Home Blog Page 2588

Toyota Racing NCS Post-Rce Recap — Kansas 5.2.21

By
Official Release
-

Birthday Boy Kyle Busch wins at Kansas Speedway
Busch picks up his first win of the 2021 NASCAR Cup Series Season

KANSAS CITY, Kan. (May 2, 2021) – Kyle Busch held off the field on a late race restart to win Sunday’s NASCAR Cup Series race at Kansas Speedway. Joe Gibbs Racing teammate, Martin Truex Jr. finished sixth in the 400-mile event. Busch also claimed the win in yesterday’s NASCAR Camping World Truck Series race at Kansas Speedway giving Toyota the sweep of the race weekend.

Toyota Post-Race Recap
NASCAR Cup Series (NCS)
Kansas Speedway
Race 11 of 36 – 400.5 miles, 267 laps

TOYOTA FINISHING POSITIONS
1st, KYLE BUSCH
2nd, Kevin Harvick*
3rd, Brad Keselowski*
4th, Matt DiBenedetto*
5th, Chase Elliott*
6th, MARTIN TRUEX JR.
12th, DENNY HAMLIN
26th, BUBBA WALLACE
28th, CHRISTOPHER BELL
*non-Toyota driver

TOYOTA QUOTES

KYLE BUSCH, No. 18 M&M’s Mix Toyota Camry, Joe Gibbs Racing
Finishing Position: 1st

What does it mean to get back to victory lane with the ups and downs you’ve faced both personally and professionally in recent months?

“You talk about ups and downs of racing – there’s been a lot of downs of life for us. I have a great opportunity and a great job, no doubt. But struggling with the infertility and stuff like that with Samantha (Busch, wife). Hey to Samantha and Brexton (son) back home. Hopefully he won, I don’t know what the results are from Brexton’s race today. Just a great day to be able to put this M&M’s Mix Camry up front. Want to thank Hy-Vee, our retail partner. They did a huge promotion for us this year with M&M’s and Rowdy Energy. It’s cool to get everybody back to victory lane again this early in the season. To be able to get some of those points going our way now and hopefully – heck, I just remembered, the Buschy McBusch race. The Busch won it, what do you know, right on.”

How do you remain focused when you’re dealing with struggles outside of the race car?

“It’s hard sometimes. When you go through the lows, you go through the disappointment, you go through the dejection and the non-understanding of just whether or not you can still do it. There’s a sense of doubt there for sure. You just have to keep persevering, keep digging and putting your focus forward to be able to come out here and win this thing. Thanks to all the fans here at Kansas Speedway, it’s awesome to have people back and you guys coming out and supporting us for what we can do with the rules right now. Thanks to my team, everybody at Toyota, TRD – the M&M’s Camry was awesome today. Ben Beshore, it’s his first win as a crew chief. Happy for him, happy for my guys – let’s celebrate.”

What does it mean to get back to victory lane?

“It’s awesome. Just such a testament to this team and everybody at Joe Gibbs Racing. Ben Beshore, his first win as a Cup crew chief. It’s awesome to put M&M’s back in victory lane – M&M’s Mix on board with us here this weekend. Super thanks to our vendor partner, Hy-Vee, they did a cool promotion with Rowdy Energy and M&M’s a couple weeks ago. Great things going all around. It’s cool to come back to Kansas, it’s great to get back to victory lane. I have to thank my teammate, (Martin) Truex Jr. I forgot to mention it on television, but I just saw the replay and he was behind me, pushing me and gave me one hell of a run down the frontstretch to get me clear. That was the winning ticket for us.”

What is the key to getting the upper hand on the restarts?

“I don’t know that you really know. You don’t know who’s going to pick behind you. You can guess, but you don’t really know. A couple of the times that I guessed, I guessed right. A couple times I guessed, I guessed wrong. It’s just a matter of what’s going to happen behind you. I felt like if I could get Truex behind me, that would be the best thing for us. Being a teammate, he would help push and I’d tell him when we’re going to get the best run we could and it all worked.”

What does it mean to get a win this early in the season?

“What’s really cool is that we started the race good and we worked our way forward from the start of the race. We made minor adjustments all day to the car and nothing really did anything. We kept getting tighter as the day went on, even though we were trying to free up. We did a long sim session this week, that was helpful. I feel like we’re really close for Kansas at least and what we can do and what we can learn on that. I look forward to hopefully being able to celebrate with my team and hopefully have a good night tonight. It’s cool to be able to work the way we did today.”

MARTIN TRUEX, JR., No. 19 Auto-Owners Insurance Toyota Camry, Joe Gibbs Racing
Finishing Position: 6th

What happened at the end of the race and how was your race overall?

“At the end there, I was second through three and four and came off of four and the 2 (Brad Keselowski) and the 4 (Kevin Harvick) somehow got linked together and went flying past me doing the old bump draft deal. When they got to turn one, the 4 never lifted and turned the 2 sideways right in front of me and I had to stop so I lost two more spots on the last lap because I lost all my momentum. Tough deal there, but overall just a tough day for us. We started there mid-pack with our Auto-Owners Camry and it took a while to get any progress. We struggled with the handling, back and forth between tight and loose all day. Just could never get it all tied together. Never could get it to do what we wanted. It was a real handful in traffic. Scratched and clawed for the best we could get and that was sixth, which is not all that terrible.”

About Toyota

Toyota (NYSE:TM) has been a part of the cultural fabric in the U.S. and North America for more than 60 years, and is committed to advancing sustainable, next-generation mobility through our Toyota and Lexus brands. During that time, Toyota has created a tremendous value chain as our teams have contributed to world-class design, engineering, and assembly of more than 38 million cars and trucks in North America, where we have 14 manufacturing plants, 15 including our joint venture in Alabama (10 in the U.S.), and directly employ more than 47,000 people (over 36,000 in the U.S.). Our 1,800 North American dealerships (nearly 1,500 in the U.S.) sold 2.8 million cars and trucks (2.4 million in the U.S.) in 2018.

Through the 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 ToyotaNewsroom.com

Going Bigger Is Better In Texas: GMG Fielding 8 Cars At COTA

By
Official Release
-

They say “Everything is bigger in Texas”, a place with more road mileage than most countries. Massive freeway flyovers dot the landscape, and quaint BBQ spots serve up mountains of smoked meat – by weight. And so, for this weekend’s SRO GT America event at Austin’s Circuit of the Americas, GMG Racing is embracing the Lone Star State’s “bigger=better” mantra quite literally. We’re bringing eight cars to compete in three events across two separate series. Ambitious much? Perhaps, but our racing program is just hitting its 2021 stride as we dive into the meat of the season.

Per usual, the tip of the GMG spear at CotA is known threat Jason Bell. He’ll be entering two categories over the weekend with his Aston Martin Vantage GT4. First, solo in the GT America class, then joining forces with familiar co-driver Andrew Davis in GT4 America. The pair are marked men after notching a victory here last year. Bell tacitly acknowledged their position, quipping “I love this track, and we’re always fast here. Andrew and I brought home a win last year, and we want to repeat with the Aston Martin. GMG has worked non-stop dialing in the car and we’re going to capitalize on their hard work.”

Mirroring the Bell/Davis duo in Austin will be GMG veteran Elias Sabo and Andy Lee. Elias, like Bell, will take to GT America solo, this time in the reliably consistent Audi R8 LMS GT4. In both events, he’ll be looking to hone his race craft and mix things up at the front of the grid, especially with his longtime coach and co-driver Andy. Elias is hungry for opportunity at CotA, especially after a spot of bad luck at Sonoma. “The GMG team has worked so hard to get us here…we were here a few weeks ago testing, and we feel ready. I have to thank GMG and Audi Sport Customer Racing for getting the cars back together and ready to race!”

Making his series debut this weekend is SRO GT America rookie Jason Nolan. After a lot of driver development work with GMG Racing at the Thermal Club, his dedication to improving his skills is sure to bear fruit at his home track of CotA. The heat is on, especially in his new Audi R8 LMS GT4 with his family watching from the stands. Any pressure he might be feeling seems to be overcome with his ambition, though: “I’m just excited to be here! We snagged one of the last available R8 GT4’s in North America, and I fell in love with the car immediately. I couldn’t be happier with the crew at GMG, and I can’t wait to get out and race!”

While we thought sending eight cars to Texas was big, Kyle Washington has one-upped everyone else in the contest to go even bigger. His GMG-backed Porsche machines will see plenty of use this weekend, first the 911 GT3R in SRO GT America, where he just missed the podium at the last round in Sonoma. Then, he’ll Texas Two Step to the Porsche Sprint Challenge USA Series in an all-new GT3 Cup car, thought to be the last new 991.2 GT3 in the US. He’s looking to get as much track time as possible this weekend, and there’s no better way than with two cars! But, it’s not without its challenges. “…it’s been an incredible effort to get here, getting a brand new car mere weeks before a race is a huge undertaking. I’ve got full faith in the GMG team, and we’ve just overhauled the GT3R to prep it for this weekend. I can’t thank them enough for all the hard work to make this weekend happen.”

Finally, we’ll see the return of team owner James Sofronas, a staple in the SRO/PWC paddock since 1994. After seven months out of action with major shoulder surgery, you can be certain he’ll be itching to get back to top form. Never one to rest on his laurels, James is doubly challenging himself this weekend by piloting a customer’s Lamborghini Huracan GT3, not his usual GT3R. James adds, “I’ve been lucky to drive many different race cars in my career and when my client asked me if I could race his car for him this year while we train him in the same car behind the scenes, how could I say no??!”. Like the rest of the team, his ambition and gratitude is apparent. “It’s the longest I’ve been out of a racecar,” he said, “I’ve worked through intense daily PT and rehab to get here. I’m rusty, but I’ve stuck to the plan, and I’m excited to get back to it! Bringing eight cars to Texas was no small feat, and I’m incredibly proud of my guys. They have worked non-stop for the last 30 days and I couldn’t be more pleased with their level of commitment and dedication to excellence! I’m hoping we can bring some hardware home for them, but one thing is for sure, we all have a good time here at GMG!”

ROOKIE JACOB BORST TOPS FIELD, LEADS ROOKIE SWEEP OF TOP TWO POSITIONS IN SATURDAY’S 100-LAP LMSC RACE AT SOUTH BOSTON SPEEDWAY

By
Official Release
-
Rookie Jacob Borst of Elon, North Carolina celebrates in Victory Lane following his win in the 100-lap NASCAR Advance Auto Parts Weekly Series Late Model Stock Car Division race that headlined Saturday night’s SoBo Livestreaming Night at the Races Presented by SoBoSpeedway.tv racing program at South Boston Speedway. Photo Courtesy Joe Chandler/South Boston Speedway

South Boston, Va….A pair of teenagers ruled the night in the 100-lap NASCAR Advance Auto Parts Weekly Series Late Model Stock Car Division race that headlined Saturday night’s SoBo Livestreaming Night at the Races Presented by SoBoSpeedway.tv racing program

Jacob Borst of Elon, North Carolina took the lead when race leaders Thomas Scott and Trey Crews crashed on the frontstretch and led the final 43 circuits to score his first career NASCAR Late Model Stock Car Division victory.

Another teenager, Landon Pembelton of Amelia, Virginia finished second, 1.504 seconds behind Borst, to give the two rookies a sweep of the top two positions in the race. This was Pembelton’s second runner-up finish at South Boston Speedway this season.

“It’s amazing to, get your first win” Borst said, “especially here at South Boston Speedway.

“Even though Pembelton’s a rookie, he is still one of the best out here.”

Borst qualified seventh but quickly moved up to third place. Things unfolded from there.

“I just knew to take my time and just make my way forward,” noted Borst.

“Thomas and Trey got together, and it was one of those deals where you don’t really know where to go. I just tried to get stopped as quickly as I could. I just luckily got through it.”

Pembelton started eighth in the race, and like Borst, steadily thread his way through the field. He moved into second place with about 25 laps to go but was unable to mount a serious threat to Borst at the end.

“We just came up a little short,” Pembelton remarked.

“I think if I had had 10 or 15 more laps I might could have gotten to his back bumper and maybe done something with him.”

Terry Dease of Oxford, North Carolina finished third, Carter Langley of Zebulon, North Carolina finished fourth and Scott, of Efland, North Carolina, battled back to finish fifth in the race that was slowed by three caution flags. Scott led the first 57 laps of the race before being involved in the incident with Crews.

Daniel Moss, Drew Dawson Earn Wins In Limited Sportsman Division Twinbill

Daniel Moss of Danville, Virginia and Drew Dawson of Nathalie, Virginia split wins in Saturday night’s twin 25-lap Limited Sportsman Division races.

The victories were the second wins of the season for both Moss and Dawson.

Moss started second and led every lap in winning the first 25-lap race. Kenny Daniel of Sutherlin, Virginia finished second with Kenny Mills Jr. of South Boston, Virginia, Andrew Amos of Callands, Virginia and Brent Younger of South Boston, Virginia rounding out the top five finishers.

Dawson earned his second career Limited Sportsman Division win in the nightcap, edging Younger by just under a second. Daniel finished third with Tony Housman taking fourth place and Amos completing the top five finishers.

The race featured four lead changes among four drivers with Dawson leading twice for a total of 10 laps.

Nathan Crews Makes It Four Wins In A Row In The Budweiser Pure Stock Division

Nathan Crews of Long Island, Virginia ran his early-season win streak to four in a row Saturday night with a victory in the 30-lap Budweiser Pure Stock Division race.

Results of the race are unofficial pending a post-race technical inspection.

Crews started at the rear of the field, took the lead from Johnny Layne of Halifax, Virginia on the 12th lap and led the rest of the way, edging Layne by .773-second for the win.

Bruce Mayo of Halifax, Virginia, Jared Dawson of Nathalie, Virginia and Scott Phillips of Halifax, Virginia rounded out the top five finishers.

Josh Dawson Wins Budweiser Hornets Division Race

Josh Dawson of Halifax, Virginia scored his third win of the season with a victory in the 15-lap Budweiser Hornets Division race.

Steven Layne of Nathalie, Virginia, Kevin Currin of Chase City, Virginia, Andrea Ruotolo of South Boston, Virginia and Jason DeCarlo of Chase City, Virginia rounded out the top five finishers.

Next Race At South Boston Speedway

NASCAR racing action returns to South Boston Speedway on Saturday night, May 15 with the NASCAR Late Model Twin 75s racing program.

Twin 75-lap races for the NASCAR Advance Auto Parts Weekly Series Late Model Stock Car Division will headline the night’s six-race card. The night’s action will include a 50-lap Limited Sportsman Division race, twin 15-lap races for the Budweiser Pure Stock Division and a 15-lap race for the Budweiser Hornets Division.

The race day schedule has registration and pit gates opening at 2 p.m. Practice will begin at 4 p.m. and grandstand gates will open at 5:30 p.m. Qualifying will start at 6 p.m. and the first race will get the green flag at 7 p.m.

Advance adult general admission tickets for the May 15 race are priced at $10 each and may be purchased online on South Boston Speedway’s website, www.southbostonspeedway.com, through Friday night, May 14. Adult general admission tickets at the gate on race day are priced at $15 each. Kids ages 12 and under will be admitted free when accompanied by a paying adult.

The latest news and updates about South Boston Speedway and its racing events can be found on the South Boston Speedway website and through the speedway’s social media channels.

South Boston Speedway Results | May 1, 2021

Late Model Stock Car (100 Laps)

  1. 25 Jacob Borst
  2. 0 Landon Pembleton
  3. 1 Derry Dease
  4. 5 Carter Langley
  5. 8 Thomas Scott
  6. 01 Camden Gullie
  7. 26 Peyton Sellers
  8. 91 Chris Elliott
  9. 28 Jason Barnes
  10. 50 Raymond Pittman
  11. 2 Chris Denny
  12. 9 Trey Crews
  13. 29 Stuart Crews
  14. 26JP Jordan Pickrel

Limited Sportsman Twin No. 1 (25 Laps)

  1. 58 Daniel Moss
  2. 2 Kenny Daniel
  3. 21 Kenny Mills Jr.
  4. 36 Andrew Amos
  5. 6 Brent Younger
  6. 26 Tony Housman
  7. 84 JD Eversole
  8. 17 Caleb Dyer
  9. 15 Ryan Joyner
  10. 17 Jason Myers
  11. 8 Drew Dawson

Limited Sportsman Twin No. 2 (25 Laps)

  1. 8 Drew Dawson
  2. 6 Brent Younger
  3. 2 Kenny Daniel
  4. 26 Tony Housman
  5. 36 Andrew Amos
  6. 21 Kenny Mills Jr.
  7. 17 Jason Myers
  8. 58 Daniel Moss

Budweiser Pure Stock (30 Laps) – UNOFFICIAL

  1. 3 Nathan Crews
  2. 9 Johnny Lane
  3. 00 Bruce Mayo
  4. 01 Jared Dawson
  5. 66 Scott Phillips
  6. 12 Randy Hupp
  7. 61 Jimmy Wade
  8. 8 Justin Dawson

Budweiser Hornets (15 Laps)

  1. 9 Josh Dawson
  2. 3 Steven Layne
  3. 48 Kevin Currin
  4. 12 Andrea Routolo
  5. 54 Jason DeCarlo
  6. 63 Dillon Davis
  7. 28 Kendal Millam
  8. 01 Jared Dawson

Dyson Prevails in Torrid Scrap with Francis Jr. for Trans Am Pole at WeatherTech Raceway

By
Official Release
-

Joiner, Oakes and Crocker top in class at Laguna Seca

MONTEREY, CA (1 May 2021) – Chris Dyson prevailed in a back-and-forth qualifying battle with Ernie Francis Jr. to capture the MOTUL Pole Award for Sunday’s Trans Am SpeedFest at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca.

Dyson turned a lap of 1:24.510-seconds in the No. 20 ATWELL CBD Ford Mustang, breaking Francis Jr.’s two-year old Trans Am Series presented by Pirelli track record on a day highlighted by wide swings of weather, ending in a cool mist.

“We’ve found a car that works in all weather conditions, and honestly it might just be the magic of ATWELL CBD giving us an extra boost out West,” said Dyson, who captured his seventh career pole. “We are so lucky to be out here on the West Coast. We had a great week at Sonoma last week, and to be here at Laguna Seca is always a thrill. With our special new ATWELL CBD livery we will go for a second weekend flag-to-flag.”

Francis Jr. held the pole midway through the session, also breaking his own mark with a lap of 1:24.677-seconds in the No. 98 Future Star Racing Ford Mustang. He got caught in traffic while making a late run at Dyson.

“Chris (Dyson) breaking my record is what it is, but we will be quick tomorrow when it counts,” Francis Jr. said. “I think we will have an awesome race with Chris tomorrow, and we will get that record back in the race.

“Qualifying was close but not exactly what we wanted out there today,” added Francis. “The team put together a really fast car, we’ve been pretty quick all weekend, we just got out there and thought we put a pole lap together but ran into some lapped traffic. It’s disappointing that we didn’t put down the lap we wanted to.”

Tomy Drissi and Boris Said will be in striking distance starting from the second row in the 100-lap race. Drissi ran 1:25.076-seconds in the No. 8 Lucas Oil Chevrolet Camaro, just ahead of Said’s 1:25.346-seconds in Pancho Weaver’s No. 2 Technique/SRI Dodge Challenger.

Justin Marks, who held the fast lap early in the session, wound up fifth, 1:25.711-seconds in the No. 99 Ave Motorsports Corvette.

Two hours after making his TA2® debut, Ken Thwaits qualified 11th in TA, driving the No. 5 Franklin Road Apparel Camaro.

The lone West Coast Championship entrant in TA, Steve Goldman was the West Coast pole winner, 1:36.729-seconds in the No. 13 LIG Racing Corvette.

Erich Joiner captured the XGT class pole, running 1:29.181-seconds in the No. 10 Good Boy Bob Coffee Roaster Porsche 991 GT3 R. Mike Weathers is also running in XGT, winning the West Coast Championship pole with a lap of 1:32.275-seconds.

“All of a sudden the fog rolled in and the track got a little bit slower compared to where we were in practice this afternoon,” explained Joiner. “The track was not as grippy but fortunately this is considered my home track, and I’ve logged a lot of hours here. Good Boy Bob Coffee definitely made me go extra fast, it’s a great little perk and pleasure to have around the track. We feel like we are in a good position for the race tomorrow.”

Justin Oakes took his second SGT pole in two 2021 starts – and fourth in four races dating back to the 2020 finale. Oakes, who missed the Road Atlanta race to witness the birth of his first child, ran 1:31.400-seconds in the No. 11 Droneworks Corvette, breaking the track record by five seconds.

“We came from Texas and it was quite a long haul out here,” Oakes said. “This is my first time racing in California and my first time ever at Laguna Seca. The racing with the West Coast drivers has been great. This place is amazing, I love it and I will be back for sure. My son Jackson is three weeks old now, and he’s home with my wife Elaine and are both doing great.”

Lou Gigliotti was second in SGT in the No. 28 G2 Motorsports Park Corvette.

Rob Crocker was the West Coast SGT pole winner, third overall with a time of 1:33.792-seconds in the No. 77 KRYPTAURI Cybersecurity Porsche Cayman. Crocker’s transmission lost fourth gear at Sonoma last weekend, and then it went completely out. He obtained a new transmission, and installed it with the help of John Schweitzer and his team to make this weekend’s race.

“Unfortunately it got colder and a bit overcast today about 30 minutes before qualifying,” said Crocker. “It was kind of like Sonoma where the track conditions really dropped but it got a lot trickier this time around to get some heat into the tires. We kind of played with the setup a little bit to try and compromise that at the last minute, but instead that ended up putting us about a half step back backwards.”

The Trans Am SpeedFest concludes with Sunday’s 100-mile, 45-lap race (with a 75-minute time limit) for the TA, SGT and SGT classes. The event takes the green flag at 1:30 p.m. PT.

Watch the event exclusively on the Trans Am by Pirelli Racing App.

NO BEATING DIXON AS CHAMP WINS, SETS RECORDS AT THE GREAT AMERICAN SPEEDWAY

By
Official Release
-
(Photo by Chris Graythen / Getty Images)
  • New Zealander claims fifth victory, first to go back-to-back at No Limits, Texas
  • Fellow New Zealander Scott McLaughlin second in oval debut

FORT WORTH, Texas (May 1, 2021) – There was a time Scott Dixon wasn’t a big fan of racing at Texas Motor Speedway but you would never know it now as the six-time and reigning NTT INDYCAR SERIES champion earned his second consecutive and fifth overall victory at No Limits, Texas by taking the checkered flag in the Genesys 300.

The New Zealander’s No. 9 Chip Ganassi Racing Honda crossed the finish line 0.2646-of-a-second ahead of fellow Kiwi Scott McLaughlin, the three-time Australian Supercars champion and NTT INDYCAR SERIES rookie who was making his oval track debut in the No. 3 Team Penske Chevrolet. San Antonio resident Patricio “Pato” O’Ward finished third in his No. 5 Arrow McLaren SP Chevrolet.

“It was a bit of a crazy night for us,” Dixon said. “Definitely very tense there at the end. It was kind of cool to be racing a countryman for the last few laps. Fifth win at Texas, baby! That was awesome.

“It feels amazing to be in this position. You just never want it to end. We want to go back-to-back and try to tie Mario tomorrow. I’m sure that’s not exactly what he wants to see. We’ll keep our heads down. It’s extremely tough. This season has been one of the toughest starts, I think, for a lot of us just with how tight the competition is.”

The victory is Dixon’s 51st, putting him just behind Mario Andretti (52) and A.J. Foyt (67) all-time in the series. His fifth Texas Motor Speedway victory breaks a tie with Helio Castroneves for most wins as well as being the first repeat winner in the series’ 33-race history at The Great American Speedway. Dixon’s other three wins came in 2018, 2015 and 2008. The Genesys 300 victory also made it 19 seasons Dixon has earned at least one NTT INDYCAR SERIES victory, breaking a tie with Foyt.

The balance of the top 10 finishers were Alex Palou (No. 10 Chip Ganassi Racing Chevrolet), Graham Rahal (No. 15 Rahal Letterman Lanigan Honda), Josef Newgarden (No. 2 Team Penske Chevrolet), Jack Harvey (No. 60 Meyer Shank Racing Honda), Alexander Rossi (No. 27 Andretti Autosport Honda), Takumo Sato (No. 30 Rahal Letterman Lanigan Honda), and Simon Pagenaud (No. 22 Team Penske Chevrolet).

Damp conditions throughout the morning and early afternoon cancelled qualifying, setting the starting grid based on the entrant point standings. That put Palou on the point, the No. 12 Team Penske Chevrolet of Will Power to his right and Ganassi teammate Dixon directly behind, with the No. 26 Andretti Autosport Honda of Colton Herta on the outside of Row 2.

Palou, who came to Texas with the point lead after two races, led the first two laps before Dixon grabbed the top spot. Dixon maintained a 0.4-of-a-second lead over his teammate after 15 laps and slightly less than that by the time green-flag pit stops began on Lap 53.

The day’s first caution waved just four laps later when Sebastien Bourdais made hard contact with the outside retaining wall after a tap from behind by Newgarden. Newgarden was able to continue but INDYCAR officials deemed the incident to be avoidable and penalized him with a restart at the back of the field.

Dixon continued his run out front before relinquishing the lead back to Palou on Lap 125 during another round of green-flag pit stops. But the No. 9 Honda returned to where it was most comfortable just four laps later.

The evening’s second and final caution slowed the field on Lap 160 when the No. 7 Arrow McLaren SP Chevrolet of Felix Rosenqvist and the No. 29 Andretti Steinbrenner Autosport Honda of James Hinchcliffe made contact in Turn 2, forcing Hinchcliffe hard into the outside wall. It was nearly a mirror image from last year when the two tangled, sending Rosenqvist into the wall and out of the race.

The field returned to green on Lap 175 of 212. McLaughlin lined up directly behind Dixon, with O’Ward and Palou in tow. As the laps counted down, McLaughlin hung tight to the leader but was not able to make a final charge before the checkered flag wave.

There were three lead changes among two drivers and two cautions for 29 laps.

NOTES
NTT INDYCAR SERIES point standings (after three races): Dixon 118, Palou 100, Power 81, O’Ward 80, Harvey 77, McLaughlin 75, Newgarden 75, Pagenaud 74, Rahal 71, Herta 70

Dixon again celebrated the victory in traditional Texas Motor Speedway fashion, wearing a cowboy hat and firing a pair of Smith & Wesson 629 Deluxe six-shooters while accepting the Genesys 300 Foyt Rutherford Trophy produced by Jostens.

Next up on the Texas Motor Speedway schedule is the second race of the NTT INDYCAR SERIES doubleheader weekend, Sunday’s XPEL 375. Live coverage begins May 2 at 4 p.m. CT on NBCSN, The INDYCAR Radio Network and 95.9 The Ranch.

TICKETS:
Tickets for Texas Motor Speedway’s 2021 major event season, including the June 13 NASCAR All-Star Race, are on sale now at http://www.texasmotorspeedway.com.

MORE INFO:
Keep track of all of Texas Motor Speedway’s events by following on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Keep up with all the latest news and information on the speedway website and TMS mobile app.

DGR NCWTS Race Recap: Kansas Speedway

By
Official Release
-

Saturday, May 1
Track: Kansas Speedway, 1.5-mile oval
Event: Wise Power 200 (134 laps, 200 miles)

Hailie Deegan, No. 1 Toter F-150
Start: 20th
Finish: 13th

  • Deegan started the event from the 20th position. 15 laps into Stage 1 Deegan was 18th and reported her Toter F-150 was tight.
  • Deegan completed Stage 1 in 15th and told the crew she just needed the front to turn better mid-corner and off.
  • Deegan started Stage 2 from the 13th spot after receiving service on pit road during the break. On lap 49, the Ford driver reached the top-10.
  • The California native ended Stage 2 10th and earned one bonus point. During the break, Deegan relayed to the crew that her F-150 was neutral.
  • Deegan started the final stage in 12th. With 50 laps to go in the event, the Toter driver was 13th. She was back in 10th on lap 98.
  • On lap 102, Deegan made a scheduled green-flag pit stop for fuel, four tires and adjustments to help loosen her truck up just a tick. After the pit sequence was complete, Deegan was 11th with 15 laps to go.
  • With seven laps to go the caution was displayed while Deegan was in ninth. Deegan stayed out and restarted eighth for the green-white-checkered. However, another caution shortly after the green-flag sent the race into overtime with Deegan 13th. Deegan ultimately finished 13th.
  • Deegan’s 13th-place finish in tonight’s event is her best result of the season and best result at Kansas Speedway.

Tanner Gray, No. 15 Ford Performance F-150
Start: 18th
Finish: 18th

  • Gray started 18th and drove his way up to 14th in the opening five laps. He would gain one additional position throughout the remainder of the stage and would finish Stage 1 in 13th.
  • Crew chief Seth Smith called for a big swing in adjustments with air pressure and trackbar changes in addition to tires and fuel. The No. 15 would line up 12th for the start of Stage 2.
  • Gray moved up one position to 11th throughout the stage and reported that he felt loose on corner entry. The team opted to go back on some adjustments during the stage break and a quick pit stop placed Gray in the eighth position for the restart for the final stage.
  • On the restart, the bottom lane stacked up which caused Gray to fall to 12th on the opening lap. He battled back up to eighth before the final pit stop cycle began and was running sixth on lap 100 when he came down pit road for tires and fuel.
  • A speeding penalty forced Gray to bring his F-150 down pit road again for a passthrough and he would rejoin the field in 31st, two laps down. When the caution flag waved on lap 127, he was back up to 19th, one lap down.
  • Another quick caution pushed the race to overtime and the No. 15 Ford Performance F-150 would start and finish in 18th.

Next event: LiftKits4Less.com 200 at Darlington Raceway in Darlington, South Carolina on May 7 at 7:30 p.m. ET.

DANNY BOUC AND DECKER SWINEHART EARN FIRST TIME VICTORIES IN NASCAR RACES AT GRANDVIEW SPEEDWAY SATURDAY NIGHT

By
Official Release
-

NEXT SATURDAY, MAY 8, IS MOM’S NIGHT WITH A TRIPLEHEADER SHOW

BECHTELSVILLE, PA. May 2, 2021 . . . Both the TP Trailers 358 NASCAR Advance Auto Parts Weekly Series 30-lap Modified feature and the T.P. Truck Equipment 25-lap Sportsman feature had first time winners on Saturday night at Grandview Speedway.

Danny Bouc, who became a regular at the 1/3-mile banked clay oval this season after hooking up with Norm Hansell to pilot his No. 357 in the Modified ranks took the lead for good from Brad Brightbill on the 19th lap and went on to take home the checkered for first first career win. This was quite an improvement over his 27th place finish the previous week. Bouc was very thankful that Norm took a chance on him and he was more than ready to prove that he was up for the challenge.

Sportsman action saw young Decker Swinehart go the top line to take the lead away from Bryan Rhoads with five laps complete and hold that spot until the wave of the checkered to chalk up the victory.

Bouc and Swinehart both received the Dan’s Deli ½-way hoagie award and Swinehart also earned a monetary bonus for being the highest crate engine finisher.

Polesitter Brightbill held the early lead at the onset of the Modified feature and within a matter of laps Brightbill, Eric Biehn and Bouc were engaged in a three-way battle for the lead.

A homestretch tangle that brought out the yellow on the sixth lap eliminated Doug Manmiller, Kevin Graver and Ron Haring Jr. Manmiller took a pretty good jolt into the wall and walked away very slowly under his own power. Brightbill was still in first when action resumed with Bouc giving him no room to falter.

Bouc took over the number one positon on lap eight leaving Brightbill, Biehn, Jack Butler and Timmy Buckwalter, who invaded since his regular Saturday night track didn’t include his division coming from 15th; in pursuit after Bouc checked out.
Lap traffic was on the horizon by the 16th lap while the order continued to be the same. Trying to break into the top five was Craig Von Dohren.

Justin Grim bobbled a bit coming off turn four which set up a chain reaction and Brad Grim became involved and spun for the final yellow on the 17th lap. At the same time Duane Howard went pit side and never returned. On the restart Bouc hesitated enough and that quick Brightbill took advantage of it and pounced back in front. It was short-lived however as one lap later Bouc was first again.

Coming to the front fast was Von Dohren as he was second on lap 22 trailed by Brightbill, Buckwalter and Butler. Waiting in the wings just anticipating a miscue so they could advance positions were point leader Brett Kressley and Jeff Strunk.

In the closing stages Von Dohren came on strong since Bouc was starting to fade, but it wasn’t enough and Bouc went on to score a crowd-pleasing win. Finishing a close second was Von Dohren followed by Buckwalter, Kressley and Strunk. Sixth through tenth were Brightbill, Louden Reimert, Butler and last week’s winner Jared Umbenhauer.

Strunk, Bouc, Umbenhauer and Willman won the four qualifying heats. The consies went to Justin Grim and Jordan Henn.
In Sportsman action Rhoads was the early pacesetter until the fifth lap restart needed when Tyler James, Mark Kemmerer and Mike Laise tangled for the yellow. On the restart Swinehart took to the outside groove and advanced into first.

While Swinehart set the pace, the battle brewed behind him between Cody Schantz, Joey Vaccaro, Rhoads and Ebby Ridge.

At the ½-way point Vaccaro took over second and set sail after Swinehart who had a slight margin built up.

Mike Laise regrouped the pack when he came to a halt on the 21st lap. They were all bumper-to- bunper for the single file restart and Swinehart was still at the head of the pack.

Swinehart never looked back once he was in control until he pulled into the winner’s circle. Chasing him across the finish line were Vaccaro, Rhoads, current point leader Kenny Gilmore and Schantz. Rounding out the top ten were Kyle Smith, Kyle Lilick, Ridge, Brandon Edgar and Lex Shive.

Heats were won by Chris Esposito, Rhoads and Gilmore. Lilick won the consi.

Coming up on Friday, My 7th, at 7 p.m. is Outlaw Racing Series Enduro and Vintage Racing action.

And on Saturday, May 8, 7:30 p.m. the 602 Sportsman Mini-Series returns to action along with the Modifieds and Sportsman. It will be Mom’s Night with the first 50 Moms getting a free gift. The oldest and youngest Mom earns two free race passes. Adult admission is $18.

The East Coast USAC Sprint Cars will be part of a tripleheader show on Saturday, May 15th that will also feature the T.P.Trailers Modifieds and T.P.Truck Equipment Sportsman. Adult admission will be $25 while youngsters 11 and under pay $5.

Information can be found at www.grandviewspeedway.com, Facebook or telephone 610.754.7688.

RACE RESULTS

T.P. Trailers Modified Feature (30-laps): 1. Danny Bouc, 2. Craig Von Dohren, 3. Timmy Buckwalter, 4. Brett Kressley, 5. Jeff Strunk, 6. Brad Brightbill, 7. Louden Reimert, 8. Jack Butler, 9. Jared Umbenhauer, 10. Kyle Weiss, 11. Dillon Steuer, 12. Eric Biehn, 13. Ryan Grim, 14. John Willman, 15. Brad Arnold, 16. Jordan Henn, 17. Justin Grim, 18. Nate Brinker, 19. Ron Kline, 20. Cory Merkel, 21. Richie Hitzler, 22. Duane Howard, 23. Brad Grim, 24. Brett Gilmore (alternate), 25. Dylan Swinehart, 26. Doug Manmiller, 27. Kevin Graver, 28. Ron Haring Jr. DNS: Craig Whitmoyer. DNQ: Bobby Gunther-Walsh, Carroll Hine III, Mark Kratz, Darren Schuler, Jesse Leiby and Glenn Owens.

T.P. Truck Equipment Sportsman Feature (25-laps): 1. Decker Swinehart, 2. Joey Vaccaro, 3. Bryan Rhoads, 4. Kenny Gilmore, 5. Cody Schantz, 6. Kyle Smith, 7. Kyle Lilick, 8. Ebby Ridge, 9. Brandon Edgar, 10. Lex Shive, 11. Dylan Hoch, 12. Dakota Kohler, 13. Jimmy Leiby, 14. Ryan Beltz, 15. Mark Ke

CHEVROLET NTT INDYCAR SERIES: TEXAS MOTOR SPEEDWAY DOUBLEHEADER RACE ONE – SCOTT MCLAUGHLIN AND PATO O’WARD SCORE DOUBLE FINISHES FOR CHEVY RACE ONE

By
Official Release
-

CHEVROLET RACING IN NTT INDYCAR SERIES
GENESYS 300 AND XPEL 375 – DOUBLEHEADER WEEKEND
TEXAS MOTOR SPEEDWAY
FORT WORTH, TEXAS
RACE RECAP
MAY 1, 2021

SCOTT MCLAUGHLIN, PATO O’WARD PUT CHEVY ON PODIUM
Young stars continue to make major gains early in the season

FORT WORTH, Texas (May 1, 2021) – Chevrolet drivers recorded second- and third-place finishes in the Genesys 300 at Texas Motor Speedway – the first race of an NTT INDYCAR SERIES doubleheader on the fast 1.455 oval.

Eleven Team Chevy drivers will line up May 2 for the XPEL 375.

Scott McLaughlin made his Series debut on an oval memorable with a runner-up finish in the No. 3 PP Team Penske Chevrolet after starting 15th in the 24-car field based on championship entrant points after weather delays forced cancellation of NTT P1 Award qualifications.

The first-year NTT INDYCAR SERIES driver, making his third start overall, had a 90-minute practice session earlier in the day and a March 31 test on the asymmetrical racetrack. Powered by the 2.2-liter, twin-turbocharged, direct-injected V6 Chevrolet engine, McLaughlin finished .2646 of a second behind winner Scott Dixon.

Pato O’Ward, who started 11th in the No. 5 Arrow McLaren SP Chevrolet, recorded his second top-five finish in three races with third place as he approaches his 22nd birthday May 6.

Josef Newgarden, a two-time winner at Texas Motor Speedway, was in contention for the victory until he received a penalty for unavoidable contact on Lap 70 that sent the No. 2 XPEL Team Penske Chevrolet to the rear of the field on the restart of the race. Still, Newgarden rallied to a sixth-place finish.

Teammate Simon Pagenaud completed the Team Chevy top 10 with 10th place in the No. 22 Menards Team Penske Chevrolet.

NBCSN will telecast the XPEL 375 live at 5 p.m. ET. The race will also be broadcast live on INDYCAR Radio Network affiliates, Sirius 211, XM 205, Indycar.com, and on the INDYCAR Mobile app powered by NTT DATA.

TEAM CHEVY RACE 1 FINISHERS:

  1. Scott McLaughlin, No. 3 PPG Team Penske
  2. Pato O’Ward, No. 5 Arrow McLaren SP
  3. Josef Newgarden, No. 2 XPEL Team Penske
  4. Simon Pagenaud, No. 22 Menards Team Penske
  5. Felix Rosenqvist, No. 7 Vuse Arrow McLaren SP
  6. Will Power, No. 12 Verizon 5G Team Penske
  7. Ed Carpenter, No. 20 U.S. Air Force
  8. Dalton Kellett, No. 4 K-Line Insulators/AJ Foyt Racing
  9. Rinus VeeKay, No. 21 Sonax/Autogeek
  10. Conor Daly, No. 59 Gallagher Carlin
  11. Sebastien Bourdais, No. 14 ROKiT/AJ Foyt Racing

DRIVER QUOTES:
SCOTT MCLAUGHLIN, NO. 3 PPG TEAM PENSKE – FINISHED 2ND
HOW PROUD OF SECOND PLACE ARE YOU TODAY?
“I’ve never been this bloody happy with second. I’m really stoked. Everyone at PPG and Chevy, thank you. I just didn’t have enough for Scott (Dixon) at the end. It was bloody cool battling with one of my all-time heroes. Two Kiwis 1 and 2, fantastic.”

DID YOU HAVE TO SNAP OUT OF IT WHEN YOU WERE CHASING THE OTHER SCOTT?
“I’m just so proud. I’ve worked really hard behind the scenes to make it feel good, and we got some good strategy there from my team. They put me in a position; I’m just happy to bring it home for them.”

COUPLE OF THINGS IN THE BACK OF YOUR MIND YOU MIGHT HAVE TRIED DIFFERENTLY AGAINST DIXON?
“I was trying really hard but it’s so hard in dirty air. I was hoping there would be some traffic toward the end and I could have a run. I was really good through (Turns) 3 and 4, but I just couldn’t get through 1 and 2. P2 is good and we’ll get a win one day.

“So many thanks! That guy in front of me, Scott Dixon, is a legend in this sport and a fellow countryman. It was very special for me and for New Zealand. Very proud of everyone at Team Penske, PPG and Chevy for giving me a very good engine. I couldn’t quite get there at the end but I’ve never been this happy with a second place. The testing really paid off. Just getting familiar and getting a feeling for everything. My engineers got me to the point where I am comfortable. I’m really proud of everyone on this PPG Chevy. We had a really great strategy. I can hardly wait until tomorrow!”

PATO O’WARD, NO. 5 ARROW MCLAREN SP – FINISHED 3RD
YOUR STRATEGIST MADE THE CALL TO SHORT-PIT EARLY ON. IS THAT WHAT GOT YOU ON THE PODIUM?
“That was the call. I knew we had such a fast car, especially by ourselves. And I knew if we could get in clean air we could really make up some track position. In the beginning, we were just really stuck in a train. It’s very tough to pass. But what a great race car. We’re ready for tomorrow. I want to thank Arrow Electronics, Vuse, Team Chevy and the Arrow McLaren SP No. 5 guys. This is a very good step in the right direction. There are a couple more positions we want to get, but this should really put us tomorrow in a better starting position than what we started today.”

A STEP IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION IN TERMS OF OVALS OR OVERALL?
“In terms of ovals and overall. We bounced back after a pretty tough weekend in St. Pete, so we want to come back tomorrow and try to do better and roll into the Month of May for the Indy road course and the crown jewel of the schedule.”
WHAT WILL YOU THINK ABOUT FOR TOMORROW? WERE THE VIBRATIONS A CONVERN FOR YOU AT ALL?
“It was at the end. I didn’t quite have anything for McLaughlin and Dixon. They were very quick. I didn’t want to risk anything. I started getting a little wiggly and were getting some temperature issues for I just said let’s take this and we’ll come back tomorrow and see what we got.

“This Arrow McLaren SP group made my life so much easier with that off strategy call. It really paid off for us. The car changed quite a bit during the race. Towards the end we had some issues with temps so we didn’t have quite enough for both Scotts there at the end. These guys did a great job of getting us up there. Chevy worked hard. We should have a way better starting place tomorrow which will be good. We have a fast car.”

JOSEF NEWGARDEN, NO. 2 XPEL TEAM PENSKE CHEVROLET, FINISHED 6TH: “Tough night here in Texas for Race one. We recovered to finish in sixth place. Kind of a scrappy day. We started 10th. Made our way back up to finish sixth at the end of the day. . Had a minor altercation with a couple of cars running one-two. Big check-up. Unfortunately right now here at Texas to move out of that bottom lane. It is really a one lane race track right now. When there is a big checkup like that, I didn’t have time to react and ended up tapping Bourdais and spinning him. Got a penalty for that and went all the back-I think 21st. It was unfortunate to lose all that track position, I was going to restart fifth. We did every thing we could do to claw back to sixth. Pretty happy for that for XPEL and Chevy. We learned from our teammates. Great job for Scotty finishing second. We will look at what they have on their car and come back tomorrow and try to win it.”

SIMON PAGENAUD, NO. 22 MENARDS TEAM PENSKE CHEVROLET, FINISHED 10TH: “P10 tonight here in Texas. Considering the day, I think P10 is reasonable. We had a very fast car with our Chevy Menards car tonight. We had excessive vibration on tires which didn’t allow us to do long stints. We had an issue with a brake that we will have to investigate tonight. We have a fast car so we should expect to be back in form tomorrow.:

SEBASTIEN BOURDAID, NO. 14 ROKIT AJ FOYT RACING CHEVROLET, RETIRED FROM RACE ON LAP 55 AFTER BEING INVOLVED IN A SINGLE CAR INCIDENT, FINISHED 24TH:
“I am just disappointed I guess. We struggled like hell here at testing, and this afternoon really wasn’t any better. We just threw everything we had at it and it was working! We had a pretty decent car and the ROKIT No. 14 Chevrolet was in the mix. We were fast and I passed. I think that was the first time I passed. I was pretty happy. A lot of guys were starting to run out of tires, we were too. I don’t know why Colton (Herta) decided to go so slow out of two, but we ended up on top of one another. I was slowing down with him. I got hit in the back and it took me out. It’s a real shame because I think we had something to play with them today. I’m okay. Just a really bad break for our ROKIT No. 14 Chevrolet. It is such a shame. A missed opportunity. There was chain reaction and we got the short end of it.”

About Chevrolet
Founded in 1911 in Detroit, Chevrolet is now one of the world’s largest car brands, available in 75 countries with nearly 4 million cars and trucks sold in 2019. 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 www.chevrolet.com.

Dixon Dominates in Kiwi 1-2 at Texas; McLaughlin Second

By
Official Release
-

FORT WORTH, Texas (Saturday, May 1, 2021) – Scott Dixon schooled the rest of the Genesys 300 field in an oval-racing clinic Saturday night at Texas Motor Speedway, leading a race-record 206 of 212 laps for his first victory of the 2021 NTT INDYCAR SERIES season.

Dixon drove the No. 9 PNC Bank Chip Ganassi Racing Honda to victory by .2646 of a second over fellow New Zealand native Scott McLaughlin in the No. 3 PPG Team Penske Chevrolet, who was racing on an oval for the first time. Pato O’Ward finished third in the No. 5 Arrow McLaren SP Chevrolet.

“It was a bit of a crazy night for us,” Dixon said. “Definitely very tense there at the end. It was kind of cool to be racing a countryman for the last few laps. Fifth win at Texas, baby! That was awesome.”

This was the 51st victory of the legendary career of six-time NTT INDYCAR SERIES champion Dixon, just one behind tying Mario Andretti for No. 2 on the all-time win list. A.J. Foyt leads with 67 wins.

“It feels amazing to be in this position,” Dixon said. “You just never want it to end. We want to go back-to-back and try to tie Mario tomorrow. I’m sure that’s not exactly what he wants to see. We’ll keep our heads down. It’s extremely tough. This season has been one of the toughest starts, I think, for a lot of us just with how tight the competition is.”

The victory also marks Dixon’s 19th INDYCAR SERIES season with at least one victory. He also took the series points lead with his third victory in the last four seasons at the 1.5-mile oval.

NTT INDYCAR SERIES drivers and teams will race again Sunday evening at Texas in the XPEL 375, a 248-lap race. Live coverage starts at 5 p.m. (ET) on NBCSN and the INDYCAR Radio Network.

Dixon, who started second, held a comfortable lead of three to five seconds at various points during the race, which went the distance despite rain in the Dallas-Fort Worth area. But McLaughlin applied plenty of pressure over the last stint of the race after the final pit stops for most of the field under caution on Lap 165.

Three-time Australian V8 Supercars champion McLaughlin showed the composure and tactical sense of an oval racing veteran in his first race of only left turns, staying within about half a second of Dixon during the closing laps.

Dixon approached lap traffic with two laps to go, with the turbulent air from those cars slowing his charge toward the checkered. But he held off McLaughlin long enough for victory, averaging 173.036 mph.

“I have this thing on the dash that tells me the gaps to cars,” said Dixon, 40. “I probably need to take it off because it was stressing me out more than anything. I kept looking down, looking in the mirror. He was fast.”

Said McLaughlin, 27: “I’ve never been this bloody happy to finish second in my life. I’m really stoked. I just couldn’t get Scotty (Dixon) there at the end. But I’ll tell you what: It was bloody cool battling with my all-time favorite hero, Scotty Dixon. Two Kiwis, one and two. My Mom and Dad are watching at home (in New Zealand), for sure.”

It was a night of mixed results for the winners of the first two races of the season.

Alex Palou, winner of the season opener April 18 at Barber Motorsports Park, finished fourth in the No. 10 NTT DATA Chip Ganassi Racing Honda after starting from the pole when qualifying for the NTT P1 Award was canceled due to weather delays earlier in the day.

Colton Herta, winner April 25 at St. Petersburg, placed 22nd after a mechanical problem in his No. 26 Gainbridge Honda ended his night after completing 190 laps.

Sebastien Bourdais and James Hinchcliffe were unhurt in separate accidents that triggered the only two caution periods of the race.

Four-time INDYCAR SERIES champion Bourdais hit the SAFER Barrier hard in Turn 2 in the No. 14 ROKiT AJ Foyt Racing Chevrolet after he was nudged into a spin by contact from the No. 2 XPEL Team Penske Chevrolet of two-time series champion Josef Newgarden on Lap 56. Newgarden was moved to the back of the lead lap on the restart as a penalty for the contact.

Hinchcliffe made contact with the SAFER Barrier in Turn 2 after spinning on Lap 160 in the No. 29 Genesys Honda.

Toyota Racing NCWTS Post-Race Recap — Kansas 5.1.21

By
Official Release
-

KYLE BUSCH BATTLES TO TAKE HIS TUNDRA TO VICTORY LANE AT KANSAS
Toyota scores seventh consecutive win in the 2021 Truck Series season

KANSAS CITY, Kan. (May 1, 2021) – Kyle Busch scored his 61st NASCAR Camping World Truck Series (NCWTS) victory in Friday night’s race at Kansas Speedway. Tundra drivers Austin Hill (third), Christian Eckes (fourth) and John Hunter Nemechek (fifth) also finished inside the top five. Tonight’s win marks the fifth for Kyle Busch Motorsports in 2021 and seventh consecutive for Toyota.

Toyota Racing Post-Race Recap
NASCAR Camping World Truck Series
Kansas Speedway
Race 7 of 23 – 150 Laps, 225 Miles

TOYOTA FINISHING POSITIONS
1st, KYLE BUSCH
2nd, Ross Chastain*
3rd, AUSTIN HILL
4th, CHRISTIAN ECKES
5th, JOHN HUNTER NEMECHEK
9th, JOHNNY SAUTER
10th, BEN RHODES
11th, CHANDLER SMITH
14th, STEWART FRIESEN
17th, GRANT ENFINGER
24th, MATT CRAFTON
26th, DANNY BOHN
28th, DEREK KRAUS
29th, SPENCER DAVIS
*non-Toyota driver

TOYOTA QUOTES

KYLE BUSCH, No. 51 Cessna Toyota Tundra, Kyle Busch Motorsports
Finishing Position: 1st

How difficult was the final restart with the issues you were feeling in the truck?

“No restarts actually went our way tonight. I was shocked. We definitely missed something, just being able to come up through the gears and get going. It would not go. It’s just slow. Those guys would just swarm us. I think we saw it on one of the restarts with the 4 (John Hunter Nemechek) truck too, he got run over. All in all though great job by KBM (Kyle Busch Motorsports), everybody at Toyota and TRD (Toyota Racing Development), this Cessna Beechcraft Tundra was awesome tonight. It’s so cool to win here in front of Cessna’s hometown. I’m sure there’s some Cessna folks up in the grandstands tonight cheering us on. We’re appreciative of them and Rowdy Energy and everybody that helps us get here. Incredible Bank, I know they’re here on the backstretch tonight. Brexton races tomorrow, so he better bring home a win like I brought home a win. Hopefully he can do it, hopefully we can do it. I just want to say hi to my family back home.”

Can you take us through the final restart for the win?

“All the restarts were hectic for us. Any time we started on the front row, we would always go backwards. It just would not fire on the restarts for whatever reason. We definitely had a really good, strong long run truck. The guys at KBM (Kyle Busch Motorsports), Toyota, TRD (Toyota Racing Development) – this Cessna Beechcraft Tundra was awesome on the long runs. Those restarts were just not for us. We made it work on that last one. The last one, I was fourth in line – got a little bit of a bump from Todd (Gilliland) and got three-wide. I don’t know what else happened after that, but it was just trying to go where they weren’t by that point and get ourselves back up front. I knew when that caution came out, it was definitely not going to be easy. I hated that we saw that caution, but put on a heck of a show for all the fans.”

How much did the track change during this race?

“It changed a ton, oh my gosh. The ARCA rubber that was down early on and us burning that off and then rubbering in the top and then how the whole groove and the whole race track kind of changed. It felt like there was some slick spots out there and some grippy spots out there. Hopefully I can use that to my advantage for tomorrow and figure out how to run good and how to get a good finish here tomorrow and looking forward to my M&M’s Camry.”

What kind of a statement is this for another victory for Kyle Busch Motorsports?

“I saw the 4 (John Hunter Nemechek) truck on my inside on the restart in one and two and I was like, ‘damn, he’s already here.’ I thought he was going to come with us right there at the finish, but I don’t know what happened to those guys. Overall, just a real strong year for us so far at KBM. This is a pleasure year so far. It’s cool to have John Hunter, we really lean on each other a lot. We’re trying to get Chandler (Smith) up there a little more and get him going a little bit better. The restarts for all of our trucks tonight certainly weren’t going to help him out. We’ve got some work to do. We’re still not the best.”

AUSTIN HILL, No. 16 Gunma Toyopet Toyota Tundra, Hattori Racing Enterprises
Finishing Position: 3rd

What could you have done any different there at the end?

“Man I don’t know, our Gumma Toyopet Toyota Tundra was really good tonight. We still needed to work on it and make it a little better. I thought I did everything right on that restart, thew it on the apron saw (Ross) Chastain go up to block whoever was coming on his outside and got beside him. From then on it was a drag race, I was wide open through the whole green-white-checkered. He held me so tight down in the corner it drug both of us back, I wish he would have side-drafted me and went up and blocked Kyle (Busch) off of four. That way maybe me and him could’ve battled it out for the win, I don’t know. Kyle might have still crossed us over and won the race. It’s a good finish, finishing third like we did today with everythign we had going on. We had engine issues, we had stuff going on. We didn’t completely get it fixed, so restarts I couldn’t get through the gears very well. I had a lot of vibration tonight, but to come home with a solid p-three is good. I want to win so bad, so it’s just really frustrating right now.”

What were you dealing with throughout the race?

“We really didn’t diagnose completely what the issue was, but we had a really good, solid Gunma Toyopet Toyota Tundra all night. Needed to work on it to be able to win the race. After the second stage, it started cutting in and out on me. Just wasn’t running right so we came in, checked all the plugs, checked everything, I reset the main switch and all that. We didn’t find anything and I reset the main switch and went back out. It seemed okay, but it still wasn’t that great getting through the gears. That last restart, I’m glad I got a push from whoever was behind me because it was so sluggish on the restarts and that whole last green-white-checkered, I was wide open. Just wasn’t lifting. I had Ross (Chastain) really tight on my door sucking both of us back. That’s all I had. I wish he would have went up and kind of blocked Kyle (Busch) so we could race each other, but it is what it is. Solid effort to come back and finish where we did. Just stings, I want to win.”

CHRISTIAN ECKES, No. 98 Curb Records Toyota Tundra, ThorSport Racing
Finishing Position: 4th

How important is it for you to get back in the truck and get a top-five finish?

“It’s super important. Today was really an up and down day. Luckily, we recovered really well there at the end. We made a little bit of a gutsy pit call and we really just fought balance all day. We changed a couple things and I felt like we got our balance pretty good and we came down and put two lefts on and the thing was a rocketship there for two laps. I wish we had another caution because maybe we would have had something for Kyle (Busch). Like I said, I just can’t believe how fast the thing was, especially with how much we struggled throughout the day. All of the sudden, it went. Can’t be prouder of my guys at ThorSport. Just really looking forward to CoTA (Circuit of the Americas) next for me.”

Can you describe what the restarts were like?

“Crazy. That last one was really crazy. I think I made contact with the 18 (Chandler Smith). I looked over and there were three cars ahead of me and there was one on the inside of me so I’m pretty sure we were five-wide through the tri-oval. I don’t know how we made it and didn’t crash. Hopefully, that was a fun race for the fans because it was a fun one for us drivers.”

JOHN HUNTER NEMECHEK, No. 4 Mobil 1 Toyota Tundra, Kyle Busch Motorsports
Finishing Position: 5th

What more did you need to battle with Kyle Busch?

“We were just too loose all night. I couldn’t fire off and didn’t have any short run speed. I figured that I had really good mid-run speed compared to Kyle (Busch) and he definitely had the long run speed. Takeaways, positive day. If a bad day for us is fifth, then we’re doing pretty good. We came down and gambled there with the second-to-last caution. I trusted Eric (Phillips, crew chief). We have two wins so why not gamble and try to go get a third. It almost worked out. If we hadn’t gotten sandwiched on that last restart, I think we would have been in pretty good shape being one of the first guys on tires there. Oh well, solid day here in Kansas. Still the points leader and still moving forward. The Mobil 1 Toyota Tundra was fast, just needed a little bit more.”

About Toyota

Toyota (NYSE:TM) has been a part of the cultural fabric in the U.S. and North America for more than 60 years, and is committed to advancing sustainable, next-generation mobility through our Toyota and Lexus brands. During that time, Toyota has created a tremendous value chain as our teams have contributed to world-class design, engineering, and assembly of more than 40 million cars and trucks in North America, where we have 14 manufacturing plants, 15 including our joint venture in Alabama (10 in the U.S.), and directly employ more than 47,000 people (over 36,000 in the U.S.). Our 1,800 North American dealerships (nearly 1,500 in the U.S.) sold nearly 2.8 million cars and trucks (nearly 2.4 million in the U.S.) in 2019.

Through the 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.

1...2,5872,5882,589...6,758Page 2,588 of 6,758