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Ty Majeski dominates for first Truck Series championship at Phoenix

By
Andrew Kim
-
Photo by Ron Olds for SpeedwayMedia.com.

Ty Majeski stormed to his first NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series championship by securing a dominant victory in the 2024 Craftsman Truck Series Championship Race at Phoenix Raceway on Friday, November 8.

After starting on the pole, the 30-year-old Majeski from Seymour, Wisconsin, led a race-high 132 of 150-scheduled laps in the season-finale event. He led the first 38 laps before he was overtaken by Championship 4 contender Corey Heim. Majeski finished the first stage in second place at the conclusion of the first stage. He regained the lead during the first stage’s pit stop period and before the start of the second stage, Majeski prevailed after a mid-stage battle with Heim on the track to claim the second stage victory.

Majeski would then lead the field to the start of the final stage period with 52 laps remaining. During three caution periods due to on-track carnages and three restart periods throughout the final stage, Majeski retained the lead through every restart period. He executed the final one with 27 laps remaining to his advantage as he motored away from Heim along with Championship 4 finalists Christian Eckes and Grant Enfinger. Majeski capped off the 2024 season with his third Craftsman Truck Series victory this year and his first championship in his third full-time series campaign.

With on-track qualifying that determined the starting lineup occurring on Friday, Championship 4 finalist Ty Majeski claimed the final pole position of the 2024 season and the sixth of the season with a pole-winning lap at 138.180 mph in 26.053 seconds. Joining him on the front row was Championship 4 finalist Corey Heim, who clocked in his best qualifying lap at 138.021 mph in 26.083 seconds. Christian Eckes and Grant Enfinger, the remaining two Championship 4 finalists, lined up in fourth and fifth, respectively.

Before the event, Lawless Alan dropped to the rear of the field in a backup after he wrecked his primary truck during the finale’s qualifying session.

When the green flag waved and the finale commenced, the field fanned out through the frontstretch’s dogleg as Ty Majeski led the way through the first two turns. Majeski pulled away through the backstretch and led the first lap. His Championship 4 rivals Corey Heim and Christian Eckes followed suit in second and third, respectively.

Over the next four laps, Majeski stretched his early advantage to more than a second over Heim and Eckes while Nick Sanchez and Stewart Friesen followed suit in the top five. Behind, Dean Thompson retained sixth place ahead of Connor Mosack, Championship 4 finalist Grant Enfinger, Kaden Honeycutt and rookie Layne Riggs. Conner Jones, Chase Purdy, Rajah Caruth, Tyler Ankrum and the Gray brothers of Tanner and Taylor were racing in the top 16.

Through the first 10-scheduled laps, Majeski continued to lead by two seconds over Heim while third-place Eckes trailed by three-and-a-half seconds. Behind, Sanchez and Friesen remained in the top five. Enfinger, who lost three spots despite starting in fifth place, was up to seventh place behind Thompson. Majeski stabilized his lead to more than two seconds over Heim and by nearly six seconds over Eckes 10 laps later as Enfinger drove his way back to fifth place behind Sanchez.

At the Lap 30 mark, Majeski’s lead decreased to six-tenths of a second over Heim as the latter started to close in on the former for the top spot. Majeski slightly increased his lead to nine-tenths of a second over Heim at the Lap 35 mark before Heim assumed the lead from Majeski entering the backstretch on Lap 39. By then, Eckes retained third place and trailed the lead by more than four seconds. Enfinger retained fifth place behind Sanchez but trailed the lead by more than 10 seconds.

On Lap 41, the finale’s first caution period flew when Frankie Muniz got bumped by William Sawalich as he slid sideways in Turn 3 as Heim barely avoided McGee’s sideways truck. Muniz’s incident was enough for the first stage period scheduled to conclude on Lap 45, to officially conclude under caution as Heim claimed his 10th Truck stage victory of the 2024 season. Majeski, Eckes, Sanchez and Enfinger followed suit in the top five while Thompson, Mosack, Riggs, Conner Jones and Friesen were scored in the top 10.

Under the stage break, they pitted for the first round of pit service. Following the pit stops, Majeski reassumed the lead as he exited pit road first. He was followed by Eckes, Heim, Sanchez and Enfinger. Amid the pit stops, Heim endured slow pit service after he was forced to reverse his No. 11 Safelite Toyota Tundra TRD Pro into his pit stall to ensure his pit crew could change the left-side tires. Enfinger barely clipped his rear tire changer while entering his pit stall.

The second stage period started on Lap 54 as Majeski and Eckes occupied the front row. The field fanned out through the frontstretch’s dogleg as Majeski and Eckes dueled for the lead. Majeski would then use the outside lane to muscle his No. 98 Road Ranger Ford F-150 ahead and gain the lead through the first two turns as Heim muscled through into second place ahead of Eckes and Sanchez. As the field continued to fan out through the backstretch, Majeski led the next lap over Heim while Eckes, Sanchez, Thompson and Enfinger followed suit in the top six.

On Lap 58, the caution returned when Jack Wood, who was racing outside the top 25, got sideways after making contact with Bayley Currey who was racing in a three-wide battle with Matt Crafton. It resulted in Wood spinning and backing his No. 91 Mongoose Chevrolet Silverado RST into the outside wall in Turn 2. The incident and damage to the rear end of Wood’s truck were enough to make Wood the first retiree of the finale. During the caution period, Crafton and Daniel Dye pitted while the rest of the field, led by Majeski, remained on the track.

As the event restarted under green on Lap 64, a four-wide battle for the lead ensued between Majeski, Heim, Sanchez and Thompson through the frontstretch’s dogleg. Heim muscled ahead from the inside lane entering the first two turns and Majeski closed to Heim’s rear bumper entering the backstretch. Majeski tried to make a move beneath him, but Heim transitioned to the outside lane and fended off Majeski to retain the lead. With Heim leading the race, Majeski retained second ahead of Sanchez and Eckes while Riggs moved up into the top five. Riggs then challenged Eckes for fourth place while Mosack, Enfinger and Thompson closed in from sixth to eighth, respectively. By then, Thompson was penalized for a restart violation.

At the halfway mark on Lap 75, Majeski, who overtook Heim for the lead five laps earlier despite making contact with the latter, extended his advantage to more than a second over Heim. Sanchez, in third place, trailed by more than two seconds. Behind, Riggs and Eckes trailed in the top five ahead of Mosack, Friesen, Enfinger, Taylor Gray and Purdy. Ben Rhodes, Rajah Caruth, Tanner Gray, Conner Jones, Kaden Honeycutt, Daniel Dye, William Sawalich, Tyler Ankrum, Matt Crafton and Stefan Parsons followed suit in the top 20.

When the second stage period concluded on Lap 90, Majeski had stretched his advantage to more than three seconds and captured his seventh Truck stage victory of the 2024 season. Heim followed suit in second while Riggs, Sanchez, Eckes, Mosack, Enfinger, Taylor Gray, Friesen and Rhodes were scored in the top 10.

During the stage break, the lead lap field led by Majeski returned to pit road for service. After the pit stops, Majeski retained the lead after he exited pit road first while Sanchez, Eckes, Riggs, Heim, Mosack, Taylor Gray, Enfinger, Caruth and Tanner Gray followed suit in the top 10. Amid the pit stops, Crafton was penalized for improper fueling to his No. 88 Menards Ford F-150.

With 52 laps remaining, the final stage period commenced as Majeski and Sanchez occupied the front row. At the start, the field fanned out through the frontstretch’s dogleg as both Sanchez and Majeski dueled in front of the field entering the first two turns. Majeski and Sanchez would continue to duel for the lead entering the backstretch in front of Heim and Riggs before Mosack, who was racing in the top six behind Eckes, ran up the track and hit the outside wall.

As the field scattered to avoid hitting Mosack, Tyler Ankrum then got bumped by Sawalich as he spun his No. 18 LiUNA! Chevrolet Silverado RST back across the middle of the backstretch, which triggered a multi-truck wreck that involved Sawalich, Andres Perez de Lara, Stefan Parsons, Friesen, Frankie Muniz, Spencer Boyd and rookie Thad Moffitt. The carnage was enough to place the finale in a red flag period for more than six minutes. By then, Heim, who restarted in fifth place and had moved up to third place before the caution, was penalized for a restart violation, after he steered his No. 11 Safelite Toyota to the left and below the frontstretch’s apron before reaching the start/finish line.

Once the red flag lifted and the field proceeded under a cautious pace, some of the drivers, including Mosack, Friesen and Currey, pitted while the rest of the field, led by Majeski, remained on the track.

The next restart period began with 43 laps remaining and featured Majeski as he fended off Sanchez, Eckes and Riggs through the frontstretch’s dogleg and the first two turns. Majeski proceeded to lead Riggs through the backstretch while Sanchez, Taylor Gray, Enfinger, Caruth and Eckes all followed suit. Meanwhile, Heim, who restarted 19th after serving his penalty, was up to 16th place. As Heim proceeded to climb his way into the top 14, Majeski held a narrow lead over Riggs with 40 laps remaining as Sanchez, Taylor Gray, Enfinger and Eckes followed suit in the top six.

Shortly after, the caution returned when Conner Jones, who was racing in 11th place, spun in Turn 2 after he made contact with teammate Jake Garcia amid close-quarters racing and was nearly hit by teammate Ben Rhodes while sliding towards the outside wall. The incident occurred in front of Heim, who made his way into 11th place. During the caution period, some of the drivers, including Enfinger and Eckes, pitted while the rest, led by Majeski, remained on the track.

During the next restart period with 33 laps remaining, Majeski and Riggs led the field to the start as Majeski muscled ahead from the outside lane through the frontstretch’s dogleg. Heim went to the apron to gain spots towards the top-five mark entering the first two turns, as Majeski muscled away from the field entering the backstretch. But the caution quickly returned as Riggs made contact with Sanchez in a battle for the runner-up spot and spun his No. 38 Love’s Travel Stops Ford F-150 in Turn 2. Nathan Byrd also spun as he jammed on the brakes to avoid Riggs.

The following restart period with 27 laps remaining featured Majeski muscling ahead of a three-wide battle for the runner-up spot. Heim, Sanchez and Daniel Dye battled through the frontstretch’s dogleg and the first two turns before Heim muscled his way into the runner-up spot entering the backstretch. As the field fanned out, Majeski led the following lap ahead of a hard-charging Heim while Sanchez, Eckes and Dye were in the top five.

Meanwhile, Enfinger was mired in ninth place as Majeski stretched his advantage to a second over Heim. Eckes would then charge his No. 19 NAPA Chevrolet Silverado RST into third place on the track. With his fresh tires and only 24 laps remaining, it placed three Championship 4 finalists in the top three on the track while Dye was assessed a restart violation penalty.

Down to the final 20 laps of the finale, Majeski was leading both the race and the championship battle by more than a second over Heim while third-place Eckes trailed by more than two seconds. Meanwhile, Enfinger was in sixth place behind Sanchez and Taylor Gray while Honeycutt, Mosack, Tanner Gray and Rhodes were in the top 10.

Five laps later, Majeski added another second to his advantage as he led by more than two seconds over Heim while Eckes trailed in third place by three-and-a-half seconds. By then, Enfinger moved his No. 9 Champion Power Equipment Chevrolet Silverado RST up to fifth place despite trailing the lead by more than seven seconds. Majeski, who was posting the fastest lap times on the track, continued to extend his advantage to more than three seconds over Heim with 10 laps remaining.

With five laps remaining, Majeski stabilized his advantage to more than four seconds over Heim while Eckes continued to trail in third place by five seconds. Meanwhile, Enfinger trailed in fifth place on the track by nine seconds while Sanchez was mired in fourth place.

When the white flag waved and the final lap started, Majeski remained in the lead both in the race and the championship battle by more than four seconds over Heim. Heim was unable to narrow the gap between himself and Majeski for a final lap charge. Majeski smoothly navigated his No. 98 Road Ranger Ford F-150 around the Phoenix circuit for a final time before he returned to the frontstretch to claim the checkered flag and win both the race and his first Truck Series championship.

With his first title, Majeski also claimed his sixth career race victory and became the 21st competitor overall to win a championship in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series division. He was also the third consecutive Ford competitor to win a Truck championship in recent seasons and the seventh to achieve a first title under the series’ current inception of the Playoff-elimination format.

Majeski also delivered both the sixth Truck driver’s championship and the third owner’s championship for ThorSport Racing while veteran crew chief Joe Shear Jr. notched his second title in the series.

The 2024 season marks the fourth time over the previous seven seasons that the championship-winning competitor won the season-finale event on a schedule and the third time over the last five seasons that it occurred at Phoenix Raceway. Majeski’s 2024 championship comes in his third full-time Truck season driving for ThorSport Racing, a team whom Majeski drove for in select events in 2021 before he was elevated to a full-time ride in 2022.

Photo by Ron Olds for SpeedwayMedia.com.

“God, I can’t believe it,” Majeski said on the frontstretch on FS1. “Just huge thank you to [team owners] Duke and Rhonda Thorson. Joe Shear Jr., he’s one bad dude. This is so much fun racing with this group. So proud to have the opportunity to drive these great race trucks. There’s a lot of time in my career where this [championship] looks like a far dream and Duke and Ronda really gave me my third opportunity after I had two opportunities that failed. Man, I can’t thank them enough. We have had a lot of ups and downs and just so proud of these guys.”

During his championship interview, Majeski, a five-time ARCA Midwest Tour champion who grew up competing in late models and short-track events, evoked an inspiring message to short-track racers striving to emerge as a future NASCAR champion.

“[Winning]’s possible,” Majeski said. “You just need to find a way to set yourself apart from everybody else. I did that by working in the shop. [I] Started as an engineer at ThorSport [Racing] in 2021 with three or four races, didn’t know what it was going to turn into and now, we’re champions. Man, this is special. We’re going to celebrate this one.”

As Majeski celebrated both the race victory and his first championship on the stage with his team, the remaining three Championship 4 finalists including Corey Heim, Christian Eckes and Grant Enfinger were left disappointed on pit road as the trio fell short of winning their first title in the series.

Heim, the driver of the No. 11 TRICON Garage Toyota entry, ended up in the runner-up spot both on the track and in the final standings and was left surprised by the late restart violation penalty. He admitted though that he could not keep pace with Majeski to battle for the title amid his late-race rally. Heim, who capped off the season with a series-leading six victories, will return to the Truck Series with TRICON Garage for the 2025 season as he strives to make another run for his first championship.

“It’s hard to even be upset,” Heim said. “I did almost everything right except for that restart violation, but we were able to get our track position back pretty quick and make the most of it. I just had nothing for [Majeski] all day. He was so fast. I’m just proud of myself for not driving through the fastest truck like I drove through last year by [Carson] Hocevar and we’re going to go with our heads up high. A six-win season, career highs for myself, my team, organization, everybody. Just one sport short of the championship.”

Meanwhile, the late pit stops for both Eckes and Enfinger did not pay dividends for either driver as Eckes settled in third place on the track and in the final standings while Enfinger came home in fifth place on the track and fourth place in the final standings.

“[I] Just didn’t have enough today,” Eckes, who achieved four race victories, a season-high 11 stage victories and is set to graduate to the Xfinity Series with Kaulig Racing in 2025, said. “[Majeski] and [Heim] were just stronger than us. We threw a Hail Mary with the tires and I thought for a second I would be able to catch them and just didn’t have enough. I wish we could have finished [the season] off with a championship, but just came up a little short. So proud of my guys and we’ll move on to 2025.”

“Honestly, [I needed] just more speed,” said Enfinger, who notched back-to-back victories during the Round of 8 and will be remaining with CR7 Motorsports for the 2025 Truck Series season.

“Really proud of the CR7 Motorsports group. All we’ve overcome all year. I feel like we came here with the right mindset, the right game plan and honestly, pretty much the right execution for the stuff in our control. We just flat out didn’t have the speed tonight…It is a special year. Definitely disappointing performance for us tonight, but overall, proud of everything we did. We just flat out didn’t have the short-run speed. I think after 15 laps, we were respectable, but just couldn’t go on the short run.”

Nick Sanchez finished in fourth place, which was enough to settle in fifth place in the final standings and his final campaign in the Truck Series with Rev Racing as he is set to move up to the Xfinity Series with Big Machine Racing in 2025. Taylor Gray, Kaden Honeycutt, Connor Mosack, Ben Rhodes and Layne Riggs, the latter of whom claimed the 2024 Truck Series Rookie-of-the-Year title, completed the top 10 in the final running order.

There were seven lead changes for three different leaders. The race featured six cautions for 43 laps. In addition, 22 of 35 starters finished on the lead lap.

Results.

1. Ty Majeski, 132 laps led, Stage 2 winner

2. Corey Heim, 16 laps led, Stage 1 winner

3. Christian Eckes

4. Nick Sanchez

5. Grant Enfinger, two laps led

6. Taylor Gray

7. Kaden Honeycutt

8. Connor Mosack

9. Ben Rhodes

10. Layne Riggs

11. Tanner Gray

12. Chase Purdy

13. Rajah Caruth

14. Jake Garcia

15. Dean Thompson

16. Brett Moffitt

17. Conner Jones

18. Stewart Friesen

19. Matt Crafton

20. Dawson Sutton

21. Bayley Currey

22. Timmy Hill

23. Stefan Parson, one lap down

24. Daniel Dye, one lap down

25. Matt Mills, two laps down

26. Nathan Byrd, three laps down

27. Thad Moffitt, three laps down

28. Spencer Boyd, four laps down

29. Keith McGee, four laps down

30. Lawless Alan, four laps down

31. Andres Perez de Lara – OUT, Accident

32. William Sawalich – OUT, Accident

33. Tyler Ankrum – OUT, Accident

34. Frankie Muniz – OUT, Accident

35. Jack Wood – OUT, Accident

*Bold indicates championship finalists

Final standings

1. Ty Majeski

2. Corey Heim

3. Christian Eckes

4. Grant Enfinger

5. Nick Sanchez

6. Taylor Gray

7. Rajah Caruth

8. Tyler Ankrum

9. Ben Rhodes

10. Daniel Dye

The NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series teams and competitors enter an off-season period before returning to action at Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Florida, on February 14, 2025, for a new season of competition.

Layne Riggs named 2024 Truck Series Rookie of the Year

By
Andrew Kim
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Photo by Adam Lovelace for SpeedwayMedia.com.

Layne Riggs has officially been named the 2024 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series’ Sunoco Rookie of the Year.

Riggs, a second-generation racer from Bahama, North Carolina, made his Truck Series debut at Lucas Oil Indianapolis Raceway Park in July 2022. By then, he was contending for the NASCAR Advance Auto Parts Weekly Series championship, which he would achieve after he racked up 16 victories and thus becoming the youngest-series champion at age 20. Driving the No. 62 Halmar Friesen Racing (HFR) Toyota Tundra TRD Pro for his Truck debut at Indianapolis, Riggs started 23rd and finished seventh following an overtime shootout. He would make two additional Truck starts with HFR throughout the season, where he finished 19th at Richmond Raceway before finishing 13th during the season-finale event at Phoenix Raceway in November after he started on the front row.

The following season, Riggs, who made his first three career starts in the Xfinity Series with Kaulig Racing, also made three starts in the Truck Series. His first start of the 2023 season was with TRICON Garage at Atlanta Motor Speedway in March, where he finished 28th. He then finished 27th in his second start at Nashville Superspeedway while driving for Young’s Motorsports. His third and final Truck start of the season occurred at Lucas Oil Indianapolis Raceway Park with Spire Motorsports, where he notched his first top-five career result by finishing third.

In December 2023, Riggs was named a full-time Truck Series competitor for the 2024 season, where he replaced Zane Smith in the No. 38 Ford F-150 entry for Front Row Motorsports. He commenced his rookie campaign in 33rd place after being involved in a multi-truck wreck on the opening lap and failing the Damaged Vehicle Policy (DVP) to continue. The North Carolinian would then finish no higher than 10th over his next eight starts before he recorded a stellar third-place run at North Wilkesboro Speedway in May. He then finished fifth at World Wide Technology Raceway in June two races later and cap off the regular-season stretch with back-to-back fifth-place results. With an average-finishing result of 19.4 throughout the 16-race regular-season stretch, however, Riggs ended up falling short of making his first Truck Playoffs.

Riggs then responded back by scoring his first Truck career victory in the 2024 Playoff opener at the Milwaukee Mile in an event where he led 53 of the 175 scheduled laps. With his accomplishment, Riggs became the 125th competitor overall to win in the Truck Series as he joined his father, Scott, in the series’ all-time wins list.

Not long after becoming the second competitor overall to win a Truck Series Playoff opener as a non-Playoff contender, Riggs then became the first non-Playoff contender to win the series’ first two Playoff events on a schedule as he doubled down with a dominant victory at Bristol Motor Speedway in September. As a result, Riggs also became the first competitor to back up a first Truck career victory with a second in back-to-back starts since Ford competitor Chase Briscoe made the last accomplishment between 2017-18.

During the next event on the schedule at Kansas Speedway, Riggs fell short of winning three races in a row, but managed to claim a runner-up result amid a late fuel-mileage battle. After finishing no higher than 22nd during his next two-scheduled events, Riggs would cap off the 2024 season with two consecutive top-10 results, which was enough to claim 11th place in the final driver’s standings by 38 points over Stewart Friesen. As a result, this made Riggs the highest-finishing competitor in the standings who did not make the 2024 Truck Series Playoffs.

With the rookie title accomplishment, Riggs became both the first Ford competitor and the first North Carolina-raised competitor to achieve a Truck Series’ rookie title since Charlotte native Myatt Snider made the last accomplishments in 2018. Riggs also became the first competitor representing Front Row Motorsports to achieve a rookie title across NASCAR’s top three national touring series and he joined his father, Scott, as a Rookie-of-the-Year recipient within one of NASCAR’s top three national touring series.

Photo by John Knittel for SpeedwayMedia.com.

Riggs’ closest rival for this year’s Truck rookie title was Conner Jones, who made 13 starts in the No. 66 Ford F-150 entry for ThorSport Racing and achieved a season-best 11th-place result at Charlotte Motor Speedway in May. Thad Moffitt, another rookie contender, initially commenced the season as a full-time competitor for Faction46 before he transitioned to Young’s Motorsports towards the halfway mark of the season. He then did not compete in five of the final six events on the schedule as he only returned to compete in the season-finale event at Phoenix Raceway, where he finished 27th on the track and 32nd in the final standings, one spot behind Jones.

With the rookie title achieved, Riggs is currently slated to remain at Front Row Motorsports for a second full-time Truck Series campaign in 2025 as he strives to make his first Playoffs and contend for his first series championship.

The NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series teams and competitors enter an off-season period before returning to action at Daytona International Speedway on February 14, 2025, for a new season of competition.

LEGACY MOTOR CLUB: Phoenix Raceway Practice Report

By
Official Release
-

NASCAR CUP SERIES: CHAMPIONSHIP RACE AT PHOENIX RACEWAY

PRACTICE REPORT

AVONDALE, Ariz. (Nov. 8, 2024) – The NASCAR Cup Series and LEGACY MOTOR CLUB makes their way to the desert and Phoenix Raceway for the final race of the 2024 NASCAR season. This weekend, a 50-minute practice session took place on Friday afternoon, giving all the teams extra time to work on their vehicles. Qualifying to set the grid for the final race takes place on Saturday afternoon. Below is a look at how each of the three LEGACY MOTOR CLUB entries of Jimmie Johnson, John Hunter Nemechek and Erik Jones fared during practice.

PRACTICE RECAP:

Fastest in practice: No. 12 Ryan Blaney – 27.174 Seconds | 132.480 MPH

Best 10-Lap Avg: No. 12 Ryan Blaney – 131.161 MPH

No. 42 Mobil 1 Toyota Camry XSE Driven by John Hunter Nemechek

  • Best Time: 27.759 Seconds | 129.688 MPH (Lap 4)
  • Overall Practice Rank: 34
  • 10-Lap Avg.: 128.866 MPH | Rank: 30
  • Total Laps Run: 39

No. 43 Dollar Tree Toyota Camry XSE Driven by Erik Jones

  • Best Time: 27.452 Seconds | 131.138 MPH (Lap 31)
  • Overall Practice Rank: 18
  • 10-Lap Avg.: 129.490 MPH | Rank: 21
  • Total Laps Run: 39

No. 84 Carvana Toyota Camry XSE Driven by Jimmie Johnson

  • Best Time: 27.908 Seconds | 128.995 MPH (Lap 16)
  • Overall Practice Rank: 35
  • 10-Lap Avg.: 127.624 MPH | Rank: 35
  • Total Laps Run: 36

WHAT THEY’RE SAYING:

John Hunter Nemechek: “Glad that we had an extended practice today, the LEGACY MOTOR CLUB guys threw a lot at our Mobil 1 Toyota Camry XSE. We were able to find a decent balance but we still have some work to do before qualifying tomorrow. We’ll debrief with the rest of the team and come up with a good plan for both Saturday and Sunday.”

Erik Jones: “Thought it was an ok practice. The speed was not bad from the start. We gained a little bit, but we learned from good stuff for tomorrow, so I think we have some choices to make. We were on both sides of the balance being free and being tight and just need to find that happy medium.”

Jimmie Johnson: “Interesting day here in Phoenix. We got an hour of practice with this awesome looking Carvana Toyota. I certainly learned a lot and man, is it different than what I raced here last. I’m looking forward to tomorrow and qualifying and of course the season finale on Sunday.”

TUNE IN ALERT:

Tune into the NASCAR Cup Series: Championship Race qualifying on Saturday at 5:00 p.m. EST live on USA or listen on SiriusXM – NASCAR Radio (Channel 90) and MRN Radio. The NASCAR Cup Series Championship Race takes place on Sunday at 3:00 p.m. EST live on NBC or listen on SiriusXM – NASCAR Radio and MRN Radio.

ABOUT

ABOUT LEGACY MOTOR CLUB: LEGACY MOTOR CLUB™ is a professional auto racing club owned by businessman and entrepreneur Maurice “Maury” J. Gallagher and seven-time NASCAR Cup Series champion Jimmie Johnson. The CLUB competes full-time in the NASCAR Cup Series fielding the No. 42 Toyota Camry XSE of John Hunter Nemechek, the No. 43 Toyota Camry XSE of Erik Jones, and the No. 84 limited schedule entry for Jimmie Johnson. Seven-time NASCAR Cup Series champion and NASCAR Hall of Famer Richard Petty “The King” serves as CLUB Ambassador. With a unique title signifying a nod to car clubs of past eras, LEGACY M.C. is an inclusive club for all motorsport enthusiasts to celebrate the past and future legacies of its members, while competing for wins and championships at NASCAR’s elite level. To keep up-to-date with the latest news, information and exclusive content, follow LEGACY MOTOR CLUB™ on Facebook, X, Instagram and at LEGACYMOTORCLUB.com

ABOUT MOBIL 1: For 50 years, Mobil 1 has been trusted by drivers to keep their engines running longer. Our products combine the latest technology and innovation to exceed the toughest standards of vehicle manufacturers and tuning shops—so consumers can get the most out of their time behind the wheel, both on the road and on the track. Turn every day into an adventure with Mobil 1, the world’s leading synthetic motor oil brand. Learn more at www.mobil1.us or and follow @Mobil1Racing on Instagram and X. Join us. For the love of driving.

ABOUT CARVANA: Carvana’s mission is to change the way people buy and sell cars. Over the past decade, Carvana has revolutionized automotive retail and delighted millions of customers with an offering that is fun, fast, and fair. With Carvana, customers can choose from tens of thousands of vehicles, get financing, trade-in, and complete a purchase entirely online with the convenience of home delivery or local pick up in over 300 U.S. markets. Carvana’s vertically integrated platform is powered by its passionate team, unique national infrastructure, and purpose-built technology. Carvana is a Fortune 500 company and is proud to be recognized by Forbes as one of America’s Best Employers.

ABOUT DOLLAR TREE, INC.: Dollar Tree, a Fortune 200 Company, operated 16,622 stores across 48 states and five Canadian provinces as of October 28, 2023. Stores operate under the brands of Dollar Tree, Family Dollar, and Dollar Tree Canada. To learn more about the Company, visit DollarTree.com

NASCAR 2024 Championship Drivers – Notes and Quotes

By
Angie Campbell
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Blaney, Logano, Reddick, and Byron

The NASCAR 2024 Cup Series Championship season finale is set for this weekend at Phoenix Raceway. As the contenders gear up for an action-packed weekend, they met with the media Thursday to share their thoughts.

HIGHLIGHTS:

Ryan Blaney – Team Penske – Reigning Cup Series Champion

If Blaney wins the championship title, he will be the first back-to-back champion under the current format and the first driver to win consecutive championships since Jimmie Johnson (2006-2010).

Blaney was asked how he thinks his team compares with the other three championship drivers he will face in the Playoffs.

“Every one of us is going to say we feel great about our chances and we think we’re the best group, as they should, right? Everyone needs to be confident in their team.

“I can personally say about our group, I feel like we’ve been incredibly strong all year really. I mean, it doesn’t really show how great we’ve been really as a 12 team. It’s easy for me to see it, how they are operating. I feel like it has been just unbelievable.

“This place has been pretty good to us in the past. I feel like our performance at these types of racetracks this year has been really, really strong. Hopefully that continues.

“But yeah, you never know. You never know who has what speed. We’re going to know tomorrow night (during practice) kind of where everyone stacks up.”

William Byron – Hendrick Motorsports

Bryon qualified for the championship after Christopher Bell was penalized for a safety violation (riding the wall) at Martinsville Speedway and is focused on the challenge ahead.

“I haven’t ever felt as bonded to my team as I am now,” he said. “We had a meeting on Sunday night about it. I feel like we’ve turned the page really, really quickly.

“For me personally, I’ve blocked out a ton of the noise. I haven’t looked at social media. I don’t really care. I’m just focused on trying to get the 24 car as fast as I can. I think past experiences have probably helped fuel that where I’ve been through enough BS in my Cup career where I kind of know what to focus on and what to block out.”

“I feel like this place has always been pretty good to me. It’s just trying to figure out those last couple of little steps to be a little bit better. At the same time, I feel like this week through my prep and things, I feel like I found some things that I want to work on in practice. Like I said, it’s always been a really good track for me. It’s just trying to figure out how to make it that little bit better.”

Joey Logano – Team Penske Cup Series

Logano joins teammate Ryan Blaney in the quest for a championship title. If successful, it would be the third consecutive Cup Series championship for Team Penske and Logano’s third championship.

As he looks ahead to the final race of the season, Logano is primarily focused on the team.

“I guess when it comes to individually, I don’t think about it that much,” he said. He continued, “I think of it more of a team ’cause I know what a championship is worth to everybody. I think that matters more. The individual piece of saying you got three of ’em, like that’s great, don’t get me wrong. I think ’cause I’m still doing it, I guess I don’t look at that that much. But I’d like to see the people that I care about at our race team celebrate.”

He also spoke about the “old man” advantage.

“We feel solid about our position. I told everyone we’re going to old man them to death. That’s our goal. That’s our advantage, is that we got the experience over all of ’em. You do something more than once, you get better at it. You do it more than three times, you get better at it. For us, we’ve been able to kind of put together a program to where we know how to prepare and we feel comfortable in these scenarios now.”

Tyler Reddick – 23XI Racing Cup Series

This will be Reddick’s first time in the Championship 4 but he is not as nervous as one might expect. Instead, he says he feels a “sense of ease.”

“In a really good place I feel like mentally going into this weekend,” he said. “We know what’s ahead of us, but not letting it overwhelm us or myself really for that matter. Coming into this knowing what we have in front of us, ready to go out there and get to work.

He summed up his thoughts heading into the championship weekend and the pressure versus the incentive.

“As a competitor, these are the moments you live for, being able to be in this situation, in this position to go fight for a championship. But certainly when I think of Michael, Denny, the rest of the owners, when I think of everyone back at Airspeed, those that travel on the road, dedicate their lives to this goal, certainly it’s good pressure, but you say ‘incentive’, yeah, there’s a lot of that as well trying to get the job done.”

You can tune into the NASCAR Cup Series Championship Race on Sunday, Nov. 10 at 3 p.m. ET on NBC and Peacock with radio coverage provided by MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.

Ty Majeski claims final Truck Series pole of 2024 at Phoenix

By
Andrew Kim
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Photo by Ron Olds for SpeedwayMedia.com.

Ty Majeski commenced his pursuit for his first NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series championship on a high note by winning the pole position for the 2024 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series Championship Race at Phoenix Raceway on Friday, November 8.

The 30-year-old Majeski from Seymour, Wisconsin, commenced the weekend by being the third-fastest competitor during the series’ lone practice session on Thursday, November 7. During Friday’s qualifying session, he posted a pole-winning lap at 138.180 mph in 26.053 seconds, which was enough to claim the top-starting spot over Corey Heim, the latter of whom clocked in his best qualifying lap at 138.021 mph in 26.083 seconds.

By claiming the series’ final pole position of the 2024 season, Majeski notched his sixth pole position of the year, the 14th of his Truck Series career and his first since starting in first place at Kansas Speedway in late September. The 2024 season marks Majeski’s third consecutive full-time campaign in the series, all while driving for ThorSport Racing, and their second time making the Championship 4 round as he attempts to claim his first title in the series.

Majeski will share the front row with Corey Heim, a Championship 4 finalist who is also striving for his first series’ title after ending up in fourth place in the final standings a year ago. Heim, who is set to remain at TRICON Garage for the 2025 Truck Series season, was the fastest competitor during the event’s practice session on Thursday.

Christian Eckes and Grant Enfinger, both of whom are contending in the Championship 4 round and squaring off against themselves along with Majeski and Heim, will start fourth and fifth, respectively. The only non-Championship 4 finalist to start in the top five is Stewart Friesen, who will line up in third place after he posted his best qualifying lap at 136.809 mph in 26.314 seconds.

Dean Thompson, Nick Sanchez, Kaden Honeycutt, Connor Mosack and Chase Purdy rounded out the top 10 starting spots for the finale.

All 35 competitors entered for Friday’s finale at Phoenix earned a starting spot.

Qualifying position, best speed, best time:

  1. Ty Majeski, 138.180 mph, 26.053 seconds
  2. Corey Heim, 138.021 mph, 26.083 seconds
  3. Stewart Friesen, 136.809 mph, 26.314 seconds
  4. Christian Eckes, 136.467 mph, 26.380 seconds
  5. Grant Enfinger, 136.348 mph, 26.403 seconds
  6. Dean Thompson, 135.952 mph, 26.480 seconds
  7. Nick Sanchez, 135.947 mph, 26.481 seconds
  8. Kaden Honeycutt, 135.916 mph, 26.487 seconds
  9. Connor Mosack, 135.895 mph, 26.491 seconds
  10. Chase Purdy, 135.890 mph, 26.492 seconds
  11. Layne Riggs, 135.839 mph, 26.502 seconds
  12. Tyler Ankrum, 135.461 mph, 26.576 seconds
  13. Conner Jones, 135.201 mph, 26.627 seconds
  14. Taylor Gray, 135.064 mph, 26.654 seconds
  15. Tanner Gray, 135.064 mph, 26.654 seconds
  16. Daniel Dye, 135.044 mph, 26.658 seconds
  17. William Sawalich, 134.948 mph, 26.677 seconds
  18. Bayley Currey, 134.831 mph, 26.700 seconds
  19. Rajah Caruth, 134.736 mph, 26.719 seconds
  20. Ben Rhodes, 134.338 mph, 26.798 seconds
  21. Jack Wood, 134.318 mph, 26.802 seconds
  22. Matt Crafton, 134.013 mph, 26.863 seconds
  23. Stefan Parsons, 133.804 mph, 26.905 seconds
  24. Brett Moffitt, 133.670 mph, 26.932 seconds
  25. Dawson Sutton, 133.615 mph, 26.943 seconds
  26. Andres Perez de Lara, 133.571 mph, 26.952 seconds
  27. Jake Garcia, 132.363 mph, 27.198 seconds
  28. Matt Mills, 131.661 mph, 27.343 seconds
  29. Timmy Hill, 131.411 mph, 27.395 seconds
  30. Spencer Boyd, 130.199 mph, 27.650 seconds
  31. Frankie Muniz, 128.797 mph, 27.951 seconds
  32. Keith McGee, Owner Points
  33. Nathan Byrd, Owner Points
  34. Thad Moffitt, Owner Points
  35. Lawless Alan, Owner Points

The 2024 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series Championship Race at Phoenix Raceway is set to occur on Friday, November 8, and air at 8 p.m. ET on FS1.

NASCAR launches a new Era in Europe

By
Official Release
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NASCAR Euro Series
Credits: NASCAR Euro Series / Daniel Pflug

NASCAR and TEAM FJ to expand the European NASCAR championship

SAINT-DENIS-SUR-LOIRE, France (November 6, 2024) – NASCAR and TEAM FJ, the founder and organizer of the official European NASCAR Series, announced today the launch of a new era of NASCAR racing in Europe that will thrill the competitors and all European fans, further growing NASCAR’s footprint and establishing the series position as the best touring car in the Old Continent.

Starting in 2025, the European NASCAR championship will be named NASCAR Euro Series featuring a new logo and visual identity, expanding the presence of the NASCAR brand. The competition platform will deeply improve with the 3rd generation of the EuroNASCAR race car (GEN3) that will be introduced in all races starting in 2025, with further developments expected over the next few years. Enhancements will also be implemented to the racing format to make the races even more entertaining. A new driver development ladder with management support and scholarships will allow the NASCAR Euro Series drivers to climb towards the top level of NASCAR racing in the US.

NASCAR will take a more prominent role in the championship’s image by becoming the prominent brand. The move will align the NASCAR Euro Series with NASCAR’s national series model and cater the NASCAR brand to an ever-growing fan base.

“This new era for NASCAR in Europe is the result of the strategic plan we developed with NASCAR over the last 2 years, fully dedicated to bringing NASCAR to the summit of racing in Europe,” said Jerome Galpin President CEO TEAM FJ – NASCAR Europe. “We definitely want to deliver more to our fans, our drivers, our teams, our partners and bring new ones in to discover the unique competition and atmosphere of NASCAR racing at some of the best European circuits. After 2009 when we founded the Series and 2012 when we became the official NASCAR Series in Europe, this is another major step in our successful history where only the sky’s the limit.”

“As we continue to expand internationally, we’re excited to strengthen our presence in Europe. The launch of this new era means new opportunities and excitement for participants and partners who will join us starting in 2025,” said Chad Seigler, NASCAR’s Vice President & Chief International Officer.

The two NASCAR Euro Series championships will be renamed PRO and OPEN, while a new entry level based on regularity competition will feature a new format and become the Rookie Challenge for very young drivers and drivers without racing experience. The PRO championship will be dedicated as always to professional drivers and elite amateurs, while the OPEN championship will focus on young talents and gentleman drivers. Once again, PRO and OPEN drivers will share the same car, alternating behind the wheel in four exciting races per weekend, two in the PRO and two in the OPEN division.

With the clear goal of offering more European drivers the chance to compete at the top level of NASCAR in the US, NASCAR Europe will set up a ladder system to bring drivers from different environments to NASCAR racing. The Recruitment Tests will represent the first step for drivers coming from other motorsport disciplines, karting or even sim racing. Afterwards, they can move to the Rookie Challenge or step into full-fledged NASCAR racing first in the OPEN and then in the PRO championship.

Approved NASCAR Euro Series drivers will have the opportunity to enter NASCAR road course races in the United States at the top level in the NASCAR National Series. To provide the best preparation, TEAM FJ will set up the new “Road to America” program through a Europe-based NASCAR training and testing team, which will organize tests on European tracks. TEAM FJ will also support and manage drivers to find the best possible opportunities to race in the USA.

Founded in 2009 by French drivers and entrepreneurs Jerome and Anne Galpin through their TEAM FJ organization, the Euro Series was officially sanctioned by NASCAR for the first time in 2012. Since then, the championship grew at an impressive pace, rapidly becoming the most exciting touring car series in Europe, a fan favorite thanks to its action-packed NASCAR sprint races surrounded by American-themed festivals and family entertainment.

The 2025 NASCAR Euro Series season will feature seven events in seven different countries starting on April 12-13 in Valencia, Spain and closing on October 11-12 with the traditional Finals at Circuit Zolder, in Belgium.

SCHEDULE RELEASED FOR ACTION-PACKED 2025 SEASON IN THE NHRA LUCAS OIL DRAG RACING SERIES

By
Official Release
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INDIANAPOLIS (Nov. 8, 2024) – The NHRA Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series, starring the best and most decorated sportsman drivers in drag racing, announced the schedule for the upcoming 2025 season, featuring stops at standout racing facilities across the country.

The 2025 NHRA Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series season begins on Feb. 20-23 at Firebird Motorsports Park in Phoenix and Feb. 21-22 at Orlando Speed World Dragway, and the thrilling year will include 45 divisional events and 21 regional events, with the season finale taking place Nov. 6-9 at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.

The year will also include 15 double divisional events, up from previous seasons, as well as two SPORTSnationals races. The exciting Top Alcohol categories will be contested at three specialty events during the 2025 campaign as well, with the popular Cleetus and Cars event at Lucas Oil Indianapolis Raceway Park (May 2-3), and Night Under Fire at Summit Motorsports Park in Norwalk, Ohio as part of the North Central Regional (Aug. 1-2), and the Firebird Fall Shootout at Firebird Motorsports Park in Phoenix for the Pacific Regional (Oct. 24-25).

Included in the doubleheader divisional events for the first time is a race at Summit Motorsports Park, while World Wide Technology Raceway in St. Louis will host a pair of double divisional events. The spring event on April 30-May 3 is for the West Central Division and the fall event (Oct. 1-4) is for the North Central Division.

Several double divisional events, including races in Gainesville, Brainerd, Norwalk, St. Louis, Dallas and the spring and fall Las Vegas races, will occur either the weekend before or after an NHRA national event as well to help with racer travel and scheduling efficiencies.

“We are excited to see the 2025 Lucas Oil Divisional Series schedule get released,” Lucas Oil Director of Partnership Marketing Brandon Bernstein said. “There is a lot of great racing on great dates and everyone here at Lucas Oil is thrilled for the start of 2025 season.”

The Laris Motorsports Insurance Cajun NHRA SPORTSnationals, which returned to the Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series schedule for the first time in nearly a decade last year, heads back to No Problem Raceway in Belle Rose, La. on March 14-16, offering a unique atmosphere and stellar racing that has made the event so popular.

The JEGS SPORTSnationals, which has been a longtime staple on the NHRA Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series circuit, will again take place at National Trail Raceway on July 9-10 as part of the huge JEGS SPEEDWeek event. The SPORTSnationals features an incredible variety of high-level racing in eight different categories, making it one of the marquee events of the sportsman season, and following the SPORTSnationals the divisional and regional race takes place on July 11-12.

The 21 regional events during the 2025 Lucas Oil Drag Racing will showcase the exciting racing in the Top Alcohol Dragster and Top Alcohol Funny Car classes, giving fans a chance to experience cars running in excess of 250 mph at tracks across the country.

Like previous years, NHRA will stream several Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series divisional races on either NHRA.tv or the NHRA YouTube page for free during the 2025 campaign, including action from all seven NHRA divisions. A full broadcast schedule will be released in the coming weeks.

“We are looking forward to another fantastic season of racing in the Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series, and we couldn’t be more appreciative of the tremendous support Lucas Oil and the Lucas family have provided for so many years,” NHRA President Glen Cromwell said. “They’ve played an instrumental role in the success of our sportsman series, which continues to thrive at NHRA Member Tracks across the country. The Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series features incredible racing from some of the best drivers in the world and we’re excited about what the 2025 season has in store.”

2025 NHRA LUCAS OIL DRAG RACING SERIES SCHEDULE

EAST REGION

Gainesville Raceway: February 28-March 1

Maple Grove Raceway: May 22-25

Lebanon Valley Dragway: July 3-6

New England Dragway: August 21-24

Virginia Motorsports Park: September 4-7

NORTH CENTRAL REGION

Lucas Oil Indianapolis Raceway Park: May 2-3

Summit Motorsports Park: June 20-21

National Trail Raceway: July 11-12

Summit Motorsports Park: August 1-2

Beech Bend Raceway Park: August 22-24

World Wide Technology Raceway: October 3-4

CENTRAL REGION

No Problem Raceway: March 14-15

Texas Motorplex: May 16-17

Brainerd International Raceway: August 8-9

Tri-State Raceway: September 5-7

WEST REGION

Firebird Motorsports Park: February 21-22

Mission Raceway Park: June 14-15

Woodburn Dragstrip: July 11-13

Pacific Raceways: August 8-9

Firebird Motorsports Park: October 24-25

The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway: November 7-8

NORTHEAST DIVISION

Maple Grove Raceway: May 22-25

Lebanon Valley Dragway: July 3-6

Numidia Dragway: July 31-August 1

Numidia Dragway: August 2-3

New England Dragway: August 22-24

Virginia Motorsports Park: September 4-7

Cecil County Dragway: October 17-19

SOUTHEAST DIVISION

Orlando Speed World Dragway: February 21-22

Gainesville Raceway: February 27-March 2

South Georgia Motorsports Park: May 29-30

South Georgia Motorsports Park: May 31-June 1

Rockingham Dragway: October 16-17

Rockingham Dragway: October 18-19

NORTH CENTRAL DIVISION

Lucas Oil Indianapolis Raceway Park: April 25-27

Summit Motorsports Park: June 18-19

Summit Motorsports Park: June 20-21

National Trail Raceway (SPORTSnationals): July 9-10

National Trail Raceway: July 11-12

Beech Bend Raceway Park: August 22-24

World Wide Technology Raceway: October 1-2

World Wide Technology Raceway: October 3-4

SOUTH CENTRAL DIVISION

No Problem Raceway: March 12-13

No Problem Raceway (SPORTSnationals): March 14-16

Texas Motorplex: May 15-16

Texas Motorplex: May 17-18

Tulsa Raceway Park: September 18-19

Tulsa Raceway Park: September 20-21

Texas Motorplex: October 6-7

WEST CENTRAL DIVISION

World Wide Technology Raceway: April 30-May 1

World Wide Technology Raceway: May 2-May 3

Tri State Raceway: May 30-June 1

Brainerd International Raceway: August 7-8

Brainerd International Raceway: August 9-10

Tri-State Raceway: September 5-7

NORTHWEST DIVISION

Firebird Raceway: May 16-18

Yellowstone Dragstrip: June 26-27

Yellowstone Dragstrip: June 28-29

Woodburn Dragstrip: July 10-11

Woodburn Dragstrip: July 12-13

Pacific Raceways: August 7-8

Pacific Raceways: August 9-10

PACIFIC DIVISION

Firebird Motorsports Park: February 20-21

Firebird Motorsports Park: February 22-23

The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway: April 16-17

The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway: April 18-19

Famoso Dragstrip: September 25-26

Famoso Dragstrip: September 27-28

The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway: November 6-9

About Lucas Oil

Founded in 1989 by Forrest and Charlotte Lucas, Lucas Oil Products was created with the simple philosophy of producing only the best line of lubricants and additives available anywhere. Today, it encompasses the most diversified range of products in the automotive, powersports, marine, industrial, outdoor, and motorsports marketplaces, many of which were created by Forrest Lucas himself. In total, the company boasts more than 300 premium products, representing the largest variety of shelf products of any oil company in the United States with a distribution network across 48 different countries. For more information, please visit www.LucasOil.com.

About NHRA 

NHRA is the primary sanctioning body for the sport of drag racing in the United States. NHRA presents 20 national events featuring the NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series and NHRA Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series, as well as the Congruity NHRA Pro Mod Drag Racing Series presented by LearnEV+, NHRA Flexjet Factory Stock Showdown™, NHRA Holley EFI Factory X and Johnson’s Horsepowered Garage NHRA Mountain Motor Pro Stock at select national events. NHRA provides competition opportunities for drivers of all levels in the NHRA Summit Racing Series and NHRA Street Legal™. NHRA also offers the NHRA Jr. Street® program for teens and the Summit Racing Jr. Drag Racing League® for youth ages 5 to 17. With 110 Member Tracks, NHRA allows racers to compete at a variety of locations nationally and internationally. NHRA’s Youth and Education Services® (YES) Program reaches over 30,000 students annually to ignite their interest in automotive and racing related careers. NHRA’s streaming service, NHRA.tv®, allows fans to view all NHRA national events as well as exclusive features of the sport. In addition, NHRA owns and operates three racing facilities: Gainesville Raceway in Florida; Lucas Oil Indianapolis Raceway Park; and In-N-Out Burger Pomona Dragstrip in Southern California. For more information, log on to www.NHRA.com, or visit the official NHRA pages on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and YouTube.

RCR Race Preview: Phoenix Raceway

By
Official Release
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Richard Childress Racing in the NASCAR Cup Series at Phoenix Raceway… In 141 NASCAR Cup Series starts at Phoenix Raceway, Richard Childress Racing has scored six victories, led by Kevin Harvick with four wins (including a sweep of both races in 2006 plus fall races in 2012 and 2013). Ryan Newman was victorious in the 2017 Spring event. Dale Earnhardt won in 1990 to claim his ninth victory of the season enroute to his fourth of seven Cup Series championships.

Richard Childress Racing in the NASCAR Xfinity Series at Phoenix Raceway… Richard Childress Racing has three NASCAR Xfinity Series wins by three different drivers at Phoenix Raceway: Elliott Sadler (2012), Clint Bowyer (2007) and Harvick (2006). The victory by Sadler ended a 91-race winless streak, while Bowyer led the most laps (120 of 200) on the way to the Winner’s Circle. The win by Harvick was one of nine victories he claimed on the way to his second Xfinity Series title with RCR. Both Jesse Love (second) and Austin Hill (fourth) claimed top-five finishes in March at Phoenix Raceway.

Championship 4 Weekend… Hill is competing for the 2024 NASCAR Xfinity Series Championship on Saturday afternoon at Phoenix Raceway. Hill is seeking his first series title competing against AJ Allmendinger, Justin Allgaier, and Cole Custer. Richard Childress Racing is contending for its sixth Xfinity Series owner championship and will be racing against Joe Gibbs Racing (No. 20), Kaulig Racing (No. 16) and JR Motorsports (No. 7).

Did You Know? Richard Childress Racing has won five Xfinity Series driver championships (2001, 2006, 2008, 2013, 2019) – tied with RFK Racing for the most all-time. RCR has also won five Xfinity Series owner championships (2001, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2019) – second-most all-time.

Catch the Action on Saturday… The NASCAR Xfinity Series Championship Race at Phoenix Raceway will be televised live on Saturday, November 9, beginning at 7 p.m. ET on the CW. The race will be broadcast live on the Motor Racing Network and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Channel 90.

Follow Sunday’s Action at Phoenix Raceway… The NASCAR Cup Series Championship Race at Phoenix Raceway will be televised live on Sunday, November 10, beginning at 3 p.m. ET on NBC. The race will be broadcast live on the Motor Racing Network and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Channel 90.

Austin Dillon and the No. 3 Dow Salutes Veterans Chevrolet at Phoenix Raceway… Austin Dillon has 21 NASCAR Cup Series starts at Phoenix Raceway to his credit, earning two top-10 finishes. Dillon finished 12th in 2023’s fall event at the Arizona track. The North Carolina native has 11 starts at the one-mile oval in the NASCAR Xfinity Series, with a career-best finish of second in November 2016. Dillon has three top-10 finishes and one top-five finish in three starts in the NASCAR Truck Series at Phoenix Raceway.

Dow brings a science and engineering crew who is driven by limitless curiosity to the RCR Team… Dillon and the RCR team are again supported by Dow’s materials science expertise and technologies this season. Backed by the power of data analysis and virtual modeling, Dow develops and manufactures high-performance components and materials custom-made for the No. 3 car. Dow and RCR’s partnership has expedited innovation and shortened testing time in the automotive industry by using one of the most extreme environments – the racetrack – as a real-time testbed. After 11 years of collaboration, Dow scientists and RCR engineers are continuing to work together to make the No. 3 car faster, safer, and more precise. Stay up to date with Dow’s exciting developments at www.dow.com/sports, and follow them on X (@DowSports) and LinkedIn (Dow Sports Marketing Solutions).

Dow Salutes Veterans… More than 2,000 U.S. Military Veterans will “ride” with Dillon at Phoenix Raceway this weekend. His patriotic No. 3 Dow Salutes Veterans Chevrolet features the names of U.S. Military Veterans and active-duty military members. The 2024 Dow Salutes Veterans Chevrolet highlights Dow’s Military Degree Equivalency (MDE) program. The MDE program provides an opportunity for individuals with extensive military background to bring their broad scope of training and education, experience in leadership, and understanding of performing in high pressure situations into a successful career at Dow. 2024 marks the 10th consecutive year that Dow has partnered with RCR to honor U.S. Military veterans. The program began with just over 350 veterans in 2015.

Meet Dillon… Dillon and his RCR teammate, Kyle Busch, are scheduled to make an appearance on behalf of RCR partner BetMGM at the BetMGM Sportsbook at Gila River Resort & Casino – Vee Quiva (15091 S. Komatke Lane Laveen Village, AZ 85339) on Friday, November 7th at 7 p.m. local time. On Sunday, November 10 at 8:45 a.m. local time, Dillon is scheduled to visit the Team Chevy Stage in the Midway at Phoenix Raceway.

AUSTIN DILLON QUOTES:

What are your thoughts on racing at Phoenix Raceway this weekend?

“The last few years Phoenix Raceway has seen changes, and I think it’s made the track more challenging, which makes it fun for drivers. It’s is a tough short track and one of those places where you hit it or don’t. Phoenix Raceway could be a good place for the No. 3 Dow Salutes Veterans Chevrolet team on Sunday. We have a long practice on Friday. The goal is to get a good starting position on Saturday and finish out the season on a high note.”

How special is it to you personally to have the names of more than 2,000 veterans on the car this weekend?

“This Dow Salutes Veterans program is so special, and it’s especially meaningful to be able to ride with these military heroes on Veterans Day weekend. Dow’s emphasis on supporting their employee veterans is a shared core value that directly correlates to the patriotism of everyone at RCR and within NASCAR. It’s been amazing to see the spiderweb-like growth of the Dow Salutes Veterans program. The names on the car grow each year, as does the impact and scope this program has on Dow employees worldwide. It means a lot to me, personally, to meet a lot of the veterans who are featured on the car each year and to have a chance to honor our Nation’s true heroes – veterans and active-duty military – for their service and dedication.”

Kyle Busch and the No. 8 3CHI Chevrolet at Phoenix Raceway… Kyle Busch will make his 39th career Phoenix Raceway start in the NASCAR Cup Series this weekend. Busch has three wins at the track (2005, 2018, and 2019), which ranks second among active drivers. He also has 12 top-five finishes. His 26 top-10 finishes are the most by any active driver at Phoenix, and Busch has logged a top-10 in 68.42 percent of his starts. Busch has won four pole positions and is tied with Ryan Newman for most poles all-time at the Arizona track. The driver of the 3CHI Chevrolet is also the all-time lap leader at one-mile oval (1,190).

Did You Know? Busch holds the record for both the youngest race winner and pole winner in track history at Phoenix Raceway. Busch captured his first Phoenix victory in November 2005 (20 years, 6 months, and 11 days) and won his first pole in March 2006 (20 years, 11 months, and 20 days).

3CHI Blazed the Trail for Another Industry First… 3CHI began with roots as a CBD producer and quickly became a pioneer in science-based hemp and cannabis innovation. The company was the first to commercially develop and market Delta 8 THC, and today, 3CHI is an industry leader with unsurpassed product quality and purity as verified by top independent labs and benchmark organizations. 3CHI products are sold in a majority of the United States, and the company produces and markets a variety of gummies, tinctures, lotions, edibles and vape products. All 3CHI products meet federal requirements for full legal compliance, with a commitment to promoting responsible adult use. See 3CHI.com for more information.

KYLE BUSCH QUOTES:

Do you race the drivers in the Championship 4 any differently at Phoenix Raceway? Do you try to give them extra room?

“You definitely don’t want to put yourself in a spot where you take out a Championship 4 contender. It’s important to be mindful of everything going on around you but you’re also not just going to just layover and give positions away.”

How important is it to end this season on a positive note with a strong run at Phoenix Raceway?

“I’m not sure that I would put any more emphasis on Phoenix Raceway than I would at any other week prior because I think every race is important. Phoenix is a track and this is a race that you want to be ready for when it becomes your turn to be in the Championship 4, so building all of your notes this weekend is really important.”

Jesse Love and the No. 2 Whelen Chevrolet at Phoenix Raceway… Jesse Love has made one career NASCAR Xfinity Series start at Phoenix Raceway, earning a runner up finish earlier this season while piloting the No. 2 Whelen Chevrolet. Despite only having one Xfinity Series outing at the Arizona oval, the 19-year-old has completed over 1,000 laps at the one-mile track. Love has one NASCAR Truck Series start at Phoenix Raceway, earning a fourth-place result (2023) in just his third series event. In addition, Love has seven starts in ARCA Menards Series competition at the facility, posting a best finish of second (2022) and three top-10 results.

Rookie of the Year… Love enters the final race of the Xfinity Series season atop the Sunoco Rookie of the Year standings. Love has mathematically clinched the 2024 honors but will not be officially awarded until the Menlo Park, California native finishes the season in good standing, per the program guidelines and eligibility.

Season in Review… Through 32 races of the 2024 Xfinity Series season, Love has claimed one win, five poles, seven top-five, and 17 top-10 finishes. The rookie has led a total of 335 laps and completed 97.8 percent (5006 of 5116) of the laps competed.

About Whelen Engineering… Whelen Engineering is a family-owned company with a pioneering spirit and a passion to protect the lives of those who protect and serve others. The company mission is to provide industry-defining safety solutions around the world, while creating a community of problem-solvers who are inspired to push boundaries and continue our legacy of delivering ground-breaking innovation. As a global leader in the emergency warning industry, Whelen has been trusted to perform since 1952, when George Whelen III invented the first rotating aviation beacon. Whelen now encompasses two state-of-the-art manufacturing facilities in Connecticut and New Hampshire with over 750,000 square feet of engineering and manufacturing space and the largest design staff in the industry. Every part of every Whelen product is proudly designed and manufactured in America. We embrace quality as our foundation, we celebrate innovative engineering in every product we produce.

Meet Love… On Saturday, November 9 at 3:15 p.m. local time, Love is scheduled to sign autographs at the RCR Merchandise Trailer located in the Midway at Phoenix Raceway. Stop by to meet the RCR Xfinity Series young gun and purchase new gear.

JESSE LOVE QUOTE:

With one race remaining, describe your season as a whole.

“I’m proud of the effort and year that our No. 2 team has had. Everything might not have turned out exactly like we hoped, and we had a stretch during the summer months that didn’t produce the best results, but we learned a lot throughout the season. There is a lot to be proud of for our group. With capturing our first win as a team, and also Whelen’s first win, and running consistently week in and week out, we put ourselves in position to earn Rookie of the Year honors. We obviously hoped to be running for a championship this weekend at Phoenix Raceway, but we still have a job to do. We had a strong race here earlier this season and if we do everything right, we should have an opportunity to compete for the race win again this weekend. That would be a nice way to enter the offseason and come back even stronger in 2025.”

Austin Hill and the No. 21 Bennett Transportation and Logistics Chevrolet at Phoenix Raceway… Austin Hill has five career NASCAR Xfinity Series starts at Phoenix Raceway, earning a best finish of fourth earlier this season while piloting the No. 21 Bennett Transportation & Logistics Chevrolet. In addition, Hill has five NASCAR Truck Series starts at the Arizona speedway, notching one pole (2019) and one top-10 result (2021).

Championship Chasing… Hill is making his first career Championship 4 appearance this weekend. After earning regular season championship trophies in both the NASCAR Truck Series and the Xfinity Series, the 30-year-old currently chases his first season title. The 2024 season marks Hill’s third Xfinity Series Playoff appearance.

Rearview Mirror… Through 32 races of the 2024 Xfinity Series campaign, Hill has captured four wins, one pole, 11 top-five, and 19 top-10 finishes. The Winston, Georgia native has led a total of 240 laps and completed 95.1 percent (4865 of 5116) of laps competed.

About Bennett Family of Companies… McDonough-Ga. based Bennett Family of Companies is a woman-owned, Women’s Enterprise Business Council (WBENC) certified, diversified transportation and logistics company. Through its 14 affiliated operating companies, the Bennett Family of Companies delivers integrated transportation and supply chain management solutions worldwide. Bennett has 4,625 drivers/owner-operators, over 1,000 employees and 600 agents located across the United States. For more information, visit www.bennettig.com.

AUSTIN HILL QUOTES:

What is your mindset heading into Phoenix Raceway, where you will race for your first NASCAR championship?

“Throughout my career, I’ve always said that I just want a chance. I simply wanted a shot at the final four and to fight for a championship, and we now have that chance. My mindset is to put it all on the line. The No. 21 team has the confidence and ability to win at Phoenix Raceway, just as good as anyone else that we are racing against. Everyone at Richard Childress Racing and ECR Engines deserves this opportunity. It hasn’t been the smoothest season for us. We’ve had our share of ups and downs, but we are confident going into championship weekend. I’m doing my best to soak in all the moments.”

Were you surprised that it took three years for you to make it to the Championship 4 in the NASCAR Xfinity Series?

“A little bit, just because we have had speed each and every year. Last season, we won the regular season championship, had the extra bonus points, and felt good about each of the tracks in the Playoffs, but it still didn’t work out. It goes to show how hard it is to make it to the final four and what a privilege it is. I can tell you all the scenarios of why we should have been in the Championship 4 the last two years, but this one all came together for us. I’ve definitely learned things from the last two years that I’ve applied to this season though. At the end of the day, you have to be perfect in the Playoffs. You can’t afford to have bad days. And if you do have a bad day, you have to execute and win the race the next weekend.”

What are your chances entering Phoenix Raceway?

“I feel really good about it. I’ve been prepping – watching film and in-car cameras from last year’s championship race – since the Monday after winning at Homestead-Miami Speedway. Our No. 21 team is putting in the work both in the shop and in the simulator to be as prepared as possible. 100% of our efforts are focused on this weekend. When we strap in for 200 laps on Saturday, we will give it our best shot. If that ends up with us as the champion, great. If that ends up with us as fourth out of four, we are still going to hold our heads up high, because we know that we had a shot at it. We have a stout group to go up against, so we have to bring our A game.”

7 Tips To Keep Your Porsche in the Best Condition

By
SM
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Porsche
Photo by rclassenlayouts at https://depositphotos.com/

Nothing quite compares to the feel of owning a Porsche, and once you’ve got one, you’ll become obsessed with ensuring that it stays in mint condition…which is probably why you’re reading this article, am I right? 

Trust me, it’s not that difficult to do when you know what to pay attention to. You’ve come to the right place because here, we’ll give you the best tips for maintaining your Porsche. 

1. Check your tyres on the regular

When it comes to the most essential parts of your car, tyres are high up on the list – which is why it’s essential to check on them consistently. Not checking your tyres regularly means there’s a chance you could drive with a slow leak, a dented rim or wheels that are out of alignment, so make a habit of checking them frequently before you hit the road. One thing you need to know about most Porsche tyres is that the front and back tyres aren’t interchangeable. 

2. Let the professionals handle services

The way to ensure that you can enjoy your Porsche for as long as possible is to send it in for a regular service. Look at yout driver’s manual to check for what the best intervals are for services – one year intervals work for most models (depending on how often and how much they’re being driven). You can learn more about what to check when getting a Porsche serviced, here. 

3. Shield it from the elements

While you want to take your Porsche out and show it off to the rest of the world, you need to try to keep it out of the sun and protected from the other elements as much as possible. The harmful UV rays can cause its colour to fade prematurely, and for anyone who lives near the coast, ensure it’s protected from the salty air and spray because once rust sets in, it spreads like wildfire. The best way to protect your Porsche is to park it in a shaded area or cover it with a tarpaulin any time it’s in the sun. Also, it’s essential to give it a good washdown if you’ve been driving anywhere near the ocean. 

4. Keep an eye on the coolant system

Another aspect of having a Porsche is that you need to check the coolant system regularly if you want it to remain in prime condition. This is because leaks in the coolant system of a Porsche are sometimes incredibly difficult to detect, so it’s best to monitor it. 

5. Oil checks are pivotal 

One of the things that can make all the difference in how long your Porsche lasts is ensuring the engine oil is good. Sometimes, all it needs is a good oil change, and your baby will run like new. For a high-quality ride, you can’t settle for low-quality engine oil, as this will put your Porsche’s engine at risk of developing huge issues. It’s best to see to it that the engine oil is changed at least once a year or after driving 16000 kilometres. 

6. Observe the dashboard alerts

The dashboard signals are not suggestions, and as soon as one appears, you need to act promptly and not ignore any of them. Whenever something pops up, take it to a professional Porsche mechanic who will know exactly how to resolve the issue and not cause any others. 

7. Maintain its battery health

Another key component you need to pay attention to on your Porsche is battery health. For those who live in hotter regions, you need to pay special attention to the battery as they do tend to deteriorate faster when there is constant heat. Along with battery, ensure you check on all the other connections to the battery as well. 

Can you use aftermarket parts?

Look, whether you choose to use OEM (original equipment manufacturer) parts or aftermarket parts is going to come down to a few different factors, and both come with their own benefits and drawbacks. Ideally everyone should be using OEM parts, but realistically, they’re very expensive, so there is definitely a value in using aftermarket parts too. However, if you want to keep your Porsche in mint condition, only use OEM parts.

Final Thoughts 

To keep your Porsche in the best possible condition for as long as possible, you need to take the necessary precautions. By keeping these eight key tips in mind, you should be able to keep your car in good knick. 

Blaney, Logano, Reddick, and Byron battle it out for the 2024 championship title

By
SM Staff
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Blaney, Logano, Reddick, and Byron

NASCAR heads to Phoenix Raceway this weekend for the highly anticipated 2024 season finale. The four drivers will compete for the 2024 NASCAR Cup Series championship title.

Blaney goes for another championship title

Reigning Cup Series champion Ryan Blaney is prepared for a tough battle heading into the weekend, attempting to capture the 2024 championship title.

“Everyone’s going to be strong. I don’t think there’s like any favorites, to be honest with you,” Blaney said. “And I never look at favorites when it gets to the Champ 4 because everyone’s there for a reason. They’re all teams that are really fast, and they’re gonna be fast no matter what, any given weekend, at any given track.”

Blaney has three wins, 11 top fives, 17 top 10s, one pole, and the seventh-best season-to-date driver rating of 89.3.

Will it be three times?

Two-time Cup Series champion Joey Logano has three wins, six top fives, 12 top 10s, three poles, and the ninth-best season-to-date driver rating of 84.2. Logano will be making his sixth appearance in the Championship 4 since the format was introduced in 2014. Logano aims to become the 10th driver to win at least three titles, joining legends like Tony Stewart, Cale Yarborough, Darrell Waltrip, David Pearson, and Lee Petty, four-time champion Jeff Gordon, and seven-time titleholders Jimmie Johnson, Dale Earnhardt, and Richard Petty.

For the second year in a row, Byron attempts to capture his first championship title

In his second Championship 4 Round appearance, William Byron will attempt to win his first NASCAR Cup Series championship and the 37th different driver to win it. This season, Byron has three wins, 12 top fives, 20 top 10s, one pole, and the fifth-best season-to-date driver rating of 91.8.

“It’s a short week for sure, you’re not home much because of obligations and just prepping for the weekend. It’s a lot of fun though. I enjoyed being a part of it last year. I feel like I learned a lot, not just for on-track but also off-track and what my routine would be going back this year. It’s something as a competitor you want to be a part of.” Byron said.

“For us, we had really good qualifying last year. We qualified on the pole which was awesome. We just need to continue and improve for sure. We want to try to be better through out the whole race though, especially the last run. That’s the part of the race that means the most, you don’t get paid for the first two stages, only the end.” Byron added.

Reddick attempts to capture his first championship

Tyler Reddick has three wins, 12 top fives, 20 top 10s, three poles, and the sixth-best season-to-date driver rating of 90.0. This is Reddick’s first Championship 4-round appearance and his first chance to win it. If he wins the championship, he will become the fourth driver to win the regular season championship and the championship title in the same season.

NASCAR Cup Series 2024 Championship 4 Round Drivers at Phoenix Raceway

RankDriverRacesPolesWinsTop 5sTop 10sDNFsAverage FinishDriver Rating
1Ryan Blaney1730812210.999.2
2Joey Logano3123816513.593.4
3Tyler Reddick90023117.982.3
4William Byron131127011.893.6

You can also read the weekend schedule and catch all the racing action this weekend.

The Craftsman Truck Series finale at Phoenix is scheduled for Friday, November 8th, at 8 pm Eastern time on FS1. The Xfinity Series finale will follow suit on the CW Network on Saturday, November 9, at 7 pm Eastern time. The Cup Series finale will cap off the weekend on Sunday, November 10, at 3 pm Eastern time on NBC.

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