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Matos Magic in Monterey, Takes Trans Am TA2® Win

By
Official Release
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Tim Lynn victorious in Trans Am West Coast Championship at WeatherTech Raceway

MONTEREY, CA (1 May 2021) – After losing out on the MOTUL pole in the closing moments of Friday’s qualifying session, Rafa Matos was not to be denied in Saturday’s Trans Am SpeedFest TA2® race at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca. (Race Recap Video)

Matos, driving the No. 88 3-Dimensional Services Ford Mustang, passed local favorite Thomas Merrill to the inside in Turn 11 to take the lead on the 10th lap, and fended off several challenges to score his 11th career victory in the highly competitive Trans Am Series presented by Pirelli TA2 ® event. The pass for victory earned Matos the ChillOut Move of the Race.

The 2020 Champion Mike Skeen finished second, with Merrill adding to his career count of Laguna Seca podiums with a run to third place.

In a wild Trans Am West Coast Championship race, Tim Lynn took the victory with a last-lap pass in the No. 17 Roof Options Ford Mustang. He placed 12th overall in the 33-car field, which included 16 West Coast competitors.

The drama continued past the checkered flag, as Matos’ Mustang belched smoke in victory lane after having engine issues in the final laps of the race.

“The last five laps, the water temperature started rising and the oil temperature got to 380,” Matos said. “I started losing power, and I saw Mike Skeen catching me. So I just put my head down and I had a big enough gap. Fortunately, I saved some of my tires and I was able to push in the corners.

“I was racing against two champions out there, these guys (Skeen and Merrill) are world class drivers, I have a lot of respect for them and they raced me hard and clean,” added Matos. “This is a very emotional win for us. We are honoring my cousin Mariana on the car. She passed away last month of COVID. This is my 11th Trans Am win, 10th win with Peterson Racing Group, hats off to the whole team. This is my first win at Laguna Seca, I love this place. Today was a good day.”

Defending TA2® champ Skeen squeezed by Merrill in the Corkscrew in the No. 1 Liqui Moly/Turn 14 Distribution Chevrolet Camaro in the closing laps to take second,1.409-seconds back.

“We got off to a great start in this Liqui-Moly Turn 14 Distribution Camaro,” said Skeen. “The Stevens-Miller Racing guys have been working really hard this weekend to make some strides to make the car go quicker. Fortunately we put the car on the pole and got some points for that. We tried to take it easy at the beginning to save the car for the end but looks like we saved just a little too much because we didn’t have quite enough to catch Rafa (Matos) at the end. I’m happy to be up here, it was a good weekend for us.”

Merrill, a resident of nearby Salinas, drove from third to the lead on the opening lap, slipping past Motul Pole Award winner Skeen. He made several runs at Matos but came up short each time in the No. 81 HP Tuners/Mike Cope Race Cars Ford Mustang. With his tires starting to fade, he fell back to finish third, 8.284-seconds back.

“It feels good to race at home, especially in front of my family and friends,” Merrill said. “It’s always a pleasure running this Mike Cope chassis. We got off to a great start, we were cruising there and the beginning. Then these guys (Mike Skeen and Rafa Matos) turned it up a notch. They really took off at the end.”

The race was slowed by three caution flags for various spins on the way to the 75-minute race time.

Ed Sevadjian backed up his impressive fourth-place qualifying run by finishing in that position in the No. 38 Big Machine Vodka Chevrolet Camaro – missing his career best finish by one position. He managed to hold off rising star Sam Mayer over the closing laps. Mayer, driving the No. 8 M1-SLR/Fields Camaro, came back from an off-course excursion exiting Turn 6 midway through the race to place fifth.

Double-duty driver Ken Thwaits took the Masters award in his TA2® debut, placing 17th overall in the No. 71 Franklin Road Apparel Dodge Challenger. He used the race in preparation for the upcoming TA2® race in Nashville. Thwaits, the 2020 XGT titlist, will also compete in Sunday’s Trans Am event.

In the West Coast Championship competition, fast-closing Lynn passed Brad McAllister on the final lap to take West Coast Championship honors. Brad McAllister – the 2019 Laguna Seca West Coast TA2® winner – placed second in the No. 24 PortlandImplantDentistry.com Ford Mustang, while Jeff Holden completed the podium in the No. 11 Joe’s Racing/M1 Chevrolet Camaro.

Carl Rydquist, the defending West Coast champion, dominated the class in the No. 47 Racecars4Rent/Group Wholesale Ford Mustang, but spun late in the race and finished fifth.
Connor Mosack ran with the leaders early in the race before a drive through the dirt in the Corkscrew sent the No. 28 Nic Tailor/FS M1-SLR/Fields Camaro through the pits. He returned to run with the leaders, although a lap down, and finished 23rd.

TA2® newcomer Adrian Wlostowski ran in the top 10 in the No. 3 Hawk Performance/FA.S.T. Auto Camaro before exiting with mechanical issues.

The TA, XGT. SGT and GT class competitors qualify Saturday at 4:55 p.m. PT. The combined-class race is set for 45 laps (with a 75-minute time limit) on Sunday at 1:30 p.m. PT.

The national Trans Am Series presented by Pirelli next travels to Connecticut’s Berkshire Hills for Lime Rock Park’s traditional Memorial Day weekend. The next TA2 ® race will be at scenic Lime Rock Park as part of the traditional Memorial Day weekend, running on Monday at 1:15 p.m. ET. The TA/XGT/SGT/GT competitors race on Saturday at 1:20 p.m. ET.

The West Coast Championship will have one weekend off before returning to action at Thunderhill Raceway Park May 14-16.

*Report based on Provisional Results

Meyer Shank Racing Takes Seventh in Texas Race One

By
Official Release
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Harvey advances to fifth in INDYCAR Championship following Saturday’s result

Fort Worth, Texas (1 May 2021) – Jack Harvey showed impressive pace on Saturday for Race 1 of the INDYCAR weekend at Texas Motor Speedway. A seventh place finish in the Genesys 300 advanced Meyer Shank Racing and the No. 60 AutoNation / SiriusXM Honda to fifth in the championship points standings with three rounds of racing in the books.

Quick weekends at Texas Motor Speedway seem to be the trend since Meyer Shank Racing and Harvey made his debut at the 1.5-mile oval last year. What was supposed to be Practice, Qualifying and Race 1 on Saturday soon turned to just a single practice session ahead of Race 1 due to a potential weather system threatening the area.

Closing out a 90-minute practice session on Saturday afternoon P15, the focus quickly turned to preparing the No. 60 Honda for the Genesys 300. With qualifying cancelled and now determined by championship points, Harvey rolled off of the grid sixth for the start of the race.

At the drop of the green flag, Harvey got a strong jump and made a fast pass for fifth. It only took the first 10 laps for Harvey to start gaining ground on fourth place. As the first pit window started closing in, Harvey was hot on the tails of P4. At a track that is notoriously difficult to pass at, Harvey made the pass for third and ran in podium contention going into the first pit stop on lap 64.

Harvey ran strong as the team opted to stay out longer going into the second pit stop in hopes of gaining additional positions. Unfortunately, the No. 60 fell to eighth following the second stop, but Harvey put his head down and moved back up to seventh just a few laps later.

The final stop saw the MSR crew make a lightning quick stop which put Harvey two positions ahead once returning to track. The final 25 laps were a dash to the finish which, in the end, saw Harvey cross the line seventh. The top ten result puts Harvey fifth in the championship standings which is also where he will start Sunday’s XPEL 375.

“I thought today went really well, at times we looked really good and at others I think we had some things to work through,” said Harvey. “We had a small issue with the shift lights in the car, so restarts were a bit tricky. The No. 60 AutoNation / SiriusXM Honda is pretty quick around here. The biggest thing for us is the level of improvement compared to a year ago, it’s just massive. I’m so grateful for Meyer Shank Racing and the effort they put in and now we’ll just try to do better tomorrow.”

Race 2 for the Texas Motor Speedway double-header race weekend is set for 6:00pm ET on Sunday with live coverage on NBCSN. IndyCar Radio coverage will also be on SiriusXM Ch. 205.

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

By
Official Release
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CHEVROLET RACING IN NTT INDYCAR SERIES
GENESYS 300 AND XPEL 375 – DOUBLEHEADER WEEKEND
TEXAS MOTOR SPEEDWAY
FORT WORTH, TEXAS
PODIUM FINISHERS -SCOTT MCLAUGHLIN AND PATO O’WARD
MAY 1, 2021

SCOTT MCLAUGHLN, NO. 3 PPG TEAM PENSKE CHEVROLET, ROOKIE-OF-THE-YEAR CONTENDER, AND PATO O’WARD, NO. 5 ARROW MCLAREN SP CHEVROLET, FINISHED SECOND AND THIRD RESPECTIVELY TO GIVE CHEVROLET DOUBLE PODIUM:

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.”

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.

Kyle Busch comes out on top at Kansas after wild overtime attempts

By
SM Staff
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Photo by Ron Olds for SpeedwayMedia.com.

Kyle Busch took the checkered flag at Kansas Speedway after multiple attempts in NASCAR Overtime. It would be Busch’s 61st win in the Camping World Truck Series and also marks the fifth win for Kyle Busch Motorsports in 2021.

“It’s pretty awesome, we had some great accomplishments as a team.” Busch stated. “It’s just a true team effort and a testament to everybody at Kyle Busch Motorsports. It’s fun to have the opportunities with running for my own trucks and going out there and be able to put on good shows, good finishes, good races, and work with some good talented people.”

Stages 30/30/74 would make up the 134 lap event, with John Hunter Nemechek on the pole.

Stage 1: Laps 1-30

Nemechek and teammate Busch would take the green flag. A good portion of the Top 10 would go three-wide, with Todd Gilliland one of the drivers to fall backward at the start.

Sheldon Creed would launch himself up to second while Ben Rhodes, Matt Crafton, and Austin Hill challenge Busch for third. A few laps later Busch would have a run off of Turn 2, and use it to breeze past Rhodes for third.

Creed took away the lead from Nemechek as he would pass the No. 4 down the inside into Turn 1. Nemechek would try and fight back for the lead but would get loose off Turn 2, losing out to Busch as he would drop to third.

Busch’s No. 51 would come to life as he made a pass on the bottom of Creed’s No. 2, placing him back to the front. Nemechek would quickly dispose of Creed, making it a Kyle Busch Motorsports 1-2.

The No. 51 would take the first stage, with Nemechek behind Busch. Creed, Rhodes, Crafton, Austin Hill, Stewart Friesen, Todd Gilliland, Derek Kraus and Ross Chastain would be the Top 10.

Stage 2: Laps 38-60

Busch led on the restart but it was Creed that would muscle his way to the front shortly afterward.

A few laps later Busch would run down the No. 2 and reclaim the race lead.

On Lap 43 Chase Purdy would have a big moment, sliding his truck. The No. 23 would keep it straight, however, and the race stayed green.

Busch would take the Stage 2 win, sweeping both stages. Nemechek again would be in second, while Creed, Austin Hill and Zane Smith would round out the Top 5. Friesen, Kraus, Rhodes, Gilliland, and Hailie Deegan would rack up the Top 10.

Nemechek would beat Busch off pit road during the stage break to lead on the restart.

Final Stage: Laps 67-140

As the field bunched up to start the final stage, Nemechek would lead the field down, with Creed battling the No. 4. Teammate Busch would make a three-wide pass on the inside of both Nemechek and Creed, and would take the lead immediately.

A caution would fly as Carson Hocevar nearly spun out battling with Christian Eckes. He would save it but the yellow flag would fly.

The leaders would stay out on the track, but Johnny Sauter would come down pit road to make some big swings to his No. 13.

A majority of the front runners would swarm Busch on the next restart, as he would get in a four-wide situation with the other drivers. Creed would come out on top with teammate Smith right behind him.

On Lap 97, Nemechek would run down Creed and take the lead away. Smith would bring his truck down pit road as green flag pit stops began.

Tyler Ankrum would have troubles as he would go around, but no caution would fly, dropping the No. 26 down in the running order.

Busch’s truck would come to life as he closed in on the front two of Creed and Nemechek with a three-wise pass for the first position. Shortly afterward, the leaders, one-by-one, would come down pit road.

With 17 to go Creed hit the Turn 1 wall due to his right front tire going down. A lap later Sauter would pit from the lead, bringing Busch back up to the front.

The yellow flag would fly with seven laps to go, bunching the field up. Jennifer Jo Cobb’s truck stalled on the track, bringing out the yellow. This would lead to NASCAR Overtime. Rhodes brought his car down pit road for fresh tires, as well as Deegan.

Busch and Chastain led the field to green. Rhodes made it three-wide with Busch and Chastain, who would come out on top with a pass to the bottom. However, there would be trouble behind them as Friesen went for a spin off of Turn 2, and collecting Kraus and knocking the two out of contention.

Chastain and Smith would lead for another attempt at overtime. Smith would try to block Busch but would force the No. 51 up against the outside wall as the field flocked to three to four-wide racing. Many drivers would experience several tire rubs on their trucks, but everyone would keep it clean as the leaders fought it out.

Hill and Chastain would duke it out for the lead, and Busch would make it three-wide for the lead as they got to the final lap. Busch’s No. 51 would breeze by Chastain and Hill, running away from the two drivers to claim the victory at Kansas.

There were 36 lead changes among seven different drivers.

The Camping World Truck Series heads to Darlington Raceway for the LiftKits4Less.com 200 on Friday, May 7 at 7:30 PM ET. Coverage will be on FOX Sports 1 and MRN Radio for 147 laps of action.

Results:

  1. Kyle Busch, Stage 1 and 2 winner, 59 laps led
  2. Ross Chastain, six laps led
  3. Austin Hill
  4. Christian Eckes, three laps led
  5. John Hunter Nemechek, 16 laps led
  6. Todd Gilliland
  7. Zane Smith
  8. Raphael Lessard
  9. Johnny Sauter, 13 laps led
  10. Ben Rhodes, two laps led
  11. Chandler Smith
  12. Bayley Currey
  13. Hailie Deegan
  14. Stewart Friesen
  15. Tyler Ankrum
  16. Austin Wayne Self
  17. Grant Enfinger
  18. Tanner Gray
  19. Chase Briscoe
  20. Ryan Truex – one lap down
  21. Timothy Peters – one lap down
  22. Timmy Hill – one lap down
  23. Carson Hocevar – one lap down
  24. Matt Crafton – one lap down
  25. Chase Purdy – two laps down
  26. Danny Bohn – two laps down
  27. Bret Holmes – two laps down
  28. Derek Kraus – two laps down
  29. Spencer Davis – three laps down
  30. Jordan Anderson – three laps down
  31. Dawson Cram – three laps down
  32. Sheldon Creed – four laps down, 41 laps led
  33. Kris Wright – five laps down
  34. CJ McLaughlin – seven laps down
  35. Spencer Boyd – seven laps down
  36. Tate Fogleman – ten laps down
  37. Jennifer Jo Cabb – OUT, Electrical
  38. Jessi Iwuji – OUT, Too slow
  39. Norm Benning – OUT, Too slow
  40. Ryan Reed – OUT, Steering

Scott Dixon dominates to win at Texas

By
Briar Starr
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Photo Courtesy of Chris Jones

Before entering Saturday night’s race, Scott Dixon was already victorious at Texas Motor Speedway by having four career track victories, including the most recent race last summer.

However, the New Zealander had to hold off another New Zealander and IndyCar rookie, Scott McLaughlin, for the victory in the remaining few laps Saturday night.

Dixon dominated by leading all but six laps for his first checkered flag of the year.

“I’m pretty sure that was definitely a first,” Dixon said about the 1-2 Kiwi finish. It was fun. As I commented, it was really cool to look at that monitor on my steering wheel and see that it was the 3 car. I haven’t even got to see Scott yet, but definitely a congratulations to him. That was a tremendous run. Definitely very fast. There wasn’t much deg at the end of the race there, especially with the cooler conditions. Exit of two just became a very long straight until you got back to turn one. Definitely didn’t want him to get too close to get that big run through three and four, as I think you could definitely pull the pass off as we’d seen earlier in the race.

“Huge result for a race for a couple of Kiwis, which is great to see. Commenting pre-season, people are like, How do you feel about having another Kiwi on the grid? I’ve been waiting 20 years for it. It’s great to see him over here. He’s a massive talent. He’s going to have a lot of victories, man. I have to try and hold him off while I can.”

As the IndyCar teams rolled into Texas Motor Speedway Saturday morning, weather forecast and conditions looked tricky and there was a question as to whether they could get the race in. First, there was a two-hour delay for practice, which caused qualifying to get canceled to allow for a 90-minute practice session. With qualifying canceled, the field was set up by championship driver points meaning Barber Motorsports Park winner Alex Palou started on the pole.

When the green flag flew, Palou had a solid car and led the first three laps of the race. However, on Lap 4, Dixon returned to the form he is known for, which is dominating races and leading the majority of the laps. He made the pass on his teammate, Palou, and never really looked back. Despite Dixon controlling the race, he didn’t stretch his lead as Palou kept the gap by one second through the first round of green-flag pit stops.

With the green-flag pit stops beginning on Lap 51 with the No. 15 of Graham Rahal making a stop, the first caution flag flew on Lap 55 when the No. 14 A.J. Foyt Racing entry of Sebastien Bourdais pounded the Turn 2 wall. Bourdais went spinning after the No. 2 of Josef Newgarden made contact with Bourdais by bumping into the back of him. When the yellow slowed the field, the race leaders such as Dixon, Palou, Harvey, Herta, and VeeKay had not made a pit stop. By causing the incident, steward officials reviewed the incident between Bourdais and Newgarden and penalized Newgarden for avoidable contact.

At the restart on Lap 71, Dixon once again stretched his lead over Palou by nearly a second. He would continue to do so at the halfway point on Lap 114 and Dixon was able to clinch the most laps led and earned two additional bonus points. Dixon comfortably sat in the lead throughout the race until the second caution flew on Lap 160 when the No. 29 of James Hinchcliffe snapped loose in Turn 2 and hit the wall, slowing the field down once again.

It was at this point in time when the race began to change a little, at least for second position. Rookie Scott McLaughlin followed right behind Dixon after pit stops were made.

Looking for his first career win, McLaughlin raced his heart out in the closing laps and even began closing the gap a little, slowly but surely. In fact, at Lap 210 with 2 laps to go, McLaughlin was on the back bumper of Dixon, 0.2534 seconds behind Dixon. Despite McLaughlin doing all he could do to race Dixon, Dixon held off the Team Penske driver to score his first victory of the 2021 season and his fifth win at Texas Motor Speedway.

Even though McLaughlin finished second for the first time in his IndyCar career, the New Zealander was pumped and felt like the podium finish was more like a victory.

“I had a tremendous amount of fun, about as much fun as I thought I was going to have,” McLaughlin said. “The PPG Chevy was great. We also had great strategy calls, pit stops. The crew on pit road were unbelievable. Have to thank them a huge amount. It’s a big thing taking on my first oval race. Just tried to get through the first few laps. I was pretty cautious, probably too cautious in my first stint. Just sort of worked up to it. Managed to dodge the Bourdais wreck, which was pretty close for me. Then the Hinchcliffe one which put us right there. Pretty proud. Just wish my mum and dad, wife were here. Anyway, next time.”

Dixon led 206 laps en route to his fifth win at Texas Motor Speedway and the 50th of his NTT IndyCar Series career. He led two times for 206 laps.

Official Results following the Genesys 300 at Texas Motor Speedway:
  1. Scott Dixon, led 206 laps
  2. Scott McLaughlin
  3. Pato O’Ward
  4. Alex Palou, led six laps
  5. Graham Rahal
  6. Josef Newgarden
  7. Jack Harvey
  8. Alexander Rossi
  9. Takuma Sato
  10. Simon Pagenaud
  11. Tony Kanaan
  12. Ed Jones
  13. Felix Rosenqvist
  14. Will Power
  15. Pietro Fittipaldi
  16. Ryan Hunter-Reay
  17. Ed Carpenter
  18. Dalton Kellett
  19. Marcus Ericsson, 1 lap down
  20. Rinus VeeKay, 1 lap down
  21. Conor Daly, 1 lap down
  22. Colton Herta, OUT, Mechanical
  23. James Hinchcliffe, OUT, Contact
  24. Sebastien Bourdais, OUT, Contact

Up Next: The NTT IndyCar Series will be back in action Sunday afternoon at Texas Motor Speedway for race No. 2, which is slated to begin at 5 p.m. ET live on NBCSN and IndyCar radio. The starting lineup will be based on championship points standings following tonight’s race since qualifying was canceled.

CORVETTE RACING AT SPA: Fourth in European Debut for C8.R

By
Official Release
-

Garcia, Gavin put up hard fight in final race for British Corvette legend

STAVELOT, Belgium (May 1, 2021) – Corvette Racing’s Antonio Garcia and Oliver Gavin finished fourth in GTE Pro at the Six Hours of Spa on Saturday with their No. 63 Mobil 1/SiriusXM Chevrolet Corvette C8.R – the opening round of the FIA World Endurance Championship.

The first appearance at Spa by Corvette Racing was significant for two reasons: it marked the first race outside the United States for the mid-engine racing Corvette, and it also marked Gavin’s final start with the team after 20 years.

The main target for the Spa event was to gain knowledge and experience with the C8.R in the FIA WEC ahead of August’s 24 Hours of Le Mans. Corvette Racing will send two of the mid-engine racers back to Le Mans after missing last year’s event due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Garcia qualified fifth but the race pace of the Corvette was encouraging in a fight among three manufacturers. He drove the first two stints on the same set of Michelin tires – a different strategy than the other GTE Pro entries – in an effort to be in better shape to fight at the end.

Gavin drove the middle two stints of the race, including the race’s first full-course caution. It marked the 204th appearance in a Corvette Racing entry for the veteran, who ended his career with 51 victories – including five at Le Mans – and five IMSA championships. Gavin moved up to fourth in class during his stint as one of the Porsches suffered a punctured tire.

Garcia re-entered with a little more than two hours to go. He set the Corvette’s fastest race lap in his next-to-last stint – a 2:14.622 (116.383 mph) that ranked third among all GTE Pro drivers in the push for a podium finish.

Corvette Racing’s next event is the Chevrolet Sports Car Classic from Belle Isle Park in Detroit as part of the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship on Saturday, June 12.

ANTONIO GARCIA, NO. 63 MOBIL 1/SiriusXM CHEVROLET CORVETTE C8.R – FINISHED FOURTH IN GTE PRO: “This definitely was valuable for me and for the team. We learned a lot. As it happened a couple of years ago at Sebring when we ran a WEC race, it’s good to run in this championship to make everyone aware of the regulations and how to perform in this series. It’s way different than IMSA. It’s always good to have a good shakedown and learn everything that counts. So this was a very valuable experience.”
(Driving with Oliver Gavin) “I really wanted us to finish on the podium. That was my main push the whole race was to be up there with him, even if we knew getting on the top step was almost impossible. But being up there would have been super-nice. I gave all I had to do it. It wasn’t enough for sure, but it was good to share a Corvette with him for once. I would have liked to have to get a better result. But as a team, we can take the good things from this race and the information on the car ahead toward Le Mans.”

OLIVER GAVIN, NO. 63 MOBIL 1/SiriusXM CHEVROLET CORVETTE C8.R – FINISHED FOURTH IN GTE PRO: “My last race for Corvette Racing and in the C8.R, and it’s been quite a journey. I’m so proud to have won these overalls to represent such an amazing team in Corvette Racing and Team Chevy. To be able to compete here for the final time in the WEC has been very special; Spa-Francorchamps is an exceptional track. The emotion of it has overwhelmed me somewhat, but I’m so proud to have competed for this team for 20 years. I’m proud of that success with so many special people, not only on the race team side but on the road car side. I couldn’t be prouder of what we have all achieved together. Thank you also to all the Corvette fans out there. You’re unbelievable and so passionate… an amazing group that really spurs us on. I can’t thank you enough.
“It’s been quite a day. I kind of went through all this when I was at Sebring in November for my final race in IMSA. It has brought a lot of those emotions back. Those last few laps, I was thinking about everything that is happened, all the of the 20 years I’ve spent with this team and what we’ve been able to achieve… I’m so proud of what we’ve been able to do with four generations of Corvette and all the races we’ve won. To be able to finish here at Spa in the WEC is very special. You can really feel the character and charisma of the track and the race. Those are the things I fell in love with when I went to Le Mans for the first time. I feel very, very fortunate.”

Team Chevy high-resolution racing photos are available for editorial use.

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.

ARCA SEASON FINALE TO SWEETEN UP WITH REESE’S 150

By
Official Release
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Toledo, Oh. (May 1, 2021) – In a move that is sure to make race teams, drivers, and fans alike happy, the season finale for the ARCA Menards Series at Kansas Speedway will be named the Reese’s 150. The championship-deciding race, shown live this season on MAVTV, will be held the weekend before Halloween on October 23, part of a same-day doubleheader with the NASCAR Xfinity Series.

The Reese’s brand has already made a big splash in the ARCA Menards Series in 2021 with the Sweet Move of the Race Award, voted upon by fans via ARCA’s social media channels.

“Our partnership with Reese’s has its foundation with a business-to-business partnership with Menards, but we’ve had a lot of fun so far this season because they’re big fans of what we do,” said ARCA president Ron Drager. “They’re race fans first and foremost and it’s been really great to see them so engaged with the Sweet Move of the Race every week so far in 2021. We’re glad to have them on board for our season finale at Kansas, which is right before Halloween. That will give all of our great fans one more reminder to get out and stock up for those trick-or-treaters the next weekend.”

“The countdown to the Reese’s 150 is on and we couldn’t be more thrilled to be a part of this season with the ARCA Menards Series,” said Allen Dark, Senior Brand Manager for the Reese’s brand. “We want to congratulate the teams for their past 10 years of the series at Kansas Speedway, what an accomplishment. We can’t wait to see how the season plays out in anticipation of the finale to come this October 2021 and celebrate with all our race fans.”

ARCA’s history at Kansas Speedway dates back to the track’s opening weekend in June 2001, a weekend shared with what is now known as the ARCA Menards Series West. Frank Kimmel won the West race on June 2, 2001, his only career West Series victory, while Jason Jarrett – grandson of NASCAR legend Ned Jarrett and son of three-time Daytona 500 winner Dale Jarrett – scored his first career ARCA Menards Series win the following day. All told, 18 different drivers have won in the previous 21 ARCA Menards Series races at the track. Last season marked the first time in history the 1.5-mile tri-oval hosted two ARCA Menards Series races in the same season, with eventual series champion Bret Holmes earning his first career series win in July while 2021 Daytona winner Corey Heim won for the first time in his career in October.

“As we celebrate our 20th anniversary this season, we’re honored to welcome Reese’s on board when we once again host the season finale for the ARCA Menards Series,” said Kansas Speedway President Pat Warren. “ARCA racing is incredibly important to the history of our facility and has been a part of our schedule every year dating back to the very first on-track action in June, 2001. We’re proud to share such a storied history with the series and I look forward to October when we crown another champion in the Reese’s 150.”

The Reese’s 150 will also mark the tenth consecutive year the ARCA Menards Series champion will be decided at Kansas Speedway dating back to 2012.

For event at ticket information, please visit ARCARacing.com and KansasSpeedway.com.

About ARCA: The Automobile Racing Club of America (ARCA), founded in 1953 by John and Mildred Marcum in Toledo, Ohio and acquired by NASCAR in April 2018, is the leading grassroots stock car sanctioning body in the United States. Bridging the gap between NASCAR’s top three national touring series and weekly racing all across the country, the organization is scheduled to administer more than 100 events in multiple racing series in 2020, including the ARCA Menards Series, ARCA Menards Series East, ARCA Menards Series West, the ARCA/CRA Super Series, and the ARCA Midwest Tour, plus weekly racing at Toledo and Flat Rock Speedways. For more information about ARCA visit www.arcaracing.com, or follow ARCA on Facebook (@ARCARacing) and Twitter (@ARCA_Racing).

Skeen Earns Pole Position and Sets New Track Record in Trans Am Qualifying at WeatherTech Raceway

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Official Release
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Captures Motul Pole Award in TA2® after last second flyer

MONTEREY, CA (30 April 2021) – Mike Skeen saved his best for last Friday in Trans Am SpeedFest action at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca, capturing the TA2® Motul pole with a final minute sprint to the top of the sheets for Saturday’s Trans Am Series presented by Pirelli event.

The defending TA2® champion tamed the historic circuit in 1:28.865-seconds, earning his eighth career pole (seventh in TA2®) in the No. 1 Liqui-Moly/Turn 14 Distribution Chevrolet Camaro. Skeen also broke the existing TA2® track record (1:29.183-seconds) set in 2019 by Marc Miller.

Skeen will lead the full field of 34 American muscle sports cars to the green flag at 1:10 p.m. PT Saturday for the 100-mile, 45-lap race on the 2.238-mile circuit, with its 11 turns including the iconic Corkscrew downhill plunge. (Download and subscribe to the Trans Am by Pirelli Racing App for Live Stream)

“Thomas (Merrill) is really quick, this is his home track, and we knew today was going to be tough,” Skeen said. “With all the cars on the track, the traffic was going to be pretty big. We went out and set a conservative lap to really try and save the tires, waiting for the track to kind of clear out a little bit. We got a nice clean lap in at the end to put it on the pole. The Stevens Miller Racing guys have been working really hard and I am happy to get the Pole Award with this Howe chassis. Hopefully we can keep it out front tomorrow to put the Liqui-Molly Turn 14 Distribution car in the winner’s circle.”

Skeen will be joined on the front row by 2018 TA2® champion Rafa Matos, whose best lap of 1:29.223-seconds came midway through the session in the No. 88 3-Dimensional Services Ford Mustang. Matos pitted with enough time remaining to get in another three laps in the 15-minute session, thinking he had the competition covered.

“I suspect that tomorrow will be a dogfight here,” said Matos. “On the last three laps I decided to pit to save my tires. I thought I had enough on (Thomas) Merrill and Mike (Skeen) but the track kept getting better, cooler and faster, then Mike was able to get us on that last lap. We have to make some adjustments to the car and I am confident that we can fight for a win.”

Merrill, born and raised only 10 minutes from the track in nearby Salinas, quickly made himself at home. He shot to the top of the timing chart, and reset his best lap twice, settling for a lap of 1:29.594-seconds in the No. 81 HPTuners/Mike Cope Race Cars Ford Mustang before Matos – and eventually Skeen – went even faster.

“I don’t think we had enough for Mike (Skeen) in qualifying, he did a great job putting a lap together,” said Merrill. “Full credit to Rafa (Matos) too, and the both of them for going faster. Since our earlier sessions, the track had gotten greasy and qualifying was the coldest track conditions we’ve had, and that really changed the game. I think the conditions caught us out, but I know we have a great race car. Depending on the weather tomorrow, we will see who is strong and who isn’t. We have a great car, I know we will race well and we’ve proven we can win the race starting from anywhere on the grid.”

Merrill will be joined on the second row by Ed Sevadjian, who had a best lap of 1:30.034-seconds in the No. 38 Big Machine Vodka Chevrolet Camaro.

Michael Self, Connor Mosack, Tyler Kicera, Sam Mayer, Adrian Wlostowski and Keith Prociuk rounded out the top 10.

Carl Rydquist led the TA2® competitors in the Trans Am Series presented by Pirelli West Coast Championship, coming in 12th overall with a lap of 1:31.589-seconds in the No. 47 Racecars4Rent/Group Wholesale Ford Mustang.

“It was a different pace with the National cars here,” said Rydquist. “I wasn’t really worried about that until we got out on the track and realized I just didn’t have the bite from the tires that we wanted. We are a little bit disappointed about the lack of pace, but it was good enough to get us pole position on the West Coast side, so I’ll take it. It’s just not where we want to be in terms of how much we are getting out of the car. The car is set up for a long race, so our goal for our first TA2 race with the National drivers is to come home with a top-10 finish overall and first in the West Coast Championship.”

Jim Gallaugher was second among the 16 West Coast competitors, 1:32.063-seconds in the No. 16 Madison Development Group Ford Mustang.

The Trans Am National Series last competed at Laguna Seca in 2019 with the West Coast Championship. Merrill took the overall victory, while Brad McAllister, who timed fourth-fastest among the West competitors on Friday, was the TA2® winner in that event.

The TA, XGT. SGT and GT class competitors swing into action with opening practice at 11:50 a.m. Saturday, with qualifying at 4:55 p.m. The combined classes race for 45 laps (with a 75-minute time limit) on Sunday at 1:30 p.m. PT.

The Trans Am SpeedFest is not open to fans but will be live streamed exclusively on the Trans Am by Pirelli Racing App.

CORVETTE RACING AT SPA: C8.R Ready to Challenge FIA WEC’s Best

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Official Release
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Garcia, Gavin to start fifth from GTE Pro grid in European debut for mid-engine Corvette

STAVELOT, Belgium (April 30, 2021) – Antonio Garcia qualified Corvette Racing’s No. 63 Mobil 1/SiriusXM Chevrolet Corvette C8.R fifth in qualifying for Saturday’s Six Hours of Spa – the opening round of the FIA World Endurance Championship.

Garcia and Oliver Gavin will team together Saturday in the first race outside the United States for the mid-engine racing Corvette. The team is at the Spa circuit for the first time as preparation for the 24 Hours of Le Mans later this year.

Garcia and the rest of the GTE Pro field had time for just two flying laps in Friday’s 10-minute qualifying session due to two red-flag periods in the GTE session. Garcia’s best effort was a 2:13.106 (117.688 mph) to put the Corvette within two seconds of the pole time.

Single-lap pace was hardly a concern for Corvette Racing in testing Monday and Tuesday, as well as during practice sessions Thursday and Friday. The team worked throughout to optimize the mid-engine C8.R for Saturday’s race, and the Corvette showed encouraging pace over long runs with a focus on extending the life of its Michelin tires.

Much of the positive results so far this week were the result of simulation work in the lead-up to the event. Corvette Racing engineers looked at a number of circuits on the IMSA schedule that have similar characteristics to the 19-turn, 4.35-mile circuit that lies in the heart of eastern Belgium. It allowed engineers and mechanics to arrive at Spa with a solid baseline setup on the Corvette, despite have never turned a wheel at the track.

The rules set in WEC also is different than the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship with differing tire and fuel allocations, as well as procedures for things like pit stops and safety cars. Having the experience in-hand should pay dividends when the full Corvette Racing team makes its return to Le Mans in August.

Live race television and online coverage will be available via MotorTrend Network and MotorTrend On-Demand. Radio coverage for all practice sessions plus Friday qualifying and the race will air on Radio Le Mans. Live timing and scoring will be available on the FIA WEC website.

ANTONIO GARCIA, NO. 63 MOBIL 1/SiriusXM CHEVROLET CORVETTE C8.R – QUALIFIED FIFTH IN GTE PRO: “You obviously always want to be a little further up, but we knew the competition was going to be very high here. We are missing a few things – how to use the tire with the tire warmers and everything… if you really nail a lap it makes a big difference. Qualifying is only a very small portion of the whole race. I’m sure tomorrow with all the tire management we need to do, we need to double-stint some our allotment. That will be key. I hope the deficit we had on ultimate pace closes down to be a little less so that we can have a strong race pace. Let’s hope we have that. If not, we are here to learn and get as much information as we can. But we are hoping for a good one tomorrow.”

OLIVER GAVIN, NO. 63 MOBIL 1/SiriusXM CHEVROLET CORVETTE C8.R: “It’s been a lot of work for the team. We’ve gone through a number of setup changes. We’ve been exploring how to make the C8.R work here. It has been challenging. Spa is a very challenging racetrack, and the competition is fierce. The conditions have been quite tricky too… cool with low track temperatures that makes it hard to make the tires work. There is a limited amount of tires you can have for the weekend. So we’ve taken some reasonable swings at the setup. We’ve focused in on something pretty solid now. Antonio in the last practice was pretty competitive on a long run. We’re not too bad for race pace. Whether we have the ultimate pace to fight Saturday, I’m not sure. You never really know until you get into the race. We’ll wait and see.”

Team Chevy high-resolution racing photos are available for editorial use.

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.

Roush Fenway Weekly Advance | Kansas I

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Official Release
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Roush Fenway Weekly Advance | Kansas I

Kansas and the Yellow Brick Road is the next stop for the NASCAR Cup Series as the 1.5-mile Speedway plays host to the 11th race of the 2021 campaign. Jack Roush has nine wins all-time at the track including four in the NCS.

Buschy McBusch Race 400
Sunday, May 2 | 3 p.m. ET
FS1, MRN, SiriusXM Channel 90

  • Ryan Newman, No. 6 Hy-Vee Ford Mustang
  • Chris Buescher, No. 17 AutoTempest Ford Mustang

Talladega Recap, Kansas Advance

  • Newman persevered late for a 13th-place run Sunday at Talladega, overcoming a pair of late speeding penalties to survive the final crash and bring home a top-15.
  • Buescher was in position coming to the final lap to make a run towards the front, but got shuffled out of line going into turn three and hooked in the right rear, relegating him to a 21st-place result at Talladega.
  • Newman welcomes Hy-Vee to his No. 6 Ford this weekend in Kansas, the backyard of the brand that joined him and Roush Fenway for the fall Kansas race in 2020.
  • AutoTempest, new to the sport of NASCAR, makes its debut on the No. 17 Mustang at Kansas in the first of two races as they’ll also be the primary partner for the COTA race on May 23.

Follow the Yellow Brick Road

Overall, Roush Fenway has started 171 races across the three national series, earning nine wins, 41 top-five finishes, 75 top-10 finishes and has an overall average finish of 14.8.

Winning at Kansas

Roush Fenway swept both the NASCAR Xfinity Series and NCS races at Kansas in the fall of 2012 with Ricky Stenhouse Jr. and Matt Kenseth. Stenhouse became the sixth driver to win at the track for the organization via his Xfinity victory.

NASCAR Hall of Famer Mark Martin earned Roush Fenway’s first NCS win at Kansas in 2005 and former driver Greg Biffle bested the 1.5-mile track in 2007 and 2010. Roush Fenway’s first overall win at Kansas came in 2002 via Jeff Burton in the NASCAR Xfinity Series. Three drivers (Jon Wood in 2003, Carl Edwards in 2004 and Erik Darnell in 2007) have won in the NGROTS at Kansas for Roush Fenway.

Tale of the Tape

Roush Fenway has started 102 NCS races at Kansas, recording four victories, 20 top-five finishes, 35 top-10 finishes, an average finish of 16.5 and has led 956 laps. Kenseth earned the most recent victory at Kansas in the fall of 2012.

Roush Fenway Kansas Wins
2002 Burton NXS
2003 Wood Truck
2004 Edwards Truck
2005 Martin Cup
2007 Biffle Cup
2007 Darnell Truck
2010 Biffle Cup
2012-2 Kenseth Cup
2012 Stenhouse NXS

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