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FedEx Racing Express Facts – Dover International Speedway

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Denny Hamlin
11 FedEx Office Toyota
Joe Gibbs Racing

Race Info:

Race: Drydene 400
Date/Time: Sunday, May 16/2:00 p.m. ET
Distance: 400 laps/400 miles
Track Length: 1 mile
Track Shape: Oval
Banking: 24 degrees
2020 Winner: Denny Hamlin

Express Notes:

Press Kit: Download the 2021 FedEx Racing press materials at www.fedexracing.com/presskit, including bios for Denny Hamlin, Chris Gabehart and Joe Gibbs Racing leadership, program highlights and statistics.

Darlington Recap: Denny Hamlin scored another top-five finish Sunday at Darlington Raceway. The #11 team brought a fast Toyota Camry to the historic, egg-shaped oval and even led five laps, but Joe Gibbs Racing teammate Martin Truex Jr. dominated the Mother’s Day race and took the victory. Hamlin finished fifth and maintained a 75-point lead in the driver standings.

Dover Preview: The NASCAR Cup Series moves north, returning to “The Monster Mile” this weekend in Dover. Drivers will make the trip to Delaware for Sunday’s 400-mile event on the concrete oval. Hamlin is a one-time winner at the track and owns six top-five and 13 top-10 finishes in 30 career races at Dover International Speedway, leading a total of 609 laps. Hamlin will look to earn his first trip to Victory Lane this season.

Hamlin Statistics:

Track: Dover International Speedway
Races: 30
Wins: 1
Poles: 4
Top-5: 6
Top-10: 13
Laps Led: 609
Avg. Start: 10.3
Avg. Finish: 16.6

Hamlin Conversation – Dover:

What are the sensations you feel in a lap at Dover?

“It’s the most physically demanding track for sure – simply because of the speed in the banking, the load that your body takes in the middle of corner. It’s a very, very tough track. It’s very rough, and there are a lot of elevation changes from corner entry to the middle of the corner. It takes its toll on you. It hasn’t always been my favorite or best track during the course of my career, but honestly since being with Chris (Gabehart, crew chief) over these last few years, we’ve had some really good results there.”

How important is to get that first elusive win of the season?

“We’ll get it. We’ve been running up front all season, so eventually the odds will come back to us. If we continue to do what we’ve been doing, we’re going to be in really good shape. We’re still getting smarter and better every single week.”

FedEx Office Along for the Ride at Dover: FedEx Office thanks all team members for rising to meet and overcome challenges on a daily basis.

Team Hardpoint EBM Drivers Rob Ferriol And Katherine Legge Bring Strong Record To Mid-Ohio

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Official Release
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Both Drivers have Podium Finishes at Mid-Ohio and Hope to Add Another With the No. 88 Richard Mille/Champion Porsche 911 GT3 R in IMSA GTD Race This Weekend

LEXINGTON, Ohio (May 12, 2021) – Rob Ferriol and Katherine Legge will co-drive the No. 88 Richard Mille/Champion Porsche/GridRival Porsche 911 GT3 R for Team Hardpoint EBM this weekend at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course, round three of the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship season and the first two-hour, 40-minute sprint race of the season.

The sprint race is scheduled for 2:40 p.m. ET on Sunday, May 15, shown live on NBCSN and via TrackPass on the NBC Sports app.

Ferriol and Legge both have limited experience on the 2.258-mile permanent road course, but each have also been a part of a podium celebration at the track.

Team Hardpoint EBM team owner and driver Ferriol earned four podiums early in his IMSA career, with three runner-up finishes and a third-place finish in IMSA Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge during the 2018 and 2019 seasons. Those finishes were part of a two-year program that helped catapult Ferriol to this, his second season as team owner and into the GT Daytona class of IMSA’s top-level championship.

“Racing is a fickle beast,” Ferriol said. “The track and your competitors don’t care how good or bad you did the last time, only what you show up with on race day. That said, those prior successes do give us something to build on as drivers. As a team, we’ll combine that experience with that of Owen Hayes and our engineering squad, as well as our ever-improving pit crew, and bring the best possible package for our No. 88 Richard Mille/Champion Porsche/GridRival Porsche GT3 R to the race on Sunday. The rest is up to Lady Luck.”

Like Ferriol, Legge has a runner-up finish at Mid-Ohio. Legge was part of the team that finished second in 2018 and was also the site of her NASCAR Xfinity Series debut the same year.

“I’m very much looking forward to going back to Mid-Ohio,” Legge said. It is a track that brings a smile to your face when you are driving it. I have fond memories of my NASCAR debut and an IMSA podium there, but I actually haven’t raced there very much at all. It is tricky to be fast there, so Rob and I will be looking to build on Sebring results and find a setup we both like. We raced the same car in Daytona, so teaming up isn’t entirely new, and I’m looking forward to working with Rob. Hopefully we can get a good result for the team, and for Richard Mille, and build on that moving forward.”

Though Ferriol and Legge will share the car alone for the first time, they teamed with Earl Bamber and Christina Nielsen for a 10th-place finish at the 24 Hours of Daytona in January for Team Hardpoint EBM.

“The key for Katherine and me this weekend will be to ensure we make efficient use of the two practice sessions so we’ve got the right car balance going into the race,” Ferriol said. “Having driven with her at Daytona, as well as watched that heroic push to the finish at Sebring, I’m genuinely excited to see what we can put together at the first Sprint Cup race of the year. She’s proven to be a formidable competitor time and again, so my goal is to hand the car over in the best possible position, then watch her go to work.”

That work begins on Friday, May 14, with an afternoon practice session at 4:30 p.m. ET. The team gets another hour of practice on Saturday morning at 8:50 a.m. ET, with a quick turnaround to qualifying at 12:20 p.m. There is a 20-minute warm-up session on Sunday morning prior to pre-race ceremonies and the green flag.

About Team Hardpoint EBM:
Hardpoint Motorsports was founded by Rob Ferriol in 2018 with the vision of combining his experience as a successful entrepreneur with his passion for racing. Team Hardpoint EBM is a joint venture between Team Hardpoint and Earl Bamber Motorsport formed in late 2020 to combine the resources of EBM and co-owners Earl Bamber and Will Bamber and the early success of Team Hardpoint. Headquartered at VIRginia International Raceway, the team’s 2021 plans include a full-season effort in the IMSA WeatherTech Sports Car Championship in a Porsche 911 GT3 R and a multi-car effort in the IMSA Porsche Carrera Cup North America. More information on Team Hardpoint EBM can be found at www.hardpoint.com or through its strong social media presence on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.

Pocono Raceway and CRC Announced the CRC Brakleen 150 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Race

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Official Release
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LONG POND, Pa. (May 12, 2021) – Pocono Raceway today announces a new partnership with CRC Industries under which the 2021 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series race at ‘The Tricky Triangle has been renamed the CRC Brakleen 150. The CRC Brakleen 150 is part of the 2021 NASCAR Doubleheader at Pocono Raceway and will take place before the weekend’s first of two NASCAR Cup Series races on Saturday, June 26. Additionally, both Pocono Raceway and Brakleen are celebrating 50-year anniversaries this year.

“We are thrilled to welcome CRC Industries and Brakleen to the Pocono Raceway family,” said Ben May, Pocono Raceway’s President. “CRC is a well-recognized name in the motorsports and automotive world. Having them as part of our 2021 NASCAR Doubleheader Weekend is special, especially as partners on Saturday’s NASCAR Camping World Truck Series race. Saturday ticket holders will get to see two races for the price of one – the CRC Brakleen 150 Truck Series race and the weekend’s first of two NASCAR Cup Series races.”

CRC Industries is celebrating the 50th anniversary of its flagship brand, Brakleen®, the number one selling brake parts cleaner worldwide. The Raceway is also celebrating ’50 Year of the Tricky Triangle’ in honor of the first race on the historic, triangular-shaped 2.5-mile superspeedway in 1971.

“The timing of Brakleen’s 50th anniversary with Pocono Raceway’s 50th anniversary made this a great year to partner together,” said Perry Cozzone, CRC Industries’ CEO. “Both companies have such a rich history in the state of Pennsylvania, serving the passions of people who love products that work fast, and vehicles that run fast. CRC is thrilled to be a part of this historic event.”

Pocono Raceway will host five NASCAR and ARCA races in three days during the 2021 NASCAR Doubleheader Weekend. The jam-packed weekend starts with the General Tire #AnywhereIsPossible 200 ARCA Menards Series race on Friday, June 25th. The CRC Brakleen 150 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series and the weekend’ first of two NASCAR Cup Series races will be held on Saturday, June 26th. The weekend ends with the Pocono Green 225 Recycled by J.P. Mascaro & Sons NASCAR Xfinity Series race and the Explore the Pocono Mountains 350 NASCAR Cup Series races on Sunday, June 27th.

Kids, ages 12 and under can attend all NASCAR events at Pocono Raceway for free in 2021. Grandstand parking is also free and coolers are welcome. Pocono Raceway offers a variety of Grandstand ticketing options for adults starting at $10 on Friday and $45 on Saturday or Sunday. Camping options are also available, with limited availability due to demand, starting at $200. To purchase tickets, visit www.poconoraceway.com or call 1-800-722-3929 (1-800-RACEWAY.)

About Pocono Raceway

Pocono Raceway, also known as ‘The Tricky Triangle,’ is family-owned and situated in the beautiful Pocono Mountains of Pennsylvania. In business for over 50 years, the Raceway hosts multiple, national motorsports events including two NASCAR Cup Series, one NASCAR Xfinity Series, one NASCAR Camping World Truck Series and one ARCA Menards Series events each year. The facility’s calendar also consists of over 200 events including “The Great Pocono Raceway Air Show,” Tough Mudder and a wide range of car clubs and racing schools. Pocono Raceway is recognized as the world’s first, privately-owned solar-powered sports facility. Their 25-acre, three-megawatt solar farm provides the energy needs of the Raceway, as well as, adds electricity to the local power grid. Each member of our raceway staff is committed to creating exciting experiences and lifelong memories. For more information, please visit www.poconoraceway.com.


About CRC Industries, Inc.

CRC Industries, Inc. (www.crcindustries.com) is a global leader in the production of specialty products and formulations for the do-it-yourselfer and maintenance professional, serving the automotive, industrial, electrical, marine, heavy truck, hardware, and aviation markets. CRC global trademarked brands include CRC®, Evapo-Rust®, K&W®, MaryKate®, SmartWasher®, Sta-Lube®, and Weld-Aid®.

FAST FACTS: GMR Grand Prix

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Official Release
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Race weekend: Friday, May 14 – Saturday, May 15

Track: Indianapolis Motor Speedway, a 2.439-mile, 14-turn road course (clockwise)

Race distance: 85 laps / 207.3 miles

Push-to-pass parameters: 200 seconds of total time, with a maximum time of 20 seconds per activation.

Firestone tire allotment: Six sets primary, four sets alternate (Note: An seventh set of primary tires is available to any car fielding a rookie driver.)

Twitter: @IMS @IndyCar, #ThisIsMay, #IndyCar

Event website: www.ims.com

INDYCAR website: www.IndyCar.com

2020 race winner: Scott Dixon (No. 9 PNC Bank Chip Ganassi Racing Honda)

2020 NTT P1 Award winner: Will Power (No. 12 Verizon Team Penske Chevrolet), 1:10.1779, 125.116 mph.

Qualifying lap record: Will Power, 1:07.7044, 129.687 mph, May 12, 2017 (Set in Round 3 of knockout qualifying)

NBC Sports race telecasts: Qualifying, 6 p.m. ET Friday, NBCSN (Same-day delay); GMR Grand Prix, 2 p.m. ET Saturday, NBC (live). Leigh Diffey is the play-by-play announcer for NBC’s coverage of the NTT INDYCAR SERIES, alongside analysts Townsend Bell and Paul Tracy.

Peacock Premium Live Streaming: All NTT INDYCAR SERIES practice sessions and qualifying will stream live on Peacock Premium, NBC’s direct-to-consumer livestreaming product.

INDYCAR Radio Network broadcasts: Mark Jaynes is the chief announcer alongside analyst Davey Hamilton. Nick Yeoman and Jake Query are the turn announcers. The GMR Grand Prix will air live on network affiliates, SiriusXM 205, indycar.com, indycarradio.com and the INDYCAR Mobile app powered by NTT DATA. All NTT INDYCAR SERIES practices and qualifying are available on SiriusXM 205, indycar.com and the INDYCAR Mobile app.

At-track schedule (all times local):

Friday, May 14 (All times are local)
9:30-10:15 a.m. NTT INDYCAR SERIES practice, Peacock Premium
1-1:45 p.m. NTT INDYCAR SERIES practice, Peacock Premium
4:30 p.m. Qualifying for the NTT P1 Award (three rounds of NTT INDYCAR SERIES knockout qualifications), Peacock Premium (Live)

Saturday, May 15
10:45-11:15 a.m. NTT INDYCAR SERIES warmup, Peacock Premium
2 p.m. NBC on air
2:39 p.m. “Drivers, start your engines”
2:45 p.m. GMR Grand Prix (85 laps/207.3 miles), NBC (Live)

Race Notes:

  • The GMR Grand Prix will be the 10th INDYCAR SERIES event conducted on the Indianapolis Motor Speedway’s road course. Scott Dixon, Josef Newgarden, Simon Pagenaud and Will Power are the only drivers to win on the IMS road course. Pagenaud won the GMR Grand Prix in 2014, 2016 and 2019, Power won the GMR Grand Prix in 2015, 2017 and 2018 and the second race of the Harvest Grand Prix doubleheader in 2020. Dixon won the 2020 GMR Grand Prix, while Newgarden won the first race of the 2020 Harvest GP doubleheader.
  • Pagenaud, Power, Felix Rosenqvist and Sebastian Saavedra are the only drivers to have won the pole position in the GMR Grand Prix. Saavedra claimed the pole in 2014, Power in 2015, 2017, 2018 and 2020, Pagenaud in 2016 and Rosenqvist in 2019. Power and Rinus VeeKay won the NTT P1 Award in the Harvest Grand Prix doubleheader last October.
  • Four NTT P1 Award winners have won the GMR Grand Prix from the pole: Power in 2015, 2017 and 2018 and Pagenaud in 2016. Power also won the second Harvest GP race from pole in 2020.
  • Nine drivers have competed in every INDYCAR SERIES race on the Indianapolis Motor Speedway road course – Marco Andretti, Dixon, James Hinchcliffe, Ryan Hunter-Reay, Newgarden, Pagenaud, Power, Graham Rahal and Takuma Sato. All but Andretti are entered this year.
  • Dixon has finished first or second in the last four GMR Grand Prix at Indianapolis, including last year’s win – his first on the IMS road course. Dixon, who won at Texas on May 1 for his 51st career win, leads the point standings entering the event for the second straight year.
  • Rookies Romain Grosjean, Jimmie Johnson and Scott McLaughlin will race NTT INDYCAR SERIES cars on Indianapolis Motor Speedway’s road course for the first time this weekend. Johnson is no stranger to the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, though. He won the Brickyard 400 – the NASCAR Cup race previously held on the oval — four times.
  • Twenty-three of the drivers entered in the event have competed in INDYCAR races on the IMS road course. Eleven entered drivers have led laps in the GMR Grand Prix: Power 210, Pagenaud 68, Dixon 66, Graham Rahal 36, Newgarden 25, Ryan Hunter-Reay 18, Rosenqvist 15, James Hinchcliffe 4, Alexander Rossi 2, Marcus Ericsson 1 and Jack Harvey.

JR Motorsports — NXS Dover Preview

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Official Release
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JR MOTORSPORTS TEAM PREVIEW:
TRACK: Dover International Speedway
RACE: Drydene 200 (200 laps / 200 miles)
DATE: Saturday, May 15, 2021

Broadcast Information – TV: 1:30 p.m. ET on FS1 / Radio: 1:00 p.m. ET on MRN and Sirius XM Ch. 90

Michael Annett
No. 1 No. 1 Pilot Flying J/myRewards Plus™ Chevrolet
• Michael Annett will look to add to a four-race streak of top10 finishes at The Monster Mile this weekend and holds a best finish of third coming in 2012.
• Throughout the 2021 season, Annett has four top 10s, with a best finish of sixth coming at Las Vegas and Darlington.
• Dover International Speedway’s fast 1-mile oval is one of the better tracks for Annett, as he has averaged a finish of 12.2 over his 18 starts there.
• Annett will carry the myRewards Plus™ app colors, a rewards program made for drivers™. See the details below on how you can save time and money on your next fuel stop.

Josh Berry
No. 8 Tire Pros Chevrolet
• Josh Berry will make his Dover debut this weekend and will make his second appearance vying for the $100,000 Dash 4 Cash payday following his second-place effort at Darlington.
• Berry has nine starts on tracks between 1-2 miles in length with one top-five and three top-10 finishes, all of which have come during the 2021 season.
• In 2021, Berry has one win, two top-five and four top-10 finishes while pacing the field for 103 laps.
• Tire Pros joins Berry in Dover for its second additional race following Berry’s performance in Martinsville.

Noah Gragson
No. 9 Bass Pro Shops / TrueTimber / Black Rifle Coffee Chevrolet
• Noah Gragson seeks his fourth straight top-seven finish this weekend at Dover International Speedway, as he has finished seventh, fourth and sixth in his last three starts on The Monster Mile.
• Through nine races in 2021 the Las Vegas native has strong finishes of second, fourth, fifth and sixth in addition to winning the first two $100,000 NASCAR Dash 4 Cash bonuses. He’s also led 94 laps to date.
• One-mile tracks seem to agree with Gragson. He’s earned two top-five and eight top-10 finishes (at Dover, Phoenix Raceway and New Hampshire International Speedway) during his young career.

Justin Allgaier
No. 7 BRANDT Professional Agriculture Chevrolet
• Justin Allgaier enters this weekend at Dover as the most recent winner in the NXS, having gone to Victory Lane last weekend in Darlington.
• Allgaier is a two-time winner at the Monster Mile with victories in this event in 2018 and in the first of the weekend doubleheader last August.
• Overall, in 20 previous starts at Dover, Allgaier has scored nine top fives and 13 top 10s to accompany the two victories.
• With the Darlington win last weekend, Allgaier has qualified to be one of four drivers competing for the final $100,000 Dash 4 Cash prize this weekend.

Driver Quotes

“Dover is a track where we’ve always run well. I feel like we’re hitting our stride this season, with a good solid run at Darlington in the Gatorade Pilot Flying J Chevrolet. We scored points in both stages there, and had good speed at the end. That’s what we’re trying to do every week, and what we’re going to do again this weekend at Dover.”– Michael Annett

“Dover has been a really good place for us these last couple of years and I can’t wait to get back there with this BRANDT Professional Agriculture Chevrolet. Hopefully we can unload with the same speed that helped us get to Victory Lane last summer here and that we can come home with that $100,000 Dash 4 Cash prize from Xfinity. I’m really looking forward to seeing what we can do.” – Justin Allgaier

“We’re going to Dover this weekend and like most of the tracks this year, the first laps on the track will be after the green flag drops. The first few laps I’ll just be feeling the track out and figuring out how it drives throughout the run because there’s really nothing like it. I know Taylor (Moyer, crew chief) and the entire Tire Pros No. 8 team will bring a fast car this weekend so that is one less thing we will need to worry about. Hopefully we can string together a good run and bring home the Dash 4 Cash payday. Can’t thank Xfinity enough for allowing us to run for $100k, it makes winning that much better.” – Josh Berry

“Dover has been a good track for me in the past and I know Dave (Elenz, crew chief) will make sure to bring another fast Bass Pro Shops/TrueTimber/Black Rifle Coffee Camaro this weekend. We may not be going for the Dash 4 Cash sweep this week, but we’re putting our heads down, moving forward and hopefully putting this No. 9 back into Victory Lane and into the playoffs.” – Noah Gragson

JRM Team Updates:

Dash 4 Cash Prowess: JRM drivers have claimed the Dash 4 Cash honors on 15 different occasions with more than half of those victories coming since the 2017 season. Noah Gragson most recently took Dash 4 Cash honors at Talladega Superspeedway on April 24th.
• 2nd Annual Unilever National Day of Service, Friday, May 14, 2021: When Covid-19 first took hold in the United States, Unilever moved quickly to create United for America: an initiative designed to support communities in need during the pandemic. In 2021 Unilever will continue to provide millions of products and supplies to frontline partners like Feeding America, promote vaccine education with the Ad Council, and support organizations that directly reach women business owners and youth, including the Boys and Girls Clubs of America. On May 14th Unilever employees, JRM employees, and almost 200 other partners will spend time volunteering and donating to partner organizations. We invite everyone – race fans, anyone of any age – to join us in volunteering, donating, or sending letters of gratitude to local Feeding America food bank volunteers and Boys and Girls Clubs of America leaders. Visit www.everydayudoesgood.com to find ways to give or get help.
• Pilot Flying J myRewards Plus™ App: Save time and money on the road at Pilot Flying J Travel Centers and One9 Fuel Network locations with the myRewards Plus™ app, the rewards program made for drivers™. The app offers more of what matters on the road: more savings, more convenience and more time-saving features to plus-up your next stop. Professional drivers can earn up to four points per gallon only in the myRewards Plus™ app by activating the tiered points program every month. It has a trip planner, which

Toyota Racing – Weekly Preview – 05.12.21

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Official Release
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This Week in Motorsports: May 10-16, 2021

  • NCS/NXS: Dover International Speedway – May 15-16
  • ARCA EAST: Dover International Speedway – May 14

PLANO, Texas (May 12, 2021) – This weekend NASCAR heads to the Monster Mile for the lone stop in Delaware this season for the NASCAR Cup Series and NASCAR Xfinity Series. The ARCA Menards Series East kicks off the action at Dover International Speedway on Friday evening.

NASCAR National Series – NCS| NXS

Truex leads the pack… With his third victory of the season, Martin Truex Jr. continues to rank as the only NASCAR Cup Series (NCS) driver with multiple wins. Truex had a dominating performance at Darlington Raceway – leading 248 of 293 laps. The Mayetta, New Jersey native also has fond memories at Dover where he scored his first-career win at the track in 2007 and has since added two additional victories in 2016 and 2019.

Hamlin is the defending event winner… Cup Series points leader Denny Hamlin heads into Dover as the reigning race winner. Hamlin led 115 laps (of 311) in the first race of the Dover doubleheader last fall to earn his first win at the one-mile paved oval. Hamlin continues to lead the overall NCS point standings after his series-best ninth top-five finish at Darlington on Sunday.

Double for Gibbs… Ty Gibbs is scheduled to make his fifth-career NASCAR Xfinity Series start on Saturday at Dover but will get the weekend started in Friday’s ARCA Menards Series East event. In six career ARCA East starts, Gibbs has scored five top-five finishes.

Hemric looks for more than a top-five… Daniel Hemric makes his return to Dover International Speedway, which is one of his best tracks. Hemric has three top-five results, and four top-10 finishes in just five Dover starts with a best finish of third in 2018.

Nemechek makes Xfinity Series return… Truck Series points leader John Hunter Nemechek makes his return to the Xfinity Series this weekend aboard the No. 26 Toyota Supra for Sam Hunt Racing (SHR). Nemechek will make his first Xfinity Series start since 2019. He has one win (Kansas 2018) and 30 top-10 finishes in 51 previous starts in the Xfinity Series. Nemechek is scheduled to make multiple starts for SHR this season.

NASCAR Regional Series – ARCA MENARDS SERIES EAST

Smith continues to perform… Toyota development driver Sammy Smith continues to perform in ARCA East events heading into this weekend’s race at Dover. Despite an early penalty, Smith drove through the pack and led the final 103 laps at Nashville Fairgrounds Speedway last Saturday. It was Smith’s second victory and third top-two finish in the first three ARCA East events of the year, which has allowed him to stretch out a 15-point lead in the overall standings.

Stay Connected

https://www.toyota.com/racing @ToyotaRacing.com @ToyotaRacing

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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.

Davey Callihan To Drive For Mullins Racing At Southern National

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Davey Callihan will make his ARCA Menards Series East debut at Southern National Motorsports Park in Kenly, N.C., on June 12. (Dinah Mullins Photo)

FREDERICKSBURG, Va. – Advancing in racing is all about opportunity and Mullins Racing owner Willie Mullins wanted to make sure he gave an up-and-coming driver the kind of opportunity that so many drivers don’t get.

Mullins Racing is proud to announce that Dominion Raceway late model stock car regular Davey Callihan would drive the team’s No. 3 Ford during the upcoming ARCA Menards Series East North Carolina 200 at Southern National Motorsports Park in Kenly, N.C., on June 12.

“He has the desire and the knowledge to win and the race craft to win,” Mullins said of Callihan. “I have watched him go from go-kart at our backwoods track to a late model this year and beat the best of the best. The guy can just win in anything and not have the budget that other guys have to win.”

For Mullins, it was important to give back and present a young driver with an opportunity at something bigger. More than that, Mullins is a firm believer that Callihan has a chance to win at Southern National.

“I feel we’re going trophy hunting. We’re going to Southern National to go for a trophy,” said Mullins, who typically drives the No. 3 for the team. “I can go there and run top-10 or top-five, but I want to go there for a win. I want to know when we unload we’re going there to compete for the win and that’s why we’re putting him in the car.”

Callihan is a third-generation driver who hails from Fredericksburg, Va. The 31-year-old started his racing career in go-karts and motorcycles before transitioning to stock car racing. With sponsorship and support from former NASCAR Cup Series team owner Ron Devine, Callihan was a standout late model stock car competitor at Virginia’s Old Dominion Speedway prior to that track’s closure.

Callihan is now a regular at Dominion Raceway in Woodford, Va., where last year he focused most of his efforts on the Virginia Racer class, earning two victories en route to a third-place championship finish.

This season Callihan has moved back into the late model stock car class. Driving a family-owned car, Callihan recently earned his first late model stock car triumph at Dominion Raceway on April 10.

“It means a lot to me that Willie believes in me enough to give up his seat and let me drive his car at Southern National,” Callihan said. “I never thought I would start an ARCA race or anything of that caliber. That’s a dream come true to be able to be in a top notch series like that with a team like Mullins Racing. It’s really cool and humbling for me.”

Sponsorship opportunities are available on the No. 3 Mullins Racing Ford for the North Carolina 200 at Southern National Motorsports Park. Contact Dinah Mullins at dinahmariethompson@gmail.com for more information.

The ARCA Menards Series East North Carolina 200 at Southern National Motorsports Park in Kenly, N.C., is scheduled for Saturday, June 19. Practice begins at 3:15 p.m. ET, followed by qualifying at 5:30 p.m. and the North Carolina 200 at 8 p.m. The race will be broadcast live on TrackPass on NBC Sports Gold.

The No. 3 Mullins Racing Ford carries sponsorship support from Crow Wing Recycling, CW Metals, Bugsy’s Auto, Snap On by Timmy Brann, Dinah Marie Photography Crawford Sprinkler of Raleigh and CorvetteParts.net.

For more information on Mullins Racing, please visit mullinsracing.net, like them on Facebook at www.facebook.com/mullinsracing and follow them on Twitter at @mullins_racing.

FOUR STRAIGHT WEEKS OF RACING ON TAP FOR JEFF DYER

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Official Release
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(May 11, 2021, Yucca Valley, CA) Southern California open wheel racing veteran Jeff Dyer is getting ready for a busy four weeks of racing on May 15th, 22nd, 29th & 30th, and June 5th. It will be the most ambitious part of the 2021 season for the open wheel racer.

Dyer, who calls Yucca Valley, California home, kicks things off this Saturday night, May 15th, in the California Lightning Sprint Car Series on “The West’s Fastest 1/3 Mile High Banked Clay Oval,” the Bakersfield Speedway. In his first two 2021 outings on the Kern County track, the results sheets have been anything but kind to the former United States Army Explosive Ordinance officer. He placed 15th there on May 13th and was 20th on April 10th. However, he is coming off a seventh-place finish at the Merced Speedway on April 17th. Despite the tough luck in two of three CLS races this year, Dyer is seventh in points.

The following week Dyer will be staying a little closer to home when he races in the Amsoil USAC/CRA Sprint Car Series at Perris Auto Speedway on May 22nd. For that race he will wheel longtime friend Cal Smith’s #39 410 sprint car in the annual “Salute To Indy.” That prestigious race first took place more than 70-years ago in the original California Racing Association.

After the Perris race, Dyer and the crew will point the hauler towards Missouri for the May 29th and 30th 3rd Annual POWRi Lightning Sprint Car Nationals at the Central Missouri Speedway. It will be his first ever appearance at the track and his second ever attempt at the race. Two years ago, he contested the Nationals when they were held at Lake Ozark Speedway. In two nights of action, he placed fifth and 13th in the A main events.

When the race is over in the “Show Me State,” Dyer will high tale it back to the west coast to race with the California Lightning Sprint Cars at the Grand Reopening of the Ventura Raceway on June 5th. All told in four weeks, he will drive two different cars in five races, on four separate tracks, with three different sanctioning bodies in two different states.

Fans who would like to see Dyer and the other CLS stars in action at Saturday’s race in Bakersfield can find the track at 5001 N. Chester Ext., in Bakersfield (93308). The track website is http://www.bakersfieldspeedway.com/ and the office phone number is (661) 393-3373. The pits will open at 2:30 p.m. The general admission gate swings open at 4:00 and the first race will hit the track at 6:00.

Throughout the 2021 campaign, Dyer will be racing in memory of his grandfather, Glenn Sels.

Dyer Motorsports would like to thank the following sponsors for making the 2021 racing season possible. John Springstead Racing, T Shirts By Timeless, LDS Investigations, Hair Cuts by Susie and Amsoil. If you would like to be a part of the team in 2021, call or send an E-mail to the contact information at the top of this page.

Jeff Dyer’s 2021 Racing Results

3-12 Kern County Raceway USAC/CRA Sprint Cars 14th A Main

3-13 Bakersfield Speedway California Lightning Sprint Cars 15th A Main

3-26 Mojave Valley Raceway POWRi Southwest Lightning Sprints 8th A Main

3-27 Mojave Valley Raceway POWRi Southwest Lightning Sprints 2nd A Main

4-3 Barona Speedway POWRi Southwest Lightning Sprints 11th A Main

4-10 Bakersfield Speedway California Lightning Sprints 20th A Main

4-17 Merced Speedway California Lightning/BCRA Civil War 7th A Main

Ford Performance NASCAR: Dover Advance

By
Official Release
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FORD PERFORMANCE NASCAR: DOVER ADVANCE

The NASCAR XFINITY and NASCAR Cup Series will compete this weekend at Dover International Speedway. Unlike last season when the track hosted consecutive doubleheaders for each series in August, there will be only one race for each with the NXS event set for Saturday and Cup on Sunday.

This Week’s Schedule:
Saturday, May 15 – NASCAR XFINITY Series, 1:30 p.m. (FS1)
Sunday, May 16 – NASCAR Cup Series, 2 p.m. (FS1)
FORD IN THE NASCAR CUP SERIES AT DOVER
· Ford has 27 all-time NASCAR Cup Series wins at Dover.
· Ryan Newman, Brad Keselowski and Kevin Harvick all have series wins at Dover.
· Richard Petty won the inaugural race at Dover while driving a Ford in 1969.

FORD IN THE NASCAR XFINITY SERIES AT DOVER
· Ford has 13 NASCAR XFINITY Series wins at Dover.
· Mark Martin won Ford’s first series event at Dover in 1987.
· Joey Logano won a series-record four straight Dover races from 2012-13.

HARVICK RECORDS FORD’S 700TH CUP WIN

The last NASCAR Cup Series race held at Dover International Speedway resulted in an historic milestone as Kevin Harvick recorded Ford’s 700th all-time series victory. Harvick dominated the second half of the weekend doubleheader, sweeping all three stages and leading 223-of-311 laps to win for the seventh time in 2020. The victory also clinched the regular season championship for Harvick, who went on to lead the series with nine victories.

NEWMAN AND DOVER

Ryan Newman has 18 career NASCAR Cup Series victories and three of those have come at Dover International Speedway (2003-1, 2003-2, 2004-2). That represents a tie for the most wins he has at any track with the other being New Hampshire Motor Speedway. Newman is coming off his third top-10 finish of the season after a 10th-place run at Darlington on Sunday. That’s already one more top-10 effort than he had in 33 starts last year.

ANOTHER FIRST FOR THE KING

Ford won the inaugural NASCAR Cup Series race at Dover International Raceway in 1969 when Richard Petty drove to victory lane on July 6. That marked the only year in which The King drove a Ford and was the fourth of nine wins for him that season, and it came in dominating fashion as he led half of the 300 laps, including the final 109. It was a Ford day all-around as the Blue Oval led every lap in the race with Lee Roy Yarbrough (124) and David Pearson (26) combining to lead the ones Petty didn’t, and had nine of the top 11 finishers.

JUNIE GOES TO VICTORY LANE

Dover proved to be magical for the late Junie Donlavey, who won the only NASCAR Cup Series race of his career at Dover on May 17, 1981 in the Mason-Dixon 500 when driver Jody Ridley took the checkered flag. Ridley had a good car that day, but it was even more reliable and that proved the difference. Neil Bonnett was the dominant driver as he led 404 of the first 459 laps, but he blew an engine that ended his day. Cale Yarborough appeared to be the main beneficiary as he inherited the lead, but the same fate befell him 20 laps from the finish and sent him to the garage. That left Ridley to assume the top spot and he held on from there to register his first and only Cup win. It also ended up being Donlavey’s only trip to victory lane. The Richmond native made 863 starts and fielded strictly Ford products from 1965-2002 in NASCAR’s top series that featured names like LeeRoy Yarbrough, Fred Lorenzen, Harry Gant, Ricky Rudd, Ken Schrader and Dick Trickle.

FROM 500 TO 400

In 1997 Ford swept both Dover events, but it’s remembered for historical reasons because when Ricky Rudd won the spring event on June 1, 1997 it marked the speedway’s final 500-mile event. Rudd took advantage of being in the right place at the right time after leader Ernie Irvan was involved in an accident with 29 laps remaining. Rudd took over the lead and held off Mark Martin over the final few laps to lead a Ford sweep of the top four spots. Martin bounced back a few months later by winning the fall event, which marked the inaugural 400-mile race at the track. That started a streak that saw him win three straight fall events at the Monster Mile.

FORD NASCAR CUP SERIES DOVER WINNERS
1969 – Richard Petty
1978 – Bobby Allison (2)
1980 – Bobby Allison (1)
1981 – Jody Ridley and Neil Bonnett
1985 – Bill Elliott
1986 – Ricky Rudd (2)
1987 – Davey Allison and Ricky Rudd
1988 – Bill Elliott (Sweep)
1990 – Bill Elliott (2)
1994 – Rusty Wallace (Sweep)
1997 – Ricky Rudd and Mark Martin
1998 – Dale Jarrett and Mark Martin
1999 – Mark Martin (2)
2004 – Mark Martin (1)
2005 – Greg Biffle (1)
2006 – Matt Kenseth (1)
2007 – Carl Edwards (2)
2008 – Greg Biffle (2)
2011 – Matt Kenseth (1)
2018 – Kevin Harvick (1)
2020 – Kevin Harvick (2)

FORD NASCAR XFINITY SERIES DOVER WINNERS
1987 – Mark Martin (1)
2001 – Jeff Green (2)
2002 – Greg Biffle (1)
2004 – Greg Biffle (1)
2007 – Carl Edwards (1)
2011 – Carl Edwards (Sweep)
2013 – Joey Logano (Sweep)
2015 – Chris Buescher (1)
2017 – Ryan Blaney (2)
2019 – Cole Custer (2)
2020 – Chase Briscoe (2)

Sean Creech Motorsport Ready for Mid-Ohio Challenge

By
Official Release
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With two endurance races in the books, SCM prepares for the first IMSA sprint race of the season

JUPITER, Fla. (10 May 2021) – With two of the toughest endurance races on the schedule in its rear-view mirror, Sean Creech Motorsport (SCM) gets ready to tackle the first sprint race of the 2021 IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship season, the Acura Sports Car Challenge at the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course (Sunday, NBCSN, 2:30 p.m. Eastern).

With the change of format, SCM wanted to arrive as prepared as possible. Drivers João Barbosa and Lance Willsey tested their No. 33 SCM Exelixis Ligier JS P320 at the twisty and challenging 13-turn, 2.258-mile road course late last month and continued the learning process on their LMP3-class entry. At two hours and 40 minutes, the race might appear to be less of a challenge than the series’ recent 12 and 24-hour events, but both drivers say that’s far from reality.

“We made good progress on handling and setups at the test, which is even more important given the low-grip surface at Mid-Ohio,” said Barbosa, a four-time Rolex 24 at Daytona winner. “Everything happens very quickly there and there’s no room for mistakes, so we’ll focus on having a clean and safe race.”

“People talk about how difficult Sebring is, but I find Mid-Ohio to be a much more physically demanding circuit because you’re always busy,” said Willsey, who will handle double duty this weekend, also driving the No. 24 SCM Ligier in the IMSA Prototype Challenge race, alongside Francesco Melandri. “You’re either exiting a corner or setting up for the next and with four classes on track, there’s a lot of moving parts out there. Pit stops also become a huge part of the strategy, to figure out drive time distribution in such a short amount of time and to execute well. All we can do is control the controllable.

“I go into every race feeling as though I have zero margin for error – though of course, by virtue of the time frame involved, a small mistake can be overcome in a 12 or 24-hour race,” Willsey continued. “But this weekend, given the crowded racetrack and the relatively short race, the opportunity to recover from a mistake is nearly nonexistent. The low-grip surface makes it difficult to race off-line so traffic will definitely be an issue.”

The team has two solid finishes to its credit to start the season – a second place at the Rolex 24 at Daytona and a fifth at the Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring, though the result at Sebring did not reflect the caliber of the team’s performance. Team principal Sean Creech has a 30-plus year history in sports car racing, though this is the team’s first season in the WeatherTech series, and in years of racing at Mid-Ohio, Creech knows that staying on top of the rapidly changing racetrack will be key.

“We tried almost everything at the test,” said Creech. “Some things worked, some things didn’t, but that’s the whole point of a test. Yes, we’ve had 36 hours of racing so far this season, but racing doesn’t give you the opportunity to work on a myriad of setup possibilities. A test gives you the time to stop and make changes and you learn as much from what didn’t work as what did. The race weekends have minimal practice time so hopefully we’re narrowed in on where we need to be, we’ll just tune into the track conditions each day. We’ve raced there for many years and we’ve seen every kind of weather possible.”

The team is making its first-ever campaign in IMSA, but from the top of the pit box to the driver seat, the entire team has decades of experience to bring to bear as SCM looks to build momentum through the season.

“We continue to learn more and more about the car itself, how to manage the car,” said Willsey. “Daytona was good, we just had too much downforce so we were down on straight-line speed. Sebring was frustrating because the team gave us a very good car, one of the best I’ve driven, but any luck we had was bad luck. We’re ready to move on now, and I’m looking forward to getting back to work with João. I think it’s fair to say that there is no driver in the LMP3 field that has his breadth of experience. We’re blessed to have him on board: his feedback on the car is always spot-on to get the most out of the car. He’s been instrumental in our success to date.”

The Acura Sports Car Challenge takes the green flag Sunday at 2:40 p.m. Eastern. The race will be broadcast live in the U.S. on NBCSN, while international viewers can watch via IMSA.tv. IMSA Radio will also be available at IMSA.com.

About SCM
Team leader Sean Creech has competed in a multitude of sports car series from 1990 until the present day, including Group C, IMSA GTP, WTSCC, Grand-Am, SRO World Challenge, and IMSA. SCM moves to the WeatherTech Series in 2021 with João Barbosa and Lance Willsey.

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