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Ford Performance NASCAR: Mustang Takes Keselowski to Sixth Talladega Win

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Ford Performance Notes and Quotes
NASCAR Cup Series — Geico 500
Talladega Superspeedway | Sunday, April 25, 2021

MUSTANG TAKES KESELOWSKI TO SIXTH CAREER CUP WIN AT TALLADEGA

  • Brad Keselowski won his first race of the season today.
  • Team Penske has now won 9 of the last 14 Cup races at Talladega.
  • Keselowski now has 6 career Cup victories at Talladega Superspeedway.
  • The win is the 35th of his Cup Series career and 26th with Ford.
  • Today’s win is Ford’s 708th all-time in NASCAR Cup Series competition.
  • Of Team Penske’s 82 MENCS wins with Ford, 55 have come since rejoining Ford in 2013.

Ford Finishing Results
1st – Brad Keselowski
3rd – Michael McDowell
4th – Kevin Harvick
5th – Matt DiBenedetto
9th – Ryan Blaney
10th – Cole Custer
11th – Chase Briscoe
12th – Anthony Alfredo
13th – Ryan Newman
15th – Aric Almirola
21st – Chris Buescher
25th – BJ McLeod
29th – Timmy Hill
34th – Joey Gase
36th – Josh Bilicki
39th – Joey Logano

BRAD KESELOWSKI, No. 2 MoneyLion Ford Mustang — VICTORY LANE INTERVIEWS

YOU ONLY LED ONE LAP, BUT WHAT WERE YOU THINKING WHEN THE BOTTOM LANE OPENED UP? “Merry Christmas. What an awesome day today to bring the MoneyLion Ford Mustang into Victory Lane. The whole race I had a couple opportunities to take the lead, but I just kept thinking, ‘Man, keep your car in one piece.’ We’ve been so close here and it just didn’t seem to want to come together here the last few years and I’ve been on kind of a four-year drought here, but it’s nice to get number six. I would have never dreamed I’d tie Jeff Gordon and Dale Earnhardt Jr. here. That’s something. Those guys are really legends. I’m just really proud of my team. We had an accident there early and they recovered and got it fixed up to where I could keep running. My crew chief, Jeremy Bullins, had a lot of confidence. I told him, ‘I want to come in and put four tires on this thing,’ and he said, ‘Yep, go ahead.’ And that really helped a bunch at the end. Other than that, I’m just so excited. My daughters and my wife are here. They’re in the motorhome lot. I don’t know if they’ll get to come to Victory Lane, but if not, they got to see daddy win, so that’s pretty cool.”

WERE YOU AWARE HOW BIG OF A RUN THEY HAD AT THE END? “Oh yeah. I saw it coming and I was like, ‘Oh God, please.’ If I can just get to this line. Couldn’t they just put it on the other side like Daytona? But that’s their job. Everybody is just racing hard, pushing hard and that’s Talladega.”

WHAT’S IT LIKE WHEN THINGS WORK IN YOUR FAVOR IN A GREEN-WHITE-CHECKER? “If you’re gonna lead 187 and not lead the last one, that’s not so good. I think I’ll take the last one and that’s exactly how it worked out, leading the last one. It opened up, the lane did. Matt went to block the 12 and I just barely got inside of him with a huge run. I got a great push from Michael McDowell, which was really helpful and appreciated, so just a big day.”

HOW IMPORTANT IS MANUFACTURER TEAMWORK? “It is. You feel like you’ve got the wind at your back with that, so it all came together very nicely and the Fords are real strong.”

YOUR SIXTH WIN HERE AT TALLADEGA, TYING SOME LEGENDS. “That’s very cool. I want to keep going, but I’m really proud to be there with Dale Jr. and Jeff Gordon — a long, long ways to ever catch Dale Earnhardt. I don’t even know if that’s possible, but to be on the same list is pretty cool.”

MATT DIBENEDETTO, No. 21 Motorcraft/Quick Lane Ford Mustang — WOULD YOU DO THAT LAST LAP ALL OVER AGAIN? “Oh, man. You say that after every one of these races. It’s tough, but it’s just all so circumstantial. We talked about it a lot before the race and it’s tough. Our day will come. I’m just lucky to drive this thing and have the support from everybody. The fans, they are so awesome. Driving for the Wood Brothers is really a dream come true. Gosh, it’s hard to come so close to so many of these things. The Fords are so fast. They believe in me, the whole Ford camp. They do an excellent job. The Mustangs are great. Motorcraft, Quick Lane, Menards and all of our vendor partners, I tell you that because all those people believed in me and I love what I do. Our day will come. We’ll get there. I just appreciate the support from everybody.”

MICHAEL MCDOWELL, No. 34 Love’s Travel Stops Ford Mustang — HOW CLOSE DID YOU FEEL LIKE THIS ONE WAS FOR YOU? “I felt like it was pretty close. I am just so thankful to everybody at this Front Row Motorsports team. We have fast superspeedway cars. This Ford Mustang was fast. It has been a great season for us. I really felt like I was in a good spot again working with Brad (Keselowski) and drug back off of him coming off of Turn 4. I thought I would have the run but just didn’t suck him down enough. It was a great run and I am glad there is another Ford Mustang in victory lane. I am thankful to all our partners. It has been a great year. To get a top-five and to be running in the top-10 and have a win says a lot for this team and Bob Jenkins for giving me the opportunity.”

KEVIN HARVICK, No. 4 Busch Dog Brew Ford Mustang — THIS RACE HAD A LITTLE BIT OF EVERYTHING DIDN’T IT? “It did. We definitely didn’t like to see the 22 flying around in the air right in front of us but our Dog Brew Ford Mustang was good all day. We raced all day. I kind of slid the left front there and got a speeding penalty at one point but we were able to stay on the lead lap. Everybody did a great job. The car is rolling two speedway races in a row and I think that is a first for us. We just need a little momentum. The cars have run good on the speedways. Hopefully next week we have everything together at Kansas and we can go have a good day.”

JOEY LOGANO, No. 22 AutoTrader Ford Mustang (Involved in Accident on Lap 60) — HUGE HIT THERE JOEY, WHAT GOES THROUGH YOUR MIND WHEN YOU SEE THE REPLAY THERE? “I guess I don’t know exactly what to think. It is a product of this racing. On one hand I am so proud to drive a Cup car that is safe, and that I can go through a crash like that and get out and speak about it. On one hand I am made about being in the crash and on the other I am happy to be alive. On another hand I am wondering when we are going to stop because this is dangerous doing what we are doing. I got a roll bar in my head. That is not okay. I am one hit away from the same situation Ryan Newman just went through. I just don’t feel like that is acceptable. A lot of it is the big spoiler and the big runs and all the pushing. It is nobody’s fault. Denny (Hamlin) is trying to go and the 47 is trying to go. It is a product of this racing. We have to fix it though. Someone already got hurt and we are still doing it, so that’s not real smart. At the same time, I am appreciative of driving a car that is this safe and what Team Penske has done for the safety of these cars so that I can live to talk about it and go again. I got lucky that I didn’t get hit while I was in the air. It is unfortunate for our Autotrader Mustang but we will go on but it won’t be a good starting spot next week.”

POST-RACE PRESS CONFERENCE

MATT DIBENEDETTO, No. 21 Motorcraft/Quick Lane Ford Mustang — “Obviously, a disappointing end there. I shouldn’t say disappointing, it was a solid day, take a top five and had a stage win, so that’s great. The car was really fast. All the Fords were super good. That was awesome. Our car led great. Ryan really pushed. Our Penske teammates did an excellent job helping us get that stage win, so that was huge. Big credit to them and big for our points situation, so just tough ending. I jumped up in front of Ryan and he kind of got spit out and hung out and some people were grabbing his quarter panel and such.”

RYAN BLANEY, No. 12 Menards/Sylvania Ford Mustang — “Overall, not a bad day. Decent stage points. I really would have liked to not see a caution at the end of that thing with Matt, me and Brad all lined up there and a bunch of Fords. It would have been nice to see where we all wound up, but the top on green-white-checkers I never think is any good because the bottom always wins out on that because the bottom lane they can’t go anywhere. They can’t move up, and then guys that are in the second lane they just bail to the top because guys in the back are trying to get all the spots you can, so that just kind of makes the top fall apart. It just kind of fell apart on us and then couldn’t get any help from behind, but, overall, nice to still be rolling at the end of that thing and not a bad finish, not a bad day.”

MATT DIBENEDETTO CONTINUED — LOGANO SAID THE RUNS ARE TOO BIG AND SOMETHING NEEDS TO BE DONE ABOUT THIS KIND OF RACING. CAN ANYTHING BE DONE TO MAKE THIS SAFER? “I wouldn’t want to get into anything too controversial, but I actually had a random thought when I was in the car and you think about how big the runs are because the big spoilers has changed the racing a lot and it makes it pretty hairy with the runs being that big. With the Next Gen car, I think it’s a great opportunity to look at it and evaluate it would be my answer because the runs are very big and it does get pretty treacherous and a little aggressive, but, overall, glad the safety of the cars is so excellent because of all the work they’ve done over the years. NASCAR has done a really good job on the safety of the car, so that would be my neutral answer.”

RYAN BLANEY CONTINUED — LOGANO SAID THE RUNS ARE TOO BIG AND SOMETHING NEEDS TO BE DONE ABOUT THIS KIND OF RACING. CAN ANYTHING BE DONE TO MAKE THIS SAFER? “We’ve seen since we changed the package with this big old spoiler on there and things like that, the runs are just massive and locking bumpers. Things aren’t very stable to drive when you’re getting pushed and people throwing blocks that you might have been able to throw a few years ago, but you can’t throw them now. And then going back to Joey’s flip, I didn’t see it, but I’m guessing he was pushing me to Matt and that means the 11 was pushing him and I get to Matt and hit him in the bumper and can’t go no where. Then it all just accordions and people get turned I guess. I think that comes up a lot, just because the run is so big. They’re coming way faster behind the leader and it just all stacks up, so a handful of years ago, even three years ago, there was a different kind of plate racing. The runs weren’t as big with that package, but I thought it was a still pretty decent, so, I don’t know, you kind of just see where the new car leads to and see how it drives, but I will agree that the runs are massive and they’re really hard to stay stable, especially when you’ve got somebody on your bumper. Luckily, he was all right and he didn’t get hit at a bad angle, but I’m not sure how you fix it other than going back to what a few years ago was.”

MATT DIBENEDETTO CONTINUED — HOW TOUGH IS IT GETTING TO BE IN THE SENSE OF MORAL VICTORIES? “I think as I get older my perspective on a lot of things gets better, so the way I look at it is, yeah, it’s disappointing to come close so many times, not just today because this is Talladega and a lot of things happen that’s crazy, but to come close — a lot of my career has consisted of a lot of that and some heartbreaks and it’s tough. The way that I look at it is I focus on what’s in my control and focus on the positives. I’m driving fast cars. We’re in position to win and I know that if we keep doing that, like I said, our day will definitely come and pertaining to this race specifically, I’ll drive myself crazy if I just look back at it, replay exactly what happened and will never let myself live it down. We did the best job we can. Circumstances are crazy, especially with how big the runs are and all that, so it’s nothing to beat ourselves up over. We had a stage win and a good day, and I know that although my career has consisted of a lot of heartbreaks our day will come, so I don’t look at it in a negative way.”

YOU WERE IN A POSITION TO WIN THIS RACE LAST FALL. WHAT DID YOU TAKE FROM THAT EXPERIENCE TO HELP OR THAT MIGHT HAVE HELPED YOU IN THIS CASE? “I think overall we continue to get better. Me and my spotter, Doug Campbell, he deserves a lot of credit because he sees a lot more than I do. He’s calling a lot of the moves and what to make and where to go and working with our teammates, which, obviously, everyone saw we did a good job of that. I think overall, to answer your question, we’ve actually gotten better at our race craft and I think also it’s a big credit to not only my spotter and us working hard on that stuff and watching film and studying, but it’s a big credit to my Penske teammates. I’m not just saying that. It really is because they’re so good — Brad, Joey and Ryan are so good at these plate races at their race craft. It’s like I look at it as a chess match and then it makes you really have to step up your game and you can watch them and lean on them or have them to race with, work with, pick their brains, study, so I think we’ve just gotten better at our race craft, which puts us all in position to have a shot at winning these things when it counts.”

DID YOU FEEL GOOD IN YOUR POSITION GOING INTO THE LAST LAP? “I don’t know. I was kind of 50/50 on that. Being the leader is tough and I never feel good at Talladega until we cross the line winning it because so much can happen. Last year we were leading coming off of four and that’s still not close enough. Like Ryan said, I felt best before that caution came out when it was the three of us in control of the race up front. I felt pretty good about that and didn’t really want to see the caution, but it is what it is.”

WERE YOU TRYING TO BLOCK RYAN OR BREAK UP THEIR DRAFT LATE IN THE RACE? “I’ve got to go back and replay it and watch it myself. It all seems like a little bit of a blur because it all happened so quick, but my focus and intention behind the wheel was picking up Ryan because he was a great pusher, a great help. Obviously, Brad was really good too on the bottom, but Ryan had a run and a good push and I was actually just trying to pick him up and hoping we could get some steam and go to the front and take control of the race, get up there, so that was my intention and my spotter, Doug, I put a lot of trust in him and he called me to go to the top and I can only see so much, but I saw Ryan with a run, so I went up there to pick that up, but, really, ultimately, Ryan got spit out a little bit and drug back some and that’s what he was talking about as far as when you’re on the outside you are kind of at that mercy. The guys on the bottom lane are forced to stick together and keep pushing, so there are things obviously you’d always do over if you didn’t win this thing that you would change, but that’s pretty much for everybody, except for the winner.”

RYAN BLANEY CONTINUED — DID THE TOPICS YOU DISCUSSED IN THE TEAM PENSKE SIT DOWN COME INTO YOUR MIND AT ALL IN THE FINAL LAPS? “We never even got to that point. I mean, yeah, it worked out great to where we were all three lined up together, and then we were just kind of waiting and biding our time to see what it looked like getting the white flag or if another group made a move before that we would have all tried to protect it, so we were just all three together, which was nice. Myself, I was probably gonna wait until off four or something if we do make a move. You never know how it was gonna play out, but I was content staying in line until the end and then trying to make sure that one of us won the race.”

CHEVY NCS AT TALLADEGA: Post-Race Notes and Quotes

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Official Release
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NASCAR CUP SERIES
TALLADEGA SUPERSPEEDWAY
GEICO 500
TEAM CHEVY POST-RACE NOTES & QUOTES
APRIL 25, 2021

TOP TEAM CHEVY UNOFFICIAL RACE RESULTS:
POS. DRIVER
2nd WILLIAM BYRON, NO. 24 LIBERTY UNIVERSITY CAMARO ZL1 1LE
6th KAZ GRALA, NO. 16 HYPERICE CAMARO ZL1 1LE
7th TYLER REDDICK, NO. 8 ROLAND CAMARO ZL1 1LE
8th AUSTIN DILLON, NO. 3 BASS PRO SHOPS/TRACKER OFF ROAD CAMARO ZL1 1LE
14th RYAN PREECE, NO. 37 KROGER/REESE’S CAMARO ZL1 1LE

TOP FIVE UNOFFICIAL RACE RESULTS:
POS. DRIVER
1st Brad Keselowski (Ford)
2nd William Byron (Chevrolet)
3rd Michael McDowell (Ford)
4th Kevin Harvick (Ford)
5th Matt DiBenedetto (Ford)

The NASCAR Cup Series season continues next weekend at Kansas Speedway for the Buschy McBusch Race 400 on Sunday, May 2, at 3 P.M. ET. Live coverage can be found on FS1, MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Channel 90.

TEAM CHEVY POST-RACE NOTES AND QUOTES:
WILLIAM BYRON, NO. 24 LIBERTY UNIVERSITY CAMARO ZL1 1LE – Finished 2nd
“Finished second here at Talladega (Superspeedway) in the No. 24 Liberty University Chevrolet. It was a good race for us. I felt like we had a shot there at the end, just not quite enough racecar to lead the race I felt like. But it was a really good day. We had some damage, but the guys did a great job fixing it. We’ll go to Kansas (Speedway) and hopefully have a really fast car there.”

KAZ GRALA, NO. 16 HYPERICE CAMARO ZL1 1LE – Finished 6th
KAZ, YOU DON’T GET TO RUN A LOT OF THESE RACES, BUT WHEN YOU DO, YOU MAKE THE MOST OF IT.
“I try to Regan (Smith) and I feel like we did today. We had a really good Hyerice Chevrolet. Kaulig Racing did a great job. They won the NASCAR Xfinity Race yesterday, so big weekend for them all around. But I was just happy to get to pilot this thing. It is few and far between when I do, but I try to make an impression on my few starts and I feel like today was a good step in the right direction. Didn’t have the best luck in Daytona, but we rebounded here. I think that’s a great boost in momentum for us and hopefully it’ll be just another piece of the puzzle for me to get a full-time ride sometime down the road.”

TYLER REDDICK, NO. 8 ROLAND CAMARO ZL1 1LE – Finished 7th
“We had a really strong No. 8 Roland Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 1LE today and were able to walk away with a finish that showed it. After being caught up in a wreck so early at Daytona this year, our strategy was different for this race with the goal of making it to the end. My whole team did a great job today with sticking with that strategy and racing smart with the big picture in mind to be there at the checkered flag. Almost all day long I could get the car to do whatever I wanted, which was great. The run right before the green-white-checkered felt like the car completely flipped its switch and didn’t drive anything like it did for the majority of the race, so we’ll have to figure out what changed there. Luckily, we were still able to make it through the chaos of the last lap and come away with a solid seventh-place finish. Overall, a good day for our team.”

AUSTIN DILLON, NO. 3 BASS PRO SHOPS/TRACKER OFF ROAD CAMARO ZL1 1LE – Finished 8th
“That was a crazy race today in the No. 3 Bass Pro Shops / TRACKER Off Road Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 1LE at Talladega Superspeedway. We were really good to start the race, and then for portions of the race we couldn’t make anything work unless I was on the top. We made some moves at the end of the race to get that eighth-place finish. Everyone was all over the place and that was some work. We hit someone on the outside quarter panel, but I’m not even sure who it was. We were all wrecking on the backstretch, but somehow it didn’t happen. I don’t know how we all came out of that. It was crazy. I’m proud of everyone at RCR and ECR for working so hard to get us that awesome finish. We’ll go back to Welcome and look over our Chevy to get it even better for Daytona.”

ROSS CHASTAIN, NO. 42 CAREGILITY/YORKTEL CAMARO ZL1 1LE – Finished 16th
“A very hard hit at the end of the race. Proud of the effort from everyone though. We tore up two cars at Daytona, so we had to bring a new car here; a big increase in speed, handling, and drivability. I had more of a race car to go race with. That’s what this team and season is all about. I can’t thank everyone enough honestly for building a safe race car, that was a very hard hit. But we led some laps, race around guys all day, worked well with Kurt (Busch); my teammate as laps down and pushed me to the lead! Good effort by Team Chevy. It was awesome to have Caregility and Yorktel on the car, they were here in the suite. An unfortunate ending which is how this place normally is but proud of the effort today”.

ERIK JONES, NO. 43 UNITED STATES AIR FORCE CAMARO ZL1 1LE – Finished 27th
“It was a solid day for our No. 43 United States Air Force Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 1LE. It felt good to get up front and lead some laps at the Talladega Superspeedway. Unfortunately, we got turned-around coming to the finish line, and did not get the finish our Richard Petty Motorsports team was capable of. We will regroup, and go on to the Kansas Speedway.”

KURT BUSCH, NO. 1 MONSTER ENERGY CAMARO ZL1 1LE – Finished 35th
“Just a really difficult day. We started out pretty good with the Monster Energy Chevy, just trying to stay clean. The guys made some nice adjustments to get the car handling. We ended up having an issue and had to replace the oil cooler. We just can’t seem to catch the breaks that we need. We just need to dig-in and keep working, the results will follow”.

ALEX BOWMAN, NO. 48 ALLY CAMARO ZL1 1LE – Sidelined by damage sustained in an accident on lap 118; Finished 38th
“Obviously this is not the way we wanted to end our day. Things like this just happen at places like Talladega. We had a good Ally Chevrolet today and Greg (Ives) had some really good adjustment calls on pit road. Just not our day today. This team is really looking forward to going to Kansas next week. That is a really good track for us and hopefully we can rebound in a week.”

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.

RCR Post Race Report – GEICO 500

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Austin Dillon Capitalizes on Wild Ending at Talladega Superspeedway To Earn Top-10 Finish in the No. 3 Bass Pro Shops / TRACKER Off Road Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 1LE

Finish: 8th
Start: 11th
Points: 12th

“That was a crazy race today in the No. 3 Bass Pro Shops / TRACKER Off Road Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 1LE at Talladega Superspeedway. We were really good to start the race, and then for portions of the race we couldn’t make anything work unless I was on the top. We made some moves at the end of the race to get that eighth-place finish. Everyone was all over the place and that was some work. We hit someone on the outside quarter panel, but I’m not even sure who it was. We were all wrecking on the backstretch, but somehow it didn’t happen. I don’t know how we all came out of that. It was crazy. I’m proud of everyone at RCR and ECR for working so hard to get us that awesome finish. We’ll go back to Welcome and look over our Chevy to get it even better for Daytona.” -Austin Dillon

Tyler Reddick and No. 8 Roland Chevy Team Survive and Capitalize To Earn Top-10 Finish at Talladega Superspeedway

Finish: 7th
Start: 20th
Points: 22nd

“We had a really strong No. 8 Roland Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 1LE today and were able to walk away with a finish that showed it. After being caught up in a wreck so early at Daytona this year, our strategy was different for this race with the goal of making it to the end. My whole team did a great job today with sticking with that strategy and racing smart with the big picture in mind to be there at the checkered flag. Almost all day long I could get the car to do whatever I wanted, which was great. The run right before the green-white-checkered, it felt like the car completely flipped its switch and didn’t drive anything like it did for the majority of the race, so we’ll have to figure out what changed there. Luckily, we were still able to make it through the chaos of the last lap and come away with a solid seventh-place finish. Overall, a good day for our team.” -Tyler Reddick

Toyota Racing NCS Post-Race Recap — Talladega 4.25.21

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BELL LEADS TOYOTA AT TALLADEGA
Bubba Wallace scores first career stage win

TALLADEGA, Ala. (April 25, 2021) – Christopher Bell (17th) was the highest finishing Toyota in today’s GEICO 500 at Talladega Superspeedway on Sunday afternoon. Bubba Wallace drove his Camry to his first career stage win at the end of the second stage of the race.

Toyota Post-Race Recap
NASCAR Cup Series (NCS)
Talladega Superspeedway
Race 10 of 36 – 500.1 miles, 188 laps

TOYOTA FINISHING POSITIONS
1st, Brad Keselowski*
2nd, William Bryon*
3rd, Michael McDowell*
4th, Kevin Harvick*
5th, Matt DiBenedetto*
17th, CHRISTOPHER BELL
18th, KYLE BUSCH
19th, BUBBA WALLACE
20th, HARRISON BURTON
31st, MARTIN TRUEX JR.
32nd, DENNY HAMLIN
*non-Toyota driver

TOYOTA QUOTES

HARRISON BURTON, No. 96 DEX Imaging Toyota Camry, Gaunt Brothers Racing
Finishing Position: 20th

Top-20 in you first career Cup Series race. How was the run overall?

“It was a lot of learning. It was pretty fun, just a different level of competition when you’re against these guys. It makes you better when you go back to Xfinity, hopefully, and it makes me a better driver. Just happy I had the chance to come out here and do it. I very rarely get emotional or that excited before races, because I’m so focused but this weekend was pretty neat. I’m thankful for the opportunity to do it. It was pretty awesome and can’t wait to do it again someday.”

Was there anything that surprised you?

“I think just the way that the runs come. Talladega is so tough in general. It’s just a lot going on at once. Learning a new team, spotter and crew chief with all of that going on too is a big challenge, but it was the same but different, if that makes any sense at all. It was definitely different. The level of intensity was different, but the main fundamentals are basically the same.”

About Toyota

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

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

CHEVROLET NTT INDYCAR SERIES: CHEVY POWERED DRIVERS CAPTURE SEVEN OF TOP-12 FINISHERS AT ST. PETE.

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CHEVROLET RACING IN NTT INDYCAR SERIES
FIRESTONE GRAND PRIX OF ST. PETERSBURG
STREETS OF ST. PETERSBURG, FLORIDA
POST RACE RECAP
APRIL 25, 2021

JOSEF NEWGARDEN AND SIMON PAGENAUD PUT CHEVY ON PODIUM ON THE STREETS OF ST. PETERSBURG
CHEVROLET DRIVERS CAPTURE SEVEN OF TOP-12 FINISHERS

ST. PETERSBURG, FLORIDA (April 25, 2021) – Chevrolet drivers captured two steps on the podium in Race 2 of the NTT INDYCAR Series season, and scored seven of the top-12 finishers on the challenging street course in St; Petersburg, Florida.

Josef Newgarden was looking for a three peat on the Streets of St. Petersburg, but had to settle for runner-up. The two-time NTT INDYCAR Series champion and two-time winner at St. Petersburg needed a strong race to start his run for another title. With a first-lap accident at Barber, a solid podium finish was just what he needed to get his season back in championship form.

Simon Pagenaud, driving the No. 22 Menards/Australia Gold Team Penske Chevrolet, had a very steady race that netted him a third place finish and another solid points day.

Will Power, No. 12 Verizon 5G Team Penske Chevrolet, recovered from a disappointing qualifying effort that put him 20th on the grid. The former Series’ champion and Indianapolis 500 winner marched his way to eighth in the finishing order.

Rinus VeeKay, No. 21 Sonax Ed Carpenter Racing Chevrolet, continues to take lessons learned from his rookie year and apply them to his second full-time season. He battled all day in the top-half of the field and brought home a solid ninth place in the final finishing order/

It looked like a promising hometown race for four-time Series’ champion Sebastien Bourdais, but first lap contact as well as other issues relegated him to 10th in the final order.

Rookie-of-the-Year contender Scott McLaughlin, No. 3 DEX Imaging Team Penske Chevrolet, had another strong showing for his first INDYCAR street race. He ran competitively in the top-15 for virtually the entire 100-lap race and brought home an 11th place finish.

Felix Rosenqvist, No. 7 Arrow McLaren SP Chevrolet, had a strong showing in only his second race with the team. His 12th place finish gives him a solid foundation to build on as the season progresses.

Colton Herta was the race winner.
Next on the schedule is the doubleheader on April 30-May 1 at Texas Motor Speedway.
TEAM CHEVY FINISHERS:

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

DRIVER QUOTES:
JOSEF NEWGARDEN, NO. 2 HITACHI TEAM PENSKE CHEVROLET – Finished 2nd
IT GOT A BIT CLOSE AT THE END. TALK US THROUGH THE IDEA THAT YOU KNEW YOU WERE GOING TO HAVE TO PUT ON THE REDS AT THE END. WHAT WAS YOUR THINKING GOING INTO THAT FINAL STINT?
“Well, we lost a little too much ground in that second stint, really; to capitalize with the reds. And then we had the caution, which almost gifted us another chance. And I just didn’t want to over-extend myself today. I felt like I was close to an opportunity, but Colton (Herta, race winner) was really good. He was doing a great job on the restarts. It was tough to get tire temps. So, I pushed really hard right there in those two initial restarts. I didn’t have quite the runs I needed, so I didn’t want to risk anything. But a good day. I’m really happy with Chevy’s performance and thankful for all their work; and to have Hitachi on and get a podium is really nice here to start our year off. So, congrats to Colton. It was a great rebound for both of us. I feel bad about what happened last week, so I’m really happy that he got back on it today and had a very deserved victory. I wish we could have fought him a little bit more. I think we were just lacking a little bit.”

GREAT REBOUND FROM LAST WEEK. WAS THAT PART OF THE IDEA ABOUT NOT OVER-EXTENDING AND WHAT YOU WERE THINKING?
“Yeah, if I have an opportunity I’m going to go for the win. I was very close to having just enough of that opportunity. I think I was just a little shy of it. So, I didn’t want to force something that wasn’t there today. It’s not the day to do that. But I’m happy with the podium. We obviously want to win but we’re on the board now.

“I was close but I think he (Colton Herta) definitely had us covered. We had a good opportunity with those cautions bringing us back into the mix. I just didn’t want to over extend myself if the opportunity wasn’t perfect. And I didn’t feel like it wasn’t the perfect opportunity to make the pass. I looked for it, it just wasn’t there. Podium is pretty nice. Would have liked to have that third win, but we are back in the war and that’s what we needed after last week.”
SIMON PAGENAUD, NO. 22 MENARDS/AUSTRALIAN GOLD TEAM PENSKE CHEVROLET – Finished 3rd
YOU’VE GOT A BEAUTIFUL NEW GOLD LIVERY AND ELVIS-STYLE GLASSES, AND YOU END UP ON THE PODIUM. THAT MUST HAVE BEEN THE IDEA, RIGHT?
“Yes, Australian Gold. I’m glad we had some sunglasses and sunscreen this weekend. It was a hot race. But we’re very happy with the end.”

JOSEF NEWGARDEN HAD TO USE THE REDS. YOU HAD A CHOICE AND PUT THEM ON. DO YOU THINK ULTIMATELY THAT WAS RIGHT IN THE END?
“Yeah, it was great strategy. We really had a shot on restarts, but it was too slippery on the inside to go for it. I noticed it when I tried to pass Jack (Harvey). But really when I lost the race was at the beginning of the first stint but overall, I think it was a great performance by the No. 22 Chevy Australian Gold team. That was a great performance. I think on street courses we could be very strong. I can’t wait for the oval, especially Indy and Texas.”

IT WASN’T THAT LONG AGO THAT YOU WERE ON THE PODIUM, BUT THIS IS THE FIRST TIME IN 2021
“Yeah, we finished really well here. I think we finished sixth last year. And then we made some more improvement over the winter. The whole team is giving us a lot of support to give us the best cars out there. So, thanks to them and thanks to Chevy for giving us all the horsepower we need. I’m excited about the podium. Very good street course run. Awesome. Very happy all weekend. I couldn’t ask for a better car. Great strategy. Fantastic looking car. It made social media for sure. Australian Gold is a new partner for Menards. I hope We get to see that gold car more often.”

WILL POWER, NO. 12 VERIZON 5G TEAM PENSKE CHEVROLET, FINISHED 8TH AFTER STARTING 20TH:
“Yeah, really solid day for us to get up there to P8. It was inside the top 10 and that was our goal in starting the race. Obviously qualifying was pretty disappointing, but yeah, solid pit stops today. We tried to catch a few yellows and finish in the top five but it just didn’t work out. We passed a lot of cars on track and the car did really well, so we were very happy to get the Verizon 5G Chevy in the top 10. Really good day.”

RINUS VEEKAY, NO. 21 SONAX/AUTOGEEK CHEVROLET – FINISHED 9TH
“So, a pretty tough day here in the office. But you know, a Top 10, P9. I had a hard lock-up on the red tires, which wasn’t ideal. But again, I learned so much. A good points day, but not an easy day at the office. Not much to complain about. It was very, very tough, obviously. But we survived, and I’m fully ready for Texas next weekend.”
SEBASTIEN BOURDAIS, NO. 14 ROKIT AJ FOYT RACING CHEVROLET, FINISHED 10TH: “Not the best of day here in St. Pete for round two for the INDYCAR Series. Our No. 14 ROKIT Chevrolet suffered some damage when I misjudged the gap between myself and Simon (Pagenaud) and the race was a long drive from there. We had some not-so-great sequences with a few hiccups in the pits and then I made some mistakes. So unfortunately started fifth and finished 10th and it was not what we were looking for today, but we got some points and we brought it home.”
SCOTT MCLAUGHLIN, NO. 3 DEX IMAGING TEAM PENSKE CHEVROLET, FINISHED 11TH: “Yeah, overall a good day for us in the DEX Imaging Chevy. It was a full-on race, very hot, very humid and one of the most physical races I have ever done. Solid race from our end and I was probably a little bit too safe at the start. I was just trying to keep my front wing on. It was pretty forceful out there and a lot of the veterans around me were just using a bit more of their experience on colder tires. We got around in the first stint and we pitted at the right time and we were actually on a very alternative strategy there, that could have almost put us in the lead. Unfortunately there was a couple of spinners towards the middle of that race. And our team reacted and we pitted and we did the right thing on that strategy, just unfortunately there was no yellow. We didn’t use the speed we had in the clear air to really get going, but for me right now its continuously finishing races. Finishing P 11 is a great run for us and we will continue to build on that and hopefully come the end of the year we will be bigger, better and stronger. Just want to thank DEX Imaging for their support and am excited for the next few races.”

FELIX ROSENQVIST, NO. 7 VUSE ARROW MCLAREN SP CHEVROLET – FINISHED 12TH
“I just finished a long race here at St. Pete. I thought it was okay. It wasn’t really anything fantastic. We’re going to have to do some bigger things on the car to compete at the front. We could follow the field but couldn’t really get forward. It’s so tight in the field; if you don’t have that little extra it’s kind of hard to move forward. But it feels good to finish the race and get some points and move on to Texas where I think we have a good chance to get some good points at those two races.”

NEWGARDEN AND PAGENAUD ZOOM CONFERENCE TRANSCRIPT
THE MODERATOR: Thanks for joining us today here for our Firestone Grand Prix of St. Pete post-race press conference. We’ve been joined by our second- and third-place finishers, Josef Newgarden, driver of the No. 2 Hitachi Team Penske Chevrolet, and Simon Pagenaud, driver of the No. 22 Menard’s Australian Gold Team Penske Chevrolet, as well.
Gentlemen, thanks for joining us. Josef, we’ll start with you. A chance to get three back-to-back to back wins, finished second, obviously that’s disappointing, but tell us about your day. You had a good chance to get that third win.
JOSEF NEWGARDEN: Yeah, just a little short today on finding that Victory Lane one more time. Kind of sad now that I think about it. It would have been nice to put three in a row together. That would have been pretty sweet. But it was important for us to get on the board. I said we needed to do that last weekend. We didn’t accomplish that. But a good bounceback by the entire crew and the team, and to get some good points is really what we needed today, so we accomplished that.
Now we can get our season off the ground, get going to Texas and feeling good about things. But pretty happy about what we put together.
I think team Chevy did a really nice job doing their homework, and I think us as a group we put in a lot of effort this off-season and found some good pace. We were in the mix today without a doubt. We were in the fight, just came up a little bit short. But I think a lot of the work from all the people at Team Penske is paying off, and it’s good to get a podium finish for team Chevy and Hitachi.

THE MODERATOR: Simon, disappointing weekend for you last week at Barber, but great finish for you on the podium with your very fancy Australian Gold Team Penske Chevrolet. Talk about your day.
SIMON PAGENAUD: Yeah, first of all, great weekend, a gold livery that made a lot of headlines. So thanks to Team Penske, Australian Gold for coming along, and giving it a bit of joy like that with livery is exactly what racing is about. It was a lot of fun. We had some special glasses, as well, just to note.
But overall great performance all weekend. Thanks to the whole team for working on the street course package as hard as it did with team Chevy, and overall great performance. I think very pleased with third place. It’s a really good hope for the championship knowing how good we’re going to be on oval.

Q. After last week’s crash you sounded not only disappointed for yourself but also that you got some of the other title contenders involved in it like Colton. In some ways did you kind of feel good that both you and him were able to fight it out today, because you both kind of needed a rebound from last week?
JOSEF NEWGARDEN: Yeah, definitely. I was really pleased for Colton, for him to have a solid day. I think him and his crew were certainly deserving of the victory. They were very strong. Just a touch better than us I would say on the day today. They worked hard, and it was nice to get them get a bounceback event, too. They got caught up in the mess last week through no fault of their own. I felt pretty bad. It was just one of those things. It’s tough to have a bad weekend, and when you affect others it makes it double tough.
Yeah, pleased for both of us, I guess, but we can get our season started now and feel pretty good about things, and was happy to have a nice little battle with Colton. I think we had a good little race there at the end. It’ll be fun to do that hopefully a couple more times this season.

Q. This is the middle weekend of four races in a 14-day period. Now we go to Texas for a double-header. How do you guys feel about — I guess there’s no rest for the wicked?
JOSEF NEWGARDEN: No, definitely not. It’s going to be flat out. We’ve got to be on it here. We knew we were going to rattle through four races pretty quickly and then when you really count May into that, you’re getting through a third of the season pretty fast.
We’ll know where we’re at pretty solidly in this championship hopefully by the time we get to June, but we need to stay focused and get through this next period pretty quickly with the best results possible.

Q. Simon, your thoughts?
SIMON PAGENAUD: Yeah, it’s obviously a hard day. It’s been two physical races. The cars are faster than ever. Definitely feels like it’s very important to be at a high fitness level, and personally very happy with it. I think it’s the best I’ve ever had.
Very excited about the whole season. I’m glad — we got in a very good groove with the 22 team, so I look forward to the next few races coming up, which we know are going to be strong for us.

Q. A lot of drivers are saying this is a very physical weekend; they seem very exhausted after the race today. I’m wondering how both of you are feeling and why today might have been difficult.
JOSEF NEWGARDEN: I would say it was probably the heat today. For me, like I felt pretty good in the car physically, but I was really — I was pretty hot. Like this morning I was really, really warm.
Probably not acclimated as well to the heat right now, but yeah, that was the biggest thing for me. I thought it was really humid today. Temperature-wise it wasn’t that hot. I think about 80 degrees. That’s not really that tough. But when you add 90 percent humidity, it definitely changes the effect, so you’ve got to make sure you’re hydrated really well and you’re not overheating because physical exhaustion is one thing but then heat exhaustion is a different one. Yeah, that’s what’s made it tough.
It’s funny, I got through warmup, and I’m like, man, this is going to be a really hard day. Then you get into the race and you’re like, you know what, it’s going to be fine, and you end up getting through it just fine, as always.
I don’t know about Simon, though. He looked pretty worn out, so I’m worried about him for a couple of events. I’m messing with him.

SIMON PAGENAUD: It’s actually quite interesting because I noticed Colton lying down and Josef was next to him pouring water on his face. I felt fantastic. I mean, obviously my fitness program, and I’m being serious, is much better than Josef’s, and I must say I have a lot of confidence right now because if you’re fresh then we can race again. Take that. Come on, come back.

JOSEF NEWGARDEN: Just look at the lap times at the end. That tells the story to me for fitness.
SIMON PAGENAUD: Well, yeah, look at the lap times at the end. Exactly.

Q. So both of you guys, it’s your peak physical condition that kept you in shape for today?
SIMON PAGENAUD: Absolutely. I feel fantastic.
JOSEF NEWGARDEN: Yeah, it’s amazing. You know, we all went through — all the drivers, we went through a performance analysis, and I couldn’t believe how well that I tested compared to the rest of the team. I mean, it’s just — my fitness level is so high right now, and the confidence is through the roof at the moment. While everyone is falling on the floor, I’m so ready for these exhausting races.

Q. Just double checking, Colton was or was not laying down on the ground having water poured —
SIMON PAGENAUD: You’ll have to ask him. You’ll have to ask him.

Q. Simon, can you give us a bit of an overview of Barber and what happened there and if today kind of feels like maybe a bounceback performance or things felt much better today or is your street course package so different to Barber that the two really aren’t relevant to each other?
SIMON PAGENAUD: Yeah, I think the street course package is very satisfying. I think we’ve made big improvements, especially since we were here last year. We had a good understanding what we needed from the car, and we found a really good package for my style. So very excited about street course racing.
On the road course, yeah, we need to keep digging, keep finding some performance. Not fully happy there, and I think this is probably our weakness compared to how good we’re going to be on oval, which I think is going to be our most strength — our biggest strength this year. So that’s where we’re at.

Q. For both of you, Colton has really kind of emerged quickly on the kind of INDYCAR scene and really he’s been kind of the stand-out guy at Andretti since he came in and he’s got more wins since Alexander Rossi since he came into INDYCAR. Do you see Colton as sort of the biggest contender from Andretti now?
JOSEF NEWGARDEN: I would say so. I don’t want to discount someone like Rossi, either. I think Alex is certainly capable of being in that mix every weekend, so I think it would be unwise to discount him, but I think Herta is without a doubt their — to me he seems like the top gun over there.
He’s so young; he started, whatever it was, I think three years ago, but he’s still so young right now, so he’s got a lot of runway, pretty level-headed, has a great crew around him. I know his engineer. He was my first engineer. He’s got a great team around him. Seems to work well with his dad. I was watching his dad this weekend and how proud he was of him when he was getting in the car, and they just seem like they have good chemistry.
Yeah, I think they’ll be in the mix without a doubt all year, but like I said, I wouldn’t discount some of the other boys over at Andretti. I think they have some other capable drivers, too, and not just Herta.

Q. Any thoughts on that, Simon?
SIMON PAGENAUD: Yeah, I think he’s fantastic. He’s a great driver. He’s really young, so he’s got a lot of room to improve still, which is impressive.
But I see a lot of young guys coming up and having just as much talent and potential in the future, being championship contenders, as well. The series is at its highest level right now. It’s just incredible to see the talents and the personalities, as well. Yeah, look forward to the future.

Q. Josef, you’ve been incredibly fast all weekend; on those restarts at the end, how much were you thinking championship versus win?
JOSEF NEWGARDEN: Definitely both. You know, it was kind of serendipitous that it was me and Colton there at the end. I definitely appreciated that personally that we were kind of bouncing back together here after last weekend’s difficulty. But I was pushing him. I mean, look, if he gave me an opportunity to win the race, I was going to take it, as we all should. It just wasn’t quite there.
I really had gotten a second chance at it. If those cautions didn’t come out, I think Colton was going to kind of walk us. He was just better today. He had a little bit on us for sure. But with that fresh opportunity with the two cautions, I pushed as hard as I could directly after them. I mean, I was really looking for a clear, clear opening, and I was close. It was very close to being open there, but it just wasn’t quite enough.
Yeah, I was looking for the win, but certainly tempering things trying to make sure we had a solid day.

Q. Simon, with this third place are you going to run that gold livery all the time now?
SIMON PAGENAUD: Well, it certainly has a lot of attention this weekend for great reasons. I think it was awesome to see something new like that, something that hasn’t been seen in a while. It’s great to see Australian Gold join us, same with Menard’s. I hope we get them back. I hope they stay and I hope we have more races with that car.

About Chevrolet
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Colton Herta dominates the streets of St. Petersburg

By
SM Staff
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Colton Herta - Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg - Photo by Chris Owens (indycar.com)

Colton Herta dominated a majority of the race, as he cruised on to take his first win of the season at St. Petersburg. It is Herta’s fourth win in the Indycar Series, his first at St. Petersburg.

“We knew we needed to win,” Herta said.

“We needed a good points swing for us. It’ll put us up in the championship and that’s gonna make our lives that much easier in Texas and that much easier going forward for the rest of the season.”

Herta started the race on the pole, with Jack Harvey on his outside. The field would roar off to the green flag, and there would be some four-wide action near the mid-pack as Alexander Rossi would make an aggressive dive into the first corner. Herta would maintain the lead while Rossi moved up to eighth.

Sebastien Bourdais would have damage on the front nose after contact with the Penske cars of Simon Pagenaud and Josef Newgarden.

Scott Dixon would make an overtake on Pato O’Ward on the fifth lap, putting the defending champion up to the ninth position.

Conor Daly would pit early, as he would bring his No. 20 down pit road on Lap 11 in order to go for a three-stop strategy while many other teams looked at a two-stop strategy.

Jimmie Johnson would go off the track on Lap 16. He would struggle in getting the car to reverse while everyone else would come down pit road. Will Power, Romain Grosjean, and several others would come in, hoping for a caution to come out. Eventually, there would be a full course yellow as a result of Johnson’s stalled No. 48.

Herta would lead on the restart. Graham Rahal would make a dive on the outside of Rinus Veekay, putting the No. 15 to sixth.

On Lap 23, Takuma Sato would make a move to the inside of James Hinchcliffe into Turn 1. The two would make contact and as a result it would give Hinchcliffe’s No. 29 a flat tire.

Will Power and Grosjean would make contact battling it out, as they also would collide, putting Grosjean’s No. 51 into the wall. A few corners later he would find the wall again but would keep ongoing.

Sato would continue to get on the attack as he would make a dive on the inside of Hunter-Reay, putting him up to 11th.

Dixon would make a swing to the inside on Veekay, moving the No. 9 to eighth on Lap 28. Sato would make it three-wide on Veekay and O’Ward as the No. 21 would continue to plunge down the order. Sato would move up to ninth.

More drivers would head down pit road on Lap 30, as Veekay and Ryan Hunter-Reay would pit for tires and fuel.

A lap later, Newgarden would makes his move to second as he would pass Harvey off the first corner.

Green flag pit stops would continue to commence as Harvey, Bourdais, Dixon, and O’Ward would bring their cars down pit road on Lap 35. A majority of the field would come in lap after lap. Rossi and Rahal would duke it out, but Rossi would have a right front go down after the two would make contact, sending the two of them off course on Lap 38. Herta would cycle as the leader at the end of pit stops. Rossi would end up two laps down as a result of the contact, while Rahal would drop down to 19th.

The field would remain spread out for the next portion of laps, but as the field reached Lap 66, the final round of pit stops would begin. O’Ward would be the first to come in. Afterward, more would come down.

Leader Herta would have a close shave, as when he finished his stop, Newgarden was coming into his stall. The two nearly touched, but managed to stay off one another.

Dalton Kellett’s car would be stopped outside of Turn 1 on Lap 71. There would be no yellow regarding the No. 4’s stopped car.

Johnson’s troubles would continue as he would spin on Lap 74. As a result it would bring out another full course yellow.

Herta would lead the field once again to the restart, and everyone else would flock right behind the No. 26. However, another yellow would fly laps later as Ed Jones would try and make a move down the inside of Hinchcliffe, sending the No. 18 spinning around. O’Ward would also receive damage from the incident.

With 18 laps to go Herta would continue to hold his ground. Power would send it down the bottom underneath teammate Scott McLaughlin to take tenth away.

However, there would be no opposition for Herta, as he would take the win.

In terms of the standings, Alex Palou holds a two-point gap over Power and Dixon. Herta sits fourth in points, five points back. Simon Pagenaud rounds out fifth in the points, 13 points back. Harvey, Bourdais, Beekay, Ericsson, and Newgarden round out the rest of the top 10 in the points.

Next week marks a doubleheader at Texas Motor Speedway on Saturday and Sunday, May 1st (at 7:00 PM ET) and 2nd (at 5:00 PM ET) respectively. Coverage will be on NBSCN, Peacock, and SiriusXM Radio.

Results Sunday of the Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg NTT INDYCAR SERIES event on the 1.8-mile streets of St. Petersburg circuit, with order of finish, starting position in parentheses, driver, engine, laps completed and reason out (if any):

  1. (1) Colton Herta, Honda, 100, Running
  2. (3) Josef Newgarden, Chevrolet, 100, Running
  3. (4) Simon Pagenaud, Chevrolet, 100, Running
  4. (2) Jack Harvey, Honda, 100, Running
  5. (8) Scott Dixon, Honda, 100, Running
  6. (15) Takuma Sato, Honda, 100, Running
  7. (16) Marcus Ericsson, Honda, 100, Running
  8. (20) Will Power, Chevrolet, 100, Running
  9. (7) Rinus VeeKay, Chevrolet, 100, Running
  10. (5) Sebastien Bourdais, Chevrolet, 100, Running
  11. (14) Scott McLaughlin, Chevrolet, 100, Running
  12. (17) Felix Rosenqvist, Chevrolet, 100, Running
  13. (18) Romain Grosjean, Honda, 100, Running
  14. (13) Ryan Hunter-Reay, Honda, 100, Running
  15. (9) Graham Rahal, Honda, 100, Running
  16. (19) Conor Daly, Chevrolet, 100, Running
  17. (10) Alex Palou, Honda, 99, Running
  18. (12) James Hinchcliffe, Honda, 99, Running
  19. (6) Pato O’Ward, Chevrolet, 99, Running
  20. (21) Ed Jones, Honda, 99, Running
  21. (11) Alexander Rossi, Honda, 98, Running
  22. (23) Jimmie Johnson, Honda, 95, Running
  23. (24) Dalton Kellett, Chevrolet, 67, Off Course
  24. (22) Max Chilton, Chevrolet, 18, Mechanical

Race Statistics
Winner’s average speed: 96.552 mph
Time of Race: 1:51:51.4115
Margin of victory: 2.4933 seconds
Cautions: 3 for 9 laps
Lead changes: 3 among 3 drivers

Lap Leaders:
Herta 1-34
Pagenaud 35
Palou 36-37
Herta 38-100

NTT INDYCAR SERIES point standings: Palou 67, Power 65, Dixon 65, Herta 62, Pagenaud 54, Harvey 51, Bourdais 51, VeeKay 51, Ericsson 50, Newgarden 47.

Dominant Herta Grabs First 2021 Win at Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg

By
Official Release
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ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (Sunday, April 25, 2021) – Colton Herta put the disappointment of a tough season opener behind him to dominate the Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg on Sunday, earning his first NTT INDYCAR SERIES victory of the season.

NTT P1 Award winner Herta led a race-record 97 of 100 laps from the pole in the No. 26 Gainbridge Honda to win by 2.4933 seconds over two-time series champion Josef Newgarden in the No. 2 Hitachi Team Penske Chevrolet. 2016 series champion Simon Pagenaud finished third in the No. 22 Menards/Australian Gold Team Penske Chevrolet on the 14-turn, 1.8-mile temporary street circuit.

Herta’s average speed was 96.552 mph in a race slowed by just three full-course cautions for nine laps. All 24 drivers in the starting field coped with air temperatures in the low 80s and high humidity, sapping every bit of their world-class fitness over one hour, 51 minutes in the cockpit.

“What a great job by everybody,” Herta said. “Sorry, I can barely talk; I’m so winded. I’m so happy we did this, so happy to rebound from Barber and get the momentum going for the season that we need, which is a championship season.”

Front-row starter Jack Harvey ended up fourth in the No. 60 AutoNation/Sirius XM Honda. Six-time and defending series champion Scott Dixon finished fifth in the No. 9 PNC Bank Chip Ganassi Racing Honda.

The strong finishes for Herta and Newgarden erased memories of a rugged season opener for both last Sunday at Barber Motorsports Park. Herta finished 22nd and Newgarden 23rd in the Honda Indy Grand Prix of Alabama presented by AmFirst after Newgarden spun on the first lap and collected multiple cars, including Herta’s machine.

Barber race winner Alex Palou finished 17th today in the No. 10 NTT DATA Chip Ganassi Racing Honda but kept the championship lead, 67-65, over Will Power. 2014 series champion Power rallied from a 20th starting spot to finish eighth in the No. 12 Verizon 5G Team Penske Chevrolet.

Herta, who started the race on the Firestone “red” alternate tires, chose Firestone “black” primary tires on his final pit stop on Lap 67. Newgarden was forced to use the “reds” on his final stop on Lap 67 since he started on “blacks” and used another set of primary tires on his first stop.

It appeared tire strategy would be moot three laps after those final stops, as Herta was on cruise control and led Newgarden by 9.4390 seconds on Lap 70. But rookie Jimmie Johnson spun and clipped the inside wall in Turn 3 with his No. 48 Carvana Chip Ganassi Racing Honda on Lap 73, triggering the second full-course caution and evaporating Herta’s big lead.

On the ensuing restart on Lap 76, Newgarden and his grippier alternate tires made a run at Herta but couldn’t get close enough to pass. But then the No. 18 SealMaster Honda of Ed Jones, the No. 29 Genesys Honda of James Hinchcliffe and the No. 5 Arrow McLaren SP Chevrolet of Pato O’Ward made contact in Turn 4 on Lap 79, triggering the final full-course caution on Lap 80.

Two-time defending St. Petersburg race winner Newgarden got another chance to make a run at Herta on the restart on Lap 83, but Herta held him off. Newgarden stayed close to Herta in a gripping, all-American duel for the next 10 laps, but Herta kept his California cool and pulled away gradually for victory over Tennessee titan Newgarden.

“He’s so good around here,” Herta said of Newgarden. “I was nervous because he was on those new red tires. I thought they were going to be better. But they ended up being similar (to the primary tires), so I was able to hold him off.”

Said Newgarden: “We lost a little too much ground on that second stint to capitalize on the reds. Then we had the caution, which almost gifted us another chance. I just didn’t want to overextend myself today. I felt like I had close to an opportunity, but Colton was really good. He was doing a great job on the restarts.

“Congrats to Colton. It’s a great rebound for both of us. I felt bad about what happened last week, so really happy he got back on it today and had a very deserved victory. I wish we could have fought him a bit more. We were just lacking a little bit.”

It was the fourth career victory for Herta, 21, in his third season in the NTT INDYCAR SERIES. He matched the INDYCAR SERIES win total of his father, Bryan Herta, who competed from 1994-2006 and now calls race strategy for his son for Andretti Autosport.

“That was awesome,” Herta said. “I love that he’s on my radio.”

The first oval events of the season are next on the NTT INDYCAR SERIES schedule, with a doubleheader next weekend at Texas Motor Speedway. The Genesys 300 is scheduled for 7 p.m. (ET) Saturday, May 1, with the XPEL 375 set for 5 p.m. Sunday, May 2.

Hard Fought Run to Fourth for Harvey and Meyer Shank Racing in St. Petersburg

By
Official Release
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Result marks Harvey’s second best career INDYCAR finish

St. Petersburg, Fla. (25 April 2021) – Jack Harvey capitalized on his strong St. Petersburg pace with a remarkable drive to fourth place in Sunday’s 100 lap Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg. The result is the second top five finish for Meyer Shank Racing and the No. 60 AutoNation / SiriusXM Honda.

Closing out practice in the top three and qualifying on the front row for the second time in his career was the recipe for a strong podium finish for Harvey during the Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg.

Taking the green flag on Firestone alternate tires, Harvey slotted into second position and didn’t look back for the first 30 laps of the 100 lap race. Harvey kept the pressure on the leading cars ahead despite scorching track temperatures and rapidly degrading tires.

After a lap 34 pit stop for a set of primary tires and a front wing adjustment, Harvey was once again on the hunt towards the podium contending cars. The second half of the race saw Harvey take aggressive action through on two restarts to hold fourth.

The team was hopeful that finishing the race on primary tires would give Harvey the chance to fight back into podium position. The final 10 laps of the race saw the top four evenly spaced out as Harvey began to pull away from fifth. The Brit ultimately crossed the finish line fourth in the order, marking for his second best INDYCAR finish – behind his third place result at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Road Course in 2019.

“I think that was a solid day,” said Harvey. “Obviously when you start on the front row, you want a podium. But overall the No. 60 AutoNation / SiriusXM Honda was working really well. It would have been awesome to be on the podium in AutoNation’s home race, but it’s been a really great start to the year, and that’s what we didn’t have last year. I’m really happy with everyone at Meyer Shank Racing. They have been working their butts off to have these results. We’ve been close to a pole, and to a podium today. But if we keep working at it, those things will come.”

“Jack did an awesome job today,” said Mike Shank. “We lost a bit of pace towards the end of our stint on reds but we knew that Jack was really strong on blacks which is why we decided to finish the race that way. These are the types of results that we need to be getting this year and to start off the season this way is great for morale heading into the rest of the season.

Meyer Shank Racing will continue a three week streak of INDYCAR races with the double-header race weekend at Texas Motor Speedway May 1-2.

CHEVROLET NTT INDYCAR SERIES: JOSEF NEWGARDEN AND SIMON PAGENAUD PODIUM FINISH QUOTES

By
Official Release
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CHEVROLET RACING IN NTT INDYCAR SERIES
FIRESTONE GRAND PRIX OF ST. PETERSBURG
STREETS OF ST. PETERSBURG, FLORIDA
NEWGARDEN AND PAGENAUD PODIUM QUOTES
APRIL 25, 2021

JOSEF NEWGARDEN AND SIMON PAGENAUD put Chevrolet on the podium at St. Petersburg.

JOSEF NEWGARDEN, NO. 2 HITACHI TEAM PENSKE CHEVROLET – Finished 2nd
IT GOT A BIT CLOSE AT THE END. TALK US THROUGH THE IDEA THAT YOU KNEW YOU WERE GOING TO HAVE TO PUT ON THE REDS AT THE END. WHAT WAS YOUR THINKING GOING INTO THAT FINAL STINT?
“Well, we lost a little too much ground in that second stint, really; to capitalize with the reds. And then we had the caution, which almost gifted us another chance. And I just didn’t want to over-extend myself today. I felt like I was close to an opportunity, but Colton (Herta, race winner) was really good. He was doing a great job on the restarts. It was tough to get tire temps. So, I pushed really hard right there in those two initial restarts. I didn’t have quite the runs I needed, so I didn’t want to risk anything. But a good day. I’m really happy with Chevy’s performance and thankful for all their work; and to have Hitachi on and get a podium is really nice here to start our year off. So, congrats to Colton. It was a great rebound for both of us. I feel bad about what happened last week, so I’m really happy that he got back on it today and had a very deserved victory. I wish we could have fought him a little bit more. I think we were just lacking a little bit.”

GREAT REBOUND FROM LAST WEEK. WAS THAT PART OF THE IDEA ABOUT NOT OVER-EXTENDING AND WHAT YOU WERE THINKING?
“Yeah, if I have an opportunity I’m going to go for the win. I was very close to having just enough of that opportunity. I think I was just a little shy of it. So, I didn’t want to force something that wasn’t there today. It’s not the day to do that. But I’m happy with the podium. We obviously want to win but we’re on the board now. “I was close but I think he (Colton Herta) definitely had us covered. We had a good opportunity with those cautions bringing us back into the mix. I just didn’t want to over extend myself if the opportunity wasn’t perfect. And I didn’t feel like it wasn’t the perfect opportunity to make the pass. I looked for it, it just wasn’t there. Podium is pretty nice. Would have liked to have that third win, but we are back in the war and that’s what we needed after last week.”

SIMON PAGENAUD, NO. 22 MENARDS/AUSTRALIAN GOLD TEAM PENSKE CHEVROLET – Finished 3rd
YOU’VE GOT A BEAUTIFUL NEW GOLD LIVERY AND ELVIS-STYLE GLASSES, AND YOU END UP ON THE PODIUM. THAT MUST HAVE BEEN THE IDEA, RIGHT?
“Yes, Australian Gold. I’m glad we had some sunglasses and sunscreen this weekend. It was a hot race. But we’re very happy with the end.”

JOSEF NEWGARDEN HAD TO USE THE REDS. YOU HAD A CHOICE AND PUT THEM ON. DO YOU THINK ULTIMATELY THAT WAS RIGHT IN THE END?
“Yeah, it was great strategy. We really had a shot on restarts, but it was too slippery on the inside to go for it. I noticed it when I tried to pass Jack (Harvey). But really when I lost the race was at the beginning of the first stint but overall, I think it was a great performance by the No. 22 Chevy Australian Gold team. That was a great performance. I think on street courses we could be very strong. I can’t wait for the oval, especially Indy and Texas.”

IT WASN’T THAT LONG AGO THAT YOU WERE ON THE PODIUM, BUT THIS IS THE FIRST TIME IN 2021
“Yeah, we finished really well here. I think we finished sixth last year. And then we made some more improvement

“Very good street course run. Awesome. Very happy all weekend. I couldn’t ask for a better car. Great strategy. Fantastic looking car. It made social media for sure. Australian Gold is a new partner for Menards. I hope We get to see that gold car more often.”

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.

Boys & Girls Clubs of America Announced as Official Youth Community Partner of NASCAR

By
Official Release
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New Partnership to Focus on STEM Education, Career Development and DE&I Initiatives;
NASCAR Industry to Support At-Track and Virtual Experiences for Club Kids

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (April 25, 2021) – NASCAR and Boys & Girls Clubs of America today announced a multiyear partnership that will support the nonprofit’s mission of enabling and enriching the lives of young people. As the Official Youth Community Partner of NASCAR, Boys & Girls Clubs of America will work with NASCAR and industry stakeholders to engage more than 4.6 million youth and teens across the country with NASCAR content and experiences.

The nationwide partnership will focus on three core areas – STEM education, career development and diversity, equity and inclusion (DE&I) initiatives – and extend across all NASCAR platforms and racetracks. Programming will include both virtual and at-track experiences with an emphasis on local Boys & Girls Club locations within NASCAR race markets.

Partnership efforts will build on the continuing work of The NASCAR Foundation to advance children’s well-being, including ongoing relationships with several Boys & Girls Clubs across the country.

“As a community leader, Boys & Girls Clubs of America continues to have immeasurable impact on the lives of our country’s youth, and NASCAR looks forward to engaging those efforts in meaningful ways,” said Steve Phelps, president of NASCAR. “Through this partnership and together with the NASCAR industry, we have boundless opportunities to advance the mission and objectives of Boys & Girls Clubs of America while at the same time introducing young future fans to our great sport.”

“Kids and teens need safe places and caring mentors now more than ever, and local Boys & Girls Clubs around the country are doing whatever it takes to empower youth and build new opportunities so they can achieve every success in life,” said Jim Clark, president & CEO Boys & Girls Clubs of America. “We are very excited to partner with NASCAR to elevate this support in communities even further, enabling more high-quality programing and experiences that will have a positive impact on kids and teens.”

As young people continue to emerge from the pandemic and navigate virtual learning, year one of the partnership will focus on developing high-quality education programming that will live on MyFuture, Boys & Girls Clubs of America’s digital learning platform.

Additionally, NASCAR’s work with Boys & Girls Clubs of America will focus on career development and mentoring across a breadth of industry disciplines and will include engagement with industry executives and other employees.

Throughout the partnership, NASCAR will collaborate with drivers, teams and tracks to amplify the sport’s commitment to Boys & Girls Clubs of America and deepen the engagement with Club youth and teens. NASCAR partners will also have the opportunity to integrate with the new partnership, and several partners will look to build on their own longstanding relationships with Boys & Girls Clubs of America.

Eric Shanks, CEO and executive producer of FOX Sports, and Mark Lazarus, chairman of NBCUniversal Television and Streaming, are both members of the non-profit’s Board of Governors. Shanks attended Boys & Girls Clubs as a youth and is now a member of the Boys & Girls Clubs Alumni Hall of Fame. Next month, Lazarus will serve as chair of Boys & Girls Clubs of America’s Annual Conference.

NBCUniversal, parent company of NASCAR Premier Partner Xfinity, has partnered with Boys & Girls Clubs for nearly 20 years to drive digital equity. The company has opened WiFi-Connected Lift Zones at Boys & Girls Clubs across the country, including an upcoming Martinsville, Virginia, location to celebrate the NASCAR Xfinity Series Dash 4 Cash, to provide a safe space for students to access Internet for free to participate in distance learning and conduct schoolwork.

Coca-Cola is currently celebrating 75 years of partnership with Boys & Girls Clubs of America and is also represented on the non-profit’s Board of Governors. The NASCAR Premier Partner is also a founding sponsor of the non-profit’s Workforce Readiness Strategy, supporting essential skill development, career exploration, employability skills and credentialing, and work-based learning opportunities for young people at Clubs. Coca-Cola, NASCAR and Boys & Girls Clubs of America look forward to partnering.

Toyota’s partnership with Boys & Girls Clubs of America is focused on closing the opportunity gap for the nation’s youth and inspiring future innovators, problem solvers and leaders who will make a positive impact on the community.

Boys & Girls Clubs of America provides high-quality programming that helps level the playing field and provide opportunities to young people that will help them build the skills they need to become the leaders, innovators and problem-solvers who shape our world.

To learn more about Boys & Girls Clubs of America and support its mission with donations, visit BGCA.org.

Tune-in to the GEICO 500 at Talladega Superspeedway on Sunday, Apr. 25 at 2 p.m. ET on FOX, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio and MRN.

About NASCAR

The National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing, Inc. (NASCAR) is the sanctioning body for the No. 1 form of motorsports in the United States and owner of 16 of the nation’s major motorsports entertainment facilities. NASCAR consists of three national series (NASCAR Cup Series™, NASCAR Xfinity Series™, and NASCAR Camping World Truck Series™), three regional series (ARCA Menards Series, ARCA Menards Series East & West and the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour), one local grassroots series NASCAR Advance Auto Parts Weekly Series), and three international series (NASCAR Pinty’s Series, NASCAR Peak Mexico Series, NASCAR Whelen Euro Series). The International Motor Sports Association™ (IMSA®) governs the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship™, the premier U.S. sports car series. NASCAR also owns Motor Racing Network, Racing Electronics and ONE DAYTONA. Based in Daytona Beach, Florida, with offices in eight cities across North America, NASCAR sanctions more than 1,200 races in more than 30 U.S. states, Canada, Mexico and Europe. For more information visit www.NASCAR.com and www.IMSA.com, and follow NASCAR on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Snapchat (‘NASCAR’).

About Boys & Girls Clubs of America

For 160 years, Boys & Girls Clubs of America (BGCA.org) has provided a safe place for kids and teens to learn and grow. Clubs offer caring adult mentors, fun and friendship, and high-impact youth development programs on a daily basis during critical non-school hours. Boys & Girls Clubs programming promotes academic success, good character and leadership, and healthy lifestyles. More than 4,700 Clubs serve 4.6 million young people through Club membership and community outreach. Clubs are located in cities, towns, public housing and on Native lands throughout the country, and serve military families in Boys & Girls Clubs of America-affiliated Youth Centers on U.S. military installations worldwide. National headquarters are located in Atlanta. Learn more about Boys & Girls Clubs of America on Facebook or Twitter.

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