ELKHART LAKE, Wis., (August 19, 2024) – Flying Lizard Motorsports experienced a weekend full of ups and downs during the SRO America races at Road America. Still, the team’s perseverance paid off, resulting in two additional podiums across their four programs.
“Although we had some big challenges this weekend, we came out of Road America with podium finishes in GT4 for both our Nissan and Aston Martin programs,” said Program Manager Darren Law. We also had a very strong showing for the new BMW GT3 with extremely competitive lap times as well as a chance at a podium finish. We look to carry the momentum into the next race weekend.”
Todd Parriott’s season finally reached a milestone with his first podium finish in GT America on Saturday. Driving the No. 31 Aston Martin Vantage GT4 in mixed conditions, Parriott skillfully navigated from his fourth-place starting position to secure third place, celebrating his well-deserved, career-first SRO America podium. In race two, he started from fifth and climbed as high as third before finishing fourth, earning another top-five result.
Damir Hot and Andy Lee experienced the highs and lows of motorsport in just a few hours following a crash during GT4 America qualifying in the Nissan Z GT4. Despite the heavy damage, the Lizard crew worked quickly and efficiently, getting the car ready just in time for the race one grid, avoiding any penalties. Fueled by adrenaline, Hot and Lee executed a remarkable comeback, gaining 12 positions to finish in second place. They continued their impressive performance in race two, climbing 17 positions to finish seventh overall after starting 23rd. This back-to-back performance earned them the Hard Charger award for most positions gained in both races.
Due to feeling under the weather, Jason Bell was unable to compete in Sunday’s race two, ending what had been a disappointing weekend for the No. 2 Aston Martin Vantage GT3 driver in the Fanatec GT World Challenge. Bell had been racing in the rain for a top-five result in race one when the Aston spun in the rain and accelerated on the wet grass, ending the race early for Bell. Though the car was ready to compete Sunday morning, Bell retired early, not feeling well enough to finish the weekend.
Elias Sabo and Andy Lee enjoyed a strong debut weekend in the GT World Challenge with their newly acquired BMW M4 GT3. Despite limited track time, the duo showed strong and consistent speed, improving their understanding of the car with each lap. With a strong run from the seventh place starting position in race two, Lee worked his way up to third position in the Pro-Am class, and with a well-executed pit stop, Sabo maintained this position for the majority of his stint. Their efforts culminated in their first top-five finish of the season after finishing in fifth place.
With only two race weekends remaining in the SRO America 2024 championships, the series will head to Barber Motorsports Park in Birmingham, Alabama, from September 6-8, for a long-awaited return. For event information, visit www.gt-world-challenge-america.com.
About Flying Lizard Motorsports
Based out of Sonoma, California, Flying Lizard Motorsports is one of the most iconic sports car teams in motorsports, having celebrated ten driver and team championships, as well as competed internationally at the 24 Hours of Le Mans eight times.
The Lizards burst on the American Le Mans Series scene in 2004, competing in the GT class until 2012. In 2013, the team moved to the GTC class, still competing in legendary events such as the 12 Hours of Sebring and 24 Hours of Daytona. In 2014, the team expanded its program to include running two Audi R8 LMS in the TUDOR Championship, and in 2015, again expanded the program to include two Porsches in Porsche Club racing. Flying Lizard closed out the season with a dominating win at the 25 Hours of Thunderhill with Toyo Tires, a win they repeated in 2016, 2017, and 2018. The 2020 season proved the team’s most successful to date, earning four titles in the GT4 America championship. Flying Lizard Motorsports has proven to be a championship contender no matter the race series or race car. For more information, visit lizardms.com.
About 5.11 With offices around the globe, 5.11 ABR Corp. and its subsidiaries, including 5.11, Inc., work with end users to create purpose-built apparel, footwear and gear designed specifically to enhance the safety, accuracy, speed, and performance of tactical professionals and technical enthusiasts worldwide. 5.11 products exceed rigorous standards, which have allowed the brand to establish a reputation for innovation and authenticity, and become the premier choice for those who always have to be ready. 5.11 products can be purchased online, through authorized dealers and retailers, as well as at 5.11 company-owned retail stores.
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About Apex Motor Club
Apex Motor Club is Arizona’s premier motorsports club located just 35 miles southwest of Phoenix Sky Harbor Airport and the only private motorsports club located within a major metropolitan area. APEX is the ultimate country club for automotive enthusiasts where car culture, racing and country club lifestyles converge. Enjoy an hour of track time in your latest acquisition, drive off track, into your privately-owned garage and join like- minded enthusiasts in the clubhouse for food, beverages, and activities.
1. Denny Hamlin: Hamlin started on the pole at Michigan and finished ninth in the FireKeepers Casino 400. An early slide through the glass hurt Hamlin’s chances of earning his first win at Michigan since 2011.
“My No. 11 Toyota was primarily sponsored by Yahoo,” Hamlin said, “and primarily powered by a ‘search engine.'”
2. Tyler Reddick: Reddick assumed the lead on Lap 188 and led the rest of the way to capture the FireKeepers Casino 400, his second win of the year.
“Of course,” Reddick said, “NASCAR threw a caution when Martin Truex Jr. hit the wall with six laps to go. Truex had the car totally under control, so it didn’t even need to be a caution. If you heard me cursing over my team’s radio, I’ll give you a family-friendly translation: ‘Ba da ba ba baaa, I’m not loving it.'”
3. Kyle Larson: Larson’s day at Michigan ended when he got loose on Lap 115, triggering an accident that collected several cars. Larson finished 34th.
“As they say,” Larson said, “you can’t spell ‘aerodynamics’ without ‘damn.’ Now, I’m going to do something Austin Dillon would not, and apologize to all the drivers I wrecked.”
4. Brad Keselowski: Keselowski finished fifth at Michigan.
“I’m from Michigan,” Keselowski said, “so I know the fans wanted to see me win. And I hear they also wanted to see Jim Harbaugh as my crew chief, just so they can find out who he’d choose as his ‘spotter.'”
5. Ryan Blaney: Blaney won Stage 1 and finished 18th in the FireKeepers Casino 400 at Michigan.
“Were there two cars sponsored by Overstock?” Blaney said. “They might as well be sponsored by ‘Overkill.'”
6. Christopher Bell: Bell was collected on Lap 115 when Kyle Larson lost control and collected several cars. The damage ended Bell’s day and he finished 35th.
“Speeds at Michigan were upwards of 200 miles per hour,” Bell said, “which is approximately what Austin Dillon was doing when he ran into Joey Logano at Richmond.”
7. Chase Elliott: Elliott finished 15th at Michigan.
“That’s just a mediocre result,” Elliott said. “And not really a reason for a celebration down at the Dawsonville Pool Room. But those people don’t need a ‘cue’ to consume alcohol.”
8. William Byron: Byron took the runner-up spot at Michigan and is now 7th in the points standings.
“That was a crazy wreck by Corey LaJoie,” Byron said. “He flipped and slid on his roof for a pretty good distance. ‘Upside down’ is the operative phrase for that team, because LaJoie was ‘upside down’ on the track, and Spire Motorsports is ‘upside down’ on loans.”
9. Martin Truex Jr.: Truex saw a solid finish evaporate when he got loose and smacked the wall on Lap 194. He finished 24th.
“I think NASCAR made the right decision to take the win away from Austin Dillon,” Truex said. “NASCAR could have wimped out and done nothing. So, as it stands, only Austin Dillon is ‘chicken s$#t.'”
10. Kyle Busch: Busch finished fourth at Michigan.
“My brother Kurt was arrested on August 14th on DWI and reckless driving charges in Iredell County,” Busch said. “I can certainly relate. Look, I’ve been there, and by ‘been there,’ I mean ‘in court, pleading guilty.'”
Austin Dillon and the No. 3 Dow MobilityScience™ Chevrolet Team Continue Momentum with Strong Effort at Michigan International Speedway
Finish: 17th Start: 10th Points: 29th
“Overall it was a solid day for our Dow MobilityScience™ team at Michigan International Speedway. We ran consistently inside the top-15 for the majority of it and earned extra points in Stage 2. Justin (Alexander) used pit strategy throughout the race, but a couple of those late race cautions didn’t fall our way. Before the second overtime attempt, we came down pit road for four tires and an adjustment to free up the car. We restarted in the high line and drove back up to 17th-place. At the end of the day, our No. 3 Camaro was probably a top-10 car though. We will keep building off the speed we’ve had these last couple of weeks and race for a win next weekend at Daytona International Speedway.” -Austin Dillon
Kyle Busch and the No. 8 Lucas Oil Chevrolet Team Score Fourth-Place Finish at Michigan International Speedway
Finish: 4th Start: 13th Points: 17th
“It was a good day overall for our Lucas Oil team. We maybe needed a tick more speed, but it was a good top eight car and we got a little bit more out of that. It was a good pit strategy by Randall (Burnett) and the guys to keep our track position and keep us up front there. We took two tires at the end and that wasn’t ideal on those short restarts. We hung on though and got a top-five finish out of it. We ran inside the top-10 for the majority of the day and won a stage so that’s good for our No. 8 team.” -Kyle Busch
Photo by Stephanie McLaughlin for SpeedwayMedia.com.
Amid the loss of his racing hero Scott Bloomquist earlier in the week, Tyler Reddick rose to the occasion on two overtime attempts to win the rain-postponed FireKeepers Casino 400 at Michigan International Speedway on Monday, August 19.
The two-time NASCAR Xfinity Series champion from Corning, California, led 15 of 206 over-scheduled laps in an event where he started on the front row based on a metric formula per the NASCAR Rule Book after the event’s qualifying session was canceled due to persistent precipitation. Despite running towards the front during the event’s early stages on Sunday, he along with most of the front-runners pitted early as part of strategic call and sacrificed the first round of stage points. He then cycled his way back to fifth place before the event was delayed and eventually postponed to Monday morning due to the on-track precipitation continuing for the remainder of Sunday.
At the event’s resumption on Monday, Reddick got shuffled back towards the top-20 mark. Despite the rough start, he kept his No. 45 McDonald’s/23XI Racing Toyota Camry XSE intact as a host of his fellow competitors, including teammate Bubba Wallace, would encounter on-track incidents that spoiled their early strong starts. With pit strategies also ensuing, Reddick, who methodically carved his way back to the front, assumed the lead with 12 laps remaining following the event’s latest round of green flag pit stops.
Despite having his advantage stalled twice amid two late on-track incidents that sent the event into overtime twice, the Californian refused to surrender as he fended off William Byron during the latest overtime shootout to grab his second NASCAR Cup Series victory of the 2024 season and assume the lead in the regular-season standings.
With on-track qualifying that was set to occur on Saturday, August 17, being canceled due to weather, the starting lineup for the main event was determined through a metric formula from the NASCAR Rule Book. As a result, Denny Hamlin was awarded the pole position and he shared the front row with 23XI Racing competitor Tyler Reddick.
When the green flag waved and the event commenced amid a delay period that spanned more than two hours due to on-track precipitation, Denny Hamlin and Tyler Reddick dueled for the lead through the first two turns as the field behind fanned out to multiple lanes. Then as Hamlin and Reddick continued to duel for the lead in front of the packed field through the backstretch, Kyle Larson, who started in fourth place, gained a draft and made a three-wide pass beneath both Reddick and Hamlin to move into the lead entering Turns 3 and 4. The early advantage would allow Larson to rocket his No. 5 HendrickCars.com Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 ahead as he led the first lap while Reddick and Hamlin were being challenged by Chase Elliott and Christopher Bell for top-three spots.
Over the next four laps and with a majority of the field running in a single-file line, Larson stabilized his early advantage as he was out in front of the field by as high as four-tenths of a second. Behind, Hamlin was scored in second place ahead of Reddick and Elliott while Bell settled in fifth ahead of Bubba Wallace, Ryan Blaney, William Byron, Austin Dillon and Ross Chastain.
Through the first 10-scheduled laps, Larson retained the lead by two-tenths of a second over Hamlin, the latter of which started to close in on Larson in his No. 11 Yahoo! Toyota Camry XSE. Reddick, Elliott and Bell followed suit in the top five while Wallace, Byron, Blaney, Austin Dillon and Chastain were scored in the top 10. Behind, Chris Buescher occupied 11th place ahead of Hocevar, Daniel Suarez, Brad Keselowski and Joey Logano while Kyle Busch, Martin Truex Jr., Chase Briscoe, Alex Bowman and Austin Cindric trailed in the top 20 ahead of Ty Gibbs, Justin Haley, Noah Gragson, Erik Jones and AJ Allmendinger. Meanwhile, rookie Josh Berry, who started 16th, had plummeted to 36th place, dead last.
Ten laps later, Larson continued to lead by a tenth of a second over a hard-charging Hamlin while third-place Reddick trailed the lead by six-tenths of a second. Meanwhile, Bubba Wallace, Reddick’s teammate, trailed in fourth place by a second as he was followed by Elliott while Bell, Byron, Blaney, Buescher and Chastain were mired in the top 10 ahead of Austin Dillon, Suarez, Keselowski, Logano and Truex.
Another five laps later, a two-competitor battle for the lead between Larson and Hamlin became a four-competitor battle for the lead as 23XI Racing’s Reddick and Wallace cut their deficit to four-tenths and seven-tenths of a second while Larson retained the lead by within a tenth of a second over Hamlin. With fifth-place Elliott continuing to trail by more than a second, teammate Larson continued to fend off Hamlin’s repeated attacks through the turns and straightaways to lead by a narrow margin while Berry, who was still mired in 36th place, dead last, was lapped.
At the Lap 30 mark, Larson stabilized his lead to two-tenths of a second over Hamlin while Wallace moved his No. 23 McDonald’s Toyota Camry XSE past teammate Reddick’s No. 45 McDonald’s Toyota Camry XSE for third place. Behind, Bell overtook Elliott for fifth place as Blaney, Byron, Buescher and Chastain continued to trail in the top 10 ahead of Suarez, Austin Dillon, Keselowski, Truex and Logano.
Then on Lap 34, Wallace gained a strong run and executed a three-wide pass beneath both Hamlin and Larson through the frontstretch to assume the lead entering Turn 1. As Wallace started to pull away, Hamlin, who managed to overtake Larson for the runner-up spot, proceeded to try to keep track of Wallace while Reddick started to challenge Larson for third place.
On Lap 37, the event’s first caution period flew when Hamlin, who closed in on Wallace in his bid for the lead through Turns 3 and 4, slowly slid up the track, got loose and spun his No. 11 Yahoo! Toyota Camry XSE from the top to the bottom of the track and through the infield grass before he managed to brake his car and keep it from going back across the track and continued without sustaining any significant damage.
During the caution period, nearly the entire field led by Wallace pitted for service while the rest led by Blaney, who assumed the race lead, and including Byron, Buescher, Suarez, Brad Keselowski, Ty Gibbs and Harrison Burton remained on the track.
With the event restarting with three laps remaining in the first stage period, the field fanned out through the frontstretch as Blaney muscled ahead from the outside lane as he was followed by Buescher and Byron. As the field behind continued to fan out and jostle for spots through the backstretch, Blaney retained the lead for the following lap ahead of Buescher and Byron while Elliott started to close in in his bid for the runner-up spot.
When the first stage period concluded on Lap 45, Blaney fended off the competition amid a bevy of jostling for spots to capture his third Cup stage victory of the 2024 season. Elliott muscled his No. 9 NAPA Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 in second place ahead of teammate Byron, Wallace and Buescher while Kyle Busch, Keselowski, Martin Truex Jr., Alex Bowman and Ross Chastain were scored in the top 10. By then, all 36 starters were scored on the lead lap.
Under the stage break, some led by the leader Blaney and including Byron, Buescher, Keselowski, Suarez, Ty Gibbs and Harrison Burton, all of whom remained on the track during the previous caution period, pitted for their first service of the day while the rest led by the new leader Elliott remained on the track.
Then after having the start of the second stage period waved off multiple times due to on-track precipitation steadily returning to the Michigan circuit, the field led by Elliott was directed back to pit road and placed in a red flag period on Lap 51.
With the rain delay period occurring beyond 6 p.m. ET and no sight of relief being detected before the day’s darkness scheduled at 8:20 p.m. ET, NASCAR postponed the remainder of the event to Monday, August 19. By then, Elliott was still scored the leader while Truex, Wallace, Bowman, Reddick, Kyle Busch, Larson, Chastain, Chase Briscoe and Logano were scored in the top 10, respectively.
Nearing 11 a.m. ET on Monday and with the weather clear from Sunday’s precipitation, the red flag lifted and the field led by Elliott returned under a cautious pace. During the pace laps, Hamlin spent time in his pit stall to have his car inspected due to Sunday’s spin as he dropped to the rear of the field.
The second stage period started on Lap 55 as Elliott and Kyle Busch occupied the front row. At the start, Elliott received a shove from Wallace on the outside lane to emerge ahead by a slight margin before Busch fought back from the inside lane. As the field fanned out through the first two turns and the backstretch while Reddick slipped out of the top-10 mark, Elliott retained the lead from Busch, Wallace and Truex while Chase Briscoe followed suit in fifth.
Then on Lap 57 and with a variety of on-track battles ensuing around the field, Busch executed a move beneath Elliott and proceeded to slide in front of Elliott to lead for the first time in his No. 8 Lucas Oil Chevrolet Camaro ZL1. With Busch leading, Elliott retained second while Briscoe overtook Wallace and Truex for third place as Bell and Chastain joined the battle. With Wallace, Briscoe, Truex, Bell, Larson and Chastain all battling for third place amid the draft, Busch retained the lead by a tenth of a second over Elliott, who settled behind Busch’s rear bumper, by Lap 60.
Six laps later, Truex, who navigated his way past Wallace and Elliott to move up to second earlier, drew his No. 19 Auto-Owners Insurance Toyota Camry XSE into a side-by-side battle with Busch for the lead through the frontstretch before he muscled ahead of Busch with the top spot entering Turn 1. Behind, Elliott overtook Busch for the runner-up spot and proceeded to track Truex for the lead while both Wallace and Larson started to close in on the top-three leaders. With Wallace overtaking Busch for third place shortly after, Truex led the Lap 70 mark by two-tenths of a second over Elliott.
By Lap 80, Truex stabilized his advantage to four-tenths of a second over Elliott while Wallace, Larson and Busch all trailed in the top five within two seconds. In the process, Bell, Byron, Chastain, Logano and Bowman followed suit in the top 10. With Austin Cindric scrubbing the outside wall entering the frontstretch, but continuing while battling Ricky Stenhouse Jr. for a top-20 spot, the race remained under green flag conditions.
Four laps later, Wallace pitted his No. 23 McDonald’s Toyota Camry XSE for four fresh tires and a full tank of fuel under green. Teammate Reddick, who was mired within the top 15 amid his rough start to the second stage period, would also pit before Larson pitted during the following lap. Elliott would then pit his No. 9 NAPA Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 under green along with Noah Gragson by Lap 87 before Chastain, Bowman, Corey LaJoie, Chris Buescher, Chase Briscoe, Michael McDowell, Ricky Stenhouse Jr. and Ryan Preece followed suit during the next three laps. Amid the pit stops, Truex retained the lead by the Lap 90 mark.
Just past the Lap 90 mark, Busch and Byron pitted their respective Chevrolets after running towards the front before the leader Truex and teammate Bell pitted on Lap 92. AJ Allmendinger, Harrison Burton, Josh Berry and Todd Gilliland would also pit their respective entries while Blaney cycled into the lead ahead of teammate Logano, Ty Gibbs, Brad Keselowski and Daniel Hemric. Logano and Hemric would then pit on Lap 95 as Blaney retained the lead. Meanwhile and with more competitors pitting under green, Larson, the first competitor with fresh tires, cycled his way up to ninth place while Wallace, Truex, Elliott, Chastain, Byron and Busch followed suit.
At the halfway mark on Lap 100, Blaney, who pitted during the first stage break period on Sunday and continued to stretch his fuel tank as far as possible, pitted under green along with rookie Carson Hocevar as Ty Gibbs cycled into the lead. With Gibbs leading, Keselowski, Austin Dillon, Larson and Truex were in the top five while Wallace, Elliott, Hamlin, Chastain and Byron were running in the top 10. Austin Dillon would then pit during the following lap along with the leader Gibbs as Keselowski cycled into the lead. Keselowski would then pit from the lead by Lap 103 along with Hamlin, which allowed Larson to cycle back into the lead on four fresh tires and fuel.
On Lap 106, a brief side-by-side battle for the lead ignited between Larson and Truex, with the latter attempting to surge ahead from the inside lane, but the former was able to muscle back ahead from the outside lane.
Then on Lap 109, during which Larson maintained a steady advantage over Truex amid a brief side-by-side challenge, the caution flew due to a right-rear tire carcass coming off of Logano’s No. 22 Shell/Pennzoil Ford Mustang Dark Horse as Logano was limping his car below the apron to pit road from Turn 4. In the process, AJ Allmendinger spun his No. 16 LeafFilter Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 through the frontstretch with a flat left-rear tire before he came to rest below the apron entering Turn 1 and would need a wrecker to have his car towed back to pit road due to the driver flat-spotting all tires. The tire issues for both Allmendinger and Logano occurred after Gilliland limped his Ford to pit road as he too had a flat right-rear tire.
During the caution period, a majority of the field led by Larson returned to pit road for service while the rest led by Ross Chastain remained on the track.
With the race restarting with five laps remaining in the second stage period, where Chastain and Busch occupied the front row, the two leaders dueled for the lead through the first two turns before Busch rocketed ahead of Chastain and maintained the lead while the field behind fanned out. Shortly after, the caution returned when Larson, who was running in ninth place and trying to carve his way back to the front, slid up the track, got sideways and spun in between Turns 3 and 4, where his car slid up towards the outside wall and was hit by Wallace while more names including Buescher, Bell, Briscoe, Logano and Gilliland all wrecked in Turn 4, with Larson sustaining the most damage to the front end of his No. 5 HendrickCars.com Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 and taking him out of contention. Bell, Gilliland and Logano would also be eliminated from further competition while Wallace and Buescher, two Playoff bubble drivers, continued.
The multi-car incident was enough for the second stage period scheduled to conclude on Lap 120 to conclude under caution as Kyle Busch captured his first Cup stage victory of the 2024 season. Chastain settled in second ahead of Gibbs, Byron and Austin Dillon while Keselowski, Truex, Erik Jones, Blaney and Cody Ware were scored in the top 10.
During the stage break, select names led by Chastain pitted while the rest led by the leader Busch remained on the track.
With 75 laps remaining, the final stage commenced as Busch and Byron occupied the front row. At the start, Busch and Byron dueled for the lead for a full lap as Keselowski, Gibbs, Blaney and Austin Dillon followed suit. With Busch leading the following lap, Byron then would muscle his No. 24 RAPTOR Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 into the lead by the first two turns and he would lead the next lap period as the field behind fanned out and jostled for late spots around the corners and straightaways.
With less than 70 laps remaining, Ty Gibbs, who carved his way into second place earlier, started to ignite his challenge for the lead on Byron, though the latter retained the top spot by a tenth of a second through the turns and straightaways. Byron would proceed to stabilize his advantage to less than three-tenths of a second over Gibbs with 65 laps remaining while Keselowski, Kyle Busch and Blaney followed suit in the top five.
Just then, the caution returned when Corey LaJoie, who gained a strong draft on Noah Gragson while battling for a top-20 spot, made light contact with Gragson that sent LaJoie spinning sideways before his No. 7 Garner Trucking Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 went airborne and landed upside-down, where the car slid on its roof through the backstretch’s infield and even hit the infield wall before flipping once and coming to rest on all four wheels towards the infield grass. Amid the wild wreck, LaJoie, who slid on his side before flipping over once at the conclusion of Talladega Superspeedway event in April, emerged uninjured. During the caution period, some led by Busch pitted while the rest led by Byron remained on the track.
The start of the next restart period with 59 laps remaining featured Byron and Keselowski, who moved up to restart on the front row amid the choose rule, dueling for the lead in close-quarters racing through the first two turns before Elliott made a bold move beneath both to move into the lead entering the backstretch. With the field fanning out to multiple lanes through the backstretch, Elliott maintained the lead ahead of teammate Byron while Keselowski, Gibbs and Reddick were up in the top five.
With 50 laps remaining, Elliott was leading by six-tenths of a second over Keselowski followed by Gibbs, Reddick and Byron as Blaney, Truex, Busch, Buescher and Suarez trailed in the top 10. Behind, Chastain was scored in 11th place ahead of Bowman, Hocevar, Gragson and Austin Dillon while Erik Jones, Hamlin, Stenhouse, rookie Zane Smith and Preece occupied the top-20 spots ahead of Burton, Berry, Cody Ware, Hemric, McDowell and Wallace, all of whom were scored on the lead lap.
Four laps later, Byron peeled off the track from a top-five spot to pit his No. 24 RAPTOR Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 for enough fuel to reach the event’s scheduled distance. Another two laps later, Truex pitted under green before Bowman would pit his No. 48 Ally Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 not long after. In the process, Gibbs started to close in on Elliott for the lead while third-place Reddick tried to close in.
With 40 laps remaining, Reddick, who overtook Gibbs for the runner-up spot, proceeded to overtake Elliott for the lead. With Reddick leading, Gibbs and Keselowski pitted their respective entries under green before the leader Reddick, Elliott and Blaney pitted under green with 38 laps remaining. Amid the pit stops, Busch cycled his way into the lead and he would proceed to lead with 35 laps remaining while Chastain, Buscher, Suarez, Hocevar and Austin Dillon were scored in the top six. A lap later, however, Busch pitted from the lead under green, where he only opted for two fresh tires, as Suarez cycled into the lead, where the latter would continue to lead with 30 laps remaining.
Down to the final 25 laps of the event, Hocevar was leading ahead of Stenhouse, Burton, Preece and Erik Jones while Berry, Gragson, Hemric, Cody Ware and McDowell were scored in the top 10. With the top-10 competitors on the track needing to pit, Busch, the first competitor who recently pitted, was trying to fend off Reddick for 11th place and the eventual lead while Byron, Elliott, Gibbs, Truex and Keselowski followed suit.
Not long after, the leader Hocevar along with Gragson and Preece pitted under green as both Reddick and Byron overtook Busch on the track. By then, Suarez had pitted a few laps earlier as Stenhouse assumed the lead. Stenhouse would then pit from the lead as Burton cycled into the lead, where he would lead with 20 laps remaining.
Then with 16 laps remaining, Burton surrendered the lead to pit his No. 21 Motocraft/Quick Lane Ford Mustang Dark Horse under green. By then, Hemric and Ware had pitted as Berry, the lone competitor who has yet to pit, cycled into the lead. Once Berry pitted his No. 4 Overstock.com Ford Mustang Dark Horse under green with 13 laps remaining, Reddick cycled his No. 45 McDonald’s Toyota Camry XSE into the lead, where he was leading by less than two seconds over Byron.
Down to the final 10 laps of the event, Reddick was out in front by two seconds over Byron while Gibbs, Truex and Busch trailed in the top five ahead of Keselowski, Elliott, Blaney, Hamlin and McDowell. Meanwhile, Chastain, Hocevar, Buescher, Zane Smith and Austin Dillon trailed in the top 15 ahead of Suarez, Stenhouse, Burton, Erik Jones and Berry.
Four laps later, the caution flew when Truex, who was running in fourth place, had an incident in Turn 4, as Reddick’s steady advantage over Byron evaporated. During the caution period, some led by Buescher pitted while the rest, including Reddick and the front-runners, remained on the track. Amid the caution period, the event was sent into overtime.
The start of the first overtime period did not last long as Chastain, who was racing close towards the top-10 mark, got loose amid stacked conditions and spun in front of Zane Smith before he continued to spin through the infield backstretch and came to rest within the infield grass. Chastain’s spin occurred after Bowman had smacked the backstretch’s outside wall. Despite Chastain continuing and the rest of the field avoiding him, the event was sent into a second overtime attempt as Byron, who despite was told was low on fuel, emerged with the lead over Reddick from the inside lane.
The start of the second overtime attempt featured Byron and Reddick dueling for the lead until Reddick, who this time restarted on the inside lane and beneath Byron, muscled ahead entering the backstretch after he received a draft from Ty Gibbs. With Reddick leading, Byron then tried to use the draft to gain a run and overtake Reddick entering Turn 3, but Reddick retained the top spot as Gibbs closed in from third place.
When the white flag waved and the final lap started, Reddick remained as the leader by a narrow margin over Byron and Gibbs. Reddick then created a small gap between himself and Byron through the first two turns before entering the backstretch. With Byron closing back in through Turns 3 and 4, he was not able to get to Reddick’s rear bumper entering the frontstretch as Reddick proceeded to claim the checkered flag by a tenth of a second over Byron.
With the victory, Tyler Reddick notched his seventh career win in the NASCAR Cup Series level, his first at Michigan and his second of the 2024 season, with his previous victory occurring at Talladega Superspeedway in April. As a result, he became the sixth competitor to notch multiple victories of the 2024 season while also delivering the second victory for 23XI Racing and the eighth for Toyota nameplate. With Reddick delivering Toyota’s first Cup victory at Michigan since 2015, he snapped Ford’s nine-race winning streak at the manufacturer’s backyard in the Irish Hills that starts in 2018.
Photo by Tim Jarrold for SpeedwayMedia.com.
During his victory celebrations, Reddick, who is the new leader in the regular-season standings, dedicated his win to Scott Bloomquist, a dirt track and late models legend who was a mentor to Reddick and died in a plane accident three days ago.
“Just great teammate and fantastic push by Ty Gibbs [on the last restart],” Reddick said on USA Network. “That’s what it’s all about. The Toyota Racing family tries to take care of each other. It’s been really cool, but I can’t help it but sit here in Victory Lane and think of Scott Bloomquist. [He was a] Huge mentor to me and incredible role model and legend of dirt racing and motorsports. The last couple of days have been tough and this [win] really helps it and so, this win, I think, should go for him and his family, his friends and all that meant a lot to him…We did a really, really good job today and rebounded from [a bad restart earlier]. I think we were one of the last cars on the lead lap [during the] start of Stage 3, so great effort for us.”
William Byron had enough fuel to finish in second place and rally from finishing outside the top 10 during his last two races while Ty Gibbs rallied from a three-race slump to finish in third place for his sixth top-five result of the season and to remain above the top-16 cutline in the Playoff standings by 39 points in his efforts to make the 2024 Cup Series Playoffs.
I’ll relive that restart and what lane to choose overnight, for sure,” Byron, who ended up losing the lead and the race overall from restarting on the outside lane during the final overtime attempt, said. “It seems like always as the leader, you want to take the top [lane], but I’ve gotten beat twice here by the bottom [lane] and I have the lead on the bottom barely over [Reddick]. He had a better can than us. He was a little bit faster. Second sucks, but really proud of the effort, though. I feel like I’ve been trying to put weeks together like this and this is really good step. Everyone did a great job on the team. Strategy was awesome, car was awesome all day and really proud of the team.”
“I feel like we definitely were in contention [for the win], for sure,” Gibbs added. “I needed to get up sooner off of [Turn] 2 to clear [Byron]. Just missed it by a little bit. Then after that, it takes a lap to get wound back up after you lose momentum. I appreciate my guys bring me a great car. Definitely a little frustrating, but we’ll take it. It’s a good day and thanks to everybody that helps my program out.”
Kyle Busch, who led 24 laps and won the second stage period, finished in fourth place for his first top-five finish since finishing fourth at Dover Motor Speedway in April, though he remains 93 points below the top-16 cutline, while Michigan native Brad Keselowski finished in the top five on the track.
Chris Buescher, rookie Zane Smith, Daniel Suarez, Denny Hamlin and rookie Carson Hocevar completed the top 10 in the final running order. The sixth-place run was enough for Buescher to remain above the top-16 cutline by 16 points.
Notably, Chase Elliott finished 15th after leading 29 laps, Austin Dillon ended up 17th ahead of Ryan Blaney and Martin Truex Jr. fell back to 24th, though he remains above the top-16 cutline by 77 points. In addition, Ross Chastain and Bubba Wallace finished 25th and 26th, respectively. As a result, Chastain holds sole possession of the 16th and final transfer spot into the Playoffs by a single point over Wallace with two regular-season events remaining on the schedule.
There were 26 lead changes for 16 different leaders. The race featured seven cautions for 41 laps. In addition, 24 of 36 starters finished on the lead lap.
Following the 24th event of the 2024 Cup Series season, Tyler Reddick leads the regular-season standings by 10 points over Chase Elliott, 28 over Denny Hamlin and 32 over Kyle Larson in his pursuit for his first Cup Series Regular Season Championship.
Results.
1. Tyler Reddick, 15 laps led
2. William Byron, 20 laps led
3. Ty Gibbs, two laps led
4. Kyle Busch, 24 laps led, Stage 2 winner
5. Brad Keselowski, two laps led
6. Chris Buescher
7. Zane Smith
8. Daniel Suarez, seven laps led
9. Denny Hamlin
10. Carson Hocevar
11. Ryan Preece
12. Noah Gragson
13. Ricky Stenhouse Jr., two laps led
14. Harrison Burton, five laps led
15. Chase Elliott, 29 laps led
16. Erik Jones
17. Austin Dillon
18. Ryan Blaney, 18 laps led, Stage 1 winner
19. Michael McDowell
20. Justin Haley
21. Cody Ware
22. Josh Berry, four laps led
23. Daniel Hemric
24. Martin Truex Jr., 28 laps led
25. Ross Chastain, one lap down, four laps led
26. Bubba Wallace, one lap down, five laps led
27. Alex Bowman, one lap down
28. Austin Cindric, two laps down
29. John Hunter Nemechek, four laps down
30. AJ Allmendinger, six laps down
31. Chase Briscoe – OUT, Suspension
32. Corey LaJoie – OUT, Accident
33. Joey Logano – OUT, Accident
34. Kyle Larson – OUT, Accident, 41 laps led
35. Christopher Bell – OUT, Accident
36. Todd Gilliland – OUT, Accident
Next on the 2024 NASCAR Cup Series schedule is the Coke Zero Sugar 400 at Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Florida. The event is scheduled to occur next Saturday, August 24, and air at 7:30 p.m. ET on NBC.
With two regular-season events remaining on the 2024 NASCAR Cup Series schedule, Kyle Busch rallied from a difficult summer stretch to maintain his Playoff qualification hopes by achieving a strong top-five result in the form of a fourth-place finish in the rain-postponed FireKeepers Casino 400 at Michigan International Speedway on Monday, August 19.
The two-time Cup Series champion from Las Vegas, Nevada, rolled off the starting grid in 13th place based on a random draw after the event’s qualifying session was canceled and determined through a metric formula from the NASCAR Rule Book. Through early mixed strategies, Busch, who initially was battling within the top 15 and 20 marks, netted five stage points at the conclusion of the first stage period by finishing in sixth place. Then just as he was set to restart inside the top 10 for the start of the second stage period, the event was delayed and postponed to Monday due to a steady increase of precipitation that canceled the remainder of on-track actions on Sunday.
Returning back to action on Monday, Busch moved up to restart alongside the leader Chase Elliott as part of the Choose Rule for the start of the second stage period on Lap 55. It would then only take two laps for the Las Vegas native to move his No. 8 Lucas Oil Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 into the lead, where he officially led for the first time on Lap 58. He would lead the next seven laps before he was overtaken by Martin Truex Jr.
While continuing to run towards the front throughout the second stage period, Busch, who was among a handful of competitors to remain on the track as part of a strategic call before a five-lap shootout to conclude the second stage period, would emerge ahead of Ross Chastain and retain the lead for a full lap before the caution returned for a multi-car wreck in Turn 4. With the second stage period officially concluding under caution, Busch proceeded to capture his first elusive stage victory of the 2024 season and grab both 10 stage points and a Playoff point towards his efforts to make the Playoffs.
As the race proceeded into the final stage period, Busch, who kept his car intact, pitted under green from inside the top 10 with less than 35 laps remaining amid a late cycle of green flag pit stops. With crew chief Randall Burnett opting for a two-tire pit call to give Busch an on-track advantage, the pit call initially worked to their advantage as Busch emerged as the highest-running competitor on the track who recently pitted. In the closing laps, however, he was overtaken by eventual winner Tyler Reddick and William Byron on the track.
Amid two overtime shootouts, Busch, who restarted in sixth place during the latest shootout, steered his way to a fourth-place finish for his third top-five result of the 2024 season, his first since finishing fourth at Dover Motor Speedway in late April and his 10th in 36 Cup starts overall at Michigan.
With the top-five finish, Busch, who came into Michigan 122 points below the top-16 cutline towards the Playoff standings, is 97 points behind with two regular-season events remaining on the 2024 schedule as he strives to make the Cup Series Playoffs for the 17th time in his career and second in a row driving for Richard Childress Racing.
“I wish I came out [of pit road] with about an eight-second lead. That might’ve helped a little bit,” Busch said on USA Network. “Overall, just net positive on the weekend and being better speed and upfront and having a shot anyways, but we ran top 10 all day. So really good call by [crew chief] Randall [Burnett] and the guys to get us that two tires, get us that more track position and just try to hold [the leaders] off as best we could. Overall, net good day.”
While Busch continues to pursue his first race victory of the 2024 season, which would extend his current race-winning streak to 20 consecutive seasons, the top-five result left him both pleased and optimistic about the recent competitiveness being generated from Richard Childress Racing that would enable Busch and his No. 8 Chevrolet team to win one or both of the remaining regular-season events on the schedule and automatically qualify for the 2024 Playoffs.
“This is how we would expect to run, this is how we want to run,” Busch added. “We want to run up front, top 10s and have opportunities to excel. Good pit calls helped us to be able to do that and just making a couple good moves on those late restarts right there that got us that. Nothing can translate from today into Daytona or Darlington set-up wise, vehicle dynamics, that sort of stuff, but good momentum rolling in the right direction. Just keep that going.”
Kyle Busch’s quest to make the 2024 NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs continues next Saturday, August 24, at Daytona International Speedway for the Coke Zero Sugar 400, with the event’s broadcast time to commence at 7:30 p.m. ET on NBC.
STEWART-HAAS RACING FireKeepers Casino 400 Date: Aug. 18-19, 2024 Event: FireKeepers Casino 400 (Round 24 of 36) Series: NASCAR Cup Series Location: Michigan International Speedway in Brooklyn (2-mile oval) Format: 200 laps, broken into three stages (45 laps/75 laps/80 laps)
Note 1: The race’s first 51 laps were run on Sunday, but rain forced the remainder of the race to be run on Monday. Note 2: Race extended six laps past its scheduled 200-lap distance due to a green-white-checkered finish.
Race Winner: Tyler Reddick of 23XI Racing (Toyota) Stage 1 Winner: Ryan Blaney of Team Penske (Ford) Stage 2 Winner: Kyle Busch of Richard Childress Racing (Chevrolet)
● Chase Briscoe (18th with 491 points, 323 out of first) ● Josh Berry (23rd with 427 points, 387 out of first) ● Noah Gragson (24th with 425 points, 389 out of first) ● Ryan Preece (26th with 387 points, 447 out of first)
SHR Notes:
● Preece earned his seventh top-15 of the season and his second top-15 in seven career NASCAR Cup Series starts at Michigan. ● Gragson earned his 12th top-15 of the season and his first top-15 in two career NASCAR Cup Series starts at Michigan. ● Gragson has finished among the top-20 in five of the last six NASCAR Cup Series races. ● Berry led once for four laps – his first laps led at Michigan.
Race Notes:
● Tyler Reddick won the FireKeepers Casino 400 to score his seventh career NASCAR Cup Series victory, his second of the season and his first at Michigan. His margin of victory over second-place William Byron was .168 of a second. ● There were seven caution periods for a total of 41 laps. ● Twenty-four of the 36 drivers in the race finished on the lead lap. ● Reddick leaves Michigan as the new championship leader with a 10-point advantage over second-place Chase Elliott.
Sound Bites:
“I think it was a good ending. I didn’t think we were going to finish 11th today. I think if everything went our way, maybe we could’ve finished 16th, 17th, so that was a net gain for us. Certainly we have some strengths. We’ve made gains, we’ve just got to continue to make gains on those weak areas, but I feel like we’re getting closer. Hopefully, these final 12 (races) we can finish out on a positive note.” – Ryan Preece, driver of the No. 41 United Rentals Ford Mustang Dark Horse
“I got kind of lucky there with that caution at the end and put tires on. It was a good rebound. We just struggled with the balance all day. It was super tight, and then we got on the other side of it and it started getting loose. Yeah, we kind of struggled all weekend. We’ll go back to the shop and look over everything and see where we can make gains and figure out how to be better for the future.” – Noah Gragson, driver of the No. 10 Overstock.com Ford Mustang Dark Horse
“This weekend was tough. We just missed it on the setup and had to work on it to try to get better. We started really loose and struggled to get tightened up, but Rodney (Childers, crew chief) and the team did a good job trying to get the No. 4 Overstock.com Ford Mustang Dark Horse in a better spot. It just didn’t work out this weekend. We will fight hard in Daytona.” – Josh Berry, driver of the No. 4 Overstock.com Ford Mustang Dark Horse
“I don’t know, we were kind of ripping around the very top and then all of a sudden everybody just started spinning out up ahead of us. I don’t know what happened, to be honest with you.” – Chase Briscoe, driver of the No. 14 HighPoint.com Ford Mustang Dark Horse
Next Up:
The next event on the NASCAR Cup Series schedule is the Coke Zero Sugar 400 on Saturday, Aug. 24 at Daytona (Fla.) International Speedway. The race begins at 7:30 p.m. EDT with live coverage provided by NBC and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.
Per the rulebook, Daniel Hemric started the FireKeepers Casino 400 in 32nd, after qualifying was canceled at Michigan International Speedway, due to inclement weather.
Despite handling a touch tight in traffic, Hemric made his way into the top 25 and up to 23rd by lap 38, before the first caution of the day came out. Crew chief Trent Owens made the call to pit under caution for four tires and fuel, before restarting 26th with three laps to go in the stage. Hemric finished the opening stage in 25th place.
Hemric stayed out during the stage break and was set to restart 18th, before the race was red-flagged for weather. When the race resumed on Monday, Hemric elected not to pit and restarted 16th. After falling back to 22nd, Hemric radioed that the No. 31 Poppy Bank Chevy was tighter than when the race started on Sunday. As the green-flag pit stops began, Hemric made it as high as fifth place, before making a scheduled pit stop on lap 94 for four tires and fuel. Once the green-flag stops were complete, Hemric sat 21st, before avoiding three cars with cut tires, which brought out the caution. Hemric pitted under caution from 18th place for tires and fuel and restarted in 21st on lap 115. A wreck on the following lap brought out another caution, and Hemric was forced to the grass to avoid the wreck. The second stage ended under caution, and Hemric finished 24th.
During the second stage break, Hemric came down pit road twice to clean off the grille and work on the damaged splitter, followed by a third trip to top off with fuel. He restarted 26th on lap 126. After making up six spots on the restart, the next caution came out just 10 laps later. Hemric pitted for four tires and fuel, before restarting 20th on lap 141. As the final green-flag stops began, Hemric made it as high as third place before making his final, green-flag stop for right-side tires and fuel with 19 laps remaining. The race stayed green until six laps to go. Owens made the call to pit for fresh tires and an adjustment to finish out the race, and Hemric restarted 23rd with two laps remaining. The field went just one lap, before another, overtime-inducing wreck brought out the yellow. Hemric narrowly avoided the spinning No. 1 car and sat 18th for the second overtime attempt and went on to finish 23rd.
“We showed a lot of speed and potential throughout the weekend. Unfortunately, after avoiding a wreck at the end of stage two and driving through the grass, the splitter got messed up and grass got into the air box, so we just didn’t have the speed or power we had in the first two stages of the race.” – Daniel Hemric
AJ ALLMENDINGER No. 16 LeafFilter Gutter Protection Camaro ZL1
Per the rulebook, AJ Allmendinger started the FireKeepers Casino 400 in 35th, after qualifying was canceled at Michigan International Speedway, due to inclement weather.
The No. 16 LeafFilter Gutter Protection Chevy quickly moved through the field, gaining 10 spots in the first 10 laps. On lap 18, Allmendinger was scored in 24th and reported the car fired off tight. Seven laps later, Allmendinger was running in 22nd and reported that the overall balance of the car was good, but he needed more confidence in the rear. The team came to pit road for four tires, fuel and a wedge adjustment during the caution on lap 39. Allmendinger went on to finish the opening stage in 18th.
Allmendinger stayed out at the stage break to gain track position and was scored in 13th. Due to weather, the cars were brought to pit road and the remainder of the race was postponed until Monday. When the race resumed, Allmendinger restarted in 13th for the second stage. By lap 82, he reported his car was tighter than it was on Sunday and he had more rear security. As leaders began to pit under green, the No. 16 stayed on track until lap 92, when he came to pit road from sixth place for four tires and fuel. By lap 104, Allmendinger was back up to 13th place. On lap 108, the No. 16, as well as two other cars, cut a tire, and the caution came out for debris. After needing to be towed to pit road, Allmendinger was four laps down and went on to finish the second stage in 32nd.
Allmendinger restarted the third stage in 32nd. The team battled the handling of the No. 16 LeafFilter Gutter Protection Chevy for the remainder of the race, and Allmendinger went on to finish 30th.
“We had a really good No. 16 LeafFilter Gutter Protection Chevy this weekend. That was a lot of fun to drive, until we cut a tire. Proud of my guys for all their effort. We’re going to keep working hard to bring competitive cars to the track every weekend.” – AJ Allmendinger
About Kaulig Racing
Kaulig Racing™ is a full-time, multi-car NASCAR Cup Series (NCS) and NASCAR Xfinity Series (NXS) team, owned by award winning entrepreneur, Matt Kaulig. Established in 2016, Kaulig Racing™ has earned 23 NXS wins, made the NXS Playoffs consecutively each season since the playoff system started, and won two regular-season championships. In 2021, the team competed in select NCS events, before expanding to a two-car, full-time NCS team in 2022 and adding a third, part-time entry during the 2023 season. Since its first NCS start in 2021, the team has earned two wins. Kaulig Racing is currently fielding two full-time entries in the NCS and continues to field three full-time NXS entries, with a part-time fourth entry at select events. To learn more about the team, visit kauligracing.com.
REDDICK CLAIMS FIRST MICHIGAN WIN, DELIVERS HERTIAGE TROPHY TO TOYOTA With the victory, Reddick takes over the points lead for the first time in his career
BROOKLYN, Mich. (August 19, 2024) – Tyler Reddick had as strong Toyota Camry XSE late in the running of the rain-delayed NASCAR Cup Series race in Michigan International Speedway and had a great overtime restart to score the victory. It is Reddick’s second victory of the season, and his seventh straight top-six finish. With the win, Reddick has taken over the points lead for the first time in his NASCAR Cup Series career. It is also the first time that 23XI Racing has ever led the NASCAR Cup Series standings.
Ty Gibbs (third) had a strong run and finished third overall and helped Reddick to the win with a great push on the final restart. With the finish, Gibbs expanded his advantage over the cutline to 39 points.
Toyota Post-Race Recap NASCAR Cup Series (NCS) Michigan International Speedway Race 24 of 36 – 200 Laps, 400 Miles
TOYOTA FINISHING POSITIONS
1st, TYLER REDDICK 2nd, William Bryon* 3rd, TY GIBBS 4th, Kyle Busch* 5th, Brad Keselowski* 9th, DENNY HAMLIN 16th, ERIK JONES 24th, MARTIN TRUEX JR. 26th, BUBBA WALLACE 29th, JOHN HUNTER NEMECHEK 35th, CHRISTOPHER BELL *non-Toyota driver
TOYOTA QUOTES
TYLER REDDICK, No. 45 McDonald’s Toyota Camry XSE, 23XI Racing
Finishing Position: 1st
Can you talk about how you got to the front?
“We went into Sunday night kind of scratching our heads on our McDonald’s Toyota Camry. Everyone at 23XI did a really good job. We had a good mindset coming into today on what we need. I love running high, and I couldn’t yesterday. I knew that it was important for us to work on that coming into the race today. The group did a really good job at that, and we made great adjustments. Honestly, going into stage three we had a tough go of it on pit road, but they had a great catch. Great way to get redemption from one year ago here.”
Can you talk about that last restart and how you were able to get the advantage? “Well I was pretty pissed. The caution came out with five or six to go, and then William (Bryon) did a really good job of staying with me on the bottom with Brad (Keselowski) closing in when he did. I had to be more focused on him than side drafting William. He got control of it there. I’m really thankful for Ty Gibbs. Great teammate. The Toyota Racing family took care of each other today, that’s for sure.”
You are the points leader now. What does that mean for momentum?
“We are going to go to Daytona, and hopefully don’t crash. Last time we were there, we won the Duels, so hoping to walk away from Daytona with the points lead. If we can do that, it will set us up really good to close it out in Darlington.”
What does it mean to you to deliver the Heritage Trophy to Toyota?
“They dump so much into this sport and really just elevates all of the Toyota Camrys on the race track. They believe in me. They believe in Denny (Hamlin), Michael Jordan – the vision of this race team. It is just really great to have their cooperation and support. One final thing as well. It is really cool to get to victory lane today. Just thinking of Scott Bloomquist and his family and his friends. I think this one should be dedicated to him. He has meant a lot to me. He’s one of those that played a huge role in getting me to this stage. I wouldn’t be here without him,”
TY GIBBS, No. 54 Monster Energy Toyota Camry XSE, Joe Gibbs Racing
Finishing Position: 3rd
Can you walk me through the final restart? “Yeah, I feel like we definitely were in contention for sure. I needed to get up sooner off of two to clear the 24 (William Bryon). Just missed it by a little bit. After that, it takes a lap to get momentum. I appreciate my guys bringing me a great car, Interstate Batteries, Monster Energy, Toyota. Thank you to everybody that’s a part of this deal. Definitely a little frustrating, but we’ll take it. It was a good day. Thanks to everybody that helps my program out.”
You came into this race 18 points above the cut line. You leave 39 points above the cut line heading to Daytona. Does that make you sleep better?
“Yeah, for sure. It definitely is good to have a good points day.
Definitely wish we could have won and locked ourselves in. Winning usually takes care of everything. Thankful to be here and thankful to have a good day.”
CHRISTOPHER BELL, No. 20 Rheem Toyota Camry XSE, Joe Gibbs Racing
Finishing Position: 35th
What did you see that got you in this incident?
“Yeah, I just saw (Kyle) Larson started to spin, and you are so bunched up it is hard to get everybody to slow down at the same time, and I was just caught up in a wreck in our Rheem Camry.”
Did you see the wreck start? “Yeah, I saw him (Kyle Larson) spin, and we were so bunched up that once one car gets sideways, there is not much that you can do.”
Was there nowhere to go?
“Yeah, I started slowing up, and if I remember right, someone else got turned from behind me, and slid into me. Just a product of restarts.”
About Toyota
Toyota (NYSE:TM) has been a part of the cultural fabric in North America for more than 65 years, and is committed to advancing sustainable, next-generation mobility through our Toyota and Lexus brands, plus our more than 1,800 dealerships.
Toyota directly employs more than 63,000 people in North America who have contributed to the design, engineering, and assembly of nearly 47 million cars and trucks at our 12 manufacturing plants. By 2025, Toyota’s 13th plant in North Carolina will begin to manufacture automotive batteries for electrified vehicles. With more electrified vehicles on the road than any other automaker, Toyota currently offers 29 electrified options.
Jame Sofronas Celebrates Professional Racing Debut 30 Years Ago at Road America with First GT America Powered by AWS Race Win of the Season Sunday in the No. 14 GMG Racing Audi R8 LMS GT3 EVO2
Kyle Washington and Tom Sargent Charge to a Second-Place Pro-Am Fanatec GT World Challenge Powered by AWS Finish Saturday in the No. 32 GMG Racing Porsche 911 GT3 R
ELKHART LAKE, Wisconsin (August 19, 2024) – GMG Racing secured a Sunday GT America powered by AWS race win with team Founder and Principal James Sofronas and a P2 Pro-Am class podium in Saturday’s Fanatec GT World Challenge America powered by AWS race with co-drivers Kyle Washington and Tom Sargent in a competitive SRO America championships weekend at Road America.
Sofronas, who began his professional driving career 30 years ago at Road America, drove his No. 14 GMG Racing Audi R8 LMS GT3 EVO2 to an emotional flag-to-flag win from the pole Sunday. The victory was the final step of successful comeback after Sofronas was sidelined for several months after a testing incident in the Audi at the SRO Road America event in 2023.
“This is where I wanted to race from day one in World Challenge,” Sofronas said. “When an opportunity came up in 1994, I took my entire savings out – $1,800 bucks – and rented a factory-supported car from an Oldsmobile team, a touring car that was actually a pretty stout piece. I was hooked, Road America is the best track in North America by far, and for me it was just the beginning of a journey that I didn’t know would take me to where I am today. The team we have right now is firing on all cylinders. That’s what I am the most proud of.”
Washington and Sargent began the weekend’s solid results Saturday with their second podium appearance in the No. 32 GMG Racing Porsche 911 GT3 R in the last three GT World Challenge races after their first series victory last month at VIRginia International Raceway (VIR). The No. 32 team rebounded from a pit stop less than 10 minutes into the race for a swap to slicks from rain tires after a pre-race rain shower subsided. Washington kept the pressure on despite falling a lap down and handed off right at the race’s 50-minute mark to Sargent, who immediately went to work in his race-closing stint.
“Tom drove amazing,” Washington said. “His drive at the end was incredible, we had a yellow flag that was very timely, and he took advantage of that and drove like an absolute star in the fight to the finish. He put it in overdrive and just rocked it.”
A typically strong pit stop by the GMG Racing crew, and the well-timed yellow flag with 12 minutes to go, not only put Sargent in a position to get the No. 32 back on the lead lap, but to also to battle for the class win in the race’s closing minutes.
“The key to race was getting past the overall leader right as the safety car came out, and that gave me the ability to unlap ourselves,” Sargent said. “I caught up to the pack and was at the back of the train for the restart. We caught the field right as we were going green, and from then on it was just a dog fight to the finish. The car was amazing all race.”
Sargent was fourth in Pro-Am and eighth overall when race was restarted with just over five minutes to go. He defended the position through the race’s penultimate lap and quickly pounced when a Pro-Am class competitor up front slid off course in Turn 1. The field bunched up to avoid the off-course car, but Sargent maintained his momentum to move from fourth to second in the span of just a few corners. He took the white flag second in Pro-Am and fifth overall and held the positions to the finish.
“We were a little conservative on the tire choice at the beginning but we wanted to give Kyle a good car for the start and let him charge,” Sofronas said. “We pitted under green to change tires and Kye was consistent, kept pushing, and then we let Tom do what he does after the pit stops. Everything unfolded with just three minutes to go. Tom is coming into his own. He is showing he is a front runner in a Porsche and in this series.
Sunday’s convincing GT America victory was remarkably the sixth race win for Sofronas since his Road America incident last year. His five other victories have come in IMSA Carrera Cup competition, including his most recent win in that series two weeks ago at Road America. This weekend’s event completed Road America’s annual August stretch of races – IMSA, Porsche Sprint Challenge and SRO – and GMG Racing was one of the few teams to compete on all three race weekends.
Even more notable was that Sofronas was the only driver, of the more than 50 race winners across all series competing at Road America this month, to score multiple race wins at “America’s Park of Speed” on different race weekends.
The Sunday victory was the first for Sofronas in SRO America competition since winning at Road America in an Audi in 2021, the third of his three GT America wins that season.
Next up for GMG Racing in SRO America is the event weekend at Barber Motorsports Park in Alabama, September 6 – 8.
About GMG Racing: Founded in 2001, GMG Racing quickly established itself as North America’s premier performance tuning facility. What began as a small 1,200 sq. ft. shop, maintaining two race cars, has grown into a state-of-the-art performance tuning, racing and service facility located in Santa Ana, California in Orange County and with a trackside motorsports facility at 30,000 sq. ft. currently being built at The Thermal Club. The staff, attention to detail, and passion are what make GMG the choice of professionals and enthusiasts worldwide. GMG, in its early years, was located directly across the street from Porsche Motorsport North America (PMNA). This close proximity allowed GMG to build a strong relationship with the legendary racing brand which has helped us support our customers to the highest level possible. From club racing to Sebring, Daytona and Spa, GMG can take you as far as you want to go. More information can be found at www.gmgracing.com.
NASCAR CUP SERIES MICHIGAN INTERNATIONAL SPEEDWAY FIREKEEPERS CASINO 400 TEAM CHEVY POST-RACE REPORT AUGUST 19, 2024
Byron, Busch Leads Chevrolet to Overtime Finish at Michigan International Speedway
The NASCAR Cup Series returned to Michigan International Speedway this afternoon after inclement weather forced the postponement of the Firekeepers Casino 400 with just 51 laps complete.
Chase Elliott and the No. 9 NAPA Auto Parts Camaro ZL1 team lined up at the front of the field to take the green-flag for the remainder of the 200-lap event. The Team Chevy driver showed early speed in his Hendrick Motorsports-prepared Camaro ZL1, with Elliott being the only driver of those in the regular season title battle to earn points in Stage One.
With a caution flying nearing the end of Stage Two, Hendrick Motorsports’ Crew Chief Cliff Daniels called the No. 5 HENDRICKCARS.COM Camaro ZL1 to pit road to implement a four tire strategy. Larson was the fifth car off pit road, but the first with a fresh set of Goodyear tires – lining up 11th for the restart. Shortly thereafter, Larson was caught up in an accident that forced the team’s early departure from the race.
Following what ultimately ended up being the final green-flag cycle of the race, William Byron and the No. 24 RaptorTough.com Camaro ZL1 team cycled back up into the runner up spot when a late-race caution forced the event under an overtime finish. Byron elected to take the inside lane of the front-row for the first attempt. With a masterful start, Byron was able to surge his Chevrolet-powered machine to the front to edge out Tyler Reddick before another caution flew.
Teetering on fuel to make it to the end, Crew Chief Rudy Fugle immediately told Byron to save fuel – ultimately choosing to forgo pit road to remain in contention for the win. At the choose cone, Byron took the top lane as the control car for the green-flag of the second overtime attempt. Lacking a push from behind, Byron fell into the second position – maintaining the spot to the checkered flag to recorded the team’s eighth top-five finish of the season.
The 2024 NASCAR Cup Series season continues at Daytona International Speedway with the Coke Zero Sugar 400 on Saturday, August 18, at 2:30 p.m. ET. Live coverage can be found on the USA Network, MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Channel 90.
TEAM CHEVY UNOFFICIAL TOP-10: POS. DRIVER 2nd William Byron 4th Kyle Busch7th Zane Smith 8th Daniel Suarez 10th Carson Hocevar
WITH 24 NASCAR CUP SERIES RACES COMPLETE: Wins: 11 Poles: 7 Top-Five Finishes: 41 Top-10 Finishes: 88 Stage Wins: 13
UP NEXT: The 2024 NASCAR Cup Series season continues at Daytona International Speedway with the Coke Zero Sugar 400 on Saturday, August 24, at 7:30 p.m. ET. Live coverage can be found on NBC, MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Channel 90.
TEAM CHEVY POST-RACE QUOTES:
William Byron, No. 24 RaptorTough.com Camaro ZL1
Finished: 2nd
WE HAD TWO OVERTIME RESTARTS. YOU WERE ON THE BOTTOM FOR THE FIRST AND CHOSE THE TOP ON THE SECOND. DID YOU MAYBE WISH YOU WOULD HAVE RETHOUGHT THAT AT THE END?
“Yeah, I mean ultimately, that was the difference. But he (Tyler Reddick) was really fast, and his car was really good. He did a good job on the long runs, so he had us beat. The restarts gave us a chance, but we weren’t able to make the right choice and have the right push and all that. So, I’ll always look back at that, but proud of the effort today. It was good.”
WITH THIS RESULT AFTER A SUMMER SLUMP, DO YOU THINK THIS COULD PROPEL YOU IN THE PLAYOFFS?
“Yeah, we have just been up and down. I feel like since we have come back from the break, we have had a good mindset and have been executing well. Pit crew has been doing a good job and we have been making good decisions. We’ve just been communicating well. We had a few things during the break that we could go to work on and it has just really come together. Just proud of the fact that we have stayed together through this, and I feel like we are in a good spot going into the playoffs.”
Kyle Busch, No. 8 Lucas Oil Camaro ZL1
Finished: 4th
“It was a good day overall for our No. 8 team. Maybe needed a tick more speed, but it was a good top-eight car, so we got a little bit more out of that with the Lucas Oil Chevrolet. It was a good pit strategy by Randall (Burnett) and the guys to keep our track position and keep us upfront there. We took two tires there at the end and it wasn’t going to be ideal on those short restarts. We hung on OK and got a top-five out of it.
Zane Smith, No. 71 Focused Health Camaro ZL1
Finished: 7th
“It was definitely a good recovery. I’m still mad at myself after we sped on pit road once we finally had some good track position. I knew that we were making gains on our Chevy. Once we had to start at the back, I was able to get through a lot of them right away. I felt like we learned a lot there getting back through the field, and we made our car even better. That last restart, I kind of learned something from being back there earlier in the race and was able to apply that to that last restart. I was able to get a few rows and maintain. And then obviously had help from the No. 99 (Daniel Suarez) with a push to get us to seventh there at the line. That was much appreciated.
It’s been a long weekend, but all-in-all, it was a great day with our No. 71 Focused Health Chevy. We’ll take the momentum and head to Daytona.”
Daniel Suarez, No. 99 Jockey Infinite Cool Camaro ZL1
Finished: 8th
“It was an OK day for the No. 99 Jockey Infinite Cool Chevy team. I don’t feel like I did a great job today. For some reason I feel like the car was actually very different from yesterday to today. I struggled a lot on the short runs for a while, but we got it better there at the end. I thought we had decent speed, just not quite good enough. Overall, I think the team did a good job; good calls on tires at the end and we were able to be on offense and it was a decent top-10. I feel like we deserved a top-10 today. I am happy with a top-10, but I don’t feel like I did a good job today.”
Carson Hocevar, No. 77 Premier Security / Zeigler Camaro ZL1
Finished: 10th
“We were able to get a top-10 after falling to 35th on Sunday. We had a few mechanical problems that were kind of a freak deal, but we were able to really reset and get our No. 77 Premier Security / Zeigler Chevy handling good today. We put together a really strong run for the No. 77 team. Really great to finish good at home, but also to have two top-10s, back-to-back. That’s no small feat. We were able to do it at home with a lot of friends and family. We just had a super strong car and it’s great to have good momentum heading into Daytona, where anything can happen.”
Sidelined by damage sustained in an accident at the end of Stage Two.
Finished: 34th
Take us through what happened from your vantage point.
“Yeah, I just messed up. You try to get all you can on restarts. I was just trying to funnel myself up the racetrack. I didn’t want to get stuck on the bottom three-wide. Just got myself in an awkward aero spot and lost it. It’s unfortunate. I made a mistake and cost ourselves a lot of points today.”
When you’re out there, how much are you aware of what position you’re in because of the way the air changes so much. Did you feel like there was any warning of where you were at before that went around?
“Yeah, I mean you get a little bit of warning right before you start spinning. But once these Next Gen cars step out, it’s really hard to save it. I was just doing what I thought would be right to funnel our way up and just put myself in bad spot.”
You were the first car on four tires. Was that the right call?
“Yeah, I think so. If I would have just done a better job of executing the right way on that first lap, I think we would have ended up fine. Similar to the first stage, Chase (Elliott) was the first on four (tires) and did a really good job to make it up to second. I was hopeful that I could make the right decisions and have that work out, but I just messed up.”
Corey LaJoie, No. 7 Garner Trucking Camaro ZL1
Finished: 32nd
Scary incident down the backstretch. What occurred between you and the No. 10 when you went down the backstretch?
“That’s just about how the year has gone. We have a good car and I find a way to flip it upside down. Twice this year, we’ve been upside down and I hadn’t been upside down my whole career. That’s just unfortunately how the year for the No. 7 team has been all year. We’ve had speed, just haven’t been able to put it together.
The No. 10 (Noah Gragson) chopped me a couple of times, especially off (turn) two when I’d have a run. I hadn’t seen a replay yet.. if he pulled it off the wall when I was trying to get to his left rear to slow him down. But it was a ride, buddy. There were sparks, dirt and all sorts of stuff coming in. I just hate that our Garner Trucking Camaro got a little beat and banged up. I think we had a top-10 to 12 car today, but we ended up on our roof.”
When you’re racing the No. 10 (Noah Gragson), how hard was it to get off of him? I saw that coming off turn two, it’s really hard with the aero..
“Well, you’re trying to pack air on him. You’re trying to formulate runs. He closed the door pretty late on me a couple of different times, and I was trying to get by him. Just misjudged it and wrecked.”
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