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Todd, Hart, Anderson, and Smith victorious at the GatorNationals

By
Briar Starr
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Photo Courtesy of NHRA

Sunday afternoon marked the first time this season that the NHRA Camping World Drag Series opened up at the GatorNationals. 2021 was the 52nd time in GatorNationals history that NHRA competed on the historic drag strip and what an interesting Sunday it was.

Three champions from last year Erica Enders in Pro Stock, Don Schumacher’s Matt Hagan in Funny Car, and Top Fuel champion Steve Torrence were both eliminated early on in the rounds which created a unique twist as the rounds wore on.

Funny Car

Ron Capps who took home the No. 1 qualifier spot following the Saturday qualifying sessions was looking to keep his win streak alive after winning the GatorNationals last year over Tim Wilkerson. Capps faced No. 16 Jim Campbell and won by going 3.923 seconds and 323.74 mph to advance to the quarter final round.

Things were looking up for Capps, but his chances for a repeat quickly diminished in the second round. Capps was defeated by Bob Tasca and ended the 14 race winning streak for Don Schumacher Racing that started last year.

With Tasca advancing over Capps, Tasca would wind up facing returning John Force Racing driver Robert Hight in the semi-final. Meanwhile, JR Todd advanced to the semi-final by gaining victories over Bobby Bode in Round 1 and Team Owner John Force in Round 2.

In the semi-final, JR Todd defeated Cruz Pedregon and Hight won against Tasca to advance to the finals meaning Todd and Hight would face each other for the Wally.

As the two cars got to the staging lanes for the final round, both Todd and Hight had a small pedal fest with both drivers smoking the tires. Hight was unable to hang on and JR Todd went onto win for the 19th time of his NHRA Funny Car career. The Gainesville victory was Todd’s first of his career.

“It’s amazing to be among the legends who have won this race,” Todd said. “This is Don Garlits country down here in Gainesville. First off, I have to thank the legend Connie Kalitta for the opportunity to earn one of these trophies. Today was tough. No offense to all the other drivers out there, but in my opinion, Robert Hight is the best driver out here. That team sets the benchmark for the rest of us. Our DHL Toyota Camry went out there and blew the tires off and I thought, ‘Oh man, here we go.’ I just kind of rolled into the throttle, he never came by us and here we are holding another (Wally).”

By finishing second, Hight earned his 30th career runner-up finish.

Funny Car Results

  1. J.R. Todd
  2. Robert Hight
  3. Bob Tasca III
  4. Cruz Pedregon
  5. Tim Wilkerson
  6. Alexis DeJoria
  7. Ron Capps
  8. John Force
  9. Matt Hagan
  10. Paul Lee
  11. Bobby Bode
  12. Blake Alexander
  13. Dave Richards
  14. Chad Green
  15. John Smith
  16. Jim Campbell

Top Fuel

For Top Fuel, the 2020 and three-time champion Steve Torrence started out his weekend right by gaining the No. 1 qualifier spot and winning in round one over Joe Morrison. Torrence advanced to round two after 3.714 seconds and 328.06 mph and Morrison’s car could not get going.

With Torrence continuing his Top Fuel dominance, Top Fuel newcomer Josh Hart was the biggest story out of the weekend. Hart qualified eighth and was squared up against No. 9 Clay Millican for round one. Hart got his first round victory with an ET of 4.529 seconds and 169.57 mph. In round two, Hart continued to advance after upsetting Steve Torrence when Torrence went up in smoke on the left lane. Hart would be paired with 2020 Rookie of the Year Justin Ashley for his first semi-final apperance.

During the warm-up, Ashley’s car had a mechanical malfunction which saw his Strutmasters car not leave the staging lane. When the Christmas tree lights went green, Ashley’s car sat idle and Hart once again powered to a 3.811 and 325.14 mph to the final round where he faced veteran Shawn Langdon. Langdon advanced to the finals by winning over a tire hazing Antron Brown.

Hart ended up winning over the Team Kalitta entry of Langdon for his first ever Top Fuel victory in his first professional start. Hart’s ET was 3.826 and had an mph of 323.66 over Langdon’s 4.244 and 219.08 mph.

“Never in a million years would I have thought this was going to happen,” Hart said. “I’ve wanted to do this for a really long time and to do it in Top Fuel is just amazing. (Crew chief) Ron Douglas gave me an amazing car and the guys have worked their butts off. It’s just amazing. That thing was a monster going down the track.”

Top Fuel Results

  1. Josh Hart
  2. Shawn Langdon
  3. Antron Brown
  4. Justin Ashley
  5. Leah Pruett
  6. Billy Torrence
  7. Steve Torrence
  8. Doug Kalitta
  9. Brittany Force
  10. Mike Salinas
  11. Scott Palmer
  12. Doug Foley
  13. Clay Millican
  14. Arthur Allen
  15. Mike Bucher
  16. Joe Morrison

Pro Stock

On his 60th birthday, Greg Anderson picked up his fifth Gainesville win and the 95th victory of his career. The victory is his first since 2016. Anderson qualified his Summit Materials Camaro on the pole and was up against No. 16 Cristian Cuadra in round one. Anderson piloted to the second round after Anderson set an ET of 6.550 and 211.13 mph. In the second and third round, Anderson won over Alex Laughlin and Deric Kramer to advance to the final.

Meanwhile, Troy Coughlin Jr in the JEGS machine scored victories against Aaron Stanfield, Fernando Cuadra Jr, and Mason McGaha to set up a final round match up between him and Anderson. The final round would mark the 119th time in Anderson’s career that he would face someone named Coughlin.

However, the victory would go to Anderson who won by going 6.602 seconds and 209.33 mph.

“It’s been a long time since I’ve held one of those trophies, and I’ve said it a million times in my career, you always wonder if you’ll be able to do it again,” Anderson said. “I guess you’re not human if you don’t have doubts, and it’s a shame to have those thoughts, but I think it’s good in a way because it drives you to work harder every day. You just want to have that feeling again so bad. To finally get back to the winner’s circle a year and a half later, and to do it on my birthday, well that makes this a win that I’ll never forget.”

Four-time champion Erica Enders failed to make it out of the first round, as she was defeated by Fernando Cuadra Jr.

Pro Stock Results

  1. Greg Anderson
  2. Troy Coughlin Jr
  3. Deric Kramer
  4. Mason McGaha
  5. Kyle Koretsky
  6. Alex Laughlin
  7. Matt Hartford
  8. Fernando Cuadra Jr
  9. Kenny Delco
  10. Erica Enders
  11. Dallas Glenn
  12. Val Smeland
  13. Chris McGaha
  14. Bob Benza
  15. Aaron Stanfield
  16. Cristian Cuadra

Pro Stock Motorcycle

Pro Stock Motorcycle division also saw some unique twist this weekend. On Saturday afternoon during qualifying, four drivers Angie and Matt Smith, Angelle Sampey, and Hector Arana Jr all went over 200 mph.

The defending champion Matt Smith qualified second, while Sampey earned the No. 1 qualifier. Both drivers advanced to the second round with Sampey gaining a victory over Michael Phillips and Smith winning over James Underdahl. With the top two drivers in qualifying advancing to the next round, the running order wouldn’t stay that way for long. Sampey was bumped out by Scotty Pollacheck over a hole shot. Pollacheck’s reaction time was .002 while Sampey’s was .015. Smith moved on to the semi-final after defeating Hector Arana Jr.

Eventually, the final round match up would be set with Matt Smith going up against Ryan Oehler. Smith won for the 27th time of his career after hitting 200.65 mph and 6.785 seconds.

“I just have to go up there and race my lane,” said Smith, a four-time Pro Stock Motorcycle world champion. “This bike was on mean this weekend. We weren’t able to quite get the E.T. we needed, but this bike was running the speed.”

Pro Stock Motorcycle Results

  1. Matt Smith
  2. Ryan Oehler
  3. Steve Johnson
  4. Scotty Pollacheck
  5. Hector Arana Jr
  6. Angelle Sampey
  7. Karen Stoffer
  8. Chris Bostick
  9. Joey Gladstone
  10. Angie Smith
  11. Cory Reed
  12. Michael Phillips
  13. Kelly Clontz
  14. Jim Underdahl
  15. John Hall
  16. Jerry Savoie

Funny Car Championship Points

  1. J.R. Todd, 114
  2. Robert Hight, -19
  3. Cruz Pedregon, -41
  4. Bob Tasca III, -42
  5. Ron Capps, -50
  6. Alexis Dejoria, -54
  7. Tim Wilkerson, -57
  8. John Force, -58
  9. Matt Hagan, -80
  10. Chad Green, -82
  11. Paul Lee, -82
  12. Blake Alexander, -82

Top Fuel Championship Points

  1. Josh Hart, 113
  2. Shawn Langdon, -19
  3. Justin Ashley, -41
  4. Antron Brown, -41
  5. Steve Torrence, -49
  6. Billy Torrence, -51
  7. Leah Pruett, -56
  8. Doug Kalitta, -59
  9. Brittany Force, -78
  10. Mike Salinas, -79

Pro Stock Championship Standings

  1. Greg Anderson, 123
  2. Troy Coughlin Jr, -30
  3. Deric Kramer, -46
  4. Mason McGaha, -51
  5. Matt Hartford, -64
  6. Kyle Koretsky, -67
  7. Alex Laughlin, -71
  8. Fernando Cuadra Jr, -72
  9. Erica Enders, -79
  10. Kenny Delco, -89

Pro Stock Motorcycle Championship Standings

  1. Matt Smith, 119
  2. Ryan Oehler, -23
  3. Steve Johnson, -45
  4. Scotty Pollacheck, -46
  5. Angelle Sampey, -52
  6. Karen Stoffer, -64
  7. Hector Arana Jr, -65
  8. Chris Bostick, -68
  9. Joey Gladstone, -79
  10. Kelly Clontz, John Hall, Corey Reed, and Angie Smith tied for 10th.

Up Next: The NHRA Camping World Drag Racing Series will take a brief hiatus before heading to their second race of the season, scheduled for April 9-11 for the Lucas Oil Winternationals in Pomona, California.

CHEVROLET RACING IN NATIONAL HOT ROD ASSOCIATION: Gainesville Post-race Recap and Quotes

By
Official Release
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CHEVROLET RACING IN NATIONAL HOT ROD ASSOCIATION
AMALIE MOTOR OIL NHRA GATORNATIONALS
GAINESVILLE RACEWAY IN GAINESVILLE, FLORIDA
MARCH 14, 2021

Strong start for Chevrolet in season-opening Gatornationals

Anderson wins Pro Stock, Stanfield Factory Showdown; Hight is Funny Car runner-up

GAINESVILLE, Florida (March 14, 2021) – As birthday presents go, a Wally in the Amalie Motor Oil NHRA Gatornationals is certainly unique. And appreciated.

Greg Anderson, driving the RaceStar Wheels Chevrolet Camaro SS, earned the 95th Pro Stock victory of his career and picked up his fifth Gatornationals title on his 60th birthday in the National Hot Rod Association (NHRA) Camping World Drag Racing Series season opener.

Robert Hight nearly won for the fifth time at Gainesville Raceway, too, finishing runner-up in the Funny Car category in his Auto Club of Southern California Chevrolet Camaro SS.

“This is absolutely perfect,” said Anderson, the No. 1 qualifier for the 107th time. “Being that it’s been a year and a half since I won (Dallas 2019) and it happened on my birthday, there’s a lot of reasons that it stands out.

“I’ve had a pretty good race car for the last six months and we just haven’t been able to get to close the deal for whatever reason, whether it’s driver or mistakes made or whatever. It feels good to finally close the deal and prove to yourself you still can win. That’s a shot in the arm and will help us from top to bottom on this race team. I’m confident that it won’t be our last.”

Anderson, who extended his NHRA record for consecutive race day starts to 400, moved to within two wins of leader Warren Johnson on the all-time Pro Stock list. He also closed to six elimination round wins of Tony Schumacher (850) for third on the all-time list. Sixteen-time Funny Car champion John Force leads both categories with 151 victories and 1,357 round wins.

Troy Coughlin Jr., driving the JEGS.com/Elite Motorsports Camaro SS, advanced to his second Pro Stock final in nine races. He fell to his uncle and five-time Pro Stock champion Jeg Coughlin Jr. at Indianapolis last year.
Chevrolet has recorded 331 Pro Stock victories since the formation of the category in 1970, including 212 with the Camaro.

Hight, who was competing in his first race in 13 months, looked strong all weekend, qualifying fourth in his Camaro Funny Car. He outran teammate and No. 5 qualifier John Force in the quarterfinals on the way to his 30th career runner-up finish.

“It’s a good weekend when you go to the final,” said Hight, the three-time Funny Car champion who has 51 career victories. “When you watch the other guy smoke the tires, though, you look at it as one that got away, we beat ourselves. We’ve got some gremlins. We had a lucky round in the semis dropping a cylinder and winning with a 4.09. We have to do some polishing, but we’ll be back. When we go to the final when we have this Auto Club Chevy running right, look out.”

Brittany Force, the No. 5 qualifier in the Monster Energy Chevrolet dragster, lost on a hole shot in the first round. Force, who holds the track Funny Car elapsed time record, earned her maiden victory in the class in 2016 at Gainesville Raceway.

Aaron Stanfield, the 2020 SAMTech.edu Factory Stock Showdown champion, drove his Chevrolet COPO Camaro to victory in the first of the eight scheduled events. Stanfield, of Bossier City, Louisiana, won five of the six races in 2020.
Stephen Johns of Mooresville, North Carolina, advanced to the semifinals of Stock Eliminator in his COPO Camaro.

CHEVROLET FROM THE COCKPIT

TOP FUEL:

BRITTANY FORCE, JOHN FORCE RACING, MONTER ENERGY CHEVROLET DRAGSTER (NO. 5 qualifier; fell in first round): “A year away and John Force Racing is proud to be back. Our Monster Energy / Flav-R-Pac team qualified in the top five and we had a consistent race car all weekend long. First round was tough, getting beat on a hole shot is never easy but finding the positives: we ran well and I had a decent light. I’m using today’s upset as motivation going into the next one. Ready to go after another win.”

FUNNY CAR:

JOHN FORCE, JOHN FORCE RACING, PEAK/BLUEDEF PLATINUM CHEVROLET CAMARO SS (No. 5 qualifier; fell in quarterfinals to teammate Robert Hight): “We all made the show after being off a year. It was exciting to be back and be back in the seat of my PEAK BlueDEF / PLATINUM Chevrolet Camaro and we went a couple of rounds. We look like a race team again; Robert Hight and Auto Club getting to the final, qualifying well, Brittany with Monster and Flav-R-Pac. We’ll move on to the next race. We’re excited and we’ll see how it goes.”

ROBERT HIGHT, JOHN FORCE RACING, AUTO CLUB OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA CHEVROLET CAMARO SS (No. 4 qualifier; fell in final; earned 30th career runner-up finish): “It’s a good weekend when you go to the final. When you watch the other guy smoke the tires, though, you look at it as one that got away, we beat ourselves. We’ve got some gremlins; we had a lucky round in the semis dropping a cylinder and winning with a 4.09. We have to do some polishing, but we’ll be back. When we go to the final when we have this Auto Club Chevy running right, look out.”

PRO STOCK:

GREG ANDERSON, KB RACING, RACESTAR WHEELS CHEVROLET CAMARO SS (won Gatornationals for fifth time; picked up 95th career victory and first since Dallas 2019; four-time Pro Stock champion):
YOU HAD A MEMORABLE WEEKEND, WINNING ON YOUR BIRTHDAY.
“Thank you to everybody who works on this KB race team. Thank you to LB Davis who helping us this weekend. Your logo of the RaceStar Wheels looks wonderful on the side of that race car. I think it made it run faster yet. It was a match made in heaven. Chevrolet, Summit and everybody for their support. This feels really good. Obviously, these last five months, the KB Racing guys have done a helluva job at the shop. We used our time wisely this winter.”

DOES THIS WIN STAND OUT FROM OTHERS?
“This is absolutely perfect. Being that it’s been a year and a half since I won (Dallas 2019) and I’m getting older by the minute and it happened on my birthday, there’s a lot of reasons that it stands out. You start doubting after a while that you can get it done. I’ve had a pretty good race car for the last six months and we just haven’t been able to get to close the deal for whatever reason, whether it’s driver or mistakes made or whatever. It’s been a long time but it’s over. It feels good to finally close the deal and prove to yourself you still can win. That’s a shot in the arm and will help us from top to bottom on this race team. I’m confident that it won’t be our last.”

YOU HAVE ANOTHER LONG BREAK. WHAT CAN YOU DO AT THE SHOP?
“We had five cars and any one of them could have won today. We’ll go home and look at all the stuff. We’ve raced for the last two week straight (non-sanctioned event in Orlando, Florida) and we’ll try to make things better by the time we get to Las Vegas. We love our shop time. We try to make that mousetrap better. That’s the goal – to show up at Las Vegas with a better product than we had here.”

KYLE KORETSKY, KB RACING, LUCAS OIL CHEVROLET CAMARO SS (No. 5 qualifier; fell in quarterfinals): “It was a good start to the season. Unfortunately, we raced our teammate (Glenn) the first round. Second round we raced Deric Kramer and I just missed the Tree. It was pretty much driver error. First race out we’ll get better, and I’ll get better as a driver. We’ll move on.”

TROY COUGHLIN JR., ELITE MOTORSPORTS, JEGS.COM/ELITE MOTORSPORTS CHEVROLET CAMARO SS (No. 7 qualifier; fell in final): “You have to have a little bit of excitement here for Gainesville. We were fortunate enough to race most of the events last year with another team car but now the spotlight is directly on me. It’s a real challenge and very exciting at the same time. I’ll be happy if I continue to get better and limit my mistakes.”

Ford Performance NASCAR: Austin Cindric Wins Phoenix Xfinity Race

By
Official Release
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Ford Performance Post-Race Recap
NASCAR XFINITY Series – Call 811 Before You Dig 200
Phoenix Raceway | Saturday, March 13, 2021

FORD FINISHING RESULTS:
1st — Austin Cindric
4th — Riley Herbst
37th — Ryan Sieg

FORD PERFORMANCE QUOTES

AUSTIN CINDRIC, No. 22 Car Shop Ford Mustang — WHAT WERE YOU THINKING WHEN ALLGAIER GOT TO YOUR OUTSIDE? “I think it was role-reversal from the last time here. He got a really great restart and stuck it on top of three there and we were fighting for track position. We came away with a win in the Car Shop Ford Mustang. It is awesome to have them on board for this season and get the pink and white colors in victory lane.”

TWO STRAIGHT WINS AT PHOENIX FOR YOU, ARE YOU SENDING A MESSAGE FOR LATER IN THE SEASON? “It is data points. You have to work hard the rest of the year to get here. That is where my focus is. I have my name on the wall there and the goal is to be back here with a shot to do it again.”

YOU HAD TO WORK FOR THIS ONE TODAY: “They never come easy. This is a really important track this season and I am pumped for this team. Hopefully we put ona great show there. We were ruining each other there at the end. I am proud to get the Car Shop Ford Mustang into victory lane and hopefully we can carry it over to the fall here.”

DESCRIBE THAT LAST RESTART: “He just got a really great launch. I think he anticipated the restart really well and got to my outside. He faked low and went high and had the momentum that was hard to block. I was trying to defend the bottom, middle and top. I got the air sucked off my door a little bit. it was just hard racing a little bit there. It sucks that he got into the wall there because I think we were going to have a good race to the end there. I don’t think our lap one to two speed was our strength so I definitely got a little fortunate there.”

THE PINK RACE CAR LOOKS EVEN BETTER NOW WITH ALL THE CONFETTI ON IT IN VICTORY LANE: “That is what the boss said. I sent him pictures of the race car and he said it would look great in victory lane.”

RILEY HERBST, No. 98 Monster Energy Ford Mustang — DESCRIBE YOUR RACE HERE TODAY: “I was talking with Richard after the race. The last three weeks we have been running third and fourth and finishing in the 30’s. We jokingly said we ran in the 30’s today but finished fourth. We will take it any way we can get it. This Monster Energy Ford Mustang was fun to drive, just so hard in traffic. We will have to make some adjustments come fall time.”

AUSTIN CINDRIC POST RACE PRESS CONFERENCE

AUSTIN CINDRIC, No. 22 Car Shop Ford Mustang — “I ran up to them and got one of their phones and was able to take a selfie and give it back to them through the fence. I feel like it is the little things like that. If I was a little kid out here watching the race I would want to get a picture with the guy that won the race. They took their time out of their day today to come watch some Xfinity Series racing. It is the little things I can do that can make people come back because it is cool to get to do what I do and if there are people that appreciate it, it makes it that much cooler.”

YOU WERE COMPLAINING IN THE MIDDLE OF THE RACE THAT YOUR CAR GOT REALLY LOOSE ON THE RESTARTS. DID YOU EVER FIGURE OUT WHAT THAT WAS? “Yeah, after we came in for our last set of tires, there were still 70 laps to go and we were kind of anticipating a long run there. I think we made the wrong adjustments and it put us on the splitter. I was on the splitter for the first five laps of the run and that made the car pretty difficult to drive. That is something we usually don’t have to fight on the Xfinity side. When you have these types of tires on these types of track and low air, it makes it really easy. I had to deal with that on that final restart. I thought it would get better with age on tires and it actually got worse with age on tires. I was actually quite glad to have a buffer there for the last two laps. I think that definitely played out in our favor. It is definitely nice to be able to find the limit of where something like that is and be able to bring the notebook a little thicker the next time we come here.”

WAS THE TRACTION COMPOUND DIFFERENT TODAY THAN LAST NOVEMBER AND LAST SPRING? “It was definitely different. Probably a little less usable today. The track was a little narrower. Whether that has to do with the amount of races that have run before us. Granted in the fall we had a Truck race before our race and the temperature was a little warmer. There are a few factors. Like everyone, I think we are all learning what this traction compound does and how it comes on and how it fades and where your strengths and weaknesses have to be. I feel like I was a little bit handicapped by that today. It is just good notes for the time we come back.”

DO YOU SEE A WEAKNESS IN YOUR PROGRAM RIGHT NOW? “Yes and no. I think there are always areas to improve. Today I think if I am being honest we got over a hurdle and we have had some opportunities to pit from the lead in the majority of the races this season and we have lost it. We did that today and my guys rallied and came back and got me the lead back on pit road. I am really proud of that effort. Those guys work really hard and do a lot of great work on Sundays. I am proud that we were able to overcome a flaw and make it a strength. It is a great group of guys. I get to go to the gym with them and we have had a lot of different types of racetracks here at the beginning of the season and get a great baseline on our program and keep trying to get better.”

STRAIGHT UP, HEAD TO HEAD, IF YOU DON’T HAVE ANY PROBLEMS IS THERE ANYONE THAT CAN CONSISTENTLY BEAT YOU RIGHT NOW? “I feel like that is really an opinionated question. Right now we are strong at a lot of different types of race tracks but we have to keep raising our game. Those guys have made definite gains in the offseason and in some places they have surpassed us. I am pretty motivated to keep matching that effort and try to figure out where the next edge can be.”

WHEN THE LAST CAUTION CAME OUT, DID YOU HAVE A SENSE OF DEJA VU WITH THE CHAMPIONSHIP RACE LAST NOVEMBER? “Yeah, definitely. A bit of a role reversal there. Instead of me picking the line right behind Allgaier to keep the enemy close, he did the same thing to me today. It was interesting to see the role reversal and he did a great job on the restart with his launch there. I definitely want to go back and study that. Those caution laps, the caution did not play into my hands but the caution laps definitely did because I felt like we were really bad on the splitter for the first five laps and were really vulnerable. I was worried I was going to get eaten up there and obviously we had the buffer to manage it.”

HOW DO YOU ASSESS HOW YOUR TEAM HAS PERFORMED SO FAR WITH TWO WINS ALREADY COMING INTO THIS SEASON WITH SUCH HIGH EXPECTATIONS AFTER THE CHAMPIONSHIP A YEAR AGO? “We expect a lot of ourselves. I think our partners expect it and I know the people back home expect it. We want to be the best every signal weekend, at every single type of race track. That is obviously a blanket goal for the entire field but I think we are at the point where we leave with a top five and we are a little disappointed. I have to remind myself sometimes that there was a time that all I wanted to do was finish in the top-five in this series. I understand the climb and I understand the guys I am racing around that either haven’t won this year or at all or are fighting for wins every weekend. I know that feeling and I feel like it helps me race better, race smarter and be able to maybe understand what is happening around me. I think that is a strength for us. We have almost all the same people on this 22 team that we had last year and I think they expect it as well. I love what I see out of my team. They are stepping their game up every week and it is my job to equal that effort and do my job.”

LAST YEAR AT THIS TIME THE SEASON WAS SHUTTING DOWN FOR AWHILE AND YOUR SEASON WAS POSTPONED. WHAT DO YOU REMEMBER FROM THAT? “I think the position I am in right now is not something that I could have imagined, especially during our COVID break there. I think we have touched on it quite a bit that there is a very strong likelihood of our program getting shut down the longer that break took and obviously I have found myself in a position not only to continue to run that season in 2020 but to also win the championship and also come back and do it again, something that I didn’t think was possible no matter how the championship went. Also for me to have my future somewhat more certain with my plans for 2022 and beyond. I feel really blessed and I feel like I have a really great opportunity that not too many people get and I wake up with that every day knowing that it is my job to make the most of it. It doesn’t make me special, it just is a wider window for me to work in and I want to fill that window up with as much as I can do during the week and during the races and carry as much as I can into the following year and also try to have the championship effort.”

LAST YEAR WHEN IT ALL SHUT DOWN, DID YOU THINK IT MIGHT BE OVER FOR YOU? “That was the question I didn’t want to ask because you don’t want the answer. Things worked out for the better and I give a lot of credit to NASCAR for getting us back up and running and that saved us and a lot of other race teams as well. It is something you don’t want to think about as a racer. I have had friends and colleagues, teammates and rivals that have fallen and not been able to continue their careers for whatever reason. I have enough perspective on that from other people to know how lucky I have it. It is my job to make the most of it.”

WHO DO YOU FEEL LIKE YOUR BIGGEST CHALLENGERS ARE IN THE XFINITY SERIES? “I think at this time last year I would have told you there were three or four guys and right now I could probably name six or seven. I think the guys at Kaulig have stepped up and the guys at Gibbs are bringing more race cars to the race track and Daniel (Hemric) has been running up front which you would probably expect and I feel like Noah and Justin have been good as well. It is hard to pinpoint one group which makes you focus on yourself because if there are too many people out there doing too many different things, you just have to get better. I am motivated by that. Obviously it is a long year. Larry Mac told me on Sirius XM that there are 280-some days until we are back at Phoenix. That is my Mac nugget for the week. That gave me more perspective than I thought. It is a long year. With my schedule I have about four off weekends planned out and I am looking forward to nailing down the rest of our schedule and trying to get more days off after that.”

DOES IT FEEL LIKE EVERYONE IS CHASING YOU AND THE 22 TEAM AT THIS POINT? “Based off the numbers, yes. Otherwise, it is hard to speculate. I have been the guy looking up and trying to chase somebody. The shoe has never been on the other foot in NASCAR. If it is, that is great, but you can’t change your focus.”

WERE YOU ABLE TO TAKE SOMETHING FROM THAT CHAMPIONSHIP RACE HERE LAST YEAR THAT HELPED YOU TODAY? “Certainly. We took a great race car and tried to make it better and we learned some things for the fall. I think there are some things we did today that were better and some that were worse. We are building that notebook and got a win and got some playoff points today. That is big, really big. It is the most important track on the schedule. I am very happy to be able to knock that out. We have been contenders every week this year and that feels good. That feels really good. It is a good way to start, but it is just a start. There is a long season ahead, just the regular season itself. I am motivated to keep it going.”

THE PINK FIRE SUIT AND CAR CLEARLY WORKED. IS THE VERDICT OFFICIALLY A POSITIVE ONE ON THE PINK? “It is easy to find. The pink panther is obviously fast and getting in victory lane makes the boss happy. It is great to get Car Shop in victory lane in our first race. Hopefully it is the first of many.”

WHEN YOU HAVE A SPONSOR THAT IS ALSO AN AFFILIATE OF PENSKE AUTOMOTIVE, DOES IT PUT ANY EXTRA PRESSURE TO PERFORM ON YOU? “Yeah, without a doubt. I think it is a great opportunity for our program in the Xfinity Series to try to build the brand of Car Shop. It is affiliated with the Penske Automotive group and obviously Roger (Penske) has a lot of different businesses outside of racing and for us to have the opportunity to try to build one of those is pretty cool. Me just speculating, it is almost a vote of confidence that he has put in us that we can be the one to waive the flag for Car Shop and hopefully put that car in victory lane. That is the best way to promote a sponsor, to win races. So far we are one-for-one.”

YOU SEEM AS RELAXED AS EVER THIS SEASON. DO YOU FEEL AS COMFORTABLE IN YOUR ROLE AND WERE YOU ARE IN YOUR CAREER AS YOU HAVE EVER BEEN? “I think for me, there are a lot of normal things going on. I have been in the series for – this is my fourth year. That is hard to believe. Before that the longest I had stayed in the same car for consecutive years was Legends cars. I have learned a lot at a very fast pace. My sports car days, I would go up and ask people, whether it was different manufacturers or race teams and obviously introduced myself and I would ask them what I could do to make myself a better driver for them. What could make me more attractive for that team or manufacturer. The consistent answer I would get was to stay in something for a little while. I stand out because I had done all these different things but I never stayed in something for a while. That was consistent feedback for me. This is the first time I have been able to do that and I have had a lot of good opportunities in a lot of different race cars and I have had the chance to be with a really great team and really great group of people and perfect my craft. It matters. It matters a lot. These guys on Sundays that have been doing it for 10-15 years, that is why they are so good and that is why it is going to be so hard for me to go on Sunday and expect to do the same thing I am doing right now. That is why it is hard for guys like Chase Briscoe and Christopher Bell and Tyler Reddick and Cole Custer, guys that have dominated in this series. That is why it is difficult. It is experience. Today I fired off into turn one because I knew how deep I could drive it in and the adjustments I had to make to go three wide and take the lead. That is experience. It is nice to have that but I am only going to have it for so long and i might as well take advantage of it. I appreciate what I have learned and I am trying to give myself the best head start I can for 2022.”

YOU NOW HAVE 10 WINS IN THE XFINITY SERIES. WHAT ARE YOUR THOUGHTS ON TYING GUYS LIKE BOBBY LABONTE ON THE XFINITY WINS LIST? “I didn’t realize I tied Robert Presley, his son Coleman spots for me. That is pretty cool. I think I have done almost all of them with Coleman. I think only Mid-Ohio I wouldn’t have done with Coleman so that is a pretty cool stat. It is great and it is great to be able to be in this series. There have been some really great drivers in this series. You look at guys winning races and championships on Sundays and they are champions of this series. I am proud to have that on my fire suit and I hope to be able to continue that effort.”

YOU CALLED THE ARCA RACE LAST NIGHT. HAVING THAT VIEW, DID IT HELP YOU TODAY AT ALL? “I am not sure if it would have helped me anymore than just watching like I normally do at home or on the couch. It is definitely great to get some perspective. That was a cool experience for me. Obviously Menards is one of our partners and the ARCA Menards Series does a lot for young drivers trying to move up and that is where I started. It is cool to kind of have a roll reversal a little bit and call the race. Those guys were really good with getting me integrated. I hope to get to do something like that again. I think it would be fun to get in here with another driver. Chase did one of the races at Daytona earlier this year. It is a great perspective to look back and remember what you were like back when you were racing those cars. It is a cool series and I am glad to have a small part in it.”

WHAT CLICKED FOR YOU TONIGHT AFTER AN UP AND DOWN SECOND STAGE BEFORE YOU GOT THE CAR DIALED IN THERE IN THE FINAL RUN? “We lost track position there after the stage break on pit road and we were able to overcome a couple spots but not enough. As the restarts played out, that final pit stop my guys did a great job. I am proud of that effort like I said before. They got us in a position to be able to execute and for me to do my job. We only had three sets of tires this race and I knew it would bea challenging third stage no matter what. Trying to figure out how to manage that run and the last set of tires was a challenge but it was fun. It was a good day and it was executed well on many fronts and there are things we can improve as well.”

DID YOU FEEL AT ANY POINT THAT CLEAN AIR WAS A FACTOR OR WAS IT THE IMPROVEMENTS? “I felt like in the final stage I needed clean air. I didn’t know how much better I was than the 7 car, if any. I felt like he was really good on the short run and I was good on the long run. Having track position on the short run was critical for me because I think it would be difficult to pass. I think with the PJ1 it has been more racey and you can control the race and we were able to do that from start to finish.”

Team Penske NASCAR Xfinity Series Race Report – Phoenix Raceway

By
Official Release
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Team Penske NASCAR Xfinity Series Race Report
Track: Phoenix Raceway
Race: Call 811 Before You Dig 200 presented by Arizona 811
Date: March 13, 2021

No. 22 CarShop Ford Mustang – Austin Cindric
Start: 3rd
Stage 1: 1st (Fourth Stage Win of 2021)
Stage 2: 4th
Finish: 1st (Second Win of the 2021 Season)
Status: Running
Laps Completed: 200/200
Laps Led: 119
Point Standings (ahead of second): 1st (+47)

Notes:

  • Austin Cindric and the No. 22 CarShop team dominated Saturday at Phoenix Raceway, leading 119 laps, and securing the race victory in the Call 811 Before You Dig 200 presented by Arizona 811. The victory is Cindric’s second consecutive victory at the Phoenix track and extends his NASCAR Xfinity Series driver standings points lead to 47 markers over second place.
  • Cindric started the 200-lap event from the third position before grabbing the lead and dominating Stage 1, capturing his fourth stage win of the 2021 season. Crew chief Brian Wilson elected to pit during the stage caution four tires, fuel, and a slight adjustment to aid Cindric’s loose CarShop Ford Mustang and restarted Stage 2 fourth.
  • Shortly after the restart, Cindric maintained position in the uneventful stage two, capturing the fourth position at the conclusion of the second stage on lap 90. Wilson once again called his driver to pit road for adjustments to make his CarShop Ford handle better.
  • Cindric started the final stage second, snagging the race lead before the ninth caution with less than 50 laps remaining. Cindric maintained the lead, surviving a fury of late race restarts and fierce challenges to capture his 10th NXS career victory and his second win of the 2021 season and Team Penske’s 18th victory at Phoenix Raceway.
  • The NASCAR Xfinity Series is back in action at Atlanta Motor Speedway Saturday, March 20th, for the EchoPark 250. Live coverage will begin at 5:00 p.m. ET on FS1. PRN and Sirius XM NASCAR Radio.

Quote: “I think it was role-reversal from the last time here. He got a really great restart and stuck it on top of three there and we were fighting for track position. We came away with a win in the Car Shop Ford Mustang. It is awesome to have them on board for this season and get the pink and white colors in victory lane.”

RCR Post Race Report – Call 811 Before You Dig 200

By
Official Release
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Myatt Snider And The TaxSlayer Chevrolet Team Earn 11th-Place Finish in Eventful Day at Phoenix Raceway

Finish: 11th
Start: 19th
Points: 7th

“Today was an eventful day for our TaxSlayer team. There was a lot of beating and banging out there and no one wanted to give an inch. After solidly running inside the top-10 for most the day, I was sent into the wall and we were forced to pit under caution with 25 laps to go. We didn’t have any sticker tires left, so my Crew Chief Andy Street gave me a set of scuffs and I went to work in the final laps. To rebound and finish 11th after all that is a huge accomplishment for our Richard Childress Racing team. Phoenix Raceway has been one of my tougher tracks personally and Andy and I had conversations this week about how we wanted and needed to be better after our races here last season. We did that and learned a lot for our trip back here in the fall.” -Myatt Snider

DRIVERS EXCITED ABOUT RETURN OF RACING AT SOUTH BOSTON SPEEDWAY

By
Official Release
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South Boston Speedway’s pit area was a busy place Saturday during the speedway’s Open Practice Day event. Drivers and race teams were preparing for South Boston Speedway’s March 20 season-opening NASCAR Advance Auto Parts Weekly Series Late Model Twin 75s racing program. Photo Courtesy Joe Chandler/South Boston Speedway

By Joe Chandler

Public Relations Director, South Boston Speedway

South Boston, VA…..One thing was abundantly clear during Saturday’s Open Practice Day at South Boston Speedway – competitors are genuinely excited about getting back to racing at “America’s Hometown Track.”

Twenty-two cars spread among South Boston Speedway’s four regular NASCAR racing divisions were on track during Saturday’s day-long open practice event, a good sign there should be plenty of good competition on the .4-mile oval this season.

“It (South Boston Speedway) is an enjoyable place to come to,” said veteran NASCAR Late Model Stock Car Division competitor Mark Wertz of Chesapeake, VA.

“We enjoy the racing here and we enjoy the hospitality. We were geared up to come to Open Practice/Media Day here last year, had the car set up and ready to go and got a call on the Wednesday before saying the track had shut down (due to COVID-19). It was kind of a heartbreaker. This has been a year in the making getting back here, and we’re looking forward to it.”

Late Model Stock Car Division driver Trey Crews of South Boston, Virginia is excited about returning to action at South Boston Speedway.

“I’m looking forward to this year,” said Crews, a winner in 2019 at South Boston Speedway.

“I live a mile away from the track, so it’s really nice having the speedway in my back yard, so to speak. South Boston Speedway is my home track, my roots, and it’s awesome to see the track back open.”

Limited Sportsman Division driver Jason Myers of Hurt, Virginia was also excited to get back onto the speedway.

“It’s been a long last year,” Myers remarked.

“All of us racers want to come out here and have some fun. Obviously due to circumstances we didn’t get to have a whole lot of fun in 2020. I couldn’t be happier than to be able to race this year.”

Limited Sportsman Division competitor J.D. Eversole of North Chesterfield, Virginia is also excited to see racing return to South Boston Speedway.

“I’m happy just to be here practicing today,” Eversole said with a big smile.

“We were ready to go last year, ready to make a run for the championship and didn’t get to race. I came here to practice once last year, and I haven’t really raced since then. I’m excited to be back.”

Eric Winslow of Pelham, North Carolina, who will compete in the Limited Sportsman Division at South Boston Speedway, had planned to sit out the 2020 season. He is excited to return to racing this season.

“I had already planned to sit out, but it (sitting out as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic) puts it in perspective what great freedoms you have when something is taken away and you have a year where your hands are tied.

“I think it’s going to be a great year,” Winslow said of the 2021 season.

“I think people are going to get behind things like racetracks, bowling alleys and things like that opening back up. I think you will see record numbers once you can have record numbers.”

First-year Late Model Stock Car Division competitor Zach Lightfoot of Smithfield, Virginia and Stuart Crews of Long Island, Virginia recorded the fastest laps among the Late Model Stock Car Division drivers on hand. They turned an identical fast lap of 15.064 seconds and 95.592 mph.

Myers posted the best lap of the day among the Limited Sportsman Division drivers with a best lap of 15.254 seconds and 94.401 mph.

South Boston Speedway will open its 2021 season on Saturday, March 20, with the 2 p.m. running of the NASCAR Advance Auto Parts Weekly Series Late Model Twin 75s racing program.

The six-race card will be headlined by twin 75-lap races for the Late Model Stock Car Division and twin 25-lap races for the track’s Limited Sportsman Division. A 30-lap race for the Budweiser Pure Stock Division and a 15-lap race for the Budweiser Hornets Division will round out the afternoon’s action.

Grandstand gates will open at 12:30 p.m. Qualifying starts at 1 p.m. and the first race of the day will get the green flag at 2 p.m.

The latest news and updates about South Boston Speedway and its racing events can be found on the new South Boston Speedway website at www.southbostonspeedway.com and on the speedway’s social media channels. Fans can also subscribe for e-mail updates on the speedway’s website.

Toyota Racing – NXS Phoenix Post-Race Report – 03.13.21

By
Official Release
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GIBBS EARNS ANOTHER SOLID RESULT IN SECOND XFINITY RACE
Gibbs scores runner-up finish in Phoenix

PHOENIX (March 13, 2021) – Ty Gibbs drove his Toyota Supra to the runner-up finish in the Call 811 Before You Dig 200 at Phoenix Raceway on Saturday evening.

Toyota Racing Post-Race Recap
NASCAR Xfinity Series
Phoenix Raceway
Race 5 of 33 – 200 miles, 200 laps

TOYOTA FINISHING POSITIONS
1st, Austin Cindric*
2nd, TY GIBBS
3rd, Brandon Brown*
4th, Riley Herbst*
5th, AJ Allmendinger*
12th, HARRISON BURTON
14th, TIMMY HILL
15th, SANTINO FERRUCCI
18th, STEFAN PARSONS
23rd, DANIEL HEMRIC
28th, DAVID STARR
33rd, BRANDON JONES
40th, JESSE LITTLE
*non-Toyota driver

TOYOTA QUOTES

TY GIBBS, No. 54 Pristine Auction.com Toyota Supra, Joe Gibbs Racing
Finishing Position: 2nd

Describe your race, another great finish at Phoenix.

“It was really hard with the PJ1 and how it was sprayed, a little bit higher than last year, so it was more of a one lane track. (I learned) lane position, kind of letting people go and move some people out of the way. (I) definitely figured it out and helped me at the end of the race. I was too far to kind of bump the 22 (Austin Cindric), but it was a fun time. It was a learning experience more than anything. I’m just learning how these things race on the ovals, but I’m very thankful to be here. I can’t thank Pristine Auction enough. Just one spot short.”

BRANDON JONES, No. 19 Toyota Racing Toyota Supra, Joe Gibbs Racing
Finishing Position: 33rd

What happened between you and AJ Allmendinger?

“It’s such a tough deal. I know the sun was in our eyes pretty bad off of turn two, but I just got ran over. I’ll look to rebound next weekend. I thought we had a really phenomonal run going. It was still a little bit off balance for that final stage, but all-in-all, we had a really good Toyota Supra. I hate it for everybody who puts effort into it, but it looks like I just got ran over by AJ (Allmendinger). I’ll keep a notebook of all of this stuff and use it in the future.”

# # #

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.

Cindric nabs his second win of the season at Phoenix Raceway

By
Michelle Lippold
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Austin Cindric, driver of the #22 Car Shop Ford, celebrates in victory lane after winning the NASCAR Xfinity Series Call 811 Before You Dig 200 presented by Arizona 811 at Phoenix Raceway on March 13, 2021 in Avondale, Arizona. (Photo by Abbie Parr/Getty Images)

One driver was better than the rest Saturday during the NASCAR Xfinity Series Before You Dig 200 presented by Arizona 811 and that was Austin Cindric in his No. 22 Team Penske Ford.

He spent most of the race up in the front and led the most important lap, the last one. It was a battle for the lead and it bit some drivers, but it was Cindric bringing home the trophy.

Cindric stated, “I think it was a role reversal from the last time we were here. He (Justin Allgaier ) obviously got a good restart and stuck on top of three there fighting for track position. I came away with a win here with Carshop Ford Mustang.” He added, “It’s awesome to have them on board for this season, keep pink and white colors in Victory Lane.”

Coming in second with another great run was Ty Gibbs in his No. 54 Joe Gibbs Racing Ford. Having a great finish in third was Brandon Brown in his No. 68 Brandonbilt Motorsports Chevrolet.

Stage 1:

Stage 1 was rather uneventful with no actual cautions. However, on the last lap, Josh Berry had issues and Jesse Little smacked into the wall, but the stage was already over. Cindric would win this stage.

Stage 2:

Stage 2 had a couple of incidents that pretty much involved only one car such as Dexter Bean hitting the wall and Noah Gragson, who had a fire underneath his car. Daneil Hemric won the stage.

Stage 3:

Stage 3 is where chaos would hit but again in mostly one car incidents. Harrison Burton spun and then Brett Moffitt spun. Brandon Jones hit the wall and Alex Labbe also spun. One thing never changed though and that was the leader. The last lap had cars bouncing off the wall and each other, but Cindric made it through with no issues after battling with Ty Gibbs who finished second.

Brandon Brown, Riley Herbst and AJ Allmendinger rounded out the top five. Jeb Burton, Bayley Currey, Justin Allgaier, Brett Moffitt and Jeremy Clements finished sixth through 10, respectively.

In the NASCAR Series standings, Cindric leads with 248 points, Hemric is second with 201 points, in third is Jeb Burton with 172 points, in fourth is Allmendinger with 162 points, and rounding out the top five is Harrison Burton with 162 points.

The NASCAR Xfinity Series head next to Atlanta Motor Speedway on Sat., March 20.

Capps, Torrence, Anderson, Sampey earn No. 1 qualifiers for GatorNationals

By
Briar Starr
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Photo Courtesy of NHRA

On the eve of the 2021 NHRA season, the final two rounds of qualifying were held Saturday afternoon at the GatorNationals located in Gainesville, Florida.

Funny Car

After putting up a quick time Friday night of 3.895 seconds and 329.02 mph, NAPA Auto Parts driver Ron Capps was looking to keep his No. 1 spot for the two Saturday qualifying sessions. The time Capps set Friday night was against his Don Schumacher Racing teammate and 2020 Funny Car Champion Matt Hagan. On Saturday afternoon in the second round of qualifying, the San Luis Obispo, California native faced Tim Wilkerson and put up a time of 3.948 and 320.66 mph over Wilkerson’s 5.052 seconds and 150.28 mph.

The run was still fast enough for Capps to hold the No. 1 qualifying spot through Round No. 3. In Round 3, Capps was up against Wilkerson again. As the Christmas tree lights went out, Capps ended up going 4.082 seconds and 163.65 mph. Despite the tire smoke coming to the line, the Don Schumacher Racing driver earned his 26th career No. 1 qualifier spot. Oddly enough, Capps is the defending race winner where he faced Wilkerson in the final round last year.

“I’m just a small link and I just didn’t want to mess up,” said Capps, who has three wins at the historic facility. “I’ve got my first Camping World hat (for a No. 1 qualifier) and it’s great. It’s been fun and we’re excited, but tomorrow is race day. We’ve got a great crowd here, and I’m feeling good and I don’t want the dream to end, so hopefully, we can finish the job on Sunday.”

While Capps stole the show in qualifying, all eyes were on John Force who, after Friday’s qualifying session, was 13th in the running order. In the first two attempts, Force was not locked in at all, meaning the 16-time Funny Car Champion had to make the third and final round count the most and he did. Force rocketed to 3.934 and 323.66 mph to lock into the show. Force will be making his first start since Arizona of last year. The Yorba Linda, California native has a total of eight career victories at the GatorNationals with his last win coming four years ago in 2017.

Funny Car Round 1 Eliminations Ladder:

No. 1 Ron Capps vs No. 16 Jim Campbell, No. 8 Matt Hagan vs No. 9 Bob Tasca III, No. 4 Robert Hight vs No 13 Bobby Bode, No. 5 John Force vs No. 12 Paul Lee, No. 2 Alexis Dejoria vs No. 15 John Smith, No. 7 Cruz Pedregon vs No. 10 Chad Green, No. 3 Tim Wilkerson vs No. 14 Dave Richards and No. 6 J.R. Todd vs No. 11 Blake Alexander.

Top Fuel

To no surprise to anyone, Steve Torrence was the quickest out of the Top Fuel category. The three-time Top Fuel champion put up a time of 3.699 to earn his 28th career No. 1 qualifier. His teammate and father Billy Torrence was the closest competitor as Billy ended up with a time of 3.735. Steve Torrence will be looking for a repeat, as the Texas native won this race last year after defeating Tony Schumacher, Doug Foley, Leah Pruett and his father Billy Torrence. He will face No. 16 qualifier Joe Morrison in the first round.

“We need to maintain our focus and concentration on going laps and going rounds because there’s a lot of people targeting us,” said Torrence, a 40-time event winner. “We’re going to have to step up. Brittany (Force) is back, some other people are back and it’s going to be a competitive field, just as it always is. Getting in these things, you get jacked up and that run (Friday) was stout. We made a good run this afternoon and we’re excited to stay on top. The yellow (No. 1 qualifier) hats are nice, but we’re trying to get some of those winner’s hats, so we’ll see what we can do.”

Krista Baldwin, who is a third-generation racer, and is the daughter of Top Fuel racer Bobby Baldwin and the granddaughter of NHRA racer Chris Karamesines, attempted to make her debut. On Friday afternoon, Baldwin had a time of 5.343 seconds and 125.74 mph meaning she had to make Saturday count if Baldwin wanted to race on Sunday. In the second round, she was a bit better at 181.81 and 4.503 seconds.

Baldwin would need help in the final round, but unfortunately, she failed to qualify after veteran Doug Foley posted a time of 3.849 and 322.11 mph. Baldwin will have to wait another day to make her Top Fuel debut.

Top Fuel Round 1 Eliminations Ladder:

No. 1 Steve Torrence vs No. 16 Joe Morrison, No. 8 Josh Hart vs No. 9 Clay Millican, No. 4 Doug Kalitta vs No. 13 Arthur Allen, No. 5 Brittany Force vs No. 12 Justin Ashley, No. 2 Billy Torrence vs No. 15 of Scott Palmer, No. 7 Mike Salinas vs No. 10 Antron Brown, No. 3 Leah Pruett vs No. 14 Mike Bucher and No. 6 Shawn Langdon vs No. 11 Doug Foley.

Pro Stock

Veteran Pro Stock racer and four-time Gainesville winner Greg Anderson was the quickest after three rounds of qualifying Friday and Saturday but earning the top spot wasn’t easy. Anderson faced 2020 Pro Stock Champion Erica Enders in the final round late Saturday afternoon. Both Anderson and Enders put on quite an epic battle but in the end, Anderson’s speed of 211.36 mph gave him his 107th No. 1 qualifier over his 23-year career.

“It feels great,” Anderson said. “It’s been a long five months with no racing and that drives us crazy. This is what it’s all about, racing at the Gatornationals, and so far my car has just been flawless. We got the spot we wanted and we’re going to come out tomorrow – on my birthday – and see if we can get a blue (winner’s) Camping World hat.”

Pro Stock Ladder for Sunday eliminations – Numbers represent where the driver qualified.:

No. 1 Greg Anderson vs No. 16 Cristian Cuadra, No. 8 Chris McGaha vs No. 9 Alex Laughlin, No. 4 Deric Kramer vs No. 13 Val Smeland and No. 5 Kyle Koretsy vs No. 12 Dallas Glenn.

Pro Stock Motorcycle

The Pro Stock Motorcycle class quite possibly had the most interesting story out of qualifying Saturday. Four drivers, Angie Smith, Angelle Sampey, Hector Arana Jr. and Matt Smith all reached 200 mph for the first time ever at Gainesville. Angie Smith was the first to do so when she reached 200.47 mph and 6.880 seconds while facing Lance Bonham in the second round.

However, at the end of the final qualifying session, the No. 1 qualifier went to the Matthews, Louisiana native, Angelle Sampey. Sampey put the Vance and Hines Mission Foods Suzuki Motorcycle on the pole with an ET of 6.742 and 200.00 mph. The No. 1 qualifier is Sampey’s 52nd of her career. This is Sampey’s second Gainesville No. 1 qualifier as her first came in 2007.

“This is amazing. I posted a video of my team celebrating on the starting line because I don’t get to see them celebrate very often,” said Sampey. “I’m so proud to have Mission Foods on board this year. This feels like mission accomplished already, but I feel like I have so much more ahead of me. I’m just the lucky rider of this Suzuki. I’m still learning this motorcycle. It’s been a struggle but I’m still going.”

Pro Stock Motorcycle Ladder for Round 1:

No. 1 Angelle Sampey vs No. 16 Michael Phillips, No. 8 Scotty Pollacheck vs No. 9 Corey Reed, No. 4 Ryan Oehler vs No. 13 Jerry Savoie, No. 5 Karen Stoffer vs No. 12 Kelly Clontz, No. 2 Matt Smith vs No. 15 James Underdahl and No 7 Hector Arana Jr. vs No. 10 Angie Smith.

Eliminations begin at 10 a.m. ET and can be seen on NHRA.TV with a subscription before switching over to FOX later in the morning.

Motorsports Icon Lyn St. James Named Honorary Starter for Instacart 500 at Phoenix Raceway

By
Official Release
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PHOENIX (March 13, 2021) – Iconic race car driver, writer, broadcaster, entrepreneur and motivational speaker Lyn St. James will serve as the honorary starter when she waves the green flag for the start of Sunday’s Instacart 500 NASCAR Cup Series race at Phoenix Raceway. The Instacart 500 is set for Sunday at 12:30 p.m. PT on FOX, MRN Radio and Sirius XM NASCAR Radio.

“It’s an honor to have Lyn at our event and waving the green flag for the start of Sunday’s Instacart 500,” said Phoenix Raceway President Julie Giese. “Lyn is a motorsports icon and a pioneer for women in this industry. With March being Women’s History Month, it’s only fitting that we have Lyn be a major part of this weekend’s action at Phoenix Raceway.”

St. James is one of only nine women to have qualified for the Indianapolis 500 and became the first woman to win the Indianapolis 500 Rookie of the Year award in 1992. In 1985, St. James became the first woman to eclipse 200 mph on a race track when she reached 204.233 mph at Talladega Superspeedway. In 1995, during Indianapolis 500 qualifying, she again set a closed-course world record for women, reaching 225.722 mph. St. James was also named by Sports Illustrated as one of the “Top-100 Women Athletes of the Century.”

Sunday’s Instacart 500 Cup Series race at Phoenix Raceway is at capacity, but fans can catch St. James waving the green flag on FOX at 12:30 p.m. PT. Fans at home can also participate in race day activities through Phoenix Raceway’s Virtual Experience available online at PhoenixRaceway.com/VirtualExperience and on the NASCAR Mobile App.

About Phoenix Raceway

Home to the 2021 NASCAR Championship Weekend, Phoenix Raceway has been the premier motorsports venue in the Southwest since 1964 and hosts two NASCAR race weekends each year. In 2021, the spring event weekend, March 12-14, kicks off the race season at Phoenix Raceway, featuring the NASCAR Cup Series, NASCAR Xfinity Series and ARCA Menards Series. For only the second time in the history of the sport, Phoenix Raceway will host the NASCAR Championship Weekend, November 5-7. Over the three-day event, champions will be crowned in the NASCAR Cup Series, NASCAR Xfinity Series, NASCAR Camping World Truck Series and the ARCA Menards Series West. Phoenix Raceway also hosts a variety of events throughout the year, including corporate meetings and conferences, charity events, holiday events, sport and endurance competitions, driving schools and Segway tours. For more information, visit www.PhoenixRaceway.com.

About NASCAR

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

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