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Jeb Burton snatches first NASCAR Xfinity Series win at Talladega

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SM Staff
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Jeb Burton celebrates in victory lane after winning the NASCAR Xfinity Series Ag-Pro 300 at Talladega Superspeedway on April 24, 2021. Photo by Sean Gardner/Getty Images.

Jeb Burton rose to the top as he claimed victory at Talladega while rain flooded the 2.66-mile track. It would be his first win in his Xfinity Series career.

“We ran up front all day, definitely wasn’t a fluke,” Burton stated.

“The guys did a great job with our No. 10 LS Tractor car. We led a lot of laps and it was a blast to drive.”

Jeb Burton had led 21 laps in the event to get his first series win. It marks the second win for Kaulig Racing this season.

Stage 1: Laps 1-25

Austin Cindric and Daniel Hemric led the field down for the green flag. Hemric would get a shove from Noah Gragson to launch out ahead, but Cindric would fight back toward the inside as Hemric would lead the opening lap.

Though the primary goal was to contend for the win, it also was a race for others drivers racing in the Dash 4 Cash. Josh Berry, Brandon Jones, Hemric, and Gragson were the contenders all trying to gather that bonus.

As the laps progressed throughout the first stage, a majority of the field would migrate to the outside line of the track.

With nine laps to go in the stage, Gragson would try and pounce for the lead. With help from the other Chevys, they would be side by side with Hemric for several laps.

Cindric would make an aggressive move to the bottom underneath Hemric on the frontstretch, swiftly passing the No. 18 with six laps to go in the stage. Cindric’s No. 22 would put multiple blocks on Hemric and Gragson as he would try and maintain the lead.

As four laps remained in the stage, Harrison Burton would start to surge upwards toward the pack, as his No. 20 would surge through the middle line past teammate Hemric. The Offerpad Toyota would file back behind Cindric as Gragson led.

Haley took the lead away from Gragson on the last lap of the stage, while teammate AJ Allmendinger would have a scary moment off of Turn 2 as he saved his Chevy. Haley’s No. 11 would take the stage win over Jeb Burton. Gragson, Cindric, Harrison Burton, Allmendinger, Hemric, Jones, Brandon Brown, and Justin Allgaier would round out the top 10 to take stage points.

During the stage break, Burton won the race off pit road, with a two-tire stop. Many would follow suit, while some would take four tires. One of the main people that took four was Gragson.

Stage 2: Laps 29-50

Jeb Burton would lead coming to the restart with teammate Haley on his outside. The Kaulig cars would move toward the top while Myatt Snider would try and make it three-wide. However, Snider’s No. 2 would lose several spots as he would be left out to dry.

Cindric would take over the race lead over Jeb Burton. The Joe Gibbs Racing drivers would follow right behind the No. 22.

Jeb Burton would ignite the inside line as he would challenge for the lead with nine laps to go in the second stage. Ty Dillon would make it a three-wide battle for the lead as both lines would try and swarm Cindric.

Haley made a move to the outside of Cindric, and with help from teammate Jeb Burton, it would put the No. 11 dead even with Cindric as they would be side by side for the lead. Jeb Burton would be stuck on the middle line, as teammate Allmendinger would pass by on the high side.

The trio of Kaulig cars would try and make a move on Cindric, but the defending champion would place several successful blocks. It would give way for the JR Motorsports cars of Gragson and Allgaier to pounce.

Gragson had a run on the high side off of Turn 2 and transfer it throughout the backstretch. He and Cindric would go at it, with Gragson claiming the Stage 2 win. Teammate Allgaier would be in the second spot, with Cindric, Jones, and Dillon rounding out the Top 5. Snider, Hemric, Brett Moffitt, Michael Annett and Brown rounded out the Top 10.

On the stage break, Gragson won the race off of pit road, with a two-tire stop. Many would also go with the two-tire strategy as they prepped themselves for the final stage.

Final Stage: Laps 56-113

Gragson and Snider would lead the field for the final stage. Snider would have momentum on the outside and would clear Gragson and hold off Jones for the lead.

On Lap 58, Cindric would make a pass to the inside of Snider in Turn 3, and the No. 22 would rocket to the front. As Cindric went to the top, the main pack would follow in suit.

With 45 laps to go, pit stops would begin. Berry, Cindric, and many others would bring their cars down pit road for a fuel-only stop. A lap later the rest of the leaders would come down pit road. Jeffery Earnhardt would spin coming in, but no caution would fly.

There was trouble on the race track as Berry would bring out the third caution. The No. 8 would lose a right rear tire in the middle of Turn 3, sending the No. 8 for a spin.

Harrison Burton, as a result of pit stops, would cycle as the race leader over Cindric as he led the field to the restart with 35 laps to go. Cindric would try and side draft the No. 20, but with the help of Jeb Burton it would put Harrison Burton ahead of the No. 22.

Jeb Burton’s No. 10 would challenge Harrison Burton with 32 to go, and would easily take over the top spot with assistance from teammate Allmendinger. Snider would shuffle up to third, but with a hound of hungry cars behind the TaxSlayer Chevy.

A really close call would occur when Jeb Burton would place a late block on Snider. The two of them would hold onto it, but would cost Snider a load of momentum.

The yellow flew as Annett got hit by Joe Graf off Turn 2, sending the No. 1 into the path of the Joe Gibbs Racing cars of Jones and Dillon. Dillon’s No. 54 would slide up into the path of Jones, sending the Toyotas into the outside wall. There would be a secondary wreck behind them as Caesar Bacarella and Joey Gase would spin around.

Jeb Burton would lead with 24 to go, but weather delayed the restart, and eventually, the red flag would be waved as rain pelted the track. From there NASCAR would announce Jeb Burton as the race winner. Gragson would win the Dash 4 Cash, giving them a monetary bonus for the No. 9.

There were 23 lead changes among 12 different drivers and four cautions throughout the event.

The Xfinity Series heads to Darlington on Saturday, May 8 at 1 PM ET with coverage from FOX Sports 1 and MRN.

Results:

  1. Jeb Burton – Led 21 laps
  2. Austin Cindric – Led 24 laps
  3. AJ Allmendinger
  4. Riley Herbst
  5. Ryan Sieg – Led one lap
  6. Noah Gragson – Stage 2 Winner, led eight laps
  7. Brandon Brown – Led one lap
  8. Justin Haley – Stage 1 Winner, led two laps
  9. Myatt Snider – Led three laps
  10. Harrison Burton – Led six laps
  11. Tommy Joe Martins
  12. Daniel Hemric – Led 18 laps
  13. Timmy Hill
  14. Jeremy Clements
  15. Colin Garrett
  16. David Starr
  17. Brett Moffitt
  18. Jade Buford
  19. Colby Howard – Led three laps
  20. Landon Cassill
  21. Alex Labbe
  22. Jeffrey Earnhardt
  23. Kyle Weatherman
  24. Natalie Decker
  25. Matt Mills
  26. Jesse Little
  27. Josh Williams
  28. Mason Massey
  29. Justin Allgaier
  30. Ryan Vargas – Led three laps
  31. Josh Berry
  32. Michael Annett – two laps down
  33. Joe Graf Jr. – two laps down
  34. Gray Gaulding – three laps down
  35. Ty Dillon – three laps down
  36. Joey Gase – five laps down
  37. Brandon Jones – six laps down, OUT, Accident
  38. Caesar Bacarella – six laps down, OUT, Damage Vehicle Policy
  39. Jason White – 39 laps down, led one lap, OUT, Suspension
  40. Bayley Currey – 56 laps down, OUT, Overheating

Singing in the Rain! Jeb Burton Captures First Career NASCAR Xfinity Series Triumph in Ag-Pro 300 at Talladega Superspeedway

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Official Release
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RCR Post Race Report – Talladega 300

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Official Release
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Myatt Snider and the TaxSlayer Chevrolet Team Earn Ninth-Place Finish in Rain Shortened Race at Talladega Superspeedway

Finish: 9th
Start: 10th
Points: 7th

“Our TaxSlayer Chevrolet Camaro had a ton of speed today. Andy Street (crew chief) and the boys brought a really good piece and it was able to suck up behind any car even when I didn’t have help out behind. The handling started a little free, then went tight, but the adjustments made on each of our stops definitely improved the overall feeling inside the car. Everyone executed well today, from Andy on top of the box, Derek Kneeland (spotter) on the roof helping to guide me, and the pit crew with fast stops that put us out front every time. I hate we didn’t get to finish the final few laps, because I think we would have had something for the win. Mother Nature forced the ending, but a top-10 result is still a good day for our Richard Childress Racing team.” -Myatt Snider

Team Penske NASCAR Xfinity Series Race Report – Talladega

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Official Release
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Team Penske NASCAR Xfinity Series Race Report
Track: Talladega Superspeedway
Race: Ag-Pro 300
Date: April 24, 2021

No. 22 Snap-on Tools Ford Mustang – Austin Cindric

Start: 1st
Stage 1: 4th
Stage 2: 3rd
Finish: 2nd
Status: Running
Laps Completed: 90/90
Laps Led: 24
Driver Point Standings (ahead of second): 1st (+59)

Notes:

  • Austin Cindric started from the pole and finished second in a rain-shortened Ag-Pro 300 at Talladega Superspeedway on Saturday afternoon in the No. 22 Snap-on Tools Ford Mustang. Cindric showed great speed throughout the race, leading 24 of the 90 laps while fending multi-car teams throughout the event.
  • After starting from the pole, Cindric ran inside the top-five through Stage 1, finishing in the fourth position when the stage concluded at lap 20. On the first pit stop, crew chief Brian Wilson adjusted on the Snap-on Tools Mustang, taking rounds out of the left and right side, while changing two left-side tires.
  • In the second stage, Cindric continued to lead the field, working to hold off the multi-car teams of JR Motorsports and Joe Gibbs Racing. Cindric would finish Stage 2 in the third position, reporting the Snap-on Tools Mustang got tighter over the course of the run. On the stop, the team changed right side tires and made a slight air pressure adjustment.
  • Cindric quickly grabbed the lead at the start of the final stage and led the field until green flag pit stops at lap 69, where the team stopped for fuel only in the No. 22 Snap-on Tools Mustang. A caution flag at lap 75 would bunch the field up with 38 scheduled laps remaining with Cindric restarting in the second position. The race was slowed again at lap 84 with a multi-vehicle incident on the backstretch with Cindric still in the second position.
  • Unfortunately, heavy rain would move over the 2.66-mile Talladega Superspeedway under the caution, halting the race with 90-laps complete while Cindric was scored in the second position. The finish was the sixth top-five and seventh top-10 result for the No. 22 Ford team through the first eight races of their 2021 NASCAR XFINITY Series title defense.

Quote: “We obviously led a lot of laps and were just able to get hooked up with our Ford teammates there. That was the most fun I’ve had in a while and really proud of Riley and Ryan. We’ve done a lot of work over the last couple weeks after Daytona to try and get better together and that’s hard when you’re not working on the same race team, so props to those guys, props to Ford Performance for giving us a platform for that. Our Snap-On Tools Ford Mustang was really fast, but the rain came at the wrong time — maybe a lap too soon, I don’t know. Jeb has done a good job here in the past, so congrats to him. It’s always cool to get your first.”

Ford Performance NASCAR: Three Fords Finish Top Five in Talladega XFINITY Race

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Official Release
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Ford Performance Notes and Quotes
NASCAR XFINITY Series — Ag-Pro 300
Talladega Superspeedway | Saturday, April 24, 2021

Ford Finishing Results
2nd — Austin Cindric
4th– Riley Herbst
5th — Ryan Sieg

AUSTIN CINDRIC, No. 22 Snap-On Ford Mustang — HOW WAS YOUR DAY? “We obviously led a lot of laps and were just able to get hooked up with our Ford teammates there. That was the most fun I’ve had in a while and really proud of Riley and Ryan. We’ve done a lot of work over the last couple weeks after Daytona to try and get better together and that’s hard when you’re not working on the same race team, so props to those guys, props to Ford Performance for giving us a platform for that. Our Snap-On Tools Ford Mustang was really fast, but the rain came at the wrong time — maybe a lap too soon, I don’t know. Jeb has done a good job here in the past, so congrats to him. It’s always cool to get your first.”

CINDRIC POST-RACE PRESS CONFERENCE

HOW DISAPPOINTING IS IT TO NOT BE ABLE TO RACE FOR IT AT THE END? “We brought the same car from Daytona, had the same speed and hoping to get the same result. That’s a bit disappointing, but these races are so challenging, especially when you have the quality cars that we do in the field. There’s a lot of guys that are maximizing being able to use teammates today and that probably bit me a few times in the stages, but my Ford boys came through for me at the end, which was awesome because I’ve never had the opportunity to do that in these cars Those guys pulling out of line worked with me. We worked back to the front snaked together and that was a lot of fun, so that’s the biggest positive I’m taking away. We sat down. It’s three different teams and that’s pretty hard to find, so I’m really proud of Riley and proud of Ryan and hope that I can repay that favor because that was big and helped us all gain spots. The One Ford mentality really pulled through today. I appreciate Ford Performance’s effort to have us be able to do that, but I really wish we would have been able to get the Snap-On Tools Ford Mustang in Victory Lane. There is a part of me that felt like I could have pulled out on the back straightaway and maybe got a sidedraft, but I didn’t want to leave my train hanging, but if I would have done that, maybe I would have won the race. Who knows? But you never know when it’s gonna rain or when there’s gonna be a caution, so that’s the way it goes. Second place ain’t bad, a clean race car and good points.”

DO YOU FEEL LIKE THE 22 TEAM AND PENSKE HAS THE DOMINANT SUPERSPEEDWAY PROGRAM RIGHT NOW? “I wouldn’t go that far. We’ve come a long way from not even being able to qualify inside the top 15 to bringing cars with top five speed, so I know that’s hard to believe and hard to comprehend, especially when you have the support from Roush Yates, but we’ve come a long way and made a lot of improvements in our cars and it’s shown, and I’ve become a better plate racer because of it and between the work I do with my spotter, Coleman Pressley, and the prep work we do as a group before the race weekend, I think it makes everything work at the highest level, so I’m proud of that. I’m proud to see the fruits of that effort pay off and we’ll keep going.”

DID YOU HAVE ANY SENSE THE RAIN WAS COMING AND WERE YOU SURPRISED THE RACE DIDN’T GET RESUMED? “I do feel like it was called fairly quick, but it is a pretty big racetrack and obviously they have a schedule to keep and no lights, so it’s up to NASCAR. I don’t even know what time of day it is, but we knew the rain was coming. We knew it was gonna be a challenge throughout the whole day. Honestly, coming into this weekend I think everybody in the garage area can agree that the fact that we even got laps in today with a 100 percent chance of rain in the forecast was pretty good, so glad we got the race in. I’m glad we didn’t have to stay a couple extra days and I just wish we maybe would have had a few more laps there.”

RILEY HERBST, No. 98 Monster Energy Ford Mustang — “It was kind of hectic. We only have a few teammates. I honestly have no teammates, so just working with the manufacturer, Ford, but we couldn’t find them for the whole day and then finally there at the last five or six laps we found them, the 39 and the 22. It kind of sucks that we can’t race for a win here, but with our last couple of finishes I’m kind of happy with a fourth-place finish. It’s bittersweet, but thank you to Monster Energy, Stewart-Haas Racing, Ford Performance. We’re looking forward to Darlington.”

CHEVROLET NTT INDYCAR SERIES: FOUR TEAM CHEVY DRIVERS IN FIRESTONE FAST SIX

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Official Release
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CHEVROLET RACING IN NTT INDYCAR SERIES
FIRESTONE GRAND PRIX OF ST. PETERSBURG
STREETS OF ST. PETERSBURG, FLORIDA
QUALIFYING RECAP
APRIL 24, 2021

TEAM CHEVY DRIVERS CAPTURE FOUR OF FIRESTONE FAST SIX SPOTS
DEFENDING RACE AND TWO-TIME WINNER JOSEF NEWGARDEN WILL ROLL OFF THIRD IN SUNDAY’S 100-LAP RACE

ST. PETERSBURG, FLORIDA (April 24, 2021) – Four Chevrolet powered drivers secured starting positions in top-three rows for Sunday’s 100-lap Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg in Firestone Fast Six qualifying battle for the NTT P1 Award.

Two-time and defending winner of the first street race of the season Josef Newgarden will start his No. 2 Hitachi Team Penske Chevrolet from the inside of the second row, third overall of the 24 starters. Teammate Simon Pagenaud, No. 22 Menards/Australian Gold Chevrolet will start alongside Newgarden.

Sebastien Bourdais, No. 24 ROKIT AJ Foyt Racing Chevrolet, will roll off fifth, on the inside of row three with Pato O’Ward, No. 5 Arrow McLaren SP Chevrolet, captured the sixth starting spot.

Rookie-of-the-Year Contender Scott McLaughlin, No. 3 Dex Imaging Team Penske
Chevrolet, continued his steady improvement behind the wheel of an INDYCAR with a solid 14th place qualifying effort.

Pole favorite Will Power, No. 12 Verizon 5G Team Penske Chevrolet, tapped the wall on his final hot lap and damaged his car relegating him to the 20th starting position.

Colton Herta and Jack Harvey (both Honda) will make up the front row.
Live coverage of the 100-lap race starts at noon Sunday on NBC and the INDYCAR Radio Network.

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

DRIVER QUOTES:
JOSEF NEWGARDEN, NO. 2 HITACHI TEAM PENSKE CHEVROLET – QUALIFIED 3RD
“We had a good day on Saturday here in St. Pete. I feel really good about our car. I just got through qualifying. It’s pretty hot and definitely very humid outside, so it’s going to be a hard race to get through. But I felt really good in all sessions except for that Fast Six. In the Fast Six, I felt like it difficult to bring the tires up when they were used. I think that’s how we got beat. So, we’re starting third for the race tomorrow. It’s a good enough spot to win from, no doubt. I think we have a good race car across multiple stints that we can make something happen from that spot. I’m feeling really good and have good momentum and just need to keep carrying it all the way through until tomorrow night, and hopefully we’ve got a win underneath us.”

SIMON PAGENAUD, NO. 22 MENARDS/AUSTRALIAN GOLD TEAM PENSKE CHEVROLET, QUALIFIED 4TH: “We were P4 today at St. Pete with the Australian Gold Chevy car. It was fun qualifying. We found a lot of speed. We found a really great balance on the car all weekend. I’m very happy. I think we kept progressing every session and at the end there, it was great to be in the Fast Six and put out as much we could out of the race car. So, I’m satisfied with P4. Josef (Newgarden) is starting third so it’s going to be interesting at the start with him. And then obviously we’ve got to go to the front together. So, I’m very excited. I’m glad we brought the sunscreen. It seems to work.”

SEBASTIEN BOURDAIS, NO. 14 ROKIT AJ FOYT RACING CHEVROLET, QUALIFIED 5TH:
“Really good afternoon here at the Grand Prix of St. Pete in the No. 14 ROKIT AJ Foyt Racing Chevrolet. Really happy we made it the Firestone Fast Six and will start fifth tomorrow. Definitely a big turn around from practice one and two. Hats off to the boys for figuring it out and giving me a really fast ride. Can hardly wait until the race tomorrow!”

PATO O’WARD, NO. 5 ARROW MCLAREN SP CHEVROLET, QUALIFIEED 6TH:
“We just got done with qualifying here in St. Petersburg. We are sixth, starting on the outside of the third row. We had a quick car in qualifying but we just didn’t make quite the right call on either using reds or new blacks. The track was very different to what we felt in Practice 2, but we have a quick race car. We are going to be thinking about it tonight, and we are going to go get it tomorrow.”

SCOTT MCLAUGHLIN, NO. 3 DEX IMAGING TEAM PENSKE CHEVROLET – QUALIFIED 14TH
“Overall, it was a pretty disappointing day for me, I guess; coming back to St. Pete, a track that I know, after last year, you sort of want to try again for that Q2 bracket. Unfortunately, the car was feeling really good in practice and qualifying in the first segment there, especially on black tires. But we put the red tires on and I just didn’t get that little extra bit you need to really get into that t Top Six to advance to Group 2. It’s going to come with time. I’m feeling really comfortable and strong on the black tires and I think we were the fastest in that group there in one stage where everyone had the same tire. The red tires; just not enough laps right now. I haven’t got a great feel for it and confidence to really find the grip at times when you can only do it once or twice in a run. So, I’m a little bit disappointed. But, at the end of the day we start XX for a pretty long race tomorrow and hopefully we can make our way through with the pace that we have on the right compounds.”

WILL POWER, NO. 12 VERIZON 5G TEAM PENSKE CHEVROLET – QUALIFIED 20TH
“It was definitely not the qualifying session we were looking for. We just didn’t get the set-up quite right and the series is so tough now, if you’re not right on point, you’re certainly going to pay for it and then start back somewhere like 20th. So, it looks like a two-stop strategy. We are hoping there are some yellows, which will open the windows up and give us a chance to potentially jump some people. So, the aim for tomorrow will be a Top 10. We’ll try to get some points and get in that Top 10 and that would be good for us.”

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.

Making History: Heim Wins General Tire 200 at Talladega Superspeedway

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Official Release
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Herta Hustles to NTT P1 Award in Dramatic St. Petersburg Qualifying

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Official Release
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ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (Saturday, April 24, 2021) – Colton Herta won the NTT P1 Award for pole position for the Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg on Saturday in a qualifying session that featured as much news for who didn’t make the Firestone Fast Six as for who did.

Herta took his first pole of the season and fifth of his NTT INDYCAR SERIES career with a best lap of 1 minute, .3210 of a second in the No. 26 Gainbridge Honda. His previous best start at St. Petersburg was third last October, and his last pole came last September at Mid-Ohio.

“I knew we had a good race car for here and really good qualifying pace from last year,” Herta said. “We just had to get through those first two stages nice and clean. The Gainbridge car was so good today, and everybody did a phenomenal job all weekend up until this point. Really happy for the guys, and hope we have a great race tomorrow.”

This was the second pole at St. Petersburg for the Herta family. Colton’s father, Bryan, who calls race strategy on his radio for Andretti Autosport, earned the top spot for this event in 2005 while driving for the Andretti team.

Jack Harvey will join the younger Herta on the front row of the 100-lap race Sunday (noon ET, NBC and INDYCAR Radio Network) after a best lap of 1:00.5709 in the No. 60 AutoNation/Sirius XM Honda.

Two-time series champion Josef Newgarden will start third after a best lap of 1:00.6078 in the No. 2 Hitachi Team Penske Chevrolet. Newgarden led both practices and both qualifying rounds up to the Firestone Fast Six this weekend on the 14-turn, 1.8-mile temporary street circuit.

It will be an all-Team Penske second row, as 2016 series champion Simon Pagenaud will start fourth after a top lap of 1:00.6353 in the No. 22 Menards Australian Gold Team Penske Chevrolet.

St. Petersburg resident and two-time winner of this event Sebastien Bourdais continued the resurgence for AJ Foyt Racing this season by qualifying fifth at 1:01.0017 in the No. 14 ROKiT AJ Foyt Racing Chevrolet.

Pato O’Ward, the NTT P1 Award winner last weekend at Barber Motorsports Park, will start sixth after a best lap of 1:01.0799 in the No. 5 Arrow McLaren SP Chevrolet. O’Ward was the only driver in the Firestone Fast Six to not use the more grippy Firestone alternate “red” tires, instead opting for the primary “black” tires that have less grip but more durability.

Six-time NTT INDYCAR SERIES champion Scott Dixon was eliminated in the second round and will start eighth in the No. 9 PNC Bank Chip Ganassi Racing Honda. In a stunning development, nine-time St. Petersburg pole winner Will Power didn’t advance out of the first round and will start 20th in the No. 12 Verizon 5G Team Penske Chevrolet.

Dixon barely made it through to the second session after one of his best laps was nullified in the first session for causing a local yellow that affected another competitor, per INDYCAR’s rules. Dixon spun in Turn 8 earlier in the first session to trigger a local yellow, but he snuck into the second group by grabbing the final available spot on his last lap.

Power’s best lap of 1:01.1140 in the first session was only 10th best in the group and too slow to advance. He brushed the wall on his final flying lap, bending a toe link on his suspension, and spun on a short straightaway approaching the timing line, ending any chance of making the second round.

2014 series champion Power will start from his furthest position ever on this circuit. His previous St. Petersburg low was sixth in 2009.

Race Day will start Sunday with the 30-minute warm-up at 9:05 a.m. (ET), live on Peacock Premium. Live coverage of the 100-lap race starts at noon on NBC and the INDYCAR Radio Network.

Harvey Qualifies on Front Row for Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg

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Official Release
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#60: Jack Harvey, Meyer Shank Racing Honda

Marks third career front row start for Harvey and Meyer Shank Racing

St. Petersburg, Fla. (24 April 2021) – With a strong record of pace and performance in St. Petersburg, Jack Harvey and Meyer Shank Racing (MSR) entered the Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg race weekend with optimism. Qualifying on the front row for the third time in his INDYCAR career, Harvey once again demonstrated that he should be considered a top contender for Sunday’s 100 lap main event (12:00pm ET, NBC/SiriusXM Ch. 205).

Harvey made his St. Pete debut in 2018, broke into the Fast 12 for the first time during his 2019 run at the track, and was on the way to a top five finish in 2020 until he was taken out by a competitor reentering the track. Now coming back with four years of INDYCAR competition under his belt, Harvey is aiming to capture his first victory.

The first practice of the weekend got off to an unusually slow start for MSR, with Harvey clocking in the 15th fastest time on Friday. But hard work overnight by the crew put Harvey back in the top running order during practice two where he finished third fastest.

That momentum was translated into qualifying which saw Harvey make his eleventh appearance in the Firestone Fast Six. Harvey held the provisional pole with seconds to go, but ended the session with a second place starting position after posting a 1:00.570-second lap. The front row start marks the third career second place qualifying run from Harvey (Indianapolis Motor Speedway (2020), Road America (2020), St. Petersburg (2021)).

“There was a lot of work put in overnight and I trust everyone on the No. 60 crew, they’ve done a really great job all year,” said Harvey. “We felt confident coming into this weekend because of how it traditionally has gone for us in the past. The No. 60 AutoNation / SiriusXM Honda was really looking strong. I’m really looking forward to sharing the front row with our pseudo teammate, Colton. I just want to have a good start to the race and then we will go from there.”

It is also a special weekend for MSR as its co-primary sponsor, AutoNation celebrates its 25th anniversary. Harvey celebrated AutoNation’s achievement with a new helmet design to give thanks to the Fort-Lauderdale based company. After qualifying on Saturday Harvey gifted the helmet to the AutoNation Executive Vice President and Chief Customer Experience Officer, Marc Cannon.

“It’s a good weekend to have a good weekend,” said Harvey. “I wanted to do something to say ‘thanks’ to everyone at AutoNation. They have done so much for me over the years, so it was the least that I could do to congratulate them on 25 years.”

“I’m really proud of Jack,” said Mike Shank. “He did an incredible job today and it was great to get a front row start on the weekend that we’re celebrating AutoNation’s 25th anniversary. We had a few tweaks to make after Friday practice, but once we got the car balanced out, Jack was untouchable. It of course would have been nice to get the pole, but starting on the front row is a great place to be and we’ll try to get it done tomorrow.”

Coverage of the Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg will begin at 12:00pm ET on Sunday on NBC. IndyCar Radio will also have live coverage on SiriusXM Ch. 205.

Colton Herta secures first pole of 2021 at St. Pete

By
Briar Starr
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Photo Courtesy of Chris Jones

After a disastrous start to the 2021 season at Barber Motorsports Park, Colton Herta qualified the No. 26 Andretti w/ Curb-Agajanian on the pole Saturday afternoon with a time of 1.00.3210 and 107.425 mph over another Andretti affiliate driver Jack Harvey. Herta was 0.2499 seconds ahead of Harvey to gain the Valencia, California native his fifth career NTT IndyCar Series pole.

“Yeah, it’s been going good so far,” Herta said. “We’ve shown strong pace all weekend. Haven’t been outside of the top four in any session. Really all the Andretti cars have been really strong for most of the weekend. So, yeah, happy to get the pole obviously. Happy to get it with Dan Towriss here with Gainbridge and happy to be part of Honda. It’s going to be an awesome race tomorrow, interesting, two-stop. I need to do more research on that tonight.”

By securing the pole position, Herta now shares the pole with his dad Bryan (Herta) who won the pole back in 2005.

Qualifying featured another wild session for the weekend. Originally, the session was slated to go green at 1:45 p.m./ET but was briefly delayed for five minutes for course repair due to the previous on-track action. As Round 1, segment 1 went green, there was an incident that involved the No. 28 of Ryan Hunter-Reay and the No. 9 of Scott Dixon. Dixon ended up spinning around in Turn 8, causing a local yellow. Dixon was handed a penalty but was still able to advance in qualifying. Advancing out of the first group were Alexander Rossi, Colton Herta, Pato O’Ward, Simon Pagenaud, Sebastien Bourdais, and Scott Dixon.

Group 2 of qualifying saw the most interesting action. Officials reviewed an incident between the No. 21 of Rinus VeeKay and the No. 4 of Dalton Kellett. Kellett’s day got worse as he was penalized again for causing a qualifying interference. This meant Kellett lost his two fastest laps and not advance into further sessions. Kellett was penalized earlier in the day for being late to the drivers weigh in and lost 10 minutes of practice time.

Meanwhile, a few other incidents occurred as well. Will Power and the No. 12 Team Penske Verizon machine ended up spinning around in the last corner of the last turn in the final remaining minutes of the first session. IndyCar officials reviewed the spin but determined no action necessary. This was the first time since July of 2019 at Toronto, where Power would not advance to a second segment and the first time in his IndyCar career that the Aussie did not make the fast six at St. Pete.

When the final round of qualifying went green for the Firestone Fast Six, the top spot changed hands multiple times with Jack Harvey challenging for pole position late in the session. However, the pole ultimately went to Herta who edged out Harvey and gave Andretti Autosport their 44th career NTT IndyCar Series pole.

Despite Harvey missing out on the top spot, the starting spot is Harvey’s best since Road America last summer where he started second.

“Yeah, really great day,” Harvey said about the qualifying effort. “I think we made some good changes overnight. We had a really good practice two. From what the guys said, we looked good on blacks, looked good on reds. Obviously didn’t quite have enough to challenge for pole. I thought we did there for a little bit, but then they said Colton had done a 3. At that point I knew we already peaked. I actually thought the 5 in Q3 was a really good time. Just kind of catching the tail end of Colton’s comments, I was actually surprised how close the Q3 time was to the best that anyone saw on new reds. It will be interesting overnight.”

A 30 minute warm-up session is scheduled for 9:05 a.m./ET live on Peacock with the Firestone Grand Prix at St. Pete green-flag scheduled for 12:42 p.m./ET live on NBC.

Official Starting Line Up for the Firestone Grand Prix at St. Pete:

  1. (26) Colton Herta, Honda, 01:00.3210 (107.425 mph)
  2. (60) Jack Harvey, Honda, 01:00.5709 (106.982)
  3. (2) Josef Newgarden, Chevrolet, 01:00.6078 (106.917)
  4. (22) Simon Pagenaud, Chevrolet, 01:00.6353 (106.868)
  5. (14) Sebastien Bourdais, Chevrolet, 01:01.0017 (106.227)
  6. (5) Pato O’Ward, Chevrolet, 01:01.0799 (106.091)
  7. (21) Rinus VeeKay, Chevrolet, 01:00.4858 (107.133)
  8. (9) Scott Dixon, Honda, 01:00.4997 (107.108)
  9. (15) Graham Rahal, Honda, 01:00.5678 (106.988)
  10. (10) Alex Palou, Honda, 01:00.6220 (106.892)
  11. (27) Alexander Rossi, Honda, 01:00.6476 (106.847)
  12. (29) James Hinchcliffe, Honda, 01:00.8671 (106.461)
  13. (28) Ryan Hunter-Reay, Honda, 01:00.8524 (106.487)
  14. (3) Scott McLaughlin, Chevrolet, 01:00.7044 (106.747)
  15. (30) Takuma Sato, Honda, 01:00.9167 (106.375)
  16. (8) Marcus Ericsson, Honda, 01:00.7058 (106.744)
  17. (7) Felix Rosenqvist, Chevrolet, 01:00.9569 (106.305)
  18. (51) Romain Grosjean, Honda, 01:00.8127 (106.557)
  19. (20) Conor Daly, Chevrolet, 01:01.4220 (105.500)
  20. (12) Will Power, Chevrolet, 01:01.1140 (106.031)
  21. (18) Ed Jones, Honda, 01:01.4453 (105.460)
  22. (59) Max Chilton, Chevrolet, 01:01.5065 (105.355)
  23. (48) Jimmie Johnson, Honda, 01:01.8364 (104.793)
  24. (4) Dalton Kellett, Chevrolet, 01:02.3396 (103.947)
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