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Hendrick Motorsports Media Advance: Talladega

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Official Release
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Talladega Superspeedway
Sunday, April 25, 2021
2.66-Mile Oval
2:00 PM ET
Location: Talladega, Alabama
TV: Fox logo
Event: NASCAR Cup Series (10 of 36)
Radio: SiriusXM logo PRN logo

5 KYLE LARSON
Age: 28 (July 31, 1992)
Hometown: Elk Grove, California
Resides: Mooresville, North Carolina
Crew Chief: Cliff Daniels
Standings: 6th

No. 5 HendrickCars.com Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 1LE

SUPER START: The 2.66-mile Talladega Superspeedway and the 2.5-mile Daytona International Speedway are the only two superspeedway tracks on the NASCAR Cup Series schedule. In the season-opening DAYTONA 500 in his Hendrick Motorsports debut, Kyle Larson had four opportunities to score championship points and he collected each time – one of only four drivers to do so. In the Duel qualifying races, points were awarded to the top-10 finishers in each and he finished seventh in his race. Points are also awarded to the top-10 finishers in each stage during the NASCAR Cup Series season, and the Elk Grove, California, native posted results of fourth and eighth in the two DAYTONA 500 stages, respectively, before taking the checkered flag 10th in the 200-lap race.

DOZEN IN ‘BAMA: In 12 starts at Talladega Superspeedway, Larson has two top-10 finishes. He posted a ninth-place result in his first race at the Alabama track in 2014 while his best finish of sixth occurred in October 2016.

WOO BRISTOL: Larson is scheduled to race a sprint car in the World of Outlaws Bristol Throwdown April 22-24 on the Bristol Motor Speedway dirt track. Practice is Thursday and there will be a full racing program with 25-lap main events on Friday and Saturday.

I SECOND THAT: Through nine races in 2021, Larson has one win, four top-five finishes, secured eight playoff points and has led 379 laps – all second-most in NASCAR’s premier series. He currently sits sixth in the Cup Series driver point standings.

YOUR CAR NEEDS: This weekend, Larson will again drive the No. 5 HendrickCars.com Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 1LE. From the convenience of home, customers can select the category, make, model and vehicle packages that are important to them from the nearly 30,000 new, high-quality pre-owned and certified cars, trucks and SUVs available at HendrickCars.com. The website also makes it easy for customers to find one of Hendrick Automotive Group’s 93 dealership locations nationwide.

9 CHASE ELLIOTT
Age: 25 (Nov. 28, 1995)
Hometown: Dawsonville, Georgia
Resides: Dawsonville, Georgia
Crew Chief: Alan Gustafson
Standings: 7th

No. 9 NAPA AUTO PARTS Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 1LE

NINE IN 2021: Nine races into the 2021 NASCAR Cup Series season, Chase Elliott, the driver of the No. 9 NAPA AUTO PARTS Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 1LE, is tied for fifth among all drivers with three top-five finishes. He has posted two runner-up results and led a total of 73 laps in the first nine events. Elliott has spent 595 laps inside the top five and 1,378 laps running in the top 10.

‘DEGA DOWNLOAD: On Sunday, Elliott is set to make his 11th Talladega Superspeedway start in the NASCAR Cup Series. His win at the track in April 2019 was his first superspeedway win at the Cup level. In his previous 10 starts at the venue, the 25-year-old driver has earned the pole position twice – his first start in May 2016 and then in October 2019. Elliott has garnered four top-five finishes and led 170 laps in his Cup Series career at the Alabama track. He also has three Talladega starts in the NASCAR Xfinity Series with one top-10 finish.

SUPERSPEEDWAY STATS: Elliott has made 21 superspeedway starts in the NASCAR Cup Series. In those races at Daytona International Speedway and Talladega Superspeedway, the driver of the No. 9 Camaro has claimed one win, six top-five finishes and led a total of 260 laps. In the last three races on superspeedways, Elliott has two runner-up finishes and a fifth-place result.

GUSTAFSON AT TALLADEGA: No. 9 team crew chief Alan Gustafson will call his 33rd Talladega Cup Series race from atop the pit box on Sunday afternoon. He collected his first superspeedway victory at the 2.66-mile track on April 28, 2019, with Elliott and the No. 9 team. In his previous 32 events calling the shots for five different drivers (Elliott, Kyle Busch, Casey Mears, Mark Martin and Jeff Gordon), Gustafson’s teams posted eight top-five finishes, 10 top-10s, 273 laps led and six pole awards.

NAPA AUTO PARTS: The No. 9 Chevrolet will don the familiar blue, white and yellow NAPA AUTO PARTS paint scheme this weekend at Talladega. The Atlanta-based company is serving as majority sponsor for Elliott and the No. 9 team for 25 NASCAR Cup Series races this season.

24 WILLIAM BYRON
Age: 23 (Nov. 29, 1997)
Hometown: Charlotte, North Carolina
Resides: Charlotte, North Carolina
Crew Chief: Rudy Fugle
Standings: 4th

No. 24 Liberty University Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 1LE

MR. CONSISTENCY: So far in the 2021 NASCAR Cup Series season, William Byron and the No. 24 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 1LE team have been a model of consistency. After nine races, the Charlotte, North Carolina, native has spent 2,086 laps running inside the top 10 – the second-most in the field behind only points leader Denny Hamlin (2,333). Of those top-10 laps, 817 have been inside the top five, which is the sixth-most of all drivers. Currently, Byron has led 138 laps across four races, also good for sixth in the Cup Series. He has the fourth-best average running position of 8.74 so far in 2021.

STILL STREAKING: Dating back to his win at Homestead-Miami Speedway on Feb. 28, Byron has been on a hot streak of top-10 finishes. Prior to this current streak, Byron’s NASCAR Cup Series best was three consecutive finishes in the top 10, which he accomplished twice. The 23-year-old driver has now more than doubled that amount after his seventh-place finish Sunday at Richmond Raceway, extending his consecutive top-10 finishes to seven races – the longest active streak in the Cup Series. Byron’s seven total top-10s are the second-most by a driver this year behind only Hamlin (eight). In fact, Byron has the longest top-10 streak by a Hendrick Motorsports driver since Jeff Gordon in the final seven races of 2015. He is also the fourth-youngest driver to reach a seven-race top-10 streak in his Cup career behind only Richard Petty, Ricky Rudd and Kyle Busch.

PRO INVITATIONAL SERIES, ROUND 2: After its inception last year during the pandemic, the NASCAR Pro Invitational Series on iRacing resumes this Wednesday night for the second race of 10 in 2021 at the virtual Talladega Superspeedway. Picking up where he left off last season, Byron raced to the win in the first event this year on March 24 at the virtual Bristol dirt track. In his seven total Pro Invitational Series races, Byron leads the field with four victories and is the only driver to win consecutive races. The driver of the No. 24 has paced the field in all seven of his starts, leading a total of 445 laps out of 998 laps.

SUPER ON SUPERSPEEDWAYS: Sunday’s race at Talladega will be Byron’s 14th superspeedway start in the Cup Series. In his previous 13, Byron has scored one win (Daytona in August 2020), three top-five finishes and three top-10s with 124 laps led. Since his Cup Series debut in 2018, Byron’s 124 laps led ranks seventh-best among all drivers for most laps led on superspeedways.

TALLADEGA TELL-ALL: This Sunday’s race at Talladega will mark Byron’s seventh start at the 2.66-mile track in his Cup career. In his previous six starts, he has a track-best finish of fourth from his last appearance at the Alabama venue (October 2020). Last season marked Byron’s best at Talladega with one top-five finish and narrowly missing the top 10 with an 11th-place result in the spring.

DIGGING ‘DEGA: While Sunday’s race will be crew chief Rudy Fugle’s first at the Cup Series level at Talladega Superspeedway, the Livonia, New York, native has seven starts at the 2.66-mile track already under his belt in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series. In those seven appearances, Fugle accumulated three top-five finishes and five top-10s. One of his previous starts was with Byron in 2016 when the duo started eighth and raced to a 10th-place result.

LIBERTY U ONBOARD: Picking up a seventh-place finish last Sunday, Byron will look to keep his top-10 streak alive when the No. 24 unloads at Talladega Superspeedway with Liberty University onboard his Chevy. Redesigned for the 2021 season, the new paint scheme features a white base with navy flames and red accents that will make the Liberty University No. 24 stand out on track. Liberty University has a long history with Byron starting back in 2014 in the late model ranks. Liberty University has been Training Champions for Christ since it was founded in 1971. Located in the mountains of Central Virginia, Liberty is a liberal arts institution with 17 colleges and schools that offers more than 600 degree programs from the certificate to the doctoral level, on campus and online. Working on an undergraduate degree in communications, Byron is in his junior year at Liberty University through its online program. For a better look at Byron’s new Liberty University paint scheme, click here.

CLOSE TO HOME: Hailing from Pensacola, Florida, No. 24 team spotter Tab Boyd claims Talladega Superspeedway as his home track. Growing up a few hours away from the 2.66-mile superspeedway, Boyd has more than 20 years of experience in NASCAR in various roles, including an Xfinity Series tire changer as well as mechanical and fabrication positions before ultimately ending up in the spotter’s stand. When he has time outside of the NASCAR schedule, Boyd is usually still at the racetrack behind the steering wheel of his Street Stock in the Street Stock Mid-Atlantic Series.

48 Alex Bowman
Age: 27 (April 25, 1993)
Hometown: Tucson, Arizona
Resides: Concord, North Carolina
Crew Chief: Greg Ives
Standings: 13th

No. 48 Ally Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 1LE

SHORT-TRACK VICTORY: Alex Bowman, driver of the No. 48 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 1LE, brought home his third career NASCAR Cup Series victory at Richmond Raceway on Sunday afternoon. The Ally-sponsored driver led the final 10 laps of the 400-lap event to claim his first Richmond win and first-ever short-track victory at the Cup level.

FIRST-TIME WINNER: Primary sponsor Ally became a first-time points-paying winner on Sunday following the No. 48 Chevrolet team’s victory. It marked the first win for Bowman in just nine events with Ally and the No. 48 Chevrolet. The Michigan-based company visited victory lane in 2019 when driver Jimmie Johnson led four laps en route to a victory in the Clash at DAYTONA with Ally on board.

BOWMAN WINS, PETS WIN: Through the yearlong initiative between Ally and the Best Friends Animal Society, when Bowman wins a race a local animal shelter receives a $10,000 donation from Ally and an additional $1,000 from the driver. Last weekend, the two gave a total of $11,000 to the Richmond SPCA in Richmond, Virginia. The Richmond SPCA is an independent non-profit, no-kill humane society located four miles from Richmond Raceway. Every week, Ally and Bowman each make a $1,000 gift to a local animal shelter in the race market, which increases if the No. 48 Ally Chevrolet clinches a victory.

PLAYOFFS BOUND: Following Sunday’s win, Bowman and the No. 48 team all but clinched their spot in the 2021 NASCAR Cup Series playoffs. The team is currently ranked eighth in the playoff standings and 13th in the driver standings after nine events this season. Bowman has clinched a spot in the playoffs by virtue of a win each season since 2019.

ALL IN THE NUMBER: Just four drivers have visited victory lane with the No. 48 car in the Cup Series. Bowman now joins seven-time NASCAR champion Johnson (83 victories) as the only two drivers to win in the No. 48 Chevrolet for Hendrick Motorsports. James Hylton (two) and Bill Norton (one) also have Cup wins in the No. 48 car.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY: On Sunday, April 25, Bowman will celebrate his 28th birthday by racing at Talladega Superspeedway. Only three drivers have visited victory lane on their birthday, but it hasn’t been done since 2013 when Matt Kenseth won at Las Vegas. If Bowman wins Talladega, he will become the first driver to cruise to victory lane at the 2.66-mile superspeedway on his birthday.

TALLADEGA DAYS: Bowman has 11 starts at Talladega Superspeedway in the NASCAR Cup Series since 2014. The driver of the No. 48 Chevrolet has one runner-up finish (2019), three top-10s and has led 45 laps total. Last season, Bowman brought home a seventh-place finish in the spring and a 14th-place result in the fall event. In 2013, he made one start at the track in the NASCAR Xfinity Series and finished 13th after rolling off 14th. The Arizona native also made one start in the ARCA Series at the track in 2012 and finished 32nd.

SUCCESS IN 2021: The No. 48 team has run 643 laps (eighth overall) inside the top five and 1,281 laps (ninth overall) inside the top 10 this Cup Series season. Bowman is tied for seventh among drivers with the most top-five results (two) in 2021 and is tied for ninth for the most top-10 finishes (four).

IVES IN DEGA: No. 48 team crew chief Greg Ives will call the shots for the 13th time at Talladega on Sunday. The Bark River, Michigan, native has one win there with Dale Earnhardt Jr. in 2015 after leading 67 laps, along with three top-five finishes and six top-10 results. His drivers have an average start of 6.2 at the 2.66-mile facility. Back in 2017, Ives’ team started from the pole position, and in 2019 Bowman led seven laps en route to a second-place result. In total, his drivers have led 180 laps in 12 Cup events. Ives’ résumé also includes one win in the NASCAR Xfinity Series at the track with Regan Smith in 2013. He was a race engineer for the No. 48 team at Hendrick Motorsports from 2006 until 2012. During that time, he was part of two wins, two pole awards and seven top-10 finishes at Talladega.

THROWING IT BACK TO IVES: On Tuesday, Bowman and sponsor Ally took to social media to unveil their 2021 Darlington Raceway throwback paint scheme. The No. 48 team will honor Ives’ late model driving days with a paint scheme based on a car from his 1998 season that was purchased from the Coleman Racing family in Michigan. When Ives bought the car, the seller asked him to consider keeping the paint color the same and was later told of Jim Pagel, who ran the color and paint scheme in 1993. Pagel was a local stock car driver who lost his life on May 2, 1997, following a crash during qualifying at Wisconsin International Raceway. Bowman will also sport a throwback firesuit that looks similar to the one Ives received in 1998 as a gift from his late mother. Check out the special scheme here.

PIT PERFORMANCE: After nine events in 2021, the No. 48 pit crew continues to be the fastest in the NASCAR Cup Series based on average four-tire stop times. The five-man over-the-wall crew has an average four-tire stop time of 13.52 seconds. The team includes fueler Jacob Conley, tire carrier Allen Stallings, jackman Dustin Lineback and tire changers Scott Brzozowski and Devin DelRicco.

TRIO OF WINNERS: Courtesy of Alex Bowman’s win Sunday at Richmond Raceway, three different Hendrick Motorsports drivers have gone to victory lane in the first nine races of 2021, marking only the eighth time in NASCAR Cup Series history a team has done so. Hendrick Motorsports also accomplished it in 2007 and 2009, while Joe Gibbs Racing did it in 2016 and 2019. Other teams with three different winners in the first nine events: Roush Fenway Racing in 2005, Peter DePaolo Racing in 1957 and Carl Kiekhafer Racing in 1956. The earliest in a single season a team has won with four different drivers is race No. 12 by Hendrick Motorsports in 2007 and JGR in 2016.

TWENTY-SOMETHINGS: With William Byron (23 years old), Kyle Larson (28) and Bowman (27) already posting NASCAR Cup Series wins, Hendrick Motorsports has sent three drivers under the age of 30 to victory lane in 2021. It has occurred only two other times in NASCAR Cup Series history: Joe Gibbs Racing in 2009 and Hendrick Motorsports in 2020. No team has ever won with four different drivers under 30 in the same season. Hendrick Motorsports’ Chase Elliott, the defending NASCAR champion, is 25.

TALLADEGA INSIGHTS: Hendrick Motorsports holds the record for Talladega Superspeedway wins in the NASCAR Cup Series with 13, one more than Richard Childress Racing. The organization’s victories have come with seven different drivers: Jeff Gordon (six), Jimmie Johnson (two), Elliott, Dale Earnhardt Jr., Brian Vickers, Terry Labonte and Ken Schrader.

SUPER STAT: With 28 total trips to victory lane, Hendrick Motorsports is the winningest organization on superspeedways in NASCAR Cup Series history. Its points-paying superspeedway wins have come with 11 different drivers, the most of any team at the behemoth tracks of Talladega and Daytona.

TWO TO TIE: Hendrick Motorsports entered the 2021 season within striking distance of one of stock car racing’s most enduring achievements: Petty Enterprises’ all-time team record for NASCAR Cup Series victories. The legendary Petty organization captured the wins record from Carl Kiekhafer Racing more than 60 years ago when Lee Petty took the checkered flag at Orange Speedway on May 29, 1960, for the team’s 53rd victory. Its 268th and final win was delivered by driver John Andretti on April 18, 1999. With Bowman’s win at Richmond, Hendrick Motorsports has earned 266 points-paying Cup Series wins since Rick Hendrick founded the team in 1984 and currently needs just three to break the record at NASCAR’s highest level.

QUOTABLE /

Kyle Larson, driver of the No. 5 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 1LE, on Talladega stress: “Hendrick Motorsports has really fast superspeedway cars, and that makes your job as a driver a little bit easier and a little less stressful. I say that, but Daytona and Talladega are always stressful. There’s always a big wreck that you hope to be in front of or avoid. Talladega has been hard on me. I’ve been upside down on the backstretch, and I broke a rib there a couple years ago in a crash. Daytona went well earlier this year, so hopefully Talladega will go well, too.”

Chase Elliott, driver of the No. 9 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 1LE, on what makes Talladega unique: “To me, superspeedway races and Talladega, just as much as Daytona is, are such a coin flip. There’s no way of really knowing the right place to be at the right time all the time. I feel like there are guys that seem to have a better feel for it than others and know when to be in certain positions and know when something doesn’t feel right. I’ve tried to learn that over the years. I haven’t done a great job of it, but it’s just about positioning yourself in the right place at the right time. Also, having patience and taking runs when you have the opportunity. I also think what makes the guys who are really good at those tracks great is that they know when to quit putting up a fight, when to not throw that big block, knowing they might have another opportunity on the back end rather than crashing. Showing patience in big moments at those tracks are really hard to do, but I think that’s a piece that the guys who win there do all the time.”

Elliott on drafting prep for Talladega: “It’s definitely nice to have friends at certain points in the race. Always the tough question for everyone is, ‘When do the gloves come off? When can everyone go after it?’ Our mentality, I feel like, has been really fluid over the years and we’ve developed a good relationship amongst ourselves and our three Hendrick Motorsports teammates in knowing how we can help each other and how we can all benefit and get all of us into a position to have a shot. Then from there, we can go race and do what we need to do. It’s such a fluid thing. It changes throughout the race, but I think the biggest piece of that whole puzzle is pitting together and getting on and off pit road really well. Maximizing your time there can position you in the best place to be up toward the front after everything cycles through. That’s the biggest area I think we can help each other, and I think we’ve done a good job doing that in the past.”

William Byron, driver of the No. 24 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 1LE, on the racing at Talladega: “Talladega is a lot more open of a track than Daytona with a lot more pushing and shoving. It’s a lot easier to get to someone’s bumper because handling isn’t as important there. You have to be able to push well but also receive a push well. It takes a fast car but one that can handle a push from someone else. For me, I don’t approach it much different than I do Daytona. There are times you want to be conservative, so you can make sure you are there in the end, but you also need to know when it’s time to make aggressive moves. We have had some good runs going there but not the results in the end until recently. I know the No. 24 team will prepare a fast Liberty University Chevy, so if we are still in contention in the end this weekend, I think we have a good shot at the win.”

Rudy Fugle, crew chief of the No. 24 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 1LE, on racing at Talladega: “Hendrick Motorsports takes a lot of pride on building fast cars, especially for superspeedway races. I think that shows every time we get to the track. There’s a ton of hard work put in from the guys and gals back at the shop to make these cars as fast as they are. I think we all showed that at Speedweeks in Daytona earlier this year. While Daytona didn’t end how the No. 24 team would have hoped, we know we had a strong car that was capable of winning, and that should be the same in Talladega. The biggest thing in these races is being around in the end, though. On my end, that means calling the right strategy, not only for us, but for working with our teammates. On William’s side, that means judging the situation he’s in and knowing when to push it and when to bide his time to avoid an incident. Racing at Talladega is always unpredictable but we’ll do everything we can to put ourselves in contention and, hopefully, we will have luck on our side to be there at the end.”

Alex Bowman, driver of the No. 48 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 1LE, on Sunday’s win at Richmond Raceway: “Getting the win on Sunday was big is so many ways. It was a huge goal for our team to be able to get Ally into victory lane this season, and we are so pumped to get them their first points-paying victory. The 48 team has put together some amazing short-track cars the last two weeks and it has definitely showed. I drive these places so wrong sometimes, so it is truly on this team for bringing such a fast car. Being locked into the playoffs is a good spot to be in, but our approach every week is to win. There isn’t a sit-back-and-relax mode with Hendrick Motorsports or this 48 team. We are focused on winning each and every week for everyone back at the shop, our team and our amazing partners.”

Bowman on going superspeedway racing this weekend: “No one sleeps going to Talladega. Hendrick Motorsports always builds amazing superspeedway Chevrolets and I feel like every time we unload there, we have a chance to win. There are so many unknowns at tracks like this. You can be in contention to win at one moment and loading up a wrecked car the next. Working with our teammates is key, but you have to be able to work with everyone on track. Racing in ‘Dega this weekend is really special because this was Rowdy (Harrell’s) home track. If we could pull off a win this weekend, I know that would mean the world to him.”

Greg Ives, crew chief of the No. 48 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 1LE, on claiming the win at Richmond: “I felt like we had a really good long-run car and I think we passed a lot of cars on Sunday. Probably the most quality passes of anyone on the racetrack, honestly. We had great speed and that is credited to everyone here at Hendrick Motorsports, my engineer Tim O’Brien and car chief Austin Konetski. They put in a lot of hours and a lot of pride into their work. That definitely shows each week when we unload. The Ally pit crew does an awesome job. We had a tire get away, but that was on all of us. All in all, adversity was there and we overcame it.”

Ives on what the No. 48 Ally Throwback paint scheme means to him: “I enjoyed driving. I enjoyed the aspect of setting up the car, putting it on the track and feeling what it did. This paint scheme kind of chose me. I was so surprised that Alex, Ally and everyone at Hendrick Motorsports pulled this off and wanted to pay tribute to me. To me, I am going to deflect it back to all of those grassroots racers that give all of their time, energy and life to this great sport that we love called racing. Whether it is on the NASCAR level or a local short track. Hopefully, people can get behind the story and understand what it meant to me.”

Fans Set To Attend 105th Indianapolis 500 at 40 Percent of Venue Capacity

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Official Release
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Vaccination Days To Continue at IMS throughout May

INDIANAPOLIS (Wednesday, April 21, 2021) – Fans will attend the 105th Running of the Indianapolis 500 presented by Gainbridge, with up to 40 percent of venue capacity permitted, totaling approximately 135,000 fans. The plan for the Sunday, May 30 race at the world’s largest sporting facility was developed in close consultation with state and local health officials and has been approved by the Marion County Public Health Department.

In addition to limited attendance, further key health and safety measures at the 2.5-mile track include:

  • Face coverings will be required and enforced throughout the venue.
  • Temperature checks will be administered upon public gate entry.
  • There will be spacing between customer groups in the grandstands. In addition, spacing will be enforced throughout the venue.
  • Spectator viewing mounds will be closed to the general public throughout the Month of May, with no Race Day General Admission tickets sold.
  • Frequent cleaning and sanitation processes will be in place, with hand sanitizer and washing stations readily available.

“Our fans mean everything to us, and we can’t wait to welcome them ‘Back Home Again’ for this year’s Indy 500,” Indianapolis Motor Speedway President J. Douglas Boles said. “The city and state have worked with us to identify the appropriate health and safety precautions so that we can successfully host a limited but very enthusiastic crowd. The health and safety of everyone coming to IMS, along with Central Indiana and the Hoosier State, have been paramount throughout this process.”

“The number-one thing fans can do to ensure a great Race Day is get vaccinated as quickly as possible,” Penske Entertainment President & CEO Mark Miles said. “We continue to offer vaccinations at IMS and will be extending our mass vaccination clinic throughout the Month of May. This is all part of the effort to continue getting Indiana back on track.”

In addition to the planned vaccination days at IMS from April 24-30, vaccinations will now be available on select days from May 1-27, with additional details forthcoming. IMS and the NTT INDYCAR SERIES will unveil a media campaign to encourage Race Day attendees – and all Hoosiers – to get vaccinated immediately.

“The COVID-19 vaccine is the best tool we have to help us return to the activities we love and have missed over the last year, and every day, more members of our community receive the lifesaving protection it offers thanks in part to community partners like Roger Penske and the Indianapolis Motor Speedway,” said Dr. Virginia Caine, director and chief medical officer of the Marion County Public Health Department. “Our vaccination rates, combined with the outdoor nature of the event, make it possible for fans to return to these hallowed grounds for the Indy 500 this year. We are grateful to the IMS team for their collaboration throughout this planning process and appreciate their work to ensure vaccines reach our neighbors. I continue to invite everyone in our community 16 and older to visit ourshot.in.gov or call 2-1-1 to sign up for the vaccine.”

Additional items of note include:

  • Fans who do not currently have Indy 500 tickets and are interested in attending can apply online at ims.com. If additional tickets are available, these fans will be given first opportunity to finalize purchases.
  • Tickets for all other on-track days remain available, and the same health precautions for gate entry and grandstand access will be in place.
  • With no General Admission access to the infield during the Month of May, the Friday, May 28 Carb Day concert, the Saturday, May 29 Legends Day concert and the Sunday, May 30 Snake Pit concert have all been canceled.
  • IMS customers still have the option to roll their 2021 purchase into 2022, receiving an IMS event credit rather than attending this year’s race.
  • A fan FAQ with additional details about Month of May and Indy 500 items has been posted to IMS.com/PlanAhead.
  • Fans will continue to receive ongoing event information and plan-ahead updates from IMS in the weeks leading into the race.

What They’re Saying About the 105th Running of the Indianapolis 500

Indiana Governor Eric Holcomb: “Roger Penske and everyone associated with Penske Entertainment and the Indianapolis Motor Speedway have been incredible partners with us throughout the pandemic. It is high time for fans to return to the greatest motor speedway in the world with this safety plan in place. We’re going to have a great Month of May, so let’s go racing.”

Indianapolis Mayor Joe Hogsett: “Today’s announcement demonstrates our continued commitment to safely hosting major events and showcases the strong collaboration between the Indianapolis Motor Speedway and public health partners. We’re excited to have Race Day back in May, welcoming fans as we continue to promote vaccination for residents and visitors alike.”

State Health Commissioner Dr. Kristina Box: “IMS has been thoughtful and thorough in its approach to ensuring the safety of fans, teams and all who will visit the Speedway during the Month of May. The organization’s commitment to getting thousands of Hoosiers vaccinated is helping us all with a return to normalcy. The state Department of Health is grateful for the efforts of IMS and its partners.”

Roush Fenway Weekly Advance | Talladega I

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Official Release
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Roush Fenway Weekly Advance | Talladega

Sweet Home Alabama is the site of what is guaranteed to be an action-packed NASCAR Cup Series race this Sunday. Jack Roush has five Cup wins at the track and eight overall, and his Fords have been in the picture in every race recently there with four top-10s in six outings. The team also has nine finishes inside the top-10 in the last 16 races with one win and five top fives.

Geico 500
Sunday, April 25 | 2 p.m. ET
FOX, MRN, SiriusXM Channel 90
· Ryan Newman, No. 6 Castrol Ford Mustang
· Chris Buescher, No. 17 Fastenal Ford Mustang

Richmond Recap, Talladega Advance

  • Newman was the victim of one of only two cautions in Sunday’s race from Richmond, ultimately finishing 30th in the Oscar Mayer Bacon Ford.
  • Buescher finished 25th in the Fastenal Ford.
  • Castrol, the official oil partner of Roush Fenway and a primary partner on both Newman and Buescher’s Mustangs this season, will be on Newman’s No. 6 machine Sunday at Talladega. It marks the second primary race for Castrol in 2021, but first in the all-color scheme as their first appearance came back on the Daytona Road Course in the all-white car that highlighted RFR’s sustainability efforts.
  • Fastenal is back on Buescher’s No. 17 entry at the 2.66-mile track.

Recently at Dega

An RFR Ford has led laps in four straight Talladega events, and Jack Roush has five top-10s in that stretch. Take out a controversial post-race penalty for Chris Buescher last fall, and the tally would be six. Going back to his first Talladega race with RFR in 2019, Ryan Newman finished seventh, then followed that with second, 24th and sixth. Buescher ran sixth in this race a season ago, and was aligned for another sixth-place run in the fall before the penalty gave him a 22nd-place finish officially.

Photo Finish at the Line Last Fall

It came down to the final few inches for Newman two years ago in the fall race, as he finished second behind Ryan Blaney by .007 seconds, the sixth-closest finish in NASCAR history. Newman lined up fifth on the inside line for the final restart with three laps to go. After a four-car group went single-file coming to the white flag, Newman took the lead and led coming out of turn four and through the tri-oval before Blaney snuck to his inside just before the start/finish line. It was a long 188 laps for the entire field as rain set in after 57 laps were completed, postponing the finish to Monday afternoon.

Running Clear Across Alabama

Roush Fenway has seen its fair share of success at the Alabama track, amassing 273 starts, eight wins, 44 top-fives and 94 top-10s across NASCAR’s three major touring series. Roush machines have also tallied seven poles, including three in cup action, and have led more than 1500 laps.

Winning in Greenbow

Roush Fenway has won in all three of NASCAR’s major series at Talladega. The team won its first race at Talladega in the NCS event in the spring of 1995. Former Roush Fenway driver Mark Martin won for the organization in all three series at the 2.66-mile oval.

Most recently, Ricky Stenhouse Jr. piloted his Fifth Third Bank Ford to victory lane four years ago when the NCS rolled through Talladega for the organization’s eighth win at the historic track.

Fastest Chicken in the South

Former Roush Fenway driver Mark Martin won the fastest Cup race ever recorded on May 10, 1997 at Talladega piloting the No. 6 Ford. Martin, who held off NASCAR Hall of Famer Dale Earnhardt, started from the 18th position and led 47 laps en route to the victory. The race saw 26 lead changes and had an average speed of 188.354 mph.

Tale of the Tape

Roush Fenway has started 214 NCS races at Talladega with 77 top-10 and 37 top-five finishes along with three poles. Former drivers Mark Martin (1995, 1997), Jamie McMurray (2009), Matt Kenseth (2012) and Stenhouse are responsible for RFR’s combined five Cup wins and overall a Jack Roush Ford has led 1517 laps at the 2.66-mile track.

Roush Fenway Talladega Wins
1995-1 Martin Cup
1997-1 Martin Cup
1997 Martin NXS
2006 Martin Truck
2009 Ragan NXS
2009-2 McMurray Cup
2012-2 Kenseth Cup
2017-1 Stenhouse Cup

Toyota Racing – NXS Talladega Quotes – Brandon Jones – 04.21.21

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Official Release
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Toyota Racing – Brandon Jones
NASCAR Xfinity Series Quotes

TALLADEGA, Ala. (April 21, 2021) – Joe Gibbs Racing driver Brandon Jones was made available to media via videoconference prior to the Talladega race earlier today:

BRANDON JONES, No. 19 Menards/Tuscany Toyota Supra, Joe Gibbs Racing

What is your anticipation for Talladega?

“I think Talladega and Daytona – those style of racetracks, those draft style superspeedway feel – is one of those things that my group and myself included has put a lot of effort into – a lot of time. Early on in my career, when I was watching these races and getting prepared for my first NASCAR starts, you kind of have that mindset that these tracks are just luck and if you miss the big one, and get there at the end possibly, but as I study these races and move forward in the series, I’ve noticed that the same guys that run up front in these style of tracks, so there is definitely an art to it, definitely a science. It’s one of those tracks that takes a lot of patience to get to the end. We’ve got a couple of good Joe Gibbs Racing teammates as well in those fast Supras to hopefully stick with throughout the event. I think if we do that, execute, we will be 1-2-3-4, which would be ideal.”

How much has having Blake Koch as a driver coach help you?

“Blake (Koch) has been phenomenal. That’s one thing. I’ve always had great crew chiefs. I’ve always had good team members, but I’ve never had that mentor to kind of help me off the track with racing. Blake has done a phenomenal job. I would be so interested to see what Blake could do in a car in today’s era, because his feedback, his advice is really, really good. I think that everything we do off of the track, the go-karts, me and him tandem on iRacing a bunch when we can. All of that stuff has led to having really fast weekends for us.”

How has having veterans like Daniel Hemric and Ty Dillon at Joe Gibbs Racing helped you?

“I actually learned a lot from Ty Dillon when he came to run the superspeedway – the opening race at Daytona. Typically, we all have a meeting beforehand with drivers, crew chiefs, spotters. We will go over dos and don’ts. Let’s try to stay with the teammates, but they also brought up a lot of good points in the meetings on side drafting, and how to do so. I don’t want to get in too depth, because I don’t want to give the competition the edge, but they definitely have a lot more knowledge than I have ever heard, so far, going to those tracks. It’s just when to do it, when’s the right time in those corners, on the straightaways, things like that. Ty has brought a decent amount to my program and I really truly believe that is why I won that first stage in Daytona, is the advice that was given in Daytona. Daniel (Hemric) has been great. I’ve always raced with Daniel in my career. I can’t shake Daniel for whatever reason. We have been together at RCR (Richard Childress Racing), I think I ran some trucks and K&N at NTS with him a little bit, so we’ve been together pretty much our entire NASCAR career, even leading up to this point. I know Daniel well. He knows so much more about the physical aspects of the car than I will probably ever know. He’s really good in that department – in what the changes are doing to his car and I think over time I keep talking to Daniel, hopefully, I can get to that point as well.”

When you go to the race at Talladega and there are not a lot of rule changes, how close is the plan to this race versus previous races at Talladega?

“Truthfully, I like for my spotter to be as openly free as possible during the race. One thing that is very difficult for a spotter in my opinion is to have all of these roles. We’ve got to work with so and so, but we can’t let so and so in. I think that it makes them think too hard. For a driver, you don’t want to constantly be thinking about things like that. We’ve talked a lot about driving off instinct, and that’s the same thing for the spotter. He really has to spot of instinct, so sometimes those plans can hurt us a little bit, but we have a good idea of what we want to do this weekend, and it’s pretty simple. You don’t want to put yourself in a bad spot, you don’t want to put your teammates in a bad spot, but if we can help them out throughout the day, that’s typically what’s going to get you to win one of these things or at least have a top-five finish. We have that mindset for sure, but I’ve told them multiple times, just go off what you know and trust yourself and that’s what is going to get us to the end.”

Who is your spotter?

“Stevie Reeves.”

How do you not overthink Talladega?

“It’s tough. You have a lot of time to think about things, but I think you are constantly looking for openings. You are looking for holes, you are looking for what lane is going, what lane has momentum. If you ever get bunched up with your group, then you are set. You are like – let’s don’t leave each other here. Everybody has a role. I think the leader of the pack in our group has a role, and I think the tail end car in our pack has a role, and that role for him in the back is to block the lanes and let us go with him and if you are leading the race, you are the last guy to pull up in front of the train, but at the same time if we are all close at the lead, you have to be really good at blocking those lanes. So everybody has a role in this, and if you are the middle two cars – you are just pushers. That’s all you are – to stay with the guy and push him the entire day. I think everybody has a strong suit in that group. We’ve all talked about it. If this case scenario happens, who wants to be the leader, who wants to be the last car, who is the best at all of these options, and I think that’s where these conversations really help out. Like, let’s figure out if we could align everybody perfectly, where does everybody want to be.

How does a team like Joe Gibbs Racing beat Kaulig Racing at superspeedways?

“I don’t think Kaulig necessarily has better cars than us, but I do think – and just watching these races over and over again to prepare – I do think that Kaulig works really well together. I think they probably work the best together, and that is one of the groups that we look at when we go into this weekend – how do they stick together throughout the race. They constantly find their teammates throughout the day, and I think that’s why they do so well at these superspeedway races. I don’t think it’s because they have rocket ship racecars, they just somehow end up together every single race. That’s our focus this weekend. We are definitely going to try to stick with the teammates. I think if we can execute that all day, they are going to surprised and have a force to reckon with in the end.”

Have you and the team prepared anything special for this weekend?

“We haven’t really come up with anything special or bringing anything special to the track this weekend. I know a lot of development has gone into superspeedway racing in the past couple of years that I have been at Gibbs (Joe Gibbs Racing). We’ve taken a lot more cars to wind tunnels. We have definitely put a lot more effort into our superspeedway program and it shows for sure. I wish we had qualifying, because that’s where you really see the development through the offseason on the race cars and how much you’ve actually done is that qualifying effort. In the race, you can do so much to manipulate your car in the draft. You can add hundreds of pounds of downforce to your car just by moving it around where you want to and putting it on people’s quarter panels. Tough judge in the race, but that one lap speed is where you really see some effort, but I know we have been putting a lot of time in. I know the guys at JGR have been busting it lately to give us the best Supras possible on the race track. I think it’s going to shine this weekend for us.”

About Toyota

Toyota (NYSE:TM) has been a part of the cultural fabric in North America for more than 60 years, and is committed to advancing sustainable, next-generation mobility through our Toyota and Lexus brands plus our 1,800 dealerships.

Toyota has created a tremendous value chain and directly employs more than 47,000 in North America. The company has contributed world-class design, engineering, and assembly of more than 40 million cars and trucks at our 14 manufacturing plants, 15 including our joint venture in Alabama that begins production in 2021.

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

USAC/CRA SPRINT CARS FINALLY RETURN TO PERRIS AUTO SPEEDWAY THIS SATURDAY NIGHT

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Official Release
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Arch-rivals Damion Gardner and Brody Roa will renew their rivalry this Saturday at Perris Auto Speedway. Doug Allen photo.

(Perris, CA, April 21, 2021) A delay that has seemed like an eternity to Southern California sprint car fans, teams, and officials, will come to an end this Saturday night, April 24th, at the Sokola Shootout featuring the Amsoil USAC/CRA Sprint Cars and PAS Senior Sprints at Perris Auto Speedway.  It will be the first appearance for sprint cars on the famous Riverside County half-mile clay oval since the November 2019 Oval Nationals.  Spectator gates will open at 5:00 p.m. with racing at 7.  Due to COVID mandates, tickets are only available online at tix.com/ticket-sales/pas/7.  They will be obtainable until 7:00 p.m. on Saturday night.  There will be no walkup ticket sales for this event.

After a visit during the track’s first season, Stock Car Racing Magazine editor and longtime tv racing personality Dick Berggren dubbed the track, “Sprint Car Heaven.”  That was not long after the track’s Grand Opening in March of 1996.  Sprint car racing has always been a staple at The PAS, and it is the racing the track is most widely known for.  The 17-month sprint car void that will come to an end on Saturday more than quadruples the longest the track has ever gone without a sprint race. 

“It has been a longtime since we have hosted sprint cars,” promoter Don Kazarian said.  “To say the fans, drivers and officials are ready for this Saturday is an understatement.  We thought we would only be down for a few weeks when COVID reared its ugly head last March, but it ended up being more than 13-months.  Last year we only got one event in and that was the first week of March with a Night of Destruction.  Needless to say, we were looking forward to opening again and we did last Saturday with our PASSCAR Stock Car Series and the IMCA Modifieds.  Now we get to see the sprint cars this weekend.  Everybody is excited.”

Last Saturday’s PASSCAR/IMCA program drew a nice, enthusiastic crowd in the grandstands and a large car count in the pit area.  It was also the first event the track has been opened with COVID mandates in place.

“Like last week, we will have to comply with COVID mandates on Saturday,” Kazarian stated on Tuesday.  “Face coverings and social distancing from other groups in the grandstands will be in effect until we are told otherwise.  The same for concessions.  We still must sell the concessions through a food app (FanFood).  There were issues with the app last week, and we apologize for them.  We have taken some steps and hopefully, those issues will be averted this Saturday.  We look forward to when everything will be back to normal in the near future.”

The “FanFood” app Kazarian referred to is a free download from the app store.  Fans will place their order and pay for it from their seats.  When the order is ready, they will receive a text to pick it up from a station closest to where they are seated.

Saturday’s race honors the memory of Gary Sokola.  Initially, a car owner, the fiery Michigan native guided the original California Racing Association through one of its finest eras from 1978  through 1987. The club flourished under Sokola who ruled with an iron fist, but who was respected by everyone.  His main focus was driver safety, and he was well known for telling teams to get their car safe or load it up and take it home.  After his tenure with CRA, he moved on to work for USAC before eventually relocating to Kansas to oversee the construction and run the Dodge City Raceway Park.  He was still working for the track when he passed away in 2000.  Twelve years later he received sprint car racing’s highest honor when he was inducted into the National Sprint Car Hall of Fame in Knoxville, Iowa. 

“The Sokola Shootout was the first sprint car race scheduled for 2020, and needless to say, we were forced to cancel it,” Kazarian said.  “It will be great to see it happen again.  Gary Sokola was a no-nonsense guy at the track, but he was in it for the good of the sport.  He took the original CRA to a new level that benefited not only its members, but to sprint car drivers and fans around the nation.  It will be an honor to be able to host his race again this Saturday.”

Adult tickets are $30.00.  Seniors 65 and over get in for $25.00.  Kids 6-12 are $5.00 and children 5 and under are free.  The fairgrounds charges $10.00 for parking.  Camping on the fairgrounds is available for $25.00 per night beginning at noon on Friday.

Online tickets for 2021 Perris Auto Speedway races are on sale at tix.com/ticket-sales/pas/7.

Fans can stay up to date on track and driver news on The PAS social media efforts at the links below.

Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/pages/Perris-Auto-Speedway/113876798686480?ref=hl

Twitter: Perris Auto Speedway on Twitter.

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/perrisautospeedway/

Website: http://perrisautospeedway.com/

Perris Auto Speedway is conveniently located on the SoCal Fair and Event Center (home of October’s Southern California Fair), approximately one-hour east of Los Angeles and one-hour North of San Diego. To get to the track, take the 215 freeway, on the Ramona Expressway and go three miles east to the fairgrounds. For directions on MapQuest, the address to enter is: 18700 Lake Perris Drive and the zip code is 92571.

Perris Auto Speedway wants to thank the following corporate partners.  Ahern Equipment Rentals, All Coast Construction, Battery Systems, Budweiser, Bud’s Tire Pro, Chris’ Hauling, City of Perris, Communication Innovations, Daytona Boat & RV Storage, Ed Moore Bullet Proof Driveshaft, Flowdynamics, HD Industries, Hoosier Tires, Inland Rigging, Living Water’s Hospice, LKQ Pick Your Part, Luke’s Transmission, Moose Racing, Pepsi-Cola, Pole Position, PrintItNow.com,  Rainbow Bolt & Supply, Rugged Radios, Shaver Specialties, Square H, Sunoco Race Fuels, Trench Shoring, Upland Rock, Varner Construction and Vista Paint.

Video and DVD productions of all racing sprint cars events at Perris Auto Speedway are available from Loudpedal Productions. For more information on these productions you can contact them by calling (805) 844-3854, E-mailing mailto:trtruex@gmail.com or you can visit the website LoudPedal Productions.

DVDs of all the PASSCAR/IMCA racing and Nights of Destruction at The PAS are available from Fourvideos.  For more information call (714) 225-9500. 

mailto:perrisautospeedway1@gmail.com is the only authorized Internet address to issue official media news released from The Perris Auto Speedway or Oval Entertainment.

2021 EVENT SCHEDULE

UPDATED APRIL 2, 2021

April 24th                “SOKOLA SHOOTOUT” AMSOIL USAC/CRA SPRINT CARS and PAS Senior Sprints

May 1st                  LKQ Pick Your Part Presents NIGHT OF DESTRUCTION III – Demo Cross, Figure 8’s, Trailer Figure 8’s, Mini Stocks and Double Deckers 

May 15th                PASSCAR SERIES – Super Stocks, Street Stocks, American Factory Stocks and IMCA Modifieds

May 22nd                “SALUTE TO INDY” AMSOIL USAC/CRA SPRINT CARS, PAS Senior Sprints

June 5th                LKQ Pick Your Part Presents NIGHT OF DESTRUCTION IV – Demo Cross, Figure 8’s, Trailer Figure 8’s, Mini Stocks and Double Deckers 

June 12th               PASSCAR SERIES – Super Stocks, Street Stocks, American Factory Stocks and IMCA Modifieds

June 19th               AMSOIL USAC/CRA SPRINT CARS, PAS Senior Sprints

June 26th               PASSCAR SERIES – Super Stocks, Street Stocks, American Factory Stocks and IMCA Modifieds

July 4th                   FIREWORKS SPECTACULAR LKQ Pick Your Part Presents NIGHT OF DESTRUCTION V – Demo Cross, Figure 8’s, Trailer Figure 8’s, Mini Stocks and Double Deckers        

July 10th                 PASSCAR SERIES – Super Stocks, Street Stocks, American Factory Stocks and IMCA Modifieds

July 16th                  “SUMMER CAMPFEST” AMSOIL USAC/CRA SPRINT CARS, PAS Senior Sprints and RUSH Western Sprint Car Series

July 17th                 “SUMMER CAMPFEST” AMSOIL USAC/CRA SPRINT CARS, PAS Senior Sprints and RUSH Western Sprint Car Series

July 24th                 PASSCAR SERIES – Super Stocks, Street Stocks, American Factory Stocks and IMCA Modifieds

July 31st                 LKQ Pick Your Part Presents NIGHT OF DESTRUCTION VI – Demo Cross, Figure 8’s, Trailer Figure 8’s, Mini Stocks and Double Deckers 

August 14th            PASSCAR SERIES – Super Stocks, Street Stocks, American Factory Stocks and IMCA Modifieds

August 21st            CALIFORNIA RACERS HALL OF FAME NIGHT” AMSOIL USAC/CRA SPRINT CARS, PAS Senior Sprints and RUSH Western Sprint Car Series

August 28th            LKQ Pick Your Part Presents NIGHT OF DESTRUCTION VII – Demo Cross, Figure 8’s, Trailer Figure 8’s, Mini Stocks and Double Deckers     

September 4th        “SUMMER CAMPFEST II” PASSCAR SERIES – Super Stocks, Street Stocks, American Factory Stocks, IMCA Modifieds and RUSH Western Sprint Car Series

September 5th        “SUMMER CAMPFEST II” PASSCAR SERIES – Super Stocks, Street Stocks, American Factory Stocks, IMCA Modifieds and RUSH Western Sprint Car Series

September 11th      LKQ Pick Your Part Presents NIGHT OF DESTRUCTIONVIII – Demo Cross, Figure 8’s, Trailer Figure 8’s, Mini Stocks and Double Deckers     

September 18th      PASSCAR SERIES – Super Stocks, Street Stocks, American Factory Stocks and IMCA Modifieds

September 25th      “GLENN HOWARD CLASSIC” AMSOIL USAC/CRA SPRINT CARS, PAS Senior Sprints, and RUSH Western Sprint Car Series

October 16th           PASSCAR SERIES – “FAN APPRECIATION NIGHT” Super Stocks, Street Stocks, American Factory Stocks and IMCA Modifieds

October 23rd           AMSOIL USAC/CRA SPRINT CARS, PAS Senior Sprints, and RUSH Western Sprint Car Series

October 30th           LKQ Pick Your Part Presents NIGHT OF DESTRUCTIONVIIII – Demo Cross, Figure 8’s, Trailer Figure 8’s, Mini Stocks and Double Deckers     

November 3rd         25TH ANNUAL OVAL NATIONALS Presented by ALL COAST CONSTRUCTION – Practice Night

November 4th         25TH ANNUAL OVAL NATIONALS Presented by ALL COAST CONSTRUCTION AMSOIL USAC National and USAC/CRA Sprint Cars   

November 5th         25TH ANNUAL OVAL NATIONALS Presented by ALL COAST CONSTRUCTION AMSOIL USAC National and USAC/CRA Sprint Cars

November 6th         25TH ANNUAL OVAL NATIONALS Presented by ALL COAST CONSTRUCTION AMSOIL USAC National and USAC/CRA Sprint Cars   

November 13th       PASSCAR “CHAMPION’S NIGHT” – Super Stocks, Street Stocks, American Factory Stocks, IMCA Modifieds and RUSH Western Sprint Car Series

NOTE: SCHEDULE IS SUBJECT TO CHANGE DUE COVID 19 LEVELS AND MODIFICATIONS REQUIRED REOPENING.

Toyota Racing – NXS Talladega Quotes – Daniel Hemric – 04.21.21

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Official Release
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Toyota Racing – Daniel Hemric
NASCAR Xfinity Series Quotes

TALLADEGA, Ala. (April 21, 2021) – Joe Gibbs Racing driver Daniel Hemric was made available to media via videoconference prior to the Talladega race earlier today:

DANIEL HEMRIC, No. 18 Poppy Bank Toyota Supra, Joe Gibbs Racing

What is it like to race at Talladega with an extra $100,000 on the line?

“That $100,000 is always good. First off, what Comcast and Xfinity does for our series is unbelievable really. I was fortunate enough to win that $100,000 back in Bristol in 2017. I was excited about it; my team was excited about it, but my wife was very excited about it. It’s cool to have a shot again and to go to a place like Talladega and to know we had such fast JGR (Joe Gibbs Racing) Supras at Daytona. That superspeedway program has been a constant evolution for JGR. They never felt like they put a ton of effort into their program. Their cars always drove good, but they felt like they lacked some raw speed, but I didn’t feel like we really lacked anything at the season opener at Daytona. This is our second go at it, our communication is better now with our teammates than it was then overall – way more on the same page than we were then, and I feel like we are going to be stronger than we were at Daytona, which I thought we did a really good job for about 90% of the race of utilizing one another, and giving ourselves and our organization a shot, so to go to Talladega and have that type of stuff on the line I feel really fortunate.”

What is the main difference in Cup and Xfinity racing at Talladega Superspeedway?

“I ran my first (Daytona) 500 with a different package than what I ran my last couple Cup races. I got to feel the differences in those restricted and unrestricted, and I think there is some change now than when I got out of the Cup Series. Honestly, the one thing that sticks out is the ability, or more-or-less, how you regulate locking bumpers in the Xfinity Series. You don’t have that at the Cup level, so the intensity and the pushes and the shoves are bigger than what you ever experienced the Xfinity cars because you can lock bumpers the runs are bigger when you are trying to defend whatever is coming out back. I think once you gain track position on the Xfinity Series side and put yourself in position as the race winds down – it’s not easy by any means – but it’s easier to maintain that than what it is at the Cup level because those runs are not as big coming from behind. Just the little things. I do believe that experience at the Cup level has made me way more confident being back in the Xfinity Series when I go superspeedway racing because things are happening so fast at that level it really slows things down once you get back to the Xfinity Series and have a chance to go back to these racetracks.”

Is the focus to stay up front to get the Playoff points and the stage wins?

“Yes and no. We have been fortunate to win I think three stages now, three or four stages. I think that’s the most or the second most in the series. He’s got that stage point lead on us solely from his wins. We are confident that those will come, so we are not in any hurry by any means or panic mode. We feel like we are doing a really good job of positioning ourselves and that’s what we will have to do once we get to Talladega. For me, I feel the most confident being aggressive and trying to get to the front. If you do that, those stage points and Playoff points are in our future once we get to Talladega.”

Is there frustration that the win hasn’t come yet this season?

“I would say more of the excitement than the disappointment. The opportunity is obviously there. I’ve said my entire career that you’ve got to go lead laps, and you’ve got to win stages, you’ve got to do all of those things to be able to do a home run and knock those wins out of the pack. Myself and Dave Rogers (crew chief) had a very clear-cut path and plan laid out before us when we started the season as far as where we wanted to be as far as all of those categories. Just further going on that – what I’m saying is you can look back at recent history, whether it be top-fives, top-10s, lead laps, DNFs (do not finishes), things that have distinguished the Xfinity Series champion of the last five plus years, especially going into the Playoff format, and it’s all relatively close if you look at all of that stuff. I feel like we are on par and really maybe a little bit ahead in some of those categories from where those past champions were and because of that, that means we are doing a lot of things really good between the laps led and the stage wins, we’ve been going the right direction in those categories and obviously, there is a zero in the win column, but the cool part is, especially in our down part here, we’ve had a chance to look back and reflect and get a different perspective on some of the near misses on wins this year, but every week we’ve had a shot and having those shots – no different than Denny (Hamlin) on the Cup side – you’ve got to keep showing up. You cannot keep running like that and having race cars like that and not winning. We feel very optimistic of our chances not only knocking one out here in the near future by winning.”

What are some of your favorite memories of racing short tracks around the Carolinas?

“That’s a deep question, for me, it’s more of the grid and it wasn’t just around the Carolinas. We would load up on Friday nights and go race and come back and switch the cars over and change gears and take them to Georgia or Alabama, Florida. Wherever it was. Wherever we thought we could go race against the best competition. I think just that grind. I love that. I love the sleepless nights, on the road, just traveling and what it took to get to the next event. When you win, it makes those road trips back home that much more enjoyable and something – those memories made are something that you will never forget and for sure, shape you and mold you into the person you’ve become, so I think it’s those nights up and down the road.”

Did you have a favorite track in the Carolinas?

“I’m not sure exactly what time frame we are talking about but growing up you always look forward to running the Summer Shootout there on the quarter-mile at Charlotte Motor Speedway. You knew that you were going to have the best of the best from everywhere in the country. Everybody would come to Charlotte to run that 10-week series. That was something that would always happen right about when you were getting out of school for the summer and went all the way until you went back to school because of that, you spent your entire summer there racing, let alone all of the other places you went on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays. That hub was something that I feel like was always circled every year that I loved going to.”

How different is racing with Joe Gibbs Racing this season?

“They are all different in their own ways. Different personnel for the most part, and the amount of time that I’ve been in it now – there are some people that have moved around that you find yourself working with again that you’ve worked with in the past. The one thing that sticks out to me is – buttoned-up isn’t the right word maybe – but the tools and resources that Joe Gibbs Racing (JGR) has with the luxury of being with Toyota and Toyota Racing Development – there is just so many tools that I can look at from the driver’s side that I have at my fingertips, whether it be to my workout program to our simulator stuff. There’s so much more at my fingertips now at JGR especially on the simulation side where the other manufacturers, obviously, I was with Chevrolet for a long time, the resources are spread really thin, especially on the simulator stuff, so you don’t get as much time, where JGR, we are able to spend a ton of time utilizing that resource, which is fun for me, because it’s been a long time since I’ve been in a full time situation in the Xfinity Series, so having that time to go and run these cars and these packages at racetracks that I didn’t even run last year is really good for me, and I feel like when I drop the green flag at these places, I feel like I’m up to speed and up to speed fast. They are just all different in their own ways and I’ve enjoyed learning something new and a new process. That’s what keeps you young, if you will, having to evolve and adapt and I feel like we are doing a pretty good job of that.”

How frustrating is to being able to adapt to a new team without practice?

“Everyone is currently in the same position, but you are also competing against guys that have past notes with their current teams and their current organizations. That maybe is the part that I have to put in perspective. I thought about the breaks we’ve had here recently. I haven’t realized how good of a job we all have been doing collectively inside of JGR (Joe Gibbs Racing), especially within the 18 team of showing up to these places and not having notes together and competing. We’re only building our playbook stronger and better as compete throughout the season. Everybody is in the same boat, but some guys have a leg up on the communication side that Dave Rogers (crew chief) and myself are constantly getting better at. You are lining up in the Xfinity car, low downforce, different tire than when I got out of it in 2018. A lot of different things, but all of that taps in to what we were talking about. There is so many resources that I don’t feel like I’m behind by any means, nor does this race team. When we show up and compete against these guys week-in and week-out, we feel like we’ve done our homework, and prepped and done the right things to make up that gap and it makes my job a ton of fun and I’m loving where I’m at.”

Can you talk me through the last few laps at the fall race at Talladega?

“I learned as the laps were winding down. I want to start by saying that I by no means have been a good plate racer. I’ve always found myself in the wrong situation that in itself to be in the mix at the end of the race was something that I have not experienced much of at superspeedways. It was one managing that. Two, trying to make the move and not be to the detriment of the organization that I was running for, from my side and the 9’s (Noah Gragson) side last year. But I also thought we were in a good spot, where we were going to be able to make a run to get one of us in victory lane. I remember the laps clicking down and the way our cars had been able to lock up off of turn two, I thought that was a strong suit of ours. When we pulled the trigger to make the move, it was very odd. I remember sitting down in the debrief after the race with the 9 group last year and when we locked bumpers there was a weird shift of energy and things happened that I had never experienced, especially in that far up the back, everybody is single file. I’m trying to do the right thing and make the right move – for sure something that I can put in the memory bank of why things happen the way they happen – then everything happened where we got shuffled at one point and the runs deteriorated. That was tough to shallow, but I also thought that in that moment something clicked for me as those laps were winding down that what I needed to do if I get a shot to go back there and for sure is way down in the memory bank of things that I can improve on myself if I find myself in that position as the laps wind down this weekend.”

Can you give me a sense of what you were feeling in that moment?

“With the Xfinity Series, there is no locking bumpers allowed as the laps wind down you see that become more and more aggressive, and you are trying to use as much as you can and push as much as you can to literally stay locked. As that was happening, and I could literally stay locked for just seconds at a time with the 9 car, and it got to the point where he was holding the brake and all I was doing is pick his back tires up off the ground – we were not actually propelled forward. It literally was like we just slowed ourselves down by trying to be aggressive and push. We made some moves early in the race that you don’t ever get that sense of drop in engine tone or engine RPMs by doing something similar, so it was interesting how far forward we were in the pack in that given moment trying to do those things and it had the opposite effect on our race cars and our ability to make momentum. That was something that I’ve never experienced, and from the fans side ‘they are just locking and not going anywhere.’ Well, that’s why. The energy changed so fast, and you literally just get bogged down and your energy is killed. You don’t have enough laps or enough car count to rebuild that energy in enough time to get momentum to take the lead.”

Is the talent level in the Xfinity Series at a high enough level that you could consider locking bumpers in the future?

“It’s a double-edged sword. I can tell you from the driver’s seat on the Xfinity side, the cars cannot physically get to one another’s back bumpers as easily as you can in the Cup cars. The bubble seems way bigger in the Xfinity cars, so one, having a car that will even allow you to do it is tough. Then you can work really hard to get your car to do it through practice – which obviously we don’t have – and you can get those big runs and be able to get closer for sure. It propels energy forward. It can move a lane forward better, but then you run into the point, where you have guys that can bust that bubble – well, if he’s shoving that guy forward, and he’s having to lift because he doesn’t want to hit the guy in front of him and get in trouble, then you see an accordion effect and that’s what happens when you see a guy get turned in the pack and crash. There’s that side of it, and then there’s the pure fact with the ride heights of these cars, obviously, everyone’s splitters are on the ground when we start the race and with the ride heights the backs are so high and the fronts are so low that when you get to another guy as soon as you do touch them a lot of times it’s just shooting the back of his car up, so the ride heights are a thing that for sure makes it tough for the Xfinity cars, even when you break that bubble to line up correctly. It takes a lot of finesse from the guy leading and the guy following to touch each other and not have those big moments that just pull your line backwards. There is a lot to it. I think the talent level at superspeedway racing – a lot of guys have done it more and more times and are feeling more comfortable. I wish it wasn’t something we had to worry about, but on the flipside of it – yeah, it’s just a double-edged sword. I don’t know where I stand on it. It’s just a fact that there are a couple things that add up that create either guys trying not to lock, and they get crashed or guys locking and crashing each other. It’s a mixed back no matter how you look at it, and for sure the ride height thing makes it one of the bigger components why guys get turned out of the pack and crashed.”

At what point at the end of the race, do you quit working with teammates?

“First off, you have to do the best that you can to position yourself. You have to do anything you can for yourself and your race team individually to get to front and if you can do that – like at Daytona, I thought that JGR (Joe Gibbs Racing) as a whole did a really good job of utilizing each other when we can, but also knowing you have to position yourself to get in that position. But when you get there, that is when that question comes up. When is the right time? For me, the right time is – if I’m the following teammate, when can I make this move that is going to be the best way that I can get my 18 team to Victory Lane without creating a loss in the win column for JGR as a whole. That’s that balance that you have to weigh in that decision in the middle of that moment. You can draw a picture of it, paint it however you want, but at the end of the day it’s not going to repeat or replicate what you thought it was going to be or how you seen it happening. It’s just being situationally aware of what’s going on and not making that move where it prevents the entire company from being able to celebrate come the next morning. Just weighing that risk versus reward. It’s one thing this first go around, but as the season goes on that does change as well, because everyone’s agendas change, but for right now that is the goal.”

How was the experience at COTA?

“I’m not going to lie to you. I haven’t watched a ton of stuff from the Circuit of the Americas in the past. I may have seen an F1 race on television but prior to doing sim work with Toyota, I had never laid eyes on the racetrack, so to have a chance to go there and first off to be a part of the Toyota Racing family and to be able to bring to light that they are going to be the official pace car and the official vehicle of COTA that weekend during that NASCAR weekend at COTA, and they were announcing that the Tundra 225 is the presenting sponsor for the Truck race, doing those events is what got me and allowed me to go see that racetrack which I was really pumped about because the things you see in simulation and the visuals that you think you were picking up on do change when you get there in reality, so having the chance to look at the track a little bit and being part of the event – I was really thankful to Toyota for letting me be a part of that – it all goes a long way in helping us all move the needle in the right direction.”

Do you think this is one of your best opportunities to win this season?

“As far as opportunities to win, I literally get on the airplane and fly to the racetrack this year knowing that Dave Rogers (crew chief) and my guys have prepared a race car that is going to be capable of winning. It’s my job to get us to that point. That’s a feeling that literally makes the hairs on my arm stand up. That’s something that you dream of. When I kind of bet on myself and made this move to JGR (Joe Gibbs Racing) and had this opportunity – that’s what it was all about was trying to achieve that feeling. That was something that I’ve experienced a lot growing up racing. That’s what you kind of build your resume on and getting your opportunities on – is going and winning. I wholeheartedly believe in my heart every single week that I’ve got a shot to win, and that’s tough to find, that’s tough to come by and definitely not something that you take for granted. For sure, I feel like Talladega is just as good of an opportunity as Martinsville was, as Vegas was and the races before that. That’s hard to find. I’m pumped about that.”

About Toyota

Toyota (NYSE:TM) has been a part of the cultural fabric in North America for more than 60 years, and is committed to advancing sustainable, next-generation mobility through our Toyota and Lexus brands plus our 1,800 dealerships.

Toyota has created a tremendous value chain and directly employs more than 47,000 in North America. The company has contributed world-class design, engineering, and assembly of more than 40 million cars and trucks at our 14 manufacturing plants, 15 including our joint venture in Alabama that begins production in 2021.

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

Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg Fast Facts

By
Official Release
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Race weekend: Friday, April 23-Sunday, April 25

Track: Streets of St. Petersburg, 1.8-mile, 14-turn temporary street circuit (clockwise) through downtown St. Petersburg, Florida, including a runway of Albert Whitted Airport.

Race distance: 100 laps / 181 miles

Push-to-pass parameters: 150 seconds of total time with a maximum single duration of 15 seconds. The push-to-pass is not available on the initial start or any restart unless it occurs in the final two laps or three minutes of a timed race.

Firestone tire allotment: Six sets primary, four sets alternate. One additional set is available to rookie drivers for use in the Friday afternoon practice session.

Twitter: @GPSTPETE, @INDYCAR, #FirestoneGP, #INDYCAR

Event website: www.gpstpete.com

INDYCAR website: www.indycar.com

2020 race winner: Josef Newgarden, 2:06:12.5948, 85.572 mph

2020 NTT P1 Award winner: Will Power, 1:01.0369, 106.165 mph

Qualifying lap record: Jordan King, 1:00.0476; 107.914 mph, March 10, 2018 (set in Round 1 of qualifying)

NBC Sports race telecasts: Qualifying, 10 p.m. ET Saturday, NBCSN (tape-delayed); Race, noon ET Sunday, NBC (live). Leigh Diffey is the play-by-play announcer for NBC’s coverage of the NTT INDYCAR SERIES, alongside analyst Townsend Bell.

Peacock Premium Live Streaming: All NTT INDYCAR SERIES practice sessions and qualifying will stream live on Peacock Premium, NBC’s direct-to-consumer livestreaming product.

INDYCAR Radio Network broadcasts: Mark Jaynes is the chief announcer alongside analyst Davey Hamilton and Nick Yeoman. Jake Query and Michael Young are the turn announcers. The Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg race airs live on network affiliates, Sirius 211, XM 205, indycar.com, indycarradio.com and the INDYCAR Mobile app powered by NTT DATA. All NTT INDYCAR SERIES practices and qualifying are available on indycar.com and the INDYCAR Mobile app, with qualifying also airing on XM 205.

At-track schedule (All Times Local/Eastern Time): 

Friday, April 23
4:15-5 p.m.– NTT INDYCAR SERIES practice, Peacock Premium

Saturday, April 24
9:45-10:30 a.m. – NTT INDYCAR SERIES practice, Peacock Premium
1:45-3 p.m. – Qualifying for the NTT P1 Award (three rounds of knockout qualifying), Peacock Premium (Live)/NBCSN (Same-day delay, 10 p.m. ET)

Sunday, April 25
9:05-9:35 a.m. – NTT INDYCAR SERIES warmup, Peacock Premium
Noon – NBC Sports on air
12:35 p.m. – “Drivers, start your engines”
12:42 p.m. – Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg (100 laps / 181 miles), NBC (Live)

Race Notes:

  • Chip Ganassi Racing’s Alex Palou kicked off the 2021 season with a bang, claiming his first career NTT INDYCAR SERIES victory at Barber Motorsports Park on April 18. The 24-year-old Spaniard outdueled series champions Will Power and Scott Dixon to claim the championship point lead for the first time. Can Palou emulate Dixon by starting a title-winning season with a multi-race win streak?
  • The Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg will be the 18th INDYCAR SERIES race on the streets of St. Petersburg, dating to 2003. Josef Newgarden won last year’s race held on the streets of St. Petersburg, which was the championship-deciding race for the first time. Paul Tracy won the inaugural race on Feb. 23, 2003, under CART sanction, while Sebastien Bourdais started from the pole that year.
  • The St. Petersburg INDYCAR race has been run every year since 2003 except for 2004. No driver has competed in every St. Petersburg race, but Scott Dixon has started 16 consecutive races. Sebastien Bourdais and Ryan Hunter-Reay competed in the first race in 2003.
  • Scott Dixon seeks his first win on the streets of St. Petersburg. Dixon’s six NTT INDYCAR SERIES championships trail only the seven INDYCAR SERIES titles collected by A.J. Foyt. Dixon is third on the all-time INDYCAR SERIES victory list with 50 wins but has never won at St. Petersburg. He has four runner-up finishes at the circuit, including in 2019.
  • Will Power (2010 and 2014), Sebastien Bourdais (2017 and 2018) and Josef Newgarden (2019 and 2020) are the only entered drivers to win at St. Petersburg more than once. Helio Castroneves won three times (2006, 2007, 2012), while Juan Pablo Montoya won in 2015 and 2016. Past winners Power, Bourdais, Newgarden and Graham Rahal (2008) are entered.
  • Team Penske has won the pole position 10 of the past 14 St. Petersburg races, including nine of the last 11 poles by Power. Past pole winners Bourdais (2003), Rahal (2009) and Takuma Sato (2014) are also entered this weekend.
  • Two drivers have won the race from the pole – Helio Castroneves (2007) and Will Power (2010). The St. Petersburg winner has qualified fourth in four of the last eight seasons.
  • Team Penske has won at St. Petersburg 10 times, including six of the last nine races with Castroneves (2012), Power (2014), Montoya (2015-16) and Newgarden (2019-2020).
  • Dixon has made 273 consecutive starts heading into the weekend, which is the second-longest streak in INDYCAR SERIES history.
  • Three rookies are entered – Formula One veteran Romain Grosjean, seven-time NASCAR champion Jimmie Johnson and three-time Australian Supercars champion Scott McLaughlin. Grosjean and Johnson will make attempt to make their first NTT INDYCAR SERIES street course start this weekend at St. Petersburg. Dalton Kellett will also attempt to make his first start at St. Petersburg.
  • Since 2012, the NTT INDYCAR SERIES has averaged just under nine different race winners per season, including a record-tying 11 winners in 2014. There were seven different winners in the 14 races of 2020 with an equally tight competition projected for the season.
  • Drivers may engage their “push to pass” for a total of 150 seconds during the race, with a maximum duration of 15 seconds for any one activation. The push-to-pass is not available on the initial start or any restart unless it occurs in the final two laps or three minutes of a timed race. The feature increases the power of the engine by approximately 60 horsepower for 2021.

DiBenedetto Planning a “Patiently Aggressive” Talladega Run

By
Official Release
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The general thinking in the NASCAR garage is that the goal going into a race at Talladega Superspeedway is to position yourself to have a shot at the win in the closing laps.

Matt DiBenedetto and the Motorcraft/Quick Lane team proved last year that they could do that. DiBenedetto led laps 193-199 and most of the 200th and final lap only to be nipped at the finish line by Denny Hamlin. More disappointment was to come as he was penalized for forcing another driver below the yellow line and dropped to 21st place.

But the disappointment of last fall was tempered by the fact that driver and team had put themselves in position to win. And it takes more than good fortune to do that, as DiBenedetto explained in a media session with reporters on Tuesday.

“There is a lot of luck involved and a lot of skill involved in your decision making and studying for making the right moves when it comes down to the line and you have a shot to win,” DiBenedetto said, adding that he and his spotter Doug Campbell put in a lot of time away from the track preparing for the possibilities that arise during the race.

“We spend a lot of extra time on the superspeedways as far as the craft,” DiBenedetto said.

“We got lucky [last fall] to survive, and then when we were there at the end we were making the right moves to have a good shot at it…

“It is hard. There is so much out of your control, and you have to figure out the right strategy.”

Also on DiBenedetto’s mind heading into Sunday’s GEICO 500 is trying to earn as many points as possible, and compete for the win, without taking undue risks that might jeopardize his recent climb in the points standings.

“My style is patiently aggressive,” he said. “That is a good way to describe me and how I approach every race.

“No matter what, no matter what is on the line, I never change that.

“Knowing the speed we have and that we can continue to climb in the points standings, all we need to do is continue to race like I always do and do our jobs and put our races together smart and smooth.”

Part of racing smart on superspeedways is working with his fellow drivers in the Ford camp, especially the drivers from Team Penske, which shares an alliance with DiBenedetto’s Wood Brothers team.

“I think our group does an incredible job – the whole Ford group in general and then the Penske folks and our alliance with them,” DiBenedetto said. “I feel like we do an excellent job working together when it is appropriate in races. Our group study is pretty hardcore at the race track for these things.

“We have a very dedicated group of people, and the Ford camp is awesome to be a part of when we go to Talladega.

“It gives you confidence, you just need a little luck on your side as well.”

And DiBenedetto insisted he’s put the disappointment of last fall behind him.

“Although last year stung a lot, every race is pretty much a reset at these superspeedways,” he said. “They are so wild and so crazy, and so many things have to work out your way. Some things are within and some are out of your control.

“I look at it like a new day and starting completely fresh to do all we can to go out there and get that 100th win for the Wood Brothers.”

There will be no practice or qualifying prior to the start of Sunday’s GEICO 500, which will have Stage breaks at Laps 60 and 120.

The green flag is set to fly just after 1 p.m. (2 p.m. Eastern Time) with TV coverage on FOX.

About Motorcraft:

Motorcraft offers a complete line of replacement parts that are recommended by Ford Motor Company. From routine maintenance to underhood repairs, Motorcraft parts offer value with high quality and the right fit at competitive prices. Motorcraft parts are available nationwide at Ford and Lincoln Dealers, independent distributors and automotive parts retailers, and are backed by the Service Parts Limited Warranty of Ford Motor Company. For more information, visit www.motorcraft.com.

About Omnicraft:

Omnicraft is part of the Ford lineup of parts brands: Ford Parts, Motorcraft and Omnicraft. Omnicraft is the exclusive non-Ford/Lincoln parts brand of premium aftermarket parts. With over a century of parts heritage to build upon, Omnicraft provides excellent quality and fit and is a preferred choice of professional automotive technicians. To find out more about Omnicraft, visit www.omnicraftautoparts.com or contact your local Ford or Lincoln Dealership.

About Quick Lane Tire & Auto Center

Quick Lane Tire & Auto Center offers extraordinary service for routine vehicle maintenance including tire repair and replacement with a Low Tire Price Guarantee and a full menu of automotive services including oil and filter, brakes, alignments, batteries, and shocks and struts on all vehicle makes and models. Service is performed by certified technicians at more than 1,000 locations worldwide while you wait, and no appointment is necessary. For more information about Quick Lane, please visit www.quicklane.com.

About Ford Motor Company
Ford Motor Company is a global company based in Dearborn, Michigan. The company designs, manufactures, markets and services a full line of Ford cars, trucks, SUVs, electrified vehicles and Lincoln luxury vehicles, provides financial services through Ford Motor Credit Company and is pursuing leadership positions in electrification, autonomous vehicles and mobility solutions. Ford employs approximately 200,000 people worldwide. For more information regarding Ford, its products and Ford Motor Credit Company, please visit www.corporate.ford.com.

Wood Brothers Racing

Wood Brothers Racing was formed in 1950 in Stuart, Va., by Hall of Famer Glen Wood. Wood Brothers Racing is the oldest active team and one of the winningest teams in NASCAR history. Since its founding, the team won 99 races (including at least one race in every decade for the last seven decades) and 120 poles in NASCAR’s top-tier series. Fielding only Ford products for its entire history, the Wood Brothers own the longest association of any motorsports team with a single manufacturer. Glen’s brother, Leonard, is known for inventing the modern pit stop. The team currently runs the Ford Mustang driven by Matt DiBenedetto in the famous No. 21 racer.

Thad Moffitt ARCA Menards Series Advance: Talladega Superspeedway

By
Official Release
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Saturday, April 24
Track: Talladega (Ala.) Superspeedway, 2.5-mile tri-oval
Race: 3 of 20
Event: General Tire 200 (76 laps, 202 miles)

Schedule
Final Practice: 10:00 a.m. ET
Race: 1:00 p.m. ET (FS1)

Thad Moffitt, No. 46 CleanPacs/Aqua ChemPacs Ford Fusion

  • Moffitt makes his third start of the ARCA Menards Series season in the No. 46 Ford Fusion on Saturday at Talladega (Ala.) Superspeedway. The 20-year-old is coming off of his career best finish of third at Phoenix (Ariz.) Raceway six weeks ago.
  • The Trinity, N.C. driver will make his third career start at the 2.5-mile track and sixth superspeedway start overall this weekend. His best finish at Talladega came last season in a sixth-place effort after starting 21st. In 2019, an oil line failure ended Moffitt’s day after 41 laps.
  • Crew chief Derek Smith has called one previous race at Talladega in his career, which was a sixth-place result with Moffitt in 2020.
  • There will be no qualifying for the General Tire 200. The starting grid will be set by 2020 car owner points plus provisionals.
  • Click here for Moffitt’s career statistics.

Moffitt on Talladega: “The last six weeks since our race at Phoenix have felt like forever. I can’t wait to get back behind the wheel of the No. 46 Fusion and see if we can better our third-place run. The superspeedway races are two of my favorite races on the schedule and ones that I feel confident heading into. I would love to get my first ARCA win at Talladega!”

5 Compelling Reasons To Invest In A Dashboard Camera For Your Car

By
SM
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A dashboard camera is a vehicle addition that can be installed with a DIY approach or fitted by a professional if you are willing to spend a little extra. However, these innovative car cameras are increasing in popularity significantly in recent years, and for several compelling reasons. So, if you are wondering if investing in a dashboard cam is really worth it, we have compiled this list of five undeniable reasons why you should consider buying one for your vehicle. 

Valid Evidence In The Event Of An Accident

No matter how careful you drive or follow the rules of the road, you can still be involved in an accident for several reasons. Other drivers may not be as vigilant or considerate of road laws, your vehicle could malfunction, or there could be an unpredictable hazardous obstacle in the road. Regardless, having a dashboard cam will provide you with first-hand evidence of the accident scene. This evidence will help you compile a solid car accident case. When getting help after a car accident from an expert accident lawyer, video footage will solidify a positive outcome. 

Report Undisciplined Drivers

Road rage is an increasingly prominent problem worldwide, and the impacts of undisciplined drivers affect everyone else on the roads. Almost every driver out there has been affected by an unruly driver at one point or another. Even if their lousy driving doesn’t cause an accident but disrupts other drivers, you can effectively report bad drivers with the help of your dashboard cam. Therefore, you can finally put all those rude drivers to justice as you will have their license plate numbers as well as their reckless behavior recorded on camera, ultimately helping to make the roads a safer place. 

Perfect For Concerned Parents Of Young Driver’s

If your child has recently obtained their driver’s license, there’s no doubt that you are feeling a bit skeptical of letting them drive your car. You will need to let go of the reigns to help them become good drivers. A dashboard cam can help give you a bit of peace of mind as you will be able to observe your child’s driving from recorded footage. What’s more, your youngster will likely also drive better knowing the camera monitors them at all times. 

Record Road Trips As Memories

If you love the freeing experience of a lengthy road trip, investing in a dashboard cam also means that you can record your road trip’s entire duration and later recall the memories. 

Prevent Parking Accidents

Your camera can be operated remotely and left on without having to keep your engine on. Therefore, your dashboard camera can also prevent parking accidents such as vehicle theft, property theft, and vandalism as your camera will record the incidents in live time. Most criminals may even identify your dashboard cam as it records and instead opts to abandon your vehicle as a target simply because they don’t want to be caught in the act of criminal behavior. 

While there are several other reasons to invest in a dashboard camera for your car, you should also consider opting for a quality dashboard camera to ensure its features and functions offer your vehicle maximum protection.

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