Mooresville, NC (May 3, 2021) – Spencer Boyd and Young’s Motorsports unveiled plans today for their 2021 Darlington Throwback paint scheme honoring three-time NASCAR Camping World Truck Series champion, Jack Sprague. Boyd’s sponsor, Credit MRI, will forego its beloved neon green to pay homage to Sprague’s 2007 No. 60 Con-Way Freight colors.
Boyd commented on what throwbacks mean to him, “I take the Darlington weekend very seriously. I love what NASCAR and Darlington have done with this (throwback) weekend. It allows me to look back at racing history to find something special to me, our team, or our sport and this year is no different. Jack Sprague was part of the inaugural year trucks ran back in 1995. He is a three-time champion. He paved the way for guys like me so I’m honored he’s letting me run his paint scheme.”
Jack Sprague has 29 career wins and 429 races to his credit in NASCAR’s top three touring series dating back to his first start in 1989. In a span of six years, he won the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Championship three times (1997, 1999, and 2001) while finishing 2nd in points twice. His record and place in the sport point toward a hall of fame induction in the coming years.
The future Hall of Famer spoke to Boyd about his career and this throwback, “I had a really good run in NASCAR. I’m not sure I knew that what I was doing would have an impact this many years later, but I’ll take it. Spencer is a good guy and this throwback brings back some of that nostalgia. In looking at Spencer’s career, he is doing it the “old-fashioned way” by working hard for his sponsors and staying out on the track. I wish there were more Spencer’s in our sport.”
Boyd’s major sponsor this year, Credit MRI, known for their bright neon green colors, will be taking on the colors of the Con-Way freight scheme to do their part in NASCAR history. The paint scheme is a throwback to the 2007 No. 60 truck of Wyler Racing that Jack Sprague drove to victory lane in at Daytona International Speedway. An interesting point to note is that the designer, Michael Miceli, of the 2007 Con-Way scheme has also done all of Boyd’s designs since his entry to NASCAR in 2016 so this one has a throwback within a throwback.
With Jack Sprague in attendance, the actual No. 20 Credit MRI throwback Chevrolet Silverado will be unveiled via social media on the afternoon of Wednesday, May 5, 2021 at Young’ Motorsports.
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Spencer Boyd Announces Credit MRI Darlington Throwback with Jack Sprague
NASCAR Top-10 Power Rankings: Kansas
Note: The quotes in this article are fictional.
1. Denny Hamlin: Hamlin led late at Kansas, but tagged the wall, bringing out the caution. Hamlin wound up in 12th, and remained winless on the year.
“I have plenty of top 5’s and top 10’s,” Hamlin said, “but where wins are concerned, I’ve ‘hit a wall.’
“But my goal still is to win the Cup championship. Is the weight of expectations too much to bear? I can’t say for sure. All I know is the weight of expectations and this monkey on my back weigh exactly the same.”
2. Brad Keselowski: Keselowski started on the pole at Kansas and finished third, the only Penske Racing driver to crack the top 15.
“Kyle Busch won the race,” Keselowski said. “As is well documented, I’m not a big fan of Kyle’s. But Sunday was his birthday, and he did win the race, so I’ll give him his due, although I still think he’s an ass. Turns out you can have your cake and ‘eat me’ too.”
3. Martin Truex Jr.: Truex finished sixth at Kansas as Joe Gibbs Racing teammate Kyle Busch took the victory.
“This race was named the ‘Buschy McBusch Race 400,'” Truex said. “Don’t ask me how that name was arrived at. Was it named by a bunch of first-graders? Or was it named by a bunch of NASCAR fans with first-grade educations who were willing to donate $1 to have their incredibly non-creative voices heard?”
4. William Byron: Byron finished ninth at Kansas, recording his ninth consecutive top-10 finish.
“Kansas native Clint Bowyer got to play catch with Patrick Mahomes,” Harvick said. “Mahomes throws a nice spiral, so I’m sure Clint felt quite comfortable with the ‘intentional spin.'”
5. Kevin Harvick: Harvick seized the opportunity on a wild restart late in the race to capture the runner-up spot at Kansas.
“I’m happy with the second place,” Harvick said, “but I’m exhausted. That race took a lot out of me. From the name of the race, to the sponsor on my car, to the actor serving as the grand marshal, to the winner of the race, I’m ‘Busched.'”
6. Joey Logano: Logano finished 17th at Kansas.
“I’m just happy I didn’t get airborne at Kansas like I did at Talladega,” Logano said. “That was a scary feeling. It feels like gravity takes your crotch and sends it up to your chest. And that’s the true meaning of an ‘aero package.'”
7. Kyle Busch: Busch was strong throughout the day in Kansas, and aced two late restarts to win the Buschy McBusch Race 400, his first win of 2021.
“It was my birthday,” Busch said. “I’m no Chase Elliott in popularity, so of course not one driver got me a cake. But that’s probably because they can’t hold a candle to Kyle Busch.”
8. Chase Elliott: Elliott came home fifth in the Buschy McBusch Race 400 at Kansas.
“The ‘NASCAR 2021 Fan Pack’ is coming to Rocket League,” Elliott said. “Rocket League combines racing and soccer and is one of the most popular video games. It’s obviously an attempt by NASCAR to attract a younger audience. And to NASCAR, a ‘younger audience’ is simply an audience below the legal drinking age.”
9. Ryan Blaney: Blaney tangled with Kyle Larson late and fell out of contention, resulting in a 21st-place finish for Blaney.
“Anthony Alfredo was driving a car with the words ‘Dude Wipes’ on it,” Blaney said. “It’s official–NASCAR sponsorship is going down the toilet.”
10. Kyle Larson: Larson led a race-high 132 laps, but botched two late restarts, eventually making contact with Ryan Blaney and spinning out. Larson finished 19th.
“I made mistakes,” Larson said. “But I’m sure I will learn from those mistakes, move on, and become a better person/driver. Again.”
O’Ward Breaks Through for First Career Win in XPEL 375 at Texas
FORT WORTH, Texas (Sunday, May 2, 2021) – Pato O’Ward’s time is now.
O’Ward broke through for his first career NTT INDYCAR SERIES victory in the No. 5 Arrow McLaren SP Chevrolet, winning the XPEL 375 on Sunday evening at Texas Motor Speedway. O’Ward, who started fourth, passed two-time series champion Josef Newgarden with 24 laps remaining in the 248-lap race and pulled away to a 1.2443-second victory over Newgarden’s No. 2 XPEL Team Penske Chevrolet.
The win came after five top-three finishes – including three as runner-up – since O’Ward became a full-time driver in the series in 2019, including third Saturday in the Genesys 300 on the 1.5-mile oval. The site also has significance for Mexican O’Ward, who went to middle and high school and has lived in San Antonio.
“Finally!” O’Ward said. “That was long race, but we had so much pace in the Arrow McLaren SP No. 5. We got the job done today, man. I couldn’t be happier for a group of guys. It’s Texas. It’s very close to my heart. Many Mexicans were out there in the grandstands, so thank you guys so much.”
O’Ward became the first Mexican winner of an INDYCAR SERIES race since Adrian Fernandez in 2004 on the 2-mile oval at Auto Club Speedway. This also was McLaren’s first win in INDYCAR since April 22, 1979, when Johnny Rutherford swept a doubleheader at Atlanta Motor Speedway.
Graham Rahal finished third in the No. 15 Fleet Cost & Care Honda. Six-time series champion Scott Dixon, winner of the Genesys 300 on Saturday night, finished fourth after starting from the pole in the No. 9 PNC Bank Chip Ganassi Racing Honda.
Colton Herta bounced back from an early exit Saturday night due to mechanical failure to finish fifth in the No. 26 Gainbridge Honda.
Dixon kept the series points lead. O’Ward jumped to second in the standings, 22 behind.
“Huge congrats to Pato,” Dixon said. “I was watching from back a few spots there, and what he did there at the end was a tremendous drive, especially against one of the best guys in the field.
“Hopefully he calms down a little bit and doesn’t make it too often,” Dixon joked about O’Ward.
While Dixon and teammate Alex Palou were the only leaders Saturday night with three lead changes among them, there were nine leaders and 12 lead changes tonight in a contest that shifted from tactical fuel strategy to all-out speed over the closing laps.
With 100 laps to go, Dixon, Rahal, O’Ward and 2014 series champion Will Power closed to within one second of each other, packing closely to try and save fuel while whittling the number of pit stops needed from four to three.
Dixon and Rahal peeled off for their final pit stop on Lap 186, followed by O’Ward on Lap 187 and Power on Lap 188. Team Penske President Tim Cindric, who serves as Newgarden’s race strategist, decided to keep his driver on track until Lap 189.
It was a deft call by Cindric. Newgarden produced blistering in and out laps around his stop and returned to the track in second behind Takuma Sato in the No. 30 Panasonic Mi-Jack Honda, who had not made his final stop.
Then the last of three caution periods started on Lap 190 when the right rear wheel of the No. 7 Arrow McLaren SP Chevrolet driven by Felix Rosenqvist worked free from the wheel hub assembly in Turn 3. Rosenqvist returned to his pit box safely for service.
On the ensuing restart on Lap 197, Newgarden was content to let Sato lead for awhile to ensure he had plenty of fuel for an all-out dash to the checkered. Newgarden’s patience ended on Lap 202 when he rocketed past two-time and reigning Indianapolis 500 presented by Gainbridge winner Sato for the lead.
O’Ward then pulled closer and began to stalk Newgarden. On Lap 225, he tried to pass Newgarden for the lead with a daring outside move in Turn 1 but was parried. But O’Ward sealed his powerful deal by diving inside Newgarden for the lead in Turn 3 on the same lap and began to pull away, never trailing thereafter. He averaged 169.360 mph in the victory.
“We were in the catbird seat there, for sure, and just did not have the speed at the end,” Newgarden said. “I don’t know what it was.
“We’ll figure it out. But we did a great job. I was really proud of the team. They stuck to it.”
The complexion of the race changed on Lap 1 before the 24-car field arrived in Turn 1.
Pietro Fittipaldi’s No. 51 Nurtec ODT Honda hit the rear of Sebastien Bourdais’ No. 14 ROKiT/AJ Foyt Racing Chevrolet while the back of the pack compressed while approaching the green flag at the start-finish line, triggering a melee that involved seven cars and eliminated six.
Involved in the incident besides Fittipaldi and Bourdais were Conor Daly (No. 59 Carlin Chevrolet), Ed Jones (No. 18 SealMaster Honda), Tony Kanaan (No. 48 The American Legion Honda), Dalton Kellett (No. 4 K-Line Insulators/AJ Foyt Racing Chevrolet) and Alexander Rossi (No. 27 AutoNation/NAPA AUTO PARTS Honda). All the drivers in the incident were unhurt, and Kanaan was the only to continue in the race.
Daly took the wildest ride in the crash. He tried to follow James Hinchcliffe in the No. 29 #ShiftToGreen Honda through a hole in the chaos, but that escape route quickly closed. The ensuing contact turned over Daly’s car, and it slid down the track on the roll hoop and revolutionary Aeroscreen, turning right-side-up when it touched the infield grass. Daly climbed from the car without assistance.
“We found the hole,” Daly said. “Hinch got right through it. I tried to follow my pal through there, and the the 4 car (Kellett) looks like they caught whoever else was also crashing on the inside, and the two giant cars came (together), and I was in the middle.
“On our Bingo card of terrible things to have happened to us this year, I don’t know what’s going to be next. I really hope we can just start turning things around. It’s been a rough start. But I’m good. I’m all right.”
The series shifts to Indianapolis Motor Speedway for the next two races. The GMR Grand Prix is scheduled for Saturday, May 15 on the IMS road course, with the 105th Indianapolis 500 presented by Gainbridge set for Sunday, May 30 on the Brickyard’s world-famous oval.
CHEVROLET NTT INDYCAR SERIES: TEXAS MOTOR SPEEDWAY DOUBLEHEADER RACE TWO-PATO O’WARD AND JOSEF NEWGARDEN POST RACE PRESS CONFERENCE TRANSCRIPT
CHEVROLET RACING IN NTT INDYCAR SERIES
XPEL 375
TEXAS MOTOR SPEEDWAY, FORT WORTH, TEXAS
POST RACE ZOOM CONFERENCE TRANSCRIPT
MAY 2, 2021
PATO O’WARD, NO. 5 ARROW MCLAREN SP CHEVROLET, WINNER OF TODAY’S RACE AND JOSEF NEWGARDEN, NO. 2 XPEL TEAM PENSKE CHEVROLET WHO FINISHED IN 2ND, MET POST RACE WITH MEDIA VIA ZOOM:
THE MODERATOR: We have been joined by our race winner, Pato O’Ward, his first win in his 26th INDYCAR SERIES start. He made a pass for the lead on lap 225. He is now second in points and Thursday is his 22nd birthday.
Welcome, Pato. How fun was today for you?
PATO O’WARD: Yeah, it was very fun today. I feel like we truly earned our win today. I knew we had a very, very quick car. It’s just very, very tough to pass. Everybody kind of got boxing in the same strategy. Everything had to be done out on track. I knew I had to keep the tires under me, attack whenever I had the fuel to do it.
But the Chevy mileage was great. I really have to thank the whole Arrow McLaren SP No. 5 Chevy crew. They gave me a very strong car, something that I could truly attack whenever I had to. It was some great fun. I’m very proud of what we all accomplished as a group today.
THE MODERATOR: We’ll start with questions from the media.
Q. After this weekend, we saw one victory for Honda and one victory for Chevy. How do you see this engine fight looking at the Indianapolis 500?
PATO O’WARD: I think we’re in a good position. Talking about the Chevy, I am in a Chevy, I don’t know what the Honda feels like because I’ve never really driven it. From the looks of it, it looks like everything is very fair. It’s very spaced out. I feel like there’s a very good mix of Chevys and Hondas fighting at the front. Around the middle it’s also very mixed.
I think we’re going to see a very good fight in Indy. I’m not quite sure how it’s going to be. I can’t really tell you because everybody hasn’t really let loose yet. We’ll see on Fast Friday.
I’m confident that Chevy has done some improvements to help us out at this year’s Indy 500. As everybody knows, that’s the crown jewel. Everybody wants to win that race, including us.
Q. Did the first win feel like you thought it would feel?
PATO O’WARD: Very special. Very special for sure. It’s really cool to do it in a place that’s very close to my heart, very close to home. Texas is the closest that I will ever have to racing in Mexico. Hopefully we can change that in the future.
I lived here just four hours south of here in San Antonio for many years. I grew up there a lot of my teenage years. I love coming here.
It’s a tough track. It’s not easy at all. But I think it’s a great place to do it. Lots of my family was here. It’s really cool to share this moment with them. It’s just cool to get it out of the way for the rest of the season, to try and rack up as many more as we can. If we can’t take that, we take a second or a third.
We’re here for the long haul. We want to try to challenge for this championship and want a chance whenever we end up in California at the end of September.
Q. As soon as the race ended Zak tweeted a deal is a deal, see you in Abu Dhabi. I’m wondering if that’s crossed your mind at all, that he owes you, has to pay up?
PATO O’WARD: Yes, he’s going to pay up (laughter).
Q. You’re always very confident entering a race. Today you appeared to be a little more confident than normal. What was it about today where you felt confident that this could be the day?
PATO O’WARD: Man, something about today just felt — I was very calm going into the race. I knew I had a good car under me. I knew that if I was just patient.
In the beginning, it was definitely a struggle because Palou and Dixon were leaving us. It was either try and get by the people, try to catch up, or kind of stay there. Obviously the yellows played into our favor to close everyone back up.
But, yeah, I just feel like everything aligned today. The pit stops were fantastic. The car was very well-balanced. I was able to attack. I didn’t feel like I was in defensive mode. I felt like if I was let loose, I could attack and I could get the job done. Just definitely a lot harder wherever everybody is kind of on the same mileage of tires.
Honestly the best option or the best chance to go forward is in the restarts, as you guys probably saw. Last restart was probably what put me in position to win this race.
Q. Could you go over the race-winning pass in turn three. How much did you time that?
PATO O’WARD: Yeah, I was looking at what Josef was doing, so I was able to follow somewhat closely to him. Man, I have so much respect for him because he races me so clean, he’s such a great competitor. He definitely allowed us to have a good battle in the end and not put both of us in the wall. He’s a very smart competitor. He’s a great champion. Probably one of the guys you would wish to be racing for the lead of a race or to win a race, yeah. It’s definitely really cool.
Q. You started off your journey in America in Indy Pro 2000. You were out of open-wheel for an entire year in 2017. Won Indy Lights. Out in 2019. How much more does this win mean to you given where your journey started in America with Team Pelfrey?
PATO O’WARD: It feels well earned. It’s a race win that no one can take away from us by saying, You won it because you were lucky. I truly feel like we earned it based on pace, pit stops, and the job that I did on track. Without the overtakes that we did, we probably wouldn’t have had a chance.
It feels really good that we truly earned this. I couldn’t be happier for the group of guys.
Q. What was the first thing you thought of when you crossed the finish line?
PATO O’WARD: Just like finally (laughter). Man, the last like 15 laps, I was just enjoying, enjoying the ride. Yeah, I mean, I don’t know how else to explain it. My donuts were like not the best, but I really wanted to do donuts (smiling).
But, yeah, I just felt really calm. When we crossed the finish line, I just felt really proud of all the hard work that has gone into this off-season. Many hours go into this, and we’re all here to win. There’s a lot more lows than highs in racing unfortunately. But the highs are very high. We all compete for this moment.
We’re going to take it in. But we’ve got a long way to go in the championship. The month of May is coming up, going to be very busy. We need to be on top of our game. We’re going to try to rack up as many more wins as we can. If we can’t do that, score as many points as we can.
Q. What’s the first thing you’re going to say to Zak Brown when he calls you or you call him?
PATO O’WARD: Where is my F1 test? I want McLaren.
Q. Can you talk us through the lap 225 pass. How serious were you when you tried round the outside at turn one? How did you manage to maintain your momentum into turn three?
PATO O’WARD: Yeah, Josef was riding not as low as my car liked to ride. I was just watching what he was doing. I was hanging back because I had to hit a number of fuel. It’s a lot harder whenever you’re in clean air.
Once they let me loose and said, You know what to do, is where I really closed it up. I think it took maybe one or two laps. But he’s someone I can really trust when I’m racing. Around this place, you’re going 210, 220 plus miles an hour, you need someone that can race you hard but clean. Josef is someone that has always raced me very, very clean. It’s someone that I highly respect a lot. Honestly, it was really cool to have the battle of the win with him.
Q. INDYCAR says you’re the first Mexican driver to win in the series since Adrian Fernandez in 2004. What does that mean? Do you know Adrian at all?
PATO O’WARD: Man, I admire Adrian a lot. It’s very special to me to represent my country. I’m the only Mexican driver racing here. I’m a competitive being. I like to win. I like to be at the front. I like to compete. I don’t think there’s anything better than putting your flag as high as you can. I think Dixon will say that about his country, so on.
I’m very proud of what we accomplished and really happy that we got this all together in a way.
Q. Give us a brief background. How long did you live in Texas?
PATO O’WARD: I lived in Mexico for the first 11 years of my life. I went to middle school and high school in San Antonio, Texas. It’s honestly very, very close to Monterrey, Mexico. Just three hours from the border from Mexico. Anyways, I moved there.
I just moved to Indy a year ago to be closer to the team. I enjoy spending time with them. They’re like a second family. San Antonio, Texas, does feel very much like a home to me. That’s basically how I ended up going to San Antonio.
Q. When you get the personal McLaren from Zak, what color are you going to get that car in?
PATO O’WARD: Probably some crazy color. I won’t ask him for a normal one. I want a limited edition.
Q. Do you think this win might help INDYCAR land that race in Mexico that you have been trying to do for a number of years?
PATO O’WARD: I sure hope so. I don’t think just one win will do it. I think if we’re consistently championship contenders, if we win a couple more, I think that will definitely help the chances of a bit more. That’s the goal.
I always tell everybody, If we go back to Mexico, it’s going to be a sold out event and it’s going to be awesome. We just have to get into the process as soon as we can.
Q. Early in your career you were aiming for Formula 1, the Red Bull program didn’t really pan out. After this race you said you love INDYCAR racing. Do you still have a desire to someday go back to F1 or is this your home now?
PATO O’WARD: Man, I mean, like I said, my heart’s with INDYCAR. It’s just great racing and it’s so, so competitive. I think for a driver there is nothing harder in the world. I think many drivers can agree with me that have come from Formula 1 to INDYCAR, back to Formula 1.
You know what, Formula 1 is the peak of technology. Everybody wants to go there. If the opportunity ever came by Zak, he said there’s a seat open, I want you in my team, I’d be pretty dumb not to take it because it would just be a crazy opportunity. They don’t come often.
Right now I’m focused on the job that I have right now in INDYCAR. I want to make the best of it.
Q. How much momentum does this give you going into the month of May given you’re joined by Montoya for the entire month?
PATO O’WARD: I think it’s great momentum to roll into the month of May. Things can go from high to low in a matter of seconds. We need to keep our head in it. If there’s a time to push, it’s now. We just need to be continuing to be consistent, qualify up front. That will make our lives a lot easier during the races.
It’s just so competitive. You guys saw, when someone is dominant or fast in one place, they go to the next place and they might be a bit further back or strong again. You never know. It’s so competitive.
I just think we have to continue with the mentality that we have. When we have the opportunity, we take it. If we don’t, we maximize what we’ve got.
Q. Drivers from Mexico bring their entire country with them as far as fans. You can see that with Daniel Suarez and you. Does that give you any more pride when you get a win like this?
PATO O’WARD: Yeah, I’ve said it in many interviews. I feel like there is nothing better than the Mexican fans. There is so much life and energy, especially for their fellow countrymen. It’s really cool.
We always want to see more. I feel like we have so much potential to grow in the country of Mexico, South America, with all the Latins. I feel like this is obviously a step in the right direction. But nowhere close where I feel like it could be.
Q. Question about the gun salute.)
PATO O’WARD: I shot like one time a rifle, but just once. Whenever they gave me a pistol, it took me a while to clock them or whatever. But it’s cool, man. It was some fun. I think I did it like four times or something.
THE MODERATOR: Thank you so much for joining us today.
THE MODERATOR: Good evening, everyone. Welcome to the post race press conference. We are joined today by the driver of the No. 2 XPEL Team Penske Chevrolet, Josef Newgarden, who finished second place in today’s event.
Josef, great finish for you today. Tell us about your race.
JOSEF NEWGARDEN: Yeah, it was a decent day for us. Can’t be too disappointed with the second place. Obviously we were in the catbird seat there at the end. Felt like it was going to be possible to get a win today.
The only thing I was worried about, just seemed like we were lacking some speed for whatever reason. Pato’s Chevy seemed to be performing a little bit better than my Chevy. Regardless, with Chevy in Victory Lane, it’s a good day.
We had great fuel mileage, great reliability, which are always qualities we get from Chevrolet. Pretty proud about that. Happy to have XPEL on the car, with them being the title sponsor.
A lot of good positives, but just short at the end of the day.
THE MODERATOR: We’ll take questions.
Q. How much confidence does this give you going into the month of May, going to the Speedway for the Indy 500?
JOSEF NEWGARDEN: Yeah, we feel pretty good about things. Felt positive coming here. Didn’t have the weekend we could have. But I think at the end we definitely feel pretty positive about what we’re doing. Then Indianapolis, same deal, pretty happy with what we’re going to be bringing there.
Yeah, excited to get to May. It’s finally here. We can settle in now and try to make the most of it.
Q. This result is obviously as a result of some really hard work by the team. How rewarding is it to pick up the podium and have XPEL at the race?
JOSEF NEWGARDEN: Yeah, it was great. I saw them in victory circle when I got to see Pato. They were pretty pumped to have a fun finish to the race. It was definitely more thrilling than it could have been. So excited they were here. Excited they were on our car. I think their support was great. Good second place, couple podiums now. We just got to keep going.
Q. The second-place finish for the championship, how much does this mean for you going forward to try to recover from Barber?
JOSEF NEWGARDEN: Yeah, it’s a good day. Obviously we’re pretty early, so it’s hard to take too much stock into where we’re at now. But we’re definitely — I think everybody in the championship is in the fight. It’s early enough to do anything right now.
Yeah, but I got to have days like this. This is always good.
Q. I know Penske hasn’t won yet, but four runner-ups with the team. Is it getting happy your guys are close or increasingly more frustrating?
JOSEF NEWGARDEN: Not frustrating yet. I mean, we’re there. We’re definitely in the mix, which is the first step. So I think we stay in the mix, we’re going to get some wins knocked off. We just got to stay focused on that. Feeling good about things so far.
Q. St. Pete last year you were praising Pato about how your battles were together. We have a pair of 21-year-old winners this season. Do you feel like the future of the series is now? Is this the wave the series has been needing?
JOSEF NEWGARDEN: I think it’s definitely a good wave. We seem to get it, I don’t know, I don’t know what’s cycle is, every four, five years. But there’s definitely a good wave at the moment.
I think everybody has been pretty high on Colton and Pato. I’ve been definitely very high on Pato. Not surprised to see him get a win. Both him and McLaren are very strong contenders.
Yeah, you have a little of everything. Guys in the middle, like me, middle of the road. You have some veterans and some really good young blood. It’s a good time. There’s a lot of talent.
Q. What did you think of the aero changes this weekend, the impact it had on the races?
JOSEF NEWGARDEN: Yeah, I would agree with Graham. You got to take the positives. Everyone has put a tremendous amount of work into this. Both the series, the track, everybody involved, the teams trying to help out with feedback.
I think it was an improvement from last year, as well. I agree. It was racier. People followed a lot closer, less dropoff. I think it was pretty close to being good. You’re just a little hand tied here with the one-lane track, to be honest. If we could get more lanes, we could get more usage out of the track, I think you’d have a much racier race.
A lot of what happened today was it turned into a fuel mileage situation. There’s not much you can do about that. Whenever it gets to that point, everyone is going to take it up, you saw nearly the whole field trying to fuel. You get into one of those situations with a caution at the beginning that creates it, you just can’t do much about it. Everyone is going to try to race.
I thought at the end when it got racy again, it was definitely a good improvement.
Q. What did you both of you see, what caused the wreck behind you guys? Seemed like the guys involved said it was guys checking up towards the front.
JOSEF NEWGARDEN: Yeah, I noticed it. I’m not surprised. There was a small checkup where I was at in sixth. I have a pretty good view of the first and second row.
It doesn’t take much. The smallest checkup can turn into a really big effect down the line. I think that’s what happened today. I noticed just a little bauble. Everyone kind of adjusts, but I think people probably overreacted in the back.
It’s unfortunate. You got to have the thing silky smooth when you’re at the front starting these races. If it’s not 100% smooth the way everyone is brought to the line, it can get really tricky at the back.
Q. Josef, you’ve had some ups and downs over the past four races. What are you taking from all of this heading into the month of May?
JOSEF NEWGARDEN: I think there’s plenty of positives. St. Pete was a strong weekend. I think I would say this weekend was fairly strong. We’ve not been world beaters on either of them, but we’re thoroughly in the fight, in the mix.
We’ve been in position to win races the last two weekends. I said this earlier, but that’s step one. You put yourself in position, you keep doing that. You do that enough times, it all starts falling into place. That’s the theory at least.
I feel positive about where we’re at. I know there’s been a tremendous amount of work from our team to try and up our game at all places. I think we’re feeling some of those effects now.
Indy, we obviously want to have the biggest effect from those efforts. I think we’re all pretty hopeful, excited to get stuck into the month of May and make the most of it.
Q. First time we had back-to-back races on two separate days at Texas Motor Speedway. How did it work out for you physically, with the team? Did you like the concept? Should we move forward with it?
JOSEF NEWGARDEN: I’m indifferent. I don’t know if I like it one way or the other. I like a single-day show here at Texas. You got two this weekend. I don’t feel one way or the other about it. I liked it when it was a solo weekend, and two this weekend. I don’t know how to say much more than that.
Q. Josef, how confident were you that the strategy T.C. had cooked up for you was going to be able to work and get you to Victory Lane?
JOSEF NEWGARDEN: Strategy was sound. We were saving more fuel than anybody today, just going that little bit longer which enabled us to do what we were doing. We were kind of working towards the back end of this race all day, kind of the boring way to hit it, but it’s effective.
I just didn’t have pace at the end. I had positioning. I for whatever reason didn’t have the pace. I don’t know. I was pretty flat out, but just didn’t have the pace.
Yeah, I was really positive on the approach. I always am. I feel confident in what we’re doing. I always feel big confidence in Tim and the boys on pit lane. They crush it pretty much every time. There’s no lacking of confidence there. We just didn’t have quite enough at the end.
For our side, we learned a lot from Scott and the 3 car, his engineer J.B. In contrast to what Graham is saying, it’s nice to have multiple cars. Three of us were struggling last night. Massive issues all three of us were fighting, Will, Simon, myself. The 3 car looked like they were on an island, pretty happy.
When those situations arise, it’s just copy, paste, simple as that. It goes around sometimes. It was a big improvement for us. Our race car was really good today. Super happy with that. Just lacking speed. I don’t know where the speed was. But the race car felt very good.
Yeah, it’s nice when you have teammates to lean on like that and definitely learn something from the first race going into the second.
THE MODERATOR: We’ll let Josef Newgarden Go.
JOSEF NEWGARDEN: Thank you.
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.
Newman Battles Back to 16th in 700th Cup Start
KANSAS CITY (May 2, 2021) – In his 700th NASCAR Cup Series start, Ryan Newman overcame an early penalty and fought his way back to a 16th-place finish Sunday afternoon in the Hy-Vee Ford at Kansas Speedway.
After no natural cautions in the opening two stages, the final stage saw four, including two in the final 15 laps. Newman rolled off 14th in the 267-lap race, his 31st at the 1.5-mile speedway.
The 43-year-old ran 18th at the time of the competition caution at lap 25 as the team began fine-tuning his Ford Mustang. Just after his first pit stop of the afternoon he was assessed a pass-through penalty for body modifications, one that would force him to hit pit road once the race went back green.
Following the penalty he finished the opening stage in 31st as he and the team began the climb back to the lead lap. He was in the lucky dog position midway and near the end of stage two, but a caution never flew as he remained 31st to end the second 80-lap segment.
After staying out in the final stage break, Newman restarted one lap down and would have to pit not long into the final stage. That came at lap 191 when he hit pit road, in a sequence that saw a loose tire get away in another stall and settle in the infield grass. Despite it staying there 25-plus laps, the caution didn’t initially fly, but did later at lap 228.
Newman took the wave around in that sequence and would restart 24th at lap 235, before ultimately being in position for the free pass with 15 to go, when the first of two final yellows was displayed. After getting back on track, he maneuvered through the closing laps to bring the Hy-Vee Ford home in 16th.
NASCAR heads to Darlington Raceway next weekend for its annual Throwback race. Race coverage is set for 3:30 p.m. ET on FS1 and MRN, and coverage can also be heard on SiriusXM Channel 90.
Buescher Leads 13 Laps, Finishes Eighth at Kansas
KANSAS CITY (May 2, 2021) – After leading 13 laps Sunday afternoon at Kansas Speedway, Chris Buescher and the No. 17 AutoTempest Ford team finished eighth to secure their second top-10 of the season.
“It was a good ending for our Autotempest Ford Mustang,” said Buescher. “It was a fight all day and we worked hard at it, everyone did a good job and brought us home a top-10. Really respectful finish from where we started. We kept getting better, kept working on it. Kansas is always fun being able to move around and have options. Those late race restarts were pretty wild, but we came out of it in one piece, the car is clean. Glad to give AutoTempest their first top-10 in NASCAR.”
Buescher rolled off the grid in 16th and maintained track position for the majority of the first stage of racing. The team’s only pit stop of the stage came at lap 25 with the competition caution where they took four tires, fuel and an air pressure adjustment to tighten up the Ford Mustang. After completing 49 laps of racing, the driver reported that his No. 17 machine needed more security around the top. The team took the green-white checkered for stage one in 17th.
At the stage break, Buescher pitted for four tires, fuel and more adjustments to free up his car. The team restarted 18th on the top lane and toggled between 18th and 19th as he continued battling a tight handling Ford. The Prosper, Texas native finished stage two in 19th and one lap down, but earned the free pass to get his lap back.After pitting for service the team restarted 19th. Buescher maintained track position and steadily worked his way up through the field. With 61 laps to go, he reported that the car’s balance was better.
Green flag pit stops began to cycle through and soon the driver took the lead, holding on to it for 13 laps before pitting with 42 to go, as a caution flew just after. Buescher was running 20th and a lap down at the time of the break, but gained his lap back with the wave around.
The driver restarted 19th with 32 to go and had made his way up to 18th when another caution came out. The team elected to pit for four tires, a track bar adjustment and fuel before heading back on track in 18th.
A few more late-race caution flags waved and the No. 17 team stayed out on track, restarting 11th with two to go. During a crazy two laps, the driver was able to work his way through the field earning three spots to take the green-white checkered flag in eighth. The finish marks Buescher’s second top-10 of the season, the first coming in March at Atlanta.
Buescher and the No. 17 team return to action next Sunday, April 9 at Darlington Raceway at 2:30 p.m. EST on FS1, MRN and SiriusXM Channel 90.
O’WARD EARNS FIRST NTT INDYCAR SERIES VICTORY AT HOME TRACK OF NO LIMITS, TEXAS
· San Antonio resident wins for first time in 26th series start
· Scott Dixon led 163 of 248 laps but settled for fourth-place finish
FORT WORTH, Texas (May 2, 2021) – A first-lap crash that collected six cars coming to the green flag and what looked for more than half the race to be another Scott Dixon runaway changed dramatically with less than 70 laps remaining and resulted in Patricio “Pato” O’Ward and his No. 5 Arrow McLaren SP Chevrolet leading the final 25 laps of the XPEL 375 at Texas Motor Speedway to earn his first NTT INDYCAR SERIES victory.
O’Ward crossed the finish line 1.2443 seconds ahead of Team Penske’s Josef Newgarden, the 2019 NTT INDYCAR SERIES winner at Texas Motor Speedway who today led twice for 25 laps.
The win was the 21-year-old Mexico native’s first in 26 NTT INDYCAR Series starts and just his second full season of INDYCAR racing. The win makes O’Ward, who turns 22 on May 6, the youngest INDYCAR SERIES winner at The Great American Speedway at 21 years, 11 months and 26 days. The previous youngest winner was Sam Hornish Jr. at 22 years, three months and four days, exactly 100 days older.
“Finally, man,” exclaimed O’Ward. “That was a long race, but we had so much pace in this Arrow McLaren No. 5. I have to thank Vuse, Team Chevy, Mission Foods and everybody on this team who have been doing such a good job. And we bounced back from last weekend and we got a podium yesterday, we had pace and we got the job done today. I couldn’t be happier for another group of guys.”
“It’s Texas, it’s very close to my heart and I have lived here for many years. Many Mexicans are out there in the grandstands, so thank you very much. So happy, finally!
“We got the first win out of the way. This lets us focus on the rest of the championship. I get my Formula 1 test at the end of the year. We feel like we have a good shot at a championship. I love INDYCAR racing.”
The balance of the top 10 were: Graham Rahal (No. 15 Rahal Letterman Lanigan Honda); last night’s Genesys 300 winner Scott Dixon (No. 9 Chip Ganassi Racing Honda); Colton Herta (No. 26 Andretti Autosport Honda); Simon Pagenaud (No. 22 Team Penske Chevrolet); Alex Palou (No. 10 Chip Ganassi Racing Honda); Scott McLaughlin (No. 3 Team Penske Chevrolet); Rinus VeeKay (No. 21 Ed Carpenter Racing Chevrolet); and Ryan Hunter-Reay (No 28 Andretti Autosport Honda).
The starting grid for the XPEL 375 was set by team entry points after Saturday night’s Genesys 300 at No Limits, Texas. That put Dixon on pole with Palou alongside and Team Penske’s Will Power and O’Ward on the second row.
As the field was coming out of turn four to take the green flag, a multicar accident happened that put Conor Daly upside down skidding through the tri-oval. Also involved and out of the race were Sebastien Bourdais, Alexander Rossi, Pietro Fittipaldi, Ed Jones, and Dalton Kellett.
When racing resumed on Lap 19, the familiar No. 9 of Dixon was out front. The six-time champion would eventually lead three times for a race-high 163 laps but his final lap at the point was 63 laps from the finish.
O’Ward, Team Penske’s Will Power, Newgarden and Rahal Letterman Lanigan’s Takuma Sato swapped the top spot through Lap 201. Newgarden and his team had played what they hoped would be a winning strategy and were back out front from Laps 202 to 224.
But O’Ward was not to be denied and, after taking the lead on Lap 225, never looked back.
There were 12 lead changes among nine drivers and three cautions for 35 laps.
Next up on the Texas Motor Speedway calendar is the NASCAR All-Star Race weekend. The on-track activity begins June 12 with a doubleheader, opening with the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series SpeedyCash.com 220 (12 p.m. CT on FS1, MRN, and 95.9 The Ranch) followed at 3 p.m. CT by the NASCAR Xfinity Series Alsco Uniforms 250 (FS1, PRN, 95.9 The Ranch). Then, on Sunday, June 13, is the NASCAR Open (5 p.m. CT on FS1, MRN and 95.9 The Ranch) followed by the $1 million NASCAR All-Star Race (7 p.m. CT on FS1, MRN and 95.9 The Ranch).
TICKETS:
Tickets for Texas Motor Speedway’s 2021 major event season, including the June 13 NASCAR All-Star Race, are on sale now at http://www.texasmotorspeedway.com.
MORE INFO:
Keep track of all of Texas Motor Speedway’s events by following on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Keep up with all the latest news and information on the speedway website and TMS mobile app.
CHEVROLET NTT INDYCAR SERIES: TEXAS MOTOR SPEEDWAY DOUBLEHEADER RACE TWO-PATO O’WARD PUTS CHEVROLET IN VICTORY LANE AS 20 YEAR-OLD CLAIMS CAREER FIRST WIN
CHEVROLET RACING IN NTT INDYCAR SERIES
XPEL 375
TEXAS MOTOR SPEEDWAY, FORT WORTH, TEXAS
RACE RECAP – PATO O’WARD WINS FOR CHEVY
MAY 2, 2021
Chevrolet finishes 1-2 in second race of Texas doubleheader
Pato O’Ward earns first victory; Josef Newgarden is runner-up
FORT WORTH, Texas (May 2, 2021) – Pato O’Ward, four days shy of his 22nd birthday, claimed his first NTT INDYCAR SERIES victory in the XPEL 375 at Texas Motor Speedway.
O’Ward, driving the No. 5 Arrow McLaren SP Chevrolet, overtook two-time Series champion Josef Newgarden with 24 laps left in the 248-lap race on the 1.455-mile asymmetrical oval and went on to a 1.2443-second victory. Newgarden, driving the No. 2 XPEL Team Penske Chevrolet, was runner-up for the second time in four races this season.
The victory was the 90th for Chevrolet in 153 races since returning to NTT INDYCAR SERIES manufacturer competition in 2012.
Simon Pagenaud placed sixth in the No. 22 Menards Team Penske Chevrolet, while teammate Scott McLaughlin finished eighth and Rinus VeeKay placed ninth in the No. 21 Sonax/Autogeek Chevrolet for Ed Carpenter Racing. An on-track incident early on involving three Chevrolet drivers sliced the running field by six cars. No one was injured.
A day earlier in the 212-lap Genesys 300, McLaughlin registered a second-place finish in the No. 3 PPG Team Penske Chevrolet in his NTT INDYCAR SERIES oval racing debut. O’Ward finished third.
O’Ward moved to second in the NTT INDYCAR SERIES championship standings, while Newgarden gained two positions to fourth heading into two events this month at the
Indianapolis Motor Speedway. First up is the GMR Grand Prix on May 15 on the road course. NBC will telecast the race at 2:30 p.m. ET. On May 30 is the 105th Running of the Indianapolis 500.
TEAM CHEVY RACE 2 FINISHERS:
- Pato O’Ward, No. 5 Arrow McLaren SP
- Josef Newgarden, No. 2 XPEL Team Penske
- Simon Pagenaud, No. 22 Menards Team Penske
- Scott McLaughlin, No. 3 PPG Team Penske
- Rinus VeeKay, No. 21 Sonax/Autogeek
- Ed Carpenter, No. 20 U.S. Air Force
- Will Power, No. 12 Verizon 5G Team Penske
- Felix Rosenqvist, No. 7 Vuse Arrow McLaren SP
- Sebastien Bourdais, No. 14 ROKiT/AJ Foyt Racing
- Dalton Kellett, No. 4 K-Line Insulators/AJ Foyt Racing
- Conor Daly, No. 59 Gallagher Carlin
DRIVER QUOTES:
PATO O’WARD, NO. 5 ARROW MCLAREN SP CHEVROLET, WINNER:
WHAT WERE YOUR EMOTIONS AS YOU CROSSED THE FINISH LINE FOR YOUR FIRST INDYCAR CHECKERED FLAG?
“Finally man! That was a long race, but we had so much pace in this Arrow McLaren No. 5. I have to thank Vuse, Team Chevy, Mission Foods and everybody on this team who have been doing such a good job. And we bounced back from last weekend and we got a podium yesterday, we had pace and we got the job done today. I couldn’t be happier for another group of guys.”
DID YOU THINK YOUR FIRST INDYCAR WIN WOULD COME AT AN OVAL?
“Honestly no, but hey, I will take it. Its Texas, it’s very close to my heart and I have lived here for many years. Many Mexicans are out there in the grandstands, so thank you very much. So happy, finally!”
YOU SAID WHEN THE SEASON STARTED YOU WANTED TO CAUSE HEADACHES FOR THE GUYS THAT WIN ALL THE TIME. IS THIS WHAT YOU MEANT PATO?
“This is exactly what I meant, yes. All emotions in one. A little big of relief. We got the first win out of the way. This lets us focus on the rest of the championship. I get my formula one test at the end of the year. We feel like we have a good shot a championship. I love INDYCAR racing.”
JOSEF NEWGARDEN, NO. 2 XPEL TEAM PENSKE CHEVROLET, FINISHED 2ND: WHAT WERE YOU LACKING AT THE END?
“You know, I don’t know what it was. It just seemed like his Chevy was a little better than my Chevy for some reason. But at the end of the day a Chevy won the race, so I am pretty happy about that. Always have great support from Chevy, and fuel mileage. Fuel mileage was very important and reliability, and Chevrolet is always top notch for those qualities. Happy with that and to get Xpel a good second place finish, and I don’t know that we can be disappointed but we were in the catbird seat for sure. Just did not have the speed at the end, I don’t know what it was. At the middle of the race I made a comment to the guys that we were lacking speed for some reason. I don’t know what it is, but we will figure it out. We did a great job and I was really proud of the team and they stuck to it. We learned some stuff from Scott (McLaughlin) on his car, did a great job in the pits and second place is a good day for us.”
SCOTT MMCLAUGHLIN, NO. 3 PPG TEAM PENSKE CHEVROLET, FINISHED 8TH:
“It was an up and down day, we started P7 and got boxed around at the start. Just getting used to everything again and these veterans are very good at getting their car pace very quickly. For me it just took me a little time to get comfortable with the track conditions, but the PPG Chevy was really strong. I felt like we probably weren’t as strong as yesterday as far as car pace and looking after my tires. We were really good with fuel saving and being able to keep the pace up when fuel saving. Very hard to pass and a very one line track where you had to make your time up when there was traffic or lap traffic on restarts. Unfortunately my two restarts were terrible and I lost some positions, but its all learning. On the last one I finally got it together and passed a couple of people. Overall if you told me this weekend I would finish second and eighth, I would have laughed at you. So its nice to come away with two top 10s and finish every lap so far in the INDYCAR season to get a really strong leap forward as we head to the month of May at Indianapolis which is going to be one of the best weeks and months of my life.”
WILL POWER, NO. 12 VERIZON 5G TEAM PENSKE CHEVROLET, FINISHED 13TH:“Man, a tough two days at Texas. We got caught out by the yellow there and before that we had a pretty good shot at the top five. Then unfortunately I went three wide and got pushed onto the marbles and its just seriously a one groove track……yeah. It started on the restart where I should have gone to the inside and not the outside, just a bad decision. Still in the game and it’s not as big of a points deficit as we have had before, so yep, just motor on. Its becoming the year I thought it would be with a lot of different winners, pretty mixed up. If we can just keep hammering away here, we can have a big chance.”
SIMON PAGENAUD, NO. 22 TEAM PENSKE CHEVROLET, FINISHED 6TH: “Got a P6 in Texas. Good race. Had a car good enough to win. The Menards Chevy was behaving well today. We had some great restarts and awesome pit stops. My crew was on fire on pit lane. So happy with P6 today. We are building toward the championship and races like today will help that. Congratulations to Pato and the who McLaren Schmidt team for their win today.”
RINUS VEEKAY, NO. 21 SONAX ED CARPENTER RACING CHEVROLET, FINISHED 9TH: “Pretty good race. Quite happy with a P9. A lot happened. Quite a flawless race. It was haWrd to get from P12 to the front. But we capitalized, got all the points and came home with another top-10. So we are happy. Now on to Indy GP.”
CONOR DALY, NO. 59 GALLAGHER CARLIN CHEVROLET, DNS -ACCIDENT BEFORE GREEN:
WHAT HAPPEND: “I’m not really sure. I think in general in IndyCar we have too many start crashes. It’ looked fine… everyone accelerated. I had the best view; I was last. Then everyone is nose to tail. Can’t throw blame. I’ve never been upside down in an IndyCar before. On our bingo card of terrible things to have happen to us, I don’t know what’s coming next. Hinch found a hole, then the 4 car caught whoever else was crashing. Then two giant cars came. It turns out you can be upside down quite easily. We will hope to be on to better things in our hometown of Indianapolis soon.”
SEBASTIEN BOURDAIS, NO. 14 ROKIT AJ FOYT RACING CHEVROLET, DNS-ACCIDENT BEFORE GREEN:
WHAT DID YOU SEE? “Obviously I didn’t see anything. Clearly someone was checking up at the front of me, we should be going. It’s not an excuse. When someone checks up in front. It’s a real shame two days in a row we get drilled and taken out of the race. It’s a very expensive day for A.J. Foyt Racing and the No. 14 ROKIT Chevrolet. It’s a shame when you get wrecked, right? Even more when you have something to fight with. The guys worked til midnight to repair the car after Josef took us out, then we can’t even run now. I’m not very impressed right now. “
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.
Pato O’Ward breaks through at Texas for first career win
Making a move with 23 to go, Pato O’Ward passed then race leader Josef Newgarden going into Turn 3 for his first career NTT IndyCar Series victory and held off Newgarden by 1.2443 seconds. O’Ward started fourth based on championship driver standings following Saturday night’s race.
“Finally man! That was a long race, but we had so much pace in this Arrow McLaren No. 5,” O’Ward said. “I have to thank Vuse, Team Chevy, Mission Foods and everybody on this team who have been doing such a good job. And we bounced back from last weekend and we got a podium yesterday, we had pace and we got the job done today. I couldn’t be happier for another group of guys.”
However, the victory wasn’t all that easy for the Mexican driver. Saturday night’s winner, Scott Dixon, was on the pole and was looking to sweep the weekend and continue his dominance. Though, when the green flag flew for the start, there was a major crash on the frontstretch where many drivers were taken out of the field.
The accident started when the No. 51 rookie of Pietro Fittipaldi spun into the back of the No. 14 of Sebastien Bourdais. Bourdais was then turned into the No. 27 of Alexander Rossi which then caused a multi-chain event that saw the No. 59 of Conor Daly hit the wall hard and flip upside down multiple times before coming to a rest in the grass. Thankfully, Daly and all drivers were okay from the Lap 1 incident.
After spending 17 laps under caution, the restart came on Lap 18. Like Saturday night’s race, the top two were controlled by Dixon and Alex Palou through the first round of stops. On Lap 71, Dixon pitted from the lead for four tires and fuel while Palou stayed out a few laps later before pitting on Lap 73.
Even though there were varying strategies, Dixon cycled back into the lead on Lap 80 and held the gap by .5708 seconds over Palou. But, the complexion of the race was changed when a caution flew on Lap 117 for the No. 60 of Jack Harvey who had smoke coming from the back of his car. After the stops, Dixon was still the leader but Will Power and Graham Rahal gained three positions moving into second and third, respectively.
On Lap 140, Rahal eventually passed the dominant Dixon to lead his first few laps since St. Petersburg of last year. Rahal would stay out front of Dixon until Lap 154 when Dixon regained the lead once more and kept Rahal at bay.
The final stop for both Dixon and Rahal came on Lap 186 and saw Rahal close up on the back of Dixon’s bumper for an advantage on the out lap. At Lap 188, O’Ward stayed out a few laps longer and then made his pit stop.
A yellow on Lap 190 for the No. 7 of Felix Rosenqvist slowed the field down, but jumbled up the running order as Sato, Newgarden, and O’Ward were the top three. Rahal was fourth while Dixon was fifth.
Following the Lap 197 restart, Sato held the lead briefly before he was passed by the No. 2 of Josef Newgarden heading into Turn 1. O’Ward followed closely behind Newgarden as he too passed Sato for second.
It was clear that the game was on at that point. Lap after lap, O’Ward was closing in on Newgarden waiting for his moment to strike. His moment came with 23 to go when O’Ward charged hard on the outside of Newgarden in Turn 3.
From there, O’Ward hit his points and was consistent and stretched the gap ever so slightly over Newgarden. When the checkered flag flew, O’Ward won his first NTT IndyCar Series race in just his 26th start and became the first Mexican driver since Adrian Fernandez in 2004 to win an IndyCar race.
“Man, I admire Adrian a lot,” O’Ward continued. “It’s very special to me to represent my country. I’m the only Mexican driver racing here. I’m a competitive being. I like to win. I like to be at the front. I like to compete. I don’t think there’s anything better than putting your flag as high as you can. I think Dixon will say that about his country, so on. I’m very proud of what we accomplished and really happy that we got this all together in a way.”
By winning at Texas, O’Ward will be able to test an F1 car at Abu Dhabi toward the end of the year. This is a result of a bet made between him and McLaren CEO Zak Brown that if O’Ward won a race this year, the two agreed there would be plans in place for a test and now O’Ward is a NTT IndyCar Series winner.
O’Ward led twice for 25 laps en route to victory.
There were three cautions for 35 laps and 12 lead changes among nine different leaders.
Josef Newgarden, Graham Rahal, Scott Dixon, Colton Herta, Simon Pagenaud, Alex Palou, Scott McLaughlin, Rinus VeeKay, and Ryan Hunter-Reay rounded out the Top 10 finishers.
Official Results following the XPEL 375 at Texas Motor Speedway.
- Pato O’Ward, led 25 laps
- Josef Newgarden, led 25 laps
- Graham Rahal, led 13 laps
- Scott Dixon, led 163 laps
- Colton Herta
- Simon Pagenaud
- Alex Palou, led three laps
- Scott McLaughlin
- Rinus VeeKay, led five laps
- Ryan Hunter-Reay
- Ed Carpenter, led one lap
- Marcus Ericsson
- Will Power, led one lap
- Takuma Sato, led 12 laps, 1 lap down
- Tony Kanaan, 2 laps down
- Felix Rosenqvist, 2 laps down
- Jack Harvey, OUT, Mechanical
- James Hinchcliffe, OUT, Mechanical
- Sebastien Bourdais, OUT, Contact
- Alexander Rossi, OUT, Contact
- Pietro Fittipaldi, OUT, Contact
- Ed Jones, OUT, Contact
- Dalton Kellett, OUT, Contact
- Conor Daly, OUT, Contact
Up Next: The NTT IndyCar Series will head to Indianapolis Motor Speedway for the rest of May, where series drivers will be competing on Saturday May 15 at the Indianapolis Grand Prix on the Indianapolis Road Course live on NBC at 2:30 p.m./ET.
Kyle Busch celebrates his birthday and his first Cup Series win of the season at Kansas
Perhaps it was fate for a driver named Busch to win the Cup Series Buschy McBusch Race 400 at Kansas Speedway on his birthday. Or maybe it was simply a talented driver having the dominant car toward the end of the race when it matters the most.
Kyle Busch’s win at Kansas capped off a weekend sweep after claiming the Camping World Truck Series victory Saturday night. It was his 58th Cup Series win in 581 starts and his sixth top-10 finish this season.
“Just a great day to be able to put this M&Ms Camry up front,” Busch said after the race. Great to be able to get everyone back in Victory Lane again this early in the season and get those points going our way.”
Even Busch couldn’t help but see the humor of the situation, adding, “I just remembered it’s the Buschy McBusch Race and a Busch won. What do you know?”
But what he was really excited about was getting the No. 18 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota back to victory lane.
“You talk about ups and downs of racing – there’s been a lot of downs of life for us. I have a great opportunity and a great job, no doubt.” Busch said. “Just a great day to be able to put this M&M’s Mix Camry up front. Want to thank Hy-Vee, our retail partner. They did a huge promotion for us this year with M&M’s and Rowdy Energy. It’s cool to get everybody back to victory lane again this early in the season.”
Busch was the stage one winner and Kyle Larson won stage two, leading a race-high 132 laps. Larson, however, got into the wall on the final restart while trying to push Ryan Blaney to the lead, and finished 19th. Blaney had to settle for a 21st place finish.
“Hate that I screwed that up and cost us a good finish,” Larson said.
Harvick finished second and has yet to win this season but was pleased with how competitive his car was during the race and how the team effectively used pit strategy to put themselves in the best possible position.
“We had the right pit strategy once the cautions came out there. We had the pit road penalty and came in for tires and Rodney made a great call of coming back in to put tires on and that kind of put us on the offense. We were able to be really aggressive on the two restarts we had at the end and were able to make up some ground. Everybody on our Busch Light Ford Mustang did a great job today of just hanging in there. We made a few mistakes, but we made our car better throughout the whole day and were more competitive than we had been in the last couple mile-and-a-half races.”
Brad Keselowski finished third for his fifth top-five this year.
“We weren’t quite as fast as we wanted to be. The Gibbs cars were real fast and Kyle Larson was screaming fast, so a very similar race for us to Vegas, kind of right there on that edge of the top five. We just need a little bit more, but we almost stole one there with pitting and the yellow came out there with 10 to go and it was just kind of the restart chaos and we all run into each other, whether it’s me running into someone or somebody else running into somebody it’s just part of it, but, all in all, not a bad day for the Verizon 5G Ford Mustang.”
Matt DiBenedetto and Chase Elliott rounded out the top-five. Chase Briscoe placed 20th and was the highest-finishing rookie.
The Cup Series heads to Darlington Raceway on May 9 for the Goodyear 400 at 3:30 p.m. ET on FS1.
NASCAR Cup Series Race Number 11
Race Results for the 2nd Annual Buschy McBusch Race 400
Sunday, May 2, 2021
Kansas Speedway – Kansas City, KS – 1.5 – Mile Paved
Total Race Length – 267 Laps – 400.5 Miles
| Fin | Str | No | Driver | Team | Laps | S1Pos | S2Pos | S3Pos | Pts | Status |
| 1 | 9 | 18 | Kyle Busch | M&M’s Mix Toyota | 267 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 59 | Running |
| 2 | 4 | 4 | Kevin Harvick | Busch Light For The Farmers Ford | 267 | 7 | 10 | 0 | 40 | Running |
| 3 | 1 | 2 | Brad Keselowski | Verizon 5G Ford | 267 | 4 | 4 | 0 | 48 | Running |
| 4 | 5 | 21 | Matt DiBenedetto | Dickies/Menards Ford | 267 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 33 | Running |
| 5 | 17 | 9 | Chase Elliott | UniFirst Chevrolet | 267 | 6 | 5 | 0 | 43 | Running |
| 6 | 15 | 19 | Martin Truex Jr. | Auto-Owners Insurance Toyota | 267 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 35 | Running |
| 7 | 11 | 8 | Tyler Reddick | Childress Vineyards Chevrolet | 267 | 3 | 8 | 0 | 41 | Running |
| 8 | 16 | 17 | Chris Buescher | autoTempest Ford | 267 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 29 | Running |
| 9 | 2 | 24 | William Byron | Axalta Chevrolet | 267 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 34 | Running |
| 10 | 6 | 3 | Austin Dillon | Bass Pro Shops/Tracker Off Road Chevrolet | 267 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 27 | Running |
| 11 | 21 | 99 | Daniel Suarez | Camping World Chevrolet | 267 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 26 | Running |
| 12 | 20 | 11 | Denny Hamlin | FedEx Freight Toyota | 267 | 9 | 3 | 0 | 35 | Running |
| 13 | 3 | 34 | Michael McDowell | CarParts.com Ford | 267 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 24 | Running |
| 14 | 24 | 42 | Ross Chastain | Clover Chevrolet | 267 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 23 | Running |
| 15 | 28 | 1 | Kurt Busch | Monster Energy Chevrolet | 267 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 22 | Running |
| 16 | 14 | 6 | Ryan Newman | Hy-Vee Ford | 267 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 21 | Running |
| 17 | 29 | 22 | Joey Logano | AAA Insurance Ford | 267 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 20 | Running |
| 18 | 25 | 48 | Alex Bowman | Ally Chevrolet | 267 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 19 | Running |
| 19 | 32 | 5 | Kyle Larson | HendrickCars.com Chevrolet | 267 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 37 | Running |
| 20 | 19 | 14 | Chase Briscoe # | HighPoint.com Ford | 267 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 17 | Running |
| 21 | 7 | 12 | Ryan Blaney | Menards/Moen Ford | 267 | 8 | 6 | 0 | 24 | Running |
| 22 | 38 | 33 | * Austin Cindric(i) | MoneyLion Ford | 267 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Running |
| 23 | 22 | 38 | Anthony Alfredo # | Dude Wipes Ford | 266 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 14 | Running |
| 24 | 10 | 41 | Cole Custer | HaasTooling.com Ford | 266 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 13 | Running |
| 25 | 27 | 43 | Erik Jones | Black Entrepreneur Initiative Chevrolet | 266 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 12 | Running |
| 26 | 13 | 23 | Bubba Wallace | Dr. Pepper Zero Sugar Toyota | 266 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 11 | Running |
| 27 | 26 | 7 | Corey LaJoie | Nations Guard Chevrolet | 265 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 10 | Running |
| 28 | 8 | 20 | Christopher Bell | Rheem Toyota | 265 | 10 | 9 | 0 | 12 | Running |
| 29 | 18 | 10 | Aric Almirola | Smithfield/Price Chopper Ford | 264 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 8 | Running |
| 30 | 31 | 77 | Justin Haley(i) | NASCAR TRUCKS AT KNOXVILLE Chevrolet | 263 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Running |
| 31 | 30 | 78 | BJ McLeod(i) | Celsius Ford | 260 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Running |
| 32 | 12 | 37 | * Ryan Preece | Nature Valley Chevrolet | 259 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 | Accident |
| 33 | 36 | 53 | Garrett Smithley(i) | Smart Sanitizer Chevrolet | 259 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Running |
| 34 | 23 | 47 | Ricky Stenhouse Jr. | Kroger/Energizer Chevrolet | 258 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | Accident |
| 35 | 35 | 15 | Joey Gase(i) | Explore Branson Chevrolet | 258 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Running |
| 36 | 33 | 51 | Cody Ware(i) | Nurtec ODT Chevrolet | 257 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Running |
| 37 | 34 | 0 | Quin Houff | 8 Ball Chocolate Whiskey Chevrolet | 256 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | Running |
| 38 | 39 | 55 | * Matt Mills(i) | Siebert Electric/J.F. Electric Ford | 255 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Running |
| 39 | 37 | 52 | Josh Bilicki | RBR Aviation Ford | 250 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | Running |
Time of Race: 3 Hrs, 5 Mins, 21 Secs.
Average Speed: 129.647 MPH
Margin of Victory: .336 Seconds
Stage 1 Top 10: 18, 5, 8, 2, 24, 9, 4, 12, 11, 20
Stage 2 Top 10: 5, 18, 11, 2, 9, 12, 19, 8, 20, 4
Caution Flags: 7 for 36 laps; Laps: 27-30 (Competition [78]); 82-87 (Stage 1 Conclusion [37]); 162-167 (Stage 2 Conclusion [17]); 231-235 (Debris Frontstretch [99]); 246-249 (#11 Incident Turn 1 [48]); 254-257 (#33, 47 Incident Backstretch [6]); 259-265 (#20, 37, 47 Incident Turn 4 [14]).
Lead Changes: 18 among 6 drivers; B. Keselowski 1-63; K. Larson 64; B. Keselowski 65-73; K. Larson 74-76; K. Busch 77-83; K. Larson 84-121; R. Stenhouse Jr. 122-144; K. Larson 145-162; K. Busch 163; K. Larson 164-167; K. Busch 168; K. Larson 169-212; C. Buescher 213-225; K. Larson 226-230; D. Hamlin 231; K. Larson 232-236; D. Hamlin 237-242; K. Larson 243-256; K. Busch 257-267.
Sunoco Rookie of the Race: Chase Briscoe, #14
(i) Ineligible for driver points in this series
