DESPITE VALIANT EFFORT, BELL FAILS TO ADVANCE TO CHAMPIONSHIP 4 Denny Hamlin leads the Toyota contingent after driving from 37th to the top-five
MARTINSVILLE, Va. (November 3, 2024) – Denny Hamlin drove through the field after a practice incident to lead Toyota with a fifth-place finish on Sunday evening at Martinsville Speedway. Despite the strong performance, Hamlin was unable to advance to the Championship 4.
Christopher Bell battled through a pit road issue and was close to advancing to the Championship 4, before being scored 22nd. He missed the Championship 4 by four points.
Toyota continues to be the only manufacturer represented in the Championship 4 every season, as Tyler Reddick will battle for the NASCAR Cup Series Championship for the first time in Phoenix.
Toyota Post-Race Recap NASCAR Cup Series (NCS) Martinsville Speedway Race 35 of 36 – 267 Laps, 400.5 Miles
TOYOTA FINISHING POSITIONS
1st, Ryan Blaney* 2nd, Chase Elliott* 3rd, Kyle Larson* 4th, Austin Cindric* 5th, DENNY HAMLIN 18th, BUBBA WALLACE 19th, ERIK JONES 22nd, CHRISTOPHER BELL 24th, MARTIN TRUEX JR. 31st, JOHN HUNTER NEMECHEK 32nd, TY GIBBS 34th, TYLER REDDICK *non-Toyota driver
TOYOTA QUOTES
CHRISTOPHER BELL, No. 20 Mobil 1 Toyota Camry XSE, Joe Gibbs Racing
Finishing Position: 22nd
How do you process NASCAR’s decision and just the end of this race?
“It was Martinsville, and it was a round of 8 cutoff race. Unfortunately, I was on the bad side of it. Made a lot of mistakes, ran a sloppy race. It is a shame that it comes down to a ball and strike call like that. You can look at both sides of the fence – the Chevy organization had a lot of blocking going on so that the 24 (William Bryon) didn’t lose positions. I slid into the wall and kept my foot into it. I guess that is a losing move.”
Can you take us to the driver’s seat in that last lap?
“Yeah, I just got loose. I was trying to get by the 23 (Bubba Wallace) and whenever I did, I was kind of pinned in between the 10 (Noah Gragson) and the 23 and slid into the wall. Whenever I slid into the wall, I knew that I had to have that position and just tried to get to the line. I didn’t intentionally floor it and go into the fence; I slipped into the wall and that’s all she wrote.”
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 nearly 64,000 people in North America who have contributed to the design, engineering, and assembly of nearly 47 million cars and trucks at our 14 manufacturing plants. In 2025, Toyota’s plant in North Carolina will begin to manufacture automotive batteries for electrified vehicles. With more electrified vehicles on the road than any other automaker, Toyota currently offers 30 electrified options.
Ford Performance Notes and Quotes NASCAR Cup Series Xfinity 500 | Sunday, November 3, 2024
RYAN BLANEY CLINCHES SPOT IN CHAMPIONSHIP 4; TEAM PENSKE’S 100TH CUP WIN WITH FORD
Ryan Blaney won his third race of the season and the 13th of his career today.
This marks the second straight year Blaney has won the Martinsville Playoff race.
Blaney joins Team Penske teammate Joey Logano in the Championship 4.
Ford and Team Penske will be going for a third straight series championship next week in Phoenix.
It also marks Team Penske’s 100th series win with Ford.
Team Penske won 27 races from 1994 to 2002 and then returned to Ford in 2013 with Brad Keselowski and Joey Logano. Since then, they’ve added a third car with Ryan Blaney and have won 73 times.
Seven different drivers have won at least one race with Team Penske and Ford.
Joey Logano has the most wins with 33.
RYAN BLANEY, No. 12 Discount Tire Ford Mustang Dark Horse – YOUR EMOTIONS RIGHT NOW ON WHAT YOU DID TODAY? “I’m worn out. It’s hard. The last 70 or so laps I tried to save my rears the best I could because that’s where I started struggling later in the runs. I hated I had to lay the bumper to some guys, but I had to do it. It was nice to pass the 9 clean. I layed the bumper to a couple guys that I wish I didn’t have to, but I needed to get going, so it was a long night. I appreciate everybody for getting better through the night. Thank goodness. I think that’s the most tired I’ve been after a race in a long time.”
WAS THERE A POINT IN THE FINAL 70 LAPS THAT YOU LOST HOPE OR YOU GAINED HOPE? “Part of me was nervous because when I got to the 6 earlier, like the run or two before, I just lost so much rear drive and I couldn’t drive under him. I felt like my rears were hanging on a little bit better that last run, and it started to seem like the 5 and the 9 were starting to struggle on corner exit and that’s where I was able to do it. We definitely got the car better and it allowed me to kind of fade up the track and turn under, where I couldn’t really do it before. Props to Jonathan for tuning her up.”
WHAT ABOUT THE MOMENTUM GOING TO PHOENIX? “Yeah, a lot of momentum. It’s nice to have two Penske cars in. It’s nice to join the 22 and have a decent shot to bring Roger another title, a third title in a row, so these guys are the best at what they do and it’s been so much fun to get to run with them and share wins and championships. It’s super strong right now in our organization and hopefully it carries over.”
TEAM PENSKE ALL-TIME FORD CUP SERIES WINNERS
33 – Joey Logano 26 – Brad Keselowski 23 – Rusty Wallace 12 – Ryan Blaney 3 – Jeremy Mayfield 2 – Austin Cindric 1 – Ryan Newman
MILESTONE WINS BY TEAM PENSKE WITH FORD
Feb. 27, 1994 – Rusty Wallace scores the organization’s first win with Ford when he captured the Goodwrench 500 at North Carolina Motor Speedway.
March 26, 2000 – Rusty Wallace wins at Bristol Motor Speedway, marking the 50th NASCAR Cup Series victory of his career.
Aug. 18, 2013 – Joey Logano wins his first race with Team Penske and delivers the inaugural Heritage Trophy, given by Michigan International Speedway, to Ford.
Feb, 22, 2015 – Joey Logano wins the Daytona 500.
Sept. 10, 2018 – Brad Keselowski delivers the first Brickyard 400 win to owner Roger Penske.
Sept. 16, 2018 – Brad Keselowski registers the 500th organizational victory for Team Penske with his win in the playoff opener at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.
Sept. 30, 2018 – Ryan Blaney wins the inaugural NASCAR Cup Series race on the Charlotte Roval.
Nov. 18, 2018 – Joey Logano captures his first career NASCAR Cup Series championship by winning the season-ending Ford EcoBoost 400 at Homestead-Miami Speedway.
Feb. 24, 2019 – Brad Keselowski wins the first NASCAR Cup Series race in a Mustang after taking the checkered flag at Atlanta Motor Speedway.
March 29, 2021 – Joey Logano wins the first dirt race in the NASCAR Cup Series in 50 years by taking the inaugural Bristol Dirt Race at Bristol Motor Speedway.
Feb. 6, 2022 – Joey Logano kicks off the Next Gen era by winning the inaugural Clash at the Coliseum at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum.
Feb. 20, 2022 – Rookie Austin Cindric wins the Daytona 500 in his eighth NASCAR Cup Series start.
Nov. 3, 2024 – Ryan Blaney wins Team Penske’s 100th NASCAR Cup Series race with Ford.
JOEY LOGANO, No. 22 Shell/Pennzoil Ford Mustang Dark Horse – “It was a top 10. That’s what it was. The focus has been on Phoenix and hopefully it pays a dividend next weekend where we can unload with a lot of speed and have a race car that can go up there and run up front and win a championship.
AUSTIN CINDRIC, No. 2 Menards/Cardell Cabinetry Ford Mustang Dark Horse – “We started last. We had to go to the back to start stage three and we had a really fast race car. It was a good strategy call there by Brian, putting it in my hands at the end with old tires. Honestly, probably a few more laps we would have had third, so I’m proud of everybody’s effort. The whole team collaboration this weekend and most importantly, getting Ryan in the Championship 4. We’ve got a 50 percent shot of Team Penske to win next week, so that’s awesome. It’s well-deserved by everybody on the team and after my last three weeks this feels nice, but we definitely had to work for it today.”
NOAH GRAGSON, No. 10 Bed, Bath & Beyond Ford Mustang Dark Horse – “We came up one spot short from a top 10. I really want that, but, overall, a good day for the No. 10 team and Stewart-Haas. The 41 and 14 ran up front for a good majority of the day and for us to come home 11th, we started 25th. We need to get our qualifying a little better, but I think we know what we need to work on. I’m just super proud of the determination and focus out of our group this weekend. We’ve got one more.”
CHASE BRISCOE, No. 14 Mahindra Tractors Ford Mustang Dark Horse – “Our car started pretty good and we just continued on and it just got worse as the day went on. We never really made it better. It’s frustrating for sure. I felt like we had a car definitely capable of running in the top five and we just kept shooting ourselves in the foot. We’ve got to get better.”
Evan Slater Finishes Fifth, Carson Kvapil Sixth To Lead the Charge; Tristan McKee 16th After Midrace Incident, Barry Boes Podiums in Pro-Am
Overview:
Date: Nov. 3, 2024 Event: COTA SpeedTour (Round 12 of 12) Series: Trans Am Series presented by Pirelli Division: Cube 3 Architecture TA2 Series Location: Circuit of the Americas in Austin, Texas Layout: 3.4-mile, 20-turn road course Format: 30 laps or 75 minutes Weather: Partly cloudy, upper-70s TA2 Winner: Brent Crews of Nitro Motorsports
TeamSLR:
● Evan Slater – Started 13th, Finished 5th (Running, completed 28/28 laps) ● Carson Kvapil – Started 1st, Finished 6th (Running, completed 28/28 laps) ● Tristan McKee – Started 10th, Finished 16th (Running, completed 28/28 laps) ● Barry Boes – Started 16th, Finished 19th (Running, completed 28/28 laps)
Noteworthy:
● The 18-year-old Slater’s fifth-place finish was his second top-five in two TA2 outings with TeamSLR and M1 Racecars equipment this season. The first came by way of his runner-up finish from his front-row starting position May 25 at Lime Rock Park in Lakeville, Connecticut.
● In just his fifth career TA2 Series race and third of the season, Kvapil qualified on the pole Saturday. He rallied for Sunday’s sixth-place finish after lap-one incident dropped him to 14th.
● Boes entered the weekend having already clinched the TA2 Pro-Am Challenge championship within a championship behind seven class victories in the first 11 events. He added his eighth class podium in Sunday’s 12th and final race of the season. Boes also contested the Cube 3 Architecture TA2 Western Championship in M1 Racecars equipment this season, where he scored his first career victory July 27 at Portland (Ore.) International Raceway, and finished with five top-five finishes in eight races, including the last four in a row.
● This was the second career TA2 start for McKee, who became eligible to drive in the series when he turned 14 on Aug. 3. He debuted Oct. 5 at Virginia International Raceway in Alton, where he qualified sixth and finished fourth.
● Other top M1 Racecars finishers included Austin Green of Peterson Racing, who came home 10th . Green’s Peterson Racing teammate Jordan Anderson finished 17th in his first career TA2 race.
● Western Championship regular Tim Carroll drove his M1 Racecars entry to a top-10 finish Sunday to lock down fourth in the final standings. Carroll was victorious in the July 28 round at Portland.
Evan Slater, Driver, No. 8 Cube 3 Architecture/Willis & Smith Capital/Paul Racing SLR-M1 Racecars Chevrolet Camaro:
“We were able to move up there at the end. I think it was a fun race, for sure. Qualifying didn’t quite go our way. We qualified P13 and really wanted to be up higher, but we had a fast TeamSLR racecar today. So we started 13th and made our way up to fifth. I think if the race had fewer cautions, more green laps, I really believe we could have gone all the way up to the podium, it was a really fast car. I’m super thankful to my sponsors – Cube 3, Will & Smith Capital, Paul Racing Enterprises – for the support, I really appreciate them. They are the ones that made this weekend happen. It was so great to be back in the car. Hopefully, I can figure out some more races for next year. It’s always fun running with TeamSLR.”
Carson Kvapil, Driver No. 17 SLR-M1 Racecars Chevrolet Camaro:
“Truthfully, I don’t know what happened there on the opening lap. It’s unfortunate, really, because we got a pretty decent start and got in there to protect from the inside and laying it pretty late off into the corner, then trying to rejoin on the racing surface, I guess you’d say. We just didn’t have room, or someone didn’t give us room, or someone hit us. Something happened, I haven’t even seen the video, really, but all I know is I was driving the heck out of it and it was all kind of a blur. I didn’t think it was one of those deals where I just drove off track, though, by any means. So, definitely a little disappointed, and it probably it wouldn’t hurt as bad if I just made a mistake and went off track. But I think we got helped off the track. Either way, the Lagasses and the whole team really prepared a really fast car. We fell all the way back to 14th just in the first turn and, after a while, our car started to come to us and we just fought our way back up to sixth. It’s nice to start on the pole like we did, for sure. It’s just a big learning curve coming and doing these races, but having a team like TeamSLR to rely on and to help teach me kind of what to do and how to drive these tracks is really one of the big keys to it. So, really having a good team around us is the biggest deal, and it’s a huge help for a circle-track guy like me.”
Tristan Mckee, Driver, No. 28 SLR-M1 Racecars Chevrolet Camaro:
“We were really fast in practice, and then some issues in qualifying with some dirt on the track and different things like that. I think we had a really good qualifying going until those things happened. And then during the race, I started 10th, I gained one spot on the first run, and the second run I gained more spots. I think I was up to sixth, and then I was making a pass and got hit in the rear and my tire went flat, so we had to pit and went all the way back to 37th. We made our way back up to 13th after a lot of cautions and stuff. It’s frustrating getting caught in the back, where they kind of lag around and it’s difficult to get past all those people. But overall it was a good weekend.”
Barry Boes, Driver No. 27 Accio Data/SLR-M1 Racecars Ford Mustang:
“It’s been a fantastic year. I came into the COTA race knowing that we had the (Pro-Am Challenge) championship won, so I had the opportunity to drive a little more aggressively than I drove the rest of the season. Had the TeamSLR guys set up the car a little more aggressively and in the race took a few chances to see if I could go faster and place a little higher. But I let the car get ahead of me once early on and I dropped back some, and then I ended up getting involved in a lot of elbows-out racing. I had a really, really good time. Got caught up in several incidents, but I was still able to make it back onto the podium in Pro Am. It was just a fun race and I’m really looking forward to doing it again next year.”
Next Up:
TeamSLR, proud to be racing on behalf of partners Franklin Road Apparel, Cube 3 Architecture, and Powered by Hixon, kicks off the 2025 Cube 3 Architecture TA2 Series season Feb. 20-23 with the traditional Sebring SpeedTour at Sebring (Fla.) International Raceway. The weekend schedule and broadcast information will be announced at a later date.
About TeamSLR:
TeamSLR (Scott Lagasse Racing) competes fulltime in the Trans Am Series presented by Pirelli’s Cube 3 Architecture TA2 Series in a multifaceted effort that includes dedicated entries in the TA2 division, customer programs, driver coaching and car construction. Its history dates back to 1985 and covers a wide spectrum of motorsports, including NASCAR, IMSA, SCCA, ARCA and ASA. TeamSLR is a family-owned organization run by Scott Lagasse Sr., and Scott Lagasse Jr., The father-and-son duo have combined to win more than 120 races and seven championships across a variety of series and styles of racecars, from paved ovals to road courses to dirt tracks. For more information, please visit us online at www.TeamSLR.com, on Facebook, on Twitter, on Instagram and on LinkedIn.
Jake Drew Clinches Rookie of the Year Honors with Seventh-Place Finish; Newcomer Vincent Apple Top-20 in Debut; Late Incident Derails Boris Said Jr.
Overview: Date: Nov. 3, 2024 Event: COTA SpeedTour (Round 12 of 12) Series: Trans Am Series presented by Pirelli Division: Cube 3 Architecture TA2 Series Location: Circuit of the Americas in Austin, Texas Layout: 3.4-mile, 20-turn road course Format: 30 laps or 75 minutes Weather: Partly cloudy, upper-70s TA2 Winner: Brent Crews
Silver Hare Racing:
● Jake Drew – Started 7th, Finished 7th (Running, completed 28/28 laps) ● Vincent Apple – Started 30th, Finished 20th (Running, completed 28/28 laps) ● Boris Said Jr. – Started 20th, Finished 36th (Accident, completed 20/28 laps)
Noteworthy:
● Drew clinched 2024 TA2 Rookie of the Year honors with his seventh-place finish Sunday. He also finished second in the Young Guns championship for drivers age 25 and under, and fourth in the overall national championship, all despite not joining the series until the second round of the season.
Jake Drew, Driver, No. 57 Silver Hare Racing/Franklin Road Apparel Chevrolet Camaro:
“We worked our tails off, for sure. I mean, we all kept our heads in it. I think we started a little bit behind the 8-ball, but we kept working till the very end and qualified pretty well, had a good start, and we were in the hunt, for sure. There definitely were a lot of cautions and what not. I was trying to save the equipment early on, but we had a fast car – maybe not the fastest, but the best racecar. It was tough to make moves out there. I tried to go for maybe a little too much and gave myself some damage that put us on the back foot for the last 10 laps or so. I was trying to hang onto it there and lost it coming to the white (flag). Overall, I would have liked to have seen what would’ve happened, points-wise, if I had run the first race. I feel like I made steady gains all year, just kept learning the car, learning this team, and just keeping on working with this family oriented team. It’s been a blessing, for sure.”
Vincent Apple, driver, No. 5 Silver Hare Racing/Hope for the City Chevrolet Camaro:
“Considering I’ve never driven one of these cars before Friday, I’ve never seen this track before, it’s just been a whole learning experience every single lap and every single lap of the race. It was definitely enjoyable and definitely different, coming from open wheels to fenders and trying to push people around so they don’t keep you too much on the inside. It’s a lot of fun, very physical. Working with Silver Hare for the first time, I mean, the whole team’s been fantastic. Jake (Drew) was such a massive help for me to watch his videos and just talking to him on how he’s driving the car. Yesterday after qualifying, I spoke with him a lot, and then again this morning. And then as I was doing the race each lap, I was thinking about the stuff he said and making those changes, and I could definitely feel the difference in the car just coming alive a bit more and trying to work through people and catching everybody. It was definitely enjoyable. The team was unbelievable. Everybody was fantastic.”
Boris Said Jr., Driver, No. 75 HendrickCars.com/Silver Hare Racing Chevrolet Camaro:
“Overall, I think it was a good season. It was just a rough way to end it. That was blatant. But, other than that, it was good. It was all about growing and getting faster every time we went to the track.”
Laura Hull, Co-Owner, Team Manager, Silver Hare Racing:
“You know how they say things are bigger and better in Texas? Well, we had some big successes and we had some things that weren’t. First off, I want to thank each and every one that’s part of the Silver Hare Racing family. Our guys, they work so hard. Maurice and I couldn’t be more proud of each and every one of them, they’re like part of our family. A big thank you to every one of them. We’ll look forward to the 2025 season. This weekend didn’t turn out exactly as we had hoped. We did have a newcomer, Vincent Apple, who has past racing experience in open wheel, and I think he clearly showed us and everyone he’s still got it. Hopefully we’ll see him with Silver Hare Racing again in 2025. Jake Drew, the kid never gave up, there is no quit in him. We’re extremely proud of him. He had a small incident with the front end of the car that slowed him down toward the end of the race, but he never gives up. We’re extremely proud of him and look forward to what will be a very bright future in front of him – a successful one, for sure. He came here this weekend with a huge lead for Rookie of the Year, even with missing a race, so talk about a big victory for us, having Jake Drew come here and do that. So that alone is an awful lot to celebrate. Boris Said, Jr., he fought the entire race. Unfortunately, he also had an on-track incident that did some damage to his left-rear tire, just very unfortunate. But we want to thank the Saids for running with us. We enjoy their company and having them around, we very much do. They have a great family, a lot to be proud of. I want to congratulate our competitors and we look forward to another strong season in 2025. It’s great competing with everyone. Last but not least, I want to thank my husband, Maurice. This is a dream that he’s always had, and I’m just privileged and proud to be a part of that dream of his. We don’t know exactly where life takes us, where we’re going to be, but he and I are going to do it together, and I couldn’t enjoy life any more than I do with the original ‘Silver Hare.’”
Next Up:
The 2025 Cube 3 Architecture TA2 Series season kicks off Feb. 20-23 with the traditional Sebring SpeedTour at Sebring (Fla.) International Raceway. The weekend schedule and broadcast information will be announced at a later date.
About Silver Hare Racing:
Silver Hare Racing is a fulltime competitor in the Trans Am Series presented by Pirelli’s Cube 3 Architecture TA2 Series. The multicar team has won the TA2 Masters class championship three times (2018, 2019 and 2020) with driver and team co-owner Maurice Hull. Under the leadership of Hull’s wife, co-owner and team manager Laura Hull, Silver Hare Racing provides a variety of services that includes private testing and arrive-and-drive programs. The team offers six professionally built and maintained TA2 chassis from Howe Racing and operates from a state-of-the-art facility in High Point, North Carolina. For more information, call 336-870-5151, or visit SilverHareRacing.com.
Vesti, Eastwood, Juncadella drive the No. 2 Cadillac V-Series.R in WEC rookie test
MANAMA, Bahrain (Nov. 3, 2024) – For Frederik Vesti, Daniel Juncadella and Charlie Eastwood, the opportunity to drive the Cadillac Racing Hypercar V-Series.R during the FIA World Endurance Championship rookie test was “an experience.”
The group totaled 103 laps in two sessions on the 3.36-mile (5.412km), 15-turn at the Bahrain International Circuit.
“It was really positive. I expected to have a difficult car to drive as I’ve heard in the past about these cars, but I think I had a lot of confidence with the car. For sure, there is some technique that needs to be fine-tuned,” said Vesti, who will make his IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship debut in the No. 31 Whelen Cadillac V-Series.R in January at the Rolex 24 At Daytona.
The 2023 FIA Formula 2 Championship vice-champion and Mercedes-AMG Petronas Formula One reserve driver will be a new teammate of Earl Bamber and Jack Aitken with the Action Express Racing-run Grand Touring Prototype (GTP) program. He turned 30 laps, with a best of 1 minute, 52.513 seconds.
Bamber, who teamed with Alex Lynn and Sebastien Bourdais to drive the No. 2 Cadillac V-Series.R to sixth place in the WEC season-ending Bapco Energies Eight Hours of Bahrain less than 12 hours earlier, set up the hybrid racecar in the two-hour morning session with a chart-topping lap of 1:49.566. The time stood up through the three-hour afternoon session.
The Cadillac Hypercar moved up one position on the points table post-race after a podium finisher was penalized and dropped in the classification.
Eastwood and Juncadella also enjoyed a productive outing with TF Sport and the Chevrolet Corvette Z06 GT3.R. The No. 81 Corvette of Eastwood, Tom Van Rompuy and Rui Andrade were runners-up in the LMGT3 class, just ahead of the No. 82 Z06 GT3.R trio of Juncadella, Hiroshi Koizumi and Sebastien Baud.
Eastwood turned 34 laps with a best of 1:52.512, while Jucadella got in 30 laps with a best of 1:52.719.
The 2025 WEC season begins Feb. 28 with the Qatar1812Km at the Lusail International Circuit, preceded Feb. 21-22 by the annual Prologue.
What they’re saying
Frederik Vesti: “I’m extremely happy to get my first laps in the Cadillac. It was really positive. I expected to have a difficult car to drive as I’ve heard in the past about these cars, but I think I had a lot of confidence with the car. For sure, there is some technique that needs to be fine-tuned. It’s a heavy car compared to what I’m used to. There are a lot of systems to use to help to go quicker so that’s something that I need to get into in the winter before starting next year, which I’m really excited about. (about difference in cars he’s driven) It’s a fairly big change. I can’t drive directly on instinct. I have to think a bit more as I jump in a car like this, but with more laps and test days I’m sure I’ll get it. (advice from Bamber, teammate in IMSA in 2025) Earl helped me a lot to set up the car, using his suit and seat. I’m looking forward to working with him in 2025.”
Charlie Eastwood: “First test in Hypercar, what an experience and what an honor to have the chance to do it. Big thanks to GM, Corvette and the team for setting this up. The car was great to drive. So fast on the straights, which we see in the races as they come past the GT cars like we’re stopped. A tricky car to drive and complex as well, and I think once you start to drive it more and more it will come quite rewarding. I had a really good last run in the car, good consistency throughout the run, which isn’t straightforward here in Bahrain. All in all, just loved the experience and hopefully it’s not my last time.”
Daniel Juncadella: “It was great to get the experience driving a high-downforce car. It’s been seven, eight years since I drove a high-downforce car and I enjoyed it a lot. It was great to get my first test in this kind of car, so thankful Cadillac and Chip Ganassi Racing for giving me the opportunity. It was a great way to finish off the season after yesterday’s great result. Looking forward to more in the future.”
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Alex Koreiba and James French Pad HSR Prototype Challenge Championship Lead with Overall and Pro-Am Victory in the 90-Minute Race in the No. 25 Wolf Motorsports Ligier JS P320
Fourth Different Am-Class Winner of the Season as Mirco Schultis and Lucas Lasserre Charge to the Class Victory and Fourth Overall in the No. 70 Mishumotors Ligier JS P320 in HSR PC Challenge Debut
DAYTONA BEACH, Florida (November 3, 2024) – Winning teammates Alex Koreiba and James French drove the No. 25 Wolf Motorsports Ligier JS P320 to a series-leading third Historic Sportscar Racing (HSR) Prototype Challenge presented by IMSA overall and Pro-Am race win Friday night at Daytona International Speedway (DIS). The 90-minute race set the stage for the start of this weekend’s HSR Classic Daytona 24 Hour Presented by Mission Foods which is currently in its final hours of competition at DIS.
Round five of the Inaugural six-race HSR Prototype Challenge presented by IMSA season, Koreiba and French added the convincing victory at the “World Center of Racing” to earlier triumphs this season in the HSR Mitty at Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta and at the HSR Watkins Glen Classic 6 Hour weekend in June.
Koreiba started from the pole and lost some ground early with a balky shifter issue, but he rebounded to retake the lead. He joined French in taking control of the race for the final hour, although their nearest championship rivals, John Reisman and Eric Curran in the No. 74 Hudson Historics Ligier JS P320, typically kept the pressure on until the end. Curran was closing on French in the race’s final minutes, but the Wolf Motorsports driver withstood the pressure for a 2.536 seconds margin of victory.
Third in Pro-Am and overall went to the sister Hudson Historics No. 47 Ligier JS P320 of Bob Neapole and Guy Cosmo who matched their season-best finish after previously securing a third-place showing at The Glen in June.
While Koreiba, French and the Wolf team have won three of the year’s five Pro-Am races to date, PC Challenge parity has been the order in the Am division. The fourth different winner of the season emerged at Daytona with veteran and versatile road racing driver Mirco Schultis co-driving to the class win and fourth overall with Lucas Lasserre in the the No. 70 Mishumotors Ligier JS P320.
The victory came in the PC Challenge series debut for Schultis and his Mishumotors team while their teammate Lasserre had a successful first visit to Daytona in just his second career race in the United States. A native of France, Lasserre is a winning competitor in the NASCAR Whelen Euro Series. His only previous racing appearance in the U.S. was 15 years ago when, as a multiple European stock car champion, he earned an invitation to compete in the Toyota All-Star Showdown stock car race at Irwindale Raceway in California.
Second in Am and completing the overall top five was the duo of Gary Ball and Nigel Greensall in the in the No. 73 Ligier JS P320. Greensall took the checkered flag one spot ahead of the No. 86 One Motorsports Ligier JS P3 of Dave House and Mikel Miller, who were sixth overall and third in Am.
Am championship leaders Tobias Lutke and Travis Hill in the No. 22 TWOth Autosport Ligier JS P3 finished fourth in class at Daytona but join only the Pro-Am leaders Wolf Motorsports as multiple race winners this season. Both class points leaders will go into next month’s season-ending race at Sebring International Raceway with “champion-elect” status after garnering enough points at Daytona to secure the titles in both divisions.
The Sebring three-hour season finale takes place Sunday, December 8 as a feature race that is part of the year-end Mission Foods HSR Classic 12 Hour Pistons & Props, Presented by Allen Jay Automotive Network.
Alex Koreiba, Driver – No. 25 Wolf Motorsports Ligier JS P320: “I was thinking at the start that we were going to have to go to Sebring to win a championship with our shifting issue. All confidence went out the window when I went into Turn 1 and I couldn’t get out of sixth gear. I just did everything I could in the car, was even doing heel-and-toeing at one point trying to make a downshift, but when we got some temperature in there the problem cleared itself in a way. The plan was to run as long as possible to give James the best car he could have at the end with fresh sticker tires and low fuel. Wolf Motorsports has given us an unbelievable car. It’s hard to believe it’s our first year in an LMP3 car. They have absolutely mastered this car. I can’t thank the team enough for all that they have done.”
James French, Driver – No. 25 Wolf Motorsports Ligier JS P320: “The main challenge we had was a little shifting issue at the start. Alex had the same issue on the out lap. It was stuck in sixth gear for about a half a lap, and that doesn’t really give you great exits out of the corners. They say problems don’t fix themselves, but this one miraculously kind of did! Once the shifting sorted itself, the car really came into a good balance. I felt some pressure from our closest rival in the championship at the end. Every time I didn’t get a shift, I would lose a couple of seconds here and there. As you go through Turn 3, you can see him in Turn 1, and I could see him closing. I definitely felt some pressure, but once it sorted itself out, we got rolling and the car balance was amazing.”
Eric Curran, Driver – No. 74 Hudson Historics Ligier JS P320: “This is a lot of fun. John Reisman said ‘hey, I am buying an LMP3 car, let’s go racing again,’ and he brought me out of retirement. It is the perfect environment, I love coming back to HSR – spent a lot of time here over the years – and obviously Daytona is wonderful. We are getting better and better. The Hudson Historics guys have been working hard all year on these things. I love this program and the whole concept. I thought we might have had something for them at the end, but I pushed a little too hard on the rear tires early on. Didn’t have quite enough grip at the end but I love it. IMSA supporting HSR, now let’s get a bigger field of these LMP3 cars. I’ll get back in this and do some more of these.”
Mirco Schultis, Driver – No. 70 Mishumotors Ligier JS P320: “This was our first time in Prototype Challenge and we just came here to have fun and to look into next season. It was a night race, here in Florida and we had to do it. I like the championship a lot. It’s a nice format.”
Lucas Lasserre, Driver – No. 70 Mishumotors Ligier JS P320: “It was a great time here to share this with Mirco. He is my friend, and we have done a lot of things in Europe together, but it was my dream to compete here at Daytona. It was just magical and my eyes are wide open!”
About HSR: An International Motor Sports Association (IMSA) property, Historic Sportscar Racing (HSR) was formed in the mid-1970s with an event at Road Atlanta. There was one goal then and it remains true today: to celebrate the race cars from the past. As a “time machine” of sights and sounds, HSR provides a venue for competitors and spectators alike to share in the wonderful history and excitement created by the cars that competed at race tracks around the world. HSR currently sanctions eight vintage and historic racing events at some of the world’s most renowned race tracks, including Road Atlanta, Sebring International Raceway, Daytona International Speedway and more. The complete schedule and full event information can be found on HSR’s website at www.HSRRace.com. Look for the HSR Channel on YouTube and follow HSR on Facebook at www.Facebook.com/HSRrace/ and on Twitter and Instagram at @HSR_race. A dedicated website for the Classic 24 Hour at Daytona presented by IMSA is available at www.Classic24hour.com.
LAS VEGAS (Nov. 2, 2024) – Funny Car points leader Austin Prock broke John Force’s record for most No. 1 qualifiers in a single season on Saturday at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, powering to his 14th top spot of the 2024 season at the 24th annual Ford Performance NHRA Nationals.
Brittany Force (Top Fuel), Greg Anderson (Pro Stock) and Gaige Herrera (Pro Stock Motorcycle) also qualified No. 1 at the 19th of 20 races during the 2024 NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series season and the fifth of six races in the Countdown to the Championship playoffs.
Prock just missed a track E.T. record on Saturday in his 11,000-horsepower Cornwell Tools Chevrolet Camaro SS, going 3.817-seconds at 327.98 mph to secure his 14th No. 1 position in 19 races for John Force Racing.
It’s a thrilling moment for Prock, who has seven wins this season, and it has a chance to be an event bigger weekend for the points leader. He’ll open eliminations against Tim Gibbons on Sunday, with a chance to also clinch his first career Funny Car world championship. Prock will take a 148-point lead over Jack Beckman into Sunday. If he finishes three rounds ahead of Beckman, he will clinch the championship in Las Vegas.
“It’s really special for the team, my dad, Thomas, and Nate Hildahl have been doing a great job,” Prock said. “I don’t really feel it’s fair that I get all the glory. Those are the guys that made it happen. They gave me a great race car to drive all 14 of those races, and I’m really happy to get the job done for them.
“We have a great car. We have one of the best cars on the property right now, and we have a potential to do really good tomorrow. The job’s not finished. We’re close, but there’s a long ways to go, so we just have to keep fighting. I’ve been driving really good this weekend and they’ve been doing a great job tuning so we just got to do that tomorrow.”
Beckman made a strong run in the final session under the lights, going a career-best 3.821 at 330.47 to qualify second. Paul Lee took third after going 3.845 at 327.35.
Force went even quicker on Saturday, securing a double-up in qualifying for John Force Racing with a pass of 3.660 at 334.98 in her 11,000-horsepower Chevrolet Accessories dragster. It also handed Force her fifth top spot of the season – and the third in the past four races – and the 51st in her career, and the two-time world champion made a pair of stellar runs on Saturday.
That bodes well for Sunday, as Force looks for her first win since the 2022 campaign. She’ll open eliminations against Josh Hart, looking for yet another Las Vegas triumph. Force dipped into the 3.60s three times in qualifying and with favorable temperatures on Sunday, the standout would love to have four runs in that range during eliminations.
“David Grubnic, John Collins, this entire Chevrolet team we’re very happy with our performance this weekend,” Force said. “We qualified No. 1 and three out of the four runs we got down there in the .60s, so that’s pretty outstanding. That’s what our team used to do, so we’re definitely getting back to our older team.
“After not getting this team to a winner’s circle, now two years, and to do it here at a racetrack where we’ve had success, would be great. I have a lot of good memories here, not just wins, but No. 1 qualifiers, watching my sisters win here, my dad win here, so to get a win here, that’s what we’re chasing now. We’ve been chasing a win all season long. We have two races left our team. All we want to do is get to that winner’s circle. My dad’s here this weekend, so I know we’re all fighting for that.”
Shawn Langdon qualified second with a 3.672 at 328.30 in the final session under the lights, while defending world champion Doug Kalitta made a big move in the fourth session, qualifying third with a 3.674 at 334.57. Points leader Justin Ashley qualified seventh and will take a 44-point lead into raceday over Antron Brown and a 65-point advantage over Langdon, who gained 11 points in qualifying.
In Pro Stock, Greg Anderson enjoyed an even better day in what he has deemed a must-win weekend, going even quicker as he clinched the No. 1 qualifying spot with a run of 6.596 at 206.89 in his HendrickCars.com Chevrolet Camaro. That came during the opening session on Saturday, giving the five-time champ his seventh No. 1 spot this season and 131st in his career.
It has a chance to be a great weekend for the winningest driver in class history on Sunday, but Anderson will need to go four rounds for that to be the case. He’ll start raceday against Chris McGaha, looking for his first win since April. More importantly, it’s a chance to track down KB Titan Racing teammate and points leader Dallas Glenn, who will open raceday with a 48-point advantage over Aaron Stanfield and 84 points more than Anderson, who made up six points in qualifying.
“We made three great runs before the last one so my race car in on point,” Anderson said. “Tomorrow is going to be a hell of a battle. This late in the year the intensity is ratcheted up and by the end of the day, my season will either be alive or over. I like pressure. I live for these moments and I need four 20-point rounds tomorrow to stay in this. When I wake up, I hope I feel like an 18-year old kid and I hope I drive like one.
“It’s so much tougher to win now. There are 16 cars qualified and it wouldn’t be a shock to see any of them win. Right now, [the competition] is the best it’s ever been and it’s great to be a part of it.”
David Cuadra secured the second spot with a run of 6.605 at 206.51 and Stanfield took third after a run of 6.609 at 205.66. Points leader Glenn qualified fifth.
Pro Stock Motorcycle’s Gaige Herrera made a strong move on Saturday as he looks to get closer to a second straight world championship, taking the No. 1 position with a run of 6.813 at 198.20 on his RevZilla/Mission Foods/Vance & Hines Suzuki. That gives the points leader his ninth No. 1 qualifier of the season and his 23rd over the past two seasons. He made the quickest run in both sessions on Saturday, taking back any advantage Matt Smith had on Friday.
Herrera will open eliminations against Kahea Woods, adding to his points lead on Saturday. He’s now 63 points ahead of Smith and the two standouts could be headed for a final-round showdown in Las Vegas on Sunday.
“We struggled a bit yesterday with an engine malfunction in Q2, so when we came out this morning and ran 6.81 I was a little shocked,” Herrera said. “That run actually felt slow. We did score some little [qualifying] points. We gained one point on Matt and that’s big.
“We always say we don’t count points and I try not to take it too seriously but at the end of the day, we all want that grand prize. It’s hard to block out but your do your best. I’ve been enjoying this year a lot more than last. I’m trying to have fun and the championship is a bonus at the end of it.”
M. Smith qualified second with a 6.822 at 198.70 and Angie Smith took third after a run of 6.850 at 197.59.
Eliminations for the Ford Performance NHRA Nationals begin at 11 a.m. PT on Sunday at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.
LAS VEGAS — Sunday’s first-round pairings for eliminations for the 24th annual Ford Performance NHRA Nationals at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, the 19th of 20 events in the NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series. Pairings based on results in qualifying, which ended Saturday. DNQs listed below pairings.
Top Fuel — 1. Brittany Force, 3.660 seconds, 334.98 mph vs. 16. Josh Hart, 3.801, 328.46; 2. Shawn Langdon, 3.672, 328.30 vs. 15. Jasmine Salinas, 3.791, 329.34; 3. Doug Kalitta, 3.674, 334.57 vs. 14. Ida Zetterstrom, 3.786, 324.12; 4. Steve Torrence, 3.676, 333.74 vs. 13. Tony Schumacher, 3.769, 328.46; 5. Clay Millican, 3.700, 324.75 vs. 12. Billy Torrence, 3.743, 330.80; 6. Tony Stewart, 3.703, 332.59 vs. 11. Antron Brown, 3.735, 323.27; 7. Justin Ashley, 3.705, 331.94 vs. 10. Spencer Massey, 3.728, 324.12; 8. Shawn Reed, 3.715, 327.74 vs. 9. Travis Shumake, 3.724, 323.12.
Did Not Qualify: 17. Scott Palmer, 3.839, 307.09; 18. Lex Joon, 3.902, 268.28; 19. Will Smith, 4.053, 292.14.
Funny Car — 1. Austin Prock, Chevy Camaro, 3.817, 327.98 vs. 16. Tim Gibbons, Ford Mustang, 4.021, 291.51; 2. Jack Beckman, Camaro, 3.821, 330.47 vs. 15. Jeff Diehl, Toyota Camry, 4.014, 313.00; 3. Paul Lee, Dodge Charger, 3.845, 327.35 vs. 14. Steven Densham, Mustang, 4.001, 312.06; 4. Blake Alexander, Mustang, 3.848, 328.94 vs. 13. Dave Richards, Mustang, 3.966, 317.42; 5. Bob Tasca III, Mustang, 3.857, 325.37 vs. 12. Jason Rupert, Mustang, 3.953, 317.42; 6. Matt Hagan, Charger, 3.859, 325.14 vs. 11. Daniel Wilkerson, Mustang, 3.924, 326.40; 7. Ron Capps, Toyota GR Supra, 3.860, 330.96 vs. 10. Alexis DeJoria, GR Supra, 3.918, 330.96; 8. J.R. Todd, GR Supra, 3.898, 327.82 vs. 9. Cruz Pedregon, Charger, 3.904, 321.04.
Did Not Qualify: 17. Chad Green, 4.052, 312.64; 18. Buddy Hull, 4.090, 311.27; 19. Chris Morel, 4.169, 262.39; 20. John Hale, 4.941, 174.55; 21. Terry Haddock, 5.892, 116.51.
Pro Stock — 1. Greg Anderson, Chevy Camaro, 6.596, 206.89 vs. 16. Chris McGaha, Camaro, 6.667, 205.94; 2. David Cuadra, Camaro, 6.605, 206.51 vs. 15. Jerry Tucker, Camaro, 6.648, 204.82; 3. Aaron Stanfield, Camaro, 6.609, 205.66 vs. 14. Eric Latino, Camaro, 6.645, 205.47; 4. Matt Hartford, Camaro, 6.614, 206.83 vs. 13. Troy Coughlin Jr., Camaro, 6.643, 204.85; 5. Dallas Glenn, Camaro, 6.615, 205.29 vs. 12. Cristian Cuadra, Ford Mustang, 6.638, 205.85; 6. Jeg Coughlin, Camaro, 6.618, 205.41 vs. 11. Fernando Cuadra Jr., Camaro, 6.636, 205.94; 7. Erica Enders, Camaro, 6.621, 206.89 vs. 10. Mason McGaha, Camaro, 6.633, 205.22; 8. Cory Reed, Camaro, 6.631, 205.57 vs. 9. Camrie Caruso, Camaro, 6.631, 205.38.
Did Not Qualify: 17. Kenny Delco, 6.671, 206.10; 18. Derrick Reese, 6.673, 205.22; 19. Joey Grose, 6.702, 204.60.
Pro Stock Motorcycle — 1. Gaige Herrera, Suzuki, 6.813, 198.20 vs. 16. Kahea Woods, Suzuki, 7.135, 187.99; 2. Matt Smith, Buell, 6.822, 198.70 vs. 15. Clayton Howey, Suzuki, 7.093, 189.42; 3. Angie Smith, Buell, 6.850, 197.59 vs. 14. Ryan Oehler, EBR, 6.991, 192.17; 4. Hector Arana Jr, EBR, 6.857, 195.93 vs. 13. Malcolm Phillips Jr., Suzuki, 6.980, 188.44; 5. Richard Gadson, Suzuki, 6.864, 195.90 vs. 12. Steve Johnson, Suzuki, 6.949, 191.10; 6. Jianna Evaristo, Buell, 6.870, 197.48 vs. 11. Geno Scali, Suzuki, 6.941, 194.24; 7. Chase Van Sant, Suzuki, 6.876, 196.33 vs. 10. Chris Bostick, Suzuki, 6.937, 194.74; 8. Marc Ingwersen, EBR, 6.878, 196.76 vs. 9. John Hall, Beull, 6.899, 196.64.
LANGDON, KALITTA AND TORRENCE IN PRIME SPOTS FOR LAS VEGAS NATIONALS NHRA Countdown to the Championship reaches penultimate eliminations
LAS VEGAS (Nov. 2, 2024) – Eager to close the gap in the Top Fuel points standings with just two races remaining, Shawn Langdon earned the No. 2 seed for Sunday’s Las Vegas Fall Nationals after posting a 3.672 elapsed time in the final qualifying session on Saturday. This is the fourth consecutive race Langdon has qualified within the top six of Top Fuel, as well as the sixth time in the last seven events. Landon currently sits in third position in the Top Fuel points standings, 76 points behind the lead, as he aims for his second world championship with the NHRA season nearing its conclusion.
Langdon’s teammate and defending Top Fuel world champion, Doug Kalitta, earned the third overall qualifier for Sunday, followed by Steve Torrence in fourth. Justin Ashley, the Top Fuel points leader, will be No. 7 to begin tomorrow and his closest competitor in the championship fight, Antron Brown, is the 11th seed.
Ron Capps leads the Toyota GR Supra Funny Car contingent by earning the seventh seed heading into Sunday. Coming off consecutive final round appearances in the last two races, Capps is also looking to close on those in front of him in the points standings, beginning tomorrow in the fourth position. J.R. Todd qualified in the eighth position and Alexis DeJoria will fire off 10th on Sunday.
Tomorrow’s eliminations from The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway begin at 2 p.m. EST with live TV coverage beginning at 5 p.m. EST on FS1.
Toyota Post-Qualifying Recap NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway Las Vegas Fall Nationals Race 19 of 20
TOYOTA TOP FUEL QUALIFYING POSITIONS
Name
Car
Qualifying Position
First Round Opponent
Brittany Force*
Chevrolet Top Fuel Dragster
1st
J. Hart
Shawn Langdon
Kalitta Air Careers Toyota Top Fuel Dragster
2nd
J. Salinas
Doug Kalitta
Mac Tools Toyota Top Fuel Dragster
3rd
I. Zetterstrom
Steve Torrence
CAPCO Contractors Toyota Top Fuel Dragster
4th
T. Schumacher
Justin Ashley
SCAG Power Equipment Toyota Top Fuel Dragster
7th
S. Massey
Antron Brown
Matco Tools Toyota Top Fuel Dragster
11th
T. Stewart
Billy Torrence
CAPCO Contractors Toyota Top Fuel Dragster
12th
C. Millican
TOYOTA FUNNY CAR QUALIFYING POSITIONS
Name
Car
Qualifying Position
First Round Opponent
Austin Prock*
Cornwell Tools Chevrolet Funny Car
1st
T. Gibbons
Ron Capps
NAPA Auto Care Toyota GR Supra Funny Car
7th
A. DeJoria
J.R. Todd
DHL Toyota GR Supra Funny Car
8th
C. Pedregon
Alexis DeJoria
Bandero Café Toyota GR Supra Funny Car
10th
R. Capps
*non-Toyota driver
TOYOTA QUOTES
SHAWN LANGDON, Kalitta Air Careers Toyota Top Fuel Dragster, Kalitta Motorsports
TF Qualifying Result: 2nd
How are you feeling heading into tomorrow’s eliminations?
“The car’s really making great runs – great job by Brian (Husen, crew chief) and this whole Kalitta Air Careers Toyota team. We put ourselves in a pretty good spot on the ladder, and we feel like we’ll be able to control our own destiny. The car’s looking good and running well – that gives me a lot of confidence so I’m pretty excited for tomorrow.”
RON CAPPS, NAPA Auto Care Toyota GR Supra Funny Car, Ron Capps Motorsports
FC Qualifying Result: 7th
Describe your outlook for tomorrow’s eliminations.
“Yeah, obviously, the weekend has shown strange (Las) Vegas weather, and for these race cars, ideal conditions. In Saturday night’s (qualifying) run, we were throwing everything at it to see if we could go the quickest we’ve ever gone here (Las Vegas). You know, sometimes, you have to find that edge and back up a little bit. I’d rather do that on Saturday night, then have it happen Sunday morning. No matter what, we always try to have lane choice in the first round and being in the top eight, it does that for us. And it’s a whole new day tomorrow, but it’s going to be cool conditions. They say windy, probably some of coolest conditions we’ve seen on race day in (Las) Vegas in a long, long time. So, I have a lot of confidence in our NAPA Auto Care team with Guido (Dean Antonelli, crew chief) and our GR Supra was flying right off the trailer. I always feel good about it. We have some ground to make up. We have less than two rounds (worth of points) from second place (in the points standings), and I think this is going to be a great time to pull a lot of points together.”
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 nearly 64,000 people in North America who have contributed to the design, engineering, and assembly of nearly 47 million cars and trucks at our 14 manufacturing plants. In 2025, Toyota’s plant in North Carolina will begin to manufacture automotive batteries for electrified vehicles. With more electrified vehicles on the road than any other automaker, Toyota currently offers 30 electrified options.
With two vacant spots to this year’s Championship 4 round on the line amongst eight NASCAR Xfinity Series Playoff contenders, Aric Almirola motored his way to a dominant victory for his No. 20 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota team in the National Debt Relief 250 at Martinsville Speedway on Saturday, November 2.
The 40-year-old Almirola from Tampa, Florida, led five times for a race-high 150 of 250-scheduled laps in an event where he started in ninth place and muscled through four early caution periods to claim the first stage victory in a photo finish over Playoff contender Cole Custer. Then after racing his way to win the second stage period, Almirola survived a bevy of caution periods and ensuing restart periods, including the final one with 16 laps remaining where he was leading, to fend off Playoff contenders Sammy Smith and Chandler Smith to capture his third Xfinity victory of the 2024 season and clinch a spot to this year’s Xfinity owner’s championship battle for Joe Gibbs Racing’s No. 20 team for next weekend’s finale at Phoenix Raceway.
With on-track qualifying that determined the starting lineup occurring on Friday, November 1, Parker Retzlaff notched his second Xfinity pole position of the 2024 season and his career with a pole-winning lap at 95.151 mph in 19.901 seconds. Joining him on the front row was Anthony Alfredo, who clocked in his best qualifying lap at 95.094 mph in 19.913 seconds.
Prior to the event, the following names that include Parker Kligerman, William Sawalich and Kyle Sieg dropped to the rear of the field due to unapproved adjustments made to their respective entries.
When the green flag waved and the race started, Parker Retzlaff and Anthony Alfredo briefly dueled for the lead through the first two turns until Retzlaff muscled his No. 31 The Visual Pak Companies Chevrolet Camaro ahead with both lanes under his control through the backstretch. As the field slowly began to fan out to three lanes, Retzlaff led the first lap as Playoff contender Chandler Smith overtook Alfredo for the runner-up spot. Behind, Aric Almirola made a bold three-wide move beneath Playoff contenders Sammy Smith and Austin Hill as he made his way up to sixth place.
Over the next four laps, Retzlaff would proceed to stabilize his early advantage to four-tenths of a second over Chandler Smith as Playoff contender Justin Allgaier, Alfredo and Playoff rookie Jesse Love followed suit in the top five. Behind, Almirola retained sixth place ahead of Playoff contender Austin Hill and Sheldon Creed while Playoff contenders AJ Allmendinger and Sammy Smith pursued in the top 10.
Through the first 10 scheduled laps and amid a series of early jostling for spots within the field, Retzlaff retained the lead by three-tenths of a second over Chandler Smith while Allgaier and Alfredo followed suit. Behind, Almirola made his way into fifth place over Love and Hill while Creed, Allmendinger and Playoff contender Cole Custer were in the top 10. As both Custer and Allmendinger bumped one another while battling for 10th place, Riley Herbst, Playoff contender Sam Mayer, Sammy Smith, Brandon Jones and Bubba Pollard were in the top 15.
On Lap 12, the event’s first caution flew after Allmendinger, who had fiercely bumped and rubbed with Custer for a top-10 spot over the last few laps, blew a right-front tire amid another round of contact with Custer entering the backstretch and went dead straight into the outside wall in Turn 3. The incident was enough to end Allmendinger’s event early, but it did not affect his secured spot to this year’s Championship 4 round after he had won the Playoff’s Round of 8 opener at Las Vegas Motor Speedway two weeks earlier.
When the race restarted under green on Lap 18, Chandler Smith dueled with Retzlaff for the lead through the first two turns before he muscled ahead and cleared Retzlaff through the backstretch. Smith would proceed to lead the following lap as Allgaier followed suit in third place. Behind, Almirola muscled his way up to fourth place while Alfredo was pinned in a tight three-wide battle for a top-10 spot that involved Herbst and Creed as both Custer and Sammy Smith joined the battle. With Love and Hill moving up to fifth and sixth on the track, Chandler Smith retained the lead just past the Lap 20 mark.
At the Lap 25 mark, Chandler Smith was leading by six-tenths of a second over Retzlaff while Allgaier, Almirola and Love followed suit in the top five ahead of Hill, Herbst, Custer, Alfredo, and Creed. Over the next five laps, Allgaier and Almirola dueled fiercely for third place while Stewart-Haas Racing’s Herbst and Custer battled for seventh place in front of Sam Mayer. In the process, Almirola stabilized his lead to nearly eight-tenths of a second.
On Lap 36, the event’s second caution flew after Myatt Snider, who was racing in 18th place, was bumped and sent for a spin by Ryan Sieg entering Turns 3 and 4. During the caution period, some led by Chandler Smith and including Allgaier, Hill, Love and Sammy Smith pitted while the rest led by Retzlaff and including Custer and Sam Mayer remained on the track. Following the pit stops, Ryan Ellis was penalized for vehicle interference while Hill endured a slow pit service after he had to reverse to avoid hitting Dawson Cram while exiting his pit stall.
As the event restarted under green on Lap 43, Retzlaff and Custer dueled for the lead through the first two turns until Custer used the outside lane to assume the lead through the backstretch. Behind, Retzlaff fended off rookie Shane van Gisbergen through Turns 3 and 4 to retain second place before the latter crossed over and reignited his challenge for the spot. Behind, a series of jostles for spots between competitors with fresh tires versus those with worn tires ensued as Custer continued to lead. The caution, however, would return on Lap 47 after Leland Honeyman spun in Turn 2 from the top 20 after getting hit by Blaine Perkins.
The start of the next restart period on Lap 53 did not last long as Retzlaff, who restarted on the front row with Custer, was shoved dead straight into the outside wall in Turn 1 by Mayer as Retzlaff emerged with significant front-end damage to his pole-winning car. The incident was enough to knock Retzlaff out of contention while Mayer continued.
With the event restarting under green with a single lap remaining to the first stage period, Custer and Almirola dueled for the lead through the first two turns and the backstretch. They continued to battle dead even against one another through Turns 3 and 4 as they crossed the start/finish line in a photo finish to complete the first stage. At the line, Almirola emerged with the stage victory by a nose for the fifth time in the 2024 Xfinity Series season. Custer settled in second followed by Allgaier, Chandler Smith, Love, Herbst, Josh Williams, Sammy Smith, Creed and Jeb Burton. By then, five of seven remaining Playoff contenders on the track recorded the event’s first round of stage points as the list did not include Mayer or Hill.
Under the stage break, some led by Custer and including Williams, Jeremy Clements, Patrick Emerling, Mason Maggio and Logan Bearden pitted while the rest led by Almirola remained on the track.
The second stage period started on Lap 70 as teammates Almirola and Chandler Smith started on the front row. At the start, Almirola gained the advantage from the inside lane as he muscled away with the lead entering the backstretch. Almirola proceeded to lead the following lap while Chandler Smith fended off Allgaier for the runner-up spot. Allgaier would then be challenged by Love and Herbst for third place as Smith started to close in on Almirola for the lead.
Towards the Lap 80 mark, Almirola retained a steady advantage over teammate Chandler Smith, with the latter bumping and intimidating his Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota teammate through every corner and straightaway. Smith would then make his way beneath Almirola’s No. 20 He Gets Us Toyota Supra through the first two turns and muscle his No. 81 QuickTie Toyota Supra into the lead through the backstretch on Lap 81. With Smith leading, Allgaier trailed in third place by six-tenths of a second while Love, Sammy Smith and Herbst trailed by more than two seconds.
On Lap 85, Herbst bumped and nearly turned Love’s No. 2 Whelen Chevrolet Camaro in a fierce battle for fifth place in Turn 3. The contact dropped Love to ninth place as Herbst proceeded to fend off Sheldon Creed for fifth place. In the process, Chandler Smith continued to lead by within a tenth of a second over teammate Almirola. Almirola, however, would gain a run beneath Smith through the first two turns and reassume the lead on Lap 94.
At the Lap 100 mark, Almirola stretched his advantage to a second over teammate Chandler Smith as Sammy Smith would proceed to overtake Chandler Smith for the runner-up spot during the following lap. Behind, Allgaier trailed in fourth place by two seconds while Herbst, Creed, Sawalich, Ryan Sieg, Alfredo and Jeb Burton followed suit in the top 10.
Following a caution period on Lap 102 as Mason Maggio spun in Turn 1 just in front of the leaders, some led by Ryan Sieg and including Myatt Snider, Brennan Poole and Garrett Smithley remained on the track while the rest led by Almirola pitted. Amid the pit stops, Chandler Smtih endured a slow pit service.
When the race restarted under green on Lap 110, Ryan Sieg and Poole dueled for the lead in front of a stacked field as Sieg proceeded to muscle ahead through the backstretch. By the following lap, Almirola, who was racing on fresh tires, had carved his way up to third place. Almirola would proceed to duel and overtake Poole for the runner-up spot during the next lap as teammate Sheldon Creed was also muscling his way towards the top five.
Then with three laps remaining in the second stage period, Almirola caught and made his move beneath Ryan Sieg for the lead entering the first two turns. Almirola and Sieg would then duel for the lead through the backstretch as Sieg refused to surrender the spot. With both continuing to battle dead even for the lead during the following lap, Almirola would muscle ahead of Sieg through Turns 3 and 4 on Lap 118.
During the final lap of the second stage period, Ryan Sieg tried to execute a crossover move beneath Almirola through the frontstretch, but Almirola muscled away with his fresh tires and teammate Creed began to challenge Sieg for the runner-up spot. Amid the battles within the field, Almirola proceeded to capture his sixth Xfinity stage victory of the 2024 season and second of the day. Sieg fended off Creed for the runner-up spot while Sammy Smith, Allgaier, Chandler Smith, Custer, Herbst, Sawalich and Poole were scored in the top 10. With four of seven Playoff contenders on the track racking up the event’s second round of stage points, the remaining Playoff contenders including Mayer and Hill did not achieve points.
During the stage break, Logan Bearden was the only competitor who pitted as the rest led by Almirola remained on the track.
With 120 laps remaining, the final stage period commenced as teammates Almirola and Creed occupied the front row. At the start, Almirola rocketed away with the lead through the first two turns and he would retain the lead for the following lap. Behind, a series of on-track battles ensued as Allgaier made his way to fourth place behind Ryan Sieg while Custer fended off Sammy Smith and Chandler Smith for fifth place. The caution would return with 117 laps remaining as William Sawalich spun and slapped into the outside wall in Turn 1 amid contact with Alfredo.
During the start of the next restart period with 110 laps remaining, Almirola dueled with teammate Creed for the lead for a full lap as Creed managed to lead the first lap by a hair from the outside lane. Creed would then clear Almirola to have both lanes under his control entering the first two turns while Allgaier was trying to fend off Custer and Ryan Sieg for third place. Shortly after, Custer moved his No. 00 Haas Ford Mustang into third place over Allgaier and Chandler Smith followed in close pursuit in fifth place.
Down to the final 100 laps of the event, Creed continued to lead by a tenth of a second over teammate Almirola, who spent the last several laps dueling and challenging Creed for the top spot through every corner. Almirola would then prevail in the heated battle with teammate Creed with 96 laps remaining as he bumped and muscled ahead of the latter with the top spot. Meanwhile, third-place Custer trailed by a second. Creed then went wide entering Turn 1 during the following lap, which allowed Custer to battle him for the runner-up spot as Almirola stretched his advantage to more than a second.
With 85 laps remaining, Almirola retained the lead over both Custer and Creed as Logan Bearden pitted with his right-front hub on fire. Amid Bearden’s incident, the event remained under green flag conditions. The caution would then fly with 77 laps remaining due to Preston Pardus spinning in Turn 3. During the caution period, the lead lap field led by Almirola pitted for service. Following the pit stops, Almirola retained the lead after he exited pit road first as he was followed by Creed, Custer, Allgaier, Herbst, Chandler Smith, Mayer, Burton, Alfredo and Sammy Smith. Amid the pit stops, Creed was penalized for speeding on pit road.
The start of the next restart period with 68 laps remaining featured Almirola fending off Custer through the first two turns to lead the field through the backstretch. Just before Almirola could reach the start/finish line to lead the following lap, the caution returned when Dawson Cram, who was racing outside the top 20, received a bump from Love that sent him spinning and backing into the outside wall in Turn 3.
As the race restarted under green with 60 laps remaining, Almirola used the inside lane to fend off Custer through the first two turns as he retained a steady lead through the backstretch, Despite getting bumped in the rear by Custer through Turns 3 and 4, Almirola led the following lap ahead of Custer as he had Allgaier, Herbst, Chandler Smith and Jeb Burton all following in close pursuit. With the latter four bumping and dueling against one another for position, Allgaier would retain third place ahead of Chandler Smith and Burton over the next four laps while Mayer and Sammy Smith made their way past Herbst for sixth and seventh, respectively. The caution would then return with 54 laps remaining as Creed bumped Blaine Perkins into Josh Williams, all of whom were battling for a top-15 spot, which sent the latter for a spin towards the outside wall in Turn 2.
The start of the next restart period with 48 laps remaining featured Almirola muscling ahead with a slight advantage over Custer as he proceeded to motor past him through the first two turns and retain the top spot through the backstretch. With Almirola leading the following lap, Custer retained second as Allgaier and Chandler Smith dueled for third place in front of Burton. Behind, teammates Mayer and Sammy Smith dueled for sixth place in front of Herbst, Alfredo and Kligerman as Almirola proceeded to lead with 45 laps remaining.
With less than 40 laps remaining, Almirola stretched his advantage to more than a second over Custer, who had Chandler Smith and Allgaier pressuring him for the runner-up spot through every corner and straightaway. Custer would retain the runner-up spot from both Smith and Allgaier over the next five laps as Almirola’s advantage also stabilized to more than a second.
Not long after, the caution returned with 31 laps remaining when Brandon Jones slid and wrecked his No. 9 Menards Chevrolet Camaro against the Turn 1 outside wall from 13th place after he got bumped by Creed entering the turn. The incident occurred shortly after Chandler Smith had bumped Custer out of the racing groove for the runner-up spot in Turn 1.
Just as the event was restarting under green with 24 laps remaining, a stack-up ensued from the front of the field that left Mayer, who restarted in seventh place, with a dented hood and Burton attempting to fan out beneath Mayer. Then entering Turns 1 and 2, Custer returned the favor to Chandler Smith by bumping the latter into the turn as both went up the racetrack through the first two turns. Despite Smith managing to remain in front of Custer, both dropped to fifth and seventh, respectively, through the backstretch. In the process, Mayer, who had a tire rub, continued in sixth place with a dented hood while Almirola pulled away with the lead ahead of Allgaier, Sammy Smith and Herbst.
On the following lap, the caution returned as both Ryan Sieg and van Gisbergen wrecked in Turn 4. During the caution period, Mayer, who pitted to have the damage addressed, had his No. 1 10X Health Chevrolet Camaro pushed behind the wall as his event came to a late end. Mayer’s retirement also ended his hopes of returning to the Championship 4 round for a second consecutive season.
Down to the final 16 laps remaining, the race restarted under green as Almirola and Sammy Smith occupied the front row. At the start, Almirola muscled away from Smith’s No. 8 Pilot Flying J Chevrolet Camaro and the field to lead through the first two turns and the backstretch. As Almirola led the following lap, Smith followed suit in second while Allgaier was trying to fend off Herbst, Chandler Smith, Custer and Jeb Burton for third place. During the following lap, Chandler Smith got Herbst loose entering Turn 3, which allowed Smith to draw himself alongside Allgaier for third place as Custer tried to follow suit. Custer would then grab fifth place from teammate Herbst while Almirola continued to lead over Sammy Smith with 14 laps remaining.
With 10 laps remaining, Almirola retained the lead by four-tenths of a second over a hard-charging Sammy Smith while Chandler Smith trailed the lead by more than a second. By then, both of the Smith competitors were placed in “must-win” situations to maintain their Playoff hopes. Behind, Custer, who currently occupied the fourth and transfer spot to the Championship 4 round, made his way up to fourth place over Allgaier, who held the other vacant spot to the final Playoff round, while Creed was up to sixth place.
Down to the final five laps of the event, Almirola continued to lead by four-tenths of a second over Sammy Smith as third-place Chandler Smith followed suit by a second. Over the next four laps, Almirola would stabilize his advantage over both Sammy Smith and Chandler Smith, with the latter two unable to close in despite charging their respective cars through every corner and straightaway.
When the white flag waved and the final lap started, Almirola remained in the lead by half a second over Sammy Smith and by more than a second over Chandler Smith. With the two Smiths unable to narrow the deficit for a final lap charge, Almirola coasted his No. 20 Toyota smoothly around the Martinsville circuit for a final time before he cycled back to the frontstretch and for his third Xfinity checkered flag of the 2024 season.
With the victory, Almirola, who won at Martinsville in April, notched his seventh career win in his 117th start in the Xfinity circuit and 13th of the 2024 season. The victory was the 11th of the season for both the Toyota nameplate and Joe Gibbs Racing, with the organization’s No. 20 team winning for the ninth time overall.
As a result of the victory, Joe Gibbs Racing’s No. 20 Toyota team will contend for the 2024 Xfinity Series owner’s championship as Almirola will compete against Austin Hill, AJ Allmendinger and Justin Allgaier for the title during next weekend’s season-finale event at Phoenix Raceway.
Photo by Patrick Sue-Chan for SpeedwayMedia.com.
“Wow, what an amazing race car,” Almirola said on the CW Network. “So proud of [crew chief] Tyler [Allen] and all the guys on this team. We had an amazing car here in the spring. We made a few tweaks to it because I wasn’t totally happy with it, honestly, in the spring. We showed up yesterday and we were awful. I was like, ‘Oh no. What did we do?’ [The team] went to work last night and came up with a lot of changes to make to the car. It was so hooked up today. It would just do everything I wanted it to. Man, this is such a special place, This is, by far, my favorite racetrack and I’m just so thankful to Coach [Gibbs], everybody at Toyota. There’s so much more to it than just me and this race team. I’m just so lucky and blessed to have this opportunity with so many great partners. What an amazing race car. Just so proud, so, so proud and we’re going to go race for an owner’s championship in Phoenix.”
As Almirola celebrated the Martinsville race victory, teammate Chandler Smith, who settled in third place on the track was left heated over Custer, who finished fourth, following their pair of bumps and on-track contact that took them both out of contention for the race victory as Smith also failed to make the Championship 4 field by 28 points. Once Smith parked his car on pit road at the event’s conclusion, he confronted Custer and both exchanged words before Smith attempted to throw a punch across Custer’s face before both were separated by NASCAR officials and their respective crew members.
Ironically, this marks the second run-in and post-race confrontation between Custer and Chandler Smith after the former had confronted the latter during the Playoff opener at Kansas Speedway in late September, where he criticized Smith for costing both the victory from Almirola following a late duel on the track.
“I was planning to do a lot more than [throwing a punch], to be completely frank with you,” Smith, whose racing status for 2025 remains unknown, said. “I was extremely pissed off. I gave him five laps before that caution came out and beat his bumper off and never shipped him or anything like that. Then finally, it’s like all right, the laps are winding down, I’m in a must-win [situation]. [Almirola]’s starting to drive away. He was really good all day. I can’t waste any more time with [Custer], so I finally had a good enough run and pushed him up the racetrack and went on our way, but I gave him a chance for five laps before that…He didn’t even give me a chance to make the corner when we got to Turn 1. It is what it is. He can think we’re even and all, but he’s the one that’s got more stakes than I do next weekend.”
Meanwhile, Custer, who was initially left frustrated with Smith, was also left pleased on pit road as he claimed a Championship 4 berth to next weekend’s finale at Phoenix as he will attempt to defend his title before moving back up to the Cup Series with the rebranded Haas Factory Team in 2025.
“[Chandler Smith]’s not happy, but at the end of the day, he’s put us in the wall a few times this year and his mistakes caught up with him,” Custer said. “He used the bumper on me, I used the bumper on him. What comes around goes around in this deal. I’m so proud of this team. We brought out everything we had today. [The team] Kept us in the fight, but [crew chief Jonathan Toney] and the guys did a great job all year maximizing everything we had. [I] Can’t wait to go to Phoenix now and see what we can do.”
Overall, Custer joins AJ Allmendinger, Austin Hill and Justin Allgaier, the latter of whom finished fifth at Martinsville, as the four Playoff contenders who will contend for the 2024 Xfinity Series championship next weekend at Phoenix. Meanwhile, Chandler Smith joins Martinsville runner-up finisher Sammy Smith, rookie Jesse Love and Sam Mayer as the bottom four Playoff contenders in the standings who did not make the Championship 4 round.
There were 12 lead changes for seven different leaders. The race featured 13 cautions for 84 laps. In addition, 26 of 38 starters finished on the lead lap.
The 2024 NASCAR Xfinity Series season is set to conclude at Phoenix Raceway, where a champion will be crowned. The finale is set to occur next Saturday, November 9, and air at 7:30 p.m. ET on the CW Network.
ALMIROLA WINS THIRD RACE OF THE SEASON, PUTS 20 TEAM IN OWNER CHAMPIONSHIP 4 BATTLE Chandler Smith comes just short of first Xfinity Series Championship 4 berth
MARTINSVILLE, Va. (November 2, 2024) – Aric Almirola completed the season sweep at Martinsville Speedway – winning his third race of the season, in just his 13th start, to clinch a spot in the owner Championship 4 in Phoenix. The 20 team will face the No. 7, 16 and 21 teams for the season-long title. Almirola has delivered the ninth win for the No. 20 team this season with Christopher Bell, John Hunter Nemechek and Ryan Truex each having two wins each.
Chandler Smith battled up front all day in his battle to make the Championship 4. He led 34 laps and finished third, which unfortunately was not enough to earn his own berth into next weekend’s championship race.
Toyota Racing Post-Race Recap NASCAR Xfinity Series Martinsville Speedway Race 32 of 33 – 250 Laps, 131.5 Miles
ARIC ALMIROLA, No. 20 He Gets Us Toyota GR Supra, Joe Gibbs Racing
Finishing Position: 1st
You scored the win and put the 20 team into the Championship 4.
“Wow. What an amazing race car. So proud of Tyler (Allen, crew chief) and all of the guys on this team. We had an amazing car here in the Spring, and we made a few tweaks to it because I wasn’t totally happy with it, honestly, in the Spring. We showed up yesterday and we were awful. I was like oh, no, what did we do, and they went to work last night and came up with a lot of changes to make to the car. It was so hooked up today. It would just do everything I wanted it to. This is such a special place. This is by far my favorite race track. I’m just so thankful. Thankful for Coach (Joe Gibbs), everyone at Toyota, TRD. Thank you He Gets Us. Thank you, God. There is so much more to it than just me and this race team. Just so lucky and blessed with this opportunity with so many partners – Go Bowling. I hate – they’ve been such a great partner of mine for such a long time, and we haven’t got them to victory lane. Just so thankful. Thankful to everyone at TRD, Toyota. Our GR Supra was fast – faster than the Xfinity internet today. Just what an amazing race car. I’m so proud – so, so proud. We are going to go race for an owner’s championship in Phoenix.”
CHANDLER SMITH, No. 81 QuickTie Products Toyota GR Supra, Joe Gibbs Racing
Finishing Position: 3rd
Can you talk about the end of the race and conversation with Cole Custer?
“He thought he was in a must-win for the owners – which he was – but at the end of the day, I get that his dad has some high up role at SHR (Stewart-Haas Racing), so he probably values that a lot, but at the end of the day, I’m a driver. I’m in a must-win situation. He was not at that moment, and he didn’t even try to make the corner. Granted I moved him the lap before, but I’m beating his bumper off for the five laps before that. I gave him grace, before I finally shipped him, and then he doesn’t even try to give me a chance going into turn one. It is what it is. I’m super grateful God blessed me with a great group of men and women at Joe Gibbs Racing that have worked on this QuickTie Toyota. It is a bunch of fun. This car was hooked up at the very end, unfortunately, I was the focal point of us getting shipped because then we were behind the eight-ball and had to pass all of those cars again.”
SHELDON CREED, No. 18 Friends of Jaclyn Foundation Toyota GR Supra, Joe Gibbs Racing
Finishing Position: 6th
Can you walk me through your race and what more you needed there?
“We started off okay, and just kept making our car better and better there to have a shot at winning the race. Obviously, running second there and then we pitted and then I sped on pit road and had to go to the back. Kinda just pulled the gloves off and wanted to get back towards the front. Just made a few mistakes and I wheel hopped a few times, and I seemed to hit somebody every time I did it. I hate being that person. It is embarrassing being the guy that is just running into everyone. Definitely not who I want to be or how I want to race, just made mistakes trying hard and took people with me.”
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