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CHEVY NTT INDYCAR SERIES STREETS OF ST. PETE: CHEVROLET POWERS RINUS VEEKAY TO ROOKIE-OF-THE-YEAR

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Official Release
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CHEVROLET RACING IN THE NTT INDYCAR SERIES
FIRESTONE GRAND PRIX OF ST. PETERSBURG
STREETS OF ST. PETERSBURG, FLORIDA
ROOKIE OF THE YEAR- RINUS VEEKAY FROM ED CARPENTER RACING
OCT. 25, 2020

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Chevrolet powers VeeKay to Rookie of the Year award
Ed Carpenter Racing driver impresses in first NTT INDYCAR SERIES season

DETROIT (Oct. 25, 2020) – An eager 19-year-old driver impressed NTT INDYCAR SERIES owner/driver Ed Carpenter during auditions on a tight street circuit and a flowing road course in August and November 2019.

Carpenter, an 18-year veteran, noted quick lap times but more importantly Rinus VeeKay’s adaptability in handling the 1,700-pound race car with Chevrolet’s powerful 2.2-liter, V-6 direct-injected, twin-turbocharged engine behind his back.

Soon after the fall test at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course, VeeKay was named the full-season driver of the No. 21 Ed Carpenter Racing Chevrolet, and his impressive first NTT INDYCAR SERIES season validated the team principal’s initial assessment.

Highlighted by a pole start that led to a third-place finish in the INDYCAR Harvest GP on the Indianapolis Motor Speedway road course in early October and a fourth-place starting position for the Indianapolis 500, the native of Hoofddorp, Netherlands, has earned the 2020 INDYCAR Rookie of the Year Award.

The award is based on points for the NTT INDYCAR SERIES Drivers’ Championship earned at each event. The winner receives a $50,000 bonus.

“On behalf of Chevrolet, congratulations to Rinus VeeKay and Ed Carpenter Racing on winning the 2020 NTT INDYCAR Series Rookie of the Year title,” said Robert Buckner, INDYCAR program manager, Chevrolet. “It was a very challenging year to be a rookie driver in this series.

“Rinus is a standout talent and everyone at Team Chevy has enjoyed watching his confidence grow along with his accomplishments. From being the top Chevrolet qualifier at the Indy 500 to a pole and podium in Race 1 of the INDYCAR Harvest GP weekend, we couldn’t be more proud. Thank you to Rinus, Ed Carpenter, Tim Broyles and everyone at Ed Carpenter Racing for this achievement and your continued partnership.”

VeeKay is the third rookie of the year award winner in a Chevrolet-powered race car in Indy car competition, and first since Stefan Johansson (Bettenhausen) in 1992. Eddie Cheever (Ganassi) in 1990 also was a recipient.

“Rinus has really shown a ton of growth this season. His ability to learn on the fly and natural speed makes it clear that his future is bright. It’s only a matter of time before he climbs the top of the podium,” said Carpenter, who had his eye on the Dutch driver since 2017 when VeeKay started his U.S. racing career on the first step of the Road to Indy ladder.

VeeKay claimed 16 wins and 36 podium finishes in 48 races in the three series, earning the 2018 Pro 2000 Championship Presented by Cooper Tires title and finishing as championship runner-up in the other two series.

“To step up from USF2000 to the NTT INDYCAR SERIES in three years is really special,” VeeKay said. “It all pays off. Keep pushing and never give up. It’s not always easy, but if you give it everything you have, and if you have the talent, you will get there, in any way possible.”

VeeKay continued to impress out of the gate this season. In his second race, he registered a fifth-place finish after starting 18th. Six weeks later, VeeKay became the fastest and highest-qualifying teenager in the 104-year history of the Indianapolis 500 with a four-lap average speed of 230.704 mph on the 2.5-mile oval.

Arie Luyendyk, who 30 years earlier recorded the first of his two Indy 500 victories, was among the first to greet his countryman after his 20th-place finish in “The Greatest Spectacle in Racing.”

“I noticed his talent a few years ago,” Luyendyk said. “Rinus has a natural speed, really impressive.”

Less than a week later, VeeKay followed with sixth- and fourth-place finishes on the 1.25-mile World Wide Technology Raceway oval, advancing a combined 22 positions from his starting spots. Returning to the IMS road course in early October, VeeKay drove the No. 21 Chevrolet to the pole position – the first for Ed Carpenter Racing on a road/street course — for the INDYCAR Harvest GP and earned his first podium finish.

“I get a car that goes around quickly, and that makes the job easier,” he said of giving the team its 21st podium.

The Rookie of the Year award is “a very nice achievement,” said VeeKay, who will continue to drive the No. 21 Ed Carpenter Racing Chevrolet in the 2021 season.

“I feel like an entirely different driver than I was at the beginning of the year,” he said. “The team has been so patient with me and given me every opportunity to learn as much as possible. I can’t wait to have that same amazing support next year. I am really looking forward to doubling my knowledge and not being a rookie.”

Team Chevy high-resolution racing photos are available for editorial use.

About Chevrolet
Founded in 1911 in Detroit, Chevrolet is one of the world’s largest car brands, doing business in more than 100 countries and selling more than 4.0 million cars and trucks a year. Chevrolet provides customers with fuel-efficient vehicles that feature engaging performance, design that makes the heart beat, passive and active safety features and easy-to-use technology, all at a value. More information on Chevrolet models can be found at www.chevrolet.com.

Race Betting in the US: What You Should Know

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SM
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Betting has always been a fun activity especially when it involves sports. Sports itself like racing is already thrilling and exciting. Knowing that you may earn money from a sport that you enjoy watching just makes it more fun and entertaining.

Fortunately for everyone, it’s so easy to wager on sports nowadays. Whether it’s racing or other sports like football, cricket, or basketball, you can easily place your bets in the comfort of your homes. You just need to be connected to the internet and find online casinos or bookies that have the odds that you’re looking for.

Race betting may not be as popular as football betting and other big sports like cricket and basketball. However, this can be as thrilling as those other sports. If you haven’t wagered on races before, here are the important things that you should know.

Looking for the Right Bookie

The first thing to consider when betting on any race is looking for the perfect bookie. Know that the perfect bookie will depend on your needs. Nowadays, there are hundreds or even thousands of online bookies and casinos that accept wagers on racing and choosing the best one can be a bit overwhelming.

Some of the factors that you should consider include convenience and the options that you have when it comes to betting odds. Know that not all online bookmakers may carry odds on the races that you’d like to wager on. The types of odds that a bookie offer should also always be checked.

When it comes to convenience, this includes the payment and withdrawal options that the bookie offers. Will it be easy for you to make a deposit or does this bookie give payouts promptly? Those are the questions you should ask when shopping for a bookie.

It’s also important that the bookie of your choice is reputable. You can check on this by reading casino or bookie review sites. It’s always nice to check on the experience of other punters with a certain bookie. It’s also a must for you to check if this online bookie is licensed and is allowed to offer its services in your area to avoid legal problems.

Types of Racing Odds

Since part of looking for the right bookie is knowing that it carries racing odds that you’d like to wager on, know that there are different types of racing bets that you can place. Here are the ones that you should know.

  • To Win Bets

This is the most popular type of auto racing bet. You just really have to pick the winner of the race. If that driver or racer wins, then you also win their bets. Placing 2nd and so on means that you lose the bet. The nature of the race or how the driver wins the race won’t matter. As long as he or she wins, you also win on your bet.

  • Stage Winners

There are stages of the race when the tournament or competition is stopped like in NASCAR. When you are placing this type of bet, you get to bet on the different stage winners. You can bet on the winners of the first two stages or the winner of the final stage if we’re talking about NASCAR.

  • Matchup Bets

For this type of bet, the bookie will be picking two drivers in the race and you will have to pick the one that you think will finish better than the other. Basically, during the whole of the race, you only focus on these two drivers. It doesn’t matter if your pick finishes second or so. As long as he defeats the other driver, then you win.

  • Pole Position Bets

For the pole position bet, you will be picking the driver with the fastest qualifying time and start first. There could be odds for each driver and this means that you can also just focus on one driver. This depends on the bookie where you’ll be placing your bet. This is what you should give a try if you want to feel immediate excitement as soon as the race begins.

  • Podium Finish Bets

For this, you will be picking a driver that will finish in the top three. As long as he or she is part of the top three, then you win your bet. If the driver finishes first, then you may get an additional reward for that too.

  • Futures Bets

An example of this betting on the end-season champion. You need to pick a winner but not of a single race but the entire cup or tournament instead.

  • Fastest Lap Bets

This sounds exactly the way it is. You will need to pick a driver who will have the fastest lap. It doesn’t matter if the driver wins or loses. As long as he or she has the fastest lap, then you also win.

  • Prop Bets

Prop bets are present in most forms of sports betting. For racing, prop bets could be how many cautions there will be during a race or if a particular track record will be broken. These are components or small parts of a racing event that you can wager on.

Team Penske NASCAR Xfinity Series Race Report – Texas

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Official Release
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Team Penske NASCAR Xfinity Series Race Report
Track: Texas Motor Speedway
Race: O’Reilly Auto Parts 300
Date: October 24, 2020
___________________________________________________
No. 22 Menards/Richmond Ford Mustang – Austin Cindric
Start: 7th
Stage 1: 6th
Stage 2: 5th
Finish: 4th
Status: Running
Laps Completed: 200/200
Laps Led: 10
Point Standings (behind first): 2nd (-30)

Notes:

Austin Cindric led laps and was in contention for a win before settling for a fourth-place finish Saturday afternoon at Texas Motor Speedway. Cindric claimed his 18th top-five finish of the season and his fourth in six starts at Texas. The driver of the Menards/Richmond Ford enters the final race of the NASCAR Xfinity Series Round of 8 second in the standings, 30 behind leader Chase Briscoe and 14 ahead of the cutline.

Cindric started the 200-lap, 300-mile event from seventh position after the field was set per the NASCAR rule book. He battled a loose-handling Menards/Richmond Mustang throughout the first 45-lap stage, a segment that was slowed by four yellow flags including the competition caution on lap 20. Crew chief Brian Wilson called his driver to the pit lane during the competition caution for four tires, fuel, and adjustments to aid the loose balance of the No. 22 Mustang. Cindric restarted 26th on lap 25 and steadily worked his way through traffic over the next 20 laps to finish sixth at the conclusion of Stage 1. Wilson made call to pit during the stage caution for four tires. A mix of different pit strategies shuffled Cindric back to 20th when the race went green on lap 51.

The 22-year-old driver raced his way to the eighth position by lap 60 and over the long run, the balance on the Menards/Richmond Ford improved. Cindric began running the fastest lap times on track and finished fifth when the caution-free Stage 2 ended on lap 90. He pitted during the stage caution for four tires and restarted third on lap 97.
Stage 3 was hampered by five cautions with Cindric steadily running among the top-five. He pitted during the eighth caution on lap 159 for four scuffed Goodyears and fuel and took the green flag third on lap 163. He was fourth when the ninth caution on lap 170 set up a restart that changed the complexion of the race. Shortly after the restart on lap 175, playoff drivers Justin Allgaier, Ross Chastain and Brandon Jones were involved in an accident that brought out the final yellow of the race. Cindric took the lead but on lap 185, shortly after the final restart and 15 laps from the finish, he slipped up the racetrack in Turn 4 and fell to the sixth position. He was able to rebound and moved up to fourth in the closing laps to claim a top-five finish.

The NASCAR Xfinity Series returns to action at Martinsville Speedway on Saturday, October 31st, for the final race in the Round of 8. Live coverage will begin at 3:30 p.m. ET on NBC, MRN and Sirius XM NASCAR Radio

Quote: “An up and down day is definitely an understatement, from being driven through at the beginning of the race and having to waste a set of tires to get the Menards/Richmond Ford Mustang back to where it needed to be. We had a car that in clean air I think would have been able to contend for the win. The No. 7 (Justin Allgaier) and the No. 10 (Ross Chastain) were both probably just as good and it was whoever had track position. That last restart did not work out. The track was not clean up high. You got to drive it in like you want to keep the lead and I did. I kept it off the wall. I’m frustrated about that but don’t have any regrets. Somehow, we gained points today. Thanks to my team for sticking with me. I drove every lap 100 percent and I’m just glad this thing is still in one piece.”

Toyota Racing NXS Post-Race Recap — Texas 10.24.20

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Official Release
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ROOKIE HARRISON BURTON MAKES A LAST LAP PASS TO SCORE VICTORY AT TEXAS
Burton earns his third victory of the season at Texas Motor Speedway

FORT WORTH (October 24, 2020) – Rookie of the Year leader Harrison Burton drove past leader Noah Gragson on the final corner to score the win in the O’Reilly Auto Parts 300 at Texas Motor Speedway on Saturday evening. Burton started the day by scoring his first career NASCAR Xfinity Series stage win in the second stage before suffering a spin, but that didn’t get the 20-year-old driver down. He drove back through the field and to Victory Lane for the third time in his career. With the victory, Burton and his father, Jeff Burton, become the first father-son duo to win at Texas Motor Speedway. Brandon Jones also had a great Supra winning the opening stage. Jones was running in the top-five when he was involved in an accident. He was unable to finish the race, but due to his work in the first two stages, Jones goes into the final race of the Round of 8 – Martinsville Speedway – just four points below the cutline.

Toyota Racing Post-Race Recap
NASCAR Xfinity Series (NXS)
Texas Motor Speedway
Race 31 of 33 – 300 miles, 200 laps

TOYOTA FINISHING POSITIONS
1st, HARRISON BURTON
2nd, Noah Gragson*
3rd, Anthony Alfredo*
4th, Austin Cindric*
5th, Brandon Brown*
13th, MATT MILLS
20th, CJ MCLAUGHLIN
25th, BRANDON JONES
31st, RILEY HERBST
33rd, AUSTIN HILL
34th, CHAD FINCHUM
36th, TIMMY HILL
*non-Toyota driver

TOYOTA QUOTES

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

Finishing Position: 1st

Did you think with one lap to go that you would have a shot at Noah Gragson?

“We had such a fast race car. I’ve never driven anything harder than that last corner in my life. I don’t know how it stuck. I think this might be my first win with Morton Buildings on the hood and with DEX as well. This Toyota Supra was so fast. I’ve never spun out and then come back and won so that’s kind of cool. We were obviously pushing the limits all day with speed. That’s just kind of what we came to do was to be fast and to win our first stage of the year was a good sign. To do what we did on that last lap was incredible. I don’t know how it happened, but I’m pretty damn glad it did.”

Did you talk yourself up knowing you had once chance coming to the checkered flag?

“That was kind of the only thing that was in my head. My team had talked to me about what the other guys were doing through three and four to get speed. I kind of timed that by about three or four and it stuck. I don’t know. Hats off to the 9 (Noah Gragson) for racing me clean today and hats off to the rest of the competitors. That was such a fun race. What a cool place to win at – we get to go home with cowboy hats, that’s awesome.”

How were you able to make the last lap pass?

“That was the best corner I’ve ever driven in my life. I don’t know, if I knew how to do it, I would do it every lap. Something about what happened with the 9 (Noah Gragson) and the lapped cars and the lane I took just stuck. We struggled after we won that stage and we spun. We were honestly pretty horrible. We were running 10th and we just kept tightening the car and tightening the car and then all of the sudden it came back alive. I don’t know what happened in the middle there. I lost my voice, my throat hurts, I was screaming so loud. What a race. That was so much fun. To come from the back, to spin and come back and win – it’s a testament to how strong this team is and hopefully what is more to come in the future.”

Did you have to mentally come back from the spin?

“A little bit. Obviously, when you spin out, you stepped over the boundaries. You kind of are nervous to get back on the edge of that boundary because you’ve already paid the price for it once. I’ve got grass all over me, there’s grass in the race car. I don’t know how we didn’t tear the nose off of it in the grass, but I’m pretty happy we didn’t because it worked out for us in the end.”

What does it feel like to win in Texas?

“It’s the best place. For whatever reason, I love this race track. It’s so fun. The victory lane is amazing with all the fire and the cowboy hats and all that. It’s somewhere my Dad (Jeff Burton) won his first race in a Cup car at so to add to that kind of legacy is awesome. My cousin (Jeb Burton) won his first truck race here. We’ve got a lot of good family history here and hopefully we can keep it going.”

Was the line you used to make the pass the line you wanted to use?

“Honestly, the last few laps there behind the 21 (Anthony Alfredo), I was running the bottom through there and I was making good time, but once I went up to the PJ1, I felt that was the place to be. I’m in a position with us being out of the Playoffs now, where I can just say, ‘Hey, if I wreck, I wreck, I’m going for the win.’ I drove the car in probably too deep and got on the gas probably too soon and for whatever reason it stuck. If I could do that every lap, I wish I could, but I think we saw earlier in the race that I can’t because I spun out trying to do the same thing. I’m not really sure how or why it stuck, but I’m pretty excited that it did.”

How special is it to win at a track where your father (Jeff Burton) won during his Cup career?

“That’s always cool. I love winning at places that I grew up either watching my Dad win at or seeing videos and pictures of my Dad winning. My Dad won his first Cup race here and I think it was the first Cup race here as well. Seeing pictures of my Mom crying and my Dad excited and all that. I grew up kind of watching that stuff. When my racing career kind of took off in a way where I had opportunities to come to the places that my Dad had raced at, it was always cool to kind of remember what I did here as a kid, playing on the playgrounds or eating at the race track or being in the motorhome lot with other kids in here. Now, to kind of write my own or be my own man and do my own thing here is awesome. Obviously, I haven’t done it at the level that my Dad did yet and he will probably still hold that over me as much as he can, but hopefully one day I can do that as well.”

Did you think you could catch Noah Gragson when you got around Anthony Alfredo?

“I knew it had to be a pretty special group of laps there. I looked at the gap and I knew that there was lapped traffic. That was something that I kind of factored in that maybe I could get through there better. I knew I just had to be perfect with hitting marks and just driving as hard as I possibly could. I’ve never really, I wish I could explain to you guys what it’s like those last few laps. How locked in you are, how focused you are. It’s like you’re in your own world and all you can feel is the grip level of the car and there’s definitely something to that. Being in that mental state of those last few laps to make it happen. I wish I could find a way to be that way throughout the whole race. I think that might be worth something. I need to look into that.”

How much do you lean on your father (Jeff Burton) for advice versus gain your own experience?

“As far as actually driving goes, I kind of have to rely on my own experience. You feel things your own way, you drive the car your own way and you want the car to be a certain way so you can drive it yourself, not so someone else can drive it. For actually driving, once I got older, my Dad stepped back. What my Dad was always great at and what I want to be great at one day is the mental side of the game. My Dad was always trying to be the best he could be. It kept him up at night knowing that other people were working trying to beat him. I kind of have that same drive in me as well where if I hear someone is working hard, that makes me want to work harder than them. I don’t know exactly what he was talking about, I haven’t re-watched the race yet. The talks that mean the most between me and my Dad is digging deep. This is such a hard sport. There are so many things that can’t go your way and so many things that can go your way and sometimes you can’t explain why or why not they happen. Being mentally tough, something that my Dad always was, is really important to me and something that I’m really proud to have from my Dad. He’s a hero to me so that’s definitely cool.”

When did you think you could get around Noah Gragson?

“Not until the last corner honestly. I knew that I had a shot. I never gave up, but not until the last corner did I think I had a real shot at passing him. I don’t really know how it stuck. I drove the car and just decided that if I crashed, I crashed or if I won, I won. That’s kind of a good place to be mentally I guess where you’re able to say that or do that. I honestly didn’t expect it until I was side-by-side with him and then I was worried about the drag race to the line, but we had so much momentum that we were gone. Then I was just excited.”

Do you have your plans confirmed for 2021?

“I don’t have anything to announce here yet, but I think we’re heading in the right direction. I love where I’m at. My partners that I have are amazing. Morton Buildings, they’ve been with me for so long and I’m pretty sure this might be the first win I’ve ever had with them. For whatever reason, it worked out that all the races I’ve won have been the DEX car and now this weekend we’re in the DEX and Morton’s Supra. That’s pretty cool. Hopefully, that kind of helps build those relationships. Those people that are on the car are why I can race and hopefully they’re excited. I’m excited to go home and call and talk to all those guys.”

BRANDON JONES, No. 19 Toyota Service Centers Toyota Supra, Joe Gibbs Racing

Finishing Position: 25th

Brandon, you had a great car today. You won the first stage, and then got caught up in an accident not of your own making. Can you talk about your finish?

“I feel like track position is everything and it’s been that way for at least three quarters of the year so far. We get really good track position to start the race and can maintain it. A couple of guys try to short pit us and then once we flip-flop and start getting back in the field a little bit that’s when we start struggling. The balance is so good in clean air that when we put a bunch of cars around us, that’s when it changes. We are going to keep working on it and we are going to eventually get it dialed in. I think we made huge gains, huge improvements on our Supra this time around versus the past. Just able to see how much we are able to get the car to be able to turn there in the end. We were in the right position coming to that last restart that we had. We were kind of leaning towards the top thinking that it was going to be better, but we had that same thing go through our mind – if one of those guys were to slide up or take us out – but you hate to race like that, with fear of all of that stuff. I guess we kind of know now going forward. Harrison (Burton) winning was a big help. I’ve got the truck race before our race next week, so I think that’s going to be a huge one-up on everybody to have some laps on the track and to have just a race under your belt. I’m looking forward to it. I think we can still get into this thing. One thing is for sure, you are not going to knock us down.”

Four points out going to Martinsville. What’s your focus this week as you prepare?

“I’ve actually got simulator time Monday all the way to Thursday, and then I’ve got the race Friday, so every single day, I’m going to be making laps on the race track, which is really good. Having the truck race gave me a little added time. I’m going to get on the last day of the week before the race I’m going to get on iRacing for sure with Blake (Koch) and run through a bunch of stuff. He’s been helping myself and Harrison (Burton) a bunch this year. We are going to put a lot of effort into it for sure. There’s a lot of unknowns going into the weekend. I think we are basing our cars a bunch on our Cup cars since they go there every year but still some kind of unknowns for sure.”

# # #

About Toyota

Toyota (NYSE:TM) has been a part of the cultural fabric in the U.S. and North America for more than 60 years, and is committed to advancing sustainable, next-generation mobility through our Toyota and Lexus brands. During that time, Toyota has created a tremendous value chain as our teams have contributed to world-class design, engineering, and assembly of more than 40 million cars and trucks in North America, where we have 14 manufacturing plants, 15 including our joint venture in Alabama (10 in the U.S.), and directly employ more than 47,000 people (over 36,000 in the U.S.). Our 1,800 North American dealerships (nearly 1,500 in the U.S.) sold nearly 2.8 million cars and trucks (nearly 2.4 million in the U.S.) in 2019.

Through the 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.

HARRISON BURTON TAKES LEAD IN FINAL TURN, EARNS VICTORY IN O’REILLY AUTO PARTS 300 AT TEXAS MOTOR SPEEDWAY

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Official Release
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· Last-lap, last turn pass of Gragson earns second-generation driver his first victory at The Great American Speedway
· Late-race wreck damages championship hopes for Allgaier, Jones, Chastain

FORT WORTH, Texas (OCT. 24, 2020) – Second-generation NASCAR driver Harrison Burton earned his first stage win of the 2020 NASCAR Xfinity Series season, spun just past the halfway point and then battled back to pass Noah Gragson on the final turn of the final lap to win the O’Reilly Auto Parts 300 at Texas Motor Speedway.

The victory, by 0.445-of-a-second, was the third of the season for the series rookie and Huntersville, North Carolina native. His first two victories came at Auto Club Speedway in March and Homestead-Miami Speedway in June.

“We were obviously pushing the limits all day and that’s just kinda what we came to do, to be fast,” Burton said. “To win our first stage of the year was a good sign. To do what we did on the last lap was incredible. I don’t know how it happened but I’m pretty damn glad it did.

“My team had talked to me about what the other guys were doing through (Turns) 3 and 4 to get speed and I kinda (multiplied) that by 3 or 4 and it stuck. I don’t know how. Hats off to the 9 (Gragson) for racing me clean today. Hats off to the rest of the competitors, man. That was such a fun race. What a cool place to win it. Now we get to go home with cowboy hats. That’s awesome.”

Burton and his father, Jeff Burton, who won the inaugural NASCAR Cup Series race at Texas Motor Speedway in 1997, are the first father and son to win NASCAR national series races at No Limits, Texas.

The balance of the top-10 finishers were Anthony Alfredo, Austin Cindric, Brandon Brown, Michael Annett, Justin Haley, Ryan Vargas, Josh Williams, and Tommy Joe Martins.

Nine-time race winner in 2020 Chase Briscoe, who punched his ticket to the Championship 4 last week by winning at Kansas Speedway, started from the point for the 200-lap, 300-mile affair. He handily led the first 35 laps despite two caution flags but a broken shock mount sent him to the garage for repairs with 10 laps remaining in the first stage. Brandon Jones had been battling Briscoe for the lead and took the No. 19 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota to the Stage 1 win at the conclusion of Lap 45.

Green-flag racing resumed on Lap 52 with Harrison Burton, who did not pit under caution, in the No. 20 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota at the point. Briscoe returned to competition on Lap 57, 16 laps down to the leaders. Championship contender Ryan Sieg was forced to take the No. 39 RSS Racing Chevrolet into the garage with a mechanical issue, returning multiple laps down to the leaders and forced to win next week to make the Championship 4.

Burton, already eliminated from the championship chase, earned his first stage win of 2020 when the green-and-white checkered flag waved at the conclusion of Lap 90.

The final stage went green on Lap 98 with Burton, Justin Allgaier, Austin Cindric, Noah Gragson and Michael Annett in the top five, with Riley Herbst, Ross Chastain, Anthony Alfredo, Justin Haley, and Jones rounding out the top 10.

Allgaier was leading on Lap 107 when Burton, running fourth, spun on his own exiting Turn 4. The No. 20 Toyota went spinning through the grass in the tri-oval but was able to continue on.

Multiple cautions involving Harrison Burton, Riley Herbst, and Jeb Burton, and the resulting pit stops, kept the middle portion of the final stage in a constant state of flux. Chastain took the lead on the Lap 164 restart with Allgaier in tow and quickly moved the No. 10 Kaulig Racing Chevrolet to a 1.5-second lead.

The 10th caution of the day involved three drivers and major championship implications. On the Lap 176 restart, Chastain had the lead going into Turn 2 but was forced up when Allgaier got loose underneath him. Those two cars and that of Jones all made contact and spun in the middle of the backstretch forcing the yellow flag to wave yet again. All three cars sustained damage, with Allgaier and Jones forced to the garage while Chastain was able to continue.

The final restart on Lap 186 found Gragson start from the point and quickly built a sizable lead. Burton moved into third behind Alfredo, got by him with two to go and worked his way up to Gragson’s bumper entering the final turns. Gragson moved up the track in the final turn, losing momentum and allowing Burton to slide by underneath to take the checkered flag.

Briscoe leads the point standings (3,133) and is the only driver to have clinched a spot in the Championship 4. The balance of the top 8 is Cindric (3,103), Allgaier (3,097), Haley (3,093), Jones (3,089), Chastain (3,078), Gragson (3,069) and Sieg (3,050).

There were 19 lead changes among 10 drivers and 10 cautions for 51 laps.

The Oct. 25 Autotrader EchoPark Automotive 500 doubleheader Sunday begins at 11 a.m. CT with the NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series SpeedyCash.com 400 (FS1, PRN, KFWR 95.5 The Ranch). It gives way to the NASCAR Cup Series Autotrader EchoPark Automotive 500 (2:30 p.m. CT on NBCSN, PRN and KFWR 95.5 The Ranch).

Tickets for the Autotrader EchoPark Automotive 500/SpeedCash.com 400 doubleheader are available starting at $48 at . One ticket will be good for both races and kids 12 and under are just $10.

Click for a comprehensive list of answers to frequently asked questions about the Autotrader EchoPark Automotive 500 weekend.

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NHRA field set for SpringNationals at Houston Raceway Park

By
Briar Starr
-
Photo Courtesy of NHRA

On a somber Saturday afternoon at Houston Raceway Park, NHRA teams and drivers took to the track for their respective qualifying rounds for the second to last race of the year.

Prior to the qualifying sessions taking place, NHRA paid their respects with a video to fallen team member Eric Lane (former co-crew chief on Cruz Pedregon’s team), who was tragically killed this past week. For those wanting to donate to help out Lane’s family, please visit the Go Fund Me page here. Those also interested in sending flowers or cards to the family can send them to:

Cruz Pedregon Racing
ATTN: Lane Family
462 Southpoint Circ.
Brownsburg, Indiana 46112

In addition, the team will have a donation box set up at their tent in the garage area.

After the emotional opening, the two qualifying rounds took place for Top Fuel, Funny Car, Pro Stock and Pro Stock Motorcycles.

Top Fuel

Looking to continue his late season dominance was last week’s winner Steve Torrence, who previously scored his 40th national win at the Dallas Nationals. The Longview, Texas native earned his 27th career No. 1 qualifier and the third at Houston Raceway Park. Torrence went 3.672 and 3.689 seconds in the two rounds of qualifying Saturday afternoon that places him in a bye during the first round. From there, Torrence will either face Shawn Langdon or Justin Ashley in the second round of eliminations Sunday morning.

“(Crew chief) Richard Hogan and these Capco boys have got this hot rod running on mean right now,” Torrence said. “I think that’s eight straight runs at 3.720 or better. That just gives a driver so much confidence going up there (to the starting line).”

Torrence extended his championship points lead on second place Doug Kalitta to 61 points, which was previously at 51. Should Torrence win Sunday at Houston, it will cross off one of the tracks where he has not yet won in his NHRA career, with the other being Brainerd International Raceway located in Minnesota.

Last week’s runner-up, Billy Torrence, (Steve’s dad) qualified in the third position after posting a time of 3.701 seconds. Billy will face No. 14 qualifier Joe Morrison.

First Round competitions

1. Steve Torrence, 3.672 seconds, 327.98 mph vs. Bye; 2. Tony Schumacher, 3.685, 330.07 vs. 15. Cameron Ferre, 10.492, 70.27; 3. Billy Torrence, 3.701, 327.74 vs. 14. Joe Morrison, 7.028, 89.62; 4. Antron Brown, 3.741, 326.87 vs. 13. Scott Palmer, 6.440, 99.46; 5. Doug Kalitta, 3.764, 269.78 vs. 12. Kebin Kinsley, 5.235, 132.11; 6. Leah Pruett, 3.767, 324.20 vs. 11. Lee Callaway, 4.131, 224.88; 7. Clay Millican, 3.802, 276.58 vs. 10. Doug Foley, 3.913, 301.87; 8. Shawn Langdon, 3.812, 269.67 vs. 9. Justin Ashley, 3.881, 256.99. 

Funny Car

In the Funny Car division, Don Schumacher Racing’s Jack Beckman earned some points by once again being fast in qualifying. Beckman, the Dallas Nationals winner, scored the No. 1 qualifier by going 4.093 and 242.58 mph in Round 1 while going 3.884 seconds and 328.14 mph in the second round. By doing so, Beckman gains three additional points for setting the pace in both qualifying rounds.

“If we beat four people tomorrow, they’ll hand us another trophy,’ Beckman said following his No. 1 qualifier effort. “I didn’t ever think, with 17 cars here, that (Ron) Capps would be the No. 16 qualifier but I’m happy. We know we are going to have to earn this championship. I’d rather take it from the No. 1 spot because Matt (Hagan) had a four-point lead coming in. He stretched that out in Q1 and now we tightened that (points) back up a little bit.”

Don Schumacher Racing has been on fire as of late and they’ll look forward to potentially getting their 13th consecutive final round victory with Beckman hoping to be the one to deliver the victory to the team.

“The streak of the Don Schumacher Racing cars is awesome but it’s also ulcer-inducing because it’s always one of our cars next to us to when we go to the late rounds, or in tomorrow’s case, round one,” Beckman continued. “Four win lights tomorrow is what we need.”

Beckman will have lane choice and will square off against his Don Schumacher teammate Ron Capps in Round 1, who qualified 16th. The No. 1 qualifier was Beckman’s 28th of his NHRA Funny Car career.

First Round competitions

1. Jack Beckman, Dodge Charger, 3.884, 328.14 vs. 16. Ron Capps, Charger, 5.295, 136.44; 2. Matt Hagan, Charger, 3.907, 327.74 vs. 15. Dave Richards, Ford Mustang, 5.269, 169.85; 3. J.R. Todd, Toyota Camry, 3.923, 328.62 vs. 14. Terry Haddock, Mustang, 5.021, 150.48; 4. Bob Tasca III, Mustang, 3.928, 325.22 vs. 13. Paul Lee, Charger, 4.492, 190.59; 5. Alexis DeJoria, Camry, 3.958, 308.21 vs. 12. Tim Wilkerson, Mustang, 4.291, 225.71; 6. Tommy Johnson Jr., Charger, 3.973, 317.94 vs. 11. Jim Campbell, Charger, 4.120, 309.70; 7. Bobby Bode III, Mustang, 4.024, 259.51 vs. 10. Blake Alexander, Mustang, 4.077, 302.62; 8. Cruz Pedregon, Charger, 4.041, 298.47 vs. 9. Chad Green, Mustang, 4.062, 294.88. Did Not Qualify: 17. Todd Simpson, 7.606, 85.74. 

Pro Stock

Up next was the Pro Stock division. Alex Laughlin, in the TexPlex Park/Havoline Chevrolet Camaro, went 6.506 seconds, and 210.73 mph to qualify on the pole in the Pro Stock category. The pole position was Laughlin’s third of his NHRA career and the first of the 2020 season.

Laughlin will be scheduled to face No. 16 Fernando Caudra in the first round. Caudra posted a time of 6.506 seconds, and 208.20 mph to give him 16th for the first round.

1. Alex Laughlin, Chevy Camaro, 6.506, 210.73 vs. 16. Fernando Cuadra, Ford Mustang, 6.605, 208.20; 2. Greg Anderson, Camaro, 6.517, 212.23 vs. 15. Mason McGaha, Camaro, 6.593, 209.04; 3. Erica Enders, Camaro, 6.517, 211.36 vs. 14. Bruno Massel, Camaro, 6.578, 209.72; 4. Aaron Stanfield, Camaro, 6.520, 211.30 vs. 13. Kenny Delco, Camaro, 6.558, 210.50; 5. Deric Kramer, Camaro, 6.527, 210.70 vs. 12. Troy Coughlin Jr., Mustang, 6.546, 209.56; 6. Jeg Coughlin, Camaro, 6.528, 210.14 vs. 11. Matt Hartford, Camaro, 6.546, 209.82; 7. Jason Line, Camaro, 6.532, 211.79 vs. 10. Chris McGaha, Camaro, 6.541, 210.57; 8. Bo Butner, Camaro, 6.540, 211.23 vs. 9. Kyle Koretsky, Camaro, 6.540, 210.34. Did Not Qualify: 17. Val Smeland, 6.638, 209.07; 18. Alan Prusiensky, 6.664, 196.30; 19. Cristian Cuadra, 24.214, 29.40. 

Pro Stock Motorcycle

Finally, Pro Stock Motorcycle took to the track for their qualifying sessions. Matt Smith, the King, North Carolina native, won his 43rd career No. 1 qualifier after going 6.729 seconds and 199.88 mph. The top spot was Smith’s fifth of the season. The DENSO Auto Parts/Stockseth/MSR EBR driver will face No. 16 Marc Ingwersen who broke in qualifying.

 1. Matt Smith, EBR, 6.729, 199.88 vs. 16. Marc Ingwersen, EBR, broke; 2. Angelle Sampey, Harley-Davidson, 6.789, 198.88 vs. 15. David Barron, EBR, 15.035, 48.32; 3. Eddie Krawiec, Harley-Davidson, 6.799, 197.48 vs. 14. Michael Phillips, Suzuki, 7.655, 189.52; 4. Ryan Oehler, EBR, 6.808, 197.08 vs. 13. Kelly Clontz, Suzuki, 6.967, 191.43; 5. Andrew Hines, Harley-Davidson, 6.811, 197.65 vs. 12. Chris Bostick, Suzuki, 6.958, 192.22; 6. Jerry Savoie, Suzuki, 6.836, 193.71 vs. 11. Steve Johnson, Suzuki, 6.935, 190.46; 7. Angie Smith, EBR, 6.842, 199.17 vs. 10. Hector Arana Jr, EBR, 6.919, 195.82; 8. John Hall, Suzuki, 6.875, 193.05 vs. 9. Scotty Pollacheck, EBR, 6.900, 197.36. 

NHRA eliminations are scheduled to take place Sunday morning at 10 a.m. local time for the 33rd annual Houston Spring Nationals, with coverage on FOX Sports 1 beginning at 2 p.m. ET.

Harrison Burton steals the win at Texas Motor Speedway

By
Michelle Lippold
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Harrison Burton celebrates with a burnout after winning the NASCAR Xfinity Series O'Reilly Auto Parts 300 at Texas Motor Speedway on October 24, 2020. Photo by Chris Graythen/Getty Images.

The NASCAR Xfinity Series held their race at Texas Motor Speedway today and for the third time in his career, Harrison Burton brought home the trophy. Burton, in his No. 20 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota, made a last-lap pass to drive by Noah Gragson for the win.

“We had such a fast race car, I’ve never driven anything harder than that last corner in my life,” Burton said. “! don’t know how it stuck! I lost my voice screaming. Gosh, that was special.” He added, ” I’ve never spun out and came back to win so that was kinda cool.”

A disappointed Gragson, in his No. 9 JR Motorsports Chevrolet, would come home in second place.

“I thought we had a fast car there, just a little tight all day,” he said. “I am just frustrated with myself, I don’t know. I was pretty tight there at the end and seen Alfredo holding Harrison off and thought we were getting away. Then I saw the 20 pass the 21 and ran me down in like, two laps. I knew he was coming, I just didn’t expect him to get there.”

Finishing third in his No.21 RCR Chevrolet was Anthony Alfredo.

Austin Cindric and Brandon Brown would round out the top five. Michael Annett, Justin Haley, Ryan Vargas, Josh Williams, and Tommy Joe Martins finished sixth through 10th, respectively.

Stage 1 had only one minor caution and Brandon Jones won the first stage.

Stage 2 went flag to flag without any cautions and H. Burton won that stage.

Stage 3 saw several cautions fly with the majority having only one car involved. The last caution of the race saw four top cars involved including Justin Allgaier, Austin Cindric, Ross Chastain, and Brandon Jones. That set up for a crazy finish as Harrison flew by Gragson coming out of turn four to take the checkered flag.

The Playoff picture shows Briscoe in with his win, then Cindric at +14 points, Allgaier +8 points, and Haley with +4 points.

Below the cut line are B. Jones -4, Ross Chastain -15, Gragson -24, and Sieg with -43.

The NASCAR Xfinity Series’ next race is Saturday, Oct. 31 at Martinsville Speedway.

Power Owns Streets of St. Pete with Another Pole; Newgarden To Start 8th, Dixon 11th

By
Official Release
-

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (Oct. 24, 2020) – Will Power, the qualifying master of both the NTT INDYCAR SERIES and on the streets of St. Petersburg, reigned again Saturday, winning the NTT P1 Award for pole position in St. Petersburg, Florida.

Power posted a top lap of 1 minute, 1.0369 seconds in the No. 12 Verizon Team Penske Chevrolet in the Firestone Fast Six of qualifying for Sunday’s Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg. Live coverage of the season finale on the 14-turn, 1.8-mile street course begins at 2:30 p.m. (ET) on NBC and the Pennzoil INDYCAR Radio Network.

“I thought we had worse tires than the other guys, but I just absolutely nailed it, man,” Power said. “Really, really good lap. I had to work the wheel hard for that one. I’m so stoked to get the Verizon car on pole again. Hopefully we can get Chevy in Victory Lane tomorrow. That would be fantastic.”

Power’s pole run extended a long list of accolades. It was his ninth career pole at St. Petersburg in 12 qualifying attempts, and it was Team Penske’s 10th pole position at St. Pete, with all but one coming from Power.

2014 NTT INDYCAR SERIES champion Power scored his fifth pole of the season and his second consecutive after starting first in the INDYCAR Harvest GP presented by GMR Race 2 on the Indianapolis Motor Speedway road course Oct. 3. Power also made one step closer to history by scoring his 62nd career pole. He now sits just five behind the all-time INDYCAR record of 67, set by the legendary Mario Andretti.

“I’m able always to take it to another level, and I can only do it once a weekend, I reckon,” Power said. “It’s something I love. I just absolutely love getting the most out of something and perfecting a craft I’ve been working at for 25 years.”

Joining Power on the front row will be Alexander Rossi in the No. 27 AutoNation / NAPA AUTO PARTS Honda, who continued Andretti Autosport’s strong day and posted a best lap of 1:01.1730. Rossi has four consecutive top-10 starts to close the season as he also looks to end the year with four consecutive podium finishes.

Colton Herta, who was fastest in practice, qualified third in the No. 88 Capstone Turbine #ShiftToGreen Honda at 1:01.1815. Fellow Andretti driver James Hinchcliffe qualified fourth in the No. 26 Gainbridge Honda at 1:01.3626, and Jack Harvey, who drives for Meyer Shank Racing with an Andretti technical alliance, qualified fifth in the No. 60 AutoNation/SiriusXM Honda at 1:01.3675.

The two athletes competing for the Astor Challenge Cup were noticeably missing from the Firestone Fast Six.

Defending series champion Josef Newgarden failed to make it out of Round 2 and qualified eighth in the No. 1 Hitachi Team Penske Chevrolet with a time of 1:00.8676.

“We took a swing at it for Q2, and it wasn’t the right direction,” Newgarden said. “I didn’t get the most out of it. I definitely had a lot of slides and wasn’t clean. I think just putting a clean lap together would have been good to transfer, and we just didn’t do the job. It makes our program a little harder for tomorrow, but we’ve still got to go for the win with the Hitachi Chevy boys. Yeah, we can we from there. We just made it a little harder.”

Meanwhile, points leader Scott Dixon will be forced to play defense in tomorrow’s 100-lap race after posting the second-to-last time in Round 2 of qualifying. Dixon will start 11th in the No. 9 PNC Bank Chip Ganassi Racing Honda after posting a time of 1:01.0283. He must finish ninth or better to clinch his sixth series title.

Dixon continued a trend of tough qualifying results as of late. Five-time series champion Dixon qualified 12th and 15th, respectively, in the INDYCAR Harvest GP presented by GMR doubleheader earlier this month on the Indianapolis Motor Speedway road course.

“It was a little bit strange,” Dixon said. “Our first qualifying session, the car felt really good. Just didn’t really piece it together very well. Then we kind of flip-flopped on how we did it. The first run we did three (laps) on black and then four (laps) on red. And we thought the reds came in quick enough. But right then, with how the traffic was and having to slow down, it was really only two laps. Each corner I was making, the car was getting more grip. But I just needed another lap. It is what it is. Our mistake.”

Team Chevy’s Will Power Captures Pole Position for IndyCar Finale Through the Streets of St. Petersburg

By
Official Release
-

Will Power, driver of the #12 Verizon Team Penske Chevrolet IndyCar V6, qualifies fastest Saturday, October 24, 2020, capturing the pole position for Sunday’s final NTT IndyCar Series race of the season – The Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg -through the streets of St. Petersburg, Florida. This is the ninth time Power has qualified fastest in St. Petersburg. Power, the second all-time IndyCar pole winner with 62 (behind only Mario Andretti with 67), will start the race from the front row. (Photo by Phillip Abbott/LAT for Chevy Racing)

Will Power, driver of the #12 Verizon Team Penske Chevrolet IndyCar V6, qualifies fastest Saturday, October 24, 2020, capturing the pole position for Sunday’s final NTT IndyCar Series race of the season – The Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg -through the streets of St. Petersburg, Florida. This is the ninth time Power has qualified fastest in St. Petersburg. Power, the second all-time IndyCar pole winner with 62 (behind only Mario Andretti with 67), will start the race from the front row. (Photo by Michael L. Levitt/LAT for Chevy Racing)

Will Power, driver of the #12 Verizon Team Penske Chevrolet IndyCar V6, celebrates qualifying fastest Saturday, October 24, 2020, capturing the pole position for Sunday’s final NTT IndyCar Series race of the season – The Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg -through the streets of St. Petersburg, Florida. This is the ninth time Power has qualified fastest in St. Petersburg. Power, the second all-time IndyCar pole winner with 62 (behind only Mario Andretti with 67), will start the race from the front row. (Photo by Michael L. Levitt/LAT for Chevy Racing)

Will Power, driver of the #12 Verizon Team Penske Chevrolet IndyCar V6, celebrates qualifying fastest Saturday, October 24, 2020, capturing the pole position for Sunday’s final NTT IndyCar Series race of the season – The Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg -through the streets of St. Petersburg, Florida. This is the ninth time Power has qualified fastest in St. Petersburg. Power, the second all-time IndyCar pole winner with 62 (behind only Mario Andretti with 67), will start the race from the front row. (Photo by Michael L. Levitt/LAT for Chevy Racing)

Carter Narrowly Wins Global Mazda MX-5 Cup Championship

By
Official Release
-

Noaker dominates final race, but ends up four points short of title

St. Petersburg, Fla. (24 October 2020) – After six Global Mazda MX-5 Cup presented by BFGoodrich® Tires event weekends, 12 races, and 314 laps of hard-fought competition, it came down to just a matter of seconds and a handful of points to determine the 2021 champion.

Robert Noaker (No. 13 Robert Noaker Racing/Slipstream Performance) won the battle in St. Petersburg on Saturday-securing the maximum points by setting the fastest lap, leading the most laps, and winning the race. But it was Michael Carter (No. 08 Carter Racing Enterprises) who emerged with 293 points from the season-long war to claim the championship title and the $200,000 support package that comes from Mazda to go along with it.

After a brief full-course yellow shortly after the start, Noaker moved into the lead of the race and established a five-second gap to the field. Meanwhile, Carter was mired in eighth and forced to fight his way forward if he had any hope of keeping Noaker from emerging with the title.

“We had a problem with the car on the first lap and we thought it was the motor,” Carter said. “I think it was some braking issues, like a caliper hanging. Then, it happened again after the first restart. I said this morning (in Race One) I had never driven a race car that hard, but I think this race topped it. I had no brakes at the end and I had to climb back to fourth just to get this championship.”

Racing for much of the 45-minute contest at a statistical tie, Carter was able to move up to fifth in the closing segments of the race, ensuring the championship lead. But there was still one more chapter of drama; Carter moved into fifth because Robert Stout (No. 3 White Racing) was stopped on course, setting up a final two-lap dash to the finish. Noaker managed the lead perfectly at the restart to maintain his advantage, but Carter also made the most of the opportunity to lock into fourth at the finish.

“I was not happy to see that yellow come out because I was in fifth and I would have won by like one point,” Carter said. “It was very stressful. At the beginning of the season I never would have thought that I would be here. We first set out with a goal when we built our first Spec Miata six years ago. We went to the (Mazda Road to 24) shootout and didn’t win it, and then came back two years later and won it. And I said I was going to win Rookie of the Year and win the championship, and here we are.”

Coming into the race, Noaker needed to win, lead the most laps and set the fastest race lap to have any chance of wrestling the Championship away from Carter. He ticked all the boxes and had it not been for a late-race caution, Noaker would have won by five seconds.

“I started third and was just trying to get to the lead and just drive away, and I was able to do it,” Noaker said. “It got really spread out there for a bit and the middle of the race was probably the longest 20 minutes of my life. I hated to see when the full course caution came out. But I want to congratulate (Michael) Carter for getting the championship – it was a close race.”

Noaker walks away from the 2020 season with four race wins, but four points short of the title.

“My dad told me before the first full course yellow that Carter was in ninth and to just drive away,” Noaker said. “I did that, but he’s just such a good driver and he came back through the field and just beat me by a couple of points.”

Jared Thomas (No. 96 Carter Racing Enterprises) bounced back from a tough Race One to finish second, putting a nice final touch on his Rookie of the Year season.

“It feels great to be back on the podium,” Thomas smiled. “We had a mechanical issue in the first race which wasn’t great so we started from the back. I felt like from practice and qualifying we had a good car. We figured we would have a pretty easy race and pick up a few spots. But the car was great in the race and the crew did a great job setting it up.”

Maverick’s Justin Piscitell (No. 9 Maverick) also ended his year on a high note with a run to third at the finish, the first podium for the new team. His climb also netted him Hard Charger honors.

“Closing out the year with a third place and getting the Hard Charger is a pretty awesome way to finish the season,” Piscitell said. “Obviously every race you want to be on the top step, but to be a new team with a brand new car, to be able to come out here and get a podium is pretty awesome. We had been getting better every race and we kept working hard. I have to thank [team principal] Shea Holbrook, crew chief Tim Buck and the whole crew over at Maverick for all of the hard work.”

“I think this is exactly what we expected for this season. I raced (in the series) back in 2009 and 2010 and the field is always extremely tight—any of the top 15 guys can win. You need to have the cars really well sorted and it was never easy to come in as a new team. I think all things considered, we did a pretty awesome job progressively getting better every race.”

Following Carter across the line was Selin Rollan (No. 87 Spark Performance), who completed the top five.

As the Global Mazda MX-5 Cup ends its 2020 season, it also ends a five-year partnership with IndyCar. Everyone in the series wishes to thank the IndyCar officials, staff and corner workers for their impeccable work keeping us safe and putting on a good show.

Information on the 2021 MX-5 Cup season will be available shortly.

About: The Global Mazda MX-5 Cup presented by BFGoodrich® Tires is the signature spec series for the Mazda Road to 24 (#MRT24). Mazda-powered grassroots champions earn a Mazda scholarship to advance their career. The Global Mazda MX-5 Cup champion earns a $200,000 scholarship.

Find out more at http://www.mx-5cup.com.

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