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Black’s Tire Joins Kaulig Racing and AJ Allmendinger for Short Track Racing at Martinsville

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Official Release
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Allmendinger to Drive the No. 16 Black’s Tire Service Chevy at Martinsville Speedway

 Lexington, N.C. (March 24, 2025) – Kaulig Racing and Black’s Tire Service (BTS) announce an expansion of their partnership for the Cook Out 400 at Martinsville Speedway this Sunday. AJ Allmendinger will drive the No. 16 Black’s Tire Service Chevy for the NASCAR Cup Series race.

Black’s Tire, which celebrated its 95th anniversary in 2024, has more than 70 locations in both North and South Carolina and remains a local, family owned and operated tire seller and wholesaler. With many of those locations in NASCAR’s backyard, BTS is partnering with Martinsville Speedway to promote the Sunday race event. BTS looks forward to having many of their Partner Dealers and Black’s Tire family in attendance for this weekend’s event.

“On behalf of the over a thousand team members at Black’s Tire & Auto Service and BTS Tire & Wheel Distributors, we are honored to continue our relationship with AJ Allmendinger, Chris Rice and the Kaulig Racing family,” said President of Black’s Tire, Ricky Benton II. “BTS partners with other family, independent tire dealers to help each other in the tire business. BTS Tire and Wheel supplies wholesale tires, tire supplies, and equipment across NC, SC, VA and eastern GA. We’re excited that we have the ability to feature a few of our local BTS Partner Dealers on the car this weekend.”

Allmendinger, who previously represented BTS at Darlington in 2023, will hit the track with a ‘let’s go together’ mentality, while sporting the blue and yellow BTS colors. The BTS Family has embraced this saying as their theme for 2025 as it ensures that everyone feels like family when they walk through the doors of any BTS location.

“Black’s Tire has been a long-time partner for Kaulig Racing and we’re fortunate that we have the opportunity to expand on that relationship for short track racing this weekend,” said Chris Rice, Kaulig Racing team president. “We’re excited to continue working with them and represent their family brand in multiple events this spring.”

Earlier this year, the team announced BTS will serve as the primary partner for Christian Eckes on the No. 16 Chevy in the NASCAR Xfinity Series at Darlington and Rockingham. As the presenting partner of the NASCAR Xfinity Series race at Rockingham, BTS will hold a special family and customer hospitality event prior to the event.

“We’re excited to work with our long-time friends at Kaulig Racing,” said Ricky Benton Sr., Black’s Tire Owner and Chairman of the Board said. “Being a part of their team, seeing the Black’s Tire Service Chevy on track, all while celebrating our family-owned and operated business is special.”

Allmendinger will be on track this weekend in the No. 16 Black’s Tire Service Chevy. Coverage for the Cook Out 400 at Martinsville Speedway will be on FS1, MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR: Channel 90.

About Black’s Tire

Black’s Tire Service (BTS) was founded as Black’s Service Station by W. Crowell Black in Whiteville, N.C. in 1929 and celebrated its 95th anniversary in 2024. With more than 70 locations in both North and South Carolina, Black’s remains a local, family owned- and -operated tire sales and service and vehicle repair business. In addition to the retail and commercial locations, Black’s also operates 10 warehouse/distribution centers, BTS Tire & Wheel Distributors, a commercial sales division, and a tire-retreading business, Carolina Retreads. Today, the Black’s Tire family includes more than 1,000 team members. To learn more about Black’s Tire or to find a location, visit www.blackstire.com. Follow Black’s Tire on social media: Twitter at @BlacksTire, Instagram at @BlacksTire and Facebook at facebook.com/blackstire.

About Kaulig Racing

Kaulig Racing™ is a full-time, multi-car NASCAR Cup Series (NCS) and NASCAR Xfinity Series (NXS) team, owned by award winning entrepreneur, Matt Kaulig. Established in 2016, Kaulig Racing™ has earned 27 NXS wins, made the NXS Playoffs consecutively each season since the playoff system started, and won two regular-season championships. In 2021, the team competed in select NCS events, before expanding to a two-car, full-time NCS team in 2022 and adding a third, part-time entry during the 2023 season. Since its first NCS start in 2021, the team has earned two wins. Kaulig Racing is currently fielding two full-time entries in the NCS and continues to field three full-time NXS entries. To learn more about the team, visit kauligracing.com.

Amthor International Returns to Sponsor Spencer Boyd

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Official Release
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Mooresville, NC (March 24, 2025) – Spencer Boyd announced today that Gretna, VA based Amthor International will return for a second season as primary sponsor for the No. 76 Freedom Warranty entry at the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series race at Martinsville Speedway. Amthor International is America’s premier custom tanker truck manufacturer.

“We’ve done a lot in our year together,” reflected Spencer Boyd speaking of the relationship with Amthor International. “Our focus has been about raising awareness for Amthor’s new facility being built in Gretna (Virginia) and the great employment opportunities available. We also had that Batman-inspired paint scheme for the race last season that was on display at the trunk or treat event they held. The team at Amthor is like family and I’m honored they have welcomed me into it.”

Boyd also attended the WWETT Show as part of Amthor International’s involvement, which brought the wastewater and environmental services community together in Indianapolis this past February.

“I’m a huge sports fan and the involvement with Spencer and his team is like nothing I could have imagined,” commented Executive Vice President, Brian Amthor. “They represent our brand so well as they are hard-working individuals, and they have a keen business sense. I look forward to this season with the Freedom Racing Enterprises team with nothing but excitement.”

Amthor International is a fourth-generation family-owned business that crafts aluminum, stainless steel, & steel tanks for propane, DEF, potable water and wastewater, vacuum tank and much more.

Boyd continued, “With Martinsville being one of the oldest paved tracks in stock car racing and the grandfather clock trophy, I’ve always felt the importance to our sport in racing there. We’ve put a great amount of effort into getting the right mechanical components assembled on our race trucks to perform as well as our team can at the Paperclip.”

The NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series Race at Martinsville, “The Boys and Girls Club of the Blue Ridge 200” is set for Friday, March 28, 2025 at 7:30pm ET. Catch the action in person with tickets still available or on TV live on FS1.

SPIRE MOTORSPORTS TO SHOWCASE NASCAR ROCKINGHAM WEEKEND ABOARD MICHAEL MCDOWELL’S NO. 71 CHEVROLET

By
Official Release
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MOORESVILLE, N.C. (March 24, 2025) – In support of NASCAR’s celebrated return to Rockingham Speedway, Spire Motorsports will showcase a “Race the Rock” paint scheme aboard Michael McDowell’s No. 71 Chevrolet ZL1 in Sunday’s NASCAR Cup Series 400-lap contest at Martinsville Speedway.

For the first time in over a decade, NASCAR will return to the south-central North Carolina Piedmont for the highly anticipated return of major league stock car racing to Rockingham Speedway.

Track Enterprises, the official promoter of the North Carolina Education Lottery 250 presented by Black’s Tire NASCAR Xfinity Series race and the Black’s Tire 200 NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series race, announced an agreement with Rockingham Speedway ownership last August to bring NASCAR back to the venerable Richmond County speedway Easter Weekend.

In addition to the Xfinity Series and CRAFTSMAN Truck Series events, the ARCA Menards East Series will mix it up for 125 laps prior to Saturday’s headliner at the legendary one-mile oval.

“Track Enterprises is thrilled to partner with Spire Motorsports and Michael McDowell to showcase NASCAR’s return to Rockingham Speedway,” said Bob Sargent, President of Track Enterprises. “NASCAR has a very rich history at both tracks and Martinsville is just a couple-hour drive from Rockingham. We thought it made great sense to take advantage of a NASCAR Cup Series race in such close proximity to Rockingham. We want fans to know that we’ll have an exciting weekend of racing in store and that tickets are still available, but they are going fast and we expect a great crowd both days.”

Rockingham Speedway, formerly named North Carolina Motor Speedway, was a staple on the NASCAR Cup Series schedule for nearly 40 years and includes a veritable who’s who of NASCAR on its list of previous winners.

The Xfinity Series was a regular player at the historic venue from 1982-2004 and features a cast of winners who went on to be some of the sport’s most respected names including David Pearson, Sam Ard, Dale Earnhardt Sr., Harry Gant, Mark Martin, Terry Labonte and Jamie McMurray.

Martin was an indomitable force at Rockingham in Xfinity Series competition throughout his career having collected 11 wins in 25 starts, including four straight during the 1996 and 1997 seasons. McMurray matched Martin’s four-peat by recording victories in the track’s most recent Xfinity Series races, over a decade ago.

The CRAFTSMAN Truck Series raced at Rockingham twice from 2012-2013 with Kasey Kahne and Kyle Larson collecting the victories. Matt Crafton, a 25-year CRAFTSMAN Truck Series veteran, is the only current series regular to have competed at the high-banked, D-shaped oval when the division last raced there 12 years ago.

Separate from Larson, current NASCAR Cup Series competitors Ryan Blaney, Chase Elliott, Erik Jones, Tyler Reddick and Bubba Wallace were all part of the field when the CRAFTSMAN Truck Series last tested its mettle at Rockingham.

Although the 18-year Cup Series veteran has never raced at Rockingham Speedway, McDowell has plenty of fond memories of the track.

“Rockingham is a historic and iconic racetrack,” said McDowell. “Even though I haven’t raced at it, I did a lot of testing there. When you’re a rookie in the Cup Series in 2008, you did a lot of testing, and Rockingham was one of those places. So, I have a lot of laps there – not racing – but a lot of laps. Rockingham is a great racetrack, iconic and historic, and it shows NASCAR’s continued effort to get back to its roots.”

McDowell compared “The Rock” to the recent buzz surrounding the NASCAR Cup Series recent return to North Wilkesboro Speedway for the division’s annual All-Star Race.

“If you look at the revival of North Wilkesboro with the new asphalt but still a legendary and historic feel, Rockingham is no different.” McDowell continued. “It’s going to be a great Easter weekend, April 18-19, and tickets are still available. I’m going to be there with my family. It’s going to be a lot of fun and I know the racing will not disappoint.”

Fans can log on to racetherock.com for continuing details, schedule updates or to purchase tickets for NASCAR’s return to Rockingham Speedway. Tickets are also available for purchase in person at Rockingham City Hall Monday – Thursday from 8 a.m. – noon and 1 p.m. – 5 p.m., and on Fridays from 8 a.m. – 1 p.m. Both single day and weekend ticket packages are available.

Sunday’s NASCAR Cup Series race from Martinsville Speedway will be televised live on FS1 Sunday, March 30 beginning at 3 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time. The seventh of 36 points-paying races on the 2025 NASCAR Cup Series schedule will be broadcast live on the Motor Racing Network and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Channel 90.

About Rockingham Speedway …

Located in Richmond County, N.C., Rockingham Speedway opened as a flat, one-mile oval on Oct. 31, 1965. It was reconfigured to a one-mile (1.017 miles) high-banked, D-shaped oval in 1969.

In 2018, a new ownership group took over the facility and renamed it Rockingham Speedway & Entertainment Complex. On Nov. 18, 2021, N.C., Governor Roy Cooper signed the 2021-2022 North Carolina state budget allocating $9 million to support reinvestment in the facility. The state funds, along with ownership investment, allowed for redevelopment of the racetrack including the racing surface and extensive repairs. Today, the facility hosts a wide variety of events including karting, road racing, endurance racing, concerts and more. In 2025, Rockingham Speedway will welcome the return of NASCAR for the first time since 2013.

About Track Enterprises …

Track Enterprises has been promoting motorsports events since 1985. Based in Macon, Ill., a dedicated staff, led by longtime promoter Bob Sargent, organize and promote upwards of 80 races a year across the eastern half of the United States. Track Enterprises was responsible for the highly-acclaimed return of the NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series to the Milwaukee Mile in 2023.

About Spire Motorsports …

Spire Motorsports earned its inaugural NASCAR Cup Series victory in its first full season of competition when Justin Haley took the checkered flag in the Coke Zero Sugar 400 at Daytona (Fla.) International Speedway on July 7, 2019. Less than three years later, William Byron drove Spire Motorsports’ No. 7 Chevrolet Silverado to its inaugural NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series win on April 7, 2022, at Martinsville (Va.) Speedway. The team’s most recent win came March 21, 2025, when Kyle Larson took the checkered flag in the Baptist Health 200 at Homestead-Miami Speedway.

In 2025, Spire Motorsports will campaign the Nos. 7, 71 and 77 Chevrolets in the NASCAR Cup Series. The team will also field the Nos. 07, 7, 71 and 77 Chevrolet Silverados in the NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series and the No. 77 Chevrolet in the ARCA Menards Series in select events.

Austin Hill inks five-race Cup deal with Richard Childress Racing in 2025

By
Andrew Kim
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Photo by John Knittel for SpeedwayMedia.com.

Austin Hill will be campaigning in five NASCAR Cup Series events with Richard Childress Racing (RCR) throughout the 2025 season.

Hill, a 30-year-old racer from Winston, Georgia, will be piloting RCR’s No. 33 Chevrolet entry for a second consecutive part-time campaign in NASCAR’s premier series. His 2025 Cup schedule is slated to commence at Darlington Raceway on April 6. He will then return to compete at the Chicago Street Course on July 6, Daytona International Speedway on August 23, Bristol Motor Speedway on September 13 and at Talladega Superspeedway on October 19.

As part of his part-time Cup effort, United Rentals will be sponsoring his entry while Andy Street, who was Hill’s Xfinity Series crew chief from 2022 to 2024, will be serving as the crew chief for his inaugural presence as a Cup crew chief.

The news comes as Hill is currently campaigning in his fourth consecutive Xfinity Series season with RCR. Currently, Hill has notched a single victory, which occurred at Atlanta Motor Speedway, his home track, in February. He has also recorded four top-10 results through the first six-scheduled events and is ranked in fourth place in the 2025 driver’s standings as he continues his yearlong pursuit to return to the Championship 4 round and contend for his first series’ title.

“I’m excited to compete in the No. 33 United Rentals Chevrolet again this year,” Hill said in a released statement. “United Rentals has been a longtime supporter of my career and to continue that relationship once again at the top level of our sport is special. I’ve enjoyed my starts in the Cup Series so far and the goal is to keep learning every time I climb into the car. We have been strategic with adding new tracks to the lineup each season, which allows me to gain valuable experience. Racing for Richard at any level is an honor, but especially in the Cup Series. The focus remains on winning the Xfinity Series championship in November, but any laps in the Cup car are important for the future.”

Hill, a multi-race winner and regular-season champion in both the Craftsman Truck and Xfinity Series divisions, made his inaugural start in NASCAR’s premier series at Michigan International Speedway in August 2022. Driving RCR’s No. 33 Chevrolet entry, the Georgian started 31st and finished 18th. The following season, he competed in five Cup events with Beard Motorsports, a part-time organization that is aligned with RCR before he returned for four events at RCR in 2024.

In 10 current starts in the Cup Series division, Hill has recorded an average-finishing result of 27.5 and two top-20 results. His current best result is 14th, which occurred at Daytona in August 2023, and he led his first lap at Texas Motor Speedway in April 2024.

Austin Hill’s part-time NASCAR Cup Series campaign with RCR is scheduled to commence at Darlington Raceway for the Goodyear 400 on April 6. The event’s broadcast time is slated to occur at 3 p.m. ET on FS1.

CHP Reports: What the Term Means, and Why They Matter

By
SM
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Photo by Taras Makarenko at pexels.com

If you’re driving in California, maybe you’re using one of the many highways that wind their way through the state. California covers a lot of territory, and the highways there see millions of drivers yearly. Often, you can stay safe on these highways if you exercise caution and drive defensively, but an accident can still occur when you least expect it.

If that happens, you’ll need to get a CHP report. A CHP report can impact a personal injury case, but only if you use it correctly. 

In this article, we will discuss CHP reports. We’ll cover what the term means, what you can expect to find in a CHP report, and how you can use one in your personal injury lawsuit if you pursue one.

What Does This Term Mean?

The term “CHP report,” means California Highway Patrol report. The California Highway Patrol employs hundreds of officers who patrol California’s highways.

You might see them sitting in speed traps along the highway, waiting for a speeder to come flying past. If you’re that speeder, you will probably have an up close and personal chat with one of these officers, and you doubtless won’t like it very much.

As for California Highway Patrol reports, every time there’s a car accident on the highway, the responding officer must fill one out. That’s part of their job. They need to fill out one of these reports because the drivers involved will need the information that they can find there.

What Does a CHP Report Include?

If you get in a car accident while on a California highway, you will want to use your smartphone to call 911. If you don’t have a phone with you, or you sustained some serious injuries, and you can’t call, then hopefully the other driver can do it for you. If neither of you can call, then someone in another car might do it.

When the responding officers come, they will ask you what happened. You can talk to them there on the scene, unless the accident rendered you unconscious or otherwise injured you badly. If that happens, then you can go to the hospital. You can speak to the responding officers for the sake of the report later.

The CHP report will feature your name, and that of the other driver as well. It will feature your driver’s license number and theirs. It will have both of your license plate numbers as well.

It will mention what insurance company you both have, assuming you each have an active vehicle insurance policy. It will also include a breakdown of what the officer saw when they arrived on the scene. 

That might include the position of the vehicles and a brief description of the damage to each one. The report will likely mention any notable injuries, though it probably won’t go into too much detail on those. Presumably, the responding officer doesn’t have the medical training to give a full and thorough description of what broken bones or other damage each participant suffered.

The report might also include information like the time of day the accident occurred, the weather conditions, or anything else the responding officer deems relevant. In this respect, no two reports will look identical, since each one will describe the scene as it looks when the officer arrives.

How Can You Use One in Your Personal Injury Lawsuit?

Let’s say that you’re in a car accident on one of California’s highways. You feel certain that the other driver caused the crash. When a highway patrol car shows up, you explain to the officer what happened.

They should give you a copy of the car accident report afterward. It will feature all of the information that we just described.

You can take that report with you, and you should have it handy when you contact your insurance company. You will presumably want to do that as soon as you can. You will need to start the claim process to repair the damage to your car. 

California has at-fault car accident status. That means, if you get in an accident there, the insurance of the person who caused the wreck should pay for the damage. That includes the cost of repairing the car, but it should also cover things like lost wages if you have to miss work or medical bills if you need to see a doctor afterward.

However, in the situation we described, maybe the other driver or their insurance company will not admit that they caused the crash. Instead, they insist that you caused it.

If that happens, then you will probably need to sue the other driver, their insurance company, or both. Only by doing so can you hope to recoup the money that you’re spending out-of-pocket on things like doctor bills and replacement parts for your damaged car. 

Once you hire a skilled personal injury lawyer, then you can use the CHP report as a piece of valuable evidence during the trial. The information that this document contains can potentially help you prove the other driver’s guilt.

For instance, maybe what the responding police officer wrote about the position of both vehicles when they arrived at the scene contradicts what the other driver says happened. Maybe they described a rainy day that caused them to lose control of their vehicle on a slick road. The report from the California Highway Patrol says that it didn’t rain that day, though.

The report will often have the information you need to pick apart the other driver’s story, or that of their insurance company. If you and your lawyer can use that information successfully, it puts pressure on the other driver.

They might realize they’re losing credibility with the jury and offer you a settlement amount. If the number works for you, then you can take it and try to get on with your life. You can always counter with a higher number as well. 

MIKE STAVRINOS GETS MONUMENTAL CONGRUITY NHRA PRO MOD WIN IN PHOENIX AT RACE POWERED BY LAT RACING OILS

By
Official Release
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PHOENIX (March 22, 2025) – Pro Mod driver Mike Stavrinos claimed double Congruity NHRA Pro Mod Drag Racing Series trophies at Firebird Motorsports Park this weekend when he won the 40th annual NHRA Arizona Nationals a day after winning the postponed Gainesville.

It was the second of 10 races during the 2025 season and this weekend’s Phoenix race was powered by LAT Racing Oils.

It was a perfect weekend for Stavrinos at Firebird Motorsports Park when he scooped up two NHRA race wins in two days, with both coming against Rickie Smith. In the final round of the NHRA Arizona Nationals. Stavrinos powered his AAP Camaro to a 5.725-second pass at 248.43 mph to win over the multi-time world champion, capping off an incredible weekend for the young talent.

“This is something I wanted to do with my whole life, and we did it twice in one weekend,” Stavrinos said. “This isn’t even real to me. I really do owe it all to my crew. Without those guys, this wouldn’t happen. I’m just out here having fun.”

Stavrinos also won the Total Seal Pro Mod Showdown, which awarded $10,000 to the driver who put together the best E.T. average over the weekend’s four qualifying rounds.

Stavrinos started his race day as the No. 1 qualifier and defeated Dymtry Samorukov, Kevin Rivenbark and reigning Congruity NHRA Pro Mod Drag Racing Series champion Jordan Lazic before meeting Smith in the final round.

Smith took down Jason Scruggs, Billy Banaka and Chip King before falling to Stavrinos in the championship round.

The Congruity NHRA Pro Mod Drag Racing Series returns to action next month at the NHRA 4-Wide Nationals at zMAX Dragway on April 25-27 in Charlotte.

CHANDLER, Ariz. — Final finish order (1-16) at the 40th annual NHRA Arizona Nationals at Firebird Motorsports Park. The race is the second of 10 events in the Congruity NHRA Pro Mod Drag Racing Series.

PRO MODIFIED:

  1. Mike Stavrinos; 2. Rickie Smith; 3. Jordan Lazic; 4. Chip King; 5. Kevin Rivenbark; 6. Billy Banaka; 7. JR Gray; 8. Khalid alBalooshi; 9. Justin Bond; 10. Derek Menholt; 11. Sidnei Frigo; 12. Ken Quartuccio; 13. Jason Scruggs; 14. Mike Janis; 15. Mike Castellana; 16. Dmitry Samorukov.

CHANDLER, Ariz. — Sunday’s final results from the 40th annual NHRA Arizona Nationals at Firebird Motorsports Park. The race is the second of 10 events in the Congruity NHRA Pro Mod Drag Racing Series.

Pro Modified — Mike Stavrinos, Chevy Camaro, 5.725, 248.43 def. Rickie Smith, Ford Mustang, 5.787, 250.09.

CHANDLER, Ariz. — Final round-by-round results from the 40th annual NHRA Arizona Nationals at Firebird Motorsports Park, the second of 10 events in the Congruity NHRA Pro Mod Drag Racing Series.

PRO MODIFIED:

ROUND ONE — Billy Banaka, Chevy Camaro, 5.783, 247.29 def. Mike Castellana, Camaro, 11.369, 75.47; JR Gray, Camaro, 5.757, 253.85 def. Justin Bond, Camaro, 5.808, 245.36; Rickie Smith, Ford Mustang, 6.187, 233.92 def. Jason Scruggs, Camaro, 9.966, 86.81; Mike Stavrinos, Camaro, No Time Recorded def. Dmitry Samorukov, Chevy Corvette, Foul – Red Light; Jordan Lazic, Camaro, 5.758, 253.14 def. Derek Menholt, Camaro, 5.810, 249.35; Chip King, Dodge Charger, Broke def. Ken Quartuccio, Camaro, Foul – Red Light; Kevin Rivenbark, Mustang, 6.302, 227.96 def. Sidnei Frigo, Camaro, 6.986, 172.54; Khalid alBalooshi, Camaro, 5.796, 250.00 def. Mike Janis, Mustang, 11.182, 91.52;

QUARTERFINALS — Lazic, 5.771, 250.32 def. alBalooshi, 16.210, 47.94; Stavrinos, 5.732, 248.34 def. Rivenbark, 5.782, 248.89; Smith, 5.806, 250.46 def. Banaka, 5.790, 247.11; King, 5.843, 241.37 def. Gray, Foul – Red Light;

SEMIFINALS — Smith, 5.832, 247.43 def. King, 5.966, 217.32; Stavrinos, 5.737, 248.66 def. Lazic, 5.744, 251.20;

FINAL — Stavrinos, 5.725, 248.43 def. Smith, 5.787, 250.09.

CHANDLER, Ariz. — Point standings (top 10) following the 40th annual NHRA Arizona Nationals at Firebird Motorsports Park, the second of 10 events in the Congruity NHRA Pro Mod Drag Racing Series.

Pro Modified

  1. Mike Stavrinos, 234; 2. Rickie Smith, 183; 3. JR Gray, 129; 4. Jason Scruggs, 118; 5. Justin Bond, 90; 6. Billy Banaka, 87; 7. (tie) Jordan Lazic, 84; Derek Menholt, 84; Kevin Rivenbark, 84; 10. Chip King, 82.

LANGDON, LEE & ANDERSON ROLL TO WINS IN FRONT OF CAPACITY CROWD AT 40TH ANNUAL NHRA ARIZONA NATIONALS

By
Official Release
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  • Langdon wins second straight in Phoenix
  • Lee grabs first career FC victory
  • Anderson wins wild PS final

PHOENIX (March 23, 2025) – Top Fuel’s Shawn Langdon won for a second straight year at Firebird Motorsports Park on Sunday, powering past Kalitta Motorsports teammate Doug Kalitta in the final round in front of a sellout crowd at the 40th annual NHRA Arizona Nationals.

Paul Lee (Funny Car) and Greg Anderson (Pro Stock) also won the second of 20 races during the 2025 NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series season. It was the second straight sellout this weekend in Phoenix, as fans packed Firebird Motorsports Park.

Langdon put together the quickest run of eliminations in the championship round, going 3.724-seconds at 330.39 mph in his 11,000-horsepower Kalitta Air Careers dragster to get past Kalitta’s 3.770 at 325.53. It was the second straight final round for Langdon to open 2025, as he defeated Scott Palmer, Justin Ashley and Brittany Force earlier in the day before picking up his 20th career win and first this season.

He’s now made the final round in Phoenix three straight years and enjoyed another stellar weekend at the facility, winning the Mission #2Fast2Tasty Challenge on Saturday and following it up with Sunday’s victory, also putting him in the points lead.

“Running [Alan Johnson, crew chief] and Doug in the final, we know what they’re capable of, and the run they made in the semi’s [3.76], and the one we made go only going 3.83, we knew we had to step up, so we kind of threw the kitchen sink at it,” Langdon said. ““(Crew chief) Brian Husen has turned this whole team into a bunch of superstars. All the guys have done such a fantastic job and have made no mistakes.

“Brian said, ‘I’m trying to get this thing build low 3.70s and, I was like, ‘OK, I’ll try to be .050-something Tree and it should be a good race, and it was. It’s kind of neat when everything plan comes together, right?”

Kalitta reached the final round for the 120th time in his standout career, as the No. 1 qualifier defeated Travis Shumake and Jasmine Salinas to reach the championship round.

In Funny Car, Paul Lee became the 96th different Funny Car winner in NHRA history on Sunday with his first career victory, defeating reigning world champion Austin Prock with a run of 4.030 at 313.22 in his 11,000-horsepower McLeod/FTI Performance Dodge Charger SRT. It was a remarkable performance from Lee, who defeated a slew of standouts to earn his first career win in the category.

After qualifying fifth, Lee took down Gainesville winner Chad Green, Blake Alexander and Bob Tasca, running an impressive 3.964 at 319.82 to reach the final round. Prock drove into smoke, while Lee made a clean run en route to the victory. It led to a memorable celebration, as Lee continues to make massive strides in the loaded Funny Car ranks.

“Twenty-one years ago was the last time I won a Wally in Englishtown, N.J., at my home track in Top Alcohol Funny Car and I’ve dreaming of someday standing here with a nitro Funny Car Wally,” Lee said. “I love driving a nitro Funny Cars. It’s all I’ve ever wanted to do since I was 13 years old. A lot of people don’t realize this is a lifetime of work, it’s not just overnight.

“It’s a special day. We lost Eric Medlin on this day [in 2007], and we have a team prayer every Sunday, and John [Medlen, Eric’s father] leads us and today, he asked for Eric to watch out for us. You know something, our whole pit was calm all day, we just had a feeling that Eric was watching over us. I know it’s a funny feeling. It was just we were calm all day. Nobody was excited. Everybody did their job. It was a long time coming, but it’s well worth it.”

Prock advanced to the final round for the first time this season and the 21st in his career after defeating Buddy Hull, Matt Hagan and John Force Racing teammate Jack Beckman.

In one of the wildest Pro Stock final rounds in recent memory, Greg Anderson picked up his second straight Phoenix win when Dallas Glenn went red in the final round. Anderson, the reigning world champ, barely moved off the starting line as his car had its own trouble, lost power and didn’t even make it to half-track.

But it was still a victory for Anderson in his HendrickCars.com Chevrolet Camaro, as the all-time wins leader in Pro Stock earned his 107th career victory and fourth overall at Firebird Motorsports Park. To reach the final round for the second straight race, Anderson got past Fernando Cuadra Jr., Eric Latino and Aaron Stanfield, setting up the third straight Anderson-Glenn showdown dating back to last year’s NHRA Finals.

This one was easily the strangest, but Anderson will gladly take the win and the points lead after defeating his KB Titan Racing teammate.

“I’m still trying to figure out how the heck I won,” Anderson said. “When you go into a final against Dallas, you know he’s going to be double .00 (reaction time) and you’re just on edge trying to leave the starting line. I saw some sort of flash of light, and I let the clutch out and red-light, but obviously that flash of light was Dallas’s red light coming on first, so he red-lighted before I did under the first or worst.

“My car made it about a foot and it shut right off and now I‘m going to have to sit in front of the grandstands and want to sink underneath the seat, because I just red lighted, and you just threw the race away and I wondered why Dallas didn’t go by me? I reached up and I’m trying to restart the car, and it won’t start. Something went wrong. I don’t know if the ignition blew out on it or what happened, but I red-lighted and somehow Dallas did something worse than I did. So crazy final round, but, like they say, a win is a win.”

Glenn, who won the opener in Gainesville, defeated David Cuadra, Greg Stanfield and No. 1 qualifier Matt Hartford to reach the final round for the 29th time in his career.

The NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series returns to action March 27-30 with the 65th annual Lucas Oil NHRA Winternationals at In-N-Out Burger Pomona Dragstrip.

CHANDLER, Ariz. — Final finish order (1-16) at the 40th annual NHRA Arizona Nationals at Firebird Motorsports Park. The race is the second of 20 events in the NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series.

TOP FUEL:

  1. Shawn Langdon; 2. Doug Kalitta; 3. Jasmine Salinas; 4. Brittany Force; 5. Antron Brown; 6. Justin Ashley; 7. Tony Stewart; 8. Josh Hart; 9. Clay Millican; 10. Ida Zetterstrom; 11. Travis Shumake; 12. Scott Palmer; 13. Steven Chrisman; 14. Shawn Reed.

FUNNY CAR:

  1. Paul Lee; 2. Austin Prock; 3. Jack Beckman; 4. Bob Tasca III; 5. Matt Hagan; 6. Blake Alexander; 7. J.R. Todd; 8. Cruz Pedregon; 9. Ron Capps; 10. Jon Capps; 11. Daniel Wilkerson; 12. Alexis DeJoria; 13. Bobby Bode; 14. Chad Green; 15. Dave Richards; 16. Buddy Hull.

PRO STOCK:

  1. Greg Anderson; 2. Dallas Glenn; 3. Matt Hartford; 4. Aaron Stanfield; 5. Eric Latino; 6. Cory Reed; 7. Mason McGaha; 8. Greg Stanfield; 9. Cristian Cuadra; 10. Troy Coughlin Jr.; 11. David Cuadra; 12. Brandon Foster; 13. Erica Enders; 14. Jeg Coughlin; 15. Deric Kramer; 16. Fernando Cuadra Jr..

CHANDLER, Ariz. — Sunday’s final results from the 40th annual NHRA Arizona Nationals at Firebird Motorsports Park. The race is the second of 20 in the NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series:

Top Fuel — Shawn Langdon, 3.724 seconds, 330.39 mph def. Doug Kalitta, 3.770 seconds, 325.53 mph.

Funny Car — Paul Lee, Dodge Charger, 4.030, 313.22 def. Austin Prock, Chevy Camaro, 4.507, 240.68.

Pro Stock — Greg Anderson, Chevy Camaro, Broke def. Dallas Glenn, Camaro, Foul – Red Light.

Competition Eliminator — Jeff Taylor, Spitzer, 6.912, 159.83 def. Paul Mitsos, Chevy Camaro, 21.356, 35.22.

Super Stock — Ryan McClanahan, Chevy Cobalt, 8.284, 161.32 def. Leo Glasbrenner, Chevy Camaro, 9.413, 142.49.

Stock Eliminator — Justin Lamb, Chevy Camaro, 9.618, 135.21 def. Jody Lang, Chevy Malibu Wgn, 12.019, 107.05.

Super Comp — Chad Webber, Dragster, 8.944, 180.91 def. Steve Williams, Dragster, 8.927, 182.62.

Super Gas — Roger Kato, Chevy Camaro, 9.932, 171.60 def. Jerry Denton, Chevy Corvette, 9.826, 157.85.

Top Dragster — Mike Fuqua, Dragster, 7.237, 184.77 def. Mallory Reis, Dragster, 6.495, 203.95.

Pro Modified — Mike Stavrinos, Chevy Camaro, 5.725, 248.43 def. Rickie Smith, Ford Mustang, 5.787, 250.09.

Legends Nitro Funny Car presented by Extreme Steel — Ryan Horan, Chevy Camaro, 4.706, 240.55 def. Bobby Cottrell, Camaro, 4.826, 235.39.

CHANDLER, Ariz. — Final round-by-round results from the 40th annual NHRA Arizona Nationals at Firebird Motorsports Park, the second of 20 events in the NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series:

TOP FUEL:

ROUND ONE — Tony Stewart, 4.940, 189.84 def. Shawn Reed, 7.961, 64.16; Justin Ashley, 3.805, 327.19 def. Ida Zetterstrom, 3.818, 324.51; Brittany Force, 3.779, 320.89 def. Steven Chrisman, 4.089, 254.90; Doug Kalitta, 3.762, 325.92 def. Travis Shumake, 3.829, 330.88; Shawn Langdon, 3.783, 323.66 def. Scott Palmer, 3.918, 296.57; Antron Brown, 3.770, 329.34 def. Josh Hart, 3.810, 322.27; Jasmine Salinas, 3.779, 328.70 def. Clay Millican, 3.815, 319.98;

QUARTERFINALS — Langdon, 3.841, 311.49 def. Ashley, 4.124, 246.08; Force, 3.793, 328.38 def. Stewart, 5.328, 135.00; Salinas, 3.821, 322.88 def. Brown, 3.870, 314.24; Kalitta, 3.821, 322.27 was unopposed;

SEMIFINALS — Kalitta, 3.767, 317.94 def. Salinas, 3.809, 320.66; Langdon, 3.833, 325.37 def. Force, Broke;

FINAL — Langdon, 3.724, 330.39 def. Kalitta, 3.770, 325.53.

FUNNY CAR:

ROUND ONE — Bob Tasca III, Ford Mustang, 3.949, 326.16 def. Jon Capps, Dodge Charger, 4.570, 221.96; Jack Beckman, Chevy Camaro, 3.910, 327.66 def. Dave Richards, Mustang, 7.303, 94.31; Austin Prock, Camaro, 3.936, 324.75 def. Buddy Hull, Charger, 14.943, 58.78; Blake Alexander, Charger, 4.003, 306.67 def. Ron Capps, Toyota GR Supra, 4.165, 230.61; Paul Lee, Charger, 4.445, 196.22 def. Chad Green, Mustang, 7.219, 92.78; Cruz Pedregon, Charger, 3.977, 322.34 def. Alexis DeJoria, Charger, Foul – Red Light; Matt Hagan, Charger, 3.987, 324.44 def. Bobby Bode, Mustang, 4.768, 190.62; J.R. Todd, GR Supra, 7.556, 87.55 def. Daniel Wilkerson, Mustang, Foul – Red Light;

QUARTERFINALS — Prock, 4.010, 311.92 def. Hagan, 4.005, 316.38; Beckman, 3.973, 319.14 def. Pedregon, 10.113, 80.73; Tasca III, 3.979, 325.22 def. Todd, 5.294, 161.63; Lee, 3.964, 319.82 def. Alexander, 4.151, 276.58;

SEMIFINALS — Lee, 4.411, 207.62 def. Tasca III, 5.219, 156.41; Prock, 3.966, 321.19 def. Beckman, 3.979, 321.42;

FINAL — Lee, 4.030, 313.22 def. Prock, 4.507, 240.68.

PRO STOCK:

ROUND ONE — Mason McGaha, Chevy Camaro, 6.907, 207.69 def. Deric Kramer, Camaro, 9.620, 109.58; Eric Latino, Camaro, 6.598, 209.20 def. Erica Enders, Camaro, 6.824, 209.39; Aaron Stanfield, Camaro, 6.596, 209.33 def. Cristian Cuadra, Ford Mustang, Foul – Red Light; Cory Reed, Camaro, 6.546, 209.62 def. Jeg Coughlin, Camaro, 7.075, 205.60; Matt Hartford, Camaro, 6.560, 208.71 def. Brandon Foster, Camaro, 6.619, 207.50; Greg Anderson, Camaro, 6.555, 209.49 def. Fernando Cuadra Jr., Camaro, 10.798, 85.46; Dallas Glenn, Camaro, 6.560, 210.57 def. David Cuadra, Camaro, 6.602, 208.71; Greg Stanfield, Camaro, 6.582, 208.75 def. Troy Coughlin Jr., Camaro, 6.587, 209.79;

QUARTERFINALS — Hartford, 6.588, 208.46 def. M. McGaha, 6.837, 204.48; Glenn, 6.590, 209.95 def. G. Stanfield, 18.127, 58.53; Anderson, 6.616, 209.17 def. E. Latino, 6.594, 209.17; A. Stanfield, 6.589, 208.49 def. Reed, 6.603, 209.10;

SEMIFINALS — Anderson, 6.586, 209.79 def. A. Stanfield, 16.603, 50.14; Glenn, 6.591, 209.79 def. Hartford, 6.586, 208.49;

FINAL — Anderson, Broke def. Glenn, Foul – Red Light.

CHANDLER, Ariz. — Point standings (top 10) following the 40th annual NHRA Arizona Nationals at Firebird Motorsports Park, the second of 20 events in the NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series –

Top Fuel

  1. Shawn Langdon, 219; 2. Antron Brown, 179; 3. Doug Kalitta, 161; 4. Jasmine Salinas, 145; 5. Brittany Force, 118; 6. Tony Stewart, 107; 7. Clay Millican, 89; 8. Justin Ashley, 85; 9. Steve Torrence, 75; 10. Shawn Reed, 66.

Funny Car

  1. Paul Lee, 151; 2. Jack Beckman, 149; 3. Bob Tasca III, 143; 4. Chad Green, 139; 5. Ron Capps, 132; 6. Austin Prock, 127; 7. Matt Hagan, 124; 8. Alexis DeJoria, 107; 9. (tie) Bobby Bode, 87; Cruz Pedregon, 87.

Pro Stock

  1. Greg Anderson, 228; 2. Dallas Glenn, 221; 3. Cory Reed, 129; 4. Matt Hartford, 117; 5. Eric Latino, 109; 6. Mason McGaha, 105; 7. Aaron Stanfield, 104; 8. Jeg Coughlin, 103; 9. Troy Coughlin Jr., 89; 10. Greg Stanfield, 86.

CHEVROLET IN NHRA: Phoenix Race Report Notes & Quotes

By
Official Release
-

CHEVROLET IN NHRA
2025 NHRA ARIZONA NATIONALS
FIREBIRD INTERNATIONAL RACEWAY
CHANDLER, ARIZONA
TEAM CHEVY RACE RECAP | NOTES & QUOTES
MARCH 23, 2025

AUSTIN PROCK RACES TO HIS 21ST CAREER FINAL ROUND IN FUNNY CAR WITH JOHN FORCE RACING AND CHEVROLET
Greg Anderson Captured His 107th Career Pro Stock Win at Chevrolet’s 403rd In The Category Since 1970

Notes:

  • Austin Prock, driver of the Cornwell Tools Chevrolet SS Funny Car, raced to his 21st career final round in Funny Car, facing defeat on his 4.507-seconds E.T., 240.68 mph run to Paul Lee. Prock’s runner-up finish is his ninth in the category.
  • John Force Racing Funny Car teammates Prock and Jack Beckman, driver of the PEAK Antifreeze and Coolant Chevrolet, faced off in the semifinals with Prock the victory in a tight drag race to the line. Prock ran a quick 3.966 seconds E.T. at 321.19 mph to Beckman’s 3.979 seconds E.T. at 321.24 mph.
  • Brittany Force, driving the Monster Energy Chevrolet Top Fuel dragster, raced to the Arizona Nationals semifinals, fell to Doug Kalitta after forcing an early end to her day by shutting her off on the line with mechanical issues.
  • Qualifying Saturday evening for the John Force Racing team saw both Force (Top Fuel) and Prock (Funny Car) both qualify No. 2 in their respective categories, with Beckman (Funny Car) qualifying No. 3.
  • Greg Anderson, driving the HendrickCars.com Chevrolet SS Pro Stock machine, captured Chevrolet’s 403rd win in the category in what was a memorable final race versus his KB Titan Racing teammate Dallas Glenn. Glenn, double stepping with a red light on the start, with Anderson taking the win after his car faced issues on the start simultaneously. Anderson’s win is his 107th career victory in Pro Stock.
  • Matt Hartford, driving for KB Titan Racing, raced to the Pro Stock No. 1 qualifier in his Total Seal Piston Rings Chevy SS Pro Stock with his run of 6.509 seconds E.T. at 208.20 mph.

WHAT THEY’RE SAYING:

AUSTIN PROCK, DRIVER OF THE CORNWELL TOOLS CHEVROLET SS FUNNY CAR FOR JOHN FORCE RACING:

On racing his teammate Jack Beckman in the semifinals…

“These John Force Racing hot rods are bad to the bone right now. These are the two best cars in the category and that was one hell of a show for the race fans. Excited to go to the final round. Today, we’re racing in memory of Bernie Fedderly this weekend and today’s the anniversary of Eric Medlen’s passing. There’s a lot on the line today, and that 300th is definitely up there.”

JACK BECKMAN, DRIVER OF THE PEAK ANTIFREEZE AND COOLANT CHEVROLET SS FUNNY CAR FOR JOHN FORCE RACING:

“We just got beat by the better driver and the better team on that run. Not going to hold our heads down; that PEAK Chevy was fantastic. Like Austin (Prock) said, this one’s for Bernie Fedderly and Austin’s got a shot of getting win No. 300 for John Force Funny Car drivers and I will be standing on the starting line. If NHRA would let me push on his Funny Car, I would.”

JOHN “JC” COLLINS, CO-CREW CHIEF FOR BRITTANY FORCE AT JOHN FORCE RACING:

On shutting off early on the start line…

“Just looked like something failed in the valve cover on the burnout. It was leaking a little bit of oil, and we didn’t want to take a chance running the car.”

GREG ANDERSON, DRIVER OF THE HENDRICKCARS.COM CHEVROLET SS PRO STOCK FOR KB TITAN RACING:

“You know they say there’s no such thing as an ugly win. That was an ugly win. But you know what? A win is a win is a win. I’ve never won that way in my life, but you know what? I’ll take it. Dallas (Glenn) is one hell of a tough competitor. We’ve got one hell of a race team in the KB Titan Racing team. The way they all jumped in on my car in the second round when it wouldn’t start. We basically had a throttle hung almost wide open and they got ‘er done. We got her staged and got her done. Very proud of the guys. It’s a big day for Hendrick Cars. Kyle Larson won today, so I felt like if I didn’t get the job done, I’d drop the ball, but I didn’t drop the ball, so Mr. (Hendrick) is having a big night tonight.”

Can you clarify if the car died, or did you cut it off (on the final run)?

“The car actually died. It made it one foot and shut right off. I was dead in the water. Absolutely my lucky day without a doubt. Thanking my lucky stars.”

UP NEXT:

The third round of the 2025 NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series season takes place March 28-30 at In-N-Out Burger Pomona Dragstrip. The Lucas Oil NHRA Winternationals air live on Sunday, March 30 at 6:30 p.m. ET on FS1. Coverage airs throughout the weekend with NHRA on FOX and NHRA.tv, streaming available via AppleTV, Android TV, and Roku devices.

About General Motors

General Motors (NYSE:GM) is driving the future of transportation, leveraging advanced technology to build safer, smarter, and lower emission cars, trucks, and SUVs. GM’s Buick, Cadillac, Chevrolet, and GMC brands offer a broad portfolio of innovative gasoline-powered vehicles and the industry’s widest range of EVs, as we move to an all-electric future. Learn more at GM.com.

LANGDON REPEATS AT NHRA ARIZONA NATIONALS FOR 20TH CAREER WIN

By
Official Release
-

Toyota makes 45th consecutive final round

CHANDLER, Ariz. (March 23, 2025) – After finishing runner up at Gainesville Raceway two weeks ago, Shawn Langdon bounced back to capture his first win of the 2025 NHRA season and a repeat at Firebird Motorsports Park. Langdon had to defeat his teammate, Doug Kalitta, to capture the Top Fuel Wally Trophy on Sunday. The victory by Langdon is the 20th of his career, as well as the second straight Top Fuel triumph for Toyota to begin 2025 after Antron Brown’s win in Gainesville.

Toyota has now also reached 45 consecutive NHRA event final rounds in either Top Fuel and/or Funny Car with the finals appearances by Langdon and Kalitta.

In Funny Car, J.R. Todd went the farthest of the GR Supra Funny Car group, advancing to the second round but no further. Bobby Bode fell in the first round, as did Ron Capps after his car body exploded and blew off his chassis, followed by contact with the wall. Capps was awake and alert and climbed out of his NAPA Auto Care GR Supra Funny Car under his own power.

The NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series is right back in action this weekend at In-N-Out Pomona Dragstrip next weekend.

Toyota Post-Race Recap
NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series
Firebird Motorsports Park
NHRA Arizona Nationals
Race 2 of 20

TOYOTA TOP FUEL FINISHING POSITIONS 

NameCarFinal ResultRound-by-Round
Shawn LangdonKalitta Air Careers Toyota Top Fuel DragsterWinnerW (3.783) v. S. Palmer (3.918) W (3.841) v. J. Ashley (4.124) W (3.833) v. B. Force (No Time) W (3.724) v. D. Kalitta (3.770)
Doug KalittaSealmaster Toyota Top Fuel DragsterFinalistW (3.762) v. T. Shumake (3.829) W (3.821) v. Bye W (3.767) v. J. Salinas (3.809) L (3.770) v. S. Langdon (3.724)
Antron BrownMatco Tools Toyota Top Fuel DragsterSecond RoundW (3.770) v. J. Hart (3.810) L (3.870) v. J. Salinas (3.821)
Justin AshleySCAG Power Equipment Toyota Top Fuel DragsterSecond RoundW (3.805) v. I. Zetterstrom (3.818) L (4.124) v. S. Langdon (3.841)

TOYOTA FUNNY CAR FINISHING POSITIONS 

NameCarFinal ResultRound-by-Round
J.R. ToddDHL Toyota GR Supra Funny CarSecond RoundW (7.556) v. D. Wilkerson (Red Light) L (5.294) v. B. Tasca III (3.979)
Ron CappsNAPA Auto Care Toyota GR Supra Funny CarFirst RoundL (4.003) v. B. Alexander (4.165)
Bobby BodeDC Motorsports Toyota GR Supra Funny CarFirst RoundL (4.768) v. M. Hagan (3.987)

*= Non-Toyota driver

TOYOTA QUOTES

SHAWN LANGDON, Kalitta Air Careers Toyota Top Fuel Dragster, Kalitta Motorsports

TF Final Result: Winner

Why were you the Kalitta Motorsports Dragster that won today?

“Brian (Husen, crew chief) and the team. I’ve been saying all along, Brian has turned this team into a bunch of superstars. All the credit to him. All the guys have done such a fantastic job. No mistakes, gave me such a great race car today. Knew going into the final, you’re running A.J. (Alan Johnson, crew chief, Doug Kalitta) and Doug (Kalitta). What are you going to do? You have to throw down and Brian said ‘we have to get this thing to go a low 3.70,’ and that’s what we did. We called our shot a little bit. Proud of the guys, everybody at Kalitta Air Careers. Toyota. It’s a win-win for Connie Kalitta (team owner). Most importantly, we put a smile on his face.”

RON CAPPS, NAPA Auto Care Toyota GR Supra Funny Car, Ron Capps Motorsports

FC Final Result: First Round

Take us through what happened there in that incident.

“We saw (Austin) Prock in front of us go 3.93 and Guido (Dean Antonelli, Capps’ crew chief) set us up to go 3.92, 3.93 and, (I) hit the gas, didn’t see Blake (Alexander), was running great like yesterday in the final round (of qualifying) and just happened so fast. To me in the car, it just smoked the tires a little bit and then, kaboom. Was much like Seattle last year in the sense that when the fire first happened, it was a convertible but there was a lot of fire in my face, and I was just trying to settle it down. Kind of bouncing around and then it wanted to go left. I was seeing John Force’s accident. We were the car behind him last year, we had a great view of it unfortunately, but it was weird, I didn’t have much steering, (it) was a hard left. I knew I was still traveling fast, so in my head, I knew it was not going to be good and I’m just picturing Force’s accident as I’m heading to the wall and just braced. I didn’t expect to be awake after hitting the wall and just braced the best you can. I hit the wall and then, I was still awake and there was still some fire, but I was like, ‘wow!’ Knew it hit, but got on the brakes and the shoots were already out. First off, NHRA safety did its job. Just watched the replay and the shoots were out like they should be. They said it pushed the wall back and they needed to repair it before the next cars went, and that’s a tribute to PBRC chassis, first off, but Guido (pause), one of the reasons I love Guido is he is over the top, not just with the car, but is safety-conscious with the car. So in this sense, we just had me fitted for a new seat and they put new head pads in. I wanted to get out of the car and thank John Force because unfortunately, Eric Medlen started this when we lost Eric, but John’s life was spared with (the safety improvements since) Eric’s accident. And then you fast forward, John’s life was probably spared a second time because of a previous accident and I for sure walked away from mine because of Force’s. Thankfully, we and NHRA have learned from the bad stuff that has happened. I’m interested to find out the G-Forces and speed I hit at, but thankfully, everyone’s been on top of safety. We’ll figure it out. Last year, we broke the brand-new car when it crashed and we went to the backup which almost won the race and a previous championship but now, we have a backup car that’s just as good as the first. Thankful we have such great partners with NAPA and Toyota and the guys will be ready for Pomona.”

About Toyota

Toyota (NYSE:TM) has been a part of the cultural fabric in North America for nearly 70 years, and is committed to advancing sustainable, next-generation mobility through our Toyota and Lexus brands, plus our more than 1,800 dealerships. 

Toyota directly employs nearly 64,000 people in North America who have contributed to the design, engineering, and assembly of nearly 49 million cars and trucks at our 14 manufacturing plants. In spring 2025, Toyota’s plant in North Carolina will begin to manufacture automotive batteries for electrified vehicles. With more electrified vehicles on the road than any other automaker, Toyota currently offers 31 electrified options.

For more information about Toyota, visit www.ToyotaNewsroom.com.

Workmanlike Day for TeamSLR at Road Atlanta

By
Official Release
-

Tristan McKee Fifth Overall, Barry Boes Rebounds for Pro-Am Podium;
For M1 Racecars, Mike Skeen Seventh Overall, Jared Odrick Fourth in Pro-Am;
Early Incident Ruins Bid for Georgia Driver Rob Clifton

Overview:

Date: March 23, 2025
Event: Mission Foods Road Atlanta SpeedTour (Round 2 of 12)
Series: Trans Am Series presented by Pirelli
Division: Cube 3 Architecture TA2 Series
Location: Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta
Layout: 3.54-mile, 12-turn road course
Format: 40 laps or 75 minutes
Weather: Sunny, mid-70s
TA2 Winner: Thomas Annunziata of Nitro Motorsports

TeamSLR:

● Tristan McKee – Started 11th, Finished 5th (Running, completed 40/40 laps)
● Barry Boes – Started 13th, Finished 11th (Running, completed 40/40 laps)
● Rob Clifton – Started 17th, Finished 28th (Accident, completed 9/40 laps)

M1 Racecars:

● Mike Skeen – Started 8th, Finished 7th (Running, completed 40/40 laps)
● Jared Odrick – Started 20th, Finished 15th (Running, completed 40/40 laps)

Noteworthy:

● The 14-year-old McKee made just his fourth career TA2 start Sunday, following up his seventh-place finish in this year’s season-opening race at Sebring (Fla.) International Raceway. The Chevrolet development driver’s TA2 debut last October at Virginia International Raceway in Alton resulted in a fourth-place finish, just .7 of a second off the final step of the podium.

● TeamSLR’s Boes fought back from two separate incidents to salvage a runner-up finish in the Pro-Am Challenge class for the second race in a row. The 2024 Pro-Am Challenge champion was the class runner-up at Sebring last month.

Tristan Mckee, Driver, No. 28 Spire Gainbridge/SLR-M1 Racecars Chevrolet Camaro:

“We struggled a little bit with driver stuff in practice – new track, tough track – but I think we got a lot better during the race. We went from 11th or so to sixth, so it was a pretty decent day. We’ve got a little bit more work to do. I think overall it was good for what we had, so going from 11th to sixth like that was pretty fun, passing all those cars. So I’ve just got to thank all my guys, TeamSLR, Spire, Gainbridge, Chevy, Curt Kallberg’s engine program, everyone who helps us get here and make the car go ’round. We’ve just got a little bit of work to do, so we’ll get there for the next one.”

Barry Boes, Driver No. 27 Accio Data/SLR-M1 Racecars Chevrolet Camaro:

“It was a fantastic, fun race. All of us at the front of the Pro-Am pack got dirty at one point or another, some of us multiple times, going off and kicking up the red clay. Keith (Prociuk, Pro-Am polesitter and class winner) got taken out on a restart, so he got behind me for a while and we were all going good. Then I got taken out and Keith got by me, and then I got hit again and fell a spot off the podium. I promised myself I would do anything possible to make the best of my day, so here we are on the podium behind Keith. Keith, I think last season he maybe did a little bit of mental reset and said, ‘I’ve got to give it a hundred percent.’ And he’s out there giving it a hundred percent and we’re all very evenly matched. It’s super fun to race with him, and I couldn’t get beat by a nicer guy.”

Rob Clifton, Driver, No. 8 Clifton Construction/SLR-M1 Racecars Chevrolet Camaro:

“The M1 car was good. It’s a heavier car in the race compared to qualifying, when the car is light and where you want it to be. But after learning that and settling in, we were running the laps and started to feel pretty good about things, passing some guys, just nice race craft. Then, coming out of seven, it pushed really hard. I came back and tried to clutch it to make up some time, and for some reason couldn’t get the car to get out of first gear, so I just kind of started drifting back and forth. By the time I was clutching in, it shifted all the way around and I just kind of got T-boned. But overall it was a fun weekend. Hate the way it finished, but really felt like I could’ve been on the podium in Pro-Am, so we’ll have to come back and try it again.”

Next Up:

The Cube 3 Architecture TA2 Series heads west for rounds three and four of the 2025 campaign for back-to-back weekends at Sonoma (Calif.) Raceway, April 24-26, and WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca near Monterey, California, May 2-3. The Sonoma SpeedTour kicks off with a pair of TA2 test sessions at 11:30 a.m. and 4:05 p.m. PDT Friday, April 24. Official TA2 practice takes place at 10:20 a.m. Friday, April 25, followed by qualifying at 3:40 p.m. The 40-lap, 75-minute race goes green at 12:40 p.m. Saturday (April 26) with live streaming video provided by new series partner Speed Sport 1, simulcast with coverage on the Trans Am channel on YouTube.

About TeamSLR:

TeamSLR (Scott Lagasse Racing) competes fulltime in the Trans Am Series presented by Pirelli’s Cube 3 Architecture TA2 Series in a multifaceted effort that includes dedicated entries in the TA2 division, customer programs, driver coaching and car construction. Its history dates back to 1985 and covers a wide spectrum of motorsports, including NASCAR, IMSA, SCCA, ARCA and ASA. TeamSLR is a family-owned organization run by Scott Lagasse Sr., and Scott Lagasse Jr., The father-and-son duo have combined to win more than 120 races and seven championships across a variety of series and styles of racecars, from paved ovals to road courses to dirt tracks. For more information, please visit us online at www.TeamSLR.com, on Facebook, on Twitter, on Instagram and on LinkedIn.

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