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Era Motorsport Secures Inaugural Asian Le Mans Series Am Championship

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Official Release
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INDIANAPOLIS, Ind., (February 21, 2021) – One month after claiming victory at the Rolex 24 At Daytona, Era Motorsport has picked up their latest sports car racing title: LMP2 Am champions in the Asian Le Mans Series. The Indianapolis-based squad has spent the last three weeks in the United Arab Emirates with JOTA Sport for the four-race championship of the Asian Le Mans Series, the U.S. team’s first venture in the series. Drivers Kyle Tilley, Dwight Merriman, and Andreas Laskaratos drove the No. 18 Oreca LMP2 to class victory in each of the four races, making a clean sweep of the shortened season.

“Inaugural winners of the LMP2 Am class,” said Tilley, also team owner. “That’s pretty cool. I’m delighted for Dwight, Andreas, and the team to have added an LMP2 championship to the resume. It’s not something that is easy to come by at this level. A big thank you goes to JOTA Sport for running the program for us.”

The jump to a new series was no small task, especially as the team also campaigns a full-season entry in the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship. Era’s partnership with JOTA Sport in the Asian Le Mans Series continues to build on the progress the team has made while still only in their sophomore year of professional sports car racing.

“Joining a new series is always a learning experience, and with every new challenge Era has taken on, we’ve succeeded,” said Merriman. “JOTA Sport was great to partner with for this championship, as they have their own strong resume from international competition. Racing in the new LMP2 class was fun and really allowed us to learn and grow as we look to continue racing around the world.”

Andreas Laskaratos joined the American duo for the four Asian Le Mans Series rounds, proving to be a perfect addition to the lineup. The three athletes divided up the drive time for each of the four-hour races, while also needing to complete three mandatory-timed pitstops of 110 seconds.

“After an intense and condensed Asian Le Mans Series season, we came out on top as champions of the LMP2 Am class, something that the team as a whole should be very proud of,” said Laskaratos. “It is an amazing feeling, just trying to take it all in. I’m very thankful to Era and Kyle for the opportunity to be part of the project, it was amazing to be in the team, felt straight away like being at home. We have pushed very hard to improve daily and we managed to meet every target set. Now it’s time to recover both mentally and physically within a couple of days before moving on to new challenges ahead.”

The series featured a pair a four-hour races hosted at the Dubai Autodrome in the country’s capital, and the Yas Marina Circuit in Abu Dhabi. While the previous season had four races spread out over the course of four months, the current worldwide travel restrictions would have made such a schedule challenging for many of the competitors. Instead, the sanctioning body moved the races into two double headers over the course of two weekends, allowing competitors to take a month long stay in the UAE and participate in the full championship.

“We couldn’t be more grateful for the series for making this possible,” said Tilley. “I’m sure it was a logistical nightmare to figure out, but it was worth it. It was tiring to essentially go straight from the Rolex 24 to this four-race championship, but we loved the challenge.”

There will be no downtime once the squad returns to Indianapolis, as the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship’s Twelve Hours of Sebring is less than three weeks away, March 17-20. After winning the Rolex 24, the team stands as the LMP2 class leaders in the full season standings as well as the North American Endurance Cup. Ryan Dalziel will return as the third driver, to race alongside Tilley and Merriman. For full event information, visit imsa.com.

About Era Motorsport
Era Motorsport was formed in 2018 with the idea of providing unmatched excellence in historic racing. Just two years later, the team expanded to the world of professional sport car racing, fielding an Oreca 07 in the prolific IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship and the 24 Hours of Le Mans. In 2021, the team went on to win at the iconic Rolex 24 At Daytona, in what was their second attempt competing in the event. Motorsport isn’t just a hobby, it is a way of life: a passion that is in the team’s blood. Whether you find us in the IMSA WeatherTech paddock with modern prototypes or chasing down lap records in our fully restored classic sports cars, or even globetrotting to experience historic F1 at some of the world’s most iconic circuits, Era Motorsport has something for everyone. In 2021, the team will return to the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship for limited events and also contest in the full season of the Asian Le Mans championship.

About JOTA Sport
Competing on the global stage, JOTA can count upon many significant victories in one of the toughest and most challenging branches of motorsport. A JOTA entered LMP2 car took a sensational victory at the 2014 Le Mans 24 Hours, a win which was labelled as “a modern classic” at the famed French endurance event. 2014 was followed by 6 more podiums including an additional win at the 24 hours Le Mans over the next 6 years taking the team to an incredible “7 in 7” at the prestigious event. Alongside the great success at Le Mans JOTA finds itself as a front running, race winning LMP WEC team taking victories at events such as Sebring, Fuji, Shanghai and Bahrain.

Last Lap Thriller at Sebring as Merrill Wins Trans Am TA2®

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Official Release
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Rafa Matos and Mike Skeen complete the podium for TA2® class at Sebring

Race Video Highlights
Full Race Results

SEBRING, FL (21 February 2021) – One year after suffering a last-lap heartbreak, Thomas Merrill raced to redemption with a last-lap pass to win Sunday’s 2021 Trans Am Series presented by Pirelli TA2® season-opening race at Sebring International Raceway. The win capped a last-to-first charge by Merrill as he took the lead on the final lap in the final corner. 2019 TA2® champion Rafa Matos finished second, with 2020 TA2® champion Mike Skeen taking third. Merrill led only the final few moments to win in the No. 81 HP Tuners/Mike Cope Race Cars Ford Mustang.

Starting on the pole, Merrill went spinning off course in Turn 3 as a fierce fight for the lead saw several cars going side by side in the opening moments of the race. The off course trip saw Merrill fall to 23rd in the 25-car field. He recovered and methodically worked his way up to second, but was running out of laps when a red flag set up a green-white-checker finish.

The calculated last-lap push to the win earned Merrill the Chill Out Moment of the Race as well as a lot of satisfaction after having spun out of the lead in Turn 3 in the 2020 Sebring race.

“It was a lot of fun going side by side with some of the best racers in the country,” said Merrill of his late race battles with Matos and Skeen. “That’s what you need in a series. If you’re going to race that fast and that close with that little grip, you need someone you can trust and someone professional beside you. It was just a lot of fun today. I was pretty fired up after my early spin but this car is so easy to drive it made me look good all the way up through the field. Halfway through I stopped being angry and just started enjoying Trans Am racing!”

Matos dominated the race in his return to the No. 88 3-Dimensional Services Ford Mustang. He took the lead on the third lap and led up until the final lap, finishing 0.612-seconds behind. However, he lost power steering with 10 laps remaining, and was at a disadvantage on the last restart.

“It wasn’t our day,” Matos said. “I’m completely tired and my arms are very sore. Now, we’ll have to wait until Road Atlanta. We came here this weekend thinking about the points, we have to finish every race in order to win the championship, so it was a points weekend for us. I thought I had it covered. I had a great run, but had an unfortunate problem with the power steering which took away our chance for victory today. Congrats to Thomas. I am sure that I will be on the podium with these two guys (Thomas Merrill and Mike Skeen) throughout the season.”

Skeen began his TA2® title defense by completing the podium in his new No. 1 Liqui-Moly/Turn 14 Distribution Chevrolet Camaro, running in the top three for the entire event. He was only 0.692-seconds behind at the checkered flag.

“It’s been a tough weekend here with our new car,” said Skeen. “The Liqui-Moly Stevens Miller Racing guys were doing a lot of work to get us up to speed. We missed it a little bit in qualifying and started a little bit back, but we are happy to be here on the podium. These two guys had cars we just couldn’t touch. I tried to give them a run for their money on the restart and make it a little bit interesting. Congratulations to Thomas (Merrill) for such a great comeback, especially after last year.”

Mike Self took fourth in the No. 7 Sinclair Oil Corporation Camaro, followed by Franklin Futrelle in the No. 58 Innoviv/BH/IGOR/SecurTech Mustang and Masters winner Doug Peterson in the No. 87 3-Dimensional Mustang.

The late drama came about after Connor Mosack had an off-course excursion in Bishop’s Bend on board the No. 28 Nic Taylor/FS M1-SLR Camaro on the 24th of 27 laps, setting up the green-white-checker finish.

Misha Goikhberg got off to a great start in the No. 10 BC Race Cars Chevrolet Camaro, going from third-place starting position to take the lead as the top four drivers jostled for position. Goikhberg led two laps before Matos took the lead and began to pull away.

A full-course caution waved on the third lap when Jim Gallaugher spun in Turn 7 and could not continue in the No. 16 Madison Development Group/MCR Ford Mustang. During the caution, Scott Lagasse Jr. pitted from fourth place and parked the No. 92 SLR Chevrolet Camaro with mechanical issues. The owner/driver hopped atop his pit box and began coaching teammate Mosack, who was running seventh in the No. 28 Nic Taylor/FS M1-SLR Camaro and worked his way up to third before his incident at Bishop’s Bend.

Goikhberg’s strong day ended when he parked the No. 10 Camaro with mechanical issues after nine laps as four laps later, Edward Savadjian’s day ended when he pulled off in the No. 8 Big Machine Vodka Camaro. He had been running fifth, challenging Merrill for fourth.

Other drivers to suffer late-race misfortune included Tyler Kicera, who lost fuel pressure while running sixth in the No. 5 Silver Hare Racing Mustang on lap 17, and TA2® debutante Adrian Wlostowski, who cut a tire in the No. 3 Hawk Performance F.A.S.T. Auto Camaro while battling for a top-10 finish after 20 laps.

Next up for the TA2® competitors will be the Atlanta Speed Tour, March 26-28 at Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta.

The race will be exclusively live streamed on the Trans Am by Pirelli Racing App.

Francis Breaks Trans Am Track Record for Sebring Pole

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Official Release
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Merrill, Oakes and Di Pippo claim poles in respective classes

SEBRING, FL (20 February 2021) – Ernie Francis Jr. broke the track record for the second year in a row on Saturday, leading Trans Am Series presented by Pirelli qualifying to set the field in the TA class for the 2021 season-opening Sebring Speed Tour at Sebring International Raceway.

Francis Jr. turned a lap of 1:59.224-seconds in the No. 98 Future Star Ford Mustang, his 20th career pole in TA class competition and extending his overall Trans Am record to 48 poles.

“It feels pretty great to start the season off with pole,” said Francis Jr. “The car’s been quick all weekend, but we were running on old tires. We switched to stickers for qualifying and it showed our true speed. We are really fast around this place and tomorrow our goal is to lead the whole way to secure the first win of the season.”

Tomy Drissi also broke the two-minute barrier, running 1:59.825-seconds in the No. 8 Lucas Oil Chevrolet Camaro.

“The team’s done a good job all weekend, but unfortunately we got to the grid last and we should have been first,” Drissi said. “The team was working so hard to get everything done for the two cars. I laid back to give myself a hole. I had a pole lap going on lap two and I hit traffic. So frustrating. We still came back and managed the front row in the 1:59s. I really wanted a pole for the Lucas Oil family and the Burtin Racing team. All I can do tomorrow is go win.”

Adam Andretti put the No. 43 ECC/Anchor Bolt & Screw Dodge Challenger third at 2:00.647-seconds. He will be joined on the second row by Chris Dyson, who rebounded from an early spin in the hairpin to run 2:01.213-seconds in the No. 20 Plaid Ford Mustang.

Justin Marks was fifth, 2:01.523-seconds in the No. 99 Ave Motorsports Corvette, followed by Simon Gregg, 2:01.763-seconds in the No. 59 Peter Gregg Foundation Camaro.

Thomas Merrill captured the pole for the TA2® race, turning a lap of 2:06.524-seconds in the No. 81 HP Tuners/Mike Cope Race Cars Ford Mustang.

“We worked hard all weekend, and my whole crew did an incredible job putting the car together,” said Merrill, capturing his second-career pole in the TA2® National class (with six additional poles in TA2® West).

Merrill has a personal score to settle with the demanding i think it is 3.74 miles 2.74-mile Sebring circuit. Last year, he spun out on the final lap only a handful of turns shy of victory.

“We learned a lot from last year and coming back to the same track, we picked up where we left off, and we just got better,” Merrill said. “It’s been a really fun start to the year.”

Rafa Matos will start on the outside of the front row, running 2:07.000-seconds in the No. 88 3-Dimensional Services Ford Mustang. Misha Goikhberg was third, 2:07.180-seconds in the No. 10 BC Race Cars Chevrolet Camaro, followed by Mike Skeen, 2:07.518-seconds in the Liqui-Moly/Turn 145 Distribution Center Chevrolet Camaro. Skeen retained the track record for the class by a mere 0.011-seconds.

Team SLR garnered the next two positions. Team owner and lead driver Scott Lagasse Jr. was fifth in the No. 92 Chevrolet Camaro, one position ahead of teammate Connor Mosack in the No. 28 Nic Taylor/FS M1-SLR/Fields Camaro.

Justin Oakes captured his third pole for his third start in the SGT category, with the Houston driver turning a lap of 2:09.878-seconds in the No. 11 Droneworks Corvette.

“We tried out Trans Am at COTA last year, had a blast,” Oakes said. “Then, we went to Road Atlanta and won, had even more fun, so the team and I talked and decided that we were going to chase the SGT championship this year. This is a good start to 2021 and our plan is to not slow down.”

Lee Saunders was second, with the defending champion running 2:12.523-seconds in the No. 11 Droneworks Corvette. Making up the second row will be Aaron Pierce, 2:13.591-seconds in the No. 26 Logical Systems/Sam Pierce Corvette, joined by James Candelaria, 2:13.660-seconds in his first run in the No. 96 F.A.S.T. Auto/Hawk Performance/Forgeline Ford Mustang formerly campaigned by Adrian Wlostowski.

Philip Di Pippo captured the GT pole with a lap of 2:27.937-seconds in the No. 94 Sasco Sports Ford Mustang.

The TA2® race takes the green flag at 11:15 a.m. (all times ET) on Sunday, followed by the TA/SGT/GT event at 1:35 p.m. Both races will be 27 laps, with a 75-minute time limit. Live Streaming for the race is available exclusively on the Trans Am by Pirelli Racing App.

Ty Gibbs, Grandson of Joe Gibbs, Wins in NASCAR Xfinity Series Debut in Super Start 188 At DAYTONA Presented by O’Reilly Auto Parts

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Official Release
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Makes Daring Move on Late Restart in Double Overtime to Win on Iconic DAYTONA Road Course

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (Feb. 20, 2021) – Ty Gibbs turned in a historic NASCAR Xfinity Series debut Saturday night, the 18-year-old won in his first series start – holding off reigning champion Austin Cindric on the Daytona International Speedway Road Course in the Super Start 188 At DAYTONA Presented by O’Reilly AutoParts.

Gibbs took the lead on a restart in double overtime and held off the field by a comfortable 1.726-seconds at the finish line, dropping to his knees to reflect after climbing out of his No. 54 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota – a car owned by his grandfather, NASCAR Hall of Famer Joe Gibbs.

With his win in the Super Start Batteries 188 at DAYTONA Presented by O’Reilly Auto Parts, Gibbs becomes only the sixth driver to win in his first series start – matching a feat achieved by NASCAR Hall of Famer Dale Earnhardt in 1982 and most recently, Kurt Busch, 15 years ago.

Gibbs becomes the youngest driver to win an NASCAR Xfinity Series road course event. At 18 years, four months, 16 days, he breaks the record held – ironically – by Cindric (20 years old).

By all measures, it was an emotional victory following an intense, exciting race on the 14-turn, 3.61-mile road course. Cindric led the most laps 29 of the 56 – but could not catch Gibbs in the end.

“I just cannot thank everybody right now, really this is like a dream come true for me, it’s just awesome,” said an emotional Gibbs, who turned his first ever laps in the car and made his first career pit stop Saturday evening.

“I really didn’t think I had it there,” he said of the intense racing at the end. “I fought back and we won.”

Gibbs teammates Daniel Hemric and Brandon Jones finished third and fourth, followed by Jeb Burton and another of the JGR family, Harrison Burton. Miguel Paludo, Brandon Brown, Justin Haley, and Jeremy Clements rounded out the top 10.

A victory for Cindric would have been his second in as many races in 2021 and he turned in an inspired drive back to the front to contend for the win. He and A.J. Allmendinger – another road course racing star – collided while running first and second heading to the Stage 1 checkered flag. Allmendinger’s car was badly damaged and he ran laps down the remainder of the race.

Cindric’s No. 22 Team Penske Ford was damaged as well, but the team made repairs and Cindric went to work. He returned to the race after multiple pit stops in 33rd place, but still on the lead lap. His road racing skills and the team’s strategy calls ultimately put him in position to contend for the win.

“Obviously I don’t want to be racing to a stage that aggressively, I’d love to see a replay and hopefully we can avoid something like that because obviously A.J. and I were going to be fighting for a win later,” Cindric said.

“I hated having that much damage to our PPG Ford Mustang that early. Just seemed like he was trying to block there, don’t know if he knew I was there or not. Sucks it’s over with and we salvaged a good finish. Congratulations to Ty.”

Gibbs grandfather, who owns the team, climbed down from the pit box and stood behind it to watch the final moments of the race. Clearly Ty Gibbs win was an emotional achievement for the entire family.

During a late race pit stop, the teenager Ty was asking his team for peanut butter crackers. An hour later, he was hoisting the biggest trophy of his young career.

“I don’t even know how to feel,” Gibbs said. “This is really hard for me to explain. After my uncle [JGR President JD Gibbs] passed away, it’s been hard for me. It’s just a dream come true. I’m just rambling. I’m excited. Mixed emotions for sure. This is just awesome.”

Of his tight-knit family, Gibbs again wiped tears.

“The family is everything to me, they do so much for me,” Gibbs said. “I just can’t thank them enough, this is just amazing; this is a dream come true. It’s all the man above, I’m sorry I’m a wreck I didn’t think this was going to happen at all. This is awesome, I can’t thank everybody enough watching and last week I had a terrible interview. I want to apologize for everybody, I just can’t thank everybody enough. This is just amazing.”

Following the second race of the season, Team Penske’s Austin Cindric holds the points lead by 24 markers over Joe Gibbs Racing’s Harrison Burton in second. 

The NASCAR Xfinity Series races next Saturday at Homestead-Miami Speedway in the Contender Boats 250 (4:30 p.m. ET on FS1 MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).

On Sunday, the O’Reilly Auto Parts 253 for the NASCAR Cup Series on the DAYTONA Road Course finishes out the NASCAR Tripleheader weekend on the DAYTONA Road Course, getting a 3 p.m. ET start (frontstretch gates open at 12:30 p.m.). The event will consist of 70 laps.

A limited number of tickets are still available with kids starting at only $10. To be a part of the action, fans can visit www.daytonainternationalspeedway.com or call 1-800-PITSHOP.

All events will be conducted in accordance with enhanced safety protocols and procedures to provide a safe environment for guests, NASCAR competitors, employees and the local community. All guests will be screened before entering the facility and will be required to wear face coverings while maintaining six feet social distancing throughout their visit.

Fans can stay connected with Daytona International Speedway on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram for the latest speedway news.

About Daytona International Speedway

Daytona International Speedway is the home of The Great American Race – the DAYTONA 500. Though the season-opening NASCAR Cup Series event garners most of the attention – as well as the largest audience in motorsports – the approximately 500-acre motorsports complex boasts the most diverse schedule of racing on the globe, thus earning it the title of World Center of Racing. In addition to eight major weekends of racing activity, rarely a week goes by that the Speedway grounds are not used for events that include civic and social gatherings, car shows, photo shoots, production vehicle testing and police motorcycle training.

NASCAR Xfinity Series Race – Super Start Batteries 188 At DAYTONA Presented by O’Reilly Auto Parts

DAYTONA Road Course

Daytona Beach, Florida

Saturday, February 20, 2021

               1. (15)  Ty Gibbs #, Toyota, 56.

               2. (2)  Austin Cindric, Ford, 56.

               3. (5)  Daniel Hemric, Toyota, 56.

               4. (39)  Brandon Jones, Toyota, 56.

               5. (3)  Jeb Burton, Chevrolet, 56.

               6. (4)  Harrison Burton, Toyota, 56.

               7. (35)  Miguel Paludo, Chevrolet, 56.

               8. (7)  Brandon Brown, Chevrolet, 56.

               9. (29)  Justin Haley, Chevrolet, 56.

               10. (18)  Jeremy Clements, Chevrolet, 56.

               11. (1)  Brett Moffitt(i), Chevrolet, 56.

               12. (14)  Landon Cassill, Chevrolet, 56.

               13. (8)  Myatt Snider, Chevrolet, 56.

               14. (13)  Jesse Little, Chevrolet, 56.

               15. (33)  Michael Annett, Chevrolet, 56.

               16. (11)  Kyle Weatherman, Chevrolet, 56.

               17. (22)  Josh Williams, Chevrolet, 56.

               18. (19)  Kris Wright(i), Toyota, 56.

               19. (10)  Matt Mills, Toyota, 56.

               20. (9)  Joe Graf Jr., Chevrolet, 56.

               21. (30)  Gray Gaulding, Chevrolet, 56.

               22. (36)  Alex Labbe, Chevrolet, 56.

               23. (32)  Colby Howard, Chevrolet, 56.

               24. (20)  Tommy Joe Martins, Chevrolet, 56.

               25. (38)  Cody Ware, Ford, 56.

               26. (25)  Justin Allgaier, Chevrolet, 56.

               27. (27)  Ryan Sieg, Ford, 56.

               28. (26)  Noah Gragson, Chevrolet, 56.

               29. (34)  Stephen Leicht, Toyota, 56.

               30. (37)  Jeffrey Earnhardt, Chevrolet, 56.

               31. (24)  Andy Lally, Chevrolet, 55.

               32. (31)  Bayley Currey, Chevrolet, 55.

               33. (23)  Preston Pardus, Chevrolet, Transmission, 49.

               34. (17)  Timmy Hill, Toyota, 46.

               35. (6)  AJ Allmendinger, Chevrolet, 43.

               36. (28)  Jade Buford, Chevrolet, Suspension, 38.

               37. (12)  Ryan Vargas #, Chevrolet, 33.

               38. (40)  David Starr, Toyota, Transmission, 20.

               39. (16)  Riley Herbst, Ford, Accident, 15.

               40. (21)  Natalie Decker, Chevrolet, Accident, 3.

Average Speed of Race Winner:  78.213 mph.

Time of Race:  2 Hrs, 35 Mins, 5 Secs. Margin of Victory:  1.726 Seconds.

Caution Flags:  7 for 14 laps.

Lead Changes:  11 among 8 drivers.

Lap Leaders:   B. Moffitt(i) 0;A. Cindric 1-10;A. Allmendinger 11-14;A. Cindric 15-17;H. Burton 18-20;T. Gibbs 21-32;G. Gaulding 33;D. Hemric 34-35;A. Cindric 36-51;R. Sieg 52;J. Burton 53-54;T. Gibbs 55-56.

Leaders Summary (Driver, Times Lead, Laps Led):  Austin Cindric 3 times for 29 laps; Ty Gibbs 2 times for 14 laps; AJ Allmendinger 1 time for 4 laps; Harrison Burton 1 time for 3 laps; Jeb Burton 1 time for 2 laps; Daniel Hemric 1 time for 2 laps; Ryan Sieg 1 time for 1 lap; Gray Gaulding 1 time for 1 lap.

Stage #1 Top Ten: 22,2,98,51,99,68,20,47,74,7

Stage #2 Top Ten: 54,20,18,11,7,22,19,2,90,51

Brett Moffitt Battles To 11th-Place Result at the Daytona Road Course

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Official Release
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Brett Moffitt and the Quartz Hill Records / Nate Barnes No.02 Our Motorsports Chevrolet started from the pole Saturday night in the Super Start Batteries 188 at the Daytona Road Course, coming off a team and driver-best finish of 2nd last week at the Daytona oval.

In the first stage of the race, Moffitt reminded the NASCAR Xfinity garage of the true potential of the Our Motorsports team, reminding them that Daytona’s oval finish last week was no fluke. Moffitt and the No.02 Chevy ran in the top-3 for most of the stage but suffered a tire lock-up which caused a left-front tire to get flat-spotted. The team pitted to ensure that they would make it to the end of the stage without a tire failure and, after pitting, finished the stage 15th.

Stage two saw the No.02 Chevy race its way back into the top-5. Moffitt held strong for most of the stage, running the 4th-fastest overall lap of the race, but suffered a flat tire with five laps to go in the segment. The Quartz Hill Records / Nate Barnes team recovered to finish the stage in 20th after pitting for tires and fuel. 

Final stage: Moffitt started the stage in 13th and drove his way up into 8th just five laps into the segment. Unfortunately, the left-front damage from the flat tire earlier in the race caused damage to the sway bar arm during the final stage, creating a handful for Brett, and requiring him to make an unscheduled stop for repairs. When a late race caution came out with just a few laps to go, the Quartz Hill Records / Nate Barnes team made a strategic call to keep Moffitt out, putting the No.02 Chevy back into the top-10 for the first of two green, white, checkered restarts. The first GWC restart had a multiple-car incident, which Moffitt was able to avoid, picking up several spots.

Moffitt restarted the final GWC restart within the top-5 with two laps to go, but the No.02 suffered slight contact early on, which, coupled with the damage from earlier, dropped the No.02 back a few spots. Moffitt was still able to bring the Quartz Hill Records / Nate Barnes – sponsored team in the position to fight for a top-10 at the end of the day, finishing just outside of the top-10 in eleventh.

Driver Brett Moffit: 

“I was really proud of the car that Our Motorsports and the Quartz Hill Records / Nate Barnes team brought me. Realistically, we were a 3rd-4th place car tonight. I just felt like I made too many mistakes on my part and eventually the left-front damage ripped the sway bar arm off and that ruined the rest of the race. I am really excited about the potential our team has this year and I know we’ll bounce back next week.”

Sponsor Highlight:

Quartz Hill Records was represented in a yellow, red, and black scheme highlighting  fast-rising country artist Nate Barnes with the hood adorning the artwork for his debut single,  “You Ain’t Pretty.” Barnes’ “You Ain’t Pretty” has already earned over 14 million TikTok streams and debuted as the #2 Most Added Country Song in the U.S. this week.  Quartz Hill Records is a Nashville-based record label helmed by former BBR Music Group Benny Brown, former BBR Music Group CFO Paul Brown, and hit songwriter Jason Sellers.

Tune in: 

The NASCAR Xfinity Series and Our Motorsports will be back in action next Saturday, February 27th for the Contender Boats 250 at Homestead Miami Speedway. Fans can catch the action on FS1, MRN/Sirius XM NASCAR, and other local radio affiliates at 5pm and by following Our Motorsports on social media. 

Team Penske NASCAR Xfinity Series Race Report – Daytona Road Course

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Official Release
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Team Penske NASCAR Xfinity Series Race Report

Track: Daytona Road Course
Race: Super Start Batteries 188
Date: February 20, 2021

No. 22 PPG Ford Mustang – Austin Cindric
Start: 2nd
Stage 1: 1st (First stage win of 2021)
Stage 2: 6th
Finish: 2nd
Status: Running
Laps Completed: 56/56
Laps Led: 29
Point Standings (ahead of second): 1st (+24)

Notes:

  • Austin Cindric had an impressive recovery Saturday night at the Daytona Road Course. The driver of No. 22 PPG Ford Mustang won Stage 1, led 29 laps, and finished second. The finish was Cindric’s second top-five finish in as many races at the 14-turn Road Course. He extends his points lead over second place Harrison Burton by 24 markers.
  • Cindric started the 52-lap/188-mile event from the second position and wasted no time taking an early lead. As the race continued, the handling of the PPG Ford began to fade and Cindric lost the lead to AJ Allmendinger.
  • As the two road course aces battled for the stage win, Allmendinger and Cindric made contact coming to the finish line causing extensive right front damage on the PPG Ford Mustang, however he managed to hold on for the Stage 1 victory. Crew chief Brian Wilson called Cindric down pit road during the stage break for adjustments and repairs.
  • Cindric started Stage 2 in the 34th-position and put his road course skills to work. Despite nose damage, Cindric ran laps faster than the leaders and battled his way back to sixth position by the stage conclusion on lap 30.
  • Cindric started the final stage from the fourth position on lap 35 and reclaimed the lead a lap later. He would then get into a spirited battle with Ty Gibbs for the race lead late. A caution fell with three-laps remaining, setting up NASCAR Overtime.
  • Cindric would make his final pit stop on lap 50 for four tires and an air pressure adjustment. After restarting 11th, the caution would be displayed for the final time setting up for a second overtime attempt. Cindric gave it his all over the last three laps but came up just short to finish in second place.The NASCAR Xfinity Series is back in action at Homestead-Miami Speedway Saturday, February 27th, for the Contender Boats 250. Live coverage will begin at 4:30 p.m. ET on FS1. MRN and Sirius XM NASCAR Radio.

Quote: “It’s obviously a great start to the season big picture-wise. I wish we would have been able to do a little bit more tonight. If that caution hadn’t come out, but it’s the what-ifs of racing. Those restarts were crazy. I hope everyone else enjoyed it because that was stressful and that was challenging, but, overall, it’s a great way to start the year. I wish we would have been able to get our PPG Ford Mustang in victory lane, but it was not in the cards on those restarts. We salvaged a great day.”

RCR Post Race Report – Super Start Batteries 188 at Daytona

By
Official Release
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Myatt Snider and the No. 2 TaxSlayer Chevrolet Team Rebound from Late Race Flat Tire to Finish 13th at the Daytona Road Course

Finish: 13th
Start: 8th
Points: 5th

“Man, what a race. Our TaxSlayer Chevrolet Camaro was better than the end result shows, but overall, it was a strong night for our No. 2 team. Despite barely sneaking through the leaders wrecking at the end of stage one to battling a tight handling condition on the right handers, we put ourselves in striking position all day, earned a good amount of stage points, and definitely were a top-five car at the very least. Unfortunately, a left front flat tire during the first green-white-checkered hurt our chances at the end and took away an even better finish. The final two laps were crazy, but to restart from 31st and gain 18 spots to finish 13th is a great rebound for the TaxSlayer team. We definitely are going to be able to win a road course race this year and we are still off to a great start to the season.” -Myatt Snider

Toyota Racing – NXS Daytona RC Post-Race Report – 02.20.21

By
Official Release
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TY GIBBS WINS IN HIS XFINITY SERIES DEBUT AT DAYTONA
Ty Gibbs led 14 laps en-route to his first career victory

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (February 20, 2021) – Four Toyota Supras finished in the top-six in the NASCAR Xfinity Series (NXS) race at Daytona International Speedway Road Course. The trio was led by Ty Gibbs who captured his first-career Xfinity Series victory.

Toyota Racing Post-Race Recap
NASCAR Xfinity Series
Daytona International Speedway Road Course
Race 2 of 33 – 187.7 miles, 52 laps

TOYOTA FINISHING POSITIONS
1st, TY GIBBS
2nd, Austin Cindric*
3rd, DANIEL HEMRIC
4th, BRANDON JONES
5th, Jeb Burton*
6th, HARRISON BURTON
18th, KRIS WRIGHT
19th, MATT MILLS
29th, STEPHEN LEICHT
38th, DAVID STARR

*non-Toyota driver

TOYOTA QUOTES

TY GIBBS, No. 54 Monster Energy Toyota Supra, Joe Gibbs Racing

Finishing Position: 1st

How do you describe your first NASCAR Xfinity Series victory?

“You know, I can’t thank everybody right now. This is like a dream come true to me. This is awesome, I can’t do burnouts, that’s one thing I cannot do at all. I just can’t thank everybody, this is just a dream come true to me. I really didn’t think I had it there. Kind of fought back and we won. Thank you to Monster Energy and everybody, I don’t even know what’s going on.”

What do you have to say to your family?

“The family is everything to me, they do so much for me. I just can’t thank them enough, this is just amazing; this is a dream come true. It’s all the man above, I’m sorry I’m a wreck I didn’t think this was going to happen at all. This is awesome, I can’t thank everybody enough watching and last week I had a terrible interview. I want to apologize for everybody, I just can’t thank everybody enough. This is just amazing.”

How do you capture this emotion in this moment?

“I don’t even know how to feel. This is really hard for me to explain. After my uncle passed away, it’s been hard for me. It’s just a dream come true. I’m just rambling. I’m excited. Mixed emotions for sure. This is just awesome.”

Can you talk about that last restart?

“I don’t even know how I kept going. It was the man above. He’s done everything for me. He put me in this great family and in this great situation in life. I feel like I had to earn a lot of respect tonight, and I don’t think I did a too good of a job. I hit the grass and kept on rolling. I have no words. I just won at Daytona.”

Last week, you weren’t too happy after the ARCA race here. Have your thoughts changed about Daytona?

“I just want to say sorry to everyone for that. That was just a complete disgrace by me. I was just mad and rambling and just saying excuses, and I have no excuses for this. I made mistakes all night, and I don’t know how I still won. This is just amazing.”

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

Finishing Position: 3rd

Can you describe those last few laps?

“You don’t want to be on the top – I know that. I was the fortunate guy. I stared 13th in the first green-white-checkered. We were in fourth or fifth coming off of turn two. I thought we were going to line-up in fifth on the last one, and something happened with the lineup and we got shuffled to sixth before we got to the green. It was very late notice. You have two rows of old tires in front of us. The guys in front of you spin the tires. I ducked right, and put myself into three-wide coming into turn one. Probably a piss poor move on my part, honestly. I’m proud of these guys. Everyone at Joe Gibbs Racing, TRD, everyone at Toyota that supports us, everyone at Poppy Bank. Man, I want that one decision back. We will lick our wounds and carry on.”

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

Finishing Position: 4th

Solid top-five for you today, Brandon, after some damage. How was your race overall?

“I thought we had a really solid Supra all day long. I thought that thoughout the day we had consistent speed to pretty much run top three throughout the day. I don’t think we had the car to completely dominate the race, but definitely one that would run up front throughout the race. What led to our damage was, I felt like coming off of pit road, we were on cold tires. As soon as we came off of pit road, I was looking at my tac, I popped my head up and all that I hear is my spotter Stevie (Reeves) saying check-up, check-up. I think it was a combination of cold tires sliding across the racetrack, I was trying to get it out of first gear so it would stop bucking me into the wreck. We came down pit road after that and really did a good job of making those repairs that we needed. Actually, I think we got the car back pretty much to what it was when we started the race. We were really, really close on our balance, so that was a really good job by those guys to get that back. Then to hold everybody off at the end on four old tires, that was a testament to the team that we are bringing to the table to compete this year for a championship. We were able to rally back from the tires and the damage and still have a top-five out of that. It was a solid day for us, and I think two top-fives on that roaad course is a really good improvement.”

HARRISON BURTON, No. 20 DEX Imaging Toyota Supra, Joe Gibbs Racing

Finishing Position: 6th

How was your race today?

“The way the cards fell at the end, just a chaotic end to these races. Basically, whoever is lucky enough not to get wiped out or a hole opens up or whatever it may be, you just have to try to find holes. Those last restarts kind of hurt us, that’s something we can go back and watch and get better at. I felt like we had good speed all day in our DEX Imaging Supra, just not quite enough to be dominant, but close, so that was a good set-up. It’s little frustrating, but good overall.”

Ford Performance NASCAR: Cindric’s NXS Runner-Up Finish Leads Ford on Daytona Road Course

By
Official Release
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Ford Performance Post-Race Recap
NASCAR Xfinity Series – Super Start Batteries 188 
Daytona Road Course | Saturday, February 20, 2021

FORD FINISHING RESULTS:
2nd — Austin Cindric
25th — Cody Ware
27th — Ryan Sieg
39th — Riley Herbst

FORD PERFORMANCE QUOTES

AUSTIN CINDRIC, No. 22 PPG Ford Mustang — POST-RACE INTERVIEW — “Obviously, I don’t want to be racing to a stage probably that aggressive.  I’d love to see a replay.  Just hopefully we can avoid something like that because AJ and I were gonna be fighting for a win later today, so I hate to be able to do that much damage to our PPG Ford Mustang that early.  It just seemed like he was trying to block, whether if he didn’t know I was there or not.  It sucks.  It’s over with, but we salvaged a great day out of it.  Congratulations to Ty.  That’s obviously really cool.  Congrats to him and his family.  P2, I’ll take it.”

POST-RACE PRESS CONFERENCE

THOUGHTS ON YOUR START TO THE SEASON WITH A WIN AND A RUNNER-UP?  “Yeah, it’s obviously a great start to the season big picture-wise.  I wish we would have been able to do a little bit more tonight.  If that caution hadn’t come out, but it’s the what-ifs of racing.  Those restarts were crazy.  I hope everyone else enjoyed it because that was stressful and that was challenging, but, overall, it’s a great way to start the year.  I wish we would have been able to get our PPG Ford Mustang in victory lane, but it was not in the cards on those restarts.”


IS IT IMPORTANT FOR YOUR TEAM TO COME OUT OF THE BOX STRONG AND SEND A MESSAGE TO THE FIELD THAT YOU GUYS ARE THE FAVORITES AND YOU’RE GOING TO PERFORM LIKE THAT?  “Yeah, the more you can be offensive than defensive the better.  The last couple weeks we have in some ways maybe painted a target on us as being guys that are willing to race hard to win, so I’m excited that we’re bringing that speed early on in the year, but there’s nothing guaranteed, so you’ve got to keep it going.  You’ve got to be able to keep bringing those race cars.  We have a bunch of different types of tracks coming up on the schedule and I’m looking forward to seeing what we’ve got to start the season.”

DO YOU THINK THERE WILL BE ANY LINGERING AFTER EFFECTS WITH AJ AFTER WHAT HAPPENED IN STAGE 1?  “I doubt it.  I think he and I should talk about it to understand.  Obviously, we had two really great cars capable of winning the race and definitely damaged mine and I never saw him the rest of the afternoon, so I’m sure it obviously affected his chances at winning the race.  It’s frustrating, but I think we can both learn from it and try not to do that again.  He’s a grown-up.  He’s been around.  I’m sure we can talk it out and figure out how to do better moving forward.”

HAVE YOU SEEN THE REPLAY YET?  “That was like three minutes ago, so, no, I have yet to see a TV replay.  I’m fairly certain I know what happened and whether if it’s a difference of opinion or a miscommunication over the spotter radio, I mean, I could probably be equally frustrated or even more frustrated with AJ, so I don’t think that’s the right approach to take.  Like I said earlier, I think we both just need to sit down and talk about it and understand that we both hurt our chances of winning today because of it and move forward and be better.”

HAD YOU EVER RACED TY GIBBS BEFORE AND WHAT DID HE DO TONIGHT TO IMPRESS YOU?  “Yeah, obviously Ty did a really great job tonight.  He didn’t seem to put a wheel wrong at least when I was behind him.  I haven’t raced him before, but he seemed to be able to handle a lot of situations well and I put him in some pretty tough spots trying to hang onto the lead and he did a great job with it.  There were a lot of times I could have easily been shoved off the racetrack, so I felt like he raced me fair, but the way those restarts worked out I’m not sure I could have done much different.  I’m shocked that he didn’t rip the splitter off of it going through the grass heading into turn one on the final restart, so it was cool to watch his interview.  That’s cool for him and his family, so it’ll be interesting to see what he does the rest of the year in his races.  It’s a cool way to start for him.”


HOW DID THE CHANGES TO THE BACKSTRETCH CHICANE WORK?  DID IT IMPACT HOW YOU RACED AT ALL?  “I thought it was a good compromise.  I’m glad that they didn’t put the turtles in the first two curbs because they’re pretty high-speed entries and can do a lot more damage than probably just grass, so I think they found the right compromise.  I don’t see it working very well for a sports car, but it’s a good, quick fix for NASCARs.”

HOW MUCH DID THE DAMAGE TO THE RIGHT-FRONT AFFECT THE CAR AND WAS THAT A DETERMINING FACTOR AT THE END ONCE TY GOT CLEAN AIR?  “I don’t think it changed anything at the end of the race.  By the time I got into second-place he was gone.  All l had to hope for was him screwing up or a caution coming out.  I felt like on equal terms I probably could have been able to make a pass, but it definitely affected my handling in some of the higher speed corners and I’d almost put money on it affecting my braking.  My braking got significantly worse throughout the evening.  I made a lot of mistakes on the brakes while in the lead.  I’m not very proud of those, but just have to go back and understand it better — see what our brake wears look like — and obviously losing a ton of downforce and adding a lot of drag, so definitely didn’t help in a lot of facets.  I wish we wouldn’t have had to overcome th

Ty Gibbs nabs his first win in the NASCAR Xfinity Series

By
Michelle Lippold
-
Photo by Chis Graythen for Getty Images.

The NASCAR Xfinity Series held the Super Start Batteries 188 At Daytona Presented by O’Reilly Saturday for some road course racing. It was an extremely exciting race, and one driver got his first win in his first-ever Xfinity Series start. That driver was 18-years-old Ty Gibbs in his No. 54 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota.

“You know, can’t thank everyone right now. This is like a dream come true for me.” Gibbs said, “I can’t do burnouts, that’s one thing I cannot do at all.” An emotional Gibbs added, “This is just a dream come true to me. I really didn’t think I had it there. Kind of fought back and won.”

Austin Cindric tangled with A.J. Allmendinger in the first stage and it looked like he wasn’t going to be a front runner. Cindric managed to fight back and bring his No. 22 Penske Racing Ford home in second place. He was hoping for a win for his team owner Roger Penske’s 84th birthday.

Cindric stated, “Obviously I don’t want to be racing to a stage that aggressively. I’d love to see the replay on that. Congrats to Ty.”

Coming in third was Daniel Hemric who was up in the mix of things the whole race, but couldn’t catch Gibbs and Cindric.

Stage 1:

Stage 1 only had one caution and that was for fluid on the track. The excitement was at the end when Allmendinger and Cindric got together coming to caution. Cindric held on to win the stage.

Stage 2:

Stage 2 started with Harrison Burton at the lead but six laps later Gibbs would take the top spot away. There were no cautions in this stage and Gibbs took the stage win easily.

Stage 3:

Stage 3 had Hemric, Gibbs and Cindric vying for the top spot. There were a couple of cautions that slowed the race some but nothing too serious. Restarts were the most interesting having cars spin off the track and back on. There were two NASCAR overtimes due to spinning cars. In the end, no one could touch Gibbs, giving him his first win in his first-ever Xfinity race. That is quite an accomplishment.

Brandon Jones and Jeb Burton would round out the top five. Harrison Burton, Miguel Paludo, Brandon Brown, Justin Haley, and Jeremy Clements finished sixth through 10, respectively.

Cindric leads the Xfinity Series standings with 105 points. Harrison Burton is in second with 81 points, Hemric is third with 75 points, fourth is Brandon Brown with 72 points and rounding out the top five is Myatt Snider with 69 points.

The NASCAR Xfinity Series will head next to Homestead Speedway on Feb. 27.

Official Results:
  1. Ty Gibbs
  2. Austin Cindric
  3. Daniel Hemric
  4. Brandon Jones
  5. Jeb Burton
  6. Harrison Burton
  7. Miguel Paludo
  8. Brandon Brown
  9. Justin Haley
  10. Jeremy Clements
  11. Brett Moffitt
  12. Landon Cassill
  13. Myatt Snider
  14. Jesse Little
  15. Michael Annett
  16. Kyle Weatherman
  17. Josh Williams
  18. Kris Wright
  19. Matt Mills
  20. Joe Graf Jr.
  21. Gray Gaulding
  22. Alex Labbe
  23. Colby Howard
  24. Tommy Joe Martins
  25. Cody Ware
  26. Justin Allgaier
  27. Ryan Sieg
  28. Noah Gragson
  29. Stephen Leicht
  30. Jeffrey Earnhardt
  31. Andy Lally
  32. Bayley Currey
  33. Preston Pardus.- Transmission
  34. Timmy Hill
  35. AJ Allmendinger
  36. Jade Buford – Suspension
  37. Ryan Vargas
  38. David Starr – Transmission
  39. Riley Herbst – Accident
  40. Natalie Decker – Accident


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