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Austin Hill nabs third consecutive Xfinity victory at Atlanta

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

Austin Hill maintained his race-winning status in front of his home crowd and sponsors at Richard Childress Racing by winning the Bennett Transportation and Logistics 250 at Atlanta Motor Speedway on Saturday, February 22, following a thrilling three-lap dash to the finish.

The 30-year-old Hill from Winston, Georgia, led five times for a race-high 146 of 163-scheduled laps in an event where he shared the front row with his teammate and pole-sitter Jesse Love. Once he assumed the lead for the first time on the 12th lap, Hill hardly looked back as he swept both stage periods and raced primarily at the front of the field that had fanned out to multiple lanes and was stacked deep amid the draft.

During the event’s final restart period with three laps remaining, Hill briefly lost the lead to Justin Allgaier, but he reassumed the top spot from the outside lane that had all the momentum while Allgaier chose to remain on the inside lane with hopes of gaining a draft from teammate Sammy Smith. After being drafted back to the lead by Aric Almirola for the following lap, Hill barely got loose exiting the backstretch and was locked in a tight side-by-side battle with Aric Almirola through the frontstretch at the start of the final lap. Hill then surged back ahead with a push from Parker Retzlaff through the first two turns and maintained the lead as a multi-car wreck that involved Retzlaff erupted on the frontstretch.

Amid the carnage, Hill proceeded to fend off Allgaier and Almirola through the final set of turns before he cycled back to the frontstretch victorious and win the spring Atlanta event for a third consecutive time and to notch both his third consecutive victory and his fifth overall at his home track.

With on-track qualifying that determined the starting lineup occurring on Friday, February 21, Jesse Love, winner of the 2025 season-opening event at Daytona International Speedway, notched his sixth Xfinity pole position of his career with a pole-winning lap at 174.724 mph in 31.730 seconds. Joining Love on the front row was teammate Austin Hill, the latter of whom clocked in his best qualifying lap at 174.378 mph in 31.793 seconds.

Prior to the event, Joey Gase dropped to the rear of the filed due to unapproved adjustments made to his No. 35 Joey Gase Motorsports Chevrolet entry.

When the green flag waved and the race commenced, Jesse Love received a push from Josh Williams to storm his No. 2 Whelen Chevrolet entry ahead of teammate Austin Hill entering the first two turns. With Love being placed on early defense by moving up the track to block Hill’s momentum through the backstretch, Williams would get shoved out of the draft amid an early three-wide action at the front. As Taylor Gray, Justin Allgaier, Sam Mayer and rookie Carson Kvapil all battled for third place, Love would lead the first lap over Hill.

Over the next three laps, Love would lead the field that was slowly fanning out to three-stacked lanes before Mayer used the inside lane to edge Love and lead the fourth lap by a hair. Love and Mayer would continue to duel for the top spot during the next lap before the event’s first caution flew due to rookie Dean Thompson coming to a full stop up the track in Turns 3 and 4 as he had a flat left-rear tire and right-side damage to his No. 26 Thompson Pipe Group Toyota Supra entry. At the same time, Ryan Sieg, who was racing towards the front, spun sideways towards the bottom of the track entering the backstretch, but he managed to keep No. 39 Sci Aps Ford Mustang entry intact.

During the event’s first caution period, some including Brandon Jones, Matt DiBenedetto, Nick Leitz, Kyle Sieg and Nick Sanchez pitted while the rest led by Love remained on the track. By then, Thompson was assessed a one-lap penalty for intentionally causing the caution by stopping on the track.

The start of the next restart period on the 11th lap featured Richard Childress Racing’s Love and Hill occupying the front row. At the start, both dueled for the lead until Hill, who restarted on the inside lane, received a push from rookie Christian Eckes to muscle ahead through the first two turns. Hill then veered his No. 21 Bennett Transportation Chevrolet entry to the right in front of Love through the backstretch and fended off Love through Turns 3 and 4 to lead the following lap. As Eckes led a small group of competitors in a draft in the inside lane, a majority of the field filed in a single-line formation towards the outside lane as Hill maintained the lead over Love, Mayer, Gray, Kvapil and rookie Connor Zilisch by the 15th lap.

Just past the Lap 20 mark, Hill was leading ahead of a long line of competitors as Love, Mayer, Gray, Kvapil, Zilisch, Harrison Burton, Sheldon Creed, Jeb Burton and Justin Allgaier all followed suit in the top 10. Behind, Josh Williams, Parker Retzlaff, Christian Eckes, Anthony Alfredo and Sammy Smith were racing in the top 15 while rookies Daniel Dye and William Sawalich along with Jeremy Clements, Aric Almirola and Leland Honeyman were scored in the top 20, respectively.

At the Lap 25 mark, the top-14 competitors were separated by more than a second of one another and racing in single-line formation as Hill continued to lead ahead of Love, Mayer, Gray and Kvapil, respectively. Over the next five laps, Creed and Eckes nearly made contact while swapping spots entering the first two turns within the top-15 mark, but they both kept their cars racing straight as Hill maintained the lead. With no competitors breaking out of the long single-file line towards the outside line, Hill proceeded to lead at the Lap 35 mark.

With five laps remaining in the first stage period, the top-13 competitors were separated by within a second over one another while the top-seven competitor were separated by less than a second. Amid the battles, Hill kept leading ahead of Love, Mayer, Gray and Kvapil, respectively.

Then on the final lap of the first stage period, Mayer steered his No. 41 Audibel Ford Mustang entry to the inside lane in his effort to overtake the two Richard Childress Racing competitors. Hill, however, also steered to the left to stall Mayer’s momentum. With Hill pulling away, Mayer was left to battle Love for the runner-up spot on his own through the backstretch and Turns 3 and 4. Amid the battles, Hill returned to the frontstretch to notch his third consecutive stage victory of the 2025 season and his first of Saturday’s event at Atlanta on Lap 45. Teammate Love edged Mayer for the runner-up spot as they were followed by Gray, Kvapil, Zilisch, Allgaier, Eckes, Harrison Burton and Creed, respectively.

Under the stage break, nearly the entire lead lap field led by Hill pitted for a first round of pit service while Leland Honeyman remained on the track. Following the pit stops, Hill and Love exited pit road in the top-two spots after both opted for two-tire pit services. Sammy Smith, who also elected a two-tire pit service, followed suit in third while Mayer led Gray, Creed, Eckes, Zilisch, Brandon Jones and Kvapil as competitors who received four fresh tires to their respective entries. Not long after, Honeyman would pit and Hill cycled back into the lead.

The second stage period started on Lap 53 as teammates Hill and Mayer occupied the front row. At the start, both dueled for the lead in front of two-stacked lanes for a full lap until Hill muscled ahead with drafting help from Love as he led the following lap. Hill, Love and Sammy Smith would all proceed to muscle ahead of the stacked field and a majority of the field would migrate towards the outside wall while Mayer kept leading the inside lane towards the Lap 55 mark.

Through the first 60-scheduled laps, nearly the entire field raced in single-line formation towards the outside lane as Hill led teammate Love, Sammy Smith, Gray, Zilisch, Eckes, Mayer, Creed, Kvapil, Williams, Allgaier, Ryan Sieg, Jeb Burton, Retzlaff, Sawalich, Alfredo, Jones, Almirola, Harrison Burton and Brennan Poole, respectively.

Ten laps later, Hill continued to lead as the top-19 competitors were separated by within two seconds of one another. A few laps later, Zilisch made a move on Gray for fourth place. Zilisch’s move caused the rest of the field racing behind to join Zilisch and resulted with Gray getting shoved out of the draft as he drifted back to within the top-20 mark.

On Lap 71, Love made his move beneath Hill through the first two turns to reassume the lead. Love would continue to lead through Lap 74 until Hill repaid the favor by going beneath Love, overtaking him and moving back in front of him amid the draft through the first two turns. As select names that included Harrison Burton, Aric Almirola and Allgaier started to break away from the single-line formation to the inside lane, Hill continued to lead over Love, Sammy Smith, Zilisch and Eckes at the Lap 80 mark.

Then with eight laps remaining in the second stage period, a charge led by Mayer on the inside lane ignited exiting the backstretch as the latter managed to overtake Love for the runner-up spot. Mayer’s charge forced Hill to go on defensive mode between two lanes while Love tried to keep pace from the outside lane. Hill and Mayer would proceed to muscle ahead of the field while Love was battling Creed dead even for third place. With Creed also clearing Love through the frontstretch with five laps remaining, Allgaier battled Love for fourth place while Hill maintained the lead.

Over the next three laps, the Haas Factory Team competitors of Mayer and Creed continued to race in single-line formation behind the leader Hill while Love was still mired in a side-by-side battle with Allgaier for fourth place.

During the final lap of the second stage period, teammates Mayer and Creed dueled as the former tried to gain a run on Hill through the first two turns. Hill proceeded to block Mayer’s advancement from the inside lane to the outside lane through the backstretch as Allgaier tried to overtake Creed for third place. With the field fanned out to two lanes behind him, Hill proceeded to win the second stage period on Lap 90. Mayer and Creed settled in second and third, respectively, while Allgaier edged Love for fourth place. By then, Almirola, Sammy Smith, Zilisch, Jeb Burton and Eckes were scored in the top 10.

During the stage break, the lead lap field led by Hill returned to pit road for service. Following the pit stops, Hill retained the lead after he exited pit road first ahead of Mayer, Almirola, Allgaier, Sawalich, Sanchez, Gray, Sammy Smith, Ryan Sieg and Kvapil, respectively, as all went for a two-tire pit service. Amid the pit stops, Love exited pit road in 12th place following a four-tire pit service.

With 65 laps remaining, the final stage commenced under green as Hill and Allgaier occupied the front row. At the start, both dueled in front of two-stacked lanes for a full lap as Hill managed to lead the following lap by a hair. Hill would then receive a push from Mayer through the backstretch to clear Allgaier and lead two-stacked lanes over the next lap. As the field started to fan out to three lanes while Nick Sanchez battled Sammy Smith for third place, Hill fended off Allgaier to lead with 60 laps remaining.

The caution would then return with 57 laps remaining due to an incident involving CJ McLaughlin in Turn 2, where he blew a tire and went straight into the outside wall. During the caution period, none of the front-runners pitted as all were using the caution period to conserve their amount of fuel and have enough to reach the event’s scheduled distance.

As the race restarted under green with 50 laps remaining, Hill and Sanchez, both of whom occupied the front row, dueled in front of Mayer, Allgaier and the stacked field through the first two turns until Mayer pinned Sanchez in the middle lane with no drafting help through the backstretch. With Sanchez falling back, Hill muscled ahead with drafting help from Allgaier. Sammy Smith would then battle and overtake Allgaier for the runner-up spot as he was being drafted by Almirola. Meanwhile, Hill proceeded to lead the following lap. As both Sanchez and Love were trying to draft their way back to the front, the field continued to fan out to three lanes as Hill retained the lead with 47 laps remaining.

Then shortly after, the caution returned due to a multi-car wreck that started when Jeremy Clements got sideways in front of Blaine Perkins and Taylor Gray in Turn 2. While Perkins slid and hit the outside wall, Clements spun his No. 51 One Stop/All South Electric Chevrolet entry down the track and collided into both Gray and Zilisch as the trio were left with significant damage to their respective cars. Following the carnage, Clements, Perkins and Zilisch managed to continue while Gray, who sustained the most damage to his No. 54 Operation 300 Toyota Supra entry, retired.

The start of the ensuing restart with 40 laps remaining featured Georgia natives Hill and Ryan Sieg occupying the front row. At the start, both dueled for the lead through the first two turns until Hill launched ahead from the outside lane and with drafting help from Sammy Smith. Both Hill and Smith would then transition in front of Sieg on the inside lane prior to the following lap. As Brandon Jones began to have smoke coming out of his No. 20 Menards Toyota Supra entry due to a tire rub, the field quickly fanned out to three lanes entering the backstretch as Sieg battled Smith for the runner-up spot. As Sieg, Mayer and Allgaier all overtook Smith from second to fourth, respectively, in a draft, the caution returned with 38 laps remaining due to Jones cutting his left-rear tire and spinning from the bottom to the top of Turn 3. As the field scattered to avoid Jones’ entry, Mason Maggio spun to the bottom of the track.

With the event restarting under green with 32 laps remaining, Hill muscled ahead of Sieg entering the first turn as he quickly transitioned from the outside to inside lane. As the field fanned out to multiple lanes through the backstretch and back to the frontstretch, Hill retained the lead and he would lead while being placed on defensive mode with 30 laps remaining.

Down to the final 25 laps of the event, a majority of the field migrated to a single-file line towards the outside lane as Hill led ahead of Allgaier, Sammy Smith, Almirola, Parker Retzlaff, Eckes, Creed, Jeb Burton, Honeyman and Ryan Sieg, the latter of whom was leading the inside lane. Meanwhile, Sawalich, Mayer, Alfredo, Poole and Love were mired in the top 15 ahead of Kvapil, DiBenedetto, Sanchez, Ryan Ellis and Zilisch.

Then three laps later, the caution returned due to a vicious crash that started when Mayer, who was racing just outside of the top-10 mark, was hit by Sanchez, the latter of whom had also gotten sideways in Turn 3. As Mayer slid to the bottom of the track’s third turn, he bounced off of Zilisch’s No. 88 WeatherTech Chevrolet entry before he shot back across the track and hit the outside wall head-on as Alfredo piled into Mayer’s wrecked No. 41 Ford. The incident spoiled Mayer’s strong event in racing towards the front as he along with Alfredo were eliminated from further contention. During the caution period, select names including Zilisch, Kvapil and Sanchez pitted while the rest led by Hill remained on the track.

With the race restarting under green with 13 laps remaining, Hill and Almirola occupied the front row, but Hill received another strong shove from the outside lane by Allgaier to muscle ahead entering the first turn. Both Hill and Allgaier would rocket ahead of Almirola entering the backstretch and lead the field back to the frontstretch, where Hill led the next lap. Sammy Smith would then charge his No. 8 Pilot Chevrolet entry into the runner-up spot over teammate Allgaier through the first two turns and the backstretch as Creed tried to join the battle. As teammates Allgaier and Sammy Smith dueled in front of Creed, Almirola and two stacks of lanes, Hill would be placed on defensive mode, but maintain the lead with 10 laps remaining.

Following another late-race caution period with nine laps remaining due to debris being reported on the track, the event restarted under green with three laps remaining. At the start, Allgaier gained a brief advantage from the inside lane as he started to muscle his No. 7 Protect Your Melon Buckle Up Chevrolet entry ahead from the inside lane and with drafting help from teammate Sammy Smith. Despite Allgaier leading through a majority of the backstretch, Hill would come storming back from the outside lane as he was being drafted by Almirola’s No. 19 Yougnlife Toyota Supra entry. By then, Allgaier remained on the inside with hopes of gaining a draft from Smith.

Through the frontstretch, Hill would lead the following lap by a hair and he would receive another push from Almirola to launch ahead through the backstretch. Then as both Allgaier and Sammy Smith were trying to keep Hill within sight, Almirola received a huge push from Parker Retzlaff and Ryan Sieg to get to Hill’s rear bumper entering Turn 3. With Hill briefly getting loose and going up the track, Almirola made his move beneath Hill as both dueled entering the frontstretch.  

When the white flag waved and the final lap started, Almirola was leading by a hair over Hill as he moved up the track and got Retzlaff, who was pushing Hill, sideways while trying to side-draft Hill. Almirola’s move, however, did not work as Hill stormed back into the lead through the first two turns. Then as the field fanned out entering the backstretch, Retzlaff, who slid back into fourth place, got sideways off the front nose of Creed and clipped Ryan Sieg, which sent the latter and Eckes head-on into the outside wall as more names, including Kris Wright and Carson Kvapil, also wrecked.

With the field scattering to avoid the crash and the race remaining under green flag conditions, Hill maintained the lead over both Almirola and Allgaier entering Turns 3 and 4. With Allgaier attempting to overtake Almirola entering the frontstretch, Hill was able to retain the top spot and claim the checkered flag to score another victory in front of his home crowd.

With the victory, Hill, who rallied from his late retirement during last weekend’s opener at Daytona International Speedway, notched his 11th career victory in the NASCAR Xfinity Series division, his fifth overall at Atlanta, his eighth on a superspeedway venue and his first with his new full-time crew chief Chad Haney. Hill’s victory also marked his fourth consecutive victory at Atlanta as he has won five of the previous six Xfinity events at his home track. Hill has also won three in a row in Atlanta’s spring event.

As a result of drivers Hill and Jesse Love winning the first two-scheduled events of the 2025 Xfinity season, Richard Childress Racing has tallied a total of 99 victories in the series.

Photo by John Knittel for SpeedwayMedia.com.

“On that [final] restart there, [Allgaier] got clear,” Hill said on the frontstretch on the CW Network. “I cannot believe he didn’t go top there down the backstretch. That was just a present for me. [I] Got down in the corner, got clear of him, then we came back around and we were about to come to the white [flag]. I drove into [Turn] 3. I really didn’t want [Almirola] to get to my right rear. Derek Kneeland, my spotter, he’s a bad man up top and he told me all night, ‘Just don’t let him get to your right rear,’ and I was so worried about letting him get under me because he had a run, but I had help out back, was abe to drag some brake as soon as I came off of [Turn] 4 [and] kept [Retzlaff] with me.”

“Thank you to Parker Retzlaff for giving me that push,” Hill continued. “Once I got clear and I landed into [Turn] 1, I was just wide open and I was hoping that they weren’t gonna build a momentum. This Bennett Chevrolet was as fast as Xfinity Mobile. It’s the Bennett 250. We have everyone here from Bennett. There’s over 500-plus people here. To be able to do this, it’s something special. We were able to do it last year with the gold car for [Bennett’s] 50th anniversary and they sponsored the qualifying [session at Atlanta]. It looks like, to me, they need to sponsor some more NASCAR Xfinity races because this has been some good omen for us. [Crew chief Chad Haney]’s been working his tail off this offseason. Him and I, I think, are gonna work great together. We’re gonna soak this one up, drink a lot of beer and get ready for the next race.”

Behind Hill, Allgaier bumped and edged Almirola at the finish line to finish in the runner-up spot. While Allgaier was left lamenting over remaining on the inside lane and not moving in front of Hill earlier amid the draft, Almirola was left delighted over his top-three run in his first of nine Xfinity starts of the 2025 season.

“I just watched the run develop on the top [lane],” Allgaier said. “Those guys had a big push and I really didn’t have any push behind me and at that point, I knew that I was probably a sitting duck if I tried to pull up in front [of Hill]. Really proud of this team. To put ourselves in position like we did, to be there at the end, I thought we were gonna be in great shape. When you look at the box score, Austin [Hill] led like what, 145 laps? Hats off to that team and everybody at [Richard Childress Racing] because that’s a butt-kicking than I’ve ever seen one.”

“I love racing these cars and it’s such a blessing to get to come do this,” Almirola said. “When I took the checkered flag at Phoenix [in November], I was like, ‘Alright well, that was it. Sail off into the sunset and enjoy retirement.’ Then I got this call to do this again. Just really happy and I had fun. I just told Justin [Allgaier] how much fun it was to race with him. [Hill] was certainly the dominant car and I thought we were gonna snooker him there and steal one away, but just came up a little bit short.”

Sammy Smith and rookie Nick Sanchez came home with top-five results. Jeb Burton, rookie Daniel Dye, Leland Honeyman, rookie William Sawalich and Harrison Burton completed the top 10 in the final running order.

Notably, Jesse Love ended up in 16th place while Brandon Jones and Sheldon Creed finished 13th and 14th, respectively. In addition, Ryan Sieg, Carson Kvapil, Kris Wright, Parker Retzlaff and Christian Eckes fell back to 20th, 23rd, 26th, 27th and 29th, respectively, following their last-lap wreck.

There were 11 lead changes for 16 different leaders. The race featured eight cautions for 49 laps. In addition, 28 of 38 starters finished on the lead lap.

Following the second event of the 2025 Xfinity Series season, Austin Hill leads the regular-season standings by a single point over Sheldon Creed, six over teammate Jesse Love, eight over Justin Allgaier and 18 over Jeb Burton.

Results:

1. Austin Hill, 146 laps led, Stages 1 & 2 winner
2. Justin Allgaier
3. Aric Almirola, one lap led
4. Sammy Smith
5. Nick Sanchez
6. Jeb Burton
7. Daniel Dye
8.  Leland Honeyman, one lap led
9. William Sawalich
10. Harrison Burton
11. Jeremy Clements
12. Matt DiBenedetto
13. Brandon Jones
14. Sheldon Creed
15. Josh Williams
16. Jesse Love, 13 laps led
17. Brennan Poole
18. Ryan Ellis
19. Blaine Perkins
20. Ryan Sieg
21. Joey Gase
22. Nick Leitz, one lap led
23. Carson Kvapil
24. Garrett Smithley
25. CJ McLaughlin
26. Kris Wright
27. Parker Retzlaff
28. Mason Massey
29. Christian Eckes – OUT, Accident
30. Josh Bilicki, one lap down
31. Mason Maggio, one lap down
32. Carson Ware, two laps down
33. Kyle Sieg, nine laps down
34. Connor Zilisch – OUT, Accident
35. Dean Thompson, 14 laps down
36. Sam Mayer – OUT, Accident, one lap led
37. Anthony Alfredo – OUT, Accident
38. Taylor Gray – OUT, Accident

Next on the 2025 NASCAR Xfinity Series schedule is Circuit of the Americas in Austin, Texas, for the Focused Health 250. The event is scheduled to occur next Saturday, March 1, and air at 2:30 p.m. ET on the CW Network.

Toyota GAZOO Racing – NXS Atlanta Post-Race Report – 02.22.25

By
Official Release
-

ALMIROLA STARTS HIS SEASON STRONG WITH THIRD PLACE FINISH IN ATLANTA
Toyota Development Driver William Sawalich earns first career top-10 run

HAMPTON, Ga. (February 22, 2025) – Aric Almirola started his part-time schedule for Joe Gibbs Racing with a strong third-place finish at Atlanta Motor Speedway on Saturday night. Almirola led on the white flag lap, but was unable to come away with his fourth win with Joe Gibbs Racing in the last two seasons.

His teammate, William Sawalich, drove through the last lap incident and delivered his first career top-10 finish, as the Toyota Development Driver brought his Toyota GR Supra home in ninth.

Toyota Racing Post-Race Recap
NASCAR Xfinity Series (NXS)
Atlanta Motor Speedway
Race 2 of 33 – 251.02 miles, 163 laps

TOYOTA FINISHING POSITIONS

1st, Austin Hill*
2nd, Justin Allgaier*
3rd, ARIC ALMIROLA
4th, Sammy Smith*
5th, Nick Sanchez*
9th, WILLIAM SAWALICH
13th, BRANDON JONES
35th, DEAN THOMPSON
38th, TAYLOR GRAY
*non-Toyota driver

TOYOTA QUOTES

ARIC ALMIROLA, No. 19 Young Life Toyota GR Supra, Joe Gibbs Racing

Finishing Position: 3rd

Can you describe that last lap for us?

“It was fun. It was exciting. I thought we were going to steal it away from them. Their cars are just so strong – you can’t do anything but tip your cap to RCR (Richard Childress Racing) and their superspeedway program. They are the cars to beat when you come to these places. Austin (Hill) does a great job. Their cars are incredibly fast. I thought we were going to win the chess game. He got out front, and I felt like I had the help I needed from Parker (Retzlaff) and was going to be in a good spot. I got where I needed to – I got the position, but when I got to the inside, the 7 (Justin Allgaier) and our lane didn’t have the energy to help me race side-by-side and kind of drag race. He got back out front and I just tried really hard to slow down to the 7 but he didn’t have any energy behind him, and I just over-slowed my race car and let the 7 beat me to the line, which is probably dumb, but it was the right thing that I needed to do to try and generate one last run to try and beat the 21 (Austin Hill). I guess at that point, I should have just taken second.”

WILLIAM SAWALICH, No. 18 Soundgear Toyota GR Supra, Joe Gibbs Racing

Finishing Position: 9th

Solid top-10. What do you feel like you learned today and can take to the next superspeedway?

“I learned a lot about how to stay in the draft and how to manage your position and how to manage runs. We had a good Soundgear GR Supra today. We had some speed – not so much in the first and second stage, but we brought it together for the third stage and we had good pit stops and did the little things right today.”

TAYLOR GRAY, No. 54 Operation 300 Toyota GR Supra, Joe Gibbs Racing

Finishing Position: 38th

What are you feeling like after ending up in a wreck after a strong run early?

“I felt like our Operation 300 GR Supra was as fast as Xfinity Mobile; just fought being really free at the beginning of the race, and got shuffled out and lost my track position. Unfortunately, that happens when you bring a bunch of cars here and essentially do a speedway and try to make ground back up when we are all running single file. I was trying to run the middle and get some ground made back up. I felt like the laps were winding down and I needed to start going somewhere. The 51 (Jeremy Clements) just started to shade down – not sure if he was just following the guys in front of him and wasn’t paying too close attention or didn’t hear necessarily from the spotter or what, but he just started shading down and got him free aero wise and then I was just kind of wrecked.”

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.

Heartbreak for Gonzalez, Triumph for Annunziata in CUBE 3 Architecture TA2 Series Season Opener at Sebring

By
Official Release
-

Prociuk Takes Top Spot in Pro/Am

SEBRING, Fla. (February 22, 2025) – Tyler Gonzalez was the class of the field in the season-opening Trans Am Series presented by Pirelli CUBE 3 Architecture TA2 Series race at Sebring International Raceway, but after showing dominant speed all day, he experienced a mechanical issue coming to the white flag. When Gonzalez fell off the pace, it was his teammate, Thomas Annunziata, who was in place to take the checkers in the caution-filled event.

Notes of Interest:

  • Thomas Annunziata earned the third win of his Trans Am career and his first victory at Sebring.
  • Tyler Gonzalez led every lap of the race until the white flag before his throttle pedal broke, relegating him to a 27th-place finish.
  • Newcomer Noah Harmon earned a top-five finish in his first-career Trans Am start.

Mike Skeen (No. 48 CUBE 3/Franklin Road/SLR-M1 Chevrolet Camaro) earned the pole in yesterday’s qualifying session while setting a new track record, but when the green flag was displayed, it was Gonzalez (No. 10 Nitro Motorsports Ford Mustang) who had the advantage, overtaking Skeen in the first turn. The action didn’t last long, as a six-car incident in Turn 10 brought out the yellow flag before the conclusion of the opening lap.

When racing resumed on lap four, Gonzalez got a great jump, protecting his lead. The following lap, third-place starter Rafa Matos (No. 57 Concord American Flagpole/SHR Chevrolet Camaro) got around Skeen for second, and the two battled for a few turns until they made contact, sending Matos spinning off the racing surface and out of the top 15. Gonzalez’ teammate Annunziata (No. 90 Nitro Motorsports Ford Mustang) took over the third position, followed by Tristan McKee (No. 28 Spire Gainbridge/SLR-M1 Chevrolet Camaro) and Austin Green (No. 89 3-Dimensional Services Group Ford Mustang).

The field slowed for a long caution period on lap six, going back to green on lap 13. Gonzalez once again pulled ahead of the pack while Annunziata was on the attack, passing Skeen by the conclusion of the lap. The racing action was paused again on lap 14 and lap 17 for cars stopped on the racetrack, and with the race clock ticking down, the restart on lap 19 would be the last one of the event.

Gonzalez once again maintained his point position and Annunziata held second while Skeen and McKee battled for the final podium position behind them. Skeen held the spot, and Green was also able to make his way around McKee, taking over fourth. Gonzalez opened up a two-second lead over the course of two laps, but just as the white flag was about to wave, his car suddenly slowed off the pace due to a broken throttle pedal. Annunziata inherited the lead for the final laps and crossed the finish line, followed by Skeen and Green. Adrian Wlostowski (No. 3 CMI/Spot-On Services/AMT Motorsports Ford Mustang) and Noah Harmon (No. 7 Streetside Classics/Flanigan’s Chevrolet Camaro) rounded out the top five, with McKee falling back to seventh before the checkers. 2024 champion Matos recovered from his early spin to finish 11th, and Gonzalez was ultimately scored 27th.

“Well, it was a slow start,” said Annunziata. “I got under Rafa Matos in the beginning, and he looked like he got sideways and I got knocked off the racetrack. I fell down to fifth, but the car was really good. I wish we had more green-flag laps, but we got up to the front, and this win comes down to Michael, Ronnie and Nick Tucker. A driver is nothing without their car, so thank you Nitro Motorsports. In my eyes, I finished second today. My teammate and a great friend of mine, Tyler Gonzalez, drove an amazing race. He was the class of the field all day, and I hate to see that happen to him. I had a second-place car today, but I’ll take the win. We went through a lot of bad luck last year, so it feels good to be on the good end for once. Thank you to Chipoys, everyone at Nitro Motorsports and Trans Am for putting on a great show.”

In Pro/Am Challenge, Barry Boes (No. 27 Accio Data/SLR-M1 Chevrolet Camaro) led the field from the first lap until the penultimate one, getting turned on the final lap in traffic and losing his lead to Keith Prociuk (No. 9 HP Tuners/Cope Race Cars Ford Mustang), who ultimately crossed the finish line first. Boes finished second, and Jared Odrick (No. 00 Black Underwear Ford Mustang) came from 32nd overall and eighth in class to take the third step on the podium, finishing 15th overall and earning the Bassett Hard Charger Award.

“It feels great to be on the top step,” said Prociuk. “Thanks to CUBE 3 and Trans Am. Jared [Odrick], that was a great drive from the back. You’re keeping me honest in my mirrors. Barry [Boes], that was definitely your race. You got taken out there on the last lap and I capitalized. I wish we had more green laps, but I certainly had a fantastic car. Thanks to the team, thanks to the Trans Am staff for keeping us safe out there. I’m looking forward to more of these.”

CUBE 3 Architecture TA2 Series National Championship Top 10:

  1. Thomas Annunziata, No. 90 Nitro Motorsports Ford Mustang
  2. Mike Skeen, No. 48 CUBE 3/Franklin Road/SLR-M1 Chevrolet Camaro
  3. Austin Green, No. 89 3-Dimensional Services Group Ford Mustang
  4. Adrian Wlostowski, No. 3 CMI/Spot-On-Services/AMT Motorsports Ford Mustang
  5. Noah Harmon, No. 7 Streetside Classics/Flanigan’s Chevrolet Camaro
  6. Boris Said Jr., No. 60 Nitro Motorsports Ford Mustang
  7. Tristan McKee, No. 28 Spire Gainbridge/SLR-M1 Chevrolet Camaro
  8. Carson Brown, No. 8 Pay Café/Ebb Logistics/SLR-M1 Chevrolet Camaro
  9. Sam Corry, No. 70 Nitro Motorsports Ford Mustang
  10. Julian DaCosta, No. 30 Nitro Motorsports Ford Mustang

TA2 Pro/Am Podium:

  1. Keith Prociuk, No. 9 HP Tuners/Cope Race Cars Ford Mustang
  2. Barry Boes, No. 27 Accio Data/SLR-M1 Chevrolet Camaro
  3. Jared Odrick, No. 00 Black Underwear Ford Mustang

Omologato Watches Fastest Lap of the Race:

Tyler Gonzalez, No. 10 Nitro Motorsports Ford Mustang

Bassett Hard Charger:

Jared Odrick, No. 00 Black Underwear Ford Mustang

Front Row Motorsports: Atlanta Motor Speedway NCTS Race Report (Layne Riggs / Chandler Smith)

By
Official Release
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Layne Riggs | Chandler Smith
Atlanta Motor Speedway NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series Race Report

FR8 208 Overview
Date: February 22nd, 2025
Event: Race 2 of 25
Series: NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series
Location: Atlanta Motor Speedway (1.5-miles)
Length of Race: One Hour, 46 Minutes, 52 Seconds

FRM Finish:

● Layne Riggs (Started 16th, Finished 20th / Running, completed 134 of 135 laps)
● Chandler Smith (Started 28th, Finished 5th / Running, completed 135 of 135 laps)

Layne Riggs Key Takeaways

Stage One: 2nd / Stage Two: 30th / Race Result: 20th

Layne Riggs made his third start at the Atlanta Motor Speedway this Saturday. Riggs qualified 16th for the event. Riggs quickly made his way to the front in the opening laps of the race, competing within the top-10 and top five. Riggs finished Stage One in the second position but was penalized for passing below the double white line.

Due to an electrical issue, Riggs spent time on pit road for the team to swap out the battery, going two laps down in the process. Dylan Cappello and the team were able to get Riggs back on track.

The bad luck continued for Riggs, suffering a flat right-front tire at the start of the final stage and issued a speeding penalty after changing the tire. Riggs finished 20th in the race.

“Just an overall really frustrating day for us,” said Riggs. “We had really good speed, but we had everything go wrong for us today with the electrical issue, flat tire, and penalty. We have a couple weeks off to tune our stuff and come out swinging at Vegas.”

Chandler Smith’s Key Takeaways

Stage One: 17th / Stage Two: 9th / Race Result: 5th

Chandler Smith returned to his home state this Saturday for 135-laps at the Atlanta Motor Speedway. Dropping to the rear for unapproved adjustments, Smith made his way into the top-20, finishing 17th in Stage One. Smith then finished ninth in Stage Two, earning valuable stage points.

A pit road penalty at the Stage Two break put Smith at the tail of the field, but made his way back to the front, racing hard with eventual race winner Kyle Busch for the lead. Smith dropped back to fifth where he finished the race, earning his second top-10 finish of the year.

“What a solid day at my home track,” said Smith. “Our No. 38 QuickTie products Ford F-150 was fast, but we needed a little more raw speed to make big moves to be a contender. We still hustled our way to the front and got a top five out of it.”

ABOUT FRONT ROW MOTORSPORTS

Front Row Motorsports (FRM) is a winning organization in the NASCAR Cup and CRAFTSMAN Truck Series. The team is the 2021 Daytona 500 and 2022 CRAFTSMAN Truck Series champions. The team was founded in 2004 and is owned by successful entrepreneur, Bob Jenkins. FRM fields the No. 34 and the No. 38 NASCAR Cup Series teams along with the No. 38 CRAFTSMAN Truck Series team from its Mooresville, N.C. headquarters. Visit teamfrm.com and follow FRM on social media: Twitter at @Team_FRM, Instagram at @team_frm and Facebook at facebook.com/FrontRowMotorsports.

Niece Motorsports NCTS Race Recap: Atlanta Motor Speedway

By
Official Release
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NIECE MOTORSPORTS
NCTS RACE RECAP: ATLANTA MOTOR SPEEDWAY
Event: Fr8 208 (135 laps / 208 miles)
Round: 2 of 25 (Regular Season)
Track: Atlanta Motor Speedway
Location: Hampton, Georgia
Date & Time: Saturday, February 22nd | 1:30 PM ET

No. 42 J.F. Electric / Utilitra Chevrolet Silverado RST
Driver: Matt Mills | Crew Chief: Mike Shiplett
Start: 24th
Stage 1: 28th
Stage 2: 14th
Finish: 13th
Driver Points: 21st
Owner Points: 25th

  • Key Takeaway: Matt Mills and the No. 42 team had a solid outing at Atlanta Motor Speedway. After starting the best for the team in 24th, Mills fought a loose handling truck early on to finish 28th in stage one. When adjustments were made at the start of stage two, Mills passed several trucks to move into 14th-place. Towards the finish, Mills worked with teammates, Bayley Currey and Kaden Honeycutt, to push to the front. The No. 42 crossed the line in 13th.
  • Matt Mills’ Post-Race Thoughts: “Together, we kept trying to link up, and it depended on which lane you were in and who was in it to see if you were going to get the momentum you needed. It didn’t seem like there was a right or wrong lane to be in today because they both kept moving, but we weren’t really able to get on the right side of that. Honestly, once we got towards the end of the race there, we figured there would be a wreck. There wasn’t really any progress that we could make, and the field never wrecked, but it’s still a good finish compared to last week and the way we started last year. Our J.F. Electric / Utilitra Chevy was really fast today and it was fun to race up front.”

About J.F. Electric: J.F. Electric is an electrical contractor that provides engineering expertise, backed by construction and installation know-how in a diverse range of service offerings, from utilities and commercial projects, to industrial and telecommunications customers. When having a long family history in an industry, a company not only builds on its knowledge and experience, it takes pride in cultivating a solid understanding of client needs, all the while nurturing strong relationships with its employees. Evolving through five generations of the Fowler family, J.F. Electric has matured into a well-managed and thoughtfully diversified electrical contractor which is poised to continue its growth and expansion into the future.

About Utilitra: Utilitra is a woman-owned firm specializing in utility and technology solutions with a diverse team of specialized professionals. Utilitra is committed to solving their client’s unique challenges, whether one expert or a team of experts is needed. By adapting to the needs of their respective industries, Utilitra has built a range of services for their utility and technology partners.

No. 44 Masked Owl Technologies / DQS Chevrolet Silverado RST
Driver: Bayley Currey | Crew Chief: Wally Rogers
Start: 30th
Stage 1: 15th
Stage 2: 13th
Finish: 4th
Driver Points: 11th
Owner Points: 13th

  • Key Takeaway: For the second straight week, Bayley Currey and the No. 44 team challenged for a victory at Atlanta Motor Speedway. After suffering a mechanical issue in qualifying and starting 30th, Currey quickly began to climb through the field. Finishing 15th in stage one and 13th in stage two, the Masked Owl Technologies Chevrolet came to life once in cleaner air up front. Currey worked with teammates, Kaden Honeycutt and Matt Mills, to devise a plan to lead the pack. In the closing laps, Currey led the charge on the inside lane to come home with an impressive fourth-place finish.
  • Bayley Currey’s Post-Race Thoughts:

Interviewer: Bayley Currey finishing in fourth, what a day. How would you describe your effort?

“Just scratched and clawed. We had a problem in qualifying yesterday and had to start way back in the back. This Niece Motorsports No. 44 group just never gives up. We stayed with it all day and picked them off as we could, didn’t get in too big of a rush. I wanted to go for the win there at the end and was thinking of taking Kyle (Busch) three (wide) and going bottom, but at the same time, I was thinking that was going to slow us all down and a Chevrolet won’t win. I just stayed behind Kyle and was hoping we could maybe have him slip out of (turn) four, and he didn’t. I’ll take fourth or third – I think I got the No. 18 (Tyler Ankrum) at the line, but that’s just me. But yeah, we’ll take it. Huge thank you to everyone at Masked Owl Technologies, DQS, AutoVentive, Precision, and everyone that helps support our team.”

About Masked Owl Technologies: Masked Owl Technologies (MOT) is an industrial solutions integrator specializing in developing customized automation and controls processes. They take a consulting-based approach to identify the root cause of system challenges and incorporate tested, emerging technology into industrial solutions that mitigate risk and solve complex problems, the first time.

About DQS Solutions & Staffing: Guided by a mission to achieve excellence and adaptability, DQS partners with clients to create custom solutions that address unique business challenges. Recognized as Michigan’s fastest-growing company and #22 in the nation on the Inc. 5000 list, DQS drives industry growth while giving back through its nonprofit, Foundation for Pops, and partnerships like the River Rouge School District.

No. 45 DQS Solutions & Staffing / DealBadger Chevrolet Silverado RST
Driver: Kaden Honeycutt | Crew Chief: Phil Gould
Start: 25th
Stage 1: 16th
Stage 2: 5th
Finish: 6th
Driver Points: 15th
Owner Points: 19th

  • Key Takeaway: Kaden Honeycutt and the No. 45 team rebounded strongly after a disappointing opening race last weekend. Qualifying 25th, Honeycutt moved forward to finish 16th in stage one. In stage two, the DQS / DealBadger Silverado worked its way towards the front, collecting six stage points with a fifth-place effort. At the end of the race, all three Niece Motorsports teammates – Honeycutt, Currey, and Mills – lined up nose-to-tail to contend for the victory. Honeycutt was credited with a sixth-place finish for the second year in a row.
  • Kaden Honeycutt’s Post-Race Thoughts: “It was awesome to work with our teammates up front. It’s a good day for us as a company, and I’m happy for everyone at Precision, DQS, and DealBadger. Everyone did a fantastic job today. We got stage points, which I was really happy about. Had a good points day in sixth. All in all, we came out of here with a clean truck to go back to the shop and work on. Just have to come back with something different here next year, something less draggy to go for the win. But it’s great to take some momentum and head to Las Vegas with some points moving forward to go after a championship now.”
    About DQS Solutions & Staffing: Guided by a mission to achieve excellence and adaptability, DQS partners with clients to create custom solutions that address unique business challenges. Recognized as Michigan’s fastest-growing company and #22 in the nation on the Inc. 5000 list, DQS drives industry growth while giving back through its nonprofit, Foundation for Pops, and partnerships like the River Rouge School District.

About DealBadger: DealBadger is a secondary marketplace for customer returns and other liquidation items. With two locations based in Decatur and Smyrna, Georgia, DealBadger allows you to bid on amazing deals that most individuals or independent resellers can’t get on their own. All auctions start at $0.50 with no reserve. Visit DealBadger.com to learn more.

About Niece Motorsports: Niece Motorsports is a professional auto racing team founded by United States Marine Corps Veteran Al Niece. In 2025, the team celebrates its 10th consecutive season competing in the NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series (NCTS) where it fields the Nos. 41, 42, 44 and 45. Since its founding in 2016, Niece Motorsports has garnered nine wins, 50+ top-fives, 100+ top-10s, 190+ top-15 finishes and made five playoff appearances. At its 80,000 sq. ft. headquarters in Salisbury, NC, Niece Motorsports is a trusted build shop for the Chevrolet Silverados of multiple NCTS teams as well as a customizable fabrication shop for any manufacturing needs.

Follow the Team: To keep up to date with the latest team news, visit niecemotorsports.com or connect on Facebook and Instagram (@NieceMotorsports) as well as X (@NieceMotorsport).

Kyle Busch edges Stewart Friesen for thrilling Truck victory at Atlanta

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

Kyle Busch edged Stewart Friesen in a thrilling, side-by-side finish to win the FR8 208 at Atlanta Motor Speedway on Saturday, February 22.

The two-time NASCAR Cup Series champion from Las Vegas, Nevada, led eight times for a race-high 80 of 135 scheduled laps in an event where he started in ninth place. He navigated his way to the front for the first time on Lap 40 and won the second stage period on Lap 60. Busch proceeded to lead on six additional occasions since the final period’s commencement with 68 laps remaining. He also made several swift moves on his fellow competitors by transitioning from the inside to the outside lane to reassume the lead from them after he briefly lost out during previous laps.

Then on the final lap, Busch, who had lost the lead to Stewart Friesen a lap prior, spent the entire lap dueling with Friesen from the inside lane and in front of a stacked field. As Friesen started to surge ahead from the outside lane entering the frontstretch, Busch would use the inside lane to side-draft Friesen and surge back ahead. This allowed Busch to beat Friesen by 0.017 seconds at the finish line to score a thrilling victory and record the first NASCAR National Touring series victory of the 2025 season for himself and Spire Motorsports.

With on-track qualifying that determined the starting lineup occurring on Friday, February 21, rookie Connor Mosack claimed his first Truck pole position of his career after he posted a pole-winning lap at 173.418 mph in 31.969 seconds. Joining him on the front row was Grant Enfinger, who clocked in his best qualifying lap at 173.007 mph in 32.045 seconds.

Before the event, Chandler Smith dropped to the rear of the field due to unapproved adjustments made to his No. 38 Front Row Motorsports Ford entry.

When the green flag waved and the race commenced, Connor Mosack muscled his No. 81 Friends of Jaclyn Foundation Chevrolet Silverado RST entry ahead of Grant Enfinger from the inside lane entering the first two turns. Daniel Hemric, Mosack’s teammate, would follow suit as both transitioned to the outside lane and in front of Enfinger entering the backstretch. Mosack would proceed to fend off teammate Jack Wood and the field stacked up in two drafted lanes through the final set of turns as he led the first lap.

Over the next four laps, Mosack led a 1-2-3-4 charge for McAnally-Hilgemann Racing as Mosack retained the lead over teammates Wood, Tyler Ankrum and Hemric while Enfinger fell back to fifth place. With a majority of the field racing in single-line formation towards the outside lane, Kyle Busch was in sixth place ahead of teammate Rajah Caruth, Layne Riggs, Matt Crafton and Ben Rhodes while Corey Heim, Ty Majeski, Luke Fenhaus, Stewart Friesen and Jake Garcia were racing in the top 15, respectively.

Through the first 10 scheduled laps, nearly the entire field continued to race in single-line formation towards the outside wall as Mosack was leading ahead of teammates Wood, Ankrum and Hemric while Enfinger, Busch, Caruth, Riggs, Rhodes and Crafton followed suit in the top 10, respectively. Meanwhile, Heim, who nearly made contact with Crafton and tried to ignite a charge from the inside lane, fell back to 15th place while Luke Fenhaus, who was trying to assist teammate Ben Rhodes as the latter kept making moves to the inside lane to move up the leaderboard, was also mired in the top-15 mark. Shortly after, Rhodes, who nearly made contact with Caruth while trying to move in front of him through Turns 3 and 4, slipped back to 12th place.

Ten laps later, the top 13 competitors were separated by more than a second of one another as Mosack continued to lead ahead of teammates Wood, Ankrum and Hemric while Enfinger, Riggs, Caruth, Crafton, Busch and Jake Garcia were in the top 10. Behind, Ty Majeski fell back to 13th place and teammate Rhodes was back in 21st place. Meanwhile, Chandler Smith was up to 22nd place in front of rookie Andres Perez de Lara and Frankie Muniz while Heim was in 11th place ahead of Friesen.

Three laps later, Mosack and the lead lap field navigated past a group of competitors racing towards the rear of the field, among which included rookie Toni Breidinger. Another two laps later, Busch tried to ignite a charge from the inside lane, but he drifted back to 12th place after receiving no drafting help through the first two turns. Enfinger then tried to ignite a charge with drafting help from Riggs on the inside lane through Turns 3 and 4, which was enough to battle Wood for the runner-up spot before Enfinger claimed the spot over Wood on Lap 28.

During the final lap of the first stage period, Wood and Riggs pinned Mosack in a three-wide battle for the lead entering the first turn. With all three continuing to race dead even through the first two turns, Wood received the momentum and draft from Enfinger and a bevy of competitors from the outside lane to boost his No. 91 Adaptive One Calipers Chevrolet Silverado RST ahead through the backstretch. With Riggs, Enfinger and Mosack all pinned in three-wide formation through the first set of turns, Wood muscled away to claim his first Truck stage victory on Lap 30. Riggs claimed second place over Enfinger, Mosack and Busch while Heim, Friesen, Ankrum, Hemric and Caruth were scored in the top 10, respectively.

Under the stage break, Riggs, who was penalized for going below the double-white line while trying to make a move beneath Mosack during the penultimate lap of the first stage period, fell off the pace due to a power issue as his No. 34 Northside Hospital Ford F-150 entry was pushed to the garage. Not long after Riggs’ issue, nearly the entire field led by Wood pitted for a first round of service, mainly for fuel, while Heim and Majeski remained on the track. Following the pit stops, Enfinger exited pit road first as he was followed by Busch, Mosack, Ankrum and Wood, respectively. Amid the pit stops, both Hemric and Nathan Byrd were sent to the rear of the field for speeding on pit road.

The second stage period started on Lap 37 as Heim and Busch occupied the front row. At the start, Heim received a push from Majeski to jump ahead of Busch entering the first two turns. With Heim leading Majeski entering the backstretch, Busch and Mosack, both of whom were leading the charge from the inside lane, transitioned up to the outside lane as they were followed by Enfinger and Wood. Heim would lead the following lap before Majeski overtook Heim through the backstretch to assume the lead on Lap 39.

Not long after, Busch, who kept making moves to the inside lane, was drafted by Mosack as he led the Lap 40 mark over Majeski. Meanwhile, Riggs returned to the track despite being pinned two laps behind while Crafton, who was racing in the top 10, scraped the outside wall entering Turn 3 and pitted his No. 88 Menards Ford F-150 entry under green. The misfortune cost Crafton multiple laps.

By Lap 45, Busch retained the lead as he also led a long single-file line of competitors racing towards the outside lane, including runner-up Majeski. Meanwhile, Mosack was racing in third place and leading a small group of competitors on the inside lane that included teammate Ankrum, Bayley Currey, Caruth and Chandler Smith. Mosack would continue to duel with Majeski for the runner-up spot while Busch retained the overall lead.

At the Lap 50 mark, Busch continued to lead ahead of Majeski while Mosack and Heim dueled for third place in front of Ankrum, Enfinger, Currey, Wood, Caruth and Michael McDowell. Amid the tight two-wide formation over the next five laps, Enfinger made his move to the inside lane as he led a small drafted group ahead of Mosack and Ankrum. Enfinger, however, would move back up the outside lane in sixth place and McDowell would move up to fifth place while Mosack slipped back to eighth place. Amid the battles, Busch kept leading ahead of Majeski, Heim and Wood.

With two laps remaining in the second stage period, Heim fell off the pace due to a fuel issue to his No. 11 Safelite Toyota Tundra TRD Pro entry. As the race remained under green flag conditions, Busch retained the lead over Majeski, McDowell, Wood and Enfinger as he commenced the final lap of the stage period. With Enfinger trying to mount a charge to the front from the inside lane, Busch fended off an attempted charge by Majeski exiting the backstretch. As the field fanned out entering the frontstretch, Busch proceeded to claim the stage victory on Lap 60. Majeski followed suit in second ahead of Enfinger, McDowell and Kaden Honeycutt while Wood, Mosack, Friesen, Chandler Smith and Hemric were scored in the top 10.

During the stage break, the entire field led by Busch pitted for fresh tires and fuel. Following the pit stops, Caruth exited pit road first as he was followed by Hemric, Perez de Lara, Enfinger, McDowell, Honeycutt, Mosack, Busch, Chandler Smith and rookie Giovanni Ruggiero, respectively. Earlier, Majeski pitted prior to pit road being accessible to the field due to running out of fuel, which sent him to the tail end of the field as he also lost a lap to the leaders, while Heim was pinned multiple laps down amid his late fuel issues. Amid the field pitting, Chandler Smith was penalized for a safety violation.

With 68 laps remaining, the final stage period commenced under green as Caruth and Hemric occupied the front row. At the start, the top two competitors battled dead even in front of the stacked field for nearly a full lap. Not long after, the field then fanned out to three lanes as select names including Hemric were shoved out of the draft. As Wood fell off the pace due to hitting the wall, Caruth and Enfinger battled for the lead. Amid the battles, Caruth, who was being drafted by teammate Perez de Lara, would retain the top spot over the next four laps until Mosack returned atop the leaderboard with 63 laps remaining.

With 62 laps remaining, Busch pulled a crossover move on Mosack as he reassumed the lead entering the frontstretch. Amid the battles at the front, Byrd scraped the outside wall through Turns 3 and 4, but the race remained under green flag conditions. In addition, McDowell fell off the pace due to reporting a potential tire issue.

A lap later, the caution flew after Caruth, who was battling Mosack for the runner-up spot, snapped sideways entering Turns 3 and 4 and spun his No. 71 HendrickCars.com Chevrolet Silverado RST entry backward towards the outside wall. Caruth was then hit by Hemric, Perez de Lara and Ruggiero before he got hit by William Sawalich, the latter of whom was hit by Ankrum while trying to avoid the carnage, in the frontstretch, which concluded Caruth’s run with a wrecked truck for a second consecutive event. The incident was enough for the event to be placed in a red flag period for more than 12 minutes as the on-track safety crew cleaned the carnage and addressed any potential signs of fluid being spilled.

When the red flag lifted and the field returned under a cautious pace, Busch led nearly the entire field to pit road for service, primarily for fuel, while Dawson Sutton remained on the track. Following the pit stops, Busch exited first as he was followed by Mosack, Rhodes, Honeycutt, Enfinger, Ruggiero, Fenhaus, Tanner Gray, Friesen and Currey. Sutton along with Spencer Boyd would pit shortly after, which handed the lead back to Busch.

With the race resuming under green with 50 laps remaining, Busch gained a slight advantage over Enfinger through the first two turns as he had Mosack drafting him from the outside lane. As Enfinger tried to draw even with Busch through Turns 3 and 4, Busch would muscle his No. 7 Gainbridge Chevrolet Silverado RST entry back ahead and lead the following lap as he was being followed by Mosack and Rhodes. Honeycutt, Tanner Gray and Currey would make their way into the top six and Enfinger would fall back to ninth place with 48 laps remaining as Busch continued to lead.

Then with 47 laps remaining, Mosack got shoved out of the draft by Rhodes as Rhodes muscled his way up to second place. Mosack, who would get pinned in the inside lane with no drafting help, would slowly lose more spots over the next two laps and drop out of the top-10 mark as Rhodes, Honeycutt, Tanner Gray and Currey pursued Busch.

Down to the final 40 laps of the event, the top 13 competitors were separated by within a second of one another as Busch led Rhodes, Honeycutt, Gray, Currey, Ruggiero, Enfinger and a long line of competitors racing in single-line formation towards the outside lane. Meanwhile, Mosack had drifted back to 13th place in between Ankrum and Majeski while Hemric was mired in 18th place behind McDowell.

Ten laps later, the front-runners continued to race in single-line formation towards the outside wall as Busch remained at the front ahead of Rhodes, Honeycutt, Gray, Currey, Ruggiero, Enfinger, Matt Mills, Fenhaus and Chandler Smith, respectively. Shortly after, trouble within the pack ensued as Muniz went up the track and made contact with Mosack against the backstretch’s outside wall, which left both competitors with damaged trucks. Amid the incident, the race remained under green flag conditions as Mosack pitted. Muniz, however, remained on the track and his No. 33 NUGGETTRAP.COM Ford F-150 entry dropped debris entering the first turn before he got sideways and spun below the apron. Amid the late misfortunes for both Muniz and Mosack following strong runs, Riggs cycled back onto the lead lap.

During the caution period, some including Mosack, including those racing at the rear end of the field, pitted while the front-runners led by Busch remained on the track.

The start of the next restart period with 23 laps remaining featured Busch and Ruggerio occupying the front row ahead of Rhodes, Enfinger, Honeycutt and Luke Fenhaus. At the start, Busch and Ruggiero dueled dead even for the lead in front of two-stacked lanes through the first two turns. Then in the backstretch, Busch muscled ahead with drafting help from Rhodes while Enfinger launched his charge from the inside lane, which resulted in Ruggiero getting shoved out of the draft. Enfinger would proceed to challenge Rhodes for the runner-up spot as Busch led the following lap.

With 20 laps remaining, Busch and Enfinger dueled for the lead in front of two-stacked lanes as Enfinger had Fenhaus drafting him from the inside lane while Busch was being drafted by Rhodes from the outside lane. Amid Enfinger’s charge from the inside lane, he could not execute his slide to move in front of Busch through the straightaways. Enfinger would then receive a shove from Fenhaus that allowed the former to rocket his No. 9 Champion Power Equipment Chevrolet Silverado RST entry ahead entering Turn 3 and move in front of Busch. Enfinger’s bold move allowed him to lead through the frontstretch with 18 laps remaining. Busch, however, returned the favor by moving beneath Enfinger and muscling back ahead of him through the first two turns.

Shortly after, Fenhaus launched his challenge on Busch from the inside lane for the lead. With drafting help from Chandler Smith, Fenhaus would muscle his No. 66 Soda Sense Ford F-150 entry ahead through the backstretch with 16 laps remaining. Fenhaus would then move up the track to block Busch and retain the lead over the next two turns to lead with 15 laps remaining. Busch would then mirror his move he made on Enfinger by executing a swift bold-and-overtake on Fenhaus to reassume the lead entering Turn 1 with 14 laps remaining. As Busch kept Fenhaus and a majority of competitors trailing him from the outside lane, Chandler Smith received a draft from Friesen from the inside lane to duel with Busch for the lead through the backstretch with 13 laps remaining.

Down to the final 10 laps of the event, Chandler Smith, who cleared Busch for the lead a lap earlier, was leading as Busch, Friesen, Fenhaus, Hemric, Ruggiero, Ankrum, Enfinger, Rhodes and McDowell followed suit respectively. Busch then rocketed past Smith’s No. 38 Quick Tie Ford F-150 entry through the backstretch as he led the following lap. Over the next three laps, Smith settled behind Busch as Hemric led a charge with drafting help from teammate Ankrum and Currey on the inside lane. Hemric would then muscle his No. 19 NAPA Chevrolet Silverado RST entry ahead of Busch to assume the lead as he led toward the start/finish line with five laps remaining.

Shortly after, however, Hemric would be overtaken by Busch exiting the backstretch and he got loose through Turns 3 and 4. This shoved Hemric out of the draft as the front-runners overtook him. Meanwhile, Ankrum moved into the runner-up spot behind Busch while Currey, Chandler Smith, Friesen and Enfinger followed suit. Over the next two laps, Busch would be placed on defensive mode as he was trying to block both Ankrum and Friesen before Friesen received a strong push from Currey on the inside lane. This moved Friesen’s No. 52 Halmar International Toyota Tundra TRD Pro entry into the lead exiting the backstretch.

When the white flag waved and the final lap started, Friesen remained in the lead ahead of Busch, Currey and the field stacked amid two lanes. Through the first two turns, Busch wasted no time darting back to the inside lane as he tried to overtake Friesen. Both, however, remained dead even in front of Currey and Ankrum through the backstretch as they then navigated through Turns 3 and 4. With Friesen appearing to muscle ahead from the outside lane entering the frontstretch, Busch would then manage to squeak ahead of Friesen and edge him at the finish line by 0.017 seconds to win.

With the victory, Busch notched his 67th career victory in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series division, his eighth overall at Atlanta and his third driving the No. 7 Chevrolet entry for Spire Motorsports. The victory was also Busch’s fifth with veteran crew chief Brian Pattie.

Overall, the 2025 Truck event at Atlanta marks the second time in four seasons that the event featured a final-lap pass for the victory and since the track had been reconfigured into a superspeedway venue.

No. 7
Photo by John Knittel for SpeedwayMedia.com.

“I don’t really remember [my moves],” Busch said on the frontstretch on FS1. “Awesome run for this Spire Chevrolet and everybody at Gainbridge, Brian Pattie, all the guys and girls that do a great job at Spire for building us some really good trucks to come out here with. [I was] Just trying to make sure I stayed as far forward as I possibly could. When those guys would cycle to me and get to the next one in front of me, next one in front of me, next one in front of me, I just kept trying to make sure that I battled back and got back to that front so I could try to control it as best as I could.”

“That inside [lane] was good,” Busch added. “They were rolling forward, so it made for a heck of a race. Proud that we had a heck of a race there to the finish and it wasn’t single file. There was some mixing it up for these fans out here to see a cool show…The overall bang of [today’s race] was just to be able to get some laps and come out here tomorrow [for the Cup Series event] and try and win again.”

Friesen, whose latest victory dates back to May 2022 at Texas Motor Speedway, settled in second place amid the near loss. Amid the disappointment of falling short of a victory, Friesen, who recorded only a single top-five finish throughout the 2024 season and has missed the Playoffs over the previous two seasons, was also left satisfied with his run as he strives to maintain the momentum to return to Playoff contention.

No. 52
Photo by John Knittel for SpeedwayMedia.com.

“We had a shot and this is my favorite truck,” Friesen said. “We’ll keep digging with it. I guess, I got too far off my help there coming down the [backstretch] the last lap. I thought I could pack some more air on [Busch] getting into Turn 3. We surged ahead, but [I] just had the surge at the wrong time and it let [Busch] pack me and then, it came back. Just proud of my team. It’s been a grind here the last couple of years and we got stuff going in the right direction. Second to the best guy in the business [Busch] isn’t a bad day, I guess.”

Tyler Ankrum settled in third place ahead of Bayley Currey and Chandler Smith. Kaden Honeycutt, Ben Rhodes, Ty Majeski, Jake Garcia and Grant Enfinger completed the top 10 in the final running order.

Notably, rookie Giovanni Ruggiero settled in 11th while Luke Fenhaus and Daniel Hemric fell back to 14th and 16th, respectively. In addition, the following names that included Layne Riggs, Jack Wood, Matt Crafton and Corey Heim capped off their runs from 20th to 23rd, respectively, while Mosack ended up 25th.

There were 19 lead changes for 11 different leaders. The race featured four cautions for 28 laps. In addition, 19 of 32 starters finished on the lead lap.

Following the second event of the 2025 Craftsman Truck Series season, Grant Enfinger leads the regular-season standings by a single point over Ty Majeski, six over Chandler Smith, 16 over Corey Heim and 19 over Ben Rhodes.

Race Results:

1. Kyle Busch, 80 laps led, Stage 2 winner
2. Stewart Friesen, one lap led
3. Tyler Ankrum
4. Bayley Currey
5. Chandler Smith, two laps led
6. Kaden Honeycutt
7. Ben Rhodes
8. Ty Majeski, one lap led
9. Jake Garcia
10. Grant Enfinger, one lap led
11. Giovanni Ruggiero
12. Michael McDowell
13. Matt Mills
14. Luke Fenhaus, two laps led
15. Tanner Gray
16. Daniel Hemric, one lap led
17. Dawson Sutton
18. Josh Reaume
19. Spencer Boyd
20. Layne Riggs, one lap down
21. Jack Wood, two laps down, four laps led, Stage 1 winner
22. Matt Crafton, two laps down, five laps led
23. Corey Heim, three laps down
24. Toni Breidinger, three laps down
25. Connor Mosack, four laps down, 30 laps led
26. Frankie Muniz – OUT, Accident
27. Andres Perez de Lara – OUT, Suspension
28. Justin Carroll – OUT, Engine
29. Rajah Caruth – OUT, Accident, eight laps led
30. William Sawalich – OUT, Accident
31. Nathan Byrd – OUT, Accident
32. Keith McGee – OUT, Electrical

Next on the 2025 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series schedule is Las Vegas Motor Speedway for the Ecosave 200. The event is scheduled to occur on March 14 and air at 9 p.m. ET on FS1.

BUSCH PREVAILS IN PHOTO FINISH TO EARN BACK-TO-BACK FR8 RACING 208 VICTORIES

By
Official Release
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February 22, 2025At Atlanta Motor Speedway in Hampton,GA(HHP/Harold Hinson)

HAMPTON, Ga. (Feb. 22, 2025) – Kyle Busch held off a pack of determined challengers in the closing laps to win a thrilling NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series race Saturday at Atlanta Motor Speedway.

Busch, who qualified ninth for the Fr8 Racing 208, held off challenges from Stewart Friesen, Tyler Ankrum, Chandler Smith, Luke Fenhaus, Bayley Currey and Daniel Hemric in a frenetic final 25 laps where the lead changed multiple times among those seven drivers.

Busch, 39, managed to keep his No. 7 Spire Chevy out front when it mattered most, holding off a last-ditch push by Friesen on the final lap. It was a photo-finish as the two trucks crossed the finish line.

“Just thanks to everyone for being out here today, you (fans) are all troopers,” Busch said. “This was a great run for Spire with this Chevy. It’s a great day for us but the gaps were tight out here. I thought we had a fast truck each time I was out front and trying to do what I know how to do and race as best as I can and try to win. I’m glad I was able to do that today.”

It was Busch’s eighth Truck win at Atlanta Motor Speedway, his first win of the season and the 67th of his career. It was also his 232nd career NASCAR national series victory.

“I just tried to make sure I stayed as far apart as I could when I was up front there,” said Busch, who led 80 laps and finished fourth in the first stage and won the second stage.

“I kept trying to battle back to the front and control it as best I could,” Busch continued. “I got a big push from the 44 truck at the end and was able to get back out front and get the win. Glad we had a great race to the finish and these fans got a great show.”

Veteran racer Friesen was happy with the fun racing at the end and his second-place finish in his No. 52 Toyota.

“I just got too far off my help on the last lap and had a surge at the wrong time,” Friesen said. “Thanks to our Toyota teammates. I’m just proud of our race team. It has been a grind here the last few years. I wanted to keep pushing Chandler but it didn’t work out. We left here last year with a tore up piece and played catch up the rest of the season. It’s good to have a nice finish today.”

Chandler Smith charged to the front from mid-pack and seemed to be in the right place at the right time. He led two laps at the end but ultimately finished fifth in his No. 38 Front Row Motorsports Ford.

“It was a crazy day for us,” Smith said. “We just didn’t have the raw speed. It was a hustle to get to the front. I was able to hook up with a few guys. I can’t be more-proud of everyone at Front Row, they gave me a great truck and we have some good momentum rolling forward.”

Kaden Honeycutt, Ben Rhodes, defending series champ Ty Majeski, Jake Garcia and Grant Enfinger rounded out the top 10.

Other notable finishes included pole winner Connor Mosack, who ran up front in the first stage but fell back and ultimately finished 25th in his No. 81 Chevy. In addition to Busch, the only other full-time Cup driver in the race was Michael McDowell, who finished 12th in his No. 07 Spire Chevrolet. A couple of pre-race favorites, Corey Heim in the No. 11 truck and stage 1 winner Jack Wood in the No. 91 Chevy, both fell back and finished 23rd and 21st, respectively. Former Hollywood actor Frankie Muniz finished 26th after starting 21st in his No. 33 Ford.

Busch will now turn his focus to Sunday’s Ambetter Health 400 NASCAR Cup Series race. Busch has two career victories at AMS and finished third here last spring in the track’s closest finish ever. Busch says the two divisions are so different that there isn’t much to be learned from the truck to his No. 8 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet Cup car, but he was focused more on gaining lap time at the historic 1.54-mile speedway.

“These are a little different than the Cup cars are,” Busch said. “I’m just here trying to get some laps. There’s some luck involved and there was some skill today. Speedway racing is speedway racing. There are some things guys could learn if they go back and watch and pay attention. The overall thing of it is to come out here and get some laps and get ready for tomorrow.”

Tickets for tomorrow’s Ambetter Health 400 NASCAR Cup Series race are available at www.AtlantaMotorSpeedway.com.

Fr8 Racing 208 CRAFTSMAN Truck Series Results:

  1. Kyle Busch
  2. Stewart Friesen
  3. Tyler Ankrum
  4. Bayley Currey
  5. Chandler Smith
  6. Kaden Honeycutt
  7. Ben Rhodes
  8. Ty Majeski
  9. Jake Garcia
  10. Grant Enfinger
  11. Giovanni Ruggiero
  12. Michael McDowell
  13. Matt Mills
  14. Luke Fenhaus
  15. Tanner Gray
  16. Daniel Hemric
  17. Dawson Sutton
  18. Josh Reaume
  19. Spencer Boyd
  20. Layne Riggs
  21. Jack Wood
  22. Matt Crafton
  23. Corey Heim
  24. Toni Breidinger
  25. Connor Mosack
  26. Frankie Muniz
  27. Andres Perez de Lara
  28. Justin Carroll
  29. Rajah Caruth
  30. William Sawalich
  31. Nathan Byrd
  32. Keith McGee

Toyota GAZOO Racing – NCTS Atlanta Post-Race Report – 02.22.25

By
Official Release
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FRIESEN JUST MISSES FIRST WIN OF THE SEASON
Stewart Friesen battles back from late pit road penalty to fall just short of first Atlanta win

HAMPTON, Ga. (February 22, 2025) – Stewart Friesen drove through the field and battled all-time Truck Series winner Kyle Busch on the final lap before coming up just short of his first win of the season and first victory of the season.

The NASCAR Truck Series takes the next two weekends off before returning at Las Vegas Motor Speedway on March 14.

Toyota Racing Post-Race Recap
NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series (NCTS)
Atlanta Motor Speedway
Race 2 of 23 – 207.9 Miles, 125 Laps

TOYOTA FINISHING POSITIONS

1st, Kyle Busch*
2nd, STEWART FRIESEN
3rd, Tyler Ankrum*
4th, Bayley Currey*
5th, Chandler Smith*
11th, GIO RUGGERIO
15th, TANNER GRAY
23rd, COREY HEIM
24th, TONI BREIDINGER
28th, JUSTIN CARROLL
30th, WILLIAM SAWALICH
*non-Toyota driver

TOYOTA QUOTES

STEWART FRIESEN, No. 52 Halmar International Toyota Tundra TRD Pro, Halmar Friesen Racing

Finishing Position: 2nd

What a great move there. How does it feel to get so close to victory?

“Yeah, just so proud of my race team – our whole Halmar team. Chris Larsen (co-owner), everything he gives us to get the job done. We had a shot. This is my favorite truck, and we will keep digging with it. We had a shot. I got too far off my help there coming down the back on the last lap. I thought I could pack some more air on him getting into (turn) three and we surged ahead, but didn’t have the surge at the right time and he came back. Thanks to Toyota teammates there – was working well with Corey (Heim) there. He helped us to the front. Tried to shove Chandler (Smith) way up by him, and I was like just stick with me – I’ll keep shoving you by him. We will keep that bottom lane rolling, and then he moved up, so it kind of broke that plan apart. Just proud of our race team. It has been a grind these last couple of years, and we’ve got stuff going in the right direction. Jimmy (Villeneuve, crew chief) did a good job calling the race. Chris Lambert is the best spotter in the business. I’m lucky to have him on my side.”

What does this do for your outlook this season?

“Yeah, we left here last year with a tore up piece, and played catch up all year, so it feels good to have momentum leaving here.”

Could you almost taste victory?

“Yeah, I mean, we had a good shot at it. I knew anything and everything could happen there – just the way the air worked on the last lap. Oh man. 18 different things, I’ll have to rewatch what happened. I knew when we kind of surged ahead, and I got him pinned down there in turn three – that might have been the kiss of death because I didn’t have too much help pushing behind me at that point, but big thanks to the whole Halmar team. What a strong Tundra. We overcame some adversity, but qualified well, raced really, really well. Proud of the whole race team.”

WILLIAM SAWALICH, No. 1 Soundgear Toyota Tundra TRD Pro, TRICON Garage

Finishing Position: 30th

Can you tell us what you saw?

“I saw the 71 (Rajah Caruth) spinning up front. I don’t know how he got going, but I think I was going to be fine. I was definitely checked up enough, and the 18 (Tyler Ankrum) got my right rear and kind of got me up in the wall. It is what it is. We were trying to make the most of our day with our Soundgear Tundra and learn for the next one.”

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.

Blaney Wins Ford’s Fifth Straight Cup Pole at Atlanta Motor Speedway

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Official Release
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Photo by John Knittel for SpeedwayMedia.com

Ford Performance Notes and Quotes
NASCAR Cup Series
Ambetter Health 400 Qualifying | Saturday, February 22, 2025

BLANEY EXTENDS FORD POLE STREAK AT ATLANTA MOTOR SPEEDWAY

  • Ryan Blaney won the pole for Sunday’s Ambetter Health 400.
  • Ford has won the last five NASCAR Cup Series poles at AMS (Joey Logano, Aric Almirola, Michael McDowell twice, and Ryan Blaney).
  • Ford has swept the front row in five straight AMS qualifying sessions (Blaney/Cindric (2025-1, McDowell/Blaney (2024-2), McDowell/Logano (2024-1), Almirola-Blaney (2023-2), Logano/Cindric (2023-1).
  • Team Penske has had at least one driver start on the front row in each of the last five races (Blaney, 2025-1, Blaney, 2024-2; Logano, 2024-1; Blaney, 2023-2; Logano and Cindric, 2023-1)
  • Ford swept the top eight spots in the 2023 spring race.
  • Ford swept the top six spots in the 2023 summer race.
  • Ford swept the top five spots in the 2024 summer race.
  • Ford swept the top five spots in the 2025 spring race.
  • Ford swept the top five spots and nine of the top 10 in the 2025 spring race.
  • The Cup pole also represents the 200th in Roush Yates Engines history.

Ford Qualifying Results:

1st – Ryan Blaney
2nd – Austin Cindric
3rd – Josh Berry
4th – Joey Lagano
5th – Todd Gilliland
7th – Zane Smith
8th – Chris Buescher
9th – Brad Keselowski
10th – Noah Gragson
11th – Ryan Preece
23rd – Cole Custer
31st – Cody Ware
35th – Corey LaJoie

RYAN BLANEY, No. 12 BodyArmor Zero Sugar Ford Mustang Dark Horse – PIT ROAD INTERVIEW: “That’s a really cool effort by the whole 12 boys. The BodyArmor Zero Sugar Ford Mustang was really good. It drove great. I think we got the 2 by like two one thousandths of a second, so that was close. I think it just shows the speed in all of our cars – the Penske cars, the 21 is fast as well – and also big props to everybody back home and everybody who is here – Roush Yates Engines. Hopefully, it carries over into tomorrow. Hopefully, they drive well, so it seems to be like we have a pretty decent handle on this place, but you still never know going into the race. It’s a cool day today and looking forward to hopefully keeping all four of us up there tomorrow.”

AUSTIN CINDRIC, No. 2 Menards/Delta Ford Mustang Dark Horse – “It’s really cool to have four cars that come out of our race shop top four in the field, so I can’t tell you how many Fords are up there in the top 10, but it’s an incredible effort by everybody. I would love to have the pole. I can’t tell you how many front row starts I’ve had at these speedway races, but it means we’ve had some exceptionally fast cars. The Menards/Delta Ford Mustang was clearly fast right off the truck and really good with repeatability between the rounds there for us, so I’m looking forward to tomorrow. A lot goes on because today is the speed piece and tomorrow is the handling piece.”

Ambetter Health 400 NASCAR Cup Series pole sitter Ryan Blaney’s post qualifying press conference at Atlanta Motor Speedway.

RYAN BLANEY, No. 12 BodyArmor Zero Sugar Ford Mustang Dark Horse – ABOUT HIS POLE POSITION WINNING LAP “This is a testimony to our whole group, Team Penske and the Wood Brothers, being top-four. This is a great job by them. Hey, my job is pretty easy today. I need to make sure I don’t hit the chip or overshift and the rest of it is just raw speed of what the teams build in them. All those folks, not just at the track but also back at the race shop, and it shows how similar all of our cars are, all being right there together. Hopefully it translates to the race tomorrow in handling and things like that. But, yeah, a pretty cool day. “

WORKING WITH HIS TEAMMATES AND HOW THE RACE WILL BE TOMORROW IF THEY CAN LINK UP “At the start, and hopefully it stays that way, but things are going to change throughout the race. It is kinda nice that, at least at the start of the race, hopefully the first stage, you can control. But it’s not going to be that way the whole race, right? You are going to get shuffled at some point. Pit strategy is going to come into play so I just need to react to that. But it is nice to all start together. Hopefully, we can control the first part of it and then go from there and find each other when we can. We do a good job of that. We have lots and lots of talks between us four and the team about how do we do this the very best that we can? Fast cars and teamwork. There is a reason you see all of us leading a bunch of laps and contending for these wins. So, yes, it is nice to be around each other at first but I want it to be that way at the end. So we will see.”

CAN YOU TELL ANY DIFFERENCE IN THE CAR WITH HOW COLD IT IS OUTSIDE AND DO YOU EXPECT ANY CHANGE TOMORROW? “No. I think my car drove fantastic. I thought my car drove better than last year in qualifying here. What does that tell me? I don’t know. I feel fine. Maybe with a little warmer temps tomorrow might change. I hope it does. It is only going to get to the 50s or so. I wish it was warmer though because then I think you would really start to see guys struggle and handling will come into play. I think with the track aging year after year, it gets a little bit better. The third lane is super accessible now. I think you are going to see that come into play. Hopefully, we are slipping and sliding around because that is what makes for pretty good racing here. We will find out. I couldn’t tell too much from two laps by myself today.”

WHAT IS IT LIKE TO RACE YOUR TEAMS FOR A WIN AND DO YOU TALK ABOUT THAT AHEAD OF TIME: “This sport is tough in that aspect of it. You want to win for yourself but you also have teammates you are racing and you want them to win for the company too. But everyone is selfish and they want to win themselves, that is just human nature. But, yeah, we talk a lot: ‘if we are in these spots at the end of these races what are the rules of engagement?’ Roger [Penske] has never said anything about ‘you are not allowed to pass this guy’. He lets us race, which is great. Essentially the rule is: don’t wreck each other. You are free to race, just don’t take each other out running one-two. It does get tough but the good thing is, if we can get three of us to the end of one of these races battling for the win then the company has a really good shot at getting a victory. Team Penske has a good shot at winning. It is tough but you just have to be careful. The biggest thing is race hard but don’t wreck each other. That is really the only rule we have.”

IS IT REASSURING TO HAVE FORDS AS TEN OF THE TOP ELEVEN QUALIFERS: “I think the Fords work pretty well together. I trust my teammates the most – like Josh and Joey and Austin the most – but that is because we are all affiliated together. But I trust the Blue Oval over a Chevy or a Toyota because that is just how the racing is. So it is reassuring when you have more Fords around you. You never know when someone is going to hang you out to dry but that’s racing. They can do what they are going to do. But it is more reassuring when you have more friendlies around you, I guess I would say, but you never know how it is going to work out.”

CORVETTE RACING AT QATAR: A Positive Prologue

By
Official Release
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TF Sport Corvettes show strong form in testing ahead of WEC opener

LUSAIL, Qatar (Feb. 22, 2025) – TF Sport’s six drivers expressed satisfaction with the team’s pair of Chevrolet Corvette Z06 GT3.Rs following the FIA World Endurance Championship’s two-day Prologue test ahead of the Qatar 1812 Km and the opening round of this year’s season-long LM GT3 title race.

The two Corvettes collectively completed 602 laps for 2,028.74 miles across the four Prologue sessions at the 3.37-mile, 16-turn Lusail International Circuit, which plays host Friday to the WEC’s first race of the year for the second consecutive season.

TF Sport was well-represented at the top portion of the combined LM GT3 time sheets following four sessions across Friday and Saturday. Corvette newcomer Jonny Edgar led the Corvette charge with the fifth-fastest time among all 54 LM GT3 drivers – a 1:55.132 (105.428 mph) lap during Saturday’s final session in the No. 33 Corvette that he will share during this season with Ben Keating and factory driver Daniel Juncadella, who was a little more than a tenth of a second off his teammate’s time.

Fellow factory pilot Charlie Eastwood wasn’t far off Edgar’s pace with a 1:55.174 (105.210 mph) lap in the final session, as well. He finished the Prologue as the 11th-fastest LM GT3 driver in the No. 81 Z06 GT3.R that he will share for the second year in a row with Rui Andrade and Tom Van Rompuy, last year’s Qatar pole-sitter in class.

The 3.37-mile, 16-turn Losail International Circuit was the site of the Corvette Z06 GT3.R’s WEC debut a year ago. Armed with the lessons learned from the venue at year ago plus a win and runner-up finish to start 2025 at Daytona, TF Sport is hoping to continue the momentum from last year’s double-podium finish at the season finale in Bahrain and spring ahead to championship contention in a stacked 18-car LM GT3 field.

TF Sport and the rest of the FIA WEC field will open the season with the Qatar 1812 Km at 2 p.m. Arabian Standard Time / 6 a.m. Eastern Time on Friday, February 28.

TF SPORT POST-PROLOGUE QUOTES

DANI JUNCADELLA, NO. 33 CHEVROLET CORVETTE Z06 GT3.R: “It’s a big difference from last year and a massive step forward. Not that we weren’t prepared last year; I think we were in a good place but unfortunately with not enough mileage in the car, the team was new… so we had to focus too much on solving little hiccups, which are expected in a brand new car. Now we are focusing 100 percent on the performance. This is the second year of the Corvette Z06 GT3.R in this championship. It’s great to see also in terms of team preparation and driver lineup… everything has taken a step forward and that’s very exciting to see.”

JONNY EDGAR, NO. 33 CHEVROLET CORVETTE Z06 GT3.R: “I’ve been enjoying things so far. Everyone seems pretty happy with the car. It’s enjoyable working with TF Sport again. Most of the people I’ve already known but I’m also getting used to working with some of the new people. Ben and Dani I’ve gotten to know more over the last few days and it’s been nice working with them. They’re obviously both very quick. It’s mine and Ben’s first time here so it took us both a little bit to get used to the track but I feel we’re both very comfortable at the end, the car was nice to drive and the days went smoothly. We tried a few things but if we had to race as we were now, we would be in a pretty good position. Now we are just trying to find the last few things to see if we can make the car even better. But it’s nothing big or major. We’re overall pretty happy.”

BEN KEATING, NO. 33 CHEVROLET CORVETTE Z06 GT3.R: “It was great to get back in the Corvette and with TF Sport. There are still some tweaks to come but I feel like I’ve made a tremendous amount of progress in two days of testing. TF Sport clearly knows what they’re doing. It feels more comfortable and at home. I love running with TF Sport. I love racing in the Corvette. It’s easy to drive, and I know I will continue to improve throughout the week. I’m still making improvements in the comfort level and ergonomics of the car in learning about it on this track. I’ve never been on this circuit so it’s been nice to have time to get up to speed during the Prologue.”

CHARLIE EASTWOOD, NO. 81 CHEVROLET CORVETTE Z06 GT3.R: “There is close to no comparison to where we were a year ago. Everyone is in a much better place… with the continuity between us as drivers, we know what we need to do. Also the team is way more well-versed with the Corvette and with the steps forward with the Z06 GT3.R since this time last year, it’s hard to compare. Ultimately we seem to be in a pretty good spot at the minute. The lineups between the two cars is going to help a lot. If anything, we (on the No. 81) were stronger last year and now the No. 33, at least on paper, is on paper the strongest lineup on the grid. We have extra data use and more people doing faster laps times that will give us a really good idea of where we are in that regard. At the minute, it’s all clean sailing for us.”

RUI ANDRADE, NO. 81 CHEVROLET CORVETTE Z06 GT3.R: “I feel really good. We have the sense as drivers that the team and Corvette Racing really put a lot of effort into the car throughout the end of last year and in the winter. The improvements are clear in both performance and reliability. There is a lot less guessing and more confidence in the package. We know we are quick. Now it’s more about maximizing things and putting those together. I wish we were at the point last year where we are now! Everything is going much more smoothly, we have a lot more control on the torque sensor side and the cars are running faultlessly. No issues and no reason to stop. Things feel really, really good. Having the kinds of drivers that we have inside the team makes us all improve.”

TOM VAN ROMPUY, NO. 81 CHEVROLET CORVETTE Z06 GT3.R: “For myself and the team, we go into the season more confident because we have a year under our belt. We went to some tracks where I had never been before, and having the miles and progression on the Corvette makes us more confident and hungry to go for nice results this year. The entire team is a nice step up from last year. We will have two really competitive cars, which is good and keeps everyone on their toes. You can learn from each other and help each other. It’s nice.”

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.

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