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Toyota Racing NGROTS Post-Race Recap — Darlington 9.6.20

By
Official Release
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KRAUS DRIVES TO RUNNER-UP FINISH IN DARLINGTON
Rookie of the Year contender Derek Kraus earns career-best finish

DARLINGTON, South Carolina (September 6, 2020) – Derek Kraus drove to a career-best second-place finish drove to lead Toyota at the South Carolina Education Lottery 200 at Darlington Raceway on Sunday afternoon. Truck Series points Leader Austin Hill (third), Christian Eckes (fifth), Raphael Lessard (sixth) and Stewart Friesen (eighth) joined Kraus inside the top-10.

Toyota Racing Post-Race Recap
NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series
Darlington Raceway
Race 15 of 23 – 147 Laps, 200.8 Miles

TOYOTA FINISHING POSITIONS
1st, Ben Rhodes *
2nd, DEREK KRAUS
3rd, AUSTIN HILL
4th, Grant Enfinger*
5th, CHRISTIAN ECKES
6th, RAPHAEL LESSARD
8th, STEWART FRIESEN
20th, DANNY BOHN
21st, CLAY GREENFIELD
23rd, CHANDLER SMITH
28th, JOSH REAUME
34th, BRYANT BARNHILL
*non-Toyota driver

TOYOTA QUOTES

DEREK KRAUS, No. 19 Ron Hornaday Throwback/NAPA Toyota Tundra, McAnally Hilgemann Racing

Finishing Position: 2nd

What did you think of the pit call to stay on the race track when the leaders pitted?

“Kevin (Bellicourt, crew chief) up on top of the box made a really good call there at the end. Got a good restart and did everything I needed to, but there off of two – I got really loose off of two. It was my mistake, but overall I felt like it was a great day. We struggled some in the beginning, but Kevin got this NAPA Filters Toyota Tundra tuned up for the end of the race.”

How aggressive was the racing between yourself and Todd Gilliland?

“That was really fun racing with Todd (Gilliland). I got into him a little bit, but you have to do that, you have to be there and be aggressive to make the top-10 in the Playoffs.”

Can you take us through the last few laps?

“Kind of struggled all day and couldn’t get very good track position. Then at the end, we finally got a little bit of track position. Kevin (Bellicourt, crew chief) and the guys worked on the truck really good. We got a good restart and did everything we needed to do. Then I just got really loose off of two and it was kind of my fault, but we’ll move onto Richmond.”

How much momentum does this finish give you for Richmond?

“It definitely helps, that’s for sure. I feel like Richmond will fall into our hands a little bit. I feel like we’ll be able to adapt to the track quick and how it wears out. Have to be there at the end of those things so I’m really looking forward to it.”

Did you base the strategy at the end on what your fellow Playoff bubble competitors did?

“They were behind us so if they pitted and I didn’t, we wouldn’t really have had an idea because they were two spots behind us at the time. We just had our game plan right away and we were going to stay out. It worked out good and I was able to get a good restart.”

How do you feel going into Richmond being 10 points out of the Playoffs?

“I’ve never been there before, but I feel like I can kind of base it off of Kern County, it kind of has that same D-shaped oval and just grip-wise, it wears out like today at Darlington and also at Atlanta. I kind of grew up racing at those kind of race tracks where the tires fall off and you have to be able to save your tires for the end of the race. I enjoy going to those type of race tracks. Hopefully at Richmond we’ll have a good truck and be there and have a good points day.”

Do you think you could have held off Ben Rhodes if not for the slip in turn two?

“I feel like it definitely would have been harder for him to pass me. I got loose and kind of just gave it to him. I feel like if I would have been able to get a good run off of two and make no mistakes, it would have definitely been harder for him to pass me. I feel like his truck was probably a little bit better than mine, but with clean air, my truck definitely handled better.”

Are you very calm in the current situation heading to Richmond?

“It’s definitely going to be nerve-wracking going into the last race being 10 points out. I feel like we just have to do everything in our power and if we end up winning or end up getting in, that’s just going to happen. I feel like we had a really good run there today at the end and it’s a really good finish and we can carry this momentum into Richmond.”

How aggressive will you be at Richmond to try to get into the Playoffs?

“I’m definitely going to have to be aggressive just from being where we are in the points. It’s kind of going to have to be cautiously aggressive until the end if we have a chance to win. Definitely going to have to be smart and make the right choices if I need to move somebody out of the way. If I do, I need to make the right choice and do it good enough that I don’t damage my truck or damage the other person. It’s definitely going to be a fun race and I’m really looking forward to it.”

Do you have more confidence with Kevin Bellicourt as your crew chief?

“Kevin (Bellicourt, crew chief) knows what he’s doing. He’s really good at adjusting on my truck and making the right changes. He’s got the experience in the Playoffs and he’s definitely been in spots like this where we have to go in and run really well. I really have a lot of faith in him and my team, they’ll bring me a really good Toyota Tundra next weekend to Richmond.”

AUSTIN HILL, No. 16 Gunma Toyopet Toyota Tundra, Hattori Racing Enterprises

Finishing Position: 3rd

Can you sum up your race today?

“Our Gunma Toyopet Tundra was really good on the long runs. The 2 (Sheldon Creed) and the 23 (Brett Moffitt) were a little bit better than us on short runs for a good 15 or so laps and then we’d start reeling them in a little it. All in all, it was a good effort for us today. We did what we had to do. We just wanted to keep this points lead and keep stacking up points. We also wanted this win really bad. We thought we would drag more people down knowing that the 2, me and Moffitt, we were the top-three guys and we came down pit road. We thought we would have drug more people. Restarting 11th like we did and coming back to third was good, but it’s frustrating. Especially when we felt like we had a really good truck. We felt like we were just as good as the 2 and the 23. Felt like one of us three should have won the race today. I thought we had a shot at it, we made a call and we stuck with it. It didn’t pan out, but you can’t say that all these guys at HRE (Hattori Racing Enterprises) aren’t trying to win these races and trying to do some different strategy from other guys to get the job done. It just shows how good we are and we were good all day, we just didn’t close it out.”

How many other trucks did you expect to come to pit road?

“We figured if the 2 (Sheldon Creed) and the 23 (Brett Moffitt) pitted with us that it would bring some other guys down pit road and we kind of figured that the guys that are on the bubble for the Playoffs would probably stay out. The three or four guys that are fighting for that last spot, we figured they would stay out or guys that need a win would definitely stay out. We were kind of surprised that 10 or 11 of them stayed out and we restarted there in 11th. It’s one of those things, damed if you do, damed if you don’t type deals. It’s one of those calls that you have to make and they left it up to me. When I saw the 2 and the 23 going with me, I knew those were the two guys I was racing all day. Us three were kind of the class of the field. I figured that I needed to pit with them. All it took was having a caution, if we would have had a caution after we got through turn one and two really good and we got to stack them back up, it would have been a totally different outcome. We would have definitely won the race just because of how much faster new tires were. Then I got bottled up on that green flag start coming off of two and then actually entry into three, I got bottled up behind somebody so that kind of hurt my speed a little bit coming to the white. It’s one of those things that you look back on, we feel like we made the right call, but we needed a few more guys. Even if we had two or three more guys come down pit road with us, that would have changed the whole outcome.”

Should Darlington be a regular race on the Truck Series schedule?

“I’m going to say for sure, 100 percent. I’m not just saying that because we ran really well today, it’s just a really cool race track. It’s very unique. There’s no other race track like this. Tire wear is big. Turn one and two is totally different than any other race track you go to. You’re entry to one, you’re rolling out of the throttle a little bit and then you get back wide open and then you kind of reset again past center to get off turn two really good and there’s a lot of patches through there. It’s a very challenging and technical race track. There’s a lot of lanes you can run in three and four. We were really good for a few laps on the top and then we’d be good on the bottom. It’s just one of those race tracks where you can move around. Clean air was big, that was obviously a big thing was clean air. I still thought the race was really good just the way it played out and the way we could battle there. I think it should definitely be a race track that we keep coming to and maybe even a race track you start putting in the Playoffs.”

Are there any tracks you’re nervous about in the Playoffs that make you really want to get those 15 bonus points for regular season champion?

“You look at the schedule and you look at the Playoffs, short tracks have not always been great to us. We had a decent showing at Gateway and we feel like that’s a pretty difficult short track to get around. Really tight corners in turn one and two then totally different in three and four. We had a good showing there and we persevered. We didn’t start off good there and then we got good by the end of the race and that was a brand new package that we’re trying and we’re experimenting with. We don’t have practice so we’re just experimenting with some things. Hopefully the short tracks we can be better at. Bristol is kind of one of those race tracks that if you look at my track record, it hasn’t always been great. That’s obviously one of the race tracks and then when you go to Talladega, that’s always a place that you don’t know what’s going to happen. Just one of those crazy races that you just try to get to the end of. Then you have your Martinsville and all that. I just think those short tracks are just tracks that you never know what’s going to happen and it’s really tight-quartered racing and a lot of bumping and banging going on. It’s always nice just to have some extra bonus points to lean on in case you have a bad race that you can look back on and at least you have some points to lean on.”

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

Finishing Position: 5th

It was your first race here. How was your run today at Darlington Raceway?

“Yeah, we had an okay race. We exectued really well from the last few weeks and how we haven’t had a good result, so it’s definitely a lot better than where we were. So, fifth-place is a still okay, but not good enough. We need to be a little bit better, but overall it was a good day for execution for this Safelite Toyota team.”

You clinched a Playoff spot with your performance today. What is your focus for Richmond knowing that you have a locked in spot?

“At the end of the day, we can’t really move any further ahead unless we win a race. Our full intent is to go and contend as hard as we can and be as aggressive as we can to go get a win, so we can get some Playoff points. Definitely makes it a little bit less stressful going into Richmond, and definitely gracious for that. We will just go and race the hell out of them.”

RAPHAEL LESSARD, No. 4 Mobil1 Toyota Tundra, Kyle Busch Motorsports

Finishing Position: 6th

Four top-10 finishes in the last five races. How was your race?

“We had a really good truck. I was just learning the race track the first few laps. I feel like I picked up the race track really good. The TRD simulator helped me a ton for that. It was just like I had already been there before. We were really good at the beginning, running the top-five. I think we just lost the end a little bit and we were fighting a little bit too loose most of the race, but we got it pretty good at the end. I was pretty conservative with my line, not running too close to the wall most of the day. At the end, I just started going right around as close as I could get to the fence. I found a lot of speed there. I should have done that before, but oh well. Overall, we gambled on the last caution by pitting. We didn’t gain nothing, because we were p6, and then we came out p16, and we ended up p6. Really close to a shot at winning the race I feel like with our strategy, we just needed a little bit more left, but overall, we are getting really good. We are getting better every week, and the goal is to go win at Richmond next week to be able to be in the Playoffs. I just can’t thank everyone at Mobil1, Canac, Kyle Busch Motorsports, Toyota and TRD for everything they do. We are getting there. It’s fun to see that we are running some good races.”

STEWART FRIESEN, No. 52 Halmar ‘Racing To Beat Hunger’ Toyota Tundra, Halmar Friesen Racing

Finishing Position: 8th

You had a beautiful paint scheme today, and you did it proud driving it to your fourth straight top-10 finish. How was your finish?

“It was cool to run my Pops’ 52 Coupe scheme from the early 70’s. It was really special, but that was about the most fun I had today. We were just really bad. We struggled with handling all day. Thank God for the choose rule, because the last couple weeks it’s got us at least into the top-10. We just have to be better.”

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.

Sam Mayer gets hat trick at I-44 Speedway

By
Briar Starr
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Photo Courtesy of Jeff Curry/ARCA Racing.

When it was announced that I-44 Speedway would replace Elko Speedway in Minnesota on the schedule due to COVID restrictions, the speedway was fairly new to everyone in the field. Most drivers had never competed at the .375-mile race track located in Lebanon, Missouri.

But when the checkered flag flew at the end of Lap 200, the race winner wasn’t much of a surprise to anyone as GMS Racing Developmental driver Sam Mayer earned his third checkered flag of the 2020 ARCA Menards Series season.

As it has been since the ARCA Menards Series returned from the pandemic break, three segments made up the 200 lap race at I-44 Speedway. The first segment ended on Lap 75, the second segment at Lap 150 and the final at Lap 200. Bret Holmes was on the pole after setting the pace in practice earlier in the day.

The race was action-packed from the get-go when the green flag flew. Through the first 35 laps of the Zinnser Smart Coat 200, Holmes stretched his lead over second-place driver Ty Gibbs by nearly four seconds. However, the first yellow flew on Lap 36 when Venturini Motorsports driver Chandler Smith got turned sideways going into Turn 1, after contact with the No. 4 of Hailie Deegan. Right before the next restart, another Venturini driver suffered issues when the No. 15 of Drew Dollar came to pit road for battery issues under caution. By taking his No. 15 to pit road, the battery problem really took Dollar out of the race as he returned to the track numerous laps down.

More contact would come at Laps 48 and 70. At Lap 48, Gibbs’ No. 18 made slight contact with the No. 25 of Michael Self. The contact gave Self some right-side damage to his No. 25 Sinclair Lubricants Toyota. Meanwhile, the second caution flew at Lap 70, after pole-sitter Holmes got spun by Deegan going into Turn 1. The move sent Holmes up the track and caused more right-side damage to Deegan’s No. 4 Ford.

With the yellow coming so close to the first segment break, ARCA officials decided the break would come at Lap 71. Deegan, Mayer, Gibbs, Gray, Self, Wright, Holmes, Basham, Smith, and Richmond were the top 10.

The green flag flew for the second segment on Lap 71. Though just 20 laps later, another yellow came out as Holmes got into the No. 20 of Smith after Smith slightly came down when Holmes was already there.

Smith’s night continued to go downhill on Lap 120 when he made contact with the No. 22 of Kris Wright, bringing out the fourth caution of the night.

Prior to the segment ending on Lap 150, Wright again would end up in trouble, as he got into Self’s No. 25 Toyota in Turn 3. After the contact, Self’s car was severely damaged when he hit the wall. Once the cars were brought down for pit road due to the break, Deegan, Mayer, Holmes, Gibbs, Gray, Self, Wright, Smith, Basham, and Dollar made up the top 10 running order.

The turning point of the race occurred after the Lap 156 restart after Mayer shot to the lead when Deegan didn’t get going well enough to keep her lead. Mayer had a better restart and continued to check out with the race lead.

By the time the checkered flag flew, it was all Mayer as he grabbed his third ARCA Menards Series victory of the year with Holmes coming in second and Taylor Gray third to round out the top three.

Even though Holmes closed the championship points gap to one point behind Michael Self, the Alabaman was frustrated with how his race went.

“It’s really frustrating when you have the best car and you don’t win the race,” Holmes said. “We really did all we could. The last 15 to 20 laps, I kind of lost my cool there, with being so frustrated with the car. You know, it just sucks. People can’t race clean. I know for some people it doesn’t matter (racing clean) just because of who they are, but for people like me, it’s a lot tougher to have a good reputation and keep that fan base behind you. Just the lack of respect overall. I’ve never had to race the car that way, but they’ve got it coming.”

Despite Holmes being frustrated with a second place finish, one rookie Taylor Gray, enjoyed a career best night of placing third.

“We finished third by just being there at the end and racing everyone clean as much as I possibly could,” Gray said. “It’s really hard to pass here and not the greatest racing side-by-side. We came out with a good finish tonight. I can’t thank everyone at DGR-Crosley and Ford enough. They gave me a good Ford Fusion tonight and we’ll go on to Toledo next weekend.”

Mayer led one time for 46 laps en route to victory.

There were five cautions for 28 laps and two lead changes among three different leaders.

Official Results following the Zinsser Smart Coat 200 at I-44 Speedway.

  1. Sam Mayer, led 46 laps
  2. Bret Holmes, led 69 laps
  3. Taylor Gray
  4. Ty Gibbs
  5. Hailie Deegan, led 85 laps
  6. Michael Self, 1 lap down
  7. Kris Wright, 2 laps down
  8. Chandler Smith, 2 laps down
  9. Drew Dollar, 6 laps down
  10. Mike Basham, 7 laps down
  11. Tim Richmond, 11 laps down
  12. Owen Smith, OUT, Brakes
  13. Brad Smith, OUT, Handling
  14. Tim Monroe, OUT, Brakes

Up Next: The ARCA Menards Series is scheduled to compete at Toledo Speedway on Saturday, Sept. 12.

CORVETTE RACING AT ATLANTA: Runner-Up Finish for Gavin, Milner

By
Official Release
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No. 4 Corvette C8.R second in GTLM points behind teammates Garcia, Taylor

BRASELTON, Ga. (Sept. 5, 2020) – Corvette Racing’s Oliver Gavin and Tommy Milner completed a stellar comeback to finish as class runner-up Saturday in the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship’s TireRack.com Grand Prix at Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta.

The duo drove their No. 4 Mobil 1/SiriusXM Chevrolet Corvette C8.R from nearly a lap down in the six-hour endurance race to nearly a second victory of the year in another highly competitive GT Le Mans (GTLM) class battle. The result advanced Gavin and Milner to second place in the GTLM Drivers’ Championship standings, and it meant Chevrolet maintained its advantage in the category’s Manufacturers’ standings.

Antonio Garcia and Jordan Taylor finished fifth in the No. 3 Mobil 1/SiriusXM Corvette to retain their lead in the Drivers’ Championship with five races remaining. They hold a 14-point advantage to their No. 4 Corvette teammates.

The challenge by the No. 4 Corvette appeared in danger in the opening hour. Milner took the class lead just past the 30-minute mark and the race’s second restart following a full-course caution. He held the position until suffering a flat tire 64 minutes into the race, which brought out another caution.

After slipping back to sixth in class, Milner and Gavin fought for the next two hours in hopes of remaining on the lead lap – at most times running anywhere from two to five seconds ahead of the class leaders. In fact, the entirety of Gavin’s time in the car was spent trying to remain ahead of the leaders – much of it running against lead entries from other GTLM teams.

The race came back to the No. 4 with the race’s fourth full-course caution with two hours to go. Gavin drove two full stints under green-flag conditions to keep his car in the hunt, and Milner re-entered with two hours and 50 minutes to go. After the final yellow-flag period, Milner was back on the tail of the GTLM field and retook the lead with 55 minutes to go. A quick stop thanks to fuel savings with 51 minutes left saw him cycle back to second – and ahead of two cars he had been running behind before the final stop sequence – for the stretch run.

The Garcia/Taylor pairing saw its two-race win streak come to an end on a challenging day where the midday heat played havoc with the handling and track conditions. A chassis adjustment with less than three hours left helped the balance of the No. 3 Corvette for a final push, but a tire issue late in the going halted a podium challenge.

Corvette Racing’s next event is Sept. 25-27 at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course.

OLIVER GAVIN, NO. 4 MOBIL 1/SiriusXM CHEVROLET CORVETTE C8.R – FINISHED SECOND IN GTLM: “It was a real battle the entire six hours. When I had Antonio behind me, I thought ‘OK he’s in a Corvette and will be a little bit nice to me!’ We managed to pull away from everyone else a little bit and managed it as best we could. It was still tough and hard. Then in the next stint it was the 911 we were battling, and I knew he wasn’t going to be anywhere near as nice. We also had to go to a slightly different tire set, and that made it a little harder. But yes, it was some of the hardest driving I’ve ever done around here – just to stay on the lead lap while we were praying for a caution. We finally got one, and Tommy drove brilliantly to get us back up there toward the front while saving some fuel. We managed to do the undercut with everyone else in pit lane and nearly got the 25; it just looked like at the end that it was in a class of its own. We’ll take second today. It gets us that much closer in the championship. In terms of that, it’s a good day in the championship for Tommy, me and the No. 4 Corvette team. I have to take my hat off to the crew. They did a phenomenal job on all the stops today. They were rock solid. It was a great day for Corvette Racing in that respect.”

TOMMY MILNER, NO. 4 MOBIL 1/SiriusXM CHEVROLET CORVETTE C8.R – FINISHED SECOND IN GTLM: “I’ve never had to push so hard! The last two stints were such big, big pushes and giving it all we had. It didn’t look so great there for a little bit. We were unlucky with the puncture early on, and that set us back quite a bit. Ultimately all we needed was that one yellow, and we got it to get us back in the hunt again. Our Corvette today was super fast. I’m really happy with it… the balance was really, really good all day long. It was a great strategy call at the end. It’s not often that works but I was able to save some fuel in the train of cars there; thanks to Jordan who let me go just before he came in to save me a little more time. I was able to close the gap to the 24 and then threw everything at it for two laps before we stopped. That plus a shorter stop from fuel got us out ahead of the two cars ahead of us. We almost got ahead of the 25. A lot like qualifying, we’ll go back and say, ‘If I had just a second better on my in-lap or braking into the pitlane, maybe that would have put us just ahead.’ Even then the gap to them before we pitted was already big so trying to make up that much time and keep them behind would have been really hard. I’m really happy with the race today. Obviously you want to win, but P2 is great for the points. That’s what it’s going to take – getting all the points we possibly can. I think we may have had a little bit of a tire problem at the end so that yellow really helped us ultimately. But I’m definitely happy with today.”

ANTONIO GARCIA, NO. 3 MOBIL 1/SiriusXM CHEVROLET CORVETTE C8.R – FINISHED FIFTH IN GTLM: “Definitely not the result we wanted or expected today. The things that broke our way over the last four races didn’t happen today, but that is how it goes sometimes. Today was a classic long-distance GTLM race. I think nearly every car in the class led at one point, including us. The heat of this race made things difficult in the middle, and by the end we didn’t have enough to catch up over a stint. The good news is we have a healthy points advantage, and now Olly and Tommy are second. That’s great for Corvette Racing and Team Chevy. We will move to Mid-Ohio and try to get back on the podium.”

JORDAN TAYLOR, NO. 3 MOBIL 1/SiriusXM CHEVROLET CORVETTE C8.R – FINISHED FIFTH IN GTLM: “This was a tough day. My stints in the heat were some of the most challenging conditions I think I’ve faced this year. The combination of the heat in the track and the tire compound made it difficult, but we tried to hang in there as best we could. The crew did a great job on pit stops; I don’t know how many spots we gained in the pitlane but it was a lot. Things didn’t go our way today like they had the last two months. We’ll go back, look at the data to see where we can make gains before coming back here in October for Petit Le Mans.”

Team Chevy high-resolution racing photos are available for editorial use. Photos by Richard Prince.

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.

Wright Motorsports Revels in Podium Finish at Road Atlanta

By
Official Release
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BRASELTON, Ga., (September 5, 2020) – Wight Motorsports celebrated a well-earned podium finish today at Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta in the TireRack.com Grand Prix. The No. 16 1st Phorm Porsche 911 GT3 R, driven by Ryan Hardwick, Patrick Long, and Jan Heylen had a flawless race over the course of the six hours to clinch the third position. The result netted the team its first IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship podium of the 2020 season.

“I’m so proud of everyone on the team for today’s result,” said Team Owner John Wright. “Each of the drivers drove so well against the competition and the incredible stops by our guys in pit lane all came together to have us contending up front. Great effort by all.”

In perfect weather conditions, Heylen started the race from third, avoiding two separate prototype incidents to keep third place as the top two positions in class traded spots. Positioned behind the No. 12 Lexus of Frankie Montecalvo, the two engaged it a tight battle for position before the strategists in the pit box ordered Heylen to hold position in order save fuel. Heylen pitted under caution after 20 minutes of running for fresh tires, fuel, and a driver change to Ryan Hardwick. The No. 16 Porsche was one of the few cars to do a full service stop, rejoining in twelfth position. Hardwick enjoyed a trouble-free stint, perfectly managing the fuel and tires while still putting up a strong fight for position.

He climbed up to ninth by the next full course caution, which saw the No. 16 gaining five spots in pit lane. As the afternoon heated up, the track became more slick and the Porsche lost track position to pit from ninth by the end of Hardwick’s stint. He completed his mandatory 90 minutes of driving in the second hour, handing the baton to Heylen.

Heylen rejoined the race, beginning hour three from 10th position. He methodically climbed back up, running consistently faster than most of the cars in class. He spent the second half of his stint reeling in the No. 14 Lexus of Daniel Morad. He caught up with and passed the Canadian driver three laps before giving the car to Patrick Long to turn his first laps. The Porsche Factory Driver took over the No. 16 911 GT3 R racer with roughly two and a half hours to go, joining in ninth. At this point in the race, the Californian was the only driver to enjoy a caution-free run, allowing him to climb up to fourth and gain over ten seconds on track during his stint.

The next caution came just moments after Long completed his shift, with Heylen rejoining the race in eighth. The majority of the GTD field pitted under the caution period, putting the group on the same fuel strategy to the end. Gaining two spots in the pits, the No. 16 Porsche restarted from sixth and continued the climb into the top three. With one hour remaining, the No. 86 of Mario Farnbacher led the No. 48 of Madison Snow, with the No. 16 close behind. The 86 was the first car to make its final stop, followed the next lap by the 48. The 1st Phorm Porsche pitted two laps later, and thanks to a speedy stop, exited pit lane ahead of the 48 to take second-place with Long back behind the wheel. However, the No. 48 of Bryan Sellers had warmer tires and a slightly lighter fuel load, allowing the Lamborghini to take the position.

In the final 60 minutes, the two raced nose-to-tail with Long putting heavy pressure on Sellers while also saving the tires for a push in the final laps. The battle intensified with every lap, but a yellow flag with 12 minutes to go paused the fight. The field closed back up for a two-lap dash to the checker flag. Though Long stayed close to Sellers, the No. 16 was unable to make the pass, but took a well-deserved third-place finish, closing out another solid points weekend for Wright Motorsports.

The Batavia, Ohio based team will race on its home turf in the next round, as the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship heads to Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course September 27. The event will go back to the sprint format, with just Hardwick and Long sharing the driving duties for the No. 16 1st Phorm Porsche 911 GT3 R.

Driver Quotes

Ryan Hardwick
I enjoy racing in my home town. To have our first podium of the year here at Road Atlanta is awesome. Man, this was a team effort, for sure. Jan Heylen was a monster today. He made up a lot of positions and then Patrick pushed hard. We had a shot at second, but the restart was tough there at the end. All in all, it was a great championship points day and I was pumped to be here with my friends and family watching. I look forward to coming back here for Petit Le Mans.

Patrick Long
It feels amazing to get up on to the podium. It has been a few weeks coming. Unfortunately, track position was the name of the game at the end. We executed the plan on an overcut, and we were able to come out of the pits in front of the 48. I did everything I could to keep Bryan Sellers behind me. In the end, that was the race for second, or maybe first. I’m not sure if the Acura was saving for the end, but he was coming back to us and we had a lot of speed in clean air. Third is where we finished, and we’ll use this as momentum for building to the end of the year. Jan was great to have this weekend, and hopefully we can get him back in the car for Petit Le Mans and Sebring International Raceway and finish this year strong.

Jan Heylen
It was a good day. This is exactly what we came here to do. We got good points and it was a lot of fun for me. I’m glad I was able to do my job and deliver for the team. I hope there’s more to come.

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1st Phorm
1st Phorm is a sports nutrition company based in St. Louis, MO. In 2009, CEO Andy Frisella and his business partner Chris Klein started the brand, and since then, it has become the fastest growing supplement company in the world. 1st Phorm has set the standards in the industry for quality and helping people reach their goals. This new racing partnership is not their first time in the exotic car scene either. 1st Phorm has been the title sponsor for the Gold Rush Rally for six years running. With over a million followers across social media, 1st Phorm has amassed a huge cult-like following known as, “The Legion of Boom.” They stand for a movement in the fitness world. To turn it back to what it was meant to be. Helping others improve their lives, to be a good human… and to drop the excuses and do the work. 1st Phorm is a winning brand and they don’t expect anything less when it comes to their race team. For additional info: www.1stphorm.com

Mountain Motorsports
Mountain Motorsports is a group of motorcycle and powersports dealerships with multiple locations in the southeastern United States. The company was founded by lifelong friends Ryan Hardwick and Justin Price when they opened their first location as a single-line Honda dealership in Sevierville, Tennessee in 1999. The company has since grown into one of the largest retailers of motorcycle and powersports vehicles in the nation, spanning eight dealership locations representing eleven of the industry’s most well-known brands. For additional info: www.mtn-motorsports.com

Una Vida Tequila
Una Vida translates to One Life. That is how this brand started. By people who want to live their “One Life” to the absolute fullest and to their highest potential. A group of guys from the Midwest who love great quality tequila, and want their One Life to have meaning and impact others.

One Life, One Tequila is our CORE BELIEF. We’re building the only tequila brand you will ever need to drink. Una Vida is bigger than just tequila we’re also building a culture of people who want to live their life to their utmost potential.

Our story begins and continues to grow bottle by bottle. It’s a life mission for us to create a community of people who all raise a glass knowing they’re living their ONE LIFE! For more information, visit unavidatequila.com

Henry Repeating Arms
Henry Repeating Arms is one of the leading rifle and shotgun manufacturers in the United States and a world leader in the lever-action category. The company motto is “Made in America, or not made at all” and its firearms come with a lifetime guarantee backed by award-winning customer service. The company is also known for its charitable endeavors under its Guns For Great Causes program, which focuses on sick children, both individual cases and children’s hospitals, veteran and wounded veteran organizations, Second Amendment and wildlife conservation organizations. The company currently employs 535 people and has 250,000 square feet of manufacturing space in its Rice Lake, Wisconsin and Bayonne, New Jersey facilities. The company is named in honor of Benjamin Tyler Henry who invented and patented the Henry rifle in 1860 – the first repeating rifle, the lever-action rifle, which is America’s unique contribution to international firearms design and is one of the most legendary, respected and sought after rifles in the history of firearms. Visit Henry Repeating Arms online at www.HenryUSA.com, on Facebook at www.Facebook.com/HenryRepeating, and on Instagram @Henry_Rifles.

Wright Motorsports
Wright Motorsports is the premier Porsche race engineering facility in Ohio and a multi-series, international racing team known for superb car preparation, expert race strategy and driver development. Located in Batavia, Ohio, it is owned and directed by John Wright, a certified Porsche factory-trained technician. As a crew chief John Wright has played a key role in winning eight driver and seven team championships in World Challenge, IMSA (ALMS) and the Grand-Am Rolex Series. Wright Motorsports won the team championship in Porsche GT3 Cup USA in 2012, 2013 and 2015, and went on to win the Pirelli World Challenge Overall, Sprint, Team and Manufacturer’s titles in 2017. The 2020 season will see the team return to IMSA Weathertech SportsCar Championship. For more information, visit wrightmotorsports.com

Brandon Jones steals a win at Darlington Raceway

By
Michelle Lippold
-
DARLINGTON, SOUTH CAROLINA - SEPTEMBER 05: Brandon Jones, driver of the #19 03 Dash Championship Toyota, celebrates in Victory Lane after winning the NASCAR Xfinity Series Sport Clips Haircuts VFW 200 at Darlington Raceway on September 05, 2020 in Darlington, South Carolina. (Photo by Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images)

It was the perfect day for the NASCAR Xfinity Series race at Darlington Raceway, also known as the “Track Too Tough To Tame”. Many drivers earned their Darlington stripe today and several drivers more than once. There was one driver who happened to be at the right place at the right time and that was Brandon Jones in his No. 19 Toyota Joe Gibbs Racing, who came away with the win, his third of the season.

“Look at the right side of this thing!” he exclaimed, “I think everybody’s looks like this. That’s what’s so much fun about this track.’ He added, “This is a tough place to get around.”

Coming in second place today was the No. 10 Chevy of Ross Chastain.

“Denny (Hamlin) was faster, I knew that and everyone watching NBC knew that,” Chastain commented, “I just kept ripping the top as best I could, I probably hit it 25 times.” He added, “I was really struggling on entry. I’m just proud of this group and proud of their effort.”

Ryan Sieg brought his No. 39 RSS Racing Chevy into third place today.

Riley Herbst and Hamlin would round out the top five. Harrison Burton, Noah Gragson, Michael Annett, Austin Hill, and Myatt Snider finished sixth through 10, respectively.

Stage 1 only had 2 cautions. The first was for the cars of Sieg, Hemric and Brandon Brown who got tangled up together. The second was a scheduled competition caution. By Lap 34 Hamlin took the lead after starting at the rear of the field. He would win the stage.

Stage 2 had one caution for Noah Gragson. Allgaier had tire trouble and went behind the wall and later returned to the track. Hamlin retook the lead from Briscoe on Lap 84 and went on to win the stage.

Stage 3 is where all the action was. Jeremy Clements stalled on the track and brought out the caution. David Starr smacked into the wall after his tire went down. Next, Brett Moffitt’s car laid fluid on the track, sending several cars spinning and bringing out the red flag for cleanup. When the race resumed, a battle between Chastain and Hamlin was on. It was exciting to watch as Hamlin tried to take the lead away. Both cars bounced off the wall several times. Coming down to the white flag both Hamlin and Chastain got into the wall, and Jones, who was in third, jumped into the lead and the race win. It was such an exciting race to watch, I can’t wait for the rest of this weekend’s racing.

Austin Cindric leads the Xfinity Series points standings with 1005 points, in second is Chase Briscoe with 951 points, third in the points is Chastain with 911 points, fourth is Gragson with 878 points, and rounding out the top five is Harrison Burton with 789 points.

The NASCAR Xfinity Series heads next to Richmond Raceway on Friday, Sept. 11.

NASCAR Xfinity Series Race Number 23

Darlington Raceway – Darlington, SC – 1.366 – Mile Paved

Total Race Length – 147 Laps – 200.802 Miles

FinStrNoDriverTeamLapsS1PosS2PosS3PosPtsStatus
1819Brandon JonesToyota14762054Running
2510Ross ChastainNutrien Ag Solutions Chevrolet14724051Running
31139Ryan SiegCMRRoofing.com Chevrolet14796041Running
4618Riley Herbst #Monster Energy Toyota147010034Running
53754Denny Hamlin(i)SportClips Toyota1471100Running
6320Harrison Burton #DEX Imaging Toyota14705037Running
7149Noah GragsonUnilever United for America Chevrolet14750036Running
871Michael AnnettOREO/Pilot Flying J Chevrolet14788035Running
92661Austin Hill(i)Toyora Tsusho Toyota1470000Running
102093Myatt Snider #The Original Louisiana Hot Sauce Chevrolet14700027Running
11298Chase BriscoeHighpoint.com Ford14743041Running
12422Austin CindricMoneyLion Ford14737037Running
13111Justin HaleyLeafFilter Gutter Protection Chevrolet14700024Running
142778BJ McLeodKoolbox Ice Toyota14700023Running
15992Josh WilliamsDGM Racing Chevrolet14700022Running
162436Alex LabbeDGM Racing Chevrolet14700021Running
171768Brandon BrownCostal Carolina University Chevrolet14700020Running
18104Jesse Little #Shriners Hospitals Chevrolet14700019Running
191815Colby HowardProject Hope Foundation Chevrolet14700018Running
202313Chad FinchumCRASHCLAIMSR.US Toyota14600017Running
21250Jeffrey EarnhardtKSDT CPA Chevrolet14600016Running
223399Matt MillsJF Electric Toyota14600015Running
23288Joe Graf Jr #Bucked Up Energy Chevrolet14600014Running
243074Bayley Currey(i)Mutt and Jeff Porkskins Inc. Chevrolet1460000Running
25296Ryan VargasCranio Care Bears Chevrolet14600012Running
261944Tommy Joe MartinsGilreath Farms Red Angus Chevrolet14570015Running
271221Anthony AlfredoBlue Otter Polarized Chevrolet14500010Running
28325Vinnie MillerKoolbox Ice Toyota1450009Running
293452Kody Vanderwal #The Rolling Home Show with Bill Malone Chev1450008Running
303590Dexter BeanSleep Well Chevrolet1450007Running
31167Justin AllgaierBRANDT Chevrolet13510007Running
321351Jeremy ClementsRepairables.com Chevrolet1290907Running
33212Brett Moffitt(i)Knockaround Chevrolet1180000Oil Leak
34227David StarrRichardson Service 1991 Inc. Chevrolet1080003Accident
353666Stephen LeichtJANIKING Toyota110002Suspension
363147Kyle WeathermanBack The Blue Chevrolet50001Accident
37158Daniel HemricPoppy Bank Chevrolet20001Accident


Team Penske NASCAR Xfinity Series Race Report – Darlington

By
Official Release
-

Track:    Darlington Raceway
Race:     Sport Clips Haircuts VFW 200
Date:     September 5, 2020
___________________________________________________

No. 22 MoneyLion – Austin Cindric
Start:  4th
Stage 1: 3rd
Stage 2: 7th
Finish: 12th
Status:  Running
Laps Completed: 147/147
Laps Led: 0
Point Standings (ahead of second): 1st (+54)

Notes:

Austin Cindric and the No. 22 MoneyLion Ford Mustang team battled their way through tight conditions and an unscheduled pitstop to score a 12th-place finish in the Sport Clips Haircuts VFW 200 Saturday afternoon at Darlington Raceway. Cindric continues to lead the NASCAR Xfinity Series driver standings, 54 markers ahead of second place Chase Briscoe.

Cindric started the 147-lap, 200-mile event from fourth position after the field was set per the NASCAR rule book. The first 45-lap stage saw three cautions, including the competition caution on lap 20. Early in the segment Cindric was second and communicated to crew chief Brian Wilson that his MoneyLion Ford was tight. He remained inside the top-five as Stage 1 progressed and claimed a third-place finish when the opening stage ended. Wilson made the call to pit during the stage caution for four tires, fuel, and adjustments and Cindric restarted third when the race went green on lap 52.
Stage 2 ran caution-free until the fourth caution slowed the pace on the lap 90, the final lap of the segment. Throughout the long run, the MoneyLion Ford became too loose and Cindric began to slowly lose track position, dropping to seventh by the completion of stage. Wilson again made the call to pit during the stage caution for four fresh tires, fuel, and major adjustment to aid Cindric’s Ford. Nice work on the pit lane by the MoneyLion crew kept Cindric in seventh position for the restart on lap 95.He was up to fourth position by the time the sixth caution was displayed on lap 111. Cindric pitted during the yellow for four tires. He left pit road third, but a mixture of different pit strategy pushed him back to 12th for the restart on lap 114. The final caution slowed the race on lap 119 and was briefly red flagged for track cleanup. Once the race restarted, Cindric pitted to make certain all the wheels were tight. The driver of the MoneyLion Ford restarted 16th with 21 laps remaining. As the laps ticked off, Cindric’s Ford steadily became tighter with each passing lap, but he was able to move up through traffic to claim a 12th-place finish by the end of the 147-lap event.

The NASCAR Xfinity Series is back in action with the Richmond Raceway doubleheader next weekend.  The first race will take place on Friday, September 11 at 7:00 p.m. ET on NBCSN, MRN and Sirius XM NASCAR Radio followed by race two on Saturday, September 12 at 2:00 p.m. ET on NBCSN, MRN and Sirius XM NASCAR Radio.

Quote: “I think the biggest positives we can take away as a group for our No. 22 MoneyLion Ford Mustang was we learned a lot.  We tried something new and tried to fix the problems with something new and I think we learned more of what not to do today and how to be better in trying to apply it later on.  Without being overly specific, I feel like we learned those things.  We didn’t have a very good day execution-wise.  We had to come back in and tighten up some lugnuts there after everyone had made their final pit stops, so that was obviously lost all of our track position and we struggled to make our way back up.  I didn’t think we were really well-suited for the end of the race there and probably didn’t do myself any favors with some of the damage I got throughout the day, but, overall, we learned some things and tried some things.  We were aggressive with the things that we tried today, so I think that’s something to be proud of — that we’re in that kind of a position and have that kind of confidence in ourselves, but I think it’s just as important to be able to go back and rebound next week at Richmond.”

RCR Post Race Report – Sport Clips Haircuts VFW 200

By
Official Release
-

Anthony Alfredo and the Blue Otter Polarized Chevrolet Team’s Strong Performance at The Track Too Tough to Tame Haulted By On Track Incident

Finish: 27th
Start: 12th
Points: 10th

“I’m really proud of my team for bringing such a fast No. 21 Blue Otter Polarized Chevrolet to the race track, even though it was a tough day for us at Darlington Raceway for throwback weekend. On lap two the car bottomed out on the splitter, which caused our Chevrolet to shoot up the track and catch the wall. Fortunately, that was just cosmetic damage and we were able to continue. Our Richard Childress Racing pit crew did a great job getting our Chevy repaired and keeping us in contention. We were able to go to work and pass a lot of cars on track even after our initial incident. My team did a great job of putting us in position late in the race on older tires. We restarted in the fourth position and settled into fifth on older tires, which is a big deal at Darlington. It looked like our strategy was going to play out just fine until I saw the leader wreck. I went high to avoid him, but ran through the same rear end grease he went through and wrecked as well. It’s a shame it tore up a lot of good cars, including ours. It definitely wasn’t the finish we deserved, but I’m extremely proud of all my Richard Childress Racing guys and the speed we continue to bring each week.” -Anthony Alfredo

Ford Performance NASCAR: Darlington XFINITY Post-Race Quotes

By
Official Release
-

NASCAR XFINITY SERIES
SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 5, 2020
SPORTS CLIPS HAIRCUTS VFW 200 – DARLINGTON RACEWAY
FORD PERFORMANCE DRIVER – POST RACE QUOTES

FORD FINISHING RESULTS:
11th – Chase Briscoe
12th – Austin Cindric

CHASE BRISCOE, No. 98 Highpoint.com Ford Mustang — YOU WERE WHERE YOU WANTED TO BE WITH 30 TO GO, BUT OBVIOUSLY THE FLUID ON THE TRACK CHANGED YOUR DAY.  “You can’t control stuff like that, but, overall, we were in contention to win.  I felt like we could have beat Denny, so that’s something to hang our head high on.  Him and Harvick are the guys dominating the Cup Series, so I’m proud to be able to run with those guys.  I just hate that the oil situation happened, but you can’t control that and it was something that was out of our hands.”

WERE YOU AWARE AT ALL THAT THE 02 WAS DROPPING ANY FLUID EVEN THOUGH THAT WAS HAPPENING BEHIND YOU?  “No, I had no idea.  I was kind of saving my tires and just went into turn one on that lap and the next thing I knew I was spinning out instantly.  I definitely hit something.  I guess it was oil, but I had no idea any of that was going on or there was even an issue on the racetrack.”

THREE RACES TO GO IN THE REGULAR SEASON, SO IS THE GOAL TO TRY AND GET AS MANY PLAYOFF POINTS AS POSSIBLE?  “Yeah, for sure.  I think for us the biggest thing is just trying to make sure we have a five-point playoff point lead over the 22.  More than likely he’s gonna win the regular season at this point and if we can be five or six ahead that puts us tied or one up going into the playoffs, so I think that’s probably the biggest goal right now is just trying to make sure we can do that.  That obviously requires winning stages and races.  I felt like we had a good opportunity to do that today, but it just didn’t work out.”

AUSTIN CINDRIC, No. 22 MoneyLion Ford Mustang — “I think the biggest positives we can take away as a group for our No. 22 MoneyLion Ford Mustang was we learned a lot.  We tried something new and tried to fix the problems with something new and I think we learned more of what not to do today and how to be better in trying to apply it later on.  Without being overly specific, I feel like we learned those things.  We didn’t have a very good day execution-wise.  We had to come back in and tighten up some lugnuts there after everyone had made their final pit stops, so that was obviously lost all of our track position and we struggled to make our way back up.  I didn’t think we were really well-suited for the end of the race there and probably didn’t do myself any favors with some of the damage I got throughout the day, but, overall, we learned some things and tried some things.  We were aggressive with the things that we tried today, so I think that’s something to be proud of — that we’re in that kind of a position and have that kind of confidence in ourselves, but I think it’s just as important to be able to go back and rebound next week at Richmond.”

TireRack.com Grand Prix at Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta Qualifying Report

By
Official Release
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Braselton, Ga. (September 4, 2020) The No. 10 Konica Minolta Cadillac DPi-V.R will start the TireRack.com Grand Prix at Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta in seventh position with just four tenths of a second separating the pole starting position and seventh. Renger van der Zande qualified with a time of 1:09.079 around the 12-turn, 2.54-mile road course circuit. Ryan Briscoe will co-drive the No. 10 Konica Minolta Cadillac DPi-V.R with van der Zande tomorrow for a six hour race.

“Qualifying started off really well,” commented Renger van der Zande. “We started the session in the top three, and the car was functioning very well. I think the track was improving with every lap, and so were we. But, so did the other drivers. Maybe we needed to go out later, but that was the choice we decided on just in case there were red flags. There were a lot of drivers that went off the track, so I think it was a good decision. Seventh position isn’t great, but the car feels good so I’m happy to go racing tomorrow. It’s a long race, so we can make up for it.”

  • ACURA TEAM PENSKE (No. 7 Acura DPi) Helio Castroneves & Ricky Taylor (1:08.674 at 133.150 mph)
  • Whelen Engineering Racing (No. 31 Cadillac DPi-V.R) Pipo Deroni, Felipe Nasr, & Felipe Albuquerque (1:08.730 at 133.150 mph)
  • ACURA TEAM PENSKE (No. 2 Acura DPi) Juan Pablo Montoya & Dane Cameron (1:08.767 at 132.970 mph)
  • Mazda Motorsports (No. 77 Mazda DPi) Oliver Jarvis, Tristan Nunez, & Olivier Pla (1:08.916 at 132.970 mph)
  • Mazda Motorsports (No. 55 Mazda DPi) Jonathan Bommarito, & Harry Tincknell (1:08.948 at 132.621 mph)
  • Konica Minolta Cadillac DPi-V.R (No. 10 Konica Minolta Cadillac DPi-V.R) Ryan Briscoe & Renger van der Zande (1:09.079 at 132.369 mph)
  • The green flag for the TireRack.com Grand Prix at Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta is set for 11:35 a.m. ET, live coverage begins on NBCSN at 11:30 a.m. ET. Coverage shifts to TrackPass on NBC Sports Gold and the NBC Sports App from 12:30-2:30 p.m., with the final hours on NBCSN from 2:30-6 p.m.

About Konica Minolta
Konica Minolta Business Solutions U.S.A., Inc. is reshaping and revolutionizing the Workplace of the Future™ with its expansive smart office product portfolio from IT Services (All Covered), ECM, Managed Print Services and industrial and commercial print solutions. Konica Minolta has been recognized as the #1 Brand for Customer Loyalty in the MFP Office Copier Market by Brand Keys for twelve consecutive years, and is proud to be ranked on the Forbes 2017 America’s Best Employers list. The World Technology Awards recently named the company a finalist in the IT Software category. Konica Minolta, Inc. has been named to the Dow Jones Sustainability World Index for eight consecutive years. It partners with its clients to give shape to ideas and work to bring value to our society. For more information, please visit us online and follow Konica Minolta on Facebook, YouTube, Linked In and Twitter. Konica Minolta, as title sponsor, highlights Wayne Taylor Racing’s existing lineup of partners that also features Cadillac V-Performance Racing, AMETEK Electronic Systems Protection (ESP /SurgeX) and Powervar, and CIT.

Phoenix Raceway to host limited fans for NASCAR championship weekend, November 6-8

By
Official Release
-

PHOENIX (Sept. 4, 2020) – As NASCAR returns to the Valley of the Sun for NASCAR Championship Weekend, November 6-8, Phoenix Raceway will host a limited, reduced number of fans throughout the three-day event. The limited number of fans permitted each of the three days is in accordance with guidance and approvals from local officials pursuant to Executive Order 2020-43 and enhanced safety protocols and procedures to provide a safe experience.

“While we wish we could have a full house with the greatest fans in motorsports, the health and safety of everyone is our top priority and we are excited that we can still share this NASCAR Championship Weekend experience with many in a safe environment,” said Phoenix Raceway President Julie Giese. “The entire Phoenix Raceway team has been looking forward to hosting the track’s first-ever championship weekend since it was announced in March of last year and we’re thrilled to be able to welcome fans all three days to share in this monumental event for our venue, our community and the entire state of Arizona.”

As a result of the seating capacity limitations, Phoenix Raceway will no longer be able to accommodate some ticket holders for the events and will issue a credit to those displaced accounts towards the 2021 NASCAR Championship Weekend at Phoenix Raceway. Season ticket holders will receive priority as part of this process. To ensure social distancing between groups in attendance, many fans will be reseated in new locations, as comparable as possible to their original seats, and new, lower ticket pricing for Sunday’s NASCAR Cup Series Championship race will be applied.

The INfield Experience will be unavailable and fans that have purchased this access will receive a credit to their account. Other fan hospitality options such as Legends and Dos Equis Curve will also operate at a reduced capacity. Camping will still be available and all campers will be pre-screened upon their arrival. Campers will also be asked to park in the same direction on the right side of each campsite, with all campsites limited to a maximum of six guests per spot.

In addition to maintaining a strict adherence to the CDC-recommended 6’ social distancing throughout the venue, all guests will be screened prior to entering the gates, including a non-contact temperature check, and guests ages 3 and up will be required to bring and wear mandatory face coverings. Multiple handwashing and hand-sanitizing stations will be placed throughout the operating areas and entrances and a “clean team” of staff, clearly identified for guests, will be cleaning or disinfecting at all times. Additional information on the NASCAR Championship Weekend and its safety protocols may be found online at PhoenixRaceway.com/protocols or by calling Phoenix Raceway at 866-408-RACE (7223).

NASCAR has already hosted a limited number fans at several events this season including two August weekends at Daytona International Speedway, previously at Talladega Superspeedway and another this coming weekend at Darlington Raceway to jumpstart the 2020 NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs.

About Phoenix Raceway

Home to the 2020 NASCAR Championship Weekend, Phoenix Raceway has been the premier motorsports venue in the Southwest since 1964 and hosts two NASCAR race weekends each year. In 2020, the FanShield 500 Speed Fest Weekend, March 6-8, kicked off the race season at Phoenix Raceway, featuring the NASCAR Cup Series, NASCAR Xfinity Series and the new addition of the ARCA Menards Series. For the first time in the history of the sport, Phoenix Raceway will host the NASCAR Championship Weekend, November 6-8. Over the three-day event, champions will be crowned in the NASCAR Cup Series, NASCAR Xfinity Series, NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series and the ARCA Menards Series West. Phoenix Raceway also hosts a variety of events throughout the year, including corporate meetings and conferences, charity events, holiday events, sport and endurance competitions, driving schools and Segway tours. For more information, visit www.PhoenixRaceway.com.

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