native powered through the conditions and was able to drive his Mustang to the fifth position by the end of the 46-lap event.

Quote: “We just didn’t execute today. We had a really bad pit stop and lost a lot of track position and we weren’t quite good enough to make it up. I didn’t have anything for the 54, but that’s the way it goes.”

RCR Post Race Report – COTA 250

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Myatt Snider and the Louisiana Hot Sauce Chevrolet Fight to the Finish in the Inaugural Race at Circuit of the Americas

Finish: 21st
Start: 23rd
Points: 10th

“Our Louisiana Hot Sauce Chevrolet not only looked fast with the flames on the sides, but Andy Street and the guys prepared a really fast Camaro. During the first run, we needed more drive out of the car and once Andy made a chassis adjustment, I was able to post consistent lap times. We spent almost the entire second and third stages inside the top-10, which is a testament to our team at a new track. Unfortunately with only four laps to go, I spun around with Riley Herbst which cost a ton of spots and track position at the end. Although our result doesn’t show, our car had top-five speed and that’s encouraging heading into future road course races. It was a great experience coming here to Circuit of the Americas and our Richard Childress Racing team will rebound next weekend in Charlotte.” -Myatt Snider

Dixon Fastest, Power Drops to Last Chance in Qualifying Drama

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INDIANAPOLIS (Saturday, May 22, 2021) – Chip Ganassi Racing flexed its muscle Saturday during Crown Royal Armed Forces Qualifying for the 105th Indianapolis 500 presented by Gainbridge, as Scott Dixon led all four of the team’s cars into the Firestone Fast Nine Shootout with the fastest qualifying run on the first attempt overall of the day.

There also was drama at the opposite end of the field, as 2018 Indy 500 winner Will Power was relegated to Last Chance Qualifying on Sunday after his two runs were too slow to make the top 30.

Six-time and reigning NTT INDYCAR SERIES champion Dixon was the first driver on track when qualifying started at noon (ET) after his team earned the first spot in the qualifying draw Friday night, and he delivered in the best track and air conditions of the five-hour, 50-minute session. Dixon produced a four-lap average speed of 231.828 mph in the No. 9 PNC Bank Grow Up Great Honda, and his car number stayed atop the iconic Scoring Pylon for the rest of the day despite 58 attempts to topple it.
“You forget how stressful this is,” Dixon said. “It’s the first time I’ve ever gone first. It’s pretty interesting. Huge credit to everyone on the PNC Bank Grow Up Great car.

“It was a fairly smooth run. I made a mistake on Lap 2, which probably cost us a tenth or two from the average.”

2008 Indianapolis 500 winner Dixon will make the last attempt in the Firestone Fast Nine Shootout, which determines the NTT P1 Award winner for pole and the starting order for the first three rows, as the nine fastest cars from today start in inverse order in the one-shot format. The Shootout takes place from 3-3:45 p.m. on the 2.5-mile oval and will be televised live on NBC and Peacock.

Dixon will be the favorite to earn his fourth Indy 500 pole, but the powerful Ganassi team will have four chances to take the coveted top spot. CGR drivers Tony Kanaan (third, 231.639, No. 48 The American Legion Honda), Alex Palou (seventh, 231.145, No. 10 NTT DATA Chip Ganassi Racing Honda) and Marcus Ericsson (ninth, 231.104, No. 8 Huski Chocolate Chip Ganassi Racing Honda) also made the Shootout.

“Tomorrow will be a different day; it’s going to be different conditions,” Dixon said. “Hopefully all four of us can hit it right.”

But Ganassi’s day lost some of its sparkle at 3:35 p.m., when Palou crashed in Turn 2 while making his second qualifying attempt. Palou didn’t withdraw his first run, preserving his spot in the Shootout, but still was trying to improve his position when the rear of his car got loose and made heavy right-side contact with the SAFER Barrier, inflicting significant damage.

Palou climbed from his car without injury, but the Ganassi team will face a long night repairing the car for the Shootout on Sunday.

Other drivers participating in the Shootout are Colton Herta (second, 231.648, No. 26 Gainbridge Honda), Ed Carpenter (fourth, 231.616, No. 20 SONAX Chevrolet), Rinus VeeKay (fifth, 231.483, No. 21 Bitcoin Chevrolet), three-time “500” winner Helio Castroneves (sixth, 231.164, No. 06 AutoNation/SiriusXM Honda) and 2014 Indy winner Ryan Hunter-Reay (ninth, 231.139, No. 28 DHL Honda).

Cloud cover broke shortly after the first trip through the original 35-car qualifying draw, and the sunshine raised track temperatures nearly 25 degrees, decreasing traction and engine efficiency. That prevented any successful attempts at bumping into the Fast Nine from multiple drivers after the first run through the draw, but there was plenty of suspense and tension at the back end of the grid in the final hour.

2014 series champion Power will be one of the five drivers trying to take one of the three last-row spots during Last Chance Qualifying, which takes place from 1:15-2:30 p.m. and will be televised on NBCSN and Peacock. Power, winner of 62 poles in his INDYCAR SERIES career, failed to record a speed in the top 30 in two attempts in the No. 12 Verizon 5G Team Penske Chevrolet.

Power’s first run, at 1:21 p.m., averaged 229.052 and ended up outside the top 30. But he withdrew that attempt to jump a long line of cars in the “normal” lane and make his second attempt from the “fast” lane, ensuring he got another shot. That run, at 5:33 p.m., 17 minutes before the end of qualifying, averaged 229.228 and also wasn’t fast enough.

“You need to be scientist to work this one out,” Power said. “I guess we have to go tomorrow. We gave it our best shot today. I think if we just do a conservative run tomorrow, we should be OK.”

Joining Power in the Last Chance Qualifying will be Sage Karam (No. 24 DRR-AES INDIANA Chevrolet), Charlie Kimball (No. 11 Tresiba/AJ Foyt Racing Chevrolet), Simona De Silvestro (No. 16 Rocket Pro TPO/Paretta Autosport Chevrolet) and RC Enerson (No. 75 Top Gun Racing Chevrolet).

Dalton Kellett exhaled most deeply among the drivers toward the rear of the field, as he avoided the Last Row Shootout and will start 30th in the No. 4 K-Line Insulators/AJ Foyt Racing Chevrolet.

A 30-minute practice for the five Last Chance Qualifying participants will take place from 11-11:30 a.m. Sunday, followed by a 30-minute session for Firestone Fast Nine Shootout participants from 11:30-noon. An open practice will follow the Last Chance Qualifying and Shootout, from 5-7 p.m. All three of those sessions will be broadcast on Peacock.

Toyota Racing – NXS COTA Post-Race Report – 05.22.21

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BUSCH SCORES FIRST XFINITY WIN OF THE SEASON
Kyle Busch closes in on 100 Xfinity Series wins as he drives to victory lane for the 98th time

AUSTIN, Texas (May 22, 2021) – Kyle Busch drove to his first NASCAR Xfinity Series victory of the season at the Pit Boss 250 in the series inaugural visit to Circuit of the Americas on Saturday evening.

Toyota Racing Post-Race Recap
NASCAR Xfinity Series
Circuit of the Americas
Race 11 of 33 – 150.040 miles, 44 laps

TOYOTA FINISHING POSITIONS
1st, KYLE BUSCH
2nd, AJ Allmendinger*
3rd, Justin Allgaier*
4th, Kevin Harvick*
5th, Austin Cindric*
6th, HARRISON BURTON
17th, BRANDON JONES
24th, RYAN ELLIS
29th, DANIEL HEMRIC
31st, BORIS SAID
32nd, KRIS WRIGHT
33rd, TIMMY HILL
*non-Toyota driver

TOYOTA QUOTES

KYLE BUSCH, No. 54 Skittles Gummies Toyota Supra, Joe Gibbs Racing
Finishing Position: 1st

98th-career Xfinity Series win. You made history again, you win the first race at Circuit of the Americas in the Xfinity Series. How much time and effort and thought have you put in to racing at this new track?

“That’s a funny question. It’s an inside joke at JGR (Joe Gibbs Racing). I have to give a huge shoutout to all the machine guys, the CNC guys, as well as the carbon guys. They helped me be able to get comfortable in the car for this weekend and be able to come out here and run on the road course again. A little bit of 2015 started to flare up this past week, so be able to keep that under control and get out here today and have such an amazing car to drive. Thanks to all these guys, everyone at the Xfinity Series shop, all of Joe Gibbs Racing, Joe (Gibbs), Coy (Gibbs), JD (Gibbs), everybody that has made this possible over the years. It’s really, really cool to come here for the first race at a new track and win, I’m kicking myself right now because I never won at Montreal, but I won at every other road course I’ve raced at, so it’s kind of a bummer, but overall real proud of the effort. This Skittles Gummies Supra was super. It was just awesome. I did a burnout in front of our friends over there at the Skittles Bus. Appreciate all those guys being here too.”

What a long day. You started the day with Cup practice in the downpour rain, then you qualified in the rain and had a dry race here. All of that, how can it help you tomorrow in Cup?

“I think the biggest thing is all the resources and stuff we have and being able to get laps on the track today, feel the tire and everything like that. To be able to get back out there tomorrow and do everything all over again tomorrow with the Cup car, so thanks to Toyota and TRD, we have some really cool tools that we’ve been able to use, and I feel like that was a good plus for us here today and hopefully it’s a good plus for us tomorrow. There were another couple of fast guys out there that will be a force to be reckoned with tomorrow, but overall excited about today. Cool to win and let’s see what tomorrow brings.”

How good did today feel out there dominating this race?

“It felt really good. We obviously had a great piece and this Toyota Supra was awesome. Thanks to Skittles, Skittles Gummies, and Toyota, TRD and everybody at JGR (Joe Gibbs Racing), the machine shop, the carbon shop. They helped me to be comfortable in the car for this weekend so that was really good. Thanks to Chris Gayle (crew chief). It’s fun working with that guy. I love that guy and we have a lot of fun together. We have had a lot of success together so it’s nice to have that back. Proud of little Ty (Gibbs) keeping the seat warm for me this year.”

HARRISON BURTON, No. 20 DEX Imaging Toyota Supra, Joe Gibbs Racing
Finishing Position: 6th

Top-10 run here today at your first run at the Circuit of the Americas. How was your race overall?

“It was interesting because it felt like every time, we went on the track it was different conditions. The first 15 laps or so, it was part dry, part wet and we were hanging on. It was fun; it was a lot of fun. We had a fast DEX Imaging Supra once we worked on it a little bit. We got it better and better, and we ended up having a pretty good run. We still need a little more speed, but we know where to get it. I’m excited to come back here with the knowledge I got today and move on.”

About Toyota

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

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

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

Ford Performance NASCAR: Three Mustangs Finish Top 10 in NASCAR XFINITY Race at COTA

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Ford Performance Notes and Quotes
NASCAR XFINITY Series — Pit Boss 250
Circuit of the Americas | Saturday, May 22, 2021

Ford Finishing Results:
4th — Kevin Harvick
5th — Austin Cindric
7th — Cole Custer
16th — Riley Herbst
25th — Ryan Sieg

KEVIN HARVICK, No. 5 Rush Truck Centers Ford Mustang — HOW WAS YOUR DAY TODAY? “The racetrack was fun. I didn’t do a good job. I got bounced around on that last restart, so I had to bounce my way back up through there and just got too far behind, so I took a second-place car and finished fourth with it, but these guys put in a lot of extra work on our Rush Truck Centers Ford Mustang to come and get all those laps and it’ll pay off. Whether it’s wet or dry I feel way more comfortable than when we started.”

WHAT DID YOU LEARN TODAY? “A lot of passing zones and how the track changes from fall off and how you race and where you pass, a lot of wet. That’s the first time I’ve ever driven down a straightaway in a cloud of water this morning, so it was very interesting. I learned a lot of different things today.”

DID YOU GET OUT OF TODAY WHAT YOU WANTED? “Oh, yeah. I got more than I wanted this morning with practice and qualifying — wet and dry and kind of wet, passing, restarts — just a lot of different situations. The first time I step foot in it was yesterday on the racetrack, so just have to thank everybody from Stewart-Haas and all of B.J. McLeod’s guys for helping us put all this together so that I could go out and be a 45-year-old rookie.”

WHAT DO YOU THINK ABOUT THE VIBE HERE AND AROUND THE CITY? “Anytime we have something new it’s great for our sport, and I think coming to a place like this that is high-end, top-notch just puts us on a pedestal to show what we want to be and who we are.”

IF THE RACE IS WET TOMORROW WILL THIS STILL HAVE BEEN WORTH IT? “It doesn’t matter now. I practiced in the wet, qualified in the wet, so we’ll just go out there and sling it.”

HOW MUCH CHANGE BETWEEN THE TWO CONDITIONS? “Well, I can’t see well anyway, so when it’s trying to figure out where you’re going by two tire tracks in the ground on the straightaway, that’s new for me.”

ARE YOU READY FOR TOMORROW? “I’m not top-end ready compared to some of those good guys, but I can survive and not make a fool of myself now.”

WHAT DO YOU THINK IS THE MOST DIFFICULT PART OF THE TRACK? “I think probably the most difficult part for me is turn two and carrying enough speed turn two to three three, knowing how fast you can go into turn three and not screw up four, five, six and seven.”

AUSTIN CINDRIC, No. 22 Menards/Richmond Ford Mustang — “We just didn’t execute today. We had a really bad pit stop and lost a lot of track position and we weren’t quite good enough to make it up. I didn’t have anything for the 54, but that’s the way it goes.”

WAS THIS A GOOD DAY IN THE SENSE OF EXPERIENCE ALL POTENTIAL CONDITIONS FOR TOMORROW? “I’m as prepared as I can be for tomorrow.”

Meyer Shank Racing Indianapolis 500 Qualifying Report

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#60: Jack Harvey, Meyer Shank Racing Honda

Castroneves will go for pole on Sunday: Harvey locked into 20th for the 500 mile race

Indianapolis, Ind. (22 May 2021) – Meyer Shank Racing (MSR) qualified for the 105th Running of the Indianapolis 500 on Saturday with both of the team’s cars making it into the 500-mile race.

Jack Harvey locked the No. 60 AutoNation / SiriusXM in 20th place for the Memorial Day Weekend race while Helio Castroneves closed out the day sixth in the No. 06 AutoNation / SiriusXM Honda. The three-time Indianapolis 500 winner will have the chance to fight for his fifth Indianapolis 500 pole position during Sunday’s Fast Nine qualifying session (3:00pm ET, NBC).

High intensity is the only way to describe qualifying for the Indianapolis 500 and this year’s first day of qualifying was no different. Castroneves was fourth to roll out for qualifying and utilized the cloud cover and cool track temperatures to lay down a four lap average of 231.164 mph. That speed kept him firmly in the top nine speeds through the rest of the day.

Castroneves made a second attempt in hopes of moving even further up the order, but was unable to improve. Castroneves’ first qualifying run was good enough for him to advance into the Fast Nine qualifying on Sunday which will see the three-time Indianapolis 500 winner go for pole position.

“The AutoNation / SiriusXM car was very solid,” said Castroneves. “Qualifying went exactly how we practiced it yesterday – we were actually a bit quicker than we anticipated which was perfect. Our goal was to get in the top nine so that we could have a shot at pole tomorrow and we did that. Tomorrow is a different day though and we’ll work to find some more speed overnight and be back at it for qualifying tomorrow.”

After topping the speed charts during Saturday morning practice, Harvey went into his first qualifying attempt hoping to achieve his best qualifying position since his Indianapolis 500 debut in 2017.

Unfortunately Harvey got off to a rough start after experiencing a vibration on lap 1 of his qualifying run. Hanging tough to produce a four lap average of 225 mph, MSR quickly found the source of Harvey’s vibration troubles when the team discovered his right rear tire severely damaged. With no apparent cause for the tire’s deterioration, the crew got to work to send Harvey back out for a second run.

Harvey’s second run saw a big improvement with him banking a four lap average of 230.191 mph. The team hoped to get Harvey back out for a third run to improve his 20th place ranking, but then elected to stand on the time to confirm its position on the starting grid for next Sunday’s INDYCAR classic.

“Today was definitely a bit of a hectic day,” said Harvey. “I’ve never seen anything like that with the tire and I honestly just tried to bring it home. I’m just glad that we were able to do four laps at a decent pace to get us in the show. When you have an issue like we had this morning, it puts everyone in a high pressure situation. But everyone at Meyer Shank Racing dealt with it very well, they stayed as calm as you can while trying to quickly get the car ready again. So I have to say a big thanks to the team for working as hard as they did to get us back in for another go at the Indy 500.”

Sunday will see Fast Nine practice at 11:30am ET which will roll into Fast Nine Qualifying starting at 3:00pm ET with live coverage on NBC / Peacock TV. The field of 33 Indianapolis 500 entries will head back out on track for a final practice from 5:00-7:00pm ET.

GILLILAND WINS NASCAR CAMPING WORLD TRUCK SERIES TOYOTA TUNDRA 225 AT CIRCUIT OF THE AMERICAS

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AUSTIN, TEXAS - MAY 22: Todd Gilliland, driver of the #38 Crosley Brands Ford, and crew celebrate in victory lane after winning the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Toyota Tundra 225 at Circuit of The Americas on May 22, 2021 in Austin, Texas. (Photo by Chris Graythen/Getty Images)

AUSTIN, Texas (May 22, 2021) — Todd Gilliland was so fast and so determined out front in Saturday’s Toyota Tundra 225 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series race his own team had to remind him to slow down and take care of his tires in the closing laps of the series debut at the Circuit of The Americas (COTA) race.

Despite receiving the cautionary advice, Gilliland, 21, did not ease off and raced to a hefty 7.941-second margin of victory to earn his second career series win and first since 2019. His No. 38 Front Row Motorsports Ford set the fastest lap of the race with two laps remaining.

“I definitely did a lot of stuff wrong but that’s what I love about road course racing, there’s 20 turns here, 20 opportunities to pass, but also make mistakes,’’ Gilliland said, thanking his Front Row Motorsports team.

“Last year we didn’t quite have the season we knew we could and just to come out here and win early, we’ve been building momentum and for my team to get this win is just amazing.’’

Gilliland and the rest of the field ran wet tires flag-to-flag as the race began in a steady rain. As things dried out a bit, his team kept reminding him to be careful and look for wet spots on the track. He hit his marks on the 3.41-mile 20-turn circuit and he hit the puddled water just enough to carry on to the victory – leading the final six laps and earning an extra $50,000 incentive in the second race of the series’ Triple Truck Challenge.

Kaz Grala finished runner-up, followed by pole-winner Tyler Ankrum, Grant Enfinger and defending series champ Sheldon Creed, who led a race-best 14 of the 41 laps.

Seventeen year-old driver Sam Mayer, rookie Carson Hocevar, Zane Smith, Austin Hill and Ben Rhodes rounded out the top 10. Championship points leader John Hunter Nemechek finished 12th.

Gilliland actually won Stage 1 – his first stage win of 2021 – and was first out during the ensuing pit stops during that caution period. But NASCAR ruled one of his pit crew members was over the wall too soon and Gilliland was penalized – sent to the rear of the field on the restart.

With Gilliland now forced to play catch-up, Creed led most of Stage 2, pitting just before it ended and allowing Ben Rhodes to instead take his first Stage win of the year.

Creed and Ankrum battled one another up front – at one point passing each other three different times on one lap – before Gilliland – who methodically worked his way forward was able to take the lead for good with six laps remaining. Grala passed Ankrum with two laps remaining to tie his best-ever series finish.

The victory marks Gilliland’s fifth top 10 showing in the last six races and as he told his team on the victory lap, “I know we can do this [win races] a lot.’’

Gilliland becomes the fourth full-time NASCAR Camping World Truck Series driver to win this season – joining two-race winners John Hunter Nemechek and Rhodes, and last week’s winner Creed.

-Story by NASCAR Newswire

NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Race – Inaugural Toyota Tundra 225
Circuit of The Americas
Austin, Texas
Saturday, May 22, 2021

               1. (5)  Todd Gilliland, Ford, 41.
               2. (2)  Kaz Grala, Chevrolet, 41.
               3. (1)  Tyler Ankrum, Chevrolet, 41.
               4. (23)  Grant Enfinger, Chevrolet, 41.
               5. (3)  Sheldon Creed, Chevrolet, 41.
               6. (21)  Sam Mayer, Chevrolet, 41.
               7. (17)  Carson Hocevar #, Chevrolet, 41.
               8. (15)  Zane Smith, Chevrolet, 41.
               9. (9)  Austin Hill, Toyota, 41.
               10. (11)  Ben Rhodes, Toyota, 41.
               11. (26)  Paul Menard, Toyota, 41.
               12. (6)  John Hunter Nemechek, Toyota, 41.
               13. (13)  Parker Kligerman, Chevrolet, 41.
               14. (28)  Hailie Deegan #, Ford, 41.
               15. (4)  Matt Crafton, Toyota, 41.
               16. (29)  Austin Wayne Self, Chevrolet, 41.
               17. (16)  Stewart Friesen, Toyota, 41.
               18. (8)  Parker Chase, Toyota, 41.
               19. (24)  Camden Murphy, Chevrolet, 41.
               20. (12)  Ryan Truex, Chevrolet, 41.
               21. (19)  Derek Kraus, Toyota, 41.
               22. (27)  Johnny Sauter, Toyota, 41.
               23. (32)  Lawless Alan, Toyota, 41.
               24. (22)  Timmy Hill, Chevrolet, 41.
               25. (30)  Tate Fogleman, Chevrolet, 41.
               26. (14)  Bayley Currey, Chevrolet, 41.
               27. (31)  Chase Purdy #, Chevrolet, 41.
               28. (33)  Jack Wood, Chevrolet, 41.
               29. (25)  Michele Abbate, Toyota, 41.
               30. (34)  Cory Roper, Ford, 41.
               31. (36)  Tanner Gray, Ford, 40.
               32. (18)  Timothy Peters, Chevrolet, 40.
               33. (20)  Chandler Smith #, Toyota, 39.
               34. (35)  Roger Reuse, Chevrolet, 38.
               35. (10)  Christian Eckes, Toyota, Suspension, 36.
               36. (7)  Cameron Lawrence, Chevrolet, 34.

Average Speed of Race Winner: 70.79 mph.
Time of Race: 1 Hrs, 58 Mins, 30 Secs. Margin of Victory: 7.941 Seconds.
Caution Flags: 2 for 2 laps.
Lead Changes: 8 among 6 drivers.
Lap Leaders: K. Grala 1-11;T. Gilliland 12-13;S. Creed 14-23;B. Rhodes 24-26;M. Crafton 27;S. Creed 28-31;T. Ankrum 32-35;T. Gilliland 36-41.
Leaders Summary (Driver, Times Lead, Laps Led): Sheldon Creed 2 times for 14 laps; Kaz Grala 1 time for 11 laps; Todd Gilliland 2 times for 8 laps; Tyler Ankrum 1 time for 4 laps; Ben Rhodes 1 time for 3 laps; Matt Crafton 1 time for 1 lap.
Stage #1 Top Ten: 38,02,26,88,99,32,52,4,2,56
Stage #2 Top Ten: 99,88,19,2,26,02,45,32,38,11

Todd Gilliland earned his second career NASCAR Camping World Truck Series race by taking the checkered flag nearly eight seconds ahead of his closest challenger Saturday at the Toyota Tundra 225 at Circuit of The Americas.

Todd Gilliland (38) won the first stage and ultimately the race after overcoming an early race penalty in the Toyota Tundra 225 at Circuit of The Americas Saturday near Austin, Texas. The race started in the rain and teams used wet weather tires throughout the entire 41-lap race around the 3.41-mile, 20-turn road course.

Todd Gilliland (38) earned an extra $50,000 bonus with the Camping World Truck Series Triple Truck Challenge for winning Saturday’s Toyota Tundra 225 at Circuit of The Americas near Austin, Texas.

DGR NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Race Recap: COTA

By
Official Release
-

Saturday, May 22
Track: Circuit of the Americas, 20-turn, 3.426-mile road course
Race: 9 of 22
Event: Toyota Tundra 225 (42 laps, 143 miles)

Hailie Deegan, No. 1 Monster Energy Ford F-150
Start: 28th
Finish: 14th

  • Deegan started the road course race from the 28th spot after qualifying this morning at Circuit of the Americas. By the end of the first stage, Deegan was up to the 21st position and reported her Monster Energy F-150 was tight in the center under the rainy conditions. She pitted for fuel, four tires and adjustments to help loosen her truck up. Unfortunately, the rookie driver received a penalty for a crew member over the wall too soon and was forced to start at the rear of the field for Stage 2.
  • In the second stage on lap 22, Deegan made a scheduled green-flag pit stop from the 20th spot for fuel, four tires and adjustments. The Ford driver finished Stage 2 25th, but the most recent pit stop allowed her to not pit during the break which moved her up to the 15th position to start the final stage.
  • Early in the final stage Deegan slipped back, but as the drizzle stopped her truck came to life and she worked her way forward in the closing laps. In the last five laps, the Monster Energy driver went from 21st to 14th to close out the race.

Tanner Gray, No. 15 Ford Performance F-150
Start: 36th
Finish: 31st

  • Gray started in the 36th position after he was unable to make a qualifying attempt due to an engine issue.
  • On the opening lap, the Ford Performance driver gained six spots. At the end of Stage 1, Gray was in the 23rd spot. He pitted for fuel and four tires, and started the second stage from the top-25.
  • Gray made a scheduled green-flag pit stop on lap 22 from the 27th position. He closed the stage out in the 31st position and didn’t pit during the break.
  • The Ford driver started the final stage from 18th. On lap 30, Gray went for a spin after contact with another competitor. Damage from the contact forced Gray to pit for repairs and two right-side tires. The time on pit road ultimately put him one lap down.
  • The No. 15 F-150 driver closed out the race in the 31st position.

Next event: North Carolina Education Lottery 200 at Charlotte Motor Speedway in Concord, North Carolina on May 28 at 8:30 p.m. ET.

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