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Toyota Racing – NCWTS Kansas Quotes – Austin Hill – 04.29.21

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Toyota Racing – Austin Hill
NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Quotes

KANSAS CITY, Kan. (April 29, 2021) – Hattori Racing Enterprises driver Austin Hill was made available to media via videoconference prior to the Kansas race earlier today:

AUSTIN HILL, No. 16 Gunma Toyopet Toyota Tundra, Hattori Racing Enterprises

What is your comfort level with Kansas Speedway?

“Kansas is just one of those racetracks from the first time that I was there I just found myself getting around the place pretty good. I had really good speed and ever since I’ve been with Hattori Racing out Toyota Tundras have been really fast there. I feel like setup-wise; Scott (Zipadelli, crew chief) and the guys have a really good setup there and it works for me and other than that, I always love tracks that are worn out, that you can move around, you can run the bottom, you can run the middle, you can run the top. I’m more of a bottom-feeder, but at the same time, I’m able to move around the racetrack, make things happen and actually, the first race at Kansas that we won I actually was running the top, so it just makes it so it’s in the driver’s hands. You can move around, a lot of maneuverability. It’s just a really fun racetrack to race at. You can race each other really hard. Tire wear is big, so really don’t want to kill the right front or the right rear. It’s just something that I’ve done really well at and if you look at my stats at all of the racetracks where the race surface is worn out, we always to have really good long-run Tundras, so I think it goes back to the guys in the shop giving me some really fast Toyota Tundras to drive.”

How are the restarts like at Kansas Speedway?

“The restarts there are crucial. Track position is key in the Truck Series and especially at a place like Kansas. If you can get out front and get in the clean air, I feel like you have the advantage. Restarts are really big. It seems like Kansas is one of those places where a guy will kind of give you the bottom sometimes and if they do give you the bottom, sometimes you don’t always want to take it just because you could possibly get bound up on the bottom and the grip is not as much there, especially on late race restarts when you have laps on your tires. It seems like tire spin is really big. It seems like if you can, you want to get to the outside of somebody and get on their right rear corner and kind of suck them back and get that top lane rolling. It seems like that’s been best for me and what has worked for me in the past. There are still things that I can do better on restarts, but that is kind of something that has worked for me in the past and has kind of gotten us to finish up at the front like we have at all of these Kansas races.”

What did you have to learn about Kansas?

“I just think that something about that racetrack clicked for me from the first time I went on the track to practice. It seemed like I found pretty good speed. It just seemed like I could get around the place pretty well. The biggest thing for me that I had to learn was I had to learn different lines throughout a run. It seemed like I would stay on the bottom a lot and really want to wrap the bottom and stay on that white line. I had to kind of learn to move up the racetrack and when to move up the racetrack. I don’t want to move up to early, but at the same time you don’t want to move up too late. I kind of think that is something that I’ve done fairly decent at, especially last year with all of the times that we went to Kansas. If the truck is not really working for us, just be able to move around, find different lines, find different things that work for our Tundra, and then when we come down pit road, we can adjust on it and make it better. That way we can start running the bottom again or the middle or the top or whatever. Kansas is just one of those places that you need a truck that can move all over the racetrack and run different lines and for whatever reason, I’ve been able to do that, especially this last couple years.”

What has made Toyota so good in the Truck Series season?

“One of the things is we have more Toyota Tundras on the racetrack this year, that obviously helps. I just think that Toyota Racing, TRD (Toyota Racing Development), everybody back at Toyota – they are putting a lot of work into this season. They’ve put in a lot of work in years’ past, but this season it seems like there is a lot going on with things that I’ve been doing this year. We just have a lot of stuff going on this season it seems like. They are really trying to take Toyota to the next level. I’m glad to be a Toyota driver and us being undefeated is cool and all, but at the same time, I want to win too. Hopefully, we can put our name on that list of being a Toyota driver that gets another win and hopefully it happens at Kansas. Kansas is one of my best racetracks statistically, so hopefully we can go there and keep that momentum rolling with Toyota and we can finally get a win and get in that win column with all of the other Toyota drivers.”

Kyle Busch Motorsports has won the last four races. What’s the main key on trying to beat them?

“Just throughout the race being a little bit better. Just maybe being a little more aggressive with what I say on the radio to give Scott (Zipadelli, crew chief) the information he needs to make the adjustments that we need to be that much better. I feel like Tundra to Tundra wise, truck to truck, I feel like we are just as good as KBM (Kyle Busch Motorsports). It’s just fine tuning it a little bit at the end of the race to be that much better. There are things that we’ve been wanting to be a little bit better at and there’s things that we’ve touched up on that we want to improve on to give us a little more drive ability in the Tundras. I think that’s the biggest thing for us. When it comes down to the end of the race, just being able to make that extra little adjustment that makes us that much better that way we can go out there and outrun them.”

Looking ahead to Darlington, have you thought about a Playoff race could go there if the race in Canada gets cancelled?

“I don’t think it’s really going to change how we look at Darlington. We are still going to go there with the setup that we feel like we are confident that we can win with. Maybe after the race, if we feel like there is something that we needed to be better at, that we could improve on, we will obviously look at that. If it’s a track that we could possibly go back to, then the debriefing might be a little more in depth.- like if we come back here later in the year, what is the track going to look like, what are the track conditions possibly going to look like, stuff like that – just see what we can do to maybe be a little bit better. Darlington was a track that we were pretty good at last year. We needed to be a little bit better to win the race, but we felt like we were really good on the long run, we just needed to be a little bit better on the short run, so that is one of the key things we are going to work on this Darlington and see where it goes. I’d love to run Darlington again if we can. It’s one of those fun racetracks that we get to go to.”

Do you have any plans to run any Xfinity races this season?

“We are planning on running a few Xfinity races. I don’t know the number yet. I don’t really know exactly when the first one is going to be. We are going to run here, hopefully, in the next couple of months. We are planning on running a handful of them. I don’t know the number yet. It is probably going to be out of the HRE (Hattori Racing Enterprises) stable, which is awesome. I think I’m going to end up having Scott (Zipadelli, crew chief) and a lot of the guys from the truck side of it coming over to the Xfinity side to help with that, which is going to be cool. Just to be able to work with the same guys, we know the lingo we have with each other, we know what we need to say on the radio to make the right changes. I think we can run up front in the Xfinity Series. I think we can really compete and run inside the top-10 and potentially top-five. We actually did it last year I think it was at Kansas actually, running up front. We are capable of doing it, and hopefully, whenever we go out there for our first weekend, we can run up front and have a good showing.”

About Toyota

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Ford Performance NASCAR: Matt DiBenedetto Kansas Media Availability

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Official Release
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Ford Performance Notes and Quotes
NASCAR Cup Series
NASCAR Zoom Media Availability | Thursday, April 29, 2021

MATT DIBENEDETTO, No. 21 Dickies Ford Mustang — WHAT ARE YOUR EXPECTATIONS THIS WEEKEND AT KANSAS? “I’m looking forward to it. We have some good momentum as everybody has seen, so that’s encouraging. At the start of the season we had a lot of things out of our control that happened. There’s nothing we could do about that, and now we’re kind of on a roll and showing the strength that we do have as a team, that we’ve known that we had, so that’s awesome. It’s super encouraging. I’m feeling good about it. Obviously, we had a shot to win at Talladega, which is great, and a top 10 the week before, so a top 10 and a top five and going on to Kansas we have Menards and Dickies on our Mustang this week, so the car looks good — nice and bright — and our mile-and-a-half program is really strong.”

THOUGHTS ON RACING AT DARLINGTON ON MOTHER’S DAY? “I’m looking forward to that one. It’s gonna be neat to race there on Mother’s Day. It’s cool. It’s neat. It’s also cool we’re gonna be able to have some limited guests back at the track. I still wish we could have all of them. That would be preferred, but it will be nice. I’m looking forward to Throwback Weekend. Obviously, anytime that we run a paint scheme or do anything with the Woods we can run Darlington for 50 years and have throwbacks for every single one of them just because of the history of the Wood family and that 21 car, so that’s a special one to us.”

HAVE YOU WATCHED THE FINAL RESTART FROM TALLADEGA? “Yeah, I finally pulled through and watched it.”

IS THERE ANYTHING YOU WISH YOU WOULD HAVE DONE DIFFERENTLY? “It’s a good question. I’ve got that a lot this week, and the first part I would answer is, am I beating myself up over it? No, absolutely not because you may have seen a video I put out on social media because a lot of people have talked about it and rightly so, no, not because it just as well could have been — from my perspective — it just as well could have been the race-winning move if circumstances happened differently behind us with the 8 car. The 12 car kind of got shuffled and that line broke apart, so the circumstances could have been where it was, ‘Oh man, Matt. You made a great move taking that run and that momentum from the 12 car. You got shoved out, stayed out in the lead and won the race.’ You could be saying that same thing, so, no, I’m not beating myself up. Of course, hindsight is 20/20 and I’m like, ‘Oh, I wish I would have stayed on the bottom because if I would have known that lane and all that momentum broke up on the back straightaway and the 8 car pulled out of line and all of that, but I didn’t. So, no, I’m not beating myself up over it. I think my spotter, Doug, and I and our whole team did an excellent job all day. I’m really proud of them and the hard work we’ve put in on the superspeedways to make sure knowing we have such good cars, places the Fords are really fast with Roush Yates power. Our Penske teammates, all that, we run so good we want to make sure we damn sure do the best job we possibly can and have the best shot at winning and two years in a row we’ve been leading on the white flag and need circumstances to work out. To answer your question, I haven’t beat myself up over it. Obviously, it stinks. I want to get that win so bad, but I can’t live every second beating myself up over it.”

WHAT GOES THROUGH YOUR MIND IN MAKING THAT DECISION AT THE END OF THE RACE AND HOW FAST DOES IT HAPPEN? “I talked about that a good bit is just out of defense of all the drivers on superspeedways how fast things happen. Out of defense of my spotter, all the spotters, is that it’s hard for people to understand how fast those things happen. I feel like where people were missing a little bit is how much your race is also dictated off of what people do, not only with cars directly behind you, but two cars behind you, three cars behind you, so it’s circumstances is what I call it. I made that video on social media to kind of give people an understanding of, ‘Hey, you’re making these decisions at 200 miles an hour when the runs are happening like the snap of your fingers and making these decisions.’ You’re driving 95 percent out of your mirror, you have a little mirror up here and a little side mirror and you’re trusting your spotter 100 percent. He’s making these decisions and calling them so fast. It’s like, ‘Up, up, up.’ Stuff happens in a split-second, and it’s really easy for people to just watch and be like, ‘Oh, why didn’t you pick this lane?’ And I just wanted to do it more so not in a negative way, I wanted to do it in an encouraging way and just to give an understanding of how fast the stuff happens, how hard these superspeedways are and how much it’s a chess game and how much we study for these things, how perfect you have to be and how much also, on top of all that, is based on what happens with guys around you and behind you. So, I hope I gave people an understanding of how tough it is. It’s like watching an NFL game and being like, ‘Oh, man. That quarterback, why didn’t you throw it to this guy instead of this one there,’ when they’ve got 300-pound guys running at him and the stuff happens in three seconds.”

HOW DO YOU LOOK AT KANSAS? “I kind of look at the restarts like a superspeedway at Kansas, so the restarts are wild and it stays pretty crazy for a bit with the way racing is. I think there are actually similarities in the restarts at Kansas and Talladega because those get two, three, four-wide. People are all over the place pushing each other, but Talladega is its own animal, so it’s kind of nice to go to a mile-and-a-half, where we have to study hard for the restarts in the race and to be the best we can be and track position, restarts are huge. That’s a big deal at those places. We couldn’t do superspeedway racing every week, to answer your question. That would be too mentally stressful.”

HAS YOUR TEAM APPLIED ANYTHING FROM LAS VEGAS FOR THIS WEEK OR ARE THERE DIFFERENCES YOU HAVE TO TAKE INTO ACCOUNT? I think there are a lot of similarities, to answer your question. That’s probably one of the strongest points in our program are the mile-and-a-halves. For whatever reason, our cars just run really well at those places and at a variety of them, so there are definitely some similarities between Kansas and Vegas, and places where we run really well they just seem to be tracks that suit our race car. We have strong race cars pretty much everywhere, but I have a lot of confidence in the fact that we usually start with our setups pretty darn close. Our engineers and team do a great job of starting close and it’s nice that we have the track position to go along with that and we can start our day up front and be in front of the mess and hopefully keep it up there and have a good, solid day. It’s a big deal. Even though I know it’s a long race, starting up front is a big deal on top of having fast cars on these mile-and-a-halves.”

IS THERE EXTRA PRESSURE TO COME OUT STRONG AT KANSAS AND GET THOSE STAGE POINTS RIGHT OFF THE BAT? “I don’t know if pressure is a good word. I feel like I’m almost numb to pressure because of my whole career path and some of the obstacles we’ve overcome, so I look at it as more it’s encouraging and exciting that we have so much momentum on our side. We’ve gained so many points in such a short time and recovered at a level that I didn’t even know we could recover that quickly in such a short time, and we’re still on the up. I feel like we’re just getting started, so instead of pressure I probably look at it more as exciting like, ‘Heck yeah, we’ve got a top five starting position.’ We’ve got great momentum. We’re putting together smooth races. We know we have fast race cars, a great team. All of that would probably be — right or wrong — that would just probably be my personal perspective in how I look at it and approach it.”

HAVE YOU NOTICED THE KANSAS TRACK DEVELOPING SOME CHARACTER 10 YEARS AFTER THE REPAVE? “Oh yeah, 100 percent because I remember racing on the surface when it was pretty newly paved and it just had tons of grip. You were barely letting off all the way around there and the groove was just kind of the bottom or the middle maybe, pretty narrow. Fast forward when you look from then what I remember with the racetrack to now is when we’re looking at our race cars people put a lot of downforce into them because with our package you’ve got to choose whether you want to be more trimmed out or more downforce, so guys will put more downforce into them or searching for grip. We can run from the very bottom of the track all the way up to against the wall. The tires wear out. Lap times fall off. It’s very sensitive to heat and temperature. If the sun is out, all that stuff, so that’s just a short glimpse as to how much that track has changed and aged over time, which makes it better and more fun every year that we go there and just continues to become a better track with more character.”

IT WILL BE IN THE UPPER 70s TO EARLY 80s. HOW IMPORTANT IS A SLICK TRACK FOR YOU? “Yeah, that’s big. I like it when it’s hotter. If I could make it 90 and sunny, I probably would, and if I could put low downforce on the cars as well. Drivers are wanting to slip and slide around. That makes it the most fun, so the fact it’ll be warmer and the character that the track has makes it to where we will be searching around. You know what interesting is at that place I found you may find the groove and be like, ‘Oh man, I’m ripping the top and we’re flying and we’re fast,’ but it can also go away where you’re like, ‘Oh man, I was fast on the top, but now it’s kind of rubbered in,’ and you start having to search and be like, ‘Oh, all of a sudden I’m faster running the middle,’ so it actually continues to change throughout the race so it almost applies to some of the dirt racing characteristics, where you’re searching for grooves and it doesn’t always stay consistent.”

HOW DO YOU GAUGE YOUR PERFORMANCE AGAINST YOUR PENSKE TEAMMATES? “I think we’re fortunate to have them to lean on, and their information. We are still our own team, technically, but we’re very lucky to have a strong alliance with Team Penske and our teammates to lean on, notes, all that stuff. It’s very open book, which is great, so I think we really, in no comparison to anybody, we just had rougher circumstances than anybody starting off the season. Us and guys like Aric Almirola, things that were just out of our control, but you look at our recent performance and we want our entire camp to be strong — all of the Penske cars and us on the Wood Brothers side. We want us all to be strong and lately I think we’ve had the best average finish or something over the last few races or whatever it may be, but it just is a testament to how great our alliance is with Penske, how lucky we are to have that and the support from Ford. What makes our team great is because when we have those smooth races like we’ve had, we have incredible strength as a team and more so this year I feel better about it than last because we have all that time under our belt. Last year, we were a new group working together, trying to figure each other out and we had no practice, no qualifying, no nothing, no track time, so we had a lot to figure out and learn, so this year with all of that under our belt, these last few races I think are a better reflection of the strength and ability that we do have as a team.”

IS THERE A SCENARIO YOU COULD ENVISION WHERE YOU WOULD STAY WITHIN THE TEAM PENSKE ORGANIZATION IN SAME REALM? “I don’t know. Honestly, I’m pretty clueless about next year, not in a bad way, just as far as my focus is so heavily on right now and being the best that we can be and letting the performance speak for me. To answer your question better, so I’m not giving a runaround answer, I’m just being completely an open book and honest, you guys know me and that’s how I am. My whole career I’ve had to just become more accepting and OK with the unknown and rolling with it, so that’s my best answer to you is I know nothing. Is there a scenario where I envision that happening? I don’t know. Anything is possible, I guess. Heck, getting the 21 ride I didn’t even envision that in the slightest bit. I had no clue it was even a possibility because I had no clue Paul Menard was retiring. And going back to the 95 car, I had no clue that Kasey Kahne was gonna step out of that thing and retire as well, so my career has been full of so many unknowns and I couldn’t have envisioned any of the things that have happened to get me here, but it’s also trained me and groomed me to just focus, be better at focusing on what’s in my control and that’s why I don’t even stress the slightest bit about it is because of my past experience and knowing how I got here and reflecting back on that, so your guess is as good as mine. If I give you an answer, it’s literally just a guess, exactly the same as yours would be because I know nothing more than any of you guys do, so I’m thankful my career has taught me just, ‘Hey, go out. I’ve got a heck of a good ride. I love driving the 21 car. Go out there and keep doing what we did. Keep positioning ourselves to have a shot to win and one of those wins will come, and run up front, run well, let the performance do the speaking for me and things will work out for next year.”

Five Things To Watch at Genesys 300/XPEL 375 Doubleheader

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Official Release
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INDIANAPOLIS (Thursday, April 29, 2021) – After staging a race on a permanent road course and another on a temporary street circuit, the NTT INDYCAR SERIES is ready to ramp up the speed with its first oval event of the season this weekend at Texas Motor Speedway.

Call it a Texas two-step as the Genesys 300 opens the show at 7 p.m. (ET) Saturday followed by the XPEL 375 at 5 p.m. (ET) Sunday. The first race is 212 laps, the second 248 on the 1.5-mile oval. Both races will air live on NBCSN and the INDYCAR Radio Network.

Chip Ganassi Racing’s Scott Dixon won last year’s event, leading 157 of the 200 laps in the first of three consecutive victories to open his title-winning season. It was the third consecutive year that the Texas winner went on to capture the championship. But Dixon figures to have plenty of challengers in the first doubleheader at Texas since 2011.

These two races also help set the stage for a busy Month of May – two races each at TMS and Indianapolis Motor Speedway, plus NTT P1 Award qualifying for the Indianapolis 500 presented by Gainbridge. It’s possible, though unlikely in this competitive sport, that a driver could collect a staggering 274 points this month alone!

Given the two-day format at Texas, there is only one practice, a 75-minute session at 12:45 p.m. (ET) Saturday (live on Peacock Premium, NBC’s streaming service). Qualifying is at 4 p.m. (ET) Saturday (live on Peacock and NBCSN), with the starting grid for both races set in the session. Sign up for Peacock Premium at www.peacocktv.com for $4.99 per month to get all the INDYCAR action, Indy Lights races and shoulder programming.

Here are five things to look for this weekend in Fort Worth:

Ch-ch-changes
Let’s start with which drivers will be in the 24-car field and which cars they will drive. Two of the more noteworthy additions are former Texas race winners.

Tony Kanaan, who won at the track for Andretti Autosport in 2004, will drive the No. 48 Bryant Honda of Chip Ganassi Racing in the Genesys 300 and the No. 48 American Legion Honda for the Ganassi team in the XPEL 375.

2004 series champion Kanaan is sharing the entry this season with seven-time NASCAR Cup Series champion Jimmie Johnson, who is focusing on the road courses and street circuits. These will be two of Kanaan’s four races this year, the others being the Indianapolis 500 on May 30 and the Bommarito Automotive Group 500 on Aug. 21 at World Wide Technology Raceway.

The other former Texas race winner making his season debut is Ed Carpenter, who in recent years has driven only on the oval tracks. Carpenter will drive the No. 20 U.S. Air Force Chevrolet, a seat held in the season’s first two races by Conor Daly. Like last year, Daly has moved to the No. 59 Carlin Chevrolet that Max Chilton usually drives. Chilton will be back in the car for both the GMR Grand Prix at IMS on Saturday, May 15 and the “500.”

Like Johnson, Formula One veteran Romain Grosjean is not competing on the ovals as an INDYCAR newcomer, and his seat in the No. 51 Nurtec ODT Honda of Dale Coyne Racing with RWR will be taken on the ovals by rookie Pietro Fittipaldi. The 24-year-old Brazilian competed in three oval races in his six-race 2018 INDYCAR season cut short by injuries suffered in a World Endurance Championship sports car event in Belgium.

This isn’t the first time Fittipaldi has stood in for Grosjean. He drove the last two races of the 2020 Formula One season for the Haas F1 Team after Grosjean suffered burned hands in a fiery crash at Bahrain.

Former Texas Winners Aplenty
The next important factor to consider is which drivers have enjoyed success on Texas’ 1.5-mile oval. There are six who have won there, the highest number of former winners in an INDYCAR race this season until the “500,” when there could be up to nine.

Dixon dominated last year’s event in the No. 9 PNC Bank Chip Ganassi Honda, one of his four wins at the track. Dixon’s other wins came in 2008, 2015 and 2018, which means he has won two of the past three outings and three of the past six. Only Helio Castroneves, who is not in this field, has won four INDYCAR races at Texas.

Team Penske’s Will Power (No. 12 Verizon 5G Chevrolet) has a pair of Texas wins, in 2011 and 2017. Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing’s Graham Rahal (No. 15 Fleet Cost & Care Honda) won in 2016 and Team Penske’s Josef Newgarden (No. 2 XPEL Team Penske Chevrolet) won in 2019.

INDYCAR’s Youth Movement
Chip Ganassi Racing’s Alex Palou (No. 10 NTT DATA Chip Ganassi Racing Honda) is the series points leader as a 24-year-old series sophomore, and a pair of 21-year-olds – Arrow McLaren SP’s Pato O’Ward (No. 5 Arrow McLaren SP Chevrolet) and Andretti Autosport’s Colton Herta (No. 26 Gainbridge Honda) – won the NTT P1 Award as pole winner at the season’s first two races. Herta led 197 of the 200 laps in winning last weekend’s Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg.

Also off to a strong start this season is Ed Carpenter Racing’s Rinus VeeKay (No. 21 Sonax/Autogeek Chevrolet). VeeKay, 20, has finished sixth and ninth in the season’s opening races, respectively, good for eighth in the standings.

Here’s an interesting fact about INDYCAR’s youth movement: Herta and VeeKay were 3 years old when Dixon scored his first top-three finish at Texas in the season-ending 2003 race. O’Ward was 4.

Parity on the Podium
The first two races of the INDYCAR season have seen six different drivers earn top-three finishing positions. In fact, the top four finishers in the two races have been represented by eight different drivers.

Consequently, the point totals are tighter than normal. Palou leads with 67, but Power and Dixon have 65 and Herta 62. Given the point structure, it is likely that any driver currently in the top nine will be the series leader – at least for a night – with a win Saturday.

Not surprisingly, there is congestion in the middle of the pack, too. Only four points separate fifth from ninth place, and three drivers – AJ Foyt Racing’s Sebastien Bourdais (No. 14 ROKiT AJ Foyt Racing Chevrolet), Meyer Shank Racing’s Jack Harvey (No. 60 AutoNation/Sirius XM Honda) and VeeKay — are tied with 51 points. Chip Ganassi Racing’s Marcus Ericsson (No. 8 Huski Chocolate Chip Ganassi Racing Honda) has 50 points.

Title Hopefuls Need Help
And then there are those especially eager to climb in the standings.

Newgarden (10th place with 47 points), O’Ward (11th with 45), Rahal (13th with 41) and Andretti Autosport’s Alexander Rossi (16th with 31) are ones to watch in this race. Newgarden and Rahal have combined for three wins, with Newgarden third last year and Rahal second in 2012 and 2019.

Rossi has had strong cars at Texas – he finished third in 2018 and was second in 2019 – and is desperate for a good points day after finishing ninth at Barber Motorsports Park and 21st in St. Petersburg, the latter due to his car suffering a flat right front tire in Turn 4 contact with Rahal. A slow start to last season cost Rossi a chance at the championship, and he had vowed to begin better this year. So far it hasn’t happened, but Texas could be his turnaround.

Flying Lizard Motorsports to Make Surprise Appearance in SRO America Austin Event

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Official Release
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AUSTIN, Tex., (April 29, 2021) – A pair of Flying Lizard Porsches will make a surprise appearance this weekend at Circuit of the Americas, competing in SRO’s GT America and USAC’s Porsche Sprint Challenge North America. The team, which had previously announced full-season entries in GT Celebration and the Yokohama Drivers Cup, is participating in the one-off event in Austin, Texas, with drivers Andy Wilzoch and Chris Bellomo.

Wilzoch, who last participated in an SRO America-sanctioned event in 2018, returns with his 2017 No. 460 Porsche 911 GT3 R to race in the new GT America series. The sprint series, specifically for Bronze-rated drivers debuted last month at Sonoma Raceway and will recommence this weekend at Circuit of the Americas for Rounds three and four of the championship. Each race has a run time of 40 minutes, with only one driver per car, and no pit stops required. Wilzoch has had ample track time on the Austin circuit, most recently earning back-to-back wins in 2019 in the Porsche Trophy West Series.

“Andy has been not only a long-time customer of Flying Lizard, but also a great friend and I am happy that SRO America has provided an opportunity for us to have a place to race this car,” said Program Manager Darren Law. “Andy has a lot of time in this particular car, and GT America is a great concept for Bronze drivers that gives our customers an opportunity to race. This will be his first race back in SRO since 2018, he knows the car, he knows the track and we are looking forward to having another Flying Lizard Porsche on the grid!”

Also in its inaugural season, the USAC Sprint Challenge North America series is the latest option for gentlemen racers to compete in a 40-minute sprint racing environment. Circuit of the Americas will host the third double-header event of the season, with an impressive 32-car grid. Chris Bellomo, who currently competes in a full season in the Yokohama Drivers Cup with Flying Lizard Motorsports. The 2021 season will see Bellomo racing in several Porsche series, gaining valuable experience in various competitive environments across North America. This weekend, he will race the No. 68 Porsche GT3 Cup with former Lizard driver Johannes van Overbeek as his coach.

“I am looking forward to watching the progress of Chris Bellomo,” said Law. “He has a full plate this season, where he will be racing in various events in three different Porsche series. He is talented and really working hard on all aspects of his driving. We have brought on Johannes Van Overbeek to work with Chris this season as a coach and have already seen a lot of improvement in Chris. I expect us to have a successful weekend.”

Tune In
Both GT America races will stream live for free on YouTube.com/GTWorld, on Saturday, May 1 at 4:45PM, and Sunday, May 2 at 4:05PM. The Porsche Sprint Challenge North America will air live on www.floracing.com on Saturday, May 1 at 5:40PM Central, and Sunday, May 2 at 10:00AM Central.

Friday, April 30
8:40AM – 9:00AM Bronze Test
9:00AM – 9:25AM GT America Practice 1
12:20PM – 12:45PM Porsche Sprint Practice 1
1:35PM – 2:00PM GT America Practice 2
2:55PM – 3:20PM Porsche Carrera Cup Practice 2
5:35PM – 6:00PM Porsche Sprint Practice 2

Saturday, May 1
10:10AM – 10:25AM GT America Qualifying
10:40PM – 11:15AM Porsche Sprint Qualifying
4:45PM – 5:25PM GT America Race 1
5:40PM – 6:20PM Porsche Sprint Race 1

Sunday, May 2
8:00AM – 8:45AM Porsche Carrera Cup Race 1
10:00AM – 10:40AM Porsche Sprint Race 2
3:05PM – 3:50PM Porsche Carrera Cup Race 2
4:05PM – 4:45PM GT America Race 2

All times U.S. Central

About Flying Lizard Motorsports
Based out of Sonoma, California, Flying Lizard Motorsports is one of the most iconic sports car teams in motorsports, having celebrated six driver and team championships, as well as competed internationally at the 24 Hours of Le Mans eight times. The team currently races in Pirelli World Challenge, Porsche Pirelli GT3 Cup Trophy USA, and Porsche Club of America.

The Lizards burst on the American Le Mans Series scene in 2004, competing in the GT class until 2012. In 2013, the team moved to the GTC class, still competing in legendary events such as the 12 Hours of Sebring and 24 Hours of Daytona. In 2014, the team expanded its program to include running two Audi R8 LMS in the TUDOR Championship, and in 2015, again expanded the program to include two Porsches in Porsche Club racing. Flying Lizard closed out the season with a dominating win at the 25 Hours of Thunderhill with Toyo Tires, a win they repeated in 2016, 2017, and 2018. For more information, visit lizardms.com. Flying Lizard Motorsports has proven to be a championship contender no matter the race series or race car.

CHEVROLET NTT INDYCAR SERIES: TEXAS MOTOR SPEEDWAY DOUBLEHEADER – SCOTT MCLAUGHLIN PRE-RACE ZOOM CONFERENCE TRANSCRIPT

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CHEVROLET RACING IN NTT INDYCAR SERIES
GENESYS 300 AND XPEL 375 – DOUBLEHEADER WEEKEND
TEXAS MOTOR SPEEDWAY
FORT WORTH, TEXAS
SCOTT MCLAUGHLIN PRE-RACE MEDIA CONFERENCE TRANSCRIPT
APRIL 29 2021

ROOKIE-OF-THE-YEAR CONTENDER SCOTT MCLAUGHLIN, NO. 3 PPG TEAM PENSKE CHEVROLET, MET WITH MEDIA VIA ZOOM TO DISCUSS HIS OVAL TRACK DEBUT THIS WEEKEND AT TEXAS MOTOR SPEEDWAY:

THE MODERATOR: Good afternoon, everyone. Let’s go ahead and get started. Thanks for Zooming with us here this afternoon.
Obviously a very big weekend, two different perspectives heading into it. NTT INDYCAR SERIES rookie Scott McLaughlin will be making his essentially oval debut at Texas Motor Speedway, racing Genesys 300 and the XPEL 375, in the No. 3 PPG Team Penske Chevrolet.
Back to Texas Motor Speedway. How much are you looking forward to the weekend Scott?
SCOTT McLAUGHLIN: Excited. I’m very excited for my first oval experience. Had a lot of fun, a lot of enjoyment testing there not long ago. Obviously the Indy open test as well. I feel like we’ve got a raceable car. Heading there with the confidence of potentially doing well if I get it all right.
Of course, I’ve got a lot to learn with the draft and the dirty air, using the weight jacker, all my tools inside the car, something I have to get used to as well.
Like I said, thankfully we’ve had those test days. I feel comfortable going into it and can only learn from here.

THE MODERATOR -Scott, this season has only just begun. 40 points separating the top 18 right now in the standings. Given the parity, do you think this is going to be a tight season all season long?
SCOTT McLAUGHLIN: One good result, especially a weekend like this where it’s a doubleheader, if you have a car good enough for both days, get two top five finish, you’re going to put yourself somewhere thereabouts for the championship fight.
It’s an important weekend for a lot of people. Got the same amount of points value as the Indy 500 does. It’s going to be exciting racing itself.
I think it’s going to be interesting with this new aero package, get a feel for what it’s like in traffic, how close we can follow and make moves as well. A lot to unravel here.
Very exciting, like the Pietro said. It started with a bang. It’s really exciting to be a part of it. Loving it. Racing every week. It’s exactly what I came to America for. Really excited to continue that trend this weekend.

THE MODERATOR: Let’s go ahead and open it up for questions.

Q. Scott, you’ve spent so much time already in an INDYCAR at Texas Motor Speedway. What is it going to be like to finally go out there and race?
SCOTT McLAUGHLIN: Yeah, it’s so exciting. It’s certainly going to be very different in the race to get a feel for everything and what I need to do, changing my tools, like I said, weight jackers in front, rear anti-roll bars, all that sort of stuff. That’s all stuff I’m going to have to learn. Even little things like coming into pit lane, it’s different jumping down to the apron there.
It’s exciting, nice to do a completely different discipline. I think I’m more excited for the ovals than I am for the road courses because it’s so different to what I’ve done before. It’s so fast. Just nothing that’s quite as exhilarating as going 220 miles an hour with people wheel-to-wheel.
That’s what’s so cool with INDYCAR racing, what’s so pure about it, what makes it so different to any really sport in the world, is we have a vast difference in tracks. We got a road, we got street courses, ovals, big fast oval, short ovals. It’s pretty cool and requires a whole different type of discipline which is what I’m really excited about for this weekend.

Q. You’re doing three different types of course, four races in a 14-day period. I guess that’s a cram course.
SCOTT McLAUGHLIN: Yeah, it’s perfect for a rookie (laughter). Exactly what I want.
No, ideally I’d love to do something a little bit more — I’d love to have a bit more time on each one, but that’s not how it works. I feel like I just got myself sorted on the road course, we jumped on the street course, which had a different tire, got a feel for the tire there. I’m going to jump into an oval and basically throw out the past two weeks’ work and focus on something completely different. But that’s why we love it.

Q. Basically practice, qualifying and race will all be on race downforce settings. Does that simplify your lives or would you prefer to have the two different stages of settings so that prepared you a little more for when you start trimming out during Indy 500 qualifying?
SCOTT McLAUGHLIN: For me, we were just talking about that today. Parc ferme, obviously we will be qualifying pretty much on race condition stuff. I think we start the race on our qualifying tires.
It does take one less complication out of it for me to learn. For me, it’s probably nice to have the whole month of May basically to prep myself for trimming out qualifying, getting confidence in that department.
Yeah, look, for sure it would probably be nice to have an idea of what I want before I head to Indy in terms of qualifying trim. Like I said, we’ve got the full month to build up to it. It does make it a lot more simple for someone like myself, even I guess for Pietro who is coming in not a full-timer right now, just to get used to the car. I’m sure it might help a little bit, too.

Q. Scott, it’s been an interesting start to the season for you. You’ve been a top 10 car pretty much in both races. Things probably didn’t quite go your way strategy-wise. How do you reflect on how that’s gone? If that is the case, if you are a top 10 car, that’s got to be a pretty good start to your INDYCAR car career given how strong the field is at the moment.
SCOTT McLAUGHLIN: For sure. It’s been a good start to the year. I thought it was over after the first 30 seconds at Barber. Thought I was going to get collected in that shunt. It was nice to get around that.
The biggest challenge for me so far has been qualifying. Understanding especially last weekend at St. Pete, I was quite disappointed with my qualifying because I was in the top eight through the whole weekend before leading up to it, felt really strong within the race car.
Just getting the feel of the red tires in qualifying has been difficult, not only at the street course but also on the road course. That’s all taking time.
Probably right now qualifying is my Achilles’ heel at the moment, I need to work on, which I’ll try to do. Certainly in the race I feel like we’ve had a really fast car and felt really strong in the races. Made a couple moves here and there, battling hard.
The race craft thing has sort of come naturally for me in terms I was a little bit nervous in what it would be like, open-wheel, side-by-side. I’ve had some pretty hard battles with some pretty tough guys, Takuma Sato, raced with Bourdais, a couple other people, people that race hard but fair. I’ve enjoyed it.
Like you said, we’ve had a top 10 car. It’s been a pretty solid start. We just have to keep it going from now on.

Q. Approaching an oval debut is not as simple as focusing on one thing. Any one area that Penske has been advising you to work on for this weekend? Is there like a major focus for you to make sure you get one thing sorted for the weekend?
SCOTT McLAUGHLIN: I think it’s my understanding of the timing in the oval, understanding how hard do I drive into the corner, working out my exits so I get runs down into turn three or into turn one. When do I make a passing move, how do I save fuel on an oval. One thing that’s a little bit different as well.
Race strategy is a big thing. Especially in INDYCAR, the fuel saving is a huge thing. Trying to drive fast while saving more fuel certainly helps you in the long-term.
Yeah, a lot of things I have had to focus on. But certainly the race itself, like I said, the time, my passes have been one big focus for me. Thankfully I have thousands of hours of footage I can watch from previous years, including our testing, which will help.

Q. Scott, first time racing on an oval. There’s a lot of information probably coming at you all at once. What is your biggest concern going into a doubleheader this weekend, like on the high banks of Texas?
SCOTT McLAUGHLIN: Biggest concern? Probably I guess coming out of here with not many points. I think it’s a big points weekend. I don’t have too many concerns about where I’m placed and how I feel in the race car. I feel very comfortable, ready for the challenge. So I’m not concerned about any of that.
Probably knowing that I need to get a solid couple of races under my belt, not only just for championship-wise, but at the same time it’s for my confidence leading into the next big oval, which is the biggest race of my life, the Indy 500.
I’m certainly aware of how important these next two races are this weekend, and will be doing my very best to have a pretty solid run in all facets, in-laps, out-laps, passing, saving fuel, all that sort of stuff. I’m really looking forward to the challenge of that.

Q. You have your simulator behind you there.
SCOTT McLAUGHLIN: Yeah.
Q. How has that been able to help you with ovals, or has it?
SCOTT McLAUGHLIN: Yeah, it’s certainly been a little bit of a help, more so with my spotter. I’ve never worked with a spotter before. Being able to have him on my Discord, the app that we use, he basically calls races like we would have in real life. He’d view it on iRacing.
Doing the odd INDYCAR race and stuff, he can talk to you, inside, outside, clear, outside line is working, inside line is working, all the normal chat we would have. But just getting familiar with all that sort of stuff is a big thing for me, something that I’ve never really had before. I’ve never had a spotter. That’s all new to me. Probably that’s one thing the sim has helped with.

Q. Scott, how beneficial is it to you to Josef, Simon, Will in the team, giving their experience on ovals?
SCOTT McLAUGHLIN: Invaluable (smiling). It’s the thing that I take very seriously, listen to a lot of their advice. I definitely ask for a lot. I’m in their ear all the time, watching all their footage, looking at all their data, just little things.
But they could easily be hiding away a lot of the stuff, not try and show me too much. But they’ve been fantastic in all facets. There’s stuff they’re probably hiding from me, but at the same time that’s what racing is all about with teammates. Everyone hides that last little 10th. That’s about me trying to find that myself. That’s what motorsport is all about.

Q. Obviously when you tested there recently, did you do practice, pit stops going into the box, all that kind of thing? It’s going to be very busy on Saturday. Kind of the same for you, Pietro. You’re going to have loads of cars going into pit lane if we have cautions. Any kind of way you train yourself to try to avoid an incident in pit lane?
SCOTT McLAUGHLIN: No, I think it’s more just being instinctive, having a feel of what’s ahead of you, understanding with your spotter and stuff. Communication is a big thing.
Yeah, we did do a lot of practice, a lot of race runs, so basically full stints. Obviously I’ll (indiscernible) with my weight jacker, tools for the whole stint, resetting them before I got in the box. If you have one side that’s too heavy you can easily lock a wheel going into pit lane and overshoot the pit box.
There’s a lot to think about towards the end of a stint in an INDYCAR on the ovals. Thankfully had a lot of practice with that.

Q. I know you tested here a few weeks ago in Indy. You have both been at Texas. Any extra set of nerves, like a different mindset going into this weekend, like an excitement of something you’ve never done before racing at Texas?
SCOTT McLAUGHLIN: For me it’s the excitement of having never done it before, experiencing what it’s like. That’s something that is going to be so cool, so refreshing for me. First career start on an oval. Why not do it in the fastest race car of all? It’s a cool thing.

PHOTO CREDIT CHEVROLET RACING – TEAM PENSKE’S SCOTT MCLAUGHLIN, NO. 3 PPG TEAM PENSKE CHEVROLET, IHAS SHOWED STRONG RUNS IN FIRST TWO RACES

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.

CBD American Shaman 2021 ADRL Tour Kicks Off This Weekend at the Texas Motorplex

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Official Release
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ENNIS, Texas – “Alright…you called down the thunder, well now you got it!” –Wyatt Earp, Tombstone

The thunder returns to the Texas Motorplex this weekend, courtesy of the CBD American Shaman 2021 ADRL Tour and the American Drag Racing League’s Dragpalooza. As always, tickets to the quickest and fastest Pro Mod show on the planet are completely free, thanks to the hundreds of thousands of tickets distributed throughout the Dallas region in recent weeks.

Frankie “The Madman” Taylor, Pro Extreme winner of this event a year ago and the 2020 class champion, is returning to the scene of that incredible victory with no intentions of this weekend’s result being any different than last year. During 2020’s ADRL season opener, Taylor made four uncontested passes down the track to take the win. “I’d rather be lucky than good,” Taylor said in the Winner’s Circle at the time. Lucky he may have been that night, but the native Texan used all his hard-earned skill and talents to take home the PX championship belt in St. Louis last October.

Taylor’s journey for a repeat championship continues when the track opens for race car inspection at 2 p.m. local time with a test session scheduled to begin at 3 p.m. The session is expected to last until 10 p.m. A second test session begins Friday at 10 a.m. with spectator gates opening at Noon.

Qualifying for the 2021 ADRL Dragpalooza kicks off Friday at 4:30 p.m. with three rounds of qualifying for all classes. ADRL qualifying continues Saturday at 2 p.m. with spectator gates opening again at Noon. The legendary pre-race ceremony begins at 5 p.m. with the invocation and the National Anthem.

“It’s been a long offseason, man!” said ADRL CEO Kenny Nowling. “We’ve had to delay the kickoff to the season, but honestly, being able to start the year at the Texas Motorplex with the amazing Lone Star
State fans and Andy Carter’s crew just means we’re gonna have to make this show twice as badass!”

For the full schedule of this weekend’s ADRL Dragpalooza at the Texas Motorplex, click HERE. More information can also be found at the official ADRL event page on Facebook, which can be found HERE.

CBD American Shaman 2021 ADRL Tour Schedule:

April 30-May 1: ADRL Dragpalooza (Texas Motorplex)
June 11-12: ADRL Gateway Drags (WWT Raceway)
Race 3: ADRL Summer Drags (Date/Location TBD)
Sept. 10-11: ADRL U.S. Drags (Texas Motorplex)
Oct. 1-2: ADRL Fall Drags (Location TBD)
Oct. 22-23: ADRL Dragstock XIII (WWT Raceway)

Get the Gear! Need your merch for the CBD American Shaman 2021 ADRL Tour? Get everything you need by clicking HERE or by heading to the at-track Adrenaline Zone at every ADRL event!

For more information on the American Drag Racing League and to stay up-to-date on breaking news, follow them on their official page on Facebook at Facebook.com/ADRLDrags and on Instagram and Twitter at @ADRLDrags. Fans can also visit the official ADRL website at ADRLDrags.com.

CHEVROLET NTT INDYCAR SERIES: TEXAS MOTOR SPEEDWAY DOUBLEHEADER TEAM CHEVY ADVANCE

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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
TEAM CHEVY ADVANCE – MAY 1-2
APRIL 29 2021

RACES 3 AND 4 OF 2021 NTT INDYCAR SERIES:

DETROIT (April 28, 2021) – Diversity of racing has been a hallmark of the NTT INDYCAR SERIES’ schedule. This weekend, not only will drivers/teams compete on the third different type of venue in as many weeks, but they will face the challenges of back-to-back races.

Following events at the Barber Motorsports Park road course and the temporary street circuit in St. Petersburg, Florida, Chevrolet drivers will tackle the fast 1.455-mile Texas Motor Speedway oval in the first of two doubleheader weekends this season.

The 212-lap Genesys 300 is May 1 and the 248-lap XPEL 375 will be contested May 2. Single-car qualifying will be conducted three hours prior to the opening race, with the drivers’ first lap time determining the starting lineup for the Genesys 300 and their second lap setting the field by position for the XPEL 375.

Repaved and redesigned in 2017, the racetrack in Fort Worth features 20 degrees of banking in Turns 1 and 2 and 24 degrees of banking in Turns 3 and 4, which will showcase the power of the 2.2-liter, twin-turbocharged, direct-injected V6 Chevrolet engine as it interacts with the car’s aerodynamic setup around the asymmetrical track.

“There are many variables to consider with the racetrack configuration, wind, heat, grip level and the short time window to dial in the cars for the first race,” Chevrolet INDYCAR program manager Rob Buckner said. “Chevrolet trackside engineers worked with teams during a March 31 test at the track and we’ll be ready for more exciting racing at Texas Motor Speedway and hopefully bring home two victories.”

Since returning to NTT INDYCAR SERIES engine manufacturer competition in 2012, Team Chevy drivers have won five of the nine races and earned five pole starts on the oval that has hosted an NTT INDYCAR SERIES race annually since it opened in 1997.

Will Power, driver of the No. 12 Verizon 5G Team Penske Chevrolet who is tied for second in the Driver Standings, has scored two wins and three pole starts at the track. Teammate Josef Newgarden, No. 2 XPEL Team Penske Chevrolet, earned the pole in 2018 and ’20 and won the 2019 race on the way to his second Series championship.

“One race around this place can smoke you pretty good,” said Newgarden, who placed third in the 2020 race that was the season opener on June 7 as previously scheduled races were postponed or canceled because of the COVID-19 pandemic. “So, adding two … it will be a challenge, especially if it’s hot. It’s a daring track. You have to have commitment when you come here. You’ve got to feel very confident in yourself and in your car. I like that about this track.”

Joining the Team Chevy lineup this weekend will be Ed Carpenter in the No. 20 U.S. Air Force Chevrolet. The team owner, who won the 2014 race at Texas Motor Speedway, competes in the oval races. Conor Daly, who drives the No. 20 entry in the road/street course events, will switch to the No. 59 Gallagher Carlin Chevrolet for the Texas twinbill. He has a pair of top-10 finishes in four races at the oval.

Scott McLaughlin will make his Series’ debut on an oval in the No. 3 PPG Team Penske Chevrolet.

NBCSN will telecast the Genesys 300 live at 7 p.m. ET May 1 and the XPEL 375 at 5 p.m. ET May 2. Both races 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. Practice and live qualifications will stream on Peacock Premium.

Team Chevy will be represented by:
A.J. Foyt Enterprises
Dalton Kellett, No. 4 K-Line Insulators/AJ Foyt Racing
Sebastien Bourdais, No. 14 ROKiT/AJ Foyt Racing

Arrow McLaren SP
Pato O’Ward, No. 5 Arrow McLaren SP
Felix Rosenqvist, No. 7 Vuse Arrow McLaren SP

Carlin
Conor Daly, No. 59 Gallagher Carlin

Ed Carpenter Racing
Ed Carpenter, No. 20 U.S. Air Force
Rinus VeeKay, No. 21 Sonax/Autogeek

Team Penske
Josef Newgarden, No. 2 XPEL Team Penske
Scott McLaughlin, No. 3 PPG Team Penske
Will Power, No. 12 Verizon 5G Team Penske
Simon Pagenaud, No. 22 Menards Team Penske
Chevrolet V6 Year-By-Year Results since 2012

2021 ­– 1 pole in 2 races
Pole – Pato O’Ward (Barber Motorsports Park)
2020 – 7 wins, 11 poles in 14 races
Wins – Simon Pagenaud (Iowa1); Josef Newgarden (Iowa2, St. Louis2, Indy RC2, St. Petersburg); Will Power (Mid-Ohio1, Indy RC3, St. Petersburg). Poles – Josef Newgarden (Texas, Road America1, Iowa2), Will Power (Indianapolis road course, St. Louis1, Mid-Ohio1, Indy RC3; St. Petersburg), Pato O’Ward (Road America2), Conor Daly (Iowa1), Rinus VeeKay (Indy road course October)
2019 – 9 wins, 9 poles in 17 races
Driver/owner championship (Josef Newgarden/Roger Penske); Indianapolis 500 win (Simon Pagenaud)
2018 – 6 wins, 9 poles in 17 races
Indianapolis 500 win (Will Power)
2017 – 10 wins, 11 poles in 17 races
Engine Manufacturer Championship; driver/owner titles (Josef Newgarden/Roger Penske)
2016 – 14 wins, 13 poles in 16 races
Engine Manufacturer Championship; driver/owner titles (Simon Pagenaud/Roger Penske)
2015 – 10 wins, 16 poles in 16 races
Engine Manufacturer Championship; driver/owner titles (Scott Dixon/Chip Ganassi);
Indianapolis 500 win (Juan Pablo Montoya). First manufacturer to capture all titles since Chevrolet returned to INDYCAR in 2012
2014 – 12 wins, 14 poles in 18 races
Engine Manufacturer Championship; driver/owner titles (Will Power/Roger Penske)
2013 – 10 wins, 11 poles in 19 races
Engine Manufacturer Championship; Indianapolis 500 win (Tony Kanaan)
2012 – 11 wins, 10 poles in 15 races
Engine Manufacturer Championship; driver/owner titles (Ryan Hunter-Reay/Michael Andretti)
Total – 89 wins, 100 earned poles (104 poles total – earned and based on entrant points) in 151 races

PHOTO CREDIT CHEVROLET RACING – TEAM PENSKE’S WILL POWER, NO. 12 VERIZON 5G CHEVROLET, IS SECOND IN POINT STANDINGS AFTER STRONG FINISHES IN FIRST TWO RACES

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.

The Cat Rental Store at Thompson Machinery named preferred equipment rental partner of Nashville Superspeedway’s June 18-20 NASCAR tripleheader weekend

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https://www.nashvillesuperspeedway.com/

Top Five Tips on Maintaining Your Car’s Performance

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SM
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You are buying your first car, congratulations. Investing in a new one can be a really exciting experience. But do you know owning a new vehicle comes with a lot of duties? You need to take care of it. You need to know all the things that can keep your expensive car in good mechanical condition by using quality selected parts from ARP Bolts and other online or local retailers. You can’t let your car sit in the garage without giving it a complete check. 

This may sound a little dramatic, but for most of us, cars are like our lifeblood. We all depend on our vehicles. Today, the modern automobile is not just a piece of luxury, but we all need it for different purposes. For many, owning a car is important to run their businesses. For others, having a car is the best way to experience the world and enjoy the beautiful sights. Whatever the reason, vehicles are here to stay and will continue to be an integral part of man’s evolutionary development. 

Here we have organized a compressive guide to help you all in order to keep your vehicles in good condition. 

Importance of Maintaining Your Vehicle 

There are many reasons to maintain your vehicle, but we have listed below some of the more convincing reasons why maintaining your vehicle is always important. 

  • It improves safety 
  • Save you expensive repair charges 
  • Minimize the chances of roadside emergencies 
  • High resale value 
  • Contribute to a cleaner and safe environment

Common Maintenance Your Vehicle Needs

At the start of this article, we promised that we would share a comprehensive guide on how you can properly maintain your vehicle so here we are presenting the top five basic car maintenance tips.

  1. Don’t Forget to Inspect Your Car regularly 

This is the first thing that can save you expensive repair costs. If you inspect your vehicle regularly, this can help you spot minor and major damages on time. Make sure to perform the inspection yourself. It is the simplest and even easy if you know what things you need to look for. 

  1. Learn about Warning Light Indicators 

Modern vehicles have warning systems with sophisticated sensors that alert you about damages. It is hard to cover all the damages on your own, but warning lights can help you identify amiss. Warning lights can save you costly repairs. Ensure you know the engine light, electrical fault light, service engine light, coolant warning light, brake warning light, and oil warning light. 

  1. Try to Install LED Light Bar 

An LED light bar is more environmentally and energy-efficient. You may not know, but your car’s lightning features are not as efficient, controlling, and powerful as the LED light bar. If you are not sure about these lights, you can ask an expert car mechanic. These days LED light bar in Australia are more in demand and safe to use. 

  1. Check Tire Pressure

Incorrect tire pressures can cause many problems, including less gas mileage, instability, poor braking, and a flat tire. Try to check tire pressure before every ride. Also, try to rotate tires to make sure they are balanced and fitted properly. 

  1. Check and Change Oil Regularly 

Routinely changing and checking your car’s oil is necessary to keep its engine in better condition. Check your vehicle’s oil on a regular basis and change it as directed in the owner’s manual. One can also change oil whenever one takes it to a service station.

RCR Event Preview – Kansas Speedway

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Richard Childress Racing at Kansas Speedway… In 89 NASCAR Cup Series starts at Kansas Speedway, Richard Childress Racing has one win with Kevin Harvick (2013), five top-five, and 23 top-10 finishes. The Welcome, N.C. organization has also picked up a NASCAR Xfinity Series win with Harvick in 2006.

Catch the Action… The NASCAR Cup Series Kansas 400 will be televised live Sunday, May 2, beginning at 3 p.m. ET on FS1 and will be broadcast live on the Motor Racing Network and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Channel 90.

Austin Dillon and the No. 3 Bass Pro Shops / TRACKER Off Road Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 1LE at Kansas Speedway… Dillon made his career-first start in the NASCAR Cup Series at Kansas Speedway in 2011 and has made a total of 15 NASCAR Cup Series starts at the 1.5-mile track, earning his best finish of sixth in May and October 2016. He has also made five NASCAR Xfinity Series starts at the track, recording one pole award (2013) and a best finish of second (2012). In three NASCAR Truck Series races, Dillon has earned one pole award (2011) and a best finish of fourth (2014).

About Tracker Off Road… Dillon’s No. 3 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 1LE prominently features TRACKER ATVs, a game-changing new line of all-terrain vehicles and side-by-sides offering breakthrough performance, service and value in the off-road industry. TRACKER OFF ROAD was born out of a powerhouse partnership formed between Bass Pro Shops and TRACKER founder Johnny Morris and Textron Specialized Vehicles, bringing together the undisputed world leader in boating with a global leader in innovation and technology.

About Bass Pro Shops… Bass Pro Shops is North America’s premier outdoor and conservation company. Founded in 1972 when avid young angler Johnny Morris began selling tackle out of his father’s liquor store in Springfield, Missouri, today the company provides customers with unmatched offerings spanning premier destination retail, outdoor equipment manufacturing, world-class resort destinations and more. In 2017 Bass Pro Shops acquired Cabela’s to create a “best-of-the-best” experience with superior products, dynamic locations and outstanding customer service. Bass Pro Shops also operates White River Marine Group, offering an unsurpassed collection of industry-leading boat brands, and Big Cedar Lodge, America’s Premier Wilderness Resort. Under the visionary conservation leadership of Johnny Morris, Bass Pro Shops is a national leader in protecting habitat and introducing families to the outdoors and has been named by Forbes as “one of America’s Best Employers.” Bass Pro Shops has a long relationship with NASCAR, dating back to 1998. For more information, visit .

AUSTIN DILLON QUOTE:
How is Kansas unique compared to some of the other 1.5-mile tracks?
“Kansas Speedway has done a really good job with their banking. There’s a line right up by the fence that has a little extra grip. There’s an angle up there that I don’t think many tracks have figured out yet, but Kansas got it right. You can run from top to bottom there. The bottom groove is the preferred groove at the beginning, but it becomes too tight to try and run around there in turns one and two sometimes depending on what the balance of your race car is. I’ve enjoyed that track a lot ever since they repaved it. I wish every track could do as good as a job as Kansas has with repaves.”

Tyler Reddick and the No. 8 Childress Vineyards Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 1LE at Kansas Speedway… Reddick has three NASCAR Cup Series starts at Kansas Speedway, with his best finish of ninth coming in 2019. Reddick also has three NASCAR Xfinity Series starts at the 1.5-mile speedway, starting and finishing inside the top 10 in all three events, as well as two NASCAR Truck Series starts.

About Childress Vineyards… Childress Vineyards is a premier winery located at the southern gateway of the Yadkin Valley in Lexington, North Carolina. Owned by Richard Childress, NASCAR team owner and Hall of Fame member, Childress Vineyards has been producing award-winning wines with the expertise of Winemaker Mark Frizsolowski. Open daily for tours, tastings, and lunch in the Bistro. Information about Childress Vineyards can be found on Facebook at facebook.com/childresswines/, on Twitter at @ChildressWines and on Instagram at Instagram.com/childresswines.

TYLER REDDICK QUOTE:
When it comes to a track like Kansas Speedway where you may be able to run the fence, do you go in with a higher sense of confidence? Or what are the keys to success at Kansas?
“I want to say I do, but it can be tough since that’s not the only way to be successful at Kansas Speedway. When I’m on the fence when the tires get warmer and we are on a longer run, the top can be a tool to help me with long run speed. I feel like when I’ve come in years past, I have almost put too much into it. My first race last year I tried to run it too much and tried to make our car the fastest car on the track when really I didn’t need to be at that time. Then, the second race we had there, my team did a really good job of making our car run well all across the racetrack, but I felt like I had to run the top and got us into a hole. So, running the top at Kansas is a lot of fun and we can get speed doing it, but it’s important to be versatile and be smart throughout the whole race. We’ll have a good starting position, which should help us on Sunday. But when I think about Kansas, I also think about execution getting to pit road, being fast in and out of the box, executing the green flag stops we’re going to have throughout the stages, and managing restarts. We just need to be smart and manage other parts of the race to make sure it doesn’t get away from us. We have a good starting spot with our No. 8 Childress Vineyards Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 1LE, so the goal is to build on that and race smart all day long.”

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