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Overstock.com Racing: Noah Gragson Atlanta Advance

By
Official Release
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NOAH GRAGSON
Atlanta Advance
No. 10 Overstock.com Ford Mustang Dark Horse

Event Overview

● Event: Atlanta 400 (Round 27 of 36)
● Time/Date: 3 p.m. EDT on Sunday, Sept. 8
● Location: Atlanta Motor Speedway in Hampton, Georgia
● Layout: 1.54-mile oval
● Laps/Miles: 260 laps/400 miles
● Stage Lengths: Stage 1: 60 laps / Stage 2: 100 laps / Final Stage: 100 laps
● TV/Radio: USA / PRN / SiriusXM NASCAR Radio

Notes of Interest

● Atlanta Motor Speedway has been around since 1960, but the Atlanta track Gragson and his NASCAR Cup Series brethren will compete on this Sunday is less than three years old. The 1.54-mile oval was reconfigured after the final race of the 2021 season. The banking was increased from 24 degrees to 28 degrees and the track was narrowed from 55-feet wide to 40-feet wide, and it was all covered in fresh asphalt. The goal of the reconstruction was to recreate the kind of pack-style racing seen at the behemoth, 2.5-mile Daytona (Fla.) International Speedway and the even bigger 2.66-mile Talladega (Ala.) Superspeedway. Drivers competed on the new layout for the first time in March 2022 and the Atlanta 400 will be the sixth Cup Series race on the revamped track.

● The Atlanta 400 will mark Gragson’s sixth NASCAR Cup Series start at Atlanta, and all five of his prior starts have come on the updated configuration. The driver of the No. 10 Overstock.com Ford Mustang Dark Horse for Stewart-Haas Racing earned his best Atlanta finish in his third Atlanta start – 12th in March 2023. Gragson’s most recent Atlanta start came earlier this year in the Feb. 25 Ambetter Health 400. It was incredibly short-lived, however, as Gragson was collected in a 16-car accident on just the third tour of the 260-lap race. While his crew repaired the No. 10 Ford enough for it to return to the racetrack, Gragson was only able to make 63 more laps before his battered racecar became undriveable, forcing him to the garage.

● Gragson has six NASCAR Xfinity Series starts at Atlanta, the last two of which came in 2022, the first year of the reconfiguration. He finished among the top-10 in all but one of his Xfinity Series starts at the track, and his best finish was a second-place drive in June 2020.

● Gragson also has two Atlanta starts in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series. He finished 14th in his first Truck Series start at the track in 2017 and then earned a second-place finish when he returned to Atlanta in 2018, leading the first 43 laps.

● Overstock.com adorns Gragson’s No. 10 Ford Mustang Dark Horse at Atlanta. The partnership amplifies the recent relaunch of Overstock.com, home of crazy good deals that offer quality and style for less. Overstock.com is for the savvy shopper who loves the thrill of the hunt and it includes product categories customers know and love, like patio furniture, home furniture and area rugs, while reintroducing jewelry, watches and health-and-beauty products.

Noah Gragson, Driver of the No. 10 Overstock.com Ford Mustang Dark Horse

How much does racing at Atlanta emulate what you experienced two weeks ago at Daytona?

“It’s hard to tell what we’re going to have at Atlanta. Handling definitely comes into play more so than at Daytona. Still, at Daytona, you have handling issues if you get held on the bottom. It just seems like everything happens a little bit faster at Atlanta. The straightaways are shorter, so you don’t have the time to mount your runs. It’s different than the superspeedways. There’s a lot more pushing on the straightaways at Daytona and Talladega. At Atlanta, you can’t really get locked up for the whole straightaway and get away. Everybody’s super tight together. It’s a mix between an intermediate track and Daytona and Talladega. It’s a little bit of a different form of racing.”

Daytona and Talladega races are known to be crapshoots, where there are so many things out of your control. Is that also the case at Atlanta, or are you still able to make a little bit of your own luck at Atlanta?

“It’s probably the same as far as making your own luck and getting to the front. You can work your way up to the front, you just really don’t want to get stuck in the back. With green-flag pit stops, the commitment line starts early and they start taking pit-road speed into turn three and you run the apron all the way through (turns) three and four during green-flag pit stops. That makes it a little bit different and it bites some guys, but for me, I take the same mindset going into Atlanta as I do Daytona and Talladega.”

Your first race at Atlanta was back in February. Seven months have passed and the weather is now a lot hotter and a lot more humid. How much does Atlanta change from late February to early September, and how do you prepare for that change?

“It’ll probably be slicker, but you don’t really know until you get into the race. You qualify one lap on Saturday and then you race on Sunday. You don’t know how your car’s going to draft or anything because we don’t have any practice. So you’ve got to figure all that out on the fly. I feel like you’re just trying to learn all day and figure out what your car’s tendencies are and where it’s good. But for the most part, there’s not much time to really know. There are a lot of unknowns and uncertainty until you get five laps into the race and you know, ‘Hey, my car’s a little loose, my car’s a little tight, this is what I need.’”

What do you need in your racecar to be fast at Atlanta?

“You’ve got to be fast and you can’t be too draggy. It’s bitten me in the past where we started the race tight and I couldn’t make any passes, and then we kept on freeing the car up, loosening it up, and probably got past the neutral point in the balance and got too loose and I ended up wrecking. But the freer we got it, the faster I went. So it’s a fine line of what’s enough, and that’s what I’m trying to figure out, what’s too much, what’s enough, but you definitely have to be handling good to be able to tug on the wheel and keep the thing wide open.”

Are you wide open every lap at Atlanta?

“You’re wide open in qualifying. In the race, you’re working the throttle more. At Daytona and Talladega, you’re more pacing the throttle to save fuel, where at Atlanta, you’re lifting out of the gas because you’ll get tight or loose behind guys and you have to really play with the timing on your throttle for when you get runs up to guys. You’re playing with the throttle because of handling.”

Is competing at Atlanta mentally taxing?

“Atlanta is mentally taxing. You’re still having the same thought processes that you do with superspeedway racing, but it’s just faster. You’re mentally drained after Atlanta.”

When you get to Atlanta, it’s just 10 more races until the season is over. What do you want to accomplish in these last 10 races at Stewart-Haas?

“We want to have strong runs, complete all the laps, have strong finishes inside the top-10, top-five, and just be able to learn for the future, keep building the notebook for the races next year, learn as a driver, and just try and take it all in. Obviously, it’s going to get more emotional each and every weekend, getting closer to that last weekend in Phoenix. With that being said, we’ve got a great group and we’re really focused in and we want to have strong runs. The goal is to get to victory lane, but if we can’t do that, I think having top-10 finishes, top-fives, that would be a win to us right now.”

Even though you’re changing teams next year, you’ll remain with Ford in 2025. How helpful is it to be able to carry what you’re learning this year into next year with the same manufacturer?

“I definitely think being with the same manufacturer is good. You know the people, you know how the simulator operates, and you’re definitely taking a lot of notes to carry on into 2025.”

No. 10 Overstock.com Team Roster

Primary Team Members

Driver: Noah Gragson

Hometown: Las Vegas

Crew Chief: Drew Blickensderfer

Hometown: Decatur, Illinois

Car Chief: Jerry Cook

Hometown: Toledo, Ohio

Engineer: James Kimbrough

Hometown: Pensacola, Florida

Spotter: Andy Houston

Hometown: Hickory, North Carolina

Over-The-Wall Members

Front Tire Changer: Ryan Mulder

Hometown: Sioux Center, Iowa

Rear Tire Changer: Trevor White

Hometown: Arlington, Texas

Tire Carrier: Tyler Bullard

Hometown: King, North Carolina

Jack Man: Sean Cotten

Hometown: Mooresville, North Carolina

Fuel Man: James “Ace” Keener

Hometown: Fortuna, California

Road Crew Members

Mechanic: Chris Trickett

Hometown: Grafton, West Virginia

Mechanic: Beau Whitley

Hometown: Carmel, Indiana

Tire Specialist: Jacob Cooksey

Hometown: Westbrookville, New York

Engine Tuner: Matt Moeller

Hometown: Monroe, New York

Transporter Co-Driver: Steve Casper

Hometown: Salisbury, North Carolina

Transporter Co-Driver: Matt Murphy

Hometown: Augusta, Georgia

PROCK, MILLICAN, STANFIELD AND HERRERA ROLL TO WINS AT 70TH ANNUAL TOYOTA NHRA U.S. NATIONALS

By
Official Release
-

All four drivers are first-time winners at The Big Go

INDIANAPOLIS (Sept. 2, 2024) – Funny Car points leader Austin Prock powered to his first career victory at the U.S. Nationals, defeating back-to-back winner Ron Capps in the final round of the 70th annual Toyota NHRA U.S. Nationals on Monday at Lucas Oil Indianapolis Raceway Park.

Clay Millican (Top Fuel), Aaron Stanfield (Pro Stock) and Gaige Herrera (Pro Stock Motorcycle) also won the 14th of 20 races during the 2024 NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series season. All four drivers won the U.S. Nationals for the first time.

Prock went 3.885-seconds at 327.98 mph in his 11,000-horsepower Cornwell Tools Chevrolet Camaro SS in the final round, leaving the starting line first and holding off Capps’ 3.935. It gives Prock his fifth victory this season, as he defeated Chris King, Alexis DeJoria and Blake Alexander to reach the finals, beating Capps to earn his ninth career victory. It continues to be a dream season for Prock, who will enter the Countdown to the Championship playoffs in the points lead and as a championship favorite. This weekend couldn’t have gone better for Prock, who was the No. 1 qualifier and followed it up with his first win at the world’s biggest drag race.

“We got our first U.S. Nationals win, super proud of the team. It was a great effort all weekend long,” Prock said. “Everyone talks about Indy, it’s the biggest race of the year, and it is. But all weekend long I treated it even less than a race, I kind of treated it as a test session and just tried to stay focused and race my own lane. That was good enough to get the job done this weekend. I’m very proud of the team. It still hasn’t hit me that we won the U.S. Nationals.

“So many people dream of winning this race and very few have. I’m very proud to add my name to that list with my dad (crew chief Jimmy), my brother Thomas turning the knobs with Nate Hildahl. It’s a pretty surreal moment. To cap off the regular season the way we did is very comforting. I don’t see us slowing down any time soon. People say when you’re hot, you’re hot and right now we’re hot and have been all year long.”

Capps, who just missed out on becoming the first Funny Car driver to win the U.S. Nationals three straight years, advanced to his 150th career final round and third this season on the strength of victories against J.R. Todd, Buddy Hull and Jack Beckman. He moved to fifth in points, while Prock opens the Countdown to the Championship in the points lead.

In Top Fuel, Clay Millican was also a first-time winner at the prestigious U.S. Nationals, defeating four-time world champion Steve Torrence in the final round with a run of 3.792 at 327.82 in his 11,000-horsepower Arby’s/Parts Plus dragster. Millican struggled in qualifying, entering raceday in the No. 13 spot, but made major improvements when it counted, including a 3.695 at 333.74 to defeat Antron Brown in the first round.

He followed with round wins against Josh Hart and Brittany Force to reach the final round, driving past Torrence with his third straight run in the 3.70s to reach Indy glory. It’s Millican’s first victory of the season and the seventh in his career, and the veteran will move to sixth in points to start the Countdown to the Championship. For now, though, Millican is only thinking about his incredible Monday on drag racing’s biggest stage.

“I’ve definitely been the underdog my entire life. I promise you that, but I have a lot of fight in me,” Millican said. “Nothing will ever top [my first win in] Bristol, including the U.S. Nationals, but this is like winning the Super Bowl, the Daytona 500, the World Series. This is career-defining stuff.

“To win with [team owner] Rick Ware here was cool. I won three times last year and he wasn’t at any of them. He came on Friday, he has two NASCAR teams racing in Darlington, but he was here. It was cool to call him last year and say we won, but there is nothing like being here.”

Torrence advanced to his second final round of the year and 89th in his career on the strength of round wins against Billy Torrence, Ida Zetterstrom and Tony Stewart. Doug Kalitta, who didn’t qualify at the U.S. Nationals, will open the playoffs as the points leader, with Justin Ashley in second.

Aaron Stanfield made history by becoming the first driver in NHRA history to win two events in one weekend at the U.S. Nationals, following up his victory in Holley EFI Factory X on Monday with a win in Pro Stock, knocking off teammate Jeg Coughlin Jr. in the final round with a pass of 6.561 at 209.36 in his Johnson’s Horsepowered Garage/Melling Performance/Janac Brothers car. It is Stanfield’s fourth Pro Stock victory of 2024 and this will certainly be the highlight after his historic double-up.

To reach the championship round, Stanfield knocked off Matt Hartford, Cory Reed and No. 1 qualifier Greg Anderson, holding off Coughlin in the final round to pick up his first Pro Stock victory at the world’s biggest drag race. It’s also the 12th career victory for Stanfield, who enters the Countdown to the Championship second in points and with plenty of momentum as he seeks his first world championship coming off his incredible weekend at The Big Go.

“I’ve been close [to doubling] a couple of times, so I’m okay with the past races not to get it done, because this is the place to do it,” Stanfield said. “There’s so much history at this racetrack, and it’s special to me to not only win Indy Pro Stock and Factory X both in the same day and put my name down on the history books.

“Indy’s always a busy week for me. It’s a roller coaster of emotions the whole entire time, and I knew I had two good hot rods, and I knew I had a good chance to win, but this race has kicked my butt in the past, and it just feels great.”

Coughlin advanced to the finals for the fourth time this season and 119th time in his standout career, defeating Eric Latino, Troy Coughlin Jr. and Erica Enders in the process. Dallas Glenn will take the points leader into the postseason.

Winning the U.S. Nationals was the only thing Gaige Herrera didn’t accomplish last year, but the reigning Pro Stock Motorcycle champ took care of business on Monday this year, posting a perfect .000 reaction time and then going 6.763 at 198.70 on his RevZilla/Mission Foods/Vance & Hines Suzuki to defeat Angie Smith and enter Indy immortality. After not winning the past two races, Herrera, the dominant points leader, captured the biggest victory of the year – his seventh of the 2024 campaign.

To advance to the final round, Herrera, who qualified No. 1, dipped into the 6.70s in three rounds, including a weekend-best 6.722 at 199.35 in the opening round. He followed with a 6.755 against Chase Van Sant and then knocked off teammate Richard Gadson. After a perfect reaction time against Smith, Herrera rolled to the victory, which certainly ranks among the top of his 18 career wins.

“This race is very special for me. Two years ago, I made my debut here. Two years ago, Andrew Hines had COVID sitting on his couch and didn’t even know my name until I made my first pass here,” Herrera said. “This one is very special. For me to be able to get this win, I feel like this was the biggest monkey of all on my back. Last year, I had the simplest part fail, which cost me going past second round. To get the win here, even though I won the championship last year, I feel like this almost surpasses that.

“This ranks at the top, all the stuff that I’ve done as far as creating history or beating Bob Glidden’s record – throughout my years, I’m probably going to remember this over all of that. This is one everyone wants to win. It’s the Super Bowl of drag racing. To get this win, I feel like I’ve kind of accomplished what I wanted in Pro Stock Motorcycle. It’s crazy to say that a year and a half into my Pro Stock Motorcycle career, but I’m not stopping yet.”

Smith reached the final round for the first time this season and the eighth time in her career thanks to round wins against Steve Johnson, Marc Ingwersen and her husband, Matt. Herrera will be the points leader heading into the playoffs, with Smith in second.

The NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series returns to action Sept. 12-15 with the 39th annual Pep Boys NHRA Nationals at Maple Grove Raceway in Reading, Pa. It is the first of six races in the Countdown to the Championship playoffs.

INDIANAPOLIS — Final finish order (1-16) at the 70th annual Toyota NHRA U.S. Nationals at Lucas Oil Indianapolis Raceway Park. The race is the 14th of 20 events in the NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series.

TOP FUEL:

  1. Clay Millican; 2. Steve Torrence; 3. Brittany Force; 4. Tony Stewart; 5. Tony Schumacher; 6. Ida Zetterstrom; 7. Josh Hart; 8. Justin Ashley; 9. Shawn Reed; 10. Shawn Langdon; 11. Doug Foley; 12. Dan Mercier; 13. Antron Brown; 14. Tripp Tatum; 15. T.J. Zizzo; 16. Billy Torrence.

FUNNY CAR:

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

PRO STOCK:

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

PRO STOCK MOTORCYCLE:

  1. Gaige Herrera; 2. Angie Smith; 3. Matt Smith; 4. Richard Gadson; 5. Chase Van Sant; 6. Hector Arana Jr; 7. Jianna Evaristo; 8. Marc Ingwersen; 9. Geno Scali; 10. Chris Bostick; 11. Kelly Clontz; 12. Ron Tornow; 13. Steve Johnson; 14. Ryan Oehler; 15. Wesley Wells; 16. John Hall.

INDIANAPOLIS — Monday’s final results from the 70th annual Toyota NHRA U.S. Nationals at Lucas Oil Indianapolis Raceway Park. The race is the 14th of 20 in the NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series:

Top Fuel — Clay Millican, 3.792 seconds, 327.82 mph def. Steve Torrence, 4.317 seconds, 192.30 mph.

Funny Car — Austin Prock, Chevy Camaro, 3.885, 327.98 def. Ron Capps, Toyota GR Supra, 3.935, 331.45.

Pro Stock — Aaron Stanfield, Chevy Camaro, 6.561, 209.36 def. Jeg Coughlin, Camaro, 6.562, 209.59.

Pro Stock Motorcycle — Gaige Herrera, Suzuki, 6.763, 198.70 def. Angie Smith, Buell, 6.829, 197.19.

Top Alcohol Dragster — Hunter Green, 5.231, 279.56 def. Angelle Sampey, Broke.

Top Alcohol Funny Car — Sean Bellemeur, Chevy Camaro, 5.438, 267.53 def. Stan Sipos, Camaro, Foul – Red Light.

Competition Eliminator — Kayla Mozeris, Bantam Roadster, 7.418, 174.14 def. Joe Carnasciale, Chevy Cavalier, 8.933, 150.75.

Super Stock — Larry Hodge, Chevy Cobalt, 10.016, 116.49 def. Jacob Delaune, Dodge Challenger, Foul – Red Light.

Stock Eliminator — Joshua Decker, Chevy Corvette, 10.522, 116.40 def. Dan Fletcher, Chevy Camaro, 11.268, 106.93.

Super Comp — Trene Cressonie, Dragster, 8.907, 170.75 def. Jason Kenny, Dragster, 8.908, 159.12.

Top Sportsman — Bill Yates, Chevy Camaro, 6.512, 206.54 def. Curt Fredrich, Camaro, 6.549, 211.43.

Top Dragster — Zach Sackman, Dragster, 6.180, 221.56 def. Darian Boesch, Dragster, 6.345, 216.86.

Super Gas — Bo Butner, Chevy Corvette, 9.901, 169.38 def. Dalton Deffenbaugh, Chevy Nova, 9.911, 146.83.

Pro Modified — Ken Quartuccio, Chevy Camaro, 5.766, 247.34 def. Mike Stavrinos, Camaro, 5.937, 244.52.

Factory Stock Showdown — Kevin Skinner, Ford Mustang, 10.309, 81.58 def. Raymond Nash, Dodge Challenger, Broke – No Show.

Factory X — Aaron Stanfield, Chevy Camaro, 7.094, 191.62 def. Lenny Lottig, Camaro, 7.122, 191.08.

INDIANAPOLIS — Final round-by-round results from the 70th annual Toyota NHRA U.S. Nationals at Lucas Oil Indianapolis Raceway Park, the 14th of 20 events in the NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series:

TOP FUEL:

ROUND ONE — Tony Schumacher, 3.732, 324.20 def. Shawn Reed, 3.724, 328.30; Steve Torrence, 3.702, 329.67 def. Billy Torrence, 11.766, 66.07; Brittany Force, 3.700, 333.49 def. Shawn Langdon, 3.726, 332.51; Ida Zetterstrom, 3.759, 328.62 def. T.J. Zizzo, 6.563, 103.27; Tony Stewart, 3.723, 331.53 def. Doug Foley, 3.754, 320.74; Clay Millican, 3.695, 333.74 def. Antron Brown, 4.181, 245.00; Josh Hart, 4.018, 249.49 def. Tripp Tatum, 5.643, 116.15; Justin Ashley, 3.735, 330.23 def. Dan Mercier, 3.759, 321.58;

QUARTERFINALS — Stewart, 3.747, 330.88 def. Ashley, 7.881, 90.17; S. Torrence, 3.742, 332.18 def. Zetterstrom, 3.797, 317.12; Force, 3.779, 331.36 def. Schumacher, 3.792, 329.10; Millican, 3.753, 332.18 def. Hart, 4.111, 229.90;

SEMIFINALS — Millican, 3.750, 332.18 def. Force, 8.988, 60.62; S. Torrence, 3.769, 331.12 def. Stewart, 9.625, 77.88;

FINAL — Millican, 3.792, 327.82 def. S. Torrence, 4.317, 192.30.

FUNNY CAR:

ROUND ONE — Bobby Bode, Ford Mustang, 3.934, 323.58 def. Daniel Wilkerson, Mustang, 4.959, 142.66; Austin Prock, Chevy Camaro, 3.850, 334.15 def. Chris King, Dodge Charger, 8.209, 86.79; Buddy Hull, Charger, 4.063, 286.86 def. Bob Tasca III, Mustang, 4.209, 221.89; Jack Beckman, Camaro, 3.842, 332.51 def. Dale Creasy Jr., Charger, 3.950, 325.92; Blake Alexander, Mustang, 3.883, 327.74 def. Chad Green, Mustang, 10.116, 42.52; Cruz Pedregon, Charger, 3.923, 323.58 def. Paul Lee, Charger, 3.918, 321.50; Ron Capps, Toyota GR Supra, 3.946, 333.33 def. J.R. Todd, GR Supra, 5.373, 133.54; Alexis DeJoria, GR Supra, 3.886, 327.98 def. Matt Hagan, Charger, 4.225, 229.31;

QUARTERFINALS — Capps, 3.943, 327.51 def. Hull, 4.028, 320.51; Prock, 3.879, 331.61 def. DeJoria, 3.876, 327.90; Beckman, 3.870, 330.15 def. Pedregon, 3.949, 328.62; Alexander, 3.915, 323.12 def. Bode, 4.537, 198.73;

SEMIFINALS — Prock, 3.887, 332.34 def. Alexander, 9.358, 70.12; Capps, 4.315, 252.52 def. Beckman, 7.691, 97.33;

FINAL — Prock, 3.885, 327.98 def. Capps, 3.935, 331.45.

PRO STOCK:

ROUND ONE — Cristian Cuadra, Ford Mustang, 6.569, 209.65 def. Dallas Glenn, Chevy Camaro, 6.563, 208.17; David Cuadra, Camaro, 6.557, 208.68 def. Mason McGaha, Camaro, 6.611, 208.10; Troy Coughlin Jr., Camaro, 6.569, 209.36 def. Fernando Cuadra Jr., Camaro, 6.569, 207.91; Cory Reed, Camaro, 6.553, 208.62 def. Jerry Tucker, Camaro, 6.553, 209.49; Aaron Stanfield, Camaro, 6.560, 209.36 def. Matt Hartford, Camaro, 6.537, 209.20; Jeg Coughlin, Camaro, 6.557, 208.88 def. Eric Latino, Camaro, 6.622, 208.01; Erica Enders, Camaro, 6.529, 210.37 def. Sienna Wildgust, Camaro, 6.579, 209.88; Greg Anderson, Camaro, 6.542, 208.75 def. Camrie Caruso, Camaro, 6.570, 208.46;

QUARTERFINALS — Coughlin, 6.576, 208.75 def. Coughlin Jr., 6.600, 209.59; Stanfield, 6.555, 210.14 def. Reed, Broke; Anderson, 6.551, 208.46 def. C. Cuadra, 6.574, 208.01; Enders, 6.537, 210.47 def. D. Cuadra, 10.810, 82.60;

SEMIFINALS — Stanfield, 6.574, 209.62 def. Anderson, 31.292, 62.50; Coughlin, 6.580, 209.10 def. Enders, 7.020, 206.83;

FINAL — Stanfield, 6.561, 209.36 def. Coughlin, 6.562, 209.59.

PRO STOCK MOTORCYCLE:

ROUND ONE — Chase Van Sant, Suzuki, 6.838, 196.39 def. Chris Bostick, Suzuki, 6.894, 192.49; Angie Smith, Buell, 6.826, 198.88 def. Steve Johnson, Suzuki, 6.955, 192.00; Hector Arana Jr, 6.846, 196.64 def. Kelly Clontz, Suzuki, 6.904, 194.66; Jianna Evaristo, Buell, 6.804, 200.41 def. Geno Scali, Suzuki, 6.877, 196.27; Richard Gadson, Suzuki, 6.808, 198.06 def. Ryan Oehler, 6.967, 193.63; Marc Ingwersen, 6.969, 192.74 def. John Hall, 7.330, 145.16; Matt Smith, Buell, 6.787, 199.94 def. Ron Tornow, 6.943, 194.07; Gaige Herrera, Suzuki, 6.772, 199.35 def. Wesley Wells, Suzuki, Foul – Red Light;

QUARTERFINALS — A. Smith, 6.834, 198.76 def. Ingwersen, 6.927, 192.00; Gadson, 6.819, 196.99 def. Evaristo, 6.891, 199.14; M. Smith, 6.827, 198.32 def. Arana Jr, Foul – Red Light; Herrera, 6.755, 199.58 def. Van Sant, 6.806, 198.26;

SEMIFINALS — A. Smith, 6.820, 199.17 def. M. Smith, 6.843, 197.77; Herrera, 6.804, 197.91 def. Gadson, 6.879, 196.42;

FINAL — Herrera, 6.763, 198.70 def. A. Smith, 6.829, 197.19.

INDIANAPOLIS — Point standings (top 10) following the 70th annual Toyota NHRA U.S. Nationals at Lucas Oil Indianapolis Raceway Park, the 14th of 20 events in the NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series –

Top Fuel

  1. Doug Kalitta, 1,049; 2. Justin Ashley, 1,013; 3. Shawn Langdon, 999; 4. Steve Torrence, 994; 5. Antron Brown, 910; 6. Clay Millican, 851; 7. Tony Stewart, 784; 8. Tony Schumacher, 744; 9. Brittany Force, 697; 10. Billy Torrence, 692.

Funny Car

  1. Austin Prock, 1,379; 2. Bob Tasca III, 1,031; 3. Matt Hagan, 1,017; 4. J.R. Todd, 941; 5. Ron Capps, 879; 6. John Force, 870; 7. Blake Alexander, 769; 8. Daniel Wilkerson, 692; 9. Chad Green, 654; 10. Alexis DeJoria, 641.

Pro Stock

  1. Dallas Glenn, 1,204; 2. Aaron Stanfield, 1,120; 3. Greg Anderson, 1,104; 4. Erica Enders, 1,075; 5. Jeg Coughlin, 995; 6. Troy Coughlin Jr., 761; 7. Jerry Tucker, 703; 8. Cristian Cuadra, 592; 9. Eric Latino, 535; 10. Mason McGaha, 518.

Pro Stock Motorcycle

  1. Gaige Herrera, 1,090; 2. Matt Smith, 802; 3. Richard Gadson, 647; 4. John Hall, 616; 5. Chase Van Sant, 608; 6. Angie Smith, 571; 7. Jianna Evaristo, 497; 8. Hector Arana Jr, 490; 9. Steve Johnson, 334; 10. Chris Bostick, 303.

Toyota Gazoo Racing North America NHRA Toyota US Nationals Post-Race Report – 09.02.24

By
Official Release
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TORRENCE, CAPPS REACH FINALS IN TOYOTA U.S. NATIONALS
Toyota extends final round streak to 37 in a row

INDIANAPOLIS (Sept. 2, 2024) – Steve Torrence and his CAPCO Contractors Toyota Top Fuel Dragster came up just short of another Wally Trophy Monday afternoon at the Toyota U.S. Nationals in Indianapolis. The four-time Top Fuel world champion was seeking his 56th career victory and third at “The Big Go,” but fell settled for second to Clay Millican. The finals appearance by Torrence was his second of the season, to go along with his win in Seattle. Justin Ashley was the other Toyota Top Fuel Dragster to advance out of the first round Monday.

In Funny Car, Ron Capps also reached the final round, his fourth consecutive final at the U.S. Nationals, the 150th finals in his legendary career, as he sought a historic threepeat in Indianapolis. He fell to Austin Prock in the finals by just 0.005 seconds at the stripe and ended the weekend runner-up. Alexis DeJoria made the second round, while J.R. Todd was eliminated by Capps in round one Monday morning.

The finals appearances by Torrence and Capps on Monday mark 37 consecutive NHRA event final rounds now for Toyota in either Top Fuel and/or Funny Car.

As the NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series heads into its Countdown to the Championship, all six Toyota Top Fuel Dragsters and all three GR Supra Funny Cars will be a part of the six-race postseason, having a shot at the world championship. The Countdown to the Championship begins at Maple Grove Raceway in two weeks, with eliminations on Sunday, Sept. 17, at 2 p.m. EST on FOX.

Toyota Post-Race Recap
NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series
Indianapolis Raceway Park
Toyota U.S. Nationals
Race 14 of 20

TOYOTA TOP FUEL FINISHING POSITIONS 

NameCarFinal ResultRound-by-Round
Steve TorrenceCAPCO Contractors Toyota Top Fuel DragsterFinalistW (3.702) v. B. Torrence (11.766) W (3.742) v. I. Zetterstrom (3.797) W (3.769) v. T. Stewart (9.625) L (4.317) v. C. Millican (3.792)
Justin AshleySCAG Power Equipment Toyota Top Fuel DragsterSecond RoundW (3.735) v. D. Mercier (3.759) L (7.881) v. T. Stewart (3.747)
Antron BrownMatco Tools Toyota Top Fuel DragsterFirst RoundL (4.181) v. C. Millican (3.695)
Billy TorrenceCAPCO Contractors Toyota Top Fuel DragsterFirst RoundL (3.702) v. S. Torrence (11.766)
Shawn LangdonApplied Innovations Toyota Top Fuel DragsterFirst RoundL (3.726) v. B. Force (3.700)

TOYOTA FUNNY CAR FINISHING POSITIONS 

NameCarFinal ResultRound-by-Round
Ron CappsNAPA Auto Care Army Tribute Toyota GR Supra Funny CarFinalistW (3.946) v. J. Todd (5.373) W (3.943) v. B. Hull (4.028) W (4.315) v. J. Beckman (7.691) L (3.935 v. A. Prock (3.885)
Alexis DeJoriaBandero CaféToyota GR Supra Funny CarSecond RoundW (3.886) v. M. Hagan (4.225) L (3.876) v. A. Prock (3.879 – holeshot)
J.R. ToddDHL Toyota GR Supra Funny CarFirst RoundL (5.373) v. R. Capps (3.946)

*= Non-Toyota driver

TOYOTA QUOTES

STEVE TORRENCE, CAPCO Contractors Toyota Top Fuel Dragster, Torrence Racing

TF Final Result: Finalist

How was your day today, reaching the Top Fuel finals?

“Great day, great weekend for the CAPCO Contractors Toyota Dragster. Would’ve been our third win here (U.S. Nationals) and I think this was my fourth or fifth final, or maybe more. Congrats to Clay Millican and that whole team. They work really hard. We had a parts failure there in the final. I think if that didn’t happen, we would’ve won, but that’s just not the way it fell. I think we moved up a spot (in the points standings) going into the Countdown, which is very valuable for us. We have a good race car right now and I’m looking forward to going into the Countdown.”

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

FC Final Result: Finalist

Take us through your day and weekend at the Toyota U.S. Nationals.

“You know, Indy is already so big. It just (pause), it’s already a lot and to do what we did, we did something similar last year with the Hot Wheels car. You know this race, right before I was staging for the finals, I was thinking about how big this race (is) and to me, it’s just as big as a world championship at Pomona in November staging the car to win a whole season’s championship. The weekend was a little up and down. But having Snake (Don Prudhomme) here, this car and to have the fans come over constantly saying how the great the car was. Having Toyota put the car on display and having the fans get a chance to get an autograph from Snake was really cool. We lost out on Sunday (in the Pep Boys All Star Callout), but remembered we did the same last year so we focused on Monday. We had some really tough rounds early on in the day and we knew Austin Prock and those guys would be tough in the finals. We had the right lane, which is a disadvantage in the Funny Cars for sure. Guido (Dean Antonelli, crew chief) did such a great job tuning our Toyota GR Supra down the right lane, and we went 331mph which is a pretty big deal. I got a lot of text messages from corporate at NAPA and our people at Toyota, which is cool as it was live on FOX. We gave it a run for its money. Really proud right now but bummed as well. In a few hours here, that’ll wear off and we got to the final round.”

About Toyota

Toyota (NYSE:TM) has been a part of the cultural fabric in North America for more than 65 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 more than 63,000 people in North America who have contributed to the design, engineering, and assembly of nearly 47 million cars and trucks at our 12 manufacturing plants. By 2025, Toyota’s 13th 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 29 electrified options.

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

Rebound Races at COTA Keep TPC Racing Team and Drivers In IMSA Lamborghini Super Trofeo Pro-Am Championship Picture

By
Official Release
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  • Nikko Reger and Shehan Chandrasoma Recover from Early Setbacks in Both Saturday Sunday Super Trofeo Sprints at Circuit of The Americas (COTA) in the No. 21 Lamborghini Austin Lamborghini Huracan Evo2
  • Saturday’s Charge From 41st at the Start to Fourth in Pro-Am at the Finish by the Lamborghini Austin No. 21 Team Nets TPC Racing’s Best Finish of a Challenging Weekend
  • Mark Brummond Robbed of Saturday LB Cup Victory in the No. 02 Tons of Gas Auto Collection Lamborghini Huracan Evo2 After Weekend-Ending Hit Leading on Last Lap

AUSTIN, Texas (September 2, 2024) – A no-quit performance in a competitive but chaotic IMSA Lamborghini Super Trofeo North America doubleheader at Circuit of The Americas (COTA) saw TPC Racing rebound from early setbacks in both weekend races for a pair of finishes that keep the No. 21 Lamborghini Austin Lamborghini Huracan Super Trofeo Evo2 team in the Pro-Am class championship picture with four races remaining on the 2024 schedule.

The highlight of the hot and hard-fought COTA Super Trofeo weekend was a charge from 41st overall to fourth in the Pro-Am class by the No. 21 team in Saturday’s first 50-minute sprint. Starting driver Shehan Chandrasoma was slated to take the green flag 13th overall in the packed Lamborghini field but instead was one of half-a-dozen competitors forced to join the race from pit lane after a pre-race grid miscommunication.

Chandrasoma and the others joined the race at the back of the field after the start, and he methodically began passing competitors to move up the order. Chandrasoma handed the No. 21 off at the opening of the pit-stop window to closing driver Nikko Reger who rejoined the race just outside of the Pro-Am top five and in the top-10 overall. Reger quickly moved into fifth place and then advanced to fourth in Pro-Am only to see a late-race caution period slow his charge. With only a one-lap dash to the finish, Reger never had a chance to get close enough to make a move for third in Pro-Am, but the No. 21 did cross the finish line a solid seventh overall.

Reger started Sunday’s final race third on the Pro-Am grid and fourth-overall only to be punted by an overzealous Pro-class competitor on the opening race lap. Reger quickly recovered from the bump-and-run hit to join race-finishing driver Chandrasoma in a charge through the field for the second day, with the No. 21 crossing the finish line for a seventh-place Pro-Am finish.

Yet another charge from the back was nearly a winning one for debuting TPC Racing driver Mark Brummond who instead was robbed of a certain LB Cup-class victory and more in Saturday’s first race. After qualifying second for Saturday’s opener – in addition to winning the pole for Sunday’s race – Brummond’s No. 02 Tons of Gas Lamborghini Huracan Super Trofeo Evo2 just missed the minimum ride-height rule in post-qualifying technical inspection.

Relegated to the back of Saturday’s overall starting field, Brummond joined his No. 21 teammates in racing through the field. He took the LB Cup lead before his mandatory pit stop and, after momentarily dropping to third, cycled back to the lead in the race’s closing minutes.

Unfortunately, the same one-lap dash restart to the finish that kept Reger from making a podium move was even costlier for Brummond. An LB Cup class competitor that took the restart a full four positions behind Brummond drastically overshot the turn leading onto the COTA backstraight and made heavy contact with the race-leading No. 02. Brummond was uninjured in the incident that not only cost him the Saturday race win but also sidelined his heavily damaged Lamborghini for Sunday’s race and took away a chance to convert the pole position into a victory.

Next up for TPC Racing on the IMSA Lamborghini Super Trofeo scheduled is the doubleheader at Indianapolis Motor Speedway (IMS), September 20 – 22, which is the final race weekend of the year in North America and the next to last event of the season.

Harris Levitas, TPC Racing Director of Race Operations: “The TPC Racing team did an amazing job. It was another long, hard and hot week at Circuit of The Americas, but we came in with two really solid cars. Our Lamborghinis were fast off the trailer. Nikko Reger did an amazing job in qualifying in Round 2, the car was good, and Shehan Chandrasoma and Nikko drove great. Unfortunately, Sunday’s results didn’t quite show for it after being taken out on lap one. We also came up just short on a podium with a late caution on Saturday, but all in all a competitive weekend in Pro-Am. Unfortunately, we had a post qualifying penalty that put Mark Brummond to the back of the field in Saturday’s race, but he charged his way forward. It was all going to plan, but on the final restart, Mark was taken out from the lead and unfortunately his car was too damaged to continue the weekend. I have to give Mark huge credit for being the car to beat in LB Cup for sure but sometimes things don’t work out like they should. We move on from here and see what the rest of the season holds for TPC Racing. We have to thank Lamborghini Austin, Lamborghini Squadra Corse for all of their support in the background, and really everybody at IMSA. It is a great series to be a part of, and we are very fortunate to be here.”

Nikko Reger, Driver, No. 21 TPC Racing/Lamborghini Austin Lamborghini Huracan Super Trofeo Evo2: “It was a full-on rodeo out there all weekend. There was some drama at the beginning of Saturday’s race, some confusion about the start sequence and how to get to grid, and we were one of six or seven cars that had to start from the pits. We took it, Shehan drove an incredible stint, he really got us back in the fight. We had such a good car. We were fighting and we were fast. On Sunday, unfortunately, we got turned at the beginning of the race, we took it on the chin again and kept going. At that point I was at the back of the field, and I knew where all our friends were spectating, so I was just waving at them later under caution and having fun! Then when the green came out I was just charging as hard as I could, and I knew the TPC Racing guys were right there behind me. They put together an amazing car, and I was putting laps down whenever I had a clear track, and just kept charging through the field. For that last restart, we were just a little too far behind, but we did our best. On to the next one.”

About TPC Racing: TPC Racing is the Mid-Atlantic’s premier maintenance, service, tuning and modification center dedicated solely to Porsche sportscars. TPC Racing specializes in R&D and sales of high-performance modifications for Porsche sports cars and race cars, offering a wide range of vehicle upgrades. Best known for a line of forced induction solutions for the Porsche 911, Cayman and Boxster, a long-time focus on only one make, Porsche, has enabled TPC Racing to become experts in Porsche service, tuning, and racing. In 2000, TPC Racing began entering races under its own banner, scoring an SGS-class Championship in 2004 in the Grand-American Rolex Series and was a class winner in the 2006 Rolex 24 At Daytona, and captured the 2013 and 2016 IMSA Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge USA Gold Cup Championships. More information can be found at www.TPCRacing.com.

Mahindra Tractors Racing: Chase Briscoe Atlanta Advance

By
Official Release
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CHASE BRISCOE
Atlanta Advance
No. 14 Mahindra Compact Tractors Ford Mustang Dark Horse

Event Overview

● Event: Atlanta 400 (Round 27 of 36)
● Time/Date: 3 p.m. EDT on Sunday, Sept. 8
● Location: Atlanta Motor Speedway in Hampton, Georgia
● Layout: 1.54-mile oval
● Laps/Miles: 260 laps/400 miles
● Stage Lengths: Stage 1: 60 laps / Stage 2: 100 laps / Final Stage: 100 laps
● TV/Radio: USA / PRN / SiriusXM NASCAR Radio

Notes of Interest

● The NASCAR Playoffs begin Sunday with the Atlanta 400 at Atlanta Motor Speedway in Hampton, Georgia, and for the second time in his four-year NASCAR Cup Series career, Chase Briscoe is a part of it. Briscoe qualified for this year’s playoffs by scoring the equivalent of walk-off home run last Sunday night at Darlington (S.C.) Raceway when he won the Cook Out Southern 500. Briscoe came into the race 144 points outside of the top-16 cutoff to make the playoffs. His only shot to make the 16-driver playoff field was with a victory, and in Briscoe’s eighth career Darlington start, the 29-year-old from Mitchell, Indiana, delivered. After starting third, his best at Darlington, Briscoe was a top-five mainstay, leading four times for 29 laps, including the final 26 tours around the 1.366-mile oval after a daring three-wide pass for the lead on lap 342. And when a late-race caution bunched the field for a 16-lap dash to the finish, Briscoe fended off a hard-charging Kyle Busch, who was also in a must-win situation to make the playoffs, to take the victory by .361 of a second over Busch. It was Briscoe’s second career Cup Series win and it ended a 93-race winless streak, as Briscoe scored his first Cup Series win in just his 40th career start on March 13, 2022 at Phoenix Raceway. Now, for the final 10-race title run, Briscoe is 13th amongst the 16 playoff drivers.

● Briscoe’s Darlington win was a milestone for Stewart-Haas Racing as it was the organization’s 70th points-paying NASCAR Cup Series victory. It was the 104th overall win for the organization co-owned by NASCAR Hall of Famer Tony Stewart and Haas Automation founder Gene Haas. Stewart-Haas’ total win tally also includes six non-points-paying Cup Series wins, 27 NASCAR Xfinity Series wins, and one ARCA Menards Series West win.

● Atlanta Motor Speedway has been around since 1960, but the Atlanta track Briscoe and his NASCAR Cup Series brethren will compete on this Sunday is less than three years old. The 1.54-mile oval was reconfigured after the final race of the 2021 season. The banking was increased from 24 degrees to 28 degrees and the track was narrowed from 55-feet wide to 40-feet wide, and it was all covered in fresh asphalt. The goal of the reconstruction was to recreate the kind of pack-style racing seen at the behemoth, 2.5-mile Daytona (Fla.) International Speedway and the even bigger 2.66-mile Talladega (Ala.) Superspeedway. Drivers competed on the new layout for the first time in March 2022 and the Atlanta 400 will be the sixth Cup Series race on the revamped track.

● The Atlanta 400 will mark Briscoe’s eighth NASCAR Cup Series start at Atlanta. His first two starts came on the old configuration, where his best finish was 15th, earned in July 2021. Despite the new layout in 2022, Briscoe equaled that finish in the debut of “new Atlanta” in March, where the driver of the No. 14 Mahindra Compact Tractors Ford Mustang Dark Horse for Stewart-Haas Racing started from the pole and led five laps. Fifteenth remains his best career Cup Series result at Atlanta.

● Outside of the NASCAR Cup Series, Briscoe has four other Atlanta starts. He ran three NASCAR Xfinity Series races at the track, each on the old layout, and never finished outside of the top-15. His best result was ninth in June 2020. He made a lone NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series start at Atlanta in March 2017 and finished 25th.

● Mahindra Ag North America is a proud sponsor of Briscoe and Stewart-Haas, and 2024 highlights an impressive milestone for Mahindra – 30 years of selling tractors in the United States. Houston-based Mahindra Ag North America is part of Mahindra Group’s Automotive and Farm Sector, the No. 1-selling farm tractor company in the world, based on volumes across all company brands. Mahindra offers a range of tractor models from 20-75 horsepower, implements, and the ROXOR heavy-duty UTV. Mahindra farm equipment is engineered to be easy to operate by first-time tractor or side-by-side owners and heavy duty to tackle the tough jobs of rural living, farming and ranching. Steel-framed Mahindra Tractors and side-by-sides are ideal for customers who demand performance, reliability and comfort. Mahindra dealers are independent, family-owned businesses located throughout the U.S. and Canada.

● Mahindra Ag North America is using the Atlanta 400 to promote its newest line of sub-compact and compact tractors, which are designed with features to enhance operation for first-time buyers. Boasting comfort amenities like telematics, leather seats and USB charging ports, the Mahindra 1100 and 2100 models are designed around ease of use for acreage owners, farmers and ranchers, with features like a push-button PTO and side-by-side HST pedals. Other features include a hand throttle on the console, tilt and telescopic steering, implement quick raise and lower, and auto lift at three points while turning and backing. Every model in the 1100 and 2100 series is available in open station or cab configurations, with an HVAC system exclusive to the 2126. This line of compacts have compatible Mahindra attachments, including loaders, backhoes, mowers, snowblowers, post hole diggers and grapples. The loader on the 1100 series has a max lift of 770 pounds, while the 2100 has a max lift of 1,760 pounds.

Chase Briscoe, Driver of the No. 14 Mahindra Compact Tractors Ford Mustang Dark Horse

How much does racing at Atlanta emulate what you experienced two weeks ago at Daytona?

“It’s similar in a sense, but very different in the sense of just how fast things happen. The mental side of Atlanta is, by far, the hardest thing we do all year long. It’s a mile shorter, so while it’s very, very easy to run wide open the whole time when you go to Daytona or Talladega, at Atlanta your car is struggling just to even get close to that. There’s a lot more to the team side of things at Atlanta as far as getting the balance of the car right, and it’s just a challenge for us mentally with how fast things happen and how quickly you have to process things.”

Is competing at Atlanta mentally taxing?

“I think it’s the most mentally draining racetrack we have on the schedule. Daytona and Talladega have always been mentally draining, but you go to Atlanta and things happen four times the speed because you lose a mile with that racetrack. It’s an interesting track because it races like a superspeedway, but it’s still an intermediate. The corners didn’t change. The radius of the corners, all of that is still the same as we’ve always had, so it’s not like a Daytona or a Talladega where your car goes around there wide-open super easily. You’re manhandling the car at all times, so Atlanta is a very challenging racetrack and, by far, the most mentally draining with just how much your brain is trying to process and listen to your spotter. Actually applying what your spotter is saying is hard because things happen so fast there. It’s a tough one, for sure.”

Talk about your race earlier this year at Atlanta. Fast in qualifying. Fast in the race. Running top-five with 21 laps to go. A crash left you 31st, but that doesn’t really tell the whole story.

“Atlanta’s one of those races I wish I could have back. Our car was so good. We qualified well, we raced really, really well, and I was able to be extremely aggressive. I feel like my car handled better than anybody in the field. So, yeah, that’s a race I wish I could have back because the end-of-the-day result certainly didn’t reflect how good we were that day. It was just one of those situations where we got four-wide going into the corner and there was really only room for three cars, and I ended up being on the wrong end of it. But I’m excited to go back there. It’s a place where I felt like we kind of gave one away in a sense – maybe not gave one away, but we were going to be in the mix at the end, for sure, if we were still rolling. Hopefully, our car will be able to handle as good as it did there the first time, and if we can do that and be as aggressive as we were, I feel like it can be a good day for us.”

You first raced at Atlanta back in February. Seven months have passed and the weather is now a lot hotter and a lot more humid. How much does Atlanta change from late February to early September?

“I think your car is going to handle worse in the hotter temperatures. So from that side of things, how good our car handled earlier this year is encouraging. If it can continue to just be better than the field, that should make it easier for us to drive through the field. It’s hard to say, I think it will just get harder to run the car there wide open. Every time we’ve gone there, it’s gotten harder and harder to do that. That track’s been aging pretty quickly and the hotter temps are just going to make it that much more slick out there. I don’t know necessarily what to expect, but if I had to guess, that’s what going to happen.”

With your run at Atlanta earlier this year and a slicker track that plays into your dirt-track upbringing, what are your expectations for your return to Atlanta?

“Atlanta’s kind of unique because it is a superspeedway, so it’s not as comfortable to be loose as I would be at a Charlotte- or Darlington-type racetrack where it’s just easier to kind of slip and slide around. At Atlanta, you kind of want your car to be as stuck and comfortable as it can be because you have to be able to be aggressive and make moves and do the superspeedway-style blocks and maneuvers. That place is probably a little bit tougher. The encouraging thing for us is how well our car handled in the first race. Hopefully, that difference from the guys who didn’t have the handling will be a little bit bigger and our car will be able to adjust to the hotter weather, and if that happens, I definitely feel like we’ll be in the mix.”

When you get to Atlanta, it’s just 10 more races until the season is over. What do you want to accomplish in these last 10 races at Stewart-Haas?

“Everything we can do to try and win more races and compete for a championship. For sure, we want to go out with our heads held high. I’ve been in this same position with Brad Keselowski Racing (in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series) where we were going to shut down at the end of the year and we were able to go and literally win the last race of the season and I think that really put a stamp on things. It’s cool to be able to say, with all the circumstances you were in with all the chaos and everything, people trying to find another place to go, that they were still willing to put the work in and the effort to bring race-winning cars. Winning again would be pretty special, and that’s what we’re going to try to do.”

No. 14 Mahindra Compact Tractors Team Roster

Primary Team Members

Driver: Chase Briscoe

Hometown: Mitchell, Indiana

Crew Chief: Richard Boswell

Hometown: Friendship, Maryland

Car Chief: J.D. Frey

Hometown: Ferndale, California

Engineer: Mike Cook

Hometown: Annapolis, Maryland

Spotter: Joey Campbell

Hometown: Berlin, Connecticut

Over-The-Wall Members

Front Tire Changer: Shayne Pipala

Hometown: Frankfort Square, Illinois

Rear Tire Changer: Dakota Ratcliff

Hometown: Nashville, Tennessee

Tire Carrier: Jon Bernal

Hometown: Holland, Michigan

Jack Man: Kapil Fletcher

Hometown: Fort Lauderdale, Florida

Fuel Man: Corey Coppola

Hometown: Bluefield, West Virginia

Road Crew Members

Underneath Mechanic: Stephen Gonzalez

Hometown: Mooresville, North Carolina

Interior Mechanic: Trevor Adams

Hometown: Plymouth, Wisconsin

Tire Specialist: Keith Eads

Hometown: Arlington, Virginia

Shock Specialist: Brian Holshouser

Hometown: Charlotte, North Carolina

Engine Tuner: Jon Phillips

Hometown: Jefferson City, Missouri

Transporter Co-Driver: Todd Cable

Hometown: Shelby, North Carolina

Transporter Co-Driver: Dale Lackey

Hometown: Taylorsville, North Carolina

The Difference Between Negligent, Distracted, and Reckless Drivers

By
SM
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Photo by pheung56 at https://depositphotos.com/

Today, there has been a remarkably sharp rise in vehicle crashes caused by distracted driving. However, apart from distractions, there are also a number of other causes of car accidents, and each reason has different consequences and punishments under the law. Hence, this article is aimed at highlighting some of the key differences between a negligent driver, a distracted motorist, and a reckless one. 

Organizations like the Felix Gonzalez Accident and Injury Law Firm can offer detailed explanations and guidance on the various factors that play a role in causing an accident. Just because the terms negligent, distracted, and reckless sound synonymous does not mean you can equate them under the law. For instance, using the case of distraction to argue negligence can make one lose one’s chance at court. So, read on to know how they differ.

A Distracted Driver

In layman’s language, a distracted driver is an individual with diverted attention on the road. Examples of a distracted motorist include a person applying makeup, browsing the phone, eating, texting, or leaning over to pick up an item from a floorboard. Driving requires concentration at all times because every driver must take responsibility for their safety, and even a momentary lapse of attention could lead to a devastating accident. However, proving distracted driving in court is challenging because one must present physical evidence to convince the judge. An example of acceptable evidence for distracted driving is an uncompleted text on the defendant’s cell phone. Your case will also proceed if you have a willing witness. 

Security systems can sometimes film a distracted driver at a nearby business or home. In such an instance, it will be impossible for the defendant to play smart. You need strong evidence to determine an offense if a distracted motorist denies liability. It will help you know which insurance company to approach for the fault. In addition, if you can prove a distraction, you can engage an attorney to file a substantial monetary suit, depending on the severity of the crash and harm. Hence, despite the technical nature of this offense, you can still bring a defendant to their knees.

A Negligent Motorist

A negligent motorist is an individual who is careless behind the wheel. Instances of negligent driving include failure to yield the right-of-way and overlooking traffic signs. Through their carelessness, a negligent driver may cause a preventable accident if they had adhered to the rules of the road. A negligent driver usually acts unintentionally. It means that if they were diligent while driving, they could have prevented the ugly scenario they created. Of course, ignorance is not tenable before the law. Hence, one can institute a lawsuit against a negligent driver who causes loss and harm to another individual(s).

A Reckless Driver

A reckless motorist is the most dangerous of the three classifications. They behave with flippant disregard for the safety of other road users. For instance, it is a reckless act to run a red light or drive when intoxicated. Such reckless attitudes usually lead to devastating accidents or deaths. Hence, a reckless motorist can face criminal charges in an indicted car crash. They have to face the music for their recklessness, which has brought pain and other losses to their victim(s).

Implications for Insurance Companies

There are times when car accidents occur due to other factors without any fault on the part of the involved individuals. It is difficult to hold anyone liable in such instances. However, this is where motor vehicle statutes come into play as they classify motorists into three categories. This classification has helped many insurance firms understand absolute liability and fault in similar situations.

Conclusion

From the classifications, you can see that there is a thin line between the three categories of drivers. A non-specialist will easily mix things up and botch up their chances of winning a good case. However, if you seek help from a proven and result-driven attorney, you will be able to maximize your chances of achieving appropriate and fair redressal.

NASCAR Top-10 Power Rankings: Darlington

By
Jeffrey Boswell
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Photo by John Knittel for SpeedwayMedia.com.

Note: The quotes in this article are fictional.

1. Kyle Larson: Larson dominated at Darlington, leading 263 laps, but faded late on his way to a fourth-place finish in the Cook Out Southern 500.

“Darlington is a race steeped in NASCAR tradition,” Larson said. “And nothing puts the ‘Southern’ in the ‘Southern 500’ quite like an Australian accent calling the race.”

2. Denny Hamlin: Hamlin finished seventh at Darlington.

“Is Richard Childress the biggest crybaby in NASCAR?” Hamlin said. “He must be. He still thinks his grandson Austin Dillon’s actions at Richmond should not be penalized. Talk about an entitled @%#$^&. Of course, I could be talking about Childress or Dillon.”

3. Tyler Reddick: Reddick’s No. 45 Toyota was fast, but he was afflicted with stomach issues all race long. But the 23XI driver toughed it out and finished 10th and won the regular season title.

“I did some unspeakable things in the cockpit of my car,” Reddick said. “My crew was actually calling me ‘Austin Cindric,’ because I was driving the ‘No. 2’ car.”

4. Christopher Bell: Bell finished third in the Cook Out Southern 500.

“Darlington is one of the longest races on the schedule,” Bell said. “And I don’t just mean for drivers. Some fans have actually been known to sober up during the race.”

5. Brad Keselowski: Keselowski finished 14th at Darlington.

“Luckily,” Keselowski said, “I had already clinched a playoff spot, so my race was fairly drama-free. I wasn’t on the playoff bubble. I guess, in the context of this race, the ‘playoff bubble’ was what was going on in Tyler Reddick’s stomach.”

6. Chase Elliott: Elliott struggled at Darlington but put up a late charge to finish 11th in the Cook Out Southern 500.

“I wasn’t much of a factor on Sunday,” Elliott said. “I mean, it could have been worse. I could have been the car that finished directly behind Tyler Reddick. Talk about a debris caution. So much for clean air.”

7. Ryan Blaney: Blaney was knocked out of the race just two laps in when Martin Truex Jr. lost control and slammed into Blaney’s No. 12 Penske Ford. The damage eliminated both cars, with Blaney finishing last in 37th.

“Martin was man enough to take responsibility for the accident,” Blaney said. “He even called himself an ‘idiot.’ It’s refreshing to see someone in this sport with the integrity to call themselves that. If only someone else had the integrity to call their grandson an idiot.”

8. Kyle Busch: Busch was unable to chase down Chase Briscoe in the closing laps at Darlington and took the runner-up spot. Needing a win to advance, he will miss the Playoffs.

“My No. 8 car was primarily sponsored by Morgan And Morgan,” Busch said. “They are a personal injury law firm, and I can proudly say that not only does M & M call me a client, they often call me a defendant.”

9. Chase Briscoe: Briscoe drove his way into the Playoffs, dramatically holding off Kyle Busch in the closing laps to win the Cook Out Southern 500.

“Stewart-Haas Racing is closing its doors after this season,” Briscoe said, “so I’m very hesitant to say I’m ‘fired’ up for the Playoffs.”

10. Bubba Wallace: Wallace started on the pole and finished 16th in the Cook Out Southern 500, a result that wasn’t quite good enough to clinch a playoff spot.

“Michael Jordan was in the pits again offering his support,” Wallace said. “He’s put a lot of money into the 23XI Racing team. I don’t know exactly how much, but if Michael’s invested just half as much in this team as he’s lost on the golf course, then 23XI should be worth billions.”

Buescher, Wallace lament missing 2024 Cup Series Playoffs

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

In a span of 367 grueling laps of the 2024 Cook Out Southern 500 at Darlington Raceway, Chris Buescher and Bubba Wallace went from competing against one another for the 16th and final berth to this year’s Playoffs to both being knocked out of contention amid a new race winner capitalizing on the Playoff’s “Win and You’re In” format.

The diminished Playoff hopes for Buescher and Wallace occurred after both dominated the headlines throughout the Darlington weekend and withstood a series of on-track trials of their own to remain in Playoff contention until the drop of the checkered flag and the conclusion of this year’s 26-race regular-season stretch.

The battle between Buescher and Wallace commenced with the latter striking first as he led the first 34 laps from the pole position. Wallace would proceed to finish in second place at the conclusion of the first stage period and accumulate nine stage points while Buescher ended up in 10th place, which allowed Wallace to overtake Buescher for the 16th and final Playoff berth.

Throughout the second stage period, Buescher would regain the upper hand by a slight margin as Wallace slipped out of the top-five mark. Despite ending up in 13th place at the second stage’s conclusion while Wallace finished ninth, which enabled him to claim an additional two stage points, Buescher leaped back atop Wallace for the final Playoff berth.

Then throughout the final stage period, late drama struck for both Buescher and Wallace that began with 46 laps remaining when the former got squeezed into the backstretch’s outside wall by Todd Gilliland before he proceeded to spin the latter. Despite sustaining slight cosmetic damage to his No. 17 BuildSubmarines.com Ford Mustang Dark Horse entry, Buescher remained both on the lead lap and above the cutline. Then with 24 laps remaining, Wallace’s Playoff hopes took a hit after he was collected in a multi-car wreck in Turn 2, when he ran into the rear of a wrecking William Byron before he was rammed in the rear by Noah Gragson sending Wallace spinning below the track. Despite plummeting below the leaderboard, Wallace was able to keep his damaged No. 23 U.S. Air Force Toyota Camry XSE under power and in race pace.

With Wallace initially appearing to lose ground to Buescher on points for the final Playoff berth, Buescher was then placed at a disadvantage as Chase Briscoe, who came into Darlington in a “must-win” situation, rocketed away with the lead during a late-race restart with 17 laps remaining. For the final 17 laps, Briscoe would fend off Kyle Busch, another Playoff “must-win” contender, to win the race and leapfrog both Buescher and Wallace in the Playoff standings to secure his spot into the 2024 Cup Series Playoffs.

For Buescher, the outcome resulted in the Prosper, Texas, native being the first competitor who was scored outside the top-16 cutline and missing his third opportunity to make the Playoffs a year after he transferred all the way to the Round of 8 and won three races.

From losing to a record-setting finish of 0.001 seconds to Kyle Larson at Kansas Speedway to sustaining a cut tire amid a late-race battle for the win with Tyler Reddick at Darlington, both occurring earlier in May, Buescher reflected on various instances where he missed opportunities to secure a regular-season victory that would have locked him into the Playoffs. With a total of five top-five results and 12 top-10 results in 26 races, the Texan also attempted to reflect on the positives made earlier in the season that would enable him to conclude the 2024 season on a strong note.

“We got back in contention there at the end and got a decent finish out of it,” Buescher said on USA Network. “We just didn’t quite get it done again and we’re on the outside looking in. It’s just the system we’re all playing in. We had such a great year. Everyone at [Roush Fenway Keselowski] has worked so hard. We’ve been so fast. We’ve outrun so many of these cars that are gonna get to run for a championship, but that’s the system and we didn’t work it right.”

Like Buescher, Wallace, who made his first Cup Series Playoffs and finished a career-best 10th a year ago in the final standings, was also left disappointed on pit road despite a late summer surge to fight his way back into the Playoffs. But his hopes evaporated with the recent surge of surprise winners that include Chase Briscoe and Harrison Burton. Nonetheless, the Mobile, Alabama, native praised the fight and determination exhibited by his No. 23 23XI Racing Toyota team in keeping both the driver and team in contention until the regular-season finale’s conclusion.

Currently, Wallace has racked up career-high stats of five top-five results and 10 top-10 results, both of which equal his total accumulated results from the previous two seasons. With his current average-finishing result of 15.8, which marks his personal best, Wallace has 10 races remaining on the 2024 schedule to add to his stats and notch his first Cup victory in two seasons.

Photo by John Knittel for SpeedwayMedia.com.

“We were back and forth on our U.S. Air Force Toyota Camry,” Wallace said. “We were a little too loose, a little too tight. And the caution a couple laps on tires where we stayed out, I don’t know if that was the deciding factor or not. I was so tight there and got back there in traffic in a spot we hadn’t been all day and got caught up someone else’s mess. It’s unfortunate. I hate it for our guys. Man, hats off to [Briscoe]. I thought I did something yesterday. They one-upped us and showed up when it was game time, so that’s pretty badass so congrats to them. Man, just wasn’t good enough for 16th this year. I hate that. It stinks saying that, but it wasn’t for a lack of effort from all of us on this No. 23 car. Best of luck to [Reddick] and hopefully, a Toyota wins.”

Overall, both Buescher and Wallace join Ross Chastain, Kyle Busch, Todd Gilliland, rookie Carson Hocevar, Michael McDowell, rookie Josh Berry, Noah Gragson, Ricky Stenhouse Jr., Erik Jones, Ryan Preece, Austin Dillon, Daniel Hemric, Justin Haley, Corey LaJoie, John Hunter Nemechek and rookie Zane Smith as full-time Cup Series competitors who did not qualify for the 2024 Playoffs. Nonetheless, all have the final 10-race Playoff stretch to contend for as high as 17th place in the final standings.

The 2024 NASCAR Cup Series season continues with the upcoming Quaker State 400 at Atlanta Motor Speedway, which will commence the Playoffs. The event is scheduled to occur next Sunday, September 8, at 3 p.m. ET on USA Network.

Team Penske NASCAR Cup Series Race Report – Darlington 2

By
Official Release
-

Cook Out Southern 500: Darlington Raceway
Darlington, S.C. – September 1, 2024

AUSTIN CINDRIC No. 2 DISCOUNT TIRE FORD MUSTANG

START: 11TH STAGE ONE: 32ND STAGE TWO: 26TH FINISH: 13TH POINTS: 10TH

RACE RUNDOWN: Austin Cindric and the No. 2 Discount Tire team rallied to a solid 13th-place in Sunday’s Cook Out Southern 500 at the historic Darlington Raceway after battling off the lead lap for much of the event. Cindric started a strong 11th after narrowly missing out on advancing to the final round of qualifying in Saturday’s time trials. The Team Penske driver fought a tight car from the start, making his first visit to pit road on Lap 37 for four tires, fuel and an adjustment. On Lap 71, the No. 2 was docked for an uncontrolled tire penalty, swiping away valuable track position. After finishing 32nd in the opening Stage, Cindric returned to pit road for fresh tires, fuel and additional adjustments to aid the car. The 2020 NASCAR Xfinity Series champion remained focused on the task at hand, returning to the lead lap, but slotted in 26th when Stage 2 concluded in a relatively uneventful second segment. In the third and final portion of the crown jewel event, Cindric was able to take the wave around on Lap 314, gaining a lap back. When the sixth caution of the day slowed the competition with less than 35 laps to go, Cindric was in the free pass position, jolting him back to the lead lap. As the chaos intensified in the regular season finale, Cindric was able to press forward, gaining momentum in the running order. The driver of the No. 2 ultimately recorded a 13th-place finish, demonstrating his never-give-up attitude.

CINDRIC’S THOUGHTS: “From our first pit stop to our last one, it was definitely an adventure. I feel like I used that word a lot throughout the regular season. But yeah, having to come down for the uncontrolled tire penalty put us two laps down for pretty much the majority of the race. The first chance we got to do the wave we got it, and then they got to wrecking and we drove up to the lucky dog spot and got the lucky dog, leading us to a decent finish. Track position was important, and I’m happy we were able to get a solid result. It was definitely an entire race of not giving up.“

RYAN BLANEY No. 12 MENARDS/RICHMOND FORD MUSTANG

START: 7TH STAGE ONE: 37TH STAGE TWO: 37TH FINISH: 37TH POINTS: 5TH

RACE RUNDOWN: Ryan Blaney’s run in the NASCAR Cup Series regular season finale came to a very early end Sunday night at Darlington as the No. 12 Menards/Richmond Ford Mustang was involved in an incident on lap three of the Southern 500. Blaney was running up by the wall in turns one and two when the No. 19 broke loose underneath the No. 24 and slid up into outside wall, collecting the Menards/Richmond Ford in the process. Despite the 37th-place finish, Blaney enters the Cup Series Playoffs fifth in the standings while defending the 2023 championship title.

BLANEY’S THOUGHTS: “It looked like [Martin Truex Jr.] got loose and I thought he was going to spin to the bottom, so I kind of gassed up, and right as I got to his outside his car kind of hooked up and shot right into me. Unfortunate timing on lap three. It stinks we didn’t get to race at all but we’ll go on to next week.”

JOEY LOGANO No. 22 SHELL-PENNZOIL FORD MUSTANG

START: 23RD STAGE ONE: 15TH STAGE TWO: 15TH FINISH: 8TH POINTS: 9TH

RACE RUNDOWN: Joey Logano posted his 11th-career top-10 finish at Darlington Raceway in Sunday night’s Southern 500 with an eight-place result. The No. 22 Shell-Pennzoil Ford worked its way through the field in the opening stage of the regular season finale as Logano battled some early handling issues before coming away with a 15th-place finish in Stage 1. Following a four tire stop and a round of adjustments prior to the restart, Logano began to gain track position and charged into the top-10 early in the run. The 22-crew continued to go to work on the balance during a pair of green flag pit stops in Stage 2 as Logano came away with another 15th-place effort in the second segment. With just over 50 laps to go and teams needing one more pit stop to make it to the end, a trio of cautions saw varying strategies unfold as Logano was brought to pit road – the opposite call of the leaders ahead – in an effort to gain ground on those with older tires. Logano ultimately made his way up to ninth prior to the final restart with 17 laps remaining before taking the checkered flag eighth on the night. Logano enters the Cup Series Playoffs ninth in the standings following the points reset.

LOGANO’S THOUGHTS: “Starting where we were, our goal was to pick them off one or two at a time and methodically move our way through the field. We were doing that. We got ourselves into the top-10 and looking pretty good. We had some issues on pit road – I’m not sure exactly what happened – but we cleaned it back up for the end there and got a top-10 out of it, at least. Not quite what we wanted with the Shell-Pennzoil Mustang but at least we recovered and got something decent out of it. We’ll move on to the playoffs and give it a run for our money and see if we can get down to the championship four.”

The NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs opens the Round of 16 at Atlanta Motor Speedway on Sunday, September 8. Coverage of the Quaker State 400 begins at 3 p.m. ET on USA, PRN, and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Channel 90.

Stewart-Haas Racing: Cook Out Southern 500 from Darlington

By
Official Release
-

STEWART-HAAS RACING
Cook Out Southern 500
Date: Sept. 1, 2024
Event: Cook Out Southern 500 (Round 26 of 36 | regular-season finale)
Series: NASCAR Cup Series
Location: Darlington (S.C.) Raceway (1.366-mile oval)
Format: 367 laps, broken into three stages (115 laps/115 laps/137 laps)

Race Winner: Chase Briscoe of Stewart-Haas Racing (Ford)
Stage 1 Winner: Kyle Larson of Hendrick Motorsports (Chevrolet)
Stage 2 Winner: Kyle Larson of Hendrick Motorsports (Chevrolet)

SHR Finish:

● Chase Briscoe (Started 3rd, Finished 1st / Running, completed 367 of 367 laps)
● Ryan Preece (Started 30th, Finished 12th / Running, completed 367 of 367 laps)
● Josh Berry (Started 15th, Finished 31st / Accident, completed 343 of 367 laps)
● Noah Gragson (Started 29th, Finished 32nd / Accident, completed 343 of 367 laps)

SHR Regular-Season Points:

● Chase Briscoe (17th with 571 points)
● Josh Berry (23rd with 460 points)
● Noah Gragson (24th with 431 points)
● Ryan Preece (27th with 393 points)

SHR Playoffs:

● Briscoe qualified for the playoffs by winning the Cook Out Southern 500.
● This is Briscoe’s second playoff appearance.

Victory Notes:

● Briscoe’s victory in Cook Out Southern 500 marked the 104th overall win for SHR. It was the organization’s milestone 70th points-paying NASCAR Cup Series victory, its first of the season and its fourth at Darlington. SHR’s total win tally also includes six non-points-paying Cup Series wins, 27 NASCAR Xfinity Series wins and one ARCA Menards Series West win.

● Kevin Harvick scored all three of SHR’s prior Darlington wins. The first came in April 2014 with the other two coming in May 2020 and September 2020.

● This was SHR’s 34th NASCAR Cup Series victory with Ford. Kurt Busch won the 2017 Daytona 500 to deliver the organization’s first win with the Blue Oval.

● This was Ford’s 735th all-time NASCAR Cup Series victory, its sixth of the season and its second straight. Ford driver Harrison Burton won last weekend at Daytona (Fla.) International Speedway.

● This was Ford’s 34th all-time NASCAR Cup Series victory at Darlington and its second straight. Ford won its first race at the 1.366-mile oval on Sept. 3, 1956 with NASCAR Hall of Famer Curtis Turner. Brad Keselowski won the series’ prior race at Darlington in May when he took the checkered flag in the Goodyear 400.

● This was Briscoe’s second career NASCAR Cup Series victory. His first came in March 2022 at Phoenix Raceway. Both wins have come since he joined SHR in 2021.

Briscoe Notes:

● In addition to this being Briscoe’s first victory of the season, it is his third top-five and seventh top-10 of the year. It is his second top-five in eight career Darlington starts.

● Prior to his win at Darlington, Briscoe’s best finish of the season had been a runner-up effort earned June 23 at New Hampshire Motor Speedway in Loudon.

● This was Briscoe’s second straight top-15. He finished 14th last weekend at Daytona.

● Prior to winning the Cook Out Southern 500, Briscoe’s previous best finish at Darlington was fifth, earned in May at the Goodyear 400.

● Briscoe finished third in Stage 1 to earn eight bonus points and second in Stage 2 to earn an additional nine bonus points.

● Briscoe led four times for 29 laps – his first laps led at Darlington.

Preece Notes:

● Preece earned his eighth top-15 of the season and his third top-15 in 10 career NASCAR Cup Series starts at Darlington.

● Preece’s 12th-place result equaled his previous best finish at Darlington, originally earned in September 2021.

Berry Notes:

● Berry finished ninth in Stage 1 to earn two bonus points and seventh in Stage 2 to earn four more bonus points.

● Berry led twice for five laps – his first laps led at Darlington.

Race Notes:

● Briscoe’s margin of victory over second-place Kyle Busch was .361 of a second.

● Briscoe was the 14th different winner in the 26 NASCAR Cup Series races run this season.

● There were seven caution periods for a total of 39 laps.

● Only 17 of the 37 drivers in the race finished on the lead lap.

● Tyler Reddick won the NASCAR Cup Series regular-season championship by one point over second-place Kyle Larson. But with the points reset for the 16 drivers who qualified for the NASCAR Playoffs, Larson takes over first place in the playoff standings via his series-leading four victories.

Playoff Standings:

  1. Kyle Larson (2,040 points)
  2. Christopher Bell (2,032 points, -8)
  3. Tyler Reddick (2,028 points, -12)
  4. William Byron (2,022 points, -18)
  5. Ryan Blaney (2,018 points, -22)
  6. Denny Hamlin (2,015 points, -25)
  7. Chase Elliott (2,014 points, -26)
  8. Brad Keselowski (2,008 points, -32)
  9. Joey Logano (2,007 points, -33)
  10. Austin Cindric (2,007 points, -33)
  11. Daniel Suárez (2,006 points, -34)
  12. Alex Bowman (2,005 points, -35)
  13. Chase Briscoe (2,005 points, -35)
  14. Harrison Burton (2,005 points, -35)
  15. Ty Gibbs (2,004 points, -36)
  16. Martin Truex Jr. (2,004 points, -36)

Sound Bites:

“Man, everybody knows I’m a diehard Tony Stewart fan and to get this 14 car back in victory lane and, for all 320-something employees, to be able to race for a championship in their final year, it’s unbelievable. God is just so good. This group, the day that we found out that the team wasn’t going to exist anymore, we went over to the shop floor, we all looked at each other and said, ‘We’re in this till the end. We’re not going to give this up.’ We kept saying all week we’ve got one bullet left in the chamber. That bullet hit. It was like déjà vu there at the end with Kyle (Busch), with the Xfinity race here in 2020. Obviously, I didn’t know if I was going to be able to do it. I was sideways, counter steering, like I was in a sprint car. Yeah, this night just literally went perfect. The pit crew did an incredible job. I was crying after the checkered. I just won the Southern 500! This is a crown jewel! What makes this race so special is all these race fans. Every time we come here, it’s sold out. It’s awesome. We love you guys. Last time I won here was during COVID, I didn’t experience it with the fans. Glad that you are here and can’t wait to celebrate. Just can’t thank HighPoint.com, Mahindra Tractors, Rush Truck Centers, Rinnai, Zep, enough, everybody that makes this deal go around. We’ll go to Atlanta and try to steal another one.” – Chase Briscoe, driver of the No. 14 HighPoint.com Ford Mustang Dark Horse

“We just got caught in a tough spot there at the end of the race. We decided to stay out and risk it on fuel and it just didn’t work in our favor today.” – Ryan Preece, driver of the No. 41 HaasTooling.com Ford Mustang Dark Horse

“Tough way to end such a promising day. We had a great No. 4 Overstock.com Ford Mustang Dark Horse and we were going to net out to have a good points day, and it was just one of those nights that you look back on in frustration because this team deserves better. Our results don’t do us justice and tonight was one of those nights. We have 10 weeks to go chase a win.” – Josh Berry, driver of the No. 4 Overstock.com Ford Mustang Dark Horse

“I saw a couple of them wreck up front, so I tried to get on the brakes. Then I saw an opening and a little bit of smoke, but I thought they were all sliding down to the bottom and I throttled up. I thought it was open and it wasn’t. Definitely a bummer. We needed to be better all day.” – Noah Gragson, driver of the No. 10 Bass Pro Shops/Winchester Ford Mustang Dark Horse

Next Up:

The next event on the NASCAR Cup Series schedule is the Atlanta 400 on Sunday, Sept. 8 at Atlanta Motor Speedway. The first race in the 10-race NASCAR Playoffs starts at 3 p.m. EDT with live coverage provided by USA and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.

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