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Ford Performance NASCAR: Talladega (Xfinity Series Post Race Quotes)

By
Official Release
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NASCAR XFINITY SERIES
SATURDAY, OCTOBER 3, 2020
AG-PRO 300 – TALLADEGA SUPERSPEEDWAY
FORD PERFORMANCE DRIVER – POST RACE QUOTES

FORD FINISHING RESULTS:
20th – Chase Briscoe
35th – Austin Cindric

CHASE BRISCOE, No. 98 HighPoint.com Ford Mustang — (Finished 20th)

THAT BLOCK YOU THREW ON THE 9 AT THE END, WALK ME THROUGH THAT AS YOU WERE TRYING TO KEEP THE LEAD: “Yeah, at the end you are doing everything you can to protect the runs and he is doing everything he can to make moves. It is just part of racing here. It was exciting, at least on my end. I about wrecked two or three times trying to block. It was cool. He had talked to Dale (Earnhardt Jr.) about how to run this place and I had talked to Dale about how to run this place and it was weird because I knew what he was trying to do every time so I was trying to protect it. Overall, it was a really good day overall for our Ford Performance Racing School Mustang. To win two stages, that is huge going into the next round. 20th obviously doesn’t tell the whole picture but that is part of racing here and we will go to the Roval next week and have some fun.”

WHEN AUSTIN CINDRIC FELL OUT AFTER BEING YOUR DANCING PARTNER ALL DAY LONG, THEY TOLD YOU THAT YOU HAD TO MAKE IT HAPPEN YOURSELF. HOW DID THE GAME CHANGE FOR YOU AT THAT POINT? “Truthfully, it was going to change regardless going into that final stage. Our whole goal the first two stages was to help the 22 get enough points and he did a really good job of trying to protect for both of us. Once he got knocked out, it obviously hurt our help but I felt like we were pretty good to be able to manage it. There at the end everyone is out there for themselves so it made it a little easier.”

AUSTIN CINDRIC, No. 22 CARQUEST Auto Parts Ford Mustang — Retired After Accident on Lap 75

“It looked like the whole pack was going to try to stop there and I felt like that was chaos, especially with how far back in the pack we were. I just got smoked from behind. I had no chance of making it to pit road. It is really unfortunate. Obviously we hit the wall a ton. I really wanted to have a great run for our CARQUEST Ford Mustang and their first race on the car for us. It is really cool to have them back in the sport. We ran up front all day. Unfortunately, circumstances kept me and the 98 from being up front with the way the slower cars stayed out. The way it worked out we went straight to the back and didn’t even have a chance. I can’t even say that we put ourselves back there. It really sucks but it is part of this type of racing. We were hoping to get ourselves locked into the next round today but we will have to go fight for it next week.”

Toyota Racing NXS Post-Race Recap — Talladega

By
Official Release
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JONES EARNS A TOP-FIVE FINISH AT TALLADEGA
Brandon Jones scores his second career top-five finish at the Alabama superspeedway

TALLADEGA, Alabama (October 3, 2020) – Brandon Jones (fifth) earned a top-five finish to lead Toyota in the Ag-Pro 300 at Talladega Superspeedway on Saturday evening. Jones’ finish puts him above the Playoff cutline heading into the final race in the Round of 12 at Charlotte next weekend. His Joe Gibbs Racing teammates – Harrison Burton and Riley Herbst – were both involved in on-track incidents leading to finishes outside of the top-20.

Toyota Racing Post-Race Recap
NASCAR Xfinity Series (NXS)
Talladega Superspeedway
Race 28 of 33 – 300.6 miles, 113 laps

TOYOTA FINISHING POSITIONS
1st, Justin Haley*
2nd, Michael Annett*
3rd, Ryan Sieg*
4th, Noah Gragson*
5th, BRANDON JONES
12th, CHAD FINCHUM
15th, TIMMY HILL
23rd, VINNIE MILLER
24th, HARRISON BURTON
34th, AUSTIN HILL
36th, RILEY HERBST
*non-Toyota driver

TOYOTA QUOTES

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

Finishing Position: 5th

Can you take us through the final laps of today’s race from your perspective?

“I think that after our Daytona race the second time, earlier this year, we’ve had so many superspeedway races so far that we really did a good job of bringing a Supra that’s capable of running speeds as quick as Xfinity internet was. Really excited to be able to come out of here with the finish that we did and the points cushion that we’ve got. I feel like those stages that we had were really good and we stayed up front. I thought the move right there to go with the 11 (Justin Haley) was going to work and I realized later what he was doing, which was not going to benefit us, but it ended up working out at the end there. Looking forward to next week to get to the Roval. I think we’ll have something strong there and surprise some people.”

RILEY HERBST, No. 18 Monster Energy Toyota Supra, Joe Gibbs Racing

Finishing Position: 36th

What did you see from inside your cockpit?

“It just sucks. This is the fastest race car I have ever had on a superspeedway. I was really excited for that. I want to thank everybody at Joe Gibbs Racing for that. It just sucks when a Truck Series guy comes in here to have fun. I’m really good friends with Austin (Hill), so I just hate to see that. If I went into the Truck Series and wrecked his Playoff hopes, he would be upset with me. I’m a little upset. We are not out of it yet. It’s going to be tough at the Roval, but we will see what we will have with the Monster Energy Supra.”

# # #

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.

CHEVY NTT INDYCAR SERIES HARVEST GP INDY: Power, Chevrolet sweep with win in Race 2 of INDYCAR Harvest GP

By
Official Release
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CHEVROLET RACING IN THE NTT INDYCAR SERIES
INDYCAR HARVEST GP
INDIANAPOLIS MOTOR SPEEDWAY ROAD COURSE
RACE 2 RECAP AND QUOTES
OCT. 3, 2020

Power, Chevrolet complete INDYCAR Harvest GP sweep

Race 1 winner Newgarden within 32 points of title lead; Chevy scores 199th win

INDIANAPOLIS (Oct. 3, 2020) – Will Power led all 75 laps of Race 2 of the INDYCAR Harvest GP on the Indianapolis Motor Speedway road course to claim his second victory of the season in the No. 12 Verizon Team Penske Chevrolet and 39th of his NTT INDYCAR SERIES career.

Chevrolet swept the doubleheader as reigning NTT INDYCAR SERIES champion Josef Newgarden, driving the No. 1 Team Penske Chevrolet, won the 85-lap Race 1 on the 2.439-mile, 14-turn road course on Oct. 2.

Chevrolet has registered 88 victories in 148 NTT INDYCAR SERIES races since returning to manufacturer competition in 2012. Overall, Chevrolet has 199 wins in Indy car racing (under AAA, USAC, CART, Champ Car, IRL and INDYCAR sanction):

Chevrolet 2.2-liter V6 twin turbocharged direct-injected engine supplier – 88: INDYCAR (2012-present)

Chevrolet V8 engine supplier — 104: CART (1987-1993) and Indy Racing League (2002-05)

Miscellaneous victories credited to Chevrolet — 7: USAC and CART (1965-81)

“Just so happy to have Verizon, Chevy in Victory Lane again,” said Power, who won by .8932 of a second over Colton Herta in the caution-free race. “We had two Hondas trying to attack us (toward the end of the race), but the Chevy had very good power and drivability, so I’m over the moon to get another win.”

It is the ninth time in his career that Power has won from the pole, including four times on the IMS road course (2015, 2017, 2018 and 2020). The win tied Al Unser for fifth on the all-time Indy car victory list.

Earlier in the day, Power claimed his fourth NTT P1 Award of the season and 61st pole of his career. Power, who has earned 37 of his career poles since 2012 in a Chevrolet-powered car, is six behind leader Mario Andretti on the all-time Indy car list.

Chevrolet has amassed 98 earned poles (102 counting poles based on entrant points when qualifications were canceled because of inclement weather) in the 148 races.

Newgarden finished fourth and Pato O’Ward, driving the No. 5 Arrow McLaren SP Chevrolet, placed fifth. Simon Pagenaud rounded out the Team Chevy top 10 with a 10th-place finish in the DXC Technology Team Penske Chevrolet.
Newgarden closed to 32 points of front-runner Scott Dixon in the chase for the driver championship heading into the heading into the season finale Oct. 25 on the 1.8-mile, 14-turn temporary street circuit in St. Petersburg, Florida. The Firestone GP of St. Petersburg will be telecast by NBC at 2:30 p.m. ET. Newgarden won the 2019 race, which was the season opener.

CHEVROLET UNOFFICIAL FINISHING RESULTS:
POS. DRIVER
1 Will Power, No. 12 Verizon Team Penske Chevrolet
4 Josef Newgarden, No. 1 Hitachi Team Penske Chevrolet
5 Pato O’Ward, No. 5 Arrow McLaren SP Chevrolet
10 Simon Pagenaud, No. 22 DXC Technology Team Penske Chevrolet
17 Rinus VeeKay, No. 21 Sonax Ed Carpenter Racing Chevrolet
18 Sebastien Bourdais, No. 14 AJ Foyt Racing Chevrolet
19 Max Chilton, No. 59 Gallagher Carlin Chevrolet
20 Conor Daly, No. 20 U.S. Air Force Ed Carpenter Racing Chevrolet
21 Helio Castroneves, No. 7 Arrow McLaren SP Chevrolet
23 Charlie Kimball, No. 4 Tresiba AJ Foyt Racing Chevrolet
24 Sage Karam, No. 24 Dreyer & Reinbold Racing Oil2Soil Chevrolet
25 Dalton Kellett, No. 41 K-Line AJ Foyt Racing Chevrolet

TOP FIVE UNOFFICIAL FINISHING RESULTS:
POS. DRIVER
1 Will Power, No. 12 Verizon Team Penske Chevrolet
2 Colton Herta, No. 88 Capstone Andretti Autosport Honda
3 Alexander Rossi, No. 27 AutoNation Andretti Autosport Honda
4 Josef Newgarden, No. 1 Hitachi Team Penske Chevrolet
5 Pato O’Ward, No. 5 Arrow McLaren SP Chevrolet

TEAM CHEVY NOTES AND QUOTES

WILL POWER, NO. 12 VERIZON TEAM PENSKE CHEVROLET – RACE WINNER: “The tires had gone away and it was a tough battle and I had to work very hard to keep him behind. I am just so happy to have Verizon and Chevy in Victory Lane again. We had two Hondas trying to attack us there but my Chevy had very good power and drive-ability, so just over the moon to get another win, especially at this place.”

JOSEF NEWGARDEN, NO. 1 HITACHI TEAM PENSKE CHEVROLET – FINISHED 4TH “We were a little shy of where we needed to be. If we had a phenomenal day like we had yesterday, we would be in really good shape. We were just mediocre today. I think we had a car to compete with Will and Herta and Rossi up there but we just didn’t start up there high enough. With the start, I got kind of buried on the inside and I tried to get as much as I could on the outside but then Santino came in running tight – but he was fine. It just got tight and I got pushed back a little too far. The key for us was being up higher earlier today. I just had to work for a lot just like Scott did. If we had a cleaner qualifying run, I think we really would have had a better day. I’m really thankful to Team Chevy. There were two wins for Team Chevy here this weekend. They did a phenomenal job, and obviously having Hitachi support is always big for us. Look, we’re in it with a shot. We’re going to go to St. Pete and try and win this championship. I just wish we were in a little closer position.”

RINUS VEEKAY, NO. 21 SONAX ED CARPENTER RACING CHEVROLET – FINISHED 17TH: “Way different race than yesterday! I wish there had been some kind of yellow so we could have done something! Two stints on blacks, that was tough. We were not quick on the blacks yesterday and that did not change for today. The last stint on reds was pretty okay, we just had some unfortunate things happen today. I wasn’t completely happy with the handling of the car, but we didn’t get the set up quite right – it happens! Everyone gave 100%, including me, and that just wasn’t enough today. Let’s head to St. Pete and send it!”

MAX CHILTON, NO. 59 GALLAGHER CARLIN CHEVROLET – FINISHED 19TH: “It was a really tough day out there today. We had an issue on the start where we got blocked and lost quite a few spots, but thankfully we were able to make them up throughout the race. We just really struggled on blacks. The reds were manageable, but the blacks had zero grip. I just didn’t feel like I could be as aggressive today as I was yesterday, so unfortunately we weren’t as competitive as we were in Race 1. Even with the fuel saving, we were still able to make up positions throughout the race especially when we were on the reds. Obviously I wish we could’ve improved today and gotten a top 10, but it just wasn’t in the cards for us.”

CHARLIE KIMBALL, NO. 4 TRESIBA CHEVROLET – FINISHED 23RD: “Honestly kind of a frustrating day. We made the decision strategically to do something different than the 14 and something different than the 41. We started on used alternate Firestones. The pace just wasn’t great. The second stint on our first set of primes (tires) we just really struggled to find lap time, so from yesterday to today we seemed to have gotten a little outside the window. I don’t know if it was weather conditions, track conditions or just the tires we had left after using a little more on yesterday’s race but going for the three stop we had to make really good lap time and we struggled with a little bit during the second stint of the race. But at the end the lap times weren’t bad on the third and fourth stints. We just need to figure out how to make the car better in qualifying so we don’t have to throw Hail Mary’s.”

DALTON KELLETT, NO. 41 K LINE USA CHEVROLET – FINISHED 25TH: “Definitely not the way we wanted to end the season for the No. 41 K Line Insulators USA crew. We thought we were looking pretty good going into the race with the two new sets of Firestone alternates (tires). When we went to sticker reds, we didn’t quite have the pace and it just seemed like the car couldn’t quite take the extra little bit of aggression to try to get that next few tenths out of it. Had a couple mistakes in (turn) 1 trying to push the brakes out a little bit deeper but getting front lock up, so that really hurt us having to take the run off road there. At the end of the day we didn’t quite have the pace or the consistency to pull off the strategy that we were trying to go for which was a bummer for the team. I think we’ve worked really hard all season and we’ve definitely made improvements but obviously today showed there’s some work that we have to do. We have to sit down and think really hard over what’s been good about the changes that we’ve made so far and what hasn’t worked and come up with a plan from there. ”

SEBASTIEN BOURDAIS, NO. 14 AJ FOYT RACING CHEVROLET – FINISHED 18TH “It was a pretty trying weekend, not where we want to be but it’s just the beginning of the relationship. We’re hoping to build something and prepare as best as possible for next year. In some respects we achieved that. We’ve got a lot of work ahead of us but if it was easy I may not be here. We have a lot to think about, a lot to go through and analyze and see what may explain what we’ve experienced this weekend. Starting from where we started today makes things very difficult but we were on the right strategy with the two-stopper because everyone who had a halfway decent day was on the two stop strategy. Passing was once again extremely difficult. Just a shame we got caught up in some guys’ messes when they tangled and got back on track like Ericsson running off the track and making us lose a couple of positions. We never could recover from that because passing was so difficult. At the end of the day, live and learn. Everybody tried real hard, the mechanics did a great job throwing all the changes that we wanted to try at the car and that was quite a bit all weekend long. We’ll keep working at it and move forward

CONOR DALY, NO. 20 U.S. AIR FORCE CHEVROLET – FINISHED 20TH: “As made a move into Turn 1 on Lap 2, we had a glitch and lost the throttle for a couple of seconds. I had to fall back to last, but honestly from then on, we had really good pace. Our second stint on new reds was great, we got up to 14th from dead last. We were making great progress but couldn’t maintain the speed on the last set of used reds. The 41 car blocked us pretty aggressively and was not very sportsmanlike, which was a shame. We just had to hang on to the finish.”

HELIO CASTRONEVES, NO. 7 ARROW MCLAREN CHEVROLET – FINISHED 21ST “The result doesn’t show how much work everyone from Arrow McLaren SP put into this weekend to make sure I was comfortable. We tried a different strategy, and even if the strategy wasn’t right, it was right for me because I could push and understand more of the car on reds. I wish we could have another qualifying and race tomorrow. I can’t thank Sam, Ric, Zak and Arrow McLaren SP enough for an amazing job. The car is in one piece which is great. Great experience. Hopefully Oliver continues to look after his health.”

PATO O’WARD, NO. 5 ARROW MCLAREN SP CHEVROLET – FINISHED FIFTH “We ended up where we started, we didn’t go backwards, we didn’t go forwards. I think we maximized absolutely everything we could out of the No. 5 Arrow McLaren SP Chevrolet. Our black tire pace was where we really lost our chance at a podium. We have some work to do, but there’s one more race to go. We are going to try and get a win before the year ends. We are going to give it hell in St. Pete.”

SIMON PAGENAUD, NO. 22 DXC TECHNOLOGY TEAM PENSKE CHEVROLET – FINISHED 10TH: “It was a big weekend for Team Penske. Will did a great job today and congratulations to him for the win. We worked hard today for a top-10 finish with the DXC Technology Chevrolet and it was a good way for us to end the weekend. With another good finish today by Josef, Team Penske has a chance to race for the championship at St. Pete so we’re all looking forward to the finale and a good result there..”

SAGE KARAM, NO. 24 DREYER & REINBOLD RACING OIL2SOIL CHEVROLET – FINISHED 24th: “While the results didn’t show it today, our Oil2Soil Chevy was much better in qualifying and the race from Thursday and Friday. We made some changes overnight that helped the race car. It’s tough out there. We ran P3 in qualifying today and, I pulled into the pits and looked at the time sheet, and I’m 11th. Wow, this series is very difficult. In the race, we tried the Firestone red tires and the car wasn’t as good as on the Firestone blacks. Later in the race, I was running very competitive laps but we lost a lot early. Our pit stops were very good today. The big thing for the DRR team, who is just getting back into road racing after a seven-year layoff, is that we learned quite a bit with the doubleheader race weekend. We lost some valuable time on Thursday in practice when we had a fuel pressure issue. But we will take the info and study it for the future races.”

Harvey Claims Sixth in the Harvest Grand Prix Race 2

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Official Release
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#21: Rinus VeeKay, Ed Carpenter Racing Chevrolet, #88: Colton Herta, Andretti Harding Steinbrenner Autosport Honda, #1: Josef Newgarden, Team Penske Chevrolet, start, #60: Jack Harvey, Meyer Shank Racing Honda, #12: Will Power, Team Penske Chevrolet

Indianapolis, Ind. (3 October 2020) – Three well executed pit stops, aggressive driving when needed and a perfect fuel strategy resulted in a strong sixth place finish for Jack Harvey and the No. 60 AutoNation / SiriusXM Honda on Saturday.

The second of two races at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway for the Harvest Grand Prix weekend ran at a flat out pace with all 75 laps of green flag racing as Meyer Shank Racing generated its fifth top 10 finish of the 2020 IndyCar season.

The second half of the double-header Harvest Grand Prix weekend began with qualifying on Saturday morning. After not getting the opportunity to make a run on reds during Qualifying on Thursday, Harvey was looking forward to a redo for Qualifying 2. Harvey put the No. 60 AutoNation / SiriusXM Honda seventh for the start of Race 2.

Another hectic yet clean run into Turn 1 on the start began the 75 lap hunt to the podium for Harvey and MSR. After falling back to ninth on the start, Harvey wasted no time to gain back one position by the second lap. The third year MSR driver capitalized on his strength in Turn 1 to pass two additional cars, moving him back up to sixth by Lap 7.

After a well executed first stop on Lap 23 for black tires, Harvey filtered back into the fray sixth. He began to close the gap to fifth from 5-seconds to 2.3-seconds before his second and final stop on Lap 51. It was a race to the finish for Harvey who closed out the 75-lap event on Firestone primary tires.

With pressure from two cars behind on alternate tires, Harvey still managed to maintain a 2-second gap for the majority of his stint despite having to manage fuel consumption at every turn. Harvey held onto sixth across the finish line, and with just enough fuel to get him an extra few feet before pulling off track with an empty tank.

“I thought the pace that we had today was decent, we finished sixth and started 7th,” said Harvey. “The strategy was just about as good as it could have got. To come out of Indy with an eighth and a sixth, it maybe is a little less than what we might have hoped. But, we’ve been so consistently qualified in the top 10 and racing in the top 10. Outside of a little bit of bad luck, I think we have finished quite well. Now we just need to figure out what steps we need to take to get to the podium.”

The NTT INDYCAR Series season finale will finish where the season was originally scheduled to start. MSR will finish the season on the Streets of St. Petersburg on October 25th. But first, the MSR squad will head to the Charlotte ROVAL for the first time as the team’s IMSA program heads into the weekend holding the championship lead.

Raphael Lessard scores first career Truck Series victory at Talladega

By
Briar Starr
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Photo by Brian Lawdermilk/Getty Images.

Albeit a last-lap crash that ended the Chevrolet Silverado 250 under caution, Raphael Lessard and Kyle Busch Motorsports utilized strategy to ride around the back of the filed before coming through to the front to collect his first Truck Series checkered flag in only his 24th start.

“Oh my gosh, that was awesome,” Lessard said. “First of all, I just want to thank everyone at home, my team, Kyle Busch Motorsports. I can’t believe it. It’s just my second superspeedway race. To get my first Truck series win here is amazing. I don’t know who was behind me but he gave me a heck of a push. I can’t thank him enough. He pushed me as hard as I could and I was just along for the ride.

“The caution came out at the right time. I’m so happy. I got to do a burnout after the win. I’m hoping I can do some more.” 

Prior to the final race in the Round of 10 for the NASCAR Gander RV and Outdoors Truck Series Playoffs race, two crew chiefs were ejected for a violation regarding vent holes in pre-race inspection. Those crew chiefs were the No. 52 of Trip Bruce for Stewart Friesen and the No. 9 of Doug George for Codie Rohrbaugh. Bruce was replaced by former Cup Series crew chief Jonathan Leonard, as Mark Huff, the General Manager for CR7 Motorsports, replaced George in the role.

Meanwhile, Kaz Grala subbed in for Natalie Decker in the No. 44 Niece Motorsports entry after Decker was not cleared to participate, due to medical reasons. Stages 20, 20 and 54 made up the 94-lap event.

Stage 1: Lap 1 – Lap 20

Through the first 10 laps or so of the first stage, the race was relatively calm. Unfortunately for playoff contender Grant Enfinger, the Alabaman suffered a left-rear tire rub on Lap 8, which forced him to pit as the tire eventually went flat. Though, the first caution flew on Lap 14, when several trucks were involved in a big crash in Turns 3 and 4. Those collected in the accident were Tate Fogleman, Joe Nemechek, Korbin Forrister, Zane Smith, Austin Wayne Self, Chase Purdy, Danny Bohn, Dawson Cram, Clay Greenfield, and Stewart Friesen.

Playoff driver Zane Smith would be out of the race early and had to wait and watch for the duration of the race to see if he would advance to the Round of 8.

The restart came with two to go but no more incidents were seen in the stage, which saw Las Vegas race winner Austin Hill take the stage victory. Gilliland, Eckes, Rhodes, Creed, Chandler Smith, Dean, Ankrum, Moffitt, and Tanner Gray completed the Top 10.

During the stage break, Eckes was penalized for being too fast on pit road and Creed clinched a playoff spot in the next round with help of his points cushion.

Stage 2: Lap 25 – Lap 40

The majority of the second stage was green until Lap 38, just two laps before the stage ended. Gus Dean in the No. 56 had his race end early when the No. 15 of Tanner Gray came down on Dean too soon off Turn 4 which caused Dean to go sliding and hitting the inside wall.

The stage ultimately ended under caution and Derek Kraus in the No. 19 Toyota grabbed the stage win. Sauter, Chandler Smith, Hill, Moffitt, Rhodes, Gilliland, Creed, Ankrum, and Crafton rounded out the Top 10 stage finishers for Stage 2.

By virtue of his finishing position through the first two stages, Moffitt clinched a playoff spot in the Round of 8.

Before the final stage restart, the Kyle Busch Motorsports trucks of Smith, Eckes, and Lessard came back down pit road to ride in the back for a little while.

Stage 3: Lap 44 – Lap 94

Another accident was seen on Lap 47 when the No. 15 of Gray crashed on the backstretch. Playoff driver Todd Gilliland blew up as well, which ended his championship hopes, and was out of the Playoffs. Fox Sports 1’s replay showed that Gray had some small help from the No. 16 of Austin Hill. Meanwhile, the No. 98 of Enfinger was finally back on the lead lap by receiving the free pass, after spending most of the race two laps down.

During the caution flag, Lessard was penalized for being too fast on pit road.

As the 250-mile race neared its end, race teams started to make their final pit stops with 30 laps to go with Austin Hill being the first to pit. Unfortunately for Hill, the Georgia native was too fast on pit road and had to serve a penalty.

While most of the lead lap trucks had pitted, two drivers, Jennifer Jo Cobb and Bryan Dauzat, were playing pit strategy by staying out and hoping for a late caution flag. However, as normally happens in racing, plans don’t always go according to plan. The lead pack caught up to Jo Cobb with 12 laps to go and Sheldon Creed was back up front.

Creed’s lead was short-lived, however, as the Californian had a right-rear tire go flat, leaving debris on the racetrack and causing a yellow flag with eight laps to go.

The final restart came with two to go, with Stewart Friesen and Tyler Ankrum restarting on the front row. Eventual race winner, Lessard, restarted in the third position.

Once the drivers entered the backstretch on the final lap, the trucks started to wiggle back and forth due to the bump drafting, including Lessard’s. But the drafting became too much for some as a crash broke out behind the race leaders and the race ended under yellow due to the crash.

There was some confusion as to who the winner was based on the timing of the yellow, and whether it was Trevor Bayne or Lessard out front. After a few moments, NASCAR determined that Raphael Lessard was the winner of the Chevrolet Silverado 250 at Talladega Superspeedway.

There were five cautions for 24 laps and 14 lead changes among 10 different leaders.

Unfortunately for drivers Christian Eckes and Todd Gilliland, both drivers were eliminated from the Playoffs.

Round of 8 Playoff Standings

  1. Austin Hill, +12
  2. Sheldon Creed, +12
  3. Zane Smith, +6
  4. Grant Enfinger, +4
  5. Brett Moffitt, -3
  6. Ben Rhodes, -3
  7. Matt Crafton, -10
  8. Tyler Ankrum, -16

Official Results following the Chevrolet Silverado 250 at Talladega Superspeedway.

  1. Raphael Lessard
  2. Trevor Bayne, led one lap
  3. Chandler Smith, led one lap
  4. Ben Rhodes (Playoff driver)
  5. Codie Rohrbaugh
  6. Jordan Anderson
  7. Brett Moffitt (Playoff driver), led 13 laps
  8. Matt Crafton (Playoff driver)
  9. Kaz Grala
  10. Derek Kraus, won Stage 2, led 19 laps
  11. Johnny Sauter, led 11 laps
  12. Sheldon Creed (Playoff driver), led 10 laps
  13. Grant Enfinger (Playoff driver)
  14. Clay Greenfield
  15. Bayley Currey
  16. Tyler Ankrum (Playoff driver)
  17. Stewart Friesen, led six laps
  18. Christian Eckes, led six laps, Eliminated from Playoff contention, OUT, Accident
  19. Austin Hill (Playoff driver), led 11 laps, OUT, Accident
  20. Austin Wayne Self, 1 lap down
  21. Bryan Dauzat, 1 lap down
  22. Norm Benning, 1 lap down
  23. Josh Reaume, 1 lap down
  24. Jennifer Jo Cobb, led 16 laps, 2 laps down
  25. Jason White, 2 laps down
  26. Robby Lyons, 2 laps down
  27. Ray Ciccarelli, 6 laps down
  28. Todd Gilliland, OUT, Engine, Eliminated from Playoff Contention
  29. Tanner Gray, OUT, Accident
  30. Gus Dean, OUT, Accident
  31. Tate Fogleman, OUT, Accident
  32. Chase Purdy, OUT, Accident
  33. Zane Smith (Playoff driver), OUT, Accident
  34. Danny Bohn, OUT, Accident
  35. Dawson Cram, OUT, Accident
  36. Korbin Forrister, OUT, Accident
  37. Joe Nemechek, OUT, Accident
  38. Spencer Boyd, OUT, Accident

Up Next: The NASCAR Gander RV and Outdoors Truck Series will take a week off before returning to Kansas Speedway for the third time this season to mark the beginning of the Round of 8 Playoffs.

Canadian Raphael Lessard records first career victory in Chevy Silverado 250 at Talladega

By
Official Release
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Raphael Lessard, a native of Quebec, Canada, celebrates with a burnout Saturday at Talladega Superspeedway after winning the Chevy Silverado 250 at Talladega Superspeedway.

NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series Playoff Field now at Eight

TALLADEGA, Ala. (Oct. 3, 2020) – The intensity of playoff elimination racing was on full display Saturday afternoon at Talladega Superspeedway, as the NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series Chevy Silverado 250 at TALLADEGA whittled the playoff field from 10 drivers to eight. The happiest driver to leave the track, though, was one who was not among the playoff drivers. Raphael Lessard, a native of Quebec, Canada, was declared the winner after a multi-car wreck on the final lap of the race brought out a caution flag.

It was the first career win for Lessard, driver of the No. 4 Toyota for Kyle Busch Motorsports, as he became the fifth different Gander Truck Series driver to collect his first career victory in 2020. In addition, he is just the fifth foreign-born driver to earn a win in the Series.

“That was awesome,” said an elated Lessard. “This is amazing, I can’t believe it. It’s my second superspeedway race and my first truck series win here is amazing. I don’t know who was behind me, but he gave me a heck of a push and I can’t thank him enough because he’s part of that win too. He pushed me as hard as he could and I was just holding on for the ride. Then the caution came out at the right time. I’m so happy. This was my first time doing a burnout from a race win and I loved it. Hopefully we can do it some more.”

Seven of the eight drivers who began the day above the cut line managed to advance to the Round of 8 – Sheldon Creed, Brett Moffitt, Zane Smith, Grant Enfinger, Tyler Ankrum, Matt Crafton and Austin Hill. Rookie Christian Eckes, who began the race in 8th spot, was involved in the last-lap wreck and was eliminated from playoff contention. Ben Rhodes started the race 9th in the playoff standings and secured a 4th-place finish in the race to earn his way into the Round of 8, which commences in two weeks with the running of the Clean Harbors 200 at Kansas Speedway on Saturday, October 17 at 4:00 pm ET (FOX).

There were tense moments early in the race for several of the playoff contenders. Grant Enfinger, who began the day fourth in the playoff standings, 31 points above the cut line, experienced a flat left rear tire, putting him two laps down early on. He secured a 14th-place finish and will head into the Round of 8.

Shortly afterwards, on lap 12, a multi-car wreck in Turn 3 collected 11 cars, including Zane Smith, who entered the day third in the playoff standings, 39 points above the cut line. Smith watched the remainder of the race, hoping that lady luck would be on his side and that he could find his way into the Round of 8. Despite his 33rd-place finish, Smith was able to survive and make the Round of 8.

“They just got bunched up in front of me and my teammate (Sheldon Creed) got all out of shape,” Smith said shortly following the incident when he still was not certain if he would advance. “I was just an innocent bystander.”

Matt Crafton, driver of the No. 88 Ford for ThorSport Racing, started the day sixth in the playoff standings and held on for an 8th-place showing, just enough to propel him into the Round of 8.

“We threw some haymakers right there, did some crazy superspeedway blocking and did what we had to do,” said Crafton, the defending champion in the Gander Truck Series. “It wasn’t pretty. It seemed like every time I made a move they just never seemed to work. All in all we move on and I love all of the next four race tracks.”

Gilliland, who was 10th in the playoff standings at the beginning of the day saw his championship hopes erode prematurely when he developed engine trouble with 47 laps remaining in the race and finished 28th.

Rhodes (4th) was the highest finisher among the playoff drivers, as five of the top six finishers were non-playoff drivers. Trevor Bayne (2nd), Chandler Smith (3rd) and Codie Rohrbaugh (5th) completed the top-5. Austin Hill won Stage 1 of the race, while rookie Derek Kraus won Stage 2.

There were 14 lead changes among 10 drivers, including a race-high 19 by rookie Derek Kraus and 16 by Jennifer Jo Cobb. There were five cautions for 24 laps.

The Chevy Silverado 250 at TALLADEGA was the first of a doubleheader Saturday, followed by the Ag-Pro 300 for the NASCAR Xfinity Series. Sunday’s slate will feature the YellaWood 500 NASCAR Cup Series face at 1:00 p.m. CDT (NBC, SiriusXM NASCAR Channel 90 & MRN; 188 laps)

Fans can keep up with all the happenings at the biggest, baddest race track on the planet by following Talladega Superspeedway on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram, and by downloading the track’s mobile app. For all information on NASCAR’s Most Competitive venue, visit www.talladegasuperspeedway.com or call 1-877-Go2-DEGA.

About Talladega Superspeedway
Talladega Superspeedway – which celebrated its 50th anniversary last year – is the most competitive race track on the NASCAR schedule (record 88 lead changes in 188 laps), the highest-banked (33 degrees) and the longest (2.66 miles), as well as the most fun and fan-friendly. Three- and four-wide racing at 200 mph are a norm at Talladega Superspeedway, along with nail-biting, photo finishes. For information, visit www.talladegasuperspeedway.com or call 1-877-Go2-DEGA.

Toyota Racing NGROTS Post-Race Recap — Talladega

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RAPHAËL LESSARD EARNS FIRST CAREER TRUCK SERIES WIN
Eckes eliminated from the Playoffs with last lap accident

TALLADEGA, Alabama (October 3, 2020) – Canadian Raphaël Lessard drove to his first career NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series victory at Talladega Superspeedway on Saturday afternoon. Lessard was joined in the top-10 by his Kyle Busch Motorsports teammate Chandler Smith (third) and fellow rookie driver Derek Kraus (10th). For Toyota, it is the second consecutive Truck Series win and the seventh win of the 2020 season in Toyota’s 400th race in the series. Austin Hill will advance to the Round of 8 after clinching a spot last weekend with a win at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. He added another Playoff point with a stage win today.

Toyota Racing Post-Race Recap
NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series
Talladega Superspeedway
Race 19 of 23 – 94 Laps, 250 Miles

TOYOTA FINISHING POSITIONS
1st, RAPHAËL LESSARD
2nd, Trevor Bayne*
3rd, CHANDLER SMITH
4th, Ben Rhodes*
5th, Codie Rohrbaugh*
10th, DEREK KRAUS
12th, CLAY GREENFIELD
17th, STEWART FRIESEN
18th, CHRISTIAN ECKES
19th, AUSTIN HILL
23rd, JOSH REAUME
25th, JASON WHITE
34th, DANNY BOHN
*non-Toyota driver

TOYOTA QUOTES

RAPHAËL LESSARD, No. 4 Canac Toyota Tundra, Kyle Busch Motorsports

Finishing Position: 1st

How does it feel to get your first Truck Series win?

“That was awesome. First of all, I want to thank everyone back home, my team at Kyle Busch Motorsports. Canac came on board with us this year. Also, Mobil1, Toyota, TRD – this is amazing, I can’t believe it. It’s my second superspeedway race and my first truck series win here is amazing.”

What was the final lap like and did you think you had won the race?

“I don’t know who was behind me, but he gave me a heck of a push and I can’t thank him enough because he’s part of that win too. He pushed me as hard as he could and I was just holding on for the ride. Then the caution came out at the right time. I’m so happy. This was my first time doing a burnout from a race win and I loved it. Hopefully we can do it some more.”

What has this season been like for you?

“It’s been pretty crazy. I moved here to Mooresville, North Carolina in January and it’s a crazy year to be my first time moving from home. My family is all in Quebec, Canada. It’s been crazy and I haven’t seen them in a while. I want to say hi to everybody back in Quebec and all my family. I needed that. We had a tough season so this one feels really good.”

How were you able to get into position to win the race?

“All race long, my crew chief Mike Hillman Jr. gave me the best strategy ever. I was kind of getting tired riding out back. My teammate and I worked really well – Christian Eckes and Chandler Smith. I was just getting tired of it and I guess I listened to my crew chief, my team and I think we won it from listening to what my crew chief was telling me. At the end, we were in position to win it and all I was doing was trying to hold it straight and the guy behind me pushed me as much as he could.”

Did you feel you were ahead of Trevor Bayne when the caution came out?

“I thought I was close, but I was just focused in case we had another restart. In my head, it wasn’t done yet. We didn’t get to the start-finish line yet so I thought it was going to be a green-white-checkered, but it didn’t happen and we ended up winning.”

What would you say to other kids on looking up to you for this victory?

“I want to go celebrate now with my team, but I’m just a kid from Quebec that started racing growing up. Growing up, I was watching my Dad just race for fun and now I’m here. Just always keep believing and always keep pushing hard.”

Were you surprised that Stewart Friesen moved to the high side?

“I think I had the best position of them all being third on the restart. He (Stewart Friesen) opened the inside up, he went to the outside and I knew it was just my chance to put my nose in there. We don’t know what happened. My crew chief (Mike Hillman Jr.) told me not to lift. I was not going to lift and it worked. I was surprised with him moving up because I gave him a pretty good push on the restart, but you never know what’s going to happen. I’m glad he moved up because it helped me to get my first win.”

Does this help you to be able to return to Kyle Busch Motorsports in 2021?

“It for sure is going to help. We’ve been working really hard this year. Kyle Busch has been helping me and giving me some advice. It’s been a tough year so I needed that win. He gave me a shot this year – Kyle Busch and TRD gave me a shot this year and now I just think it feels really good and it’s going to help me for the rest of the season. It’s going to help with our confidence. It’s going to help for my team. It’s been a while since Mike Hillman Jr. (crew chief) and all my guys have won in the Truck Series. I’m glad to get them back in victory lane and I think it’s just going to be even happier to go to work for the rest of the season.”

How has the lack of practice and rookie testing impacted you this season?

“Being a rookie this year and not having a lot of experience – I had a lot of experience in Super Late Models and a little bit in ARCA and five races under my belt in the Truck Series and I feel like every time we would go to the race track, I needed those laps of practice to get used to it, get used to the feeling, get used to the race track and not having it this year, I feel like it’s been hurting me a lot. I’ve been making mistakes that I shouldn’t have. It’s part of it and also I’m missing my family. I haven’t seen them in a while and I wish they were here for my first win, but we’re also missing the fans. When I stood up on the door of my Toyota Tundra, the fans were not there cheering me on and that was kind of sad. Hopefully everything comes back to normal and we’re careful with washing our hands, wearing our masks and hopefully we can have them back at the race track.”

What is your favorite thing about superspeedway racing?

“Anything can happen. I studied a lot of video this week and it equalizes everyone kind of. The trucks make a difference, that’s for sure. The spotter too, but I feel like everyone has a chance rather than going to other race tracks where there’s less aero and here at a track like this, we just try to position ourselves to be there at the end. You can be leading in one lap and be 20th the next lap. It’s hard, but my spotter did a great job keeping me calm. We were riding in the back with our teammates most of the last stage and then when we pitted under green after that, we put ourself in a good position. I was kind of getting tired of riding in the back. My team had a great strategy and my spotter kept me calm. From listening to them, it worked out well.”

Have you talked with Kyle Busch since the win?

“I haven’t talked to him yet. I haven’t really had time to look at my phone so hopefully I can talk to him after all these interviews. I’m sure he’s happy and I’m really happy. I’m going to reach out to him to thank him for the opportunity, that’s for sure. He’s been a huge help and I’m just really happy to get Kyle Busch Motorsports a win this year.”

How will you celebrate tonight?

“We’ll see. I don’t think I’m going to sleep a whole lot. I’m probably going to enjoy the time with my team and celebrate with my team. I don’t drink and I’m always trying to prepare myself and be as ready as I can physically so I don’t think drinking is a good idea for me. We can enjoy a lot with water.”

How has your relationship evolved with Mike Hillman Jr.?

“It’s been better and better relationship with him (Mike Hillman Jr., crew chief). At the beginning of the year, we were working really well, but I think one race at a time and it just keeps getting better and better. We had a rough last three weeks, it’s been really rough, but they stick with me and they kept working hard and it paid off. We’re here in victory lane. He’s been really good and I’m sure he’s going to celebrate a lot.”

How has your transition been to the Truck Series from Super Late Models and is this your biggest career win?

“Oh yes, it’s the biggest for sure. It’s just amazing. I was confident – when it clicked or the first time it really clicked was at Michigan. Michigan, we had a flat (tire) leading and we were really fast. We came up through the field and were fourth on the last lap and I made a mistake. I finished seventh. Then I went to Daytona and finished third, ran really well so it got my confidence up a lot. It just seems like before that, it just wasn’t working. I couldn’t figure it out. I keep on improving my position. I would gain positions on the restart, but then I would lose them one at a time after that. I was kind of getting mad and frustrated and I sat down with Kyle (Busch, team owner) and the team and we talked about it and we talked about what we needed to do to be top-five to top-10 all the time. Since then, been working really well and I’ve been studying a little differently to make sure I understand how to be running up front. We had some pretty good races, just sometimes we haven’t had the luck we needed, but today we got the luck we needed.”

What has your relationship been like with Kyle Busch?

“He (Kyle Busch) gave me a shot this year with TRD and I feel like he believes in me. It’s for sure a lot of pressure because Kyle Busch Motorsports is a team where it’s only winners. You know you’re capable of winning with the truck and the team is capable of winning so it’s all about you. You want it to click together and Kyle is going to tell you straight what you need to do better and when he’s not happy with something or when he sees something you need to do better, he’s going to tell you. I just have to listen and try to absorb everything he says and try to do better. That’s what I’ve been trying to do most of the year and I feel like I’ve got better and better throughout the year and I’m still getting better and still learning. I think all that is just going to help me for the rest of the season.”

CHANDLER SMITH, No. 51 iBuyPower Toyota Tundra, Kyle Busch Motorsports

Finishing Position: 3rd

How was your race today?

“It was a blast. This was my first ever superspeedway race or ever being on a superspeedway other than being at Michigan. I made two laps at Daytona in an ARCA car and other than that, I’ve never even done this, especially in a draft. It was a lot of fun. Hats off to all my iBuyPower Toyota guys from KBM. They gave me a heck of a iBuyPower Toyota Tundra today. Our biggest thing was that we wanted to advance into the Playoffs for the owners points and we did exactly that. I felt like we also had a truck to win the race there at the very end. We were really, really good. I’m happy for Raphaël (Lessard), he got his first ever win today so hats off to that whole 4 team . It was blast.”

Can you talk us through your run out there with very intense racing?

“Overall, it was a blast. This is my first superspeedway race. I’ve only been on Daytona for two laps in an ARCA car without any draft or anything. This was a lot different just jumping in, starting p5, was a lot of fun. Our biggest thing today was to get our truck out front and just get stage points for the first two stages so we could be locked in for the owners points, and we did just that and we got a good finish. Today was a great day. This 51 team, we haven’t been able to show it here lately, but we are really strong. We just have to put things together. Today, we put everything together pretty good, and if the caution wouldn’t have came out I feel like we would have been in the spot to win the race. Hats off to the 4 (Raphaël Lessard) crew. They are going to be celebrating pretty hard from that, but overall, my iBuyPower, JBL No. 51 Toyota Tundra team did very good. I’m really proud of those guys. We put everything together and we executed on pit road. That’s what we have to do every weekend.

How was racing on the superspeedway for the first time and how excited are you to race in the Winchester 400 tomorrow?

“It was a blast. I felt like it kind of suited my style a little bit and I was kind of second guessing myself if I’m going to be a good superspeedway racer or not. It’s kind of hard to judge. It’s my first superspeedway race, but I felt like it kind of suited me a little bit with this being my first time ever doing it, but to answer the other question, I’m very excited. I’m going to be in Donnie Wilson’s stuff, shout out to those guys and getting their stuff ready for me. I’m excited to get up to Winchester and go super racing and have a little fun and go short track racing.”

DEREK KRAUS, No. 19 SHOCKWAVE/ENEOS Toyota Tundra, McAnally-Hilgemann Racing

Finishing Position: 10th

Top-10 finishes in both restrictor plate races for you this season, Derek. How was your race?

“It was exciting for sure. We were able to get a stage win there. That was really good for our team. On the green flag pit stop, we just missed a little bit. My team gave me a great stop, and I just didn’t get out of the box right. I was held back a little bit, but we were able to stay on the lead lap, and just waited out for the yellow. We got the yellow at the end, and we were able to race really hard. I was pushing Chandler (Smith) there at the end. We were getting close to the front, and everything got congested and we ended up 10th, but overall it was a great day. We brought home a clean truck and that’s as good as it gets at a plate track.”

Next up is Kansas, where you had a great doubleheader earlier this year. How excited are you to get back there?

“I’m really excited to get back there. We had two really good runs there, and going there for a second time will be really cool. I’m really looking forward to it. I know that everyone at MHR (McAnally-Hilgemann Racing) will bring me a really fast Toyota Tundra, and that will be great.”

CHRISTIAN ECKES, No. 18 Safelite Auto Glass Toyota Tundra, Kyle Busch Motorsports

Finishing Position: 18th

Tough finish with the last lap contact. What happened from your perspective?

“I just came up short. Sucks that we are not going to be able to move on to round two, but in the same aspect my Safelite Toyota team tried hard. We did all we could. I’m sure we made some mistakes on the day like the pit road penalities and some other things, but we will move on to the last four races and give the Playoff guys hell.”

What are your goals for the last four races?

“Just to win. We don’t have any championship hopes on the line, unfortunately, anymore, but in the same aspect, there is still plenty of team goals to achieve. We will do the best we can. I wish we did a little bit better in the first two races of this round to separate us, but that’s 2020 and we will move on to the next four.”

AUSTIN HILL, No. 16 United Rentals Toyota Tundra, Hattori Racing Enterprises

Finishing Position: 19th

What happened on the final lap?

“Just hard racing. Everybody is trying to win the race. You stay formed up until the white flag and then all hell breaks loose. If you’re able to put your truck somewhere, you do it. That kind of looks like what had happened. Some guys were putting their trucks in places that they probably shouldn’t and that ultimately is what caused the wreck. We shouldn’t have ever been in that predicament. I was just trying to get all I could get coming to pit road. I knew we had nothing to lose. I was trying to get everything I could and not slide the tires and just came in too hot and sped on pit road. I kind of got us behind there. We still had somewhat of a shot at it getting back on the lead lap and having that green-white-checkered, if the caution could have come out with like 10 (laps) to go or something, we could have had something for them just because our United Rentals Toyota Tundra was so fast. Just going for it and trying to get all I can on pit road and over-stepped that boundary.”

# # #

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.

CHEVY NTT INDYCAR SERIES HARVEST GP INDY: WILL POWER WIN QUOTES

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Official Release
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CHEVROLET RACING IN THE NTT INDYCAR SERIES
INDYCAR HARVEST GP
INDIANAPOLIS MOTOR SPEEDWAY ROAD COURSE
RACE 2 WINNER QUICK QUOTES
OCT. 3, 2020

Power, Chevrolet complete INDYCAR Harvest GP sweep
Driver of No. 12 Verizon Team Penske Chevrolet leads all 75 laps

INDIANAPOLIS (Oct. 3, 2020) – Will Power led all 75 laps of Race 2 of the INDYCAR Harvest GP on the Indianapolis Motor Speedway road course to claim his second victory of the season in the No. 12 Verizon Team Penske Chevrolet and 39th of his NTT INDYCAR SERIES career.

“I am just so happy to have Verizon and Chevy in Victory Lane again. We had two Hondas trying to attack us there but my Chevy had very good power and drive-ability, so just over the moon to get another win, especially at this place,” said Power, who won by .8932 of a second over Honda driver Colton Herta the 2.439-mile, 14-turn road course.

Earlier in the day, Power claimed his fourth NTT P1 Award of the season and 61st pole of his career. Power, who has earned 37 of his career poles since 2012 in a Chevrolet-powered car, is six behind leader Mario Andretti on the all-time Indy car list.

It is the ninth time in his career that Power has won from the pole, including four times on the IMS road course (2015, 2017, 2018 and 2020).

Reigning NTT INDYCAR SERIES champion Josef Newgarden, who won Race 1 on Oct. 2, finished fourth in the No. 1 Hitachi Team Penske Chevrolet. Pato O’Ward, driving the No. 5 Arrow McLaren SP Chevrolet, placed fifth.

Newgarden closed to 32 points of front-runner Scott Dixon in the chase for the driver championship heading into the heading into the season finale Oct. 25 on the 1.8-mile, 14-turn temporary street circuit in St. Petersburg, Florida. The Firestone GP of St. Petersburg will be telecast by NBC at 2:30 p.m. ET. Newgarden won the 2019 race, which was the season opener.

WILL POWER, NO. 12 VERIZON TEAM PENSKE CHEVROLET – RACE WINNER

REGARDING THE BATTLE WITH HERTA AT THE END

“Yeah, the tires had gone away and it was a tough battle and I had to work very hard to keep him behind. I am just so happy to have Verizon and Chevy in Victory Lane again. We had two Hondas trying to attack us there but my Chevy had very good power and drive-ability, so just over the moon to get another win, especially at this place.”

WHAT WAS IT LIKE TO HAVE CLEAN AIR AND JUST NEED TO HOLD OFF COLTON AT THE END?

“It was good to not get caught by a yellow or something strange like that. The boys had great stops and we had a great car. We definitely improved from yesterday. Man, I just pushed so hard the whole race. Obviously we had to save fuel, but you are still pushing while lifting earlier in the corners. Just a fantastic day.”

THIS WIN TIES YOU WITH AL UNSER FOR WINS ON THE INDYCAR CIRCUIT, WHAT DOES THAT MEAN TO YOU?

“When you talk about the names I am around, its just amazing to be with these people, legends of the sport. I could never had imagined having my name among such unbelievable, historic drivers. All these drivers…..I was a huge fan of them as a kid and they were my heroes, so its really cool to have my name up there.”

Schlüter-Systems – Talladega II – Race Advance

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Official Release
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Events: YellaWood 500

Venue: Talladega Superspeedway (Lincoln, Alabama)

Date/Broadcast: Sunday, October 4 at 2 p.m. ET on NBC

Talladega Superspeedway alone is known to produce high-speed, edge-of-your-seat action. Add the urgency and pressure of the playoffs and that is the formula for an exciting night on the high banks of the Lincoln, Alabama, track.

The track will host its 103rd NASCAR Cup Series event with Sunday’s YellaWood 500, which marks the second event in the Round of 12 of the playoffs.

For Go Fas Racing driver Corey LaJoie, the upcoming 500-mile race will be his sixth start at the 2.66-mile superspeedway. In his first season driving for team owner Archie St. Hilaire last year, he finished in the top-11 in both Talladega events. This year, LaJoie notched a 16th-place result when the series visited the track in June.

Given the unpredictability of superspeedway racing, where literally anything can happen, it’s all about being in the right place at the right time to avoid being a part of the carnage.

That’s just what LaJoie and the No. 32 team will aim to do again on Sunday – be in the right place at the right time with hopes of securing another stellar result at Talladega.

The colors of Schlüter-Systems, a world leader in the development of innovative installation systems for ceramic and natural stone tile, will be on board the Go Fas Racing Ford. It will be the fourth time this year that the organization – which has more than 900 employees across the globe – will appear on LaJoie’s Ford as a primary sponsor.

Mitsubishi Materials’ new brand of tools, DIAEDGE, which brings together their cutting-edge technologies, will also be on board this weekend as an associate sponsor with placement on the lower quarter panels.

Don’t miss a minute of the thrilling superspeedway action by tuning in on Sunday, October 4 at 2 p.m. ET on NBC.

LaJoie on the upcoming race:

“Talladega is a track we’ve excelled at in the past few years, just like Daytona. We’re really excited to have Schluter Systems and Mitsubishi Materials’ DIAEDGE on with us for a big race this weekend. We have had a lot of speed over the last month or two but we have just had horrible luck and haven’t gotten the results that we deserve. We’ll do our best to put ourselves in a position to succeed this weekend and fight for a good finish at the end.”

LaJoie’s Cup history at Talladega Superspeedway:
Starts: 5
Best Finish: 7th (2019)
Average Start: 34th
Average Finish: 18.6

Looking back on the South Point 400:
Corey LaJoie started the South Point 400 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway in the 31st position after the starting lineup was determined based on NASCAR’s new formula. Driving the Trump 2020 Ford, LaJoie showed speed early on and raced up to 28th by the competition caution. As he took the green-and-white checkered flag in 29th to finish stage one, he reported to crew chief Ryan Sparks that his machine was “harsh on the splitter” and “lacking rear grip.”

The 28-year-old received the free pass and started stage two on the lead lap, following a trip to pit road for four tires, a track bar adjustment and an air pressure adjustment. With 30 laps to go in stage two, LaJoie told Sparks that he still needed a little bit of rear grip. When the segment concluded, the No. 32 Ford was in 28th.

A great strategy call by Sparks put LaJoie back on the lead lap to start the final stage in 24th with just over 100 laps left. The Go Fas Racing Ford revisited his pit crew on pit road from the 24th position with 76 laps to go for four tires and fuel. Over the remainder of the stage, LaJoie navigated through an incident and was in contention for a solid finish until receiving right-side damage in a lap-260 caution. After pitting to assess the damage and losing a lap, LaJoie was able to salvage a 27th-place finish. Next up, LaJoie and the No. 32 team take on the high banks of Talladega Superspeedway.

About Our Team

About Schlüter-Systems:
Schluter Systems provides innovative, easy to use installation systems to support the durability, integrity and design of tile installations. With over 8,000 products within its growing portfolio, Schluter Systems is continuously improving the landscape of the tile industry. Their educational workshops and intuitive approach to product design supports Schluter’s position as an industry leader in quality and service. Schluter Systems services North America with multiple Training, Distribution and Manufacturing facilities in Plattsburgh, NY, Montreal, QC, Reno, NV, and coming in 2020, Fort Worth, TX. For more information, visit www.schluter.com.

About Go Fas Racing:
Go Fas Racing (GFR) currently fields Ford Mustangs in the NASCAR Cup Series for driver Corey LaJoie. Located in Mooresville, North Carolina, GFR has competed in the NASCAR’s premier series since 2014; fielding cars for some of NASCAR’s top drivers, including past champions. To find out more information about our team please visit www.GoFasRacing.com.

Stay up-to-date on Corey LaJoie:
To get live updates during the race weekends follow @coreylajoie on Instagram and Twitter. Make sure to give Corey a “like” on Facebook – “@CoreyLaJoieRacing”. For a detailed bio and updated in-season statistics, please visit www.coreylajoieracing.com.

CHEVY NTT INDYCAR SERIES HARVEST GP INDY: JOSEF NEWGARDEN WIN QUOTES

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Official Release
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CHEVROLET RACING IN THE NTT INDYCAR SERIES
INDYCAR HARVEST GP
INDIANAPOLIS MOTOR SPEEDWAY ROAD COURSE
RACE 1 WINNER QUICK QUOTES
OCT. 2, 2020

Newgarden wins Race 1 of INDYCAR Harvest GP
Reigning series champion slices 32 points off title deficit

INDIANAPOLIS (Oct. 2, 2020) – Reigning NTT INDYCAR SERIES champion Josef Newgarden won Race 1 of the INDYCAR Harvest GP doubleheader to close the gap in the driver points race.

Newgarden, who started on the outside of the front row next to Chevrolet pole-winner Rinus VeeKay, took lead for good following his final pit stop in the 85-lap race and went on to win by 14.2940 seconds in the No. 1 Hitachi Team Penske Chevrolet.

Newgarden registered his third victory of the season and first on the 2.439-mile, 14-turn Indianapolis Motor Speedway road course. He sliced 32 points off the lead of front-runner Scott Dixon in the championship chase and trails by 40 points heading into Saturday’s penultimate race of the NTT INDYCAR SERIES season.

Pole-sitter Rinus VeeKay placed third in the No. 21 Sonax Ed Carpenter Racing Chevrolet.

JOSEF NEWGARDEN, NO. 1 HITACHI TEAM PENSKE CHEVROLET – RACE WINNER
TALK ABOUT THIS DRIVE AND CHASING COLTON HERTA BEFORE THE FINAL STOP.
“I don’t know if I can think about the race… I’m so excited to be up on this platform! I wish I could have been up here in August with The Captain (Roger Penske). He’s done such an amazing job with this facility. To see people back here socially distanced in the stands at least getting to watch the race, I’m sure he’s really happy today and I’m happy to be here today representing him, Team Penske, everyone at IndyCar and IMS. Thanks to everyone who came out in cool conditions.
“We had a rocket ship. I knew we did yesterday in qualifying. I was so surprised with how quick the car was. It was a great fight today. It was all about strategy, close combat and everything you want in an IndyCar race. I was happy I had the quickest car. Team Chevy did an amazing job, having Hitachi on has been good luck for us this year. I’m pumped to be up here. I’ve always wanted to get up here. I want to get up here during the 500 but this is almost just as cool.”

TALK ABOUT WHEN COLTON HERTA WENT OFF AT TURN ONE. “It was a total gift. I was being patient, to be honest. I felt like we were in the cat bird’s seat and knew what we had speed-wise on him, and it was a matter of getting to that pit cycle. I didn’t want to get into another dogfight. We had one earlier in the race and he had the advantage with red tires at that point. So I was being patient and lo and behold I didn’t have to wait for the pitstop. He just gave me the gift and all I needed.”

ON THE POINTS SITUATION. “If you would have given us a couple of those races where we caught those bad yellows, we’d really be in this fight. It’s almost a shame what kind of deficit we’ve had in the points, but this team has been unbelievable. They’ve been the quickest in pitlane all year. They’ve done a great job. They deserve to be in this championship fight. It’s still a bit of a hill but we made a little smaller today, which is really good news. But we needed three perfect races to finish. This is one of them down. Two to go.”

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