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What are the top British-made luxury car brands today?

By
SM
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Photo by Jannis Lucas on Unsplash

Newly-established British car manufacturers like BAC are making some of the most luxurious cars in the world. However, when it comes to the very finest British-made luxury cars, brands that have been around since the beginning of the 20th century still lead the way.

Aston Martin

The Aston Martin brand has been associated with luxury ever since its grand touring cars of the 1950s were launched. And when James Bond drove a gadget-filled version of the DB5 model in the classic 1964 movie Goldfinger, the Aston Martin gained a whole new audience of appreciation. Today, Aston Martin’s sports cars are regarded as a cultural icon of Britain. The manufacturer has also held a Royal Warrant, since 1982, as the purveyor of motorcars to the Prince of Wales. With the stamp of approval from both the British royal family and everyone’s favorite secret agent, it is no wonder that Aston Martin remains one of the modern age’s most luxury car brands.

In recent years, models like the DB11, the Valkyrie, and the Vulcan have had luxury car fans raving. But the best luxury Aston Martin of recent times is surely the Vantage. It is an exquisitely crafted luxury GT, available as a V8, a V12, and even a race-bred AMR version. The V12’s six-liter engine will take you to 60mph in under four seconds, and the car can reach speeds up to 200mph. If you decide to buy an Aston Martin, you can make it even more luxurious by adding specific features to show-off your style and taste. For example, you could purchase private reg plates that contain a combination of digits that spell out your name or a favorite passion. You could even go down the James Bond route and get a number plate with the digits 007.

Bentley

The British manufacturer Bentley Motors Limited may now be a part of the Volkswagen Group, but Bentley cars are still made on English turf in the town of Crewe. Since Bentley became widely associated with sports cars after winning several 24 Hours of Le Mans races in the 1920s and 1930s, the brand has gone on to make some of the world’s most luxurious vehicles.

Today, the most luxurious car model in Bentley’s range is undoubtedly the Mulsanne. Three models are available: the Base model, the Speed model, and the Extended Wheelbase version. The latter has an additional 250mm of rear legroom. All three models are stylish, and the Base model is one of the most luxurious base model cars you will find. It can go from zero to 60mph in only 5.1 seconds, and it can reach a top speed of 184mph. The Speed model can reach 60mph in under five seconds and reach a high speed of 200mph. Each model is beautifully crafted and exudes luxury.

Rolls-Royce

Throughout the world, Rolls-Royce is synonymous with luxury. The Rolls-Royce brand has been famous since the early 1900s, and it continues to produce some of the most sought-after cars in the world. Although the British company is now a subsidiary of BMW, its models are still produced in Britain. Since 2003, Rolls-Royce has had production facilities at the historic Goodwood Circuit in Goodwood, West Sussex. Until recently, the Rolls-Royce Phantom VII was regarded as one of the most luxurious cars you could purchase. But with the release of the Phantom VIII in 2017, the brand outdid themselves. The car’s self-leveling air suspension is able to make millions of calculations every second, as it reacts to body-and-wheel acceleration, steering inputs, and camera information. As for the interior, with its sleek and stylish design and materials of the highest quality, it is the embodiment of luxury.

Dover International Speedway’s Aug. 21-23 NASCAR weekend to be held without fans due to COVID-19 concerns

By
Official Release
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Texas 500 – how did the race unfold?

By
SM Staff
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Who doesn’t take risks doesn’t achieve success as Austin Dillon won the NASCAR Cup race in Texas. Richard Childress’s cars used an unexpected strategy to finish 1-2 for the first time since October 2011.

Aric Almirola again got pole position in the draw and did not concede first place to the competitive yellow on the 20th lap. He stayed on the track with Harvick and the latter quickly came forward.

Thirty laps later, Almirola was finally able to get close to Harvick and overtake him again, and the two of them went to the pit stop, losing first place to Martin Truex. However, Almirola received a fine for crossing a solid line on the exit from the pit road and eventually lost two laps.

Meanwhile, Martin Truex did not have time to stop at the pit stop and he ran out of fuel. The leader literally on the circle was Kyle Bush, who was immediately overtaken by Ryan Blaney. In the end, Ryan won the first segment of the race.

The second half

The second segment began with a fight between Kyle Busch and Blaney on a restart, from which Kyle emerged victorious, but not for long. After five laps, Jimmie Johnson lost control and flew a rear bumper into the wall, triggering yellow flags and finishing off his chances. In the first segment, Johnson was good, he was driving in the top 10, and then because of a penalty on the pit stop for breaking safety rules again from the tail came to the top 10. And because of a stupid mistake, he crashed a fast car. Once again. However, despite all this Jimmy remained to fight for points and at the finish was 26th.

Denny Hamlin emerged as the leader after the restart, but Ryan Blaney got ahead again and pulled off confidently before the pit stops. After a pit stop cycle that lasted 30 laps, Blaney was back in front and won the second segment by a six-second lead.

The third segment began with a blockage. A lap after the restart, Kurt Busch hooked Almirola, pushed Kyle Busch into the grass, and Kyle Busch sent Truex into the wall. The race had to be stopped for 12 minutes to clear the rubble.

On the 225th lap, the race continued with the struggles of Hamlin, Keselowski and Blaney. Ten laps later, Ryan managed to throw Hamlin off his tail and started to come off, but John Hunter Nemechek didn’t let him. He flew off the track on the way out of the second turn, and then hung yellow flags.

This race in Texas was widely anticipated not only in the United States but also in Canada, where people are gradually starting to engage in racing. This is mostly thanks to American pioneers of the sport in general. As they started to grow all over the US, it quickly dawned on them that there would soon be very little space to grow further, so they started looking outward. Canada was most definitely an obvious choice, but having the population of a large state was not really appealing for the pioneers.

Therefore, some additional help was called in to convince them. You see, Canadians are a lot less reserved when it comes to making sports a bit more fun. Betting in the country has been allowed ever since the British days and is not frowned upon too much. With the collective effort of familiar NASCAR faces and a few Canadian casino bonus offers, the sport managed to engrave itself within the local community’s watch list.

Unfortunately though, the betting options lost their spark a bit after years of government regulation and the traffic that this particular race generated left many sportsbooks disappointed.

More details

The race lasted only two laps: after that Ty Dillon flew into the outer wall of the track, hooking William Byron on the way. 

The last pit stops started with the leaders, but after the stupid accident, which locked many leaders on the lag lap. At the time, Quin Houff, who was eight laps behind, suddenly decided to go down to the pit stop from the outside line. Instead, he flew into the passing Christopher Bell and Matt DiBenedetto and smashed the car against the wall of the fourth corner.

Brad Keselowski used this occasion after the race to talk about the possible downgrade of especially dangerous riders, and that makes sense. Before joining the Cup, Quin Houff had only 15 races in the ARCA and Xfinity in two years, with no success. And then there was the money, and enough money to buy out the driver’s contract signed just a few weeks earlier. NASCAR has already promised to discuss the situation with the queen, but perhaps the introduction of minimum barriers, such as one full season in the Xfinity or division of pickups, would help to raise the average level of riders.

Everyone who did not come to the pit stop took the opportunity, and on the front row were drivers of Richard Childress Racing. Austin Dillon changed only two tires, and Tyler Reddick just refueled. Dillon’s crew chief Justin Alexander said after the race: “I honestly didn’t expect to be on the front row at the first restart and was shocked by what others were doing on pit stops. I’m surprised that only we and someone else took two tires and Reddick just refueled.” 

In general, there were a lot of questions about tires in the race. According to Joey Logano, there was wear and tear, but the circles did not become slower. It felt as if someone was playing a recently-opened race game under NASCAR license and before the race turned off tire wear in the settings. During the race, there were a lot of pit stops with the change of two wheels, and some were just refuelling. In social networks appeared photos of tires, on which Almirola drove 60 laps, but they looked like new, even the seams were not completely erased, not to mention the real wear.

A resounding finish

In the end, Austin Dillon overtook his partner on the restart, but it was not the end. Denny Hamlin lost control in the heat of the fight and also flew to the wall, taking Alex Bowman with him. After that, Hamlin crashed again.

The final restart was just two laps before the finish. Behind Dillon and Reddick were Logano and Kyle Busch. Austin had a great restart, and the competition between Busch and Logano for third place allowed the drivers to come off and finish on the first and second places respectively. After the win, Austin Dillon praised his team and allowed himself a bit of bragging.

Tyler Reddick, who is remembered in Xfinity as a racer who likes to take another chance, showed that he has changed towards working for the team.

The edge of the playoff zone has changed again. It’s time for Byron, Johnson, and Jones to think about winning because at least one or two of them won’t make the playoffs, depending on Dillon’s position by the end of the regular season.  It’s especially worth thinking about Jones without a contract for next year and with Christopher Bell around the corner.

Kaulig Racing’s Chastain and Haley battle for top-10 results at Kansas

By
Andrew Kim
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Photo by Jamie Squire/Getty Images.

It was another strong performance in the NASCAR Xfinity Series for Kaulig Racing’s Ross Chastain and Justin Haley as they traveled to the midwest and competed at Kansas Speedway. Throughout the race and through two overtime restarts, both Kaulig teammates battled one another competitively with Chastain scoring a top-five result while Haley settled in sixth.

Chastain, who sported another new look to his No. 10 Chevrolet Camaro while featuring Dyna-Gro Seed as a primary sponsor, started seventh based on a random draw while Haley started 12th.

When the green flag waved and the race started, Chastain showed that he had a car to contend for the win as he muscled his way into the top five. He was able to work his way up as high as third while trailing the top-two cars by two seconds. Haley, meanwhile, was back in 13th as he was fighting tight conditions to his No. 11 LeafFilter Gutter Protection Chevrolet Camaro. Through the first 20 laps of the race and when the field reached the competition caution, Chastain was still scored in third while Haley gained a few spots to move up to 10th.

Remaining on track under the competition caution, both Kaulig Racing competitors restarted in the top 10 when the racing resumed. During a 15-lap dash to the conclusion of the first stage, Chastain was able to move up to the runner-up spot, where he finished at the conclusion of the first stage on Lap 40 as he collected more valuable stage points towards the Xfinity Series Playoffs. Haley was also able to remain in the top 10 as he was scored in sixth while collecting a stage point for himself.

Following pit stops under the stage break, where both Chastain and Haley noted tight conditions to their respective Chevrolets, they restarted inside the top 10 when the second stage commenced. At the start, Chastain, restarting on the bottom lane, jumped to an early lead. He led for two corners until he was overtaken in Turn 3 and placed in a three-wide battle for the runner-up spot the ensuing lap. By Lap 50, Chastain was back in fourth while Haley was in sixth. A few laps later, both Kaulig Chevrolets battled one another for the fifth spot with Haley prevailing and moving into the top five for the first time of the day. At Lap 65, both gained a spot to move up to fourth and fifth. For the final 15 laps of the second stage, Chastain worked his way back up to fourth while Haley settled in fifth as both garnered more stage points towards the postseason.

Under the stage break, Chastain and Haley pitted for fresh tires, fuel, air pressure and a chassis adjustment for their respective Camaros. For the stage of the final stage, both battled one another again for position as Haley moved up to fifth while Chastain fell back to sixth. With the racing progressing and passing the 100-lap mark, Haley, who raced as high as fourth, was scored in sixth while Chastain fell back to seventh. Both met one another on track as they battled for position with Chastain passing Haley for sixth place. Six laps later, Chastain was back in the top five and working his way back towards the front while Haley lost another spot and was in eighth.

With 45 laps remaining, Chastain moved up to third while Haley fell back to ninth. Five laps later, pit stops under green occurred with Haley pitting and Chastain stopping for service a lap later after leading a lap. When the pit stops under green cycled through with approximately 20 laps remaining, Chastain was back in third place while Haley was in 10th.

Down to the final 10 laps, both Kaulig Racing competitors appeared to have top-10 results wrapped up. With four laps remaining, everything changed when a single-car wreck in Turn 3 drew a late caution and jumbled up the field for a late shootout to the checkers. Under caution, both pitted and Chastain was lined up in fourth place while Haley was in ninth for the first overtime restart. During the first overtime attempt, Chastain made a bid for the lead when the caution quickly returned for another single-car incident in Turn 1. For the second overtime attempt, Chastain restarted in third again and Haley restarted in 10th. At the start, Chastain made another bid for the lead on the bottom lane until he slid up entering Turn 2 and fell back to fifth while battling Haley and other competitors for position across the start/finish line for the start of the final lap. Entering Turn 2, Chastain narrowly avoided colliding into a car making contact with the outside wall as he battled dead even with Haley for position. At the finish line, with Brandon Jones winning the race at Kansas, Chastain was able to edge Haley by a nose to finish fifth as both Kaulig Racing competitors finished in the top 10 for the 11th time this season.

With his seventh top-five result and his 15th top-10 result of this season, Chastain continues to be scored in fourth place in the regular-season standings, trailing points leader Austin Cindric by 60 points while being 320 points above the top-12 cutline in making the Playoffs. Haley earned his 12th top-10 result of this season as he is already guaranteed a spot in the Xfinity Series Playoffs by virtue of his win at Talladega Superspeedway in June.

With the NASCAR Xfinity Series entering its first off week since May, Kaulig Racing will return as a three-car operation for the next scheduled race at Road America on August 8, with A.J. Allmendinger set to make his sixth series start of 2020 and race alongside Chastain and Haley. The race at Road America will air at 3 p.m. ET on NBCSN.

Toyota Racing NXS Post-Race Recap — Kansas 7.25.20

By
Official Release
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JONES GOES BACK-TO-BACK WITH ANOTHER KANSAS VICTORY
Brandon Jones drives through the field on the final restart to claim the win

KANSAS CITY (July 25, 2020) – Brandon Jones earned his second consecutive victory at Kansas Speedway as he drove to the win on the final restart in the Kansas Lottery 250. It is Jones’ second victory of the season and third win of his career. It was Toyota’s fifth victory of the NASCAR Xfinity Series (NXS) season. Jones’ Joe Gibbs Racing (JGR) teammates Harrison Burton (third) and Riley Herbst (ninth) also scored top-10 finishes.

Toyota Racing Post-Race Recap
NASCAR Xfinity Series (NXS)
Kansas Speedway
Race 17 of 33 – 250.5 miles, 167 laps

TOYOTA FINISHING POSITIONS
1st, BRANDON JONES
2nd, Austin Cindric*
3rd, HARRISON BURTON*
4th, Ryan Sieg*
5th, Ross Chastain*
9th, RILEY HERBST
16th, COLIN GARRETT
19th, TIMMY HILL
26th, MATT MILLS
29th, CHAD FINCHUM
32nd, JA JUNIOR AVILA
37th, STEPHEN LEICHT
*non-Toyota driver

TOYOTA QUOTES

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

Finishing Position: 1st

Where did you come from on that final restart?

“We’re never out of this thing, that’s what I love about these guys. We keep our head in the game, we don’t get excited during these races. We continue to make changes. My feedback I think was pretty good. It’s been a long two days, I feel exhausted and obviously the heat is big here. Looking forward to celebrating with these guys and it feels great to be back in victory lane.”

What does this do for your race team moving forward?

“This just shows that we’ve still been running good. Every time we haven’t finished a race or something has happened, we’ve been taken out or we’ve had mechanical failure. Just goes to show the speed. Menards/Swiffer Supra, this is just great.”

What got you out front on that final restart?

“Just in position there. I didn’t think the bottom was going to roll like it did. The top was pretty dominant all day. Just kind of depended on how your balance was and it really fired off the best we have all day. It was a group effort there, it wasn’t just me right there. It was an adjustment made and I think it really shows that we continue to make speed and keep our heads in the game.”

What kind of adjustments did you and the team make today?

“I think a lot of it is aerodynamics. You get behind a guy and you really lose a lot of momentum. Really just put grip in the car and that was the main thing. We were really sliding around all day and when we got some grip in the thing, we took off pretty good.”

How much does this help your momentum?

“This helps so much. We started so strong and really were strong in the middle-half too and just have had some stuff happen to us that shouldn’t have and I think we would have had a lot more of these by now if the other stuff hadn’t happened.”

Would you have taken the chance for the pass at the end if you didn’t already have a win this season?

“No, not necessarily. I knew trying to get as much as I could on these restarts is going to be so big. I think you just take the opportunity to make anything of it. You want to try to win every race that you’re in. I personally had no clue that was going to be as strong as it was. When I got to turn one, I had so much grip and I think that myself and Jeff Meendering (crew chief) did a really good job of communicating on what the car really needed to have some speed. That’s kind of what we saw there at the end I think.”

Was there a point in the final lap that you were shocked to be leading?

“I was pretty surprised. Me and the 22 (Austin Cindric) have had our ups and downs this year a little bit. He ran me really clean. He ran me hard, which you’re supposed to and that was the exact way to race right there. I was a little worried with him on my right rear, but it all worked out in the end.”

How difficult has it been to run three races with recovery in between?

“Pretty brutal, I don’t know any other way to put it. I ran the race yesterday too and I’ve never done a tripleheader like this before. This was pretty hard on the body. I tried to go get an IV and the doctor yesterday wanted me to do it naturally so that was a challenge. Trying to put that much water down after you just lost it after a truck race was tough. There was a lot that went into it. I did absolutely no caffeine coming into it this week and just trying to maximize as much water as I could in my body. I feel pretty fine now. I was definitely hurting at the end. I was getting to the point of my face throbbing and feeling pretty sore. I don’t know, I kept in the game. When you’re in the car, you forget about that stuff and then when you get out, you really realize how bad it is.”

Did you strategize where you might be able to go on that restart?

“You kind of have to look ahead on that. You have to see what lane is taking off better and really, really quick. You have to figure that out fast. Then you’re listening to the spotter the whole time. You’re trying to listen to see if you have a quick gap to move up to the top. For me, I thought the middle to the top was probably my dominant two lanes of the day so I was listening to that the whole time and just trying to go where they’re not. That was the biggest thing. They all wanted the bottom and that’s great when I see that because that means they’re going to get bottled up pretty bad. All that stuff you have to kind of look at when you get a restart late in the race.”

How rewarding is this win after the stretch of four consecutive DNFs?

“It’s rewarding, but in my eyes not really surprising. When we’ve had all this stuff go down and happen these last four races, I’ve felt that we’ve been running good. We’ve been running top-five and we’ve had every single race, lap times to compete to win the race. It’s just putting them together, staying out of the incidents and having decent days on pit road. All that stuff eventually adds up and if you can capitalize on everything then you have a shot at it at the end.”

How gratifying is it to get this win with Jeff Meendering and be a driver that deserves to be considered a contender for the championship?

“It kind of makes me laugh when people are so shocked that we win the race. We’ve had speed every single race this year. To be honest, in the past we’ve had so much speed too. It’s closing these things out and optimizing the little things. The cool thing about winning with this group is we’re not just work colleagues, we’re best friends. This whole team is a brotherhood. We all have each other’s back and no one questions anything that anybody does. I feel like when one person isn’t able to do something, the next guy steps up automatically and no one questions it. We’re a really strong group and a really strong team. I kind of praise my guys on that and that’s what I like to do.”

Is Kansas Speedway a special track for you?

“I don’t come here thinking this is my all-time favorite race track. I definitely like running here. I felt that today we had at times the car to lead the race, but just kind of struggled to get going a couple times. In that sense we weren’t able to do it. It’s come down to these last restarts like this, both of these races. I think it really shows how strong we can be on these restarts because those races that we’ve won here have come down to these restarts.”

What is contributing to the recent string of wins?

“A lot of things. Start out with your preparation and working out extremely hard. Watching all the videos before the race of previous events at the race track. Asking around on our Cup guys, asking our Xfinity guys and then when you get to the track, you have to have the confidence. I think at the same time we’ve been doing a great job of really getting our cars dialed in and getting them really comfortable so that I’m able to drive them pretty well too. There’s a bunch of stuff that contributes to getting to this point in your career.”

Is your confidence level higher now than in years past?

“My confidence level is higher in moves that I just made today. Making those big restart moves like that, not being afraid to put it on guys doors and racing really hard – all that stuff, I think that’s where the confidence is a little better.”

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

Finishing Position: 3rd

How frustrating is this finish?

“I thought we had them. I learned a lot watching Denny Hamlin in the Cup Series and Kevin Harvick and those guys that win the race by thinking. I showed the 22 (Austin Cindric) the fast lane and I knew it burned tires up so I stopped running it and I thought that was got me there at the end was that I saved my tires and kind of tricked him into burning his up. That’s tough because I’m so proud of our race team and our race car. It just sucks. Our team deserves to win and I should have won the race on that restart anyway. I have to find a way to do that anyway. Just frustrated.”

What happened on the final restart?

“It’s frustrating. I feel like our team did everything right. I learned a lot listening to Denny Hamlin about what he tries to do mentally and try on the radio and I learned a lot from him. Tried to use some of that on Austin (Cindric) and showed him the fast line, I thought. I knew it was going to wear out our tires so I got rolling and passed him and then I just messed up on the last restart. We were in a bad situation behind the 39 (Ryan Sieg), but I need to do better to be able to take advantage of that situation and still go and win. We saw Brandon (Jones) come from a few rows back. That’s something I have to work on I guess. Really proud of our speed, but just not enough.”

What was the initial reaction to that final caution coming out?

“Yeah, I want to say I’m really proud of my DEX Imaging Toyota team. They gave me a really good Supra. I’m really happy with how we ran. Obviously, not happy with how we finished. When that caution comes out, you are devastated, because now there are so many more variables. For example, pit road, who stays out on old tires, things like that, that you can’t really control as a driver. It kind of takes the race out of your hands and puts it in – I guess – lady luck, or your team as a whole, your execution, things like that, so obviously, I was frustrated when it came out. As a driver, you can’t really dwell on that, you’ve got to get going, and get your head right for pit road – trying to hit all your marks on pit road, and then after that, focus on the restart. My reaction at first was frustration because I didn’t see the debris, and I thought he just hit the wall, and then when I went around I saw that there was a lot of debris on the straightaway.”

Two top-five finishes after a bit of a rough stretch. What do these runs do for the confidence for the team going forward?

“Well, it’s kind of a mixed deal, because we know that we can do it. Even the races where we haven’t finished good, pretty much all of them we have run well. Even Indy, which I thought was going to be one of my weak spots. We were running fifth, and had to pit with a mechanical deal. It was just a bunch of things that kind of stacked up on us that kind of snowballed. We lost that momentum, but I knew we had the speed. At Pocono when we crashed in oil, I think we were one of the best cars there. Texas, I thought we were the second-best car, here, I thought we were the best car. So, we have had speed. That’s the hardest thing to get in racing – raw speed. Once you get that, it’s about execution. In those weeks where it didn’t happen, I never lost hope that we were going to be in situation where we would be good because I knew we had speed.”

How do you leave Kansas?

“I’m frustrated, but motivated. I think that is such a fun feeling – passing for the lead, watching the 22 (Austin Cindric) get smaller in my rearview mirror after how fast he has been recently. That was obviously a big plus, but I’m definitely motivated to get better. I feel like even though I was in a tough situation behind a car on old tires, I made a mistake. I should have put him three-wide as soon as we got to the line. I pushed him too hard, and I kind of hurt myself. I just have to watch that back and get better on restarts. We weren’t in the best position, but neither was the 19 (Brandon Jones) and he won the race. There’s obviously things we did right, and things that I did wrong as a driver. You got to take that and learn from it. That will hopefully come in play down the line.”

What were you able to find on that long green run to run down Austin Cindric?

“It was really, really fun. I’ve been really paying attention to guys like (Kevin) Harvick. (inaudible) I found a line that made up a lot of speed by cutting off the race track, but it was really hard on the front tires. I showed that to Austin, and he did a great job of defending me in the second stage to get that stage win by using that against me. He knew it was fast, and I knew that he was going to use it, but he didn’t know it was going to burn up the front tires off like I did. I think that I kind of used it early and then stopped using it and wanted to leave Austin out there trying to make that line work and eventually it was going to hurt his tires and I think that’s what happened. I think Austin was really, really fast, and then all of a sudden, it went like a light switch and we were two-tenths faster a lap. That was such a gratifying feeling, because I have been working so hard on trying to get to that level of the sport where you are thinking while you are driving as hard as you can. I was really proud of that, but obviously, it wasn’t enough.”

Does it make you happy to see your teammate win?

“Absolutely. Yeah, if I can’t win, I would rather have Riley (Herbst) or Brandon (Jones) win. That’s for sure. Those are the guys I’m always leaning on, and they are leaning on me. We are getting better as a team together. Brandon has been in a lot of circumstances that are not really his fault. He’s done a good job recognizing that and not getting too down in the dumps, and today, he didn’t necessarily have the fastest car but he made it work. That’s something that is really cool as a driver, and it’s something that he should be proud of. It’s a good win for the team.”

You are headed to a couple of road courses that you have no experience on. What do you do to prepare for them?

“I’ve already been working. I used a lot of my Kansas simulator time to work on my road course like Road America and Daytona. Our TRD simulator was really good for Indianapolis. I think all of our teammates fired off really well there. We knew what was where on the track, and I was able to make pretty decent speed. I expect to run top-five there. There is no reason that we can’t. I’ve got a great race team. I have a lot of confidence in myself and hopefully, we can go out and run well. There’s a lot of guys like Austin (Cindric) that have a lot of road course experience that will be tough to overcome, especially my first time there with no practice, but I’m excited for the challenge.”

Were you surprised with how much speed Brandon Jones had on that last restart?

“Not necessarily. I knew that we were going to be really slow because I got loose, and I think Ross (Chastain) was in front of me. He slid up right in front of me, and I was sideways hitting his bumper, and we all kind of stacked up on each other and slowed us down. Then Brandon did a good job of taking advantage of that. I knew I was going to be in trouble from behind. I knew the cars behind me were going to have a good run. I was just fighting to gain more spots. We gained two spots on the restart, so fair enough, that’s alright. It was a really great restart from Brandon to go and take the win like that.”

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

Finishing Position: 9th

A top-10 finish today at Kansas. How was your race?

“I think we probably should have run – we probably had a third-place car. We ran sixth-to-eighth all-day. Just didn’t capitalize on green-white-checkered there. I just got used up a little bit by experience and fell back to ninth. I’m pretty disappointed. But all-in-all, we had a pretty fast Monster Supra. Just didn’t capitalize.”

It has been several races in a row for the NASCAR Xfinity Series, and now you get a weekend off. How can you use that to prepare for the run to the Playoffs?

“Just kind of study some more, try to get better. Relax a little bit, we have been going pretty hard. It will be nice to have a week off, but I will be ready to get back at it in Road America.”

# # #

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.

Ford Performance NASCAR: Cindric’s Bid For Fourth Straight Win Comes Up Just Short

By
Official Release
-

NASCAR XFINITY SERIES
SATURDAY, JULY 25, 2020
KANSAS LOTTERY 250 – KANSAS SPEEDWAY
FORD PERFORMANCE DRIVER – POST RACE QUOTES

FORD FINISHING RESULTS:
2nd — AUstin Cindric
14th — Chase Briscoe

POST-RACE PRESS CONFERENCE

AUSTIN CINDRIC, No. 22 XPEL Ford Mustang — DID YOU EVEN KNOW JONES WAS A FACTOR AND IS THERE ANYTHING YOU FELT YOU SHOULD HAVE DONE DIFFERENTLY? “There is about 20 things I feel like I should have done differently. It was difficult because up higher was preferred all day and you could usually generate momentum. I didn’t know that we didn’t quite get the right adjustment there at the end, so I was probably tighter than I needed to be, but, overall, watching the replay he got a hell of a run on the bottom and I knew he had some momentum. I mean, if I maybe would have known he was coming from the bottom, I probably would have pulled down to slide myself into one and two and been able to fight for it in three and four, but, overall, congrats to him. He earned it. He went from seventh to the lead in two laps. It’s like the third or fourth time we’ve lost on a green-white-checker after being the leader at the line. There are a thousand different things you can do right and wrong and you’ve got to trust your gut and trust the car is gonna stick. Overall, it just wasn’t in the cards for four in a row.”

HAD NASCAR RULED YOU WERE THE LEADER WHEN THAT CAUTION CAME OUT DO YOU THINK YOU COULD HAVE HELD EVERYBODY OFF? “I think the restart would have been a lot more fair, if I’m gonna be blunt. I got a penalty at Indy for being a couple feet in front of the leader at the line and the 39 went way before the restart zone. You could see that with no one else being able to anticipate the push, so I feel like the restart itself wasn’t very conventional and I’d like to understand that a little bit more, but, overall, I’m probably just a little salty I didn’t win. I wasn’t a big fan of that as far as from the sportsmanship standpoint.”

HOW DOES A RUN LIKE THIS IMPROVE THE MORALE AND WHAT KIND OF BOOST DOES IT GIVE THE TEAM? “It’s where we expect to be, honestly. This isn’t the first time we’ve done this. It’s obviously coming off of three wins, but it’s not the first time we’ve done this. Like I said earlier, we’ve been in contention. We’ve led at the line on green-white-checkereds all year, so, not to sound arrogant or cocky, but it’s where I expect us to be as of recent. There are numbers on the board that can prove that, but it’s obviously frustrating. I felt like as we got more rubber on the track I thought Harrison was the best car and he proved it. He passed me under green and I don’t think anybody had anything for him. I’d say we were the best car for the first half of the race and he did a great job to drive up through and pass us under green. That was a fun battle. He made me earn every tenth that I tried to put on him and that’s fun racing. That’s hard racing and he’s earned my respect this year as far as how he races and the way he conducts himself. He doesn’t give an inch, but, at the same time, you can trust him to put it on his door. Kudos to him I know it’s not the win he wants, but, overall, it’s fun racing. We got a gimme there with that caution and wasn’t able to take advantage of it.”

DID YOU FEEL THE CAR CHANGE AT ALL AFTER HITTING THE WALL? “No, it wasn’t that hard of contact. We know these bodies bounce out pretty quick. I looked at the right side of the car and it was just a bit of a scuff, so maybe it looked worse on TV, but racing for the win, you can’t put anything on the line. If I stay on his quarter panel long enough to make him lift, that changes the complexion of the race. Granted, there was a caution, but I felt racing him that hard was my shot knowing the risk and outweighing the reward and going for a win.”

NOW YOU ARE HEADING TO THE ROAD COURSES. DO YOU FEEL YOU CAN TAKE ADVANTAGE AT ROAD AMERICA AND DAYTONA? “I’d certainly like to. I made my first XFINITY start at Road America and we’ve had quite a few things not go our way there between being the leader on the strategy and a tire going down to blowing the motor in the lead, coming up one spot short last year. So I’d definitely like to be able to go there and contend for a win. I think AJ is gonna be really strong and Chase has done a great job on road course as well, so I expect to race him and a few other guys. That’s a fun track because tire wear is so massive, but not having practice it’s gonna be a fun day. I know the crowd there really loves what we bring to the table and it’s a fun place to go to. Daytona Road Course, definitely an interesting one to not have practice. I don’t expect it to take too long for people to get up to speed. There are like six corners and a lot of straightaways, so I’m not too concerned about that. It’s just putting myself in position — the same thing. I can look on the flip side and it replaces a racetrack that we won at last year, so, either way, we show up with the best package and go racing.”

WERE YOU WARY OF SIEG POSSIBLY SPINNING THE TIRES ON THE RESTART? DID YOU THINK YOU MIGHT HAVE A TOUGH TIME WITH HIM? “I should have worried less about him in hindsight, knowing that I probably would have just been able to do a crossover on him and be done with it. So that’s probably one of the many things that I feel like I could have done better there. But, yeah, with him being on old tires you expect him to spin them and I felt like you got better drive on the bottom lane all day, but it doesn’t matter when the car goes four car lengths before the box starts. He picked up probably 10 miles an hour from the pace car speed, which, fair enough, you’re on old tires — harder to spin them that way — but he went way too early and that’s unfortunate. I get it. He’s going to try and minimize damage. Obviously, staying out he finished fourth, so it was the right call for those guys, but with guys trying to contend for a win I’m not a big fan of something that blatant, but who knows, I’m not perfect but that’s what I saw.”

Brandon Jones makes last-lap pass for the win at Kansas

By
Michelle Lippold
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The NASCAR Xfinity Series was at Kansas Speedway today for the Kansas Lottery 250. Today’s race proved that it’s not over until the Checkered flag waives. The two dominant cars all day were those of Austin Cindric and Harrison Burton, however, neither of them were victorious. On what would be the last caution, Brandon Jones drove by them all in his No. 19 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota and took the win. This is his third career win and his second consecutive win at Kansas Speedway.

“That’s what I love about these guys, they keep their head in the game and don’t get too excited,” Jones said. “We continued to make changes, my feedback I think was pretty good all day.” He added, “It’s good to get back to victory lane I’m looking forward to celebrating with these guys. This shows how we’ve been running good a lot.”

Cindric who dominated the race leading 132 laps of 147 finished in the second spot.

“I think to give credit when it’s due and H. Burton was the fastest guy today. He ran me down twice under the green flag, I hate for him to lose.” He continued, “It’s like that, but that’s racing and there’s going to be late cautions. Brandon did everything right. I got too caught up in clearing the 39.” He sighed and said, “I really wanted to get four in a row, overall it was a really solid day.”

Burton who came in third place after battling with Cindric all day long, said, “It’s frustrating, I feel like our team did everything right. I learned a lot from Denny Hamlin on what you try to do mentally and tried to use some of that on Cindric. I messed up on the last restart we were in a bad situation behind the 39.” He added, “I need to do better to take advantage of the situation and still get a win. I’m really proud of our speed, just wasn’t enough.”

Stage 1 only had one caution and that was the competition caution at Lap 20. There was some great racing between Cindric and Burton but it was Cindric who would win the stage.

Stage 2 went flag to flag without any cautions. Once again it was Cindric and Burton in a battle for first. Once again Cindric won the stage.

Stage 3 seemed like a repeat of stages 1 & 2 but down to the wire, the caution flag flew putting the race into overtime. When the race restarted another minor caution occurred and got everyone lined up but Sieg who stayed out on old tires. They were four and five wide trying to get to the front and seemingly out of nowhere came Jones to take the win.

Ryan Sieg and Ross Chastain would round out the top five. Justin Haley, Daniel Hemric, Michael Annett, Riley Herbst and Justin Allgaier finished sixth through 10, respectively.

Cindric leads the Xfinity Series Standings with 722 points. Chase Briscoe is in second with 718 points, Noah Gragson is in third with 666 points, Chastain is in fourth with 662, and Justin Haley rounds out the top five with 592 points.

The Xfinity Series heads next to Road America on August 8.

Crafton Fends off Eckes for Kansas Truck Victory

By
Briar Starr
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KANSAS CITY, KANSAS - JULY 25: Matt Crafton, driver of the #88 Ford, and crew celebrate in Victory Lane after winning the NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series e.p.t 200 at Kansas Speedway on July 25, 2020 in Kansas City, Kansas. (Photo by Jamie Squire/Getty Images)

Matt Crafton held off rookie Christian Eckes in the 20 laps to score his first victory of the season, thus snapping a three-year winless streak dating back to his last victory at the Eldora Dirt Derby. Crafton grabbed the lead off a restart with 22 to go and kept a manageable pace to secure his spot in the playoffs.

“It feels like a monkey off my back with all the weight we’ve been carrying,” Crafton said about the victory. “That’s all everybody wanted to talk about, is how we’ve not won in three years. (We) just kept our heads down and keep focus, and not worry about that, and keep doing what we’re doing. It’s all about these guys (ThorSport Racing). I know we won the championship last year and won it without winning a race, but at the end of the day to all the naysayers, I still have that trophy in my living room. We started picking up the speed this time last year and got to Homestead. A lot of hard work by these guys (pit crew).”

Saturday was race No. 2 of the doubleheader race weekend for the Truck Series at Kansas Speedway.

Many trucks were going to the rear prior to the start of the event. Of those headed to the back were Sheldon Creed, Jordan Anderson, Spencer Davis, and Stewart Friesen for a backup. Ty Majeski for a transmission change. Kevin Donahue, Ryan Huff, Travis Pastrana, and Tyler Hill for a driver change.

The top 15 was also inverted based on Friday night’s running order. This meant, Chase Purdy (after finishing 15th) started on pole and Friday’s winner Austin Hill (started 15th).

Stages were once again 30-30-74, which made up an eventful 134 lap race.

Stage 1 Lap 1 – Lap 30

Stage 1 got off to a solid start, but that was not the case for Majeski and Tyler Ankrum. The Niece Motorsports driver would slightly make contact with Ankrum off Turn 4. Majeski later pitted due to left front damage.

Meanwhile, Texas runner up Christian Eckes, took the lead in the early stages but had troubles of his own. A trash bag of some sort got stuck to his hood and caused him to lose the lead to Zane Smith. Eckes however eventually lost the debris and continued to run without further incident.

The same cannot be said for Pastrana, who was making his first NASCAR start in three years. Replacing Chastain in the No. 40 entry, the Annapolis, Maryland native slid through the glass with 10 to go in the first stage. It appeared a flat right-rear tire caused him to spin.

With those incidents taking place, there would be no yellows for the first stage, and Zane Smith went on to take the stage victory. Brett Moffitt, Matt Crafton, Christian Eckes, Brandon Jones, Brennan Poole, Chase Purdy, Todd Gilliland, Raphael Lessard, and Derek Kraus rounded out the top 10.

Under the stage break, Johnny Sauter (who placed 15th in the stage), was caught speeding on pit road and therefore, sent to the rear for the restart.

Stage 2 Lap 36- Lap 60

Ben Rhodes, Austin Hill, Zane Smith, Matt Crafton, Stewart Friesen, Christian Eckes, Brandon Jones, Brett Moffitt, Todd Gilliland, and Brennan Poole set the top 10 for the Stage 2 restart order.

As laps started clicking in Stage 2, Smith was back in the lead on lap 41, after Hill held the lead shortly. Smith started checking slightly, but a caution slowed the pace on lap 44 when Bryan Dauzat spun off Turn 2, bringing out the caution flag.

No more yellows were seen in the remaining laps and once again, rookie Zane Smith swept the first two stages. Crafton, Moffitt, Creed, Kraus, Ankrum, Hill, Purdy, Eckes, and Gilliland were the top 10.

Stage 3 Lap 67- Lap 134

Friesen would restart as the leader in the third and final stage by taking fuel only under the stage break. However, those behind him like Crafton, Moffitt, Smith would fly right past him with fresher tires and adjustments. Not only did Friesen fall on back, he and Enfinger almost crashed in Turn 2.

A battle for the lead pursued between teammates Moffitt and Creed from laps 68 to 72. But, a trend race fans would see late in the stage, a caution came again on lap 74 for Pastrana. He spun off Turn 4 through the grass after getting the air taken off of him by his teammate Natalie Decker.

Four more yellows slowed the E.P.T. 200 including a big accident with 51 to go on the fronstretch. Tanner Gray in the No. 15 DGR-Crosley camp, accidentally made contact with Clay Greenfield in the No. 68 before the entrance of Turn 1. The incident collected many drivers such as Johnny Sauter, Jennifer Jo Cobb, Natalie Decker, Stewart Friesen, Ty Majeski, Pastrana, Codie Rohrbaugh, Spencer Davis, Robby Lyons among a few others were involved. The accident caused a five minute and seven second red flag.

Another crash happened with 41 to go. This time, the accident involved GMS Racing teammates Brett Moffitt, Tyler Ankrum, and Zane Smith. Smith got loose off the exit of Turn 4 and slid up in front of his teammates, thus causing the accident. Smith was able to limp away albeit with left front damage, while Moffitt and Ankrum saw their day end early, and be credited with finishes of 27th and 28th, respectively.

By having multiple yellows late in the going, this allowed the drivers taking their mind off of having to make a final pit stop, or worry about running out of gas.

The last restart came with 22 to go, which saw Austin Hill, Crafton, Jones, and Eckes make up the top four. Crafton was able to get a push from behind one of the drivers and eventually, the race lead. The California native was unable to check out with Kyle Busch Motorsports driver Eckes stalking behind him. However, regardless of Eckes making a last lap effort, Crafton picked up his 15th career Truck Series victory.

“I’m excited, very excited for the playoffs,” Crafton continued regarding his playoffs chances. “The tracks in the playoffs are going to be very good for us, aside from Talladega that’s always the unknown. All in all, looking forward to the playoffs, and these guys building fast trucks every week. There’s no doubt we can go and get a fourth championship.”

Crafton led twice for 23 laps and picked up five additional playoff points.

There were nine cautions for 38 laps and 15 lead changes among nine different drivers.

Inspection was clear without only minor incidents. Brandon Jones and Derek Kraus had a missing or loose lug nut, which is only a monetary fine.

Official Results following the E.P.T. 200 at Kansas Speedway

  1. Matt Crafton, led 23 laps
  2. Christian Eckes, led six laps
  3. Grant Enfinger
  4. Tanner Gray, led three laps
  5. Ben Rhodes, led one lap
  6. Austin Hill, led 19 laps
  7. Derek Kraus
  8. Brandon Jones
  9. Zane Smith, won both stages, led 50 laps
  10. Chase Purdy
  11. Raphael Lessard
  12. Brennan Poole
  13. Austin Wayne Self
  14. Spencer Davis
  15. Jordan Anderson
  16. Tyler Hill
  17. Tate Fogleman
  18. Spencer Boyd
  19. Ryan Huff, 1 lap down
  20. Todd Gilliland, 1 lap down
  21. Robby Lyons, 1 lap down
  22. Travis Pastrana, 2 laps down
  23. Kevin Donahue, 4 laps down
  24. Ray Ciccarelli, 4 laps down
  25. Norm Benning, 5 laps down
  26. Sheldon Creed, led 18 laps, OUT, Damage Vehicle Policy
  27. Brett Moffitt, led 11 laps, OUT, Accident
  28. Tyler Ankrum, OUT, Accident
  29. Codie Rohrbaugh, OUT, Damage Vehicle Policy
  30. Ty Majeski, OUT, Damage Vehicle Policy
  31. Clay Greenfield, OUT, Damage Vehicle Policy
  32. Jennifer Jo Cobb, OUT, Damage Vehicle Policy
  33. Johnny Sauter, OUT, Accident
  34. Stewart Friesen, led three laps, OUT, Accident
  35. Natalie Decker, OUT, Accident
  36. Cory Roper, OUT, Accident
  37. Bryan Dauzat, OUT, Electrical

Up Next: The Truck Series takes a couple of weeks off before visiting Michigan International Speedway Friday August 7.

Toyota Racing NGROTS Post-Race Recap — Kansas 7.25.20

By
Official Release
-

CHRISTIAN ECKES DRIVES TO RUNNER-UP FINISH AT KANSAS
Rookie of the Year leader Eckes scores second runner-up finish in the last three events

KANSAS CITY (July 25, 2020) – Christian Eckes (second) led Toyota in the e.p.t 200 at Kansas Speedway on Saturday afternoon. Fellow Rookie of the Year contender Derek Kraus (sixth), series points leader Austin Hill (seventh) and Brandon Jones (eighth) also drove Tundras to top 10 finishes.

Toyota Racing Post-Race Recap
NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series
Kansas Speedway
Race 10 of 23 – 134 Laps, 200 Miles

TOYOTA FINISHING POSITIONS
1st, Matt Crafton*
2nd, CHRISTIAN ECKES
3rd, Grant Enfinger*
4th, Tanner Gray*
5th, Ben Rhodes*
6th, AUSTIN HILL
7th, DEREK KRAUS
8th, BRANDON JONES
11th, RAPHAEL LESSARD
12th, BRENNAN POOLE
14th, SPENCER DAVIS
19th, RYAN HUFF
23rd, KEVIN DONAHUE
31st, CLAY GREENFIELD
34th, STEWART FRIESEN
*non-Toyota driver

TOYOTA QUOTES

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

Finishing Position: 2nd

What all were you trying on Matt Crafton in the closing laps to go for the win?

“I tried moving around and we sucked yesterday. We were so damn bad, but Rudy (Fugle, crew chief) and the guys, I can’t say enough about them. They made some really good adjustments today and we got it way better last night. P2 is still good, but of course we wish we still won. In the same aspect, from where we even started today, finishing second is still pretty close. Just have to go back and figure out what we can do better. Overall, proud of my Safelite Tundra guys.”

What was the battle like with Matt Crafton in the closing laps?

“I thought I got a little tight, but I got a hole in the nose and just got tight behind him (Matt Crafton). Overall, just what a comeback for our Safelite Tundra team. We sucked yesterday. I can’t sugar coat it, we were terrible. Rudy (Fugle, crew chief) and the guys worked really, really hard last night and this morning to get it better. We still started the race a little bit off, but the truck came to us and was perfect at the end. I just got a little tight behind him. I was good in one corner and not the other. Just need to get back to the lab and get a little better I guess.”

Rudy said he wants you angry when you finish second, is that anger there today?

“Yeah, it’s not as much anger as last week. At the same time, it’s definitely a little disappointing. It’s hard to be disappointed after how we ran yesterday. Just ready for Michigan.”

How redeeming is it to have a performance like this after yesterday?

“I won’t sugar coat it, we were absolutely terrible yesterday. 13th is not representative of how good this team is or how good I am. We talked a lot about it last night. Rudy (Fugle, crew chief) made some really good changes. We started okay today. We weren’t perfect yet and that last run, actually after that pit stop, we got pretty good. I just got a little bit tight, which was the opposite of what we were fighting all day. Definitely feels good. Obviously, I wish we could have won there and I have a little bit of work to do to get through traffic. Struggled with the same thing last week. Have a little work to do, but at the same time, really proud of my team to rebound the way we did.”

Is there anything you learned or would do differently after chasing Matt Crafton in the closing laps?

“Just trying to find air. We had a hole in the nose and that didn’t really help the aero situation, but at the same time, just have to figure out how to get around him. When they go to aero-block me and take away my lane, I just have to rip top or do something different. Got close a few times and even had a shot there coming to the checkers, but just needed a couple more feet.”

Do you feel your team is improving at the right time to get ready for the Playoffs?

“Yeah, absolutely. The first three races back were circumstantial. Charlotte we were just bad, we were about as bad as last night. The first two races we ran good, but we wrecked. I feel like we’ve had the speed, we’ve had the promise to show results, we just haven’t been following through. The last seven races, we’ve been able to minimize mistakes and have done a good job to get in good position and get points.”

How much improvement did you see from the truck today compared to yesterday?

“You can’t put it into words. We were just absolutely terrible yesterday and we talked about it a lot, me and Rudy (Fugle, crew chief) after the race and kind of came up with a game plan and changed just about everything on the truck. We got it significantly better and it had a lot more grip today. I feel a lot more confident coming back here later in the year. In the same aspect, wish we could have won, but second is still okay for what we fought this weekend and honestly, fought at the beginning of the race still.”

What do you like about racing at Michigan?

“I ran Michigan twice last year, once in the ARCA race and once in the truck race. The truck race, I felt like we had a really good Tundra. In the same aspect, I think we blew like five or six right-rears. Just have to minimize mistakes there as well and hopefully get a win there.”

Does this off-weekend help you?

“The off-weekend should kind of help. I kind of wish I had an off-weekend last week to study more of what to do behind Kyle (Busch) there at the end. I’m going to use this time to do that.”

How has your relationship with Rudy Fugle evolved through some of this adversity?

“Me and Rudy (Fugle, crew chief) deal with adversity pretty well. We’re getting stronger, we’re building chemistry and we’re building better trucks. We’re doing everything right, we just need to get one spot better.”

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

Finishing Position: 6th

Another solid finish today, how was today’s race compared to last night?

“Yesterday went really well for us with us getting the win. That was awesome to get that checked off and be able to get locked in. Today, was a dogfight for us, to say the least. We started off way, way too loose. I could not attack my entry and center off. I was so loose; I could not touch the throttle. Scott (Zipadelli, crew chief) and the guys, they worked so hard. Every caution we threw everything we can at it to tighten this truck up. We got it better throughout each run. We just kept slowly working at it, and we made some big enough adjustments that on the short run we could really fire off good, get some track position. All-in-all in the long run, we were just missing something today. I don’t know what it was compared to yesterday. I don’t know if it was the heat or just how the track was or what. We definitely missed it today on just having the long-run speed compared to yesterday. All-in-all, our United Rentals Toyota Tundra was good. Comparing yesterday to today, it was crazy that the track changed that much and that our Tundra changed that much. We did make some changes going into today, but all of the changes that we made going into today should have tightened us up, and for whatever reason, we were just way too loose. I know that a lot of other guys fought the same thing. We just get in, we would lose the rear, lose the front, almost have a four wheel slide and like I said, it was a battle all day, but days like today – if we end up sixth with a truck that we didn’t feel like was good at all, we will go on with that. We had a decent points day, and we will get out of here with a sixth and go on to the next one. It was just crazy to me that it changed that much, but we will go back and look at the notes and talk it over and see what we could do differently, if we come back here.”

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

Finishing Position: 7th

How was your race today and how do you feel after the doubleheader?

“It’s a really good weekend – having a doubleheader. We had a really good first race with our ENEOS Toyota Tundra and we were able to adjust a little bit. Today, we were a little bit too free. But overall, it was a really great weekend. We moved into the top-10 of the point, so that’s really good for our MHR (McAnally-Hilgemann Racing) team. We are really looking forward to Michigan here in a couple weeks.”

# # #

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.

10 Must Have Gadgets For Your Car You Should Buy

By
SM
-

We all spend more time in the car than we care to admit. Whether it is stuck in traffic on your way to work, or it is the time of the monthly drive to your parents. Sometimes, we even chose to take our cars on holiday with us to save on the rental fees and the damage that the kids will inevitably create in the backseats. With so much time spent in our cars, are there any gadgets out there that can make our lives easier? Here we have found the 10 must-have gadgets for your car that you should buy, to not only make your life easier but to make journeys more bearable. 

  1. HUDWAY Heads up display

Gone are the days when only brand-new cars came with heads up display. The HUDWAY gives you that new car feeling but it’s a small transparent screen that can give you GPS without you having to look at your phone. The HUDWAY is compatible with both android and Apple phones, so you can be sure that you no longer have to keep your phone in between your legs to see when your next exit is. 

  1. Electric Vehicle Charger

With electric vehicles on the rise, the time might come for you to invest in one. Whilst most car brands offer their own when you buy your vehicle, you may well want an upgrade. If you have two electric vehicles in your home, you can invest in a dual-port system, so that both can charge at the same time, making sure that both your vehicles are ready to go at a moment’s notice. Newer chargers are also smaller than their older counterparts and far more energy-efficient. Find more suggestions on the related website Caraudiologic.

  1. DAB Radio

In older cars, you may still be turning your knobs in order to get radio and there is little worse than losing signal just when traffic reports start coming on. There is now an array of small DAB devices online that you can buy to upgrade your radio experience. No more bad signals and a lack of service. 

  1. Quick Charge USB

You don’t want to have to spend hours charging your phone in your car and thankfully you no longer have to. USB 3 chargers have finally hit the market and thankfully, you can now purchase these as in car chargers. Previously, you would only get one USB port to charge one phone at a time and if you have a car full of kids, this isn’t ideal. You can now get a multiport system, all of which are USB 3 to make your journey more bearable. 

  1. Dashboard Phone Mount

If you use your phone for navigation or you want to be able to see who is calling so you can figure out whether to pull over or ignore it, a dashboard phone mount is a must buy. Gone are the days of clunky phone mounts that seem to drop your phone every 5 seconds. They are now sleekly designed and will hold your phone well enough so that even if there is an impact, your phone will remain on the dash. 

  1. Dash Cam

Not only can dash cams help you see what’s going on at the back of your car when you are reversing, but they can also stop you from having to make a costly claim when someone crashes into the back of you and drives off. Dashcams are now a cheap accessory that is easy to install and use straight away. You don’t need a high-end car to benefit from this additional security. 

  1. Mini Fridge

If you have to travel a long distance, there is only so long that the ice in the cooler will last and if you don’t want to be stopping every hour, on the hour for a refreshment, that is where the mini-fridge comes in. You can easily plug it into the cigarette lighter in your car and power it that way. You don’t have to put drinks in it if you’re on a long trip and don’t want to buy food, pop your lunch in it instead. That way you will always have access to fresh chilled food and you won’t have to stop on your journey. 

  1. Bluetooth Receiver  

If you have amazing music on your phone, but your car doesn’t have an AUX cable or any way to connect your phone to the radio, then you need a Bluetooth receiver. These handy little devices plug into your cigarette lighter and ask you to find a frequency that is empty. From there you set your radio to the same frequency and select the song you want to listen to. Because you have now basically created your own radio station, you can play all of the music off your phone and not have to listen to any commercials again, easy right?

  1. Speed trap Locators/ Radar Detectors 

Not necessarily the most ethical of purchases, but there is little more infuriating than a speeding ticket. There is an array of tools online that allow you to find speed traps and radars and then block the signal. This stops you from getting a speeding fine (but you really should drive the limit) and it also means you can share the location with other users, making sure that they stay safe whilst out on the roads. 

  1. Car Key Finder

Have you ever had that moment where you realize that you have misplaced your keys and the sheer horror that then hits you? Well, now thankfully that is a thing of the past. There are now plenty of products available that you can attach to your keys, which can then be found via an app. Not only does this reduce the chances of you losing them permanently, but it also means that if your keys and then your car is stolen by thieves, they can be easily tracked through your keys. 

Final Thoughts

When it comes to accessorizing your car, it is not just about neon lights and sound systems. There are now some really practical accessories that can make your life far easier, whether you travel long distances with the family, or you are prone to losing or misplacing your keys. Here are the 10 best must-have gadgets that will make your life far easier and the trips seem shorter than ever before. 

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