KANSAS CITY (Sept. 29, 2024) – Chris Buescher led RFK with an 11th-place finish in the Fastenal Ford Sunday afternoon at Kansas Speedway, while teammate Brad Keselowski earned stage two points and went on to finish 22nd in the Solomon Plumbing Ford.
In total 10 cautions flew for 47 laps as Buescher ultimately reversed his luck in qualifying, driving through the field in the 400-mile race, while Keselowski was on a different strategy in the final stage, resulting in the 22nd-place result.
6 Recap Keselowski began the day from the 26th position, but after two early cautions (lap 2 and lap 20), he used his long run speed to maneuver through the field to 12th by the end of the first stage (lap 80). Following his second stop under the stage break, Keselowski restarted ninth in stage two.
Four cautions occurred over the next 80 laps as the No. 6 broke back into the top-10 by lap 104. He was 12th for a pair of back-to-back restarts at lap 148 and 153, then stayed out during a caution at lap 156. That strategy gave him track position, restarting eighth with four laps remaining in the stage, where he powered to P5.
He would pit in the stage break for service, then began the third stage from 22nd. Stage three ran caution free as Keselowski long pitted and inherited the lead for a couple laps at lap 220, and was later scored 20th when a caution flew at lap 236.
As much of the field pitted under that yellow, Keselowski stayed out and again inherited the lead, leading the field back to green with 26 laps remaining. He slipped back to 23rd quickly, and went on to cross the line 22nd.
17 Recap Buescher – coming off a P2 finish at Kansas this spring – began his afternoon from 25th. He ended the first stage in 24th, and used a strong pit stop in the stage break to restart 18th.
Buescher restarted 19th at lap 104 – one of four restarts in the stage – but quickly worked his way to the top-15 in 13th just 40 laps later. He went on to pit late in the stage from 19th and would finish 14th by lap 165.
That strategy put him on the flip side of track position to begin the third stage as he rolled seventh at lap 171. He pitted from ninth on lap 208 as a green flag cycle ensued. Then, 30 laps later he was ninth and pitted one final time under caution at lap 236, ultimately going on to finish 11th.
Up Next Talladega Superspeedway hosts its second race of the season next weekend, with race coverage set for 2 p.m. ET on NBC, and radio coverage on MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio (Channel 90).
About RFK Racing RFK Racing, in its 37th season in 2024, features an ownership lineup pairing one of the sport’s most iconic names, Jack Roush, along with NASCAR Champion, Brad Keselowski, and Fenway Sports Group owner John Henry. Roush initially founded the team in 1988 and it has since become one of the most successful racing operations in the world, propelling him to be the first NASCAR owner to amass three hundred wins and capturing eight championships, including back-to-back NASCAR Cup titles in 2003 and 2004. Keselowski, a former owner in the NASCAR Truck Series, is the 2012 NASCAR Cup Series Champion. In 2007, Roush partnered with Henry, who also owns Major League Baseball’s Boston Red Sox, English Premier League’s Liverpool F.C., and the NHL’s Pittsburgh Penguins, to form Roush Fenway Racing. Off the track, RFK is a leader and proven winner in NASCAR marketing solutions, having produced multiple award-winning social media, digital content and experiential marketing campaigns. Visit rfkracing.com, and follow the team on all social platforms @rfkracing.
1. William Byron: Byron won Stage 1 and finished second in the Hollywood Casino 400.
“I chased Ross Chastain over the closing laps,” Byron said. “I wasn’t able to catch him, so I apologize to my team, my fans, and the watermelon that was murdered.”
2. Alex Bowman: Bowman won Stage 2 and finished sixth in the Hollywood Casino 400.
“I’m just glad to have a solid finish in the first race of the Round Of 12,” Bowman said. “What do you do in a Hollywood Casino? You shoot craps. What is a Playoff race at Talladega? A crap shoot.”
3. Ross Chastain: Chastain led 52 laps and held off William Byron down the stretch to win the Hollywood Casino 400.
“Of course, I’m not a Playoff driver,” Chastain said, “and that takes a little bit off the luster of a race win. That’s why the sound of a watermelon going ‘splat’ is basically the same sound as my championship hopes crashing a few weeks ago.”
4. Christopher Bell: Bell started on the pole and finished seventh in the Hollywood Casino 400.
“I tapped the wall towards the ends of both Stage 1 and Stage 2,” Bell said. “I’ve heard somewhere that doing that is called a ‘double-tap.’ ‘Double-tapping’ is a good way not to win a race. Another ‘double-tap’ is starting on the pole, leading the most laps, and still not winning.”
5. Kyle Larson: Larson blew a tire and hit the wall on Lap 20, all but ending his chances for the win. Larson recovered to score a 26th-place finish.
“I was nowhere near as strong as I was at Bristol,” Larson said. “At Bristol, I was on another planet, which is also where Hendrick wanted to send me back in 2020.”
6. Denny Hamlin: A loose wheel midway through the race derailed Hamlin’s hopes for a win at Kansas. But the No. 11 team battled back to grab an eighth-place finish.
“I think we’re gonna be a little smarter about our race strategy at Talladega,” Hamlin said. “By ‘a little smarter,’ I mean ‘have one.'”
7. Ryan Blaney: Blaney produced his best drive of the Playoffs with a fourth at Kansas.
“I feel like I’m peaking at the right time,” Blaney said. “A few weeks ago, Tyler Reddick was puking at the wrong time.”
8. Joey Logano: Logano finished 14th in the Hollywood Casino 400.
“I wouldn’t want to be the guy that wrecked Kyle Busch while he was leading a race,” Logano said. “No other driver wants to get on Kyle’s bad side, but it’s virtually impossible because that’s the only side Kyle has.”
9. Chase Elliott: Elliott battled long odds to salvage a ninth-place finish at Kansas.
“I had to start at the rear after my No. 9 Chevy developed engine issues in practice,” Elliott said. “That’s certainly not the way you want to start the Round Of 12. That was really the ‘Worst Chase Scenario.'”
10. Tyler Reddick: Reddick struggled to a 25th at Kansas.
“Michael Jordan was really excited,” Reddick said, “to see the ‘Bet MGM’ logo on Kyle Busch’s car. Usually, when Michael sees that logo on a car, it’s the courtesy shuttle taking him to the casino.”
Ross Chastain served as the spoiler of the day at Kansas Speedway as he snapped a yearlong winless drought to win the Hollywood Casino 400 on Sunday, September 29, in the 2024 NASCAR Cup Series Playoff’s Round of 12 opener.
The 31-year-old Chastain from Alva, Florida, led five times for 52 of 267 scheduled laps in an event where he started in 20th place and made steady gains throughout the event to race his way to the front before he led for the first time with 90 laps remaining.
Then, after swapping the lead on several occasions with Kyle Busch before Busch spun from the lead with 32 laps remaining, Chastain, who dropped out of the lead when he pitted with a majority of the field during the ensuing caution period, used two late-race restarts to navigate his way back to the lead.
Grabbing the lead for the final time with 20 laps remaining, he fended off a late charge from Playoff contender William Byron to win for the first time in the 2024 Cup Series season and spoil the hopes of 12 Playoff contenders aiming to earn an early automatic pass through to the Round of 8.
On-track qualifying on Saturday, September 28 determined the starting lineup as Playoff contender Christopher Bell notched his second Cup pole position of the 2024 season and his third in a row at Kansas after he posted a pole-winning lap at 179.336 mph in 30.111 seconds. Joining him on the front row was teammate Ty Gibbs, who clocked in his best qualifying lap at 179.099 mph in 30.151 seconds.
Before the event, Playoff contender Chase Elliott dropped to the rear of the field due to an engine change in his No. 9 Hendrick Motorsports/UniFirst Chevrolet entry.
When the green flag waved and the race started, Christopher Bell muscled ahead of teammate Ty Gibbs with a strong start from the inside lane. He then quickly transitioned his No. 20 Rheem Toyota Camry XSE back up to the outside lane as the field started to fan out to multiple lanes through the first two turns and the backstretch.
The event’s first caution flew when Harrison Burton and Ty Dillon made contact amid a tight four-wide battle in the midfield region. Their contact resulted in both spinning and wrecking as they clipped rookie Josh Berry while Jimmie Johnson piled into Dillon on the backstretch. Amid the accident, Chase Elliott, who made light contact with the outside wall while also being pinned in the four-wide battle, managed to dodge the incident and gained multiple spots.
As the event restarted under green on the sixth lap, teammates Bell and Gibbs dueled for the lead through the first two turns and the backstretch as the field fanned out for a second time through the backstretch. With the field navigating through the backstretch, a small stack-up ensued outside the top-10 mark as both Martin Truex Jr. and Michael McDowell scrubbed the outside wall while racing behind Playoff contenders Chase Briscoe and Kyle Larson, but they all managed to keep their cars running straight. In addition, the event remained under green flag conditions as Bell led the following lap ahead of Gibbs and Playoff contender Tyler Reddick.
Shortly after, Gibbs launched an early battle on teammate Bell for the lead, but the latter maintained the top spot through every turn and straightaway. Amid a series of early on-track battles, Bell proceeded to lead at the Lap 10 mark by three-tenths of a second over Gibbs while third-place Reddick trailed by seven-tenths of a second. Behind, Playoff contender William Byron, who overtook Playoff rival Joey Logano for fifth place, proceeded to battle and overtake Kyle Busch for fourth place while Playoff contenders Denny Hamlin, Ryan Blaney, Alex Bowman, Daniel Suarez and Kyle Larson followed suit in the top 11.
On Lap 18, the event’s second caution flew when Larson, who was racing within the top-10 mark on the track, blew a right-rear tire and went dead straight to scrub his No. 5 HendrickCars.com Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 against the outside wall in Turn 2. Despite his incident, Larson was able to continue and remain on the lead lap after having the flat tire removed.
During the second caution period of the event, the entire field led by Bell peeled off the track to pit for service. Following the pits and amid mixed strategies, Bell retained the lead after he exited pit road first and with only two fresh tires ahead of teammate Gibbs while Reddick, Logano, Byron, McDowell, Hamlin, Bowman, rookie Carson Hocevar and Todd Gilliand followed suit in the top 10. Amid the pit stops, McDowell was penalized for speeding on pit road.
The start of the following restart period on Lap 24 featured Joey Logano steering his No. 22 Shell/Pennzoil Ford Mustang Dark Horse beneath Bell and Gibbs amid a three-wide battle for the lead exiting the frontstretch, where Logano nearly muscled ahead through the first two turns before Bell got to Logano’s right-rear quarter panel and stalled his momentum. This allowed Bell to rocket back into the lead with drafting help from teammate Gibbs through the backstretch as Logano was being challenged by Byron for third place. With the field fanning out through the frontstretch, Reddick was up to fifth place as Bell retained the lead over Gibbs, Byron and Logano.
Through the first 30 scheduled laps, Bell was leading by nine-tenths of a second over Byron, who overtook Gibbs for the runner-up spot, as Playoff contenders Logano, Reddick, Hamlin, Bowman and Blaney followed suit in the top eight ahead of Hocevar and Playoff contender Austin Cindric. With eight of the remaining 12 Playoff contenders racing inside the top 10, the remaining Playoff contenders that included Daniel Suarez, Chase Briscoe, Elliott and Larson were mired in 13th, 22nd, 23rd and 32nd, respectively.
Ten laps later, Bell stabilized his advantage to more than a second over Byron’s No. 24 Valvoline Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 while Gibbs retained third place ahead of a bevy of Playoff contenders that included Logano, Hamlin, Reddick, Bowman, Blaney and Cindric. By then, Suarez and Elliott were racing inside the top-20 mark, Briscoe dropped three spots to 26th place and Larson was still mired in 31st place. In addition, Erik Jones made an unscheduled pit stop after he scrubbed the outside wall entering the backstretch.
At the Lap 50 mark, Bell retained the lead by seven-tenths of a second over Byron while teammate Gibbs trailed by a second in third place. Playoff contenders Logano, Hamlin, Blaney, Reddick, Cindric and Bowman followed suit in the top-nine mark ahead of Hocevar and Truex while Ross Chastain, Bubba Wallace, Ricky Stenhouse Jr. and Justin Haley trailed in the top 15. By then, Suarez, Elliott and Briscoe trailed in 19th, 20th and 26th, respectively, while Larson was scored the final competitor on the lead lap in 34th place.
Seven laps later, Larson, who was still mired in 34th place, was lapped by the leader Bell while runner-up Byron continued to trail Bell by seven-tenths of a second. Bell retained the lead by six-tenths of a second at the Lap 60 mark and by four-tenths of a second at the Lap 65 mark while Byron retained second place during both segments. Meanwhile, Gibbs remained in third place ahead of Logano, Hamlin, Blaney, Cindric, Reddick and Bowman while Truex was in 10th place by nearly a second over Hocevar.
By Lap 70, Bell stabilized his advantage to four-tenths of a second over Byron while Logano moved up to third place from Gibbs. Behind, Truex and Bowman swapped spots for ninth place as Blaney, Hamlin, Cindric and Reddick were running fifth through eighth, respectively. Meanwhile, Elliott was mired in 19th place behind Kyle Busch, Briscoe was mired in 25th place, Suarez had plummeted to 29th place and Larson was the fourth competitor scored a lap down in 34th place.
Then two laps later, Bell scrubbed the outside lane through the first two turns. This allowed Byron, who had been methodically gaining ground on Bell, to rocket past him and assume the lead. Logano would also overtake Bell for the runner-up spot through the backstretch while Bell maintained third place as he regained his pace. Bell, however, would be overtaken by Blaney for third place during the following lap as Byron drove away with the lead. With Byron leading just past the Lap 75, he would proceed to lap 30th-place Suarez.
When the first stage period concluded on Lap 80, Byron fended off both Logano and Blaney to claim his second Cup stage victory of the 2024 season. Team Penske’s Logano and Blaney followed suit in second and third, respectively, while Hamlin, Bell, Gibbs, Cindric, Truex, Bowman and Hocevar were scored in the top 10. With seven of 12 Playoff contenders racking up a first round of stage points, the remaining Playoff contenders that included Reddick, Elliott, Briscoe, Suarez and Larson were scored in 14th, 19th, 25th, 30th and 35th, respectively, with the latter two pinned a lap down.
Under the stage break, the lead lap field led by Byron returned to pit road for service. Following the pit stops, Logano exited pit road first ahead of Byron and Blaney while Bell, Gibbs, Truex, Hamlin, Hocevar, Brad Keselowski and Cindric followed suit in the top 10. By then, Larson had pitted to have his damaged defuser repaired. Soon after, Playoff contender Austin Cindric made another pit stop to address a loose right-rear wheel.
The second stage period started on Lap 86 as Logano and Byron occupied the front row. At the start and with the field fanning out, Byron fended off Logano through the first two turns and the backstretch to maintain the lead. Behind, Bell rocketed his way back up into second place and he issued his challenge on Byron for the lead during the following lap as Logano and Gibbs followed suit. Logano then reclaimed second place from Bell, who briefly stepped off the gas through Turns 3 and 4, prior to Lap 88, as Gibbs overtook Bell for third place. Amid a bevy of on-track battles, Byron retained the lead by the Lap 90 mark.
On Lap 97, the caution returned when Erik Jones, who was multiple laps down, got loose and spun his No. 43 AdventHealth Toyota Camry XSE through the frontstretch, where he then got his car stuck in the frontstretch’s grass. By then, Byron was leading by two seconds over Logano as Gibbs, Hamlin and Bell were racing in the top five ahead of Blaney, Bowman, Hocevar, Truex and Kyle Busch.
During the caution period, the lead lap field led by Byron returned to pit road for service. Following the pit stops and amid mixed strategies, Kyle Busch exited pit road first with two fresh tires as Bell, Logano, Byron, Gibbs, Bowman, Blaney, Hocevar, Truex and Keselowski followed suit in the top 10. By then, Larson made additional pit stops to have his car repaired.
When the race restarted under green on Lap 104, Kyle Busch received a strong push from Logano from the outside lane to muscle ahead of Bell and retain the lead through the first two turns and the backstretch. With Busch leading the following lap, Bell battled and fended off Logano for the runner-up spot before Ty Gibbs and Byron challenged Logano for third place in front of Bowman and Blaney. Bell overtook Busch for the lead during the following lap and fended off Busch and Logano for the top spot through the first two turns. Gibbs joined the battle with Logano and Busch for the runner-up spot. Also, Byron was challenged by teammate Bowman for fifth place as Bell retained the lead.
Just past the Lap 110 mark, Bell was leading Logano and Busch within eight-tenths of a second while Gibbs, Bowman, Byron and Blaney all trailed under two seconds from fifth through eighth, respectively, on the track. Meanwhile, Elliott was up to 15th place, Hamlin was mired in 17th after he had a slow pit service during his previous pit service, Cindric was down in 19th place, Reddick was mired in 21st place and Briscoe occupied 24th place in front of Suarez. In addition, Larson was still trapped a lap down in 33rd place.
Two laps later, Busch, who scrapped the backstretch’s outside wall, had dropped to seventh place as Gibbs, Bowman, Byron and Blaney all overtook him for spots towards the front. By then, Bowman, who had hit Busch when Busch scrapped the outside wall, remained on the track in fifth place as Bell maintained the lead over Logano and Gibbs. Soon after, Logano, Gibbs and Gibbs all fiercely battled for the runner-up spot, with Logano managing to occupy the spot by Lap 120 ahead of Byron and Gibbs as Blaney joined the battle in fourth place.
By Lap 125, Bell extended his advantage to more than a second over Logano as Byron, Blaney and Bowman were scored in the top five. Behind, Gibbs, who scrubbed the outside wall, had dropped to sixth place while Truex, Chastain, Kyle Busch and rookie Zane Smith were in the top 10.
At the halfway mark between Laps 133 and 134, Bell stabilized his advantage to seven-tenths of a second over Logano as Playoff contenders Blaney, Byron and Bowman followed suit in the top five ahead of Truex, Gibbs, Chastain, Zane Smith and Hamlin. Behind, Keselowski, Kyle Busch, Elliott, Chris Buescher and Cindric were racing in the top 15 as Ryan Preece, Todd Gilliland, Hocevar, Ricky Stenhouse Jr. and Tyler Reddick were mired in the top 20, with Suarez and Briscoe racing in 23rd and 24th, respectively. By then, 31 of 38 starters were scored on the lead lap as Larson was still trapped a lap down in 32nd place.
Then on Lap 141, Blaney caught Bell and battled the latter dead even through the frontstretch before the former muscled his No. 12 Wurth Ford Mustang Dark Horse out in front and he proceeded to lead the following lap. Another lap later, the caution flew when Daniel Hemric, who was announced to be replaced by Ty Dillon at Kaulig Racing for the 2025 season, got loose and hit the outside wall entering the backstretch, where he would proceed to spin his No. 31 South Point & Hotel Casino Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 below the track through the first two turns as he cut a tire. Hemric’s incident served as a big break for Larson, who was the recipient of the free pass and cycled back on the lead lap.
During the caution period, the lead lap field, led by Blaney, pitted for service. Following the pit stops and amid mixed strategies, Zane Smith exited pit road first with two fresh tires followed by Bell, Logano, Gibbs, Truex, Blaney, Bowman, Byron, Hamlin and Elliott, the latter nine of which opted for four fresh tires. Not long after, Hamlin made another trip to pit road to have a wheel on his No. 11 FedEx Toyota Camry XSE tightened as he dropped to the rear of the field.
The start of the following restart period on Lap 148 did not last as both John Hunter Nemechek and Justin Haley spun in the backstretch, an incident that started when Haley veered left and made contact with Nemechek as Larson dodged the incident. By then, Bell had reclaimed the lead from Zane Smith while Gibbs, Logano and Blaney were scored in the top five.
As the event restarted under green on Lap 153, Bell raced away from the field to retain the lead as the field fanned out through the first two turns and the backstretch. Smith then tried to gain a run underneath Bell entering Turns 3 and 4, but Bell retained the lead with four fresh tires and a stronger car while Bowman overtook Gibbs and Blaney to boost his way up to third place. As Byron was trying to fend off Chastain, Truex, Logano and Hocevar for sixth place, Elliott commenced his charge to reach the top-10 mark while Bell maintained a reasonable lead by Lap 155.
On Lap 156, the caution returned when Playoff contender Austin Cindric, who was running in 13th place, bumped into the side of Kyle Busch, spun his No. 2 Menards Ford Mustang Dark Horse down the backstretch’s infield, and made light contact with the inside wall. Despite losing a lap amid repairs, Cindric was able to continue. During the caution period, some led by Zane Smith and including Playoff contenders Logano, Reddick and Suarez pitted while the rest led by Bell remained on the track. Logano would then make another trip to pit road to address a loose wheel.
With four laps remaining in the second stage period, the event restarted under green as Bell and Bowman dueled for the lead through the first two turns until Bowman muscled his No. 48 Ally Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 into the lead from the inside lane. Bell followed suit in second through the backstretch until he scrubbed the outside wall entering Turns 3 and 4, allowing Gibbs, Blaney, Byron and Chase Briscoe to overtake him. Bell proceeded to lose more spots through the frontstretch and eventually dropped out of the top-10 mark as Bowman retained the lead.
When the second stage period concluded on Lap 165 amid a series of on-track battles, Bowman fended off Gibbs to claim his first Cup stage victory of the 2024 season. Gibbs followed suit in second ahead of Blaney, Byron and Keselowski while Hocevar, Kyle Busch, Truex, Elliott and Briscoe were scored in the top 10. With five of 12 Playoff contenders finishing in the top 10 on the track and racking up a second round of stage points, the remaining Playoff contenders that included Hamlin, Reddick, Bell, Suarez, Logano, Larson and Cindric were mired in 11th, 13th, 16th, 18th, 27th and 34th, respectively.
During the stage break, some led by Bowman and including fellow Playoff contenders Byron, Elliott, Hamlin, Briscoe, Bell, Blaney and Larson pitted while the rest led by Gibbs remained on the track. Following the pit stops, Bowman exited pit road first ahead of Blaney, Byron, Keselowski, Briscoe, Hamlin, Bell, Noah Gragson, Elliott and Haley.
With 96 laps remaining, the final stage started as Gibbs and Hocevar occupied the front row. At the start, Hocevar received a shove from Truex on the inside lane to storm ahead with the lead through the first two turns until Gibbs came rocketing back to battle alongside Hocevar for the lead through the backstretch. Hocevar then managed to clear Gibbs entering the frontstretch and lead the following lap while Kyle Busch, Truex and Chastain went three wide for third place. Behind, Bubba Wallace and Chris Buescher battled for sixth place as the field fanned out through the frontstretch while jostling for late spots.
With 90 laps remaining and as a flurry of on-track battles ensued, Chastain dueled and overtook Hocevar for the lead through the frontstretch and the first two turns. Behind, Kyle Busch overtook Gibbs for third place as Truex followed suit in fifth. Meanwhile, Reddick and Byron were the two highest Playoff contenders in sixth and seventh while Bowman carved his way to ninth place after restarting within the top-20 mark. Behind, Playoff contenders Hamlin, Suarez and Logano were mired in the top 14 while Elliott, Bell, Briscoe, Blaney and Larson were mired in the top 26.
Ten laps later, Chastain retained the lead while Kyle Busch, who overtook Hocevar for the runner-up spot five laps earlier, trailed Chastain by four-tenths of a second. Meanwhile, Truex was up to third place ahead of Byron, the highest-running Playoff contender, and Hocevar while Gibbs, Reddick, Bowman, Buescher and Hamlin were scored in the top 10 ahead of Zane Smith, Wallace, Suarez, Logano, Elliott, Keselowski, Bell, Blaney, Gilliland and Austin Dillon. Meanwhile, Briscoe and Larson were mired in 23rd and 25th, respectively, while Cindric was trapped a lap down in 34th.
Another four laps later, Blaney pitted his No. 12 Wurth Ford Mustang Dark Horse under green and from the top 20 due to a loose wheel. With Blaney dropping out of the lead lap category, Busch started to challenge Chastain for the lead, though the latter used the outside wall to maintain the top spot with a reasonable gap ahead of Busch.
Then with 67 laps remaining, Busch gained a run beneath Chastain and emerged with a slight lead exiting the backstretch. Chastain, however, came rocketing back alongside Busch while using the outside wall through Turns 3 and 4 as both dueled for the top spot through the frontstretch. With Chastain managing to lead the following lap, he would proceed to retain the top spot through every corner and straightaway while Busch was trying to regain the ground he briefly lost.
Busch would then execute his pass on Chastain while sliding in front of him entering Turns 3 and 4 with 63 laps remaining and he would lead the following lap while Chastain pulled a crossover move to return the favor through the frontstretch. Despite nearly getting locked into a side-by-side battle with Busch through the frontstretch, Busch prevailed in the battle and pulled away to have both lanes under control. As Busch led, where he would proceed to lead with 60 laps remaining, Logano pitted under green.
With 59 laps remaining and a late cycle of green flag pit stops commencing, Ty Gibbs pitted his No. 54 Monster Energy Toyota Camry XSE. Buscher would pit his No. 17 Fastenal Ford Mustang Dark Horse during the following lap along with Truex, Byron, Bowman, Hamlin, Suarez and Zane Smith before the leaders Busch and Chastain pitted together during the next lap. As more pit stops occurred with less than 55 laps remaining, Reddick, who was among several competitors who had yet to pit, was leading ahead of Bell, Keselowski, Wallace and Gilliland while Busch and Chastain were both racing just outside the top 10 mark.
With 50 laps remaining, 23XI Racing’s Reddick and Wallace pitted under green, with the former sustaining a flat tire to his No. 45 DraftKings Toyota Camry XSE. The pit stops for both Reddick and Wallace handed the lead to Bell as Keselowski and Ty Dillon followed suit in second and third while Busch and Chastain cycled up into fourth and fifth. Once Bell and Keselowski pitted over the next three laps, Busch cycled back into the lead with 47 laps remaining while Chastain trailed in second place by seven-tenths of a second.
Then with 42 laps remaining, Chastain overtook Busch for the lead through the frontstretch as Busch went up the track and barely scrubbed the outside wall in Turns 3 and 4 during the previous lap. Chastain then mirrored Busch’s scrape of the wall through Turns 3 and 4, which allowed Busch to reassume the lead with 41 laps remaining and he would stretch his advantage to half a second during the next lap period.
Down to the final 35 laps of the event, Busch was leading by six-tenths of a second over Chastain while Truex trailed in third place by more than a second. Behind, Playoff contenders Byron, Bowman, Hamlin and Blaney were running fourth through seventh, respectively, while Gibbs, Buescher and Elliott were racing in the top 10 ahead of Redick and Suarez. With seven of 12 Playoff contenders racing in the top-12 mark on the track, the remaining Playoff contenders that included Logano, Bell, Larson, Briscoe and Cindric were mired in 16th, 18th, 19th, 26th and 34th, respectively.
Then three laps later, Busch’s potential road to victory was foiled as he tried to lap Briscoe through Turns 1 and 2. With Briscoe fending off Busch’s momentum from the outside wall and moving his No. 14 Mahindra Tractors Ford Mustang Dark Horse up the track to prevent Busch from receiving clean air, Busch then slapped the outside wall in the backstretch and got loose before he spun his No. 8 BetMGM Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 below the track. With the caution flying, Chastain assumed the lead while Busch was able to continue without losing a bevy of spots.
During the caution period, nearly the entire lead lap field led by Chastain returned to pit road for service while Keselowski remained on the track as he inherited the lead. Following the pit stops, Truex exited pit road first as Chastain, Bowman, Byron, Gibbs, Blaney, Busch, Buescher, Reddick and Suarez, all of whom opted for four fresh tires, exited in the top 10.
The start of the following restart period with 26 laps remaining featured Truex gaining the momentum from the outside lane and with four fresh tires and he assumed the lead through the first two turns. Keselowski was then starting to fade on his two tires as Bowman, Chastain and Byron quickly rocketed past him to move up to second through fourth. As the field fanned out while Keselowski continued to plummet through the backstretch, Truex maintained the lead for the following lap while Bowman and Chastain battled dead even for second in front of Byron. The caution then returned during the following lap as Hocevar spun after he was hit by Gilliland in the backstretch. Hocevar also made contact with Briscoe before spinning his No. 77 Premier Security Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 within the midfield region.
With the event restarting under green with 20 laps remaining, the field fanned out through the frontstretch as Chastain dueled with Truex, where he would rocket away with the top spot entering the backstretch while Truex was left to battle Bowman and Byron for the runner-up spot. Byron would gain the runner-up spot from Truex through Turns 3 and 4 while Bowman was left to battle Gibbs and Blaney for fourth place. As Hamlin used the frontstretch’s apron to muscle his way back into the top-10 mark amid a flurry of on-track battles within the field, Chastain maintained a reasonable advantage over Byron and Truex for the following two laps.
Down to the final 15 laps of the event, Chastain continued to lead by less than half a second over a hard-charging Byron while Truex, Blaney and Gibbs were in the top five. With Truex trying to fend off Blaney for third place and Gibbs maintaining fifth place ahead of Playoff contenders Bowman, Bell and Hamlin, Chastain remained ahead with the top spot by half a second with 10 laps remaining.
With five laps remaining, Chastain maintained an advantage of four-tenths of a second over a hard-charging Byron while third-place Truex trailed by more than a second. Behind, Blaney and Gibbs remained in the top five ahead of Bowman, Bell, Hamlin, Elliott and Zane Smith while Reddick, who scraped the wall earlier, continued to run on the track in 25th place in front of Larson.
When the white flag waved and the final lap started, Chastain remained in the lead by three-tenths of a second over Byron. After trailing Chastain through the first two turns and the backstretch, Byron then tried to use the inside lane to get close to Chastain, but the latter kept his car running towards the outside wall. With the momentum on his side, Chastain rocketed his No. 1 Kubota Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 away from Byron and returned to the frontstretch victorious as he claimed the checkered flag by three-tenths of a second over Byron.
With the victory, Chastain, who missed the 2024 Cup Series Playoffs, notched his fifth career win in NASCAR’s premier series, his first at Kansas and his first since winning the 2023 finale at Phoenix Raceway.
The victory was the 13th of the year for the Chevrolet nameplate and the second for Trackhouse Racing, with this season marking the second time where Trackhouse’s Nos. 1 and 99 entries visited Victory Lane at least once in the same Cup season. Chastain also joined Chris Buescher as a non-Playoff competitor to win throughout the first four Playoff events of the 2024 season.
Photo by Ron Olds for SpeedwayMedia.com.
“For us on this No. 1 team, it’s what Cup racing’s all about,” Chastain, who smashed a watermelon on the frontstretch, said on USA Network. “It’s what [team owner] Justin Marks bought into NASCAR with Trackhouse to do stuff like this, to disrupt [the Playoffs]. There’s been times this year where we couldn’t have disrupted the Minnow Pond outside of Darlington [Raceway], let alone a Cup race. It’s hard, it’s really tough, so to come and do this, I’d say there’s times where I didn’t think after practice and qualifying, we had what it took. I thought we’ve been way stronger here in the past. It didn’t feel great all day, but our Kubota Chevy, it was better as the rubber went down and the adjustments were great. We haven’t left. We haven’t went away. Nobody’s slowed us down other than ourselves and today, we were the fastest car.”
With Chastain winning the race, William Byron ended up as the highest-finishing Playoff contender of the event in second place for his first top-two result since Michigan International Speedway last August and after finishing no higher than ninth over his last five starts. Despite being left disappointed over falling one spot short of winning the Playoff’s Round of 12 opener for a second consecutive season, Byron also remained optimistic as he continues his push to return to the Championship 4 and contend for his first Cup Series championship.
“I feel like [Chastain] got the restart he needed to and I was in the second row just trying to clear those guys,” Byron said. “Once I got clear of them, my balance is OK, just a little bit tight, but kind of inching up on [Chastain]. I needed probably for [the event] to be a longer run being in second but damn it. I wanted that one really bad. It just sucks, man. You’re so close and you know going to Talladega, you know what that is. Sucks, but proud of the effort. [The team] Brought an awesome car. Proud of all my guys. They’ve been working their tails off and we’ve gotten a lot of BS over the summer from the outside. I know how good this team is and I know what we’re capable of, so this is a great day to build on. Looking forward to Talladega. We’re usually good there and we’ll just see how that goes.”
Martin Truex Jr., who led five laps, came home in third place in his final start at Kansas as a full-time competitor, Ryan Blaney made a late rally to finish fourth and Ty Gibbs capped off a strong race in fifth place.
Playoff contenders Alex Bowman, Christopher Bell, Denny Hamlin and Chase Elliott finished sixth through ninth, respectively, while rookie Zane Smith achieved a 10th-place result. Notably, Kyle Busch, who led 26 laps and was on the verge of notching his first elusive victory of the season, fell back to 19th place in the final running order.
“I’m numb,” Busch, who was left dejected on pit road at the event’s conclusion, said. “I don’t know what to do.”
With half of the remaining 12 Playoff contenders finishing in the top 10 on the track, the remaining Playoff contenders that included Daniel Suarez, Joey Logano, Chase Briscoe, Tyler Reddick, Kyle Larson and Austin Cindric finished 13th, 14th, 24th, 25th, 26th and 34th, respectively.
As a result, Reddick, Suarez, Briscoe and Cindric are below the top-12 cutline in the Playoff standings with two Round of 12 events remaining on the schedule while Elliott and Logano are both above the cutline by four points.
There were 30 lead changes for 15 different leaders. The race featured 10 cautions for 47 laps. In addition, 32 of 38 starters finished on the lead lap.
Results.
1. Ross Chastain, 52 laps led
2. William Byron, 24 laps led, Stage 1 winner
3. Martin Truex Jr., five laps led
4. Ryan Blaney, three laps led
5. Ty Gibbs, five laps led
6. Alex Bowman, six laps led, Stage 2 winner
7. Christopher Bell, 122 laps led
8. Denny Hamlin, one lap led
9. Chase Elliott
10. Zane Smith, three laps led
11. Chris Buescher
12. Austin Dillon
13. Daniel Suarez
14. Joey Logano, three laps led
15. Corey LaJoie
16. Ryan Preece
17. Bubba Wallace
18. Noah Gragson
19. Kyle Busch, 29 laps led
20. Daniel Hemric
21. Ty Dillon
22. Brad Keselowski, four laps led
23. Harrison Burton
24. Chase Briscoe
25. Tyler Reddick, seven laps led
26. Kyle Larson
27. Todd Gilliland
28. Ricky Stenhouse Jr.
29. Michael McDowell
30. John Hunter Nemechek
31. Kaz Grala
32. Carson Hocevar
33. Justin Haley, one lap down
34. Austin Cindric, four laps down
35. Erik Jones, four laps down
36. Jimmie Johnson, 10 laps down
37. JJ Yeley – OUT, Electrical, one lap led
38. Josh Berry – OUT, Accident
*Bold indicates Playoff contenders
Playoff standings
1. William Byron +34
2. Ryan Blaney +28
3. Christopher Bell +28
4. Kyle Larson +18
5. Denny Hamlin +11
6. Alex Bowman +8
7. Chase Elliott +4
8. Joey Logano +4
9. Tyler Reddick -4
10. Daniel Suarez -14
11. Chase Briscoe -25
12. Austin Cindric -29
The second Round of 12 event in the 2024 NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs is set to occur at Talladega Superspeedway for the YellaWood 500. The event is scheduled to occur next Sunday, October 6, and air at 2 p.m. ET on NBC.
Solid Effort by Austin Dillon and the No. 3 Bass Pro Shops/TRACKER Off Road Chevrolet Team at Kansas Speedway
Finish: 12th Start: 22nd Points: 28th
“Solid effort today by our Bass Pro Shops/TRACKER Off Road Chevrolet team at Kansas Speedway. We started off extremely tight, which was confusing because a lot the field was complaining about a loose-handling car. We lost track position early in the race when we took advantage of a caution to pit for tires and make handling adjustments. We made up as much ground as we could on the restarts to gain track position and crew chief Justin Alexander worked hard all race to continue to improve our Chevy. At the end of stage 2, we took a big swing at the setup and found speed. We were able to race our way into the top 10 during the final stage before ultimately finishing 12th. We’re not sure what caused our car to be so tight, but we will get it back to the shop, diagnose what went on with the car and come back stronger.” -Austin Dillon
Kyle Busch and the No. 8 BetMGM Chevrolet Team Lead Laps and Show Speed at Kansas Speedway Before Late-Race Spin
Finish: 19th Start: 3rd Points: 20th
“We had a really strong BetMGM Chevrolet at the end of the race today, so it’s frustrating that we were not able to bring home a win for everyone at RCR, ECR, all of our sponsors and Rowdy fans. We led laps and put ourselves in position, but it didn’t work out for us. We hung underneath the No. 1 car for about 15 laps and finally passed him for the lead. We could get away from him and then catch a lapped car and we’d back up a little bit and lose the gap between us. I guess I just got in too big of a hurry. We were leading when a car trying to stay on the lead lap came up and took away our air and I spun out. Back in the old days when there were under 30 laps remaining in a race, lapped traffic would lay over, give you a lane and let the leaders race. I just wasn’t getting that, so I tried to force my hand into getting that and get to his outside, and for whatever reason, it just gave all the air in all the wrong places and it took away our chances at a win. We ended up 19th. Not the finish we hoped for but we’ll head to Talladega Superspeedway next week to try again.” -Kyle Busch
Daniel Hemric qualified 30th for the Hollywood Casino 400 Presented by ESPN Bet at Kansas Speedway.
The first caution of the day came out on the first lap, as Hemric had already made up four positions. The next caution fell on lap 20, and Hemric pitted for four tires, hoping the new set of tires would help the handling of the No. 31 South Point Chevy. He went on to finish the first stage in 17th place.
After pitting for air-pressure adjustments to help with grip, Hemric started the second stage in 26th. When the first caution of the stage came out on lap 99, Hemric sat 23rd. He pitted for four tires and fuel, gaining one position on pit road. Running similar times to the second-place car, Hemric worked his way into the top 20 but suffered a broken toe link that sent him spinning, bringing out the next caution. Hemric pitted under caution, and the team replaced the broken toe link but lost two laps in the process. Hemric restarted 34th with 12 laps remaining in the second stage. A caution with eight to go allowed Hemric to take the free-pass position, giving him one lap back. As the field took the green with four to go in the stage, Hemric maintained the free-pass position once again and received another lap back at the stage end. He finished the second stage in 33rd on the lead lap.
Hemric started the final stage in 31st and made it back into the top 25 by lap 201. As the final green-flag pit stops began, Hemric made it as high as 16th, before pitting on lap 210 for tires and fuel. When the next caution flag fell on lap 237, Hemric pitted for fuel, tires and a right-side air pressure adjustment. He restarted 23rd on lap 241, before the next caution came out just three laps later. Hemric restarted 15th with 20 laps remaining and went on to finish the race in 20th place.
“That was fun! Our No. 31 South Point Chevy showed a ton of speed today. After breaking a toe link and hitting the wall, the damage affected the maneuverability a bit, but I’m super proud of the No. 31 guys for staying focused and fighting to get back on the lead lap so we could compete in the final stage.” – Daniel Hemric
TY DILLON No. 16 FitRx Camaro ZL1
Ty Dillon qualified 32nd for the Hollywood Casino 400 Presented by ESPN Bet at Kansas Speedway.
The first caution of the day came out on lap one, as the No. 16 was collected in the process. Dillon acquired left-rear quarter panel damage, along with some right-side damage. The team assessed the car under caution, and fell one lap down. Dillon restarted 36th when the second caution came out on lap 20. Dillon earned the free pass position, putting him back on the lead lap. Under caution, Dillon came down pit road, allowing the team to cut the left-rear quarter panel off and determine damage from the previous wreck. Adding fuel and a rear left tire, the No. 16 restarted 33rd, maintaining minimum speed. Dillon battled the remainder of the stage to maintain position, completing it in 31st and one lap down.
During the stage break, Dillon reported the No. 16 was loose in and out of turns while struggling to hit the throttle. The team pitted for a rear-wedge adjustment, minor repairs to the right-front splitter, fuel and four tires. Dillon restarted 35th and one lap down. The fourth caution on lap 99 allowed the him to pit under caution for four tires and fuel. Dillon restarted 33rd, one lap down, and in position to fight for the lucky dog, which he received when the next caution flag fell on lap 145. He restarted 31st and on the lead lap. Five laps later, the caution flag flew once again, which allowed Dillon to pit for four scuff tires and fuel. Dillon restarted 30th, before the seventh caution of the day allowed the No. 16 to pit for four sticker tires and fuel. He restarted in 29th and finished the second stage in 25th.
During the final stage break, the No.16 elected to stay out, restarting 15th. Dillon climbed as high as fourth, as the field made green flag pit stops. The No. 16 pitted on lap 219 for four tires and fuel, cycling back to 30th and one lap down. With 32 laps remaining, the next caution flag flew, allowing Dillon to take the wave around and get back on the lead lap. The No. 16 stayed out and restarted 29th. The caution flag waved once again on lap 244. The No.16 pitted for its final set of sticker tires and fuel, restarting 28th. Dillon closed out the race in 21st.
“Solid effort to rebound after an early-race caution and run the entire race with no rear quarter panel. Our FitRx Camaro had the speed, we just didn’t have a full car today. We had to rebuild the car and fight from a lap down, but I’m proud of the effort the team put in today. Definitely learned a few things we can take into next season and hit the ground running.” – Ty Dillon
About Kaulig Racing
Kaulig Racing™ is a full-time, multi-car NASCAR Cup Series (NCS) and NASCAR Xfinity Series (NXS) team, owned by award winning entrepreneur, Matt Kaulig. Established in 2016, Kaulig Racing™ has earned 23 NXS wins, made the NXS Playoffs consecutively each season since the playoff system started, and won two regular-season championships. In 2021, the team competed in select NCS events, before expanding to a two-car, full-time NCS team in 2022 and adding a third, part-time entry during the 2023 season. Since its first NCS start in 2021, the team has earned two wins. Kaulig Racing is currently fielding two full-time entries in the NCS and continues to field three full-time NXS entries, with a part-time fourth entry at select events. To learn more about the team, visit kauligracing.com.
ST. LOUIS (Sept. 29, 2024) – For the second straight race, a first-time winner found the winner’s circle in the Congruity NHRA Pro Mod Drag Racing Series presented by LearnEV+, as Stan Shelton defeated Mason Wright in the final round on Sunday at World Wide Technology Raceway as part of this weekend’s NHRA Midwest Nationals.
The event was the third in the category’s four-race “Road to the Championship” playoffs and was powered by M&M Transmission and Jerry Bickel Race Cars. It also marked the ninth of 10 races during the 2024 season.
Advancing to his second career final round after defeating Michael Stavrinos, Lyle Barnett and defending event winner Jordan Lazic, Shelton went 5.786-seconds at 245.58 mph in his Culp Lumber Ford Mustang to hold off Wright’s 5.806 at 234.66.
After qualifying 11th, Shelton posted reaction times of .010, .013 and .011 in the first three rounds, setting up a memorable final round and a thrilling first victory in the NHRA Pro Mod category.
“This is very difficult to win. This class is so challenging and today was the day,” Shelton said. “My crew did an awesome job and this feels great. We’ve got such a great thing going on in Pro Mod and driver is such a small part in getting one of these. The crew are the ones doing everything behind the scenes and I just had to do my job.”
On a wild weekend in St. Louis, Khalid Al Balooshi moved into the points lead, despite losing in the second round. Justin Bond jumped all the way to second and is just 12 points out of first heading into the final race of the NHRA Pro Mod season. Lazic is in third, 24 points out of first, while Ken Quartuccio is 26 points behind the leader.
Wright advanced to the final round for the second time in his career by defeating Chip King, defending world champion Mike Castellana and Bond.
The Congruity NHRA Pro Mod Drag Racing Series presented by LearnEV+ closes out its 2024 season at the Ford Performance NHRA Nationals on Oct. 31-Nov. 3 at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.
MADISON, Ill. — Final finish order (1-16) at the 13th annual NHRA Midwest Nationals at World Wide Technology Raceway. The race is the ninth of 10 events in the Congruity NHRA Pro Mod Drag Racing Series presented by LearnEV+.
PRO MODIFIED:
Stan Shelton; 2. Mason Wright; 3. Justin Bond; 4. Jordan Lazic; 5. Mike Castellana; 6. JR Gray; 7. Lyle Barnett; 8. Khalid alBalooshi; 9. Billy Banaka; 10. Mike Stavrinos; 11. Kevin Rivenbark; 12. Nick Januik; 13. Dmitry Samorukov; 14. Chip King; 15. Doug Winters; 16. Kris Thorne.
MADISON, Ill. — Sunday’s final results from the 13th annual NHRA Midwest Nationals at World Wide Technology Raceway. The race is the ninth of 10 events in the Congruity NHRA Pro Mod Drag Racing Series presented by LearnEV+.
Pro Modified — Stan Shelton, Ford Mustang, 5.786, 245.58 def. Mason Wright, Chevy Camaro, 5.806, 234.66.
MADISON, Ill. — Final round-by-round results from the 13th annual NHRA Midwest Nationals at World Wide Technology Raceway. The race is the ninth of 10 events in the Congruity NHRA Pro Mod Drag Racing Series presented by LearnEV+.
PRO MODIFIED:
ROUND ONE — Mike Castellana, Chevy Camaro, 5.738, 249.76 def. Kevin Rivenbark, Ford Mustang, 5.821, 246.98; Jordan Lazic, Camaro, 5.777, 248.98 def. Nick Januik, Chevy Corvette, 5.904, 242.19; JR Gray, Camaro, 5.769, 248.98 def. Dmitry Samorukov, Camaro, 6.064, 241.07; Justin Bond, Camaro, 5.772, 245.23 def. Billy Banaka, Camaro, 5.740, 249.03; Lyle Barnett, Camaro, 5.805, 244.74 def. Kris Thorne, Camaro, Foul – Red Light; Stan Shelton, Mustang, 5.766, 245.99 def. Mike Stavrinos, Camaro, 5.781, 245.27; Khalid alBalooshi, Camaro, 5.796, 249.95 def. Doug Winters, Chevy Chevelle, 8.061,
FINAL — Shelton, 5.786, 245.58 def. Wright, 5.806, 234.66.
MADISON, Ill. — Point standings (top 10) following the 13th annual NHRA Midwest Nationals at World Wide Technology Raceway. The race is the ninth of 10 events in the Congruity NHRA Pro Mod Drag Racing Series presented by LearnEV+.
Pro Modified
Khalid alBalooshi, 956; 2. Justin Bond, 944; 3. Jordan Lazic, 932; 4. Ken Quartuccio, 930; 5. Mason Wright, 921; 6. Kris Thorne, 918; 7. Kevin Rivenbark, 906; 8. Billy Banaka, 887; 9. Dmitry Samorukov, 881; 10. Mike Castellana, 876.
STEWART-HAAS RACING Hollywood Casino 400 Date: Sept. 29, 2024 Event: Hollywood Casino 400 (Round 30 of 36) Series: NASCAR Cup Series Location: Kansas Speedway in Kansas City (1.5-mile oval) Format: 267 laps, broken into three stages (80 laps/85 laps/102 laps)
Race Winner: Ross Chastain of Trackhouse Racing (Chevrolet) Stage 1 Winner: William Byron of Hendrick Motorsports (Chevrolet) Stage 2 Winner: Alex Bowman of Hendrick Motorsports (Chevrolet)
● Chase Briscoe (11th with 3,019 points, 25 points below top-eight cutoff) ● Noah Gragson (24th with 504 points) ● Ryan Preece (25th with 493 points) ● Josh Berry (26th with 490 points)
Playoff Standings (with two races to go before Round of 8):
William Byron (3,074 points) +34 points
Ryan Blaney (3,068 points) +28 points
Christopher Bell (3,068 points) +28 points
Kyle Larson (3,058 points) +18 points
Denny Hamlin (3,051 points) +11 points
Alex Bowman (3,048 points) +8 points
Chase Elliott (3,044 points) +4 points
Joey Logano (3,044 points) +4 points
Tyler Reddick (3,040 points) -4 points
Daniel Suárez (3,030 points) -14 points
Chase Briscoe (3,019 points) -25 points
Austin Cindric (3,015 points) -29 points
SHR Notes:
● Briscoe finished 10th in Stage 1 to earn one bonus point. ● Preece earned his 14th top-20 of the season and his second top-20 in 10 career NASCAR Cup Series starts at Kansas. ● This was Preece’s fifth straight result of 18th or better. He finished 12th Sept. 1 at Darlington (S.C.) Raceway, 18th Sept. 8 at Atlanta Motor Speedway, ninth Sept. 15 at Watkins Glen (N.Y.) International and seventh Sept. 21 at Bristol (Tenn.) Motor Speedway. ● Gragson earned his 18th top-20 of the season and his fourth top-20 in five career NASCAR Cup Series starts at Kansas.
Race Notes:
● Ross Chastain won the Hollywood Casino 400 to score his fifth career NASCAR Cup Series victory, his first of the season and his first at Kansas. His margin of victory over second-place William Byron was .388 of a second. ● Chastain was the 16th different winner in the 30 NASCAR Cup Series races run this season. ● There were 10 caution periods for a total of 47 laps. ● Thirty-two of the 38 drivers in the race finished on the lead lap.
Sound Bites:
“Man, it was a really, really bad day for us. That was not what we needed, certainly not what we wanted. We’re 25 out, so, of course, we can still do it. Just not what we wanted today, for sure. (On contact with Kyle Busch) Yeah, I don’t know if we ever touched. I haven’t seen it, still. But these cars, they’re so sensitive. I couldn’t really run on the wall, so I was trying to just make it where we had a car width and a couple of inches, and I saw him get loose as soon as he got to my right rear. It was unfortunate. Definitely, it didn’t feel like I was trying to do anything, I was trying literally to leave him the top lane. So, yeah, these cars, just as soon as you get off to the right, especially here when you’re running the wall, they just get really, really loose. I hate it for him. He’s been so close all year long, and I’m a Kyle Busch fan. So I wanted to see him keep the streak alive. I hate that we were part of the conversation.” – Chase Briscoe, driver of the No. 14 Mahindra Tractors Ford Mustang Dark Horse
“We had a good car. The track just loosened up big time, so we lost a lot of track position. And, ultimately, it was frustrating because that’s where you need help on the other side, and we were just losing it on all ends. So that last run, we finally got our car back to where it needed to be, but we were just too far back by that time.” – Ryan Preece, driver of the No. 41 HaasTooling.com Ford Mustang Dark Horse
“It was an up-and-down day, but still super proud of everyone from where we started to where we got the balance. Drew (Blickensderfer, crew chief) made some good calls on top of the box, just needed a little more. I felt like we were good the second-to-last and third-to-last runs, we kept the car the same, and it just got a little bit tighter there on that last run. So, still just proud. I know it’s not a great finish, but proud of the weekend as a whole of how we worked together as a team, and we’re just grateful for the opportunity.” – Noah Gragson, driver of the No. 10 Bed Bath & Beyond Ford Mustang Dark Horse
“That was an experience like none other. Obviously, we got clipped and spun, and we had four flat tires. I assumed they were going to tow the car to the pits, which is what I was asking for, and then they dropped my window net and told me to get out. Rodney (Childers, crew chief) told me to stay in because all we needed was tires. They were telling me to get out. Then they towed me into the campground, so I was just out there chilling with the fans. At that point, they said they had to get a rollback, and they finally made me get out. Rodney was trying to talk to somebody and couldn’t get anybody on the phone. I don’t know what I’m missing. I’ve seen plenty of cars get towed to the pits and get tires put on, so I don’t know if I’m missing something or if there was something different than normal, but that was an experience, for sure. They said the tire was off the wheel, which it’s flat, so of course it’s off the wheel. They just refused to tow the car. They tried hooking it up on both ends, which I knew wasn’t going to work. I don’t know why they didn’t just hook it up with the rear and tow it to the pit box and let us get tires on it. That is disappointing. That is so crazy, the whole sequence of events, that I haven’t even processed it yet. That is the risk you take, though, when you qualify where we did. I overdrove (turn) one in qualifying and got loose and those are the types of things that happen. It’s still on me, but I wish we could’ve gotten some tires on it and finished the race.” – Josh Berry, driver of the No. 4 Bed Bath & Beyond Ford Mustang Dark Horse
Next Up:
The next event on the NASCAR Cup Series schedule is the YellaWood 500 on Sunday, Oct. 6 at Talladega (Ala.) Superspeedway. The fifth race in the 10-race NASCAR Playoffs starts at 2 p.m. EDT with live coverage provided by NBC and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.
ST. LOUIS (Sept. 27, 2024) – Two races remain in the 2024 season in the Congruity NHRA Pro Mod Drag Racing Series presented by LearnEV+ and there’s still plenty on the line heading to St. Louis as part of this weekend’s NHRA Midwest Nationals at World Wide Technology Raceway.
It is the ninth of 10 races during the 2024 season and the third of four events in the “Road to the Championship,” with several top drivers still alive in the title chase. This weekend’s event in St. Louis is powered by both M&M Transmissions and Jerry Bickel Race Cars, and another huge field will entertain fans in St. Louis as the Pro Mod season hits a thrilling point.
A wild weekend in Charlotte included a first-time winner in Travis Harvey, as he filled in for former world champion Khalid Al Balooshi, sending the veteran to second in points in the process. Al Balooshi now trails Ken Quartuccio by just 19 points, with a flurry of additional contenders still racing for the championship.
A number of top teams, including Bahrain 1 Racing, Scott Tidwell Racing, Team Shelton Motorsports and title contender Jose Gonzalez, are M&M Transmission customers, with the company thrilled to be part of such an important race weekend at their home facility.
“St Louis is our home track, so it was a natural decision to support our NHRA Pro Mod racers and customers,” said Mark Micke, M&M Transmission Owner and CEO. “Our on-track maintenance services are an extension of our beliefs of delivering reliability and performance to enable the quickest and fastest doorslammers in the world to win and set records.”
Jordan Lazic won last year in St. Louis and, like Harvey in Charlotte, did so in his first career start. Lazic is currently seventh in points, 65 out of first, showcasing the number of standouts still in title contention. Former world champs Kris Thorne and Gonzalez are 38 and 45 points behind, respectively, while Kevin Rivenbark rounds out the top five, trailing Quartuccio by 46 points.
Justin Bond is just 48 points out of first, while other standouts in St. Louis include Charlotte runner-up Dmitry Samorukov, reigning world champion Mike Castellana, Billy Banaka, Mason Wright, J.R. Gray and Michael Stavrinos.
Rain wiped out qualifying on Friday in St. Louis, meaning the NHRA Pro Mod drivers will get two shots at the track on Saturday, with qualifying times set for 11:15 a.m. and 4:50 p.m. CT in the Congruity NHRA Pro Mod Drag Racing Series presented by LearnEV+. The first round of eliminations is slated for 9:05 a.m. CT on Sunday.
Tickets may be purchased at the WWTR ticket office, by phone at (618) 215-8888, or online at www.wwtraceway.com. All children 12 and under will be admitted free in the general admission area with a paid adult. For more information on NHRA, visit www.NHRA.com.
MADISON, Ill. — Final finish order (1-16) at the 13th annual NHRA Midwest Nationals at World Wide Technology Raceway. The race is the ninth of 10 events in the Congruity NHRA Pro Mod Drag Racing Series presented by LearnEV+.
PRO MODIFIED:
Stan Shelton; 2. Mason Wright; 3. Justin Bond; 4. Jordan Lazic; 5. Mike Castellana; 6. JR Gray; 7. Lyle Barnett; 8. Khalid alBalooshi; 9. Billy Banaka; 10. Mike Stavrinos; 11. Kevin Rivenbark; 12. Nick Januik; 13. Dmitry Samorukov; 14. Chip King; 15. Doug Winters; 16. Kris Thorne.
MADISON, Ill. — Sunday’s final results from the 13th annual NHRA Midwest Nationals at World Wide Technology Raceway. The race is the ninth of 10 events in the Congruity NHRA Pro Mod Drag Racing Series presented by LearnEV+.
Pro Modified — Stan Shelton, Ford Mustang, 5.786, 245.58 def. Mason Wright, Chevy Camaro, 5.806, 234.66.
MADISON, Ill. — Final round-by-round results from the 13th annual NHRA Midwest Nationals at World Wide Technology Raceway. The race is the ninth of 10 events in the Congruity NHRA Pro Mod Drag Racing Series presented by LearnEV+.
PRO MODIFIED:
ROUND ONE — Mike Castellana, Chevy Camaro, 5.738, 249.76 def. Kevin Rivenbark, Ford Mustang, 5.821, 246.98; Jordan Lazic, Camaro, 5.777, 248.98 def. Nick Januik, Chevy Corvette, 5.904, 242.19; JR Gray, Camaro, 5.769, 248.98 def. Dmitry Samorukov, Camaro, 6.064, 241.07; Justin Bond, Camaro, 5.772, 245.23 def. Billy Banaka, Camaro, 5.740, 249.03; Lyle Barnett, Camaro, 5.805, 244.74 def. Kris Thorne, Camaro, Foul – Red Light; Stan Shelton, Mustang, 5.766, 245.99 def. Mike Stavrinos, Camaro, 5.781, 245.27; Khalid alBalooshi, Camaro, 5.796, 249.95 def. Doug Winters, Chevy Chevelle, 8.061,
FINAL — Shelton, 5.786, 245.58 def. Wright, 5.806, 234.66.
MADISON, Ill. — Point standings (top 10) following the 13th annual NHRA Midwest Nationals at World Wide Technology Raceway. The race is the ninth of 10 events in the Congruity NHRA Pro Mod Drag Racing Series presented by LearnEV+.
Pro Modified
Khalid alBalooshi, 956; 2. Justin Bond, 944; 3. Jordan Lazic, 932; 4. Ken Quartuccio, 930; 5. Mason Wright, 921; 6. Kris Thorne, 918; 7. Kevin Rivenbark, 906; 8. Billy Banaka, 887; 9. Dmitry Samorukov, 881; 10. Mike Castellana, 876.
CHEVROLET IN NHRA 2024 NHRA MIDWEST NATIONALS WORLD WIDE TECHNOLOGY RACEWAY MADISON, ILLINOIS TEAM CHEVY RACE REPORT | NOTES & STATS SEPT. 29, 2024
JACK BECKMAN AND JOHN FORCE RACING CAPTURE THE NHRA MIDWEST NATIONALS VICTORY AT WORLD WIDE TECHNOLOGY RACEWAY
Competing on Behalf of John Force in the NHRA Countdown to the Championship, Beckman Notches his 36th Career NHRA Win and 34th in Funny Car
Notes:
Capturing Chevrolet’s 169th NHRA win, Jack Beckman, driving the PEAK Chevrolet Camaro SS Funny Car on behalf of John Force, captured his 36th career NHRA win and 34th in Funny Car Sunday at World Wide Technology Raceway.
After stepping back into a Funny Car for the first time in four years at Brainerd this season to compete on behalf of Force for the championship, Beckman raced to the Winner’s Circle in his 74th career final round and earned valuable points for Force.
Despite facing issues on his semifinal run, Prock still leads the Countdown to the Championship point standings leaving World Wide Technology Raceway over John Force by 105 points. With Beckman’s Midwest Nationals win, he moves John Force up to second in the championship standings over Bob Tasca, III in third.
John Force Racing’s Funny Cars are perfect in final round appearances and wins so far during the Countdown to the Championship, with Prock winning Reading and Charlotte 2, and Beckman winning Sunday at World Wide Technology Raceway.
Facing only two qualifying sessions Saturday with Friday canceled for inclement weather, Prock leveraged his winning momentum to capture his 12th-career No. 1 qualifier with his stunning Q1 run of 3.836 seconds E.T. at 330.72 mph.
Brittany Force qualified No. 3 after two qualifying sessions Saturday but faced an early end to her Midwest Nationals race day after being eliminated by Shawn Reed in Round 2.
Dallas Glenn, of KB Titan Racing, and Aaron Stanfield, of Elite Motorsports, once again faced off in the Pro Stock finals, with Glenn coming out the Midwest Nationals victor over Stanfield, running 6.577 seconds E.T. at 207.82 mph.
Sunday’s victory is Glenn’s 13th career victory, and with his impressive 0.010 seconds reaction time in the finals, he captured a back-to-back win after last week at Charlotte 2. Glenn continues to lead the Pro Stock championship standings by 31 points over Aaron Stanfield.
Glenn’s win Sunday is Chevrolet’s 398th in the Pro Stock category since 1970.
Six-time Pro Stock champion Erica Enders, driving the Johnson’s Horsepowered Garage Melling Chevrolet Camaro SS machine, captured her 41st career No. 1 qualifier after running 6.565 seconds E.T. at 208.01 mph in Q1.
Aaron Stanfield captured the Factory X Wally trophy Sunday at the NHRA Midwest Nationals and leaves St. Louis continuing to lead the point standings by 119 over Lenny Lottig.
Quotes:
JACK BECKMAN, DRIVER OF THE PEAK ANTIFREEZE AND COOLANT CHEVROLET CAMARO SS FUNNY CAR, JOHN FORCE RACING:
“This is John’s trophy. He’ll tell me to take it home. But I have to thank John (Force), I’ve got to thank Robert Hight. For the confidence they had in me, all the sponsors… When Robert (Hight) called me, he said ‘Here’s the deal. If you want to do it, I still have to check all the boxes off.’ They called PEAK, they went to Chevy, and everybody said, ‘Yeah, we’re willing to let him get in there.’ They took a chance on me, and that group of guys on the PEAK Chevy Camaro team, they’re the baddest in the country today. We’re going to savor this. It feels great to be back.”
Everybody has been trying to take out your teammate (Austin Prock), but you’re the one to do it. How?
“I guess we cashed in here. They’ve (Austin Prock and the AAA team) been the class of the field. Our guys had to change the body after the first round. They blew up a Camaro SS pretty good there, but the PEAK/BlueDEF car… Clearly, the AAA/Cornwell Tools car (of Austin Prock) has been amazing all year long. We’re pretty darn good ourselves here. We’ve got a great chance to take a chunk out of their points lead. But more importantly, we want a win for John (Force).”
AUSTIN PROCK, DRIVER OF THE AAA/CORNWELL TOOLS CHEVROLET CAMARO SS FUNNY CAR, JOHN FORCE RACING:
“Obviously, we had to change everything on this AAA Chevrolet Camaro. When I got on it, it was just way over-revved, and I tried coming off of it. I mean, you’re only talking a few thousandths trying to feather that pedal. I had to stick that up a little bit, but that didn’t cause us to smoke the tires on the hit.”
You know, as cliche as it sounds, we wanted to come out and win the championship. We have all the parts, pieces, sponsors. John Force gives us a great operation to race out of. And we knew how good this car was. As long as I could do a decent job driving, we knew we were going to win races. And races won turn into championships…”
DALLAS GLENN, DRIVER OF THE RAD TORQUE SYSTEMS CHEVROLET CAMARO SS FUNNY CAR, KB TITAN RACING:
“I really want this one, this season. Really want the championship. We’ve had several great years, and I’ve always came up a little bit short. I really, really want this one. I’ve been to three final rounds here. I always came up just a little bit short. I really, really wanted it on that one. We drove over here from North Carolina last weekend, and then the next day everything got washed out. I don’t know exactly what we’re going home to. But yes! We’ve got the points lead still.”
JACK BECKMAN, driver of the PEAK Antifreeze and Coolant Chevrolet Camaro SS Funny Car, competing on behalf of John Force – Winner’s Circle Transcript:
You had to take on JR Todd, Daniel Wilkerson, Austin Prock, and Ron Capps on your way to the win. You’re back and back in the Winner’s Circle. Talk about your win…
“I was looking at the time slip because in the final round, lane choice for the next round doesn’t matter and you can chunk in if you want. What it does is make your reaction time look better, and it’s not. But it makes the E.T. look worse. We’re sitting up there, and I’m thinking ‘Whatever you’ve got to do, Jack, just make up your mind.’ You commit to it before they start the car, and I thought I was just going to go in shallow and let’s see what the car will run. That was the quickest 60-foot I have ever had in my life. That is getting with it. That PEAK BlueDEF Camaro SS is flying. I’m pretty sure it put a hole out and man, it started drifting right. I thought Capps was going to come by me, but our win light came on. That’s a lot of emotion in four seconds.”
You know how hungry Ron (Capps) is and you both go back a long way. He wanted it as bad as you did…
“Well, he’s owned me quite a bit. I don’t know what the record is. I think it’s a lot for him and not nearly as many for me. I don’t think it’s a secret, and I hope I don’t offend anybody, but they have not been their dominant self the last couple of months, but I knew they have been getting better and better. And this weekend they looked stellar. If you’ve looked at their numbers, like one of their runs, all four of us went 388’s, the winning cars in the semifinals. But Ron with the shallow stage probably would’ve been 386. They had the quickest car that round. They had lane choice, and this is the lane you want if you had lane choice, but I am (darn) fine with the right lane right now.”
When you got the call, you likely thought this could be the chance to add some trophies to your collection… Talk about it now that you’ve won:
“Two things – I had eight races for this year, and I thought we could win eight races. We may not win any races. You just don’t know because sometimes you have to have some luck and fortune on your side. A couple of races ago at Maple Grove, I lost first round and then Joe Morrison nipped the cone at the finish line and we’re back in. That’s racing luck. But if you run good and haul butt consistently, you’re going to make your own racing luck. Chris Cunningham, Danny Hood, Tim Fabrisi, and everybody on that team made our luck today.”
Beating John Force Racing teammate Austin Prock has been seemingly impossible. By anyone. Talk about defeating him today…
“I think I count 14 straight round wins for that team, which is hard to believe. When somebody is super duper good at something, it makes it look easy. If you’ve never golfed, and you watch pro golfers, that looks easy. Until you try it, and then realize this is way more difficult than it seems because they are pros. What (Austin) Prock and (Jimmy) Prock have been doing the last few races, they make it look easy. And it’s not easy, folks. It’s not easy at all. We’ve had a good streak where we’ve made it look easy. It’s just a matter of getting that data because I know that that is John Force’s car, but that car had never been down the racetrack. I weigh 20 pounds more than John (Force), and our driving styles are different. Tim and Chris and Dan had to take time to figure out what this car wanted to haul butt down low and still pull hard in the middle of the track. In case you haven’t looked, I think they may have figured it out.”
Three races left. Prock is still going to be a handful, but you’re in the thick of it now…
“Well, nobody’s catching them if they keep doing what they’re doing. But if we can win out and they lose early a couple of times, and we’ll be right there. We can run on par with that car. That sounds like a boastful statement, but we can. That’s a testament to both of the John Force (Racing) cars. But we also know not to get out of our comfort zone. When we went up against them, we ran what we thought this lane could handle. There’s a little jump out there at 300 feet that really upsets the Funny Cars, and you’ve really got to slow the clutch down. You give up a little bit in (elapsed time). We were able to negotiate that lane just fine. Now, who knows if they hadn’t spun the tires. But you don’t would of, could of, should of here. We made it to the finish line, and we turned on the win light, and we beat the baddest car in Funny Car this year.”
What do you want to say to John (Force) watching this?
“I love you, man. You know I love you. We’re going to work on hugs. I know he’s not a big hugger, but we will hug. This is your trophy. I’ll store it if you want, but that’s your trophy.”
Up Next:
The NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series Countdown to the Championship continues Oct. 10-13 at the Texas NHRA FallNationals at Texas Motorplex. Eliminations air Sunday at 4 p.m. ET on FOX Sports 1 (FS1). Coverage of qualifying and the race stream live throughout the weekend on NHRA.tv, and is available via AppleTV, Android TV, and Roku devices.
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Schumacher rolls to first TF playoff win in 10 years
Glenn holds off Stanfield for second straight PS race
Herrera moves back into PSM lead
ST. LOUIS (Sept. 29, 2024) – Funny Car’s Jack Beckman picked up his first victory since taking over for legendary driver John Force, defeating Ron Capps in the final round of the 13th annual NHRA Midwest Nationals, also winning his first race in nearly four years on Sunday at World Wide Technology Raceway.
Tony Schumacher (Top Fuel), Dallas Glenn (Pro Stock) and Gaige Herrera (Pro Stock Motorcycle) also won the 17th of 20 races during the 2024 NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series season and the third of six races in the Countdown to the Championship playoffs.
Beckman went 3.856-seconds at 315.86 mph in his 11,000-horsepower PEAK Chevrolet Camaro SS, holding off Capps’ 3.882 at 329.42 to record his 34th career win and first since 2020. Beckman was named the substitute driver for Force following Force’s crash in June, collecting points for the 16-time champ as Beckman attempts to win another title for the iconic Force.
To reach the final round, Beckman defeated J.R. Todd, Daniel Wilkerson, and points leader and teammate Austin Prock, snapping Prock’s streak of 14 straight round wins. Beckman moved into second in points and heads into the final three races trailing Prock by 105 points.
“The guys just kept making the right call,” Beckman said. “You have all the confidence in your crew that whatever they have to do, we can go drag that thing back up there and it’s going to go down the racetrack. We made a monster lap in the final round. That was fantastic to see our guys turn the screws up and get more aggressive with it because that comes from confidence.
“There is potential pressure but it’s a complete honor to drive this car. John Force has done everything and we may not have seen the last of him yet. He is by all metrics the greatest of all time and he’s also a friend of mine. He’s also John Force. He’s his own personality. I am absolutely fine with having an asterisk next to John Force’s 17th title out there, but we have Mount Austin and Jimmy (Prock) to continue to try to close that gap on.”
Capps, now fourth in points, reached the final round for the fourth time this season and the 151st time in his career after defeating Buddy Hull, Bobby Bode and Blake Alexander.
In Top Fuel, Tony Schumacher and his team appear to be hitting their stride at an ideal time, as Schumacher won for the second time this season with a run of 3.718 at 329.42 in his 11,000-horsepower Leatherwood Distillery/Waltrip Brewing Co. dragster to defeat Steve Torrence in the championship round. Remarkably, it is Schumacher’s first victory in the Countdown to the Championship since 2014 (Reading), which was also the year of the most recent of the standout’s eight world championships.
To repeat that, Schumacher, who now has 88 career wins, will have to stay red-hot to track down Antron Brown, but he is 103 points behind in sixth with three races remaining. On Sunday, Schumacher got by Julie Nataas, who was making her Top Fuel debut, and then recorded a massive second-round win against Brown. He defeated Shawn Reed to reach the final round, quickly chasing down Torrence to pick up the memorable victory in St. Louis.
“It was a great day,” Schumacher said. “Running Antron Brown second round, we had to go after it. You look back on moments like that and we made the choice to go after this stuff and run well. I’m proud of the guys.
“I haven’t looked at the points, I don’t know how far back we are. We hurt ourselves early on, but at the end of the day, that’s racing. We won the race, we did a great job, we get points, we’re closer than we were the moment we started this morning. Whether we win a championship or not, we did a heck of a job going out there. Is there time to win a championship? I don’t know. Is there time to win a few more races and be great and do what we’re expected to do by our sponsors? Definitely.”
Torrence reached the final round for the third time in 2024 and 90th time in his career after defeating Ida Zetterstrom, No. 1 qualifier T.J. Zizzo and Justin Ashley, who remained second in points. Ashley is 34 points behind Brown, while Shawn Langdon is 60 points back in third.
The Pro Stock final featured another thrilling duel between Dallas Glenn and Aaron Stanfield, and Glenn got the better of Stanfield for the second straight race, going 6.577 at 207.82 in his RAD Torque Systems Chevrolet Camaro to get past Stanfield’s 6.586 at 206.01. It strengthens Glenn’s points lead over Stanfield, as he now leads by 31 points as both young standouts attempt to win their first Pro Stock world championships, and also handed the 2021 NHRA Rookie of the Year his fifth victory.
It’s his second straight playoff victory as well, as Glenn got the better of Camrie Caruso, Mason McGaha and KB Titan Racing teammate Greg Anderson to reach the championship round. Glenn followed with a sterling .010 reaction time and rolled to the wire-to-wire victory against Stanfield, picking up his 13th career victory in the process.
“Wins in the Countdown are harder than wins during the regular season,” Glenn said. “Everybody steps up their game, the points matter more, everybody brings their best stuff. Everything just gets tighter and more difficult. Looking at it, I have two wins and a semi in the Countdown and I barely have a round and a half lead. It’s definitely a lot tighter than I would like right now, but Aaron does a fantastic job. He’s a great driver, and I’m sure he’s going to be real tough for the remainder of the Countdown.
“Coming into this weekend I was thinking, St. Louis is usually where stuff starts happening. The first two races, the who’s who of the Countdown starts to be established. Then the big moves really start being made, kind of like the deciding race as to who is really going to be in the Countdown chase and who’s not really starts in St. Louis. There are only three races left, and there just isn’t a lot of time to gain points, especially when you have the same four drivers in the semis the first three races in a row. It’s really hard to gain points on somebody when they’re right with you the whole way.”
To reach the final round for the ninth time this season and 24th time in his career, Stanfield got past David Cuadra, Matt Hartford and Erica Enders. Enders remained third in points and now trails Glenn by 90 points.
After failing to win in the first two Pro Stock Motorcycle playoff races, defending world champ Gaige Herrera got back on track on Sunday, moving back into the points lead and taking his eighth victory of the season after a run of 6.805 at 198.12 on his RevZilla/Mission Foods/Vance & Hines Suzuki to defeat Chase Van Sant’s 6.868. It was an impressive bounce back weekend for Herrera, who qualified No. 1 and ran between 6.797 and 6.813 during all four elimination rounds to win for the 19th time in his career and the second straight season in St. Louis.
To get there, Herrera cruised past John Hall and Reading winner Hector Arana Jr., setting up a rematch of the Seattle final round. Van Sant won that, snapping Herrera’s streak of 11 straight victories, but Herrera rode past Van Sant on Sunday. Back in the points lead, Herrera leads Matt Smith, who lost in the second round, by 34 points.
“This means a lot. St. Louis is the halfway point in the Countdown, and to leave here with the points lead and get the win just gives me and the whole team a big boost going into Dallas and the rest of the races,” Herrera said. “If you don’t do well here, it sets you back and puts you in a different mindset.
“We’re leaving with a lot of confidence. I’m glad to say my bike’s back, especially after the last couple of races. I had a red light and in Charlotte had a malfunction and lost a decent amount of points to Matt and he got the points lead. I’m glad to get that back. It brings me a lot of confidence and I’m looking forward to going to Dallas. It’s always a fun race. I’m glad I get to win in St. Louis, I’m not far from here and it’s a beautiful facility. I’m glad the rain was only Friday. It was a good day of racing.”
Van Sant knocked off Chris Bostick, Richard Gadson and Geno Scali to advance to the finals for the third time in 2024. Gadson is third in points, 65 behind his teammate.
The NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series returns to action Oct. 9-13 with the 39th annual Texas NHRA FallNationals at Texas Motorplex in Dallas.
ST. LOUIS — Final finish order (1-16) at the 13th annual NHRA Midwest Nationals at World Wide Technology Raceway. The race is the 17th of 20 events in the NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series.
TOP FUEL:
Tony Schumacher; 2. Steve Torrence; 3. Shawn Reed; 4. Justin Ashley; 5. Shawn Langdon; 6. Antron Brown; 7. Brittany Force; 8. T.J. Zizzo; 9. Clay Millican; 10. Josh Hart; 11. Tony Stewart; 12. Ida Zetterstrom; 13. Billy Torrence; 14. Julie Nataas; 15. Doug Kalitta; 16. Jasmine Salinas.
FUNNY CAR:
Jack Beckman; 2. Ron Capps; 3. Austin Prock; 4. Blake Alexander; 5. Bob Tasca III; 6. Bobby Bode; 7. Daniel Wilkerson; 8. Chad Green; 9. J.R. Todd; 10. Alexis DeJoria; 11. Cruz Pedregon; 12. Matt Hagan; 13. Dave Richards; 14. Buddy Hull; 15. Dale Creasy Jr..
Richard Gadson; 7. John Hall; 8. Matt Smith; 9. Jianna Evaristo; 10. Chris Bostick; 11. Marc Ingwersen; 12. Ryan Oehler; 13. Lance Bonham; 14. Wesley Wells; 15. Steve Johnson.
MADISON, Ill. — Sunday’s final results from the 13th annual NHRA Midwest Nationals at World Wide Technology Raceway. The race is the 17th of 20 in the NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series:
Top Fuel — Tony Schumacher, 3.718 seconds, 329.42 mph def. Steve Torrence, 3.763 seconds, 316.90 mph.
Funny Car — Jack Beckman, Chevy Camaro, 3.856, 315.86 def. Ron Capps, Toyota GR Supra, 3.882, 329.42.
Super Stock — Jimmy Hidalgo Jr., Pontiac Firebird, 9.814, 135.76 def. Ryan Montford, Chevy Camaro, 8.923, 142.07.
Stock Eliminator — Ross Ponville, Camaro, 10.444, 121.79 def. Joe Belanger, Chevy II Wagon, 11.462, 110.51.
Super Comp — Alison Prose, Dragster, 8.901, 184.88 def. Chris Vang, Dragster, 8.892, 181.59.
Super Gas — Kris Whitfield, ’27-T Ford, 9.912, 157.58 def. Luke Bogacki, Chevy Corvette, 9.926, 148.89.
Top Dragster — James Glenn, Dragster, 7.451, 167.76 def. Matt Woodard, Dragster, 7.016, 179.95.
Pro Modified — Stan Shelton, Ford Mustang, 5.786, 245.58 def. Mason Wright, Chevy Camaro, 5.806, 234.66.
Factory X — Aaron Stanfield, Chevy Camaro, 7.155, 189.79 def. Rick Hord, Camaro, 7.241, 186.56.
Factory Stock Showdown — Mark Pawuk, Dodge Challenger, 7.792, 176.28 def. Jonathan Allegrucci, Ford Mustang, 7.833, 175.96.
MADISON, Ill. — Final round-by-round results from the 13th annual NHRA Midwest Nationals at World Wide Technology Raceway, the 17th of 20 events in the NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series:
FINAL — Herrera, 6.805, 198.12 def. Van Sant, 6.868, 195.53.
MADISON, Ill. — Point standings (top 10) following the 13th annual NHRA Midwest Nationals at World Wide Technology Raceway, the 17th of 20 events in the NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series –
Top Fuel
Antron Brown, 2,344; 2. Justin Ashley, 2,310; 3. Shawn Langdon, 2,284; 4. Doug Kalitta, 2,257; 5. Steve Torrence, 2,256; 6. Tony Schumacher, 2,241; 7. Clay Millican, 2,211; 8. Brittany Force, 2,171; 9. Tony Stewart, 2,150; 10. Billy Torrence, 2,113.
Funny Car
Austin Prock, 2,454; 2. John Force, 2,349; 3. Bob Tasca III, 2,295; 4. Ron Capps, 2,260; 5. Matt Hagan, 2,249; 6. J.R. Todd, 2,191; 7. Blake Alexander, 2,176; 8. Daniel Wilkerson, 2,162; 9. Chad Green, 2,159; 10. Alexis DeJoria, 2,145.
