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CORVETTE RACING AT INDY: No. 3 Corvette Fights Way to Podium

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Garcia’s late charge sends him, Sims to P3; AWA wins second straight Akin Award in GTD

INDIANAPOLIS (September 22, 2024) – Corvette factory drivers Antonio Garcia and Alexander Sims climbed back on the podium in GTD PRO on Sunday in the six-hour Battle on the Bricks at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway road course to lead the contingent of three Corvette Z06 GT3.Rs in the next-to-last race of the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship.

Garcia drove the final three hours in the No. 3 Corvette from Corvette Racing by Pratt Miller Motorsports and went from fifth to third in the final two laps to secure third place. It was the first podium for the Garcia/Sims duo since their victory in July at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park.

Rain dominated the first half of the race, which saw three separate full-course yellow periods in the first 100 minutes. Sims and the No. 3 Corvette went toward the head of the class as the first GTD PRO car to take wet tires during the first yellow. A steady rain settled in not long after, with Sims taking the lead following a short pit stop during another full-course yellow.

A third caution period, this one for almost an hour, kept Sims out front until the rain stopped for good in the third hour. The No. 3 Corvette did lose some time having to make two stops 30 minutes apart to switch to slick tires just before the halfway mark.

Garcia drove the rest of the way in the No. 3 Z06 GT3.R, including a hard-fought battle during the final hour with the No. 14 Lexus and No. 23 Aston Martin for the final podium position. A restart with 55 minutes remaining set the stage for the finish with Garcia falling from fourth to fifth inside the final half-hour. He fought to regain the spot with five minutes left and gained another to third and the podium with two laps to go.

The GTD PRO pole-winning No. 4 Corvette of Tommy Milner and Nicky Catsburg finished 11th in class after losing four laps due to contact and subsequent repair with 75 minutes to go.

Catsburg led the first 15 laps from pole before making the team’s first stop during the initial full-course yellow. The No. 4 Z06 GT3.R was assessed an avoidable contact penalty near the one-hour mark before Milner was hit from behind by a prototype, which necessitated a lengthy stop to repair damage to the right-rear of the Corvette.

In GTD, the No. 13 AWA Corvette moved closer to securing an automatic invitation to next year’s 24 Hours of Le Mans with a sixth-place class finish and winning the Bob Akin Award competition for the Indianapolis round. Both Orey Fidani and Lars Kern kept their Z06 GT3.R on the lead lap throughout the 90-minute stints, allowing Matt Bell to drive from 14th in class and into the top-five late in class.

It was the third Akin race win for the AWA Corvette and second in a row. The award goes to the highest-finishing GTD entry featuring a Bronze-rated driver for each race as well as the full-season championship with Le Mans as the ultimate prize.

Both Corvette Racing by Pratt Miller Motorsports and AWA close the IMSA season with the 10-hour Petit Le Mans on Saturday, October 12 at Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta.

CORVETTE RACING BY PRATT MILLER MOTORSPORTS POST-RACE DRIVER QUOTES

ANTONIO GARCIA, NO. 3 CHEVROLET CORVETTE Z06 GT3.R: “Those last laps were tough. We had a good call to pit before a yellow, but the way things unfolded it kind of helped the ones that stayed out. So we lost a little track position to some of the cars that were ahead of me when we got to the last restart. The restarts with these guys and being so close is not easy. I made up a few places but with how hard the race was for everyone, there were times where I got caught in traffic and lost some spots. I thought we were done when the (No. 23) Aston Martin passed me, but somehow I regrouped and put everything together to get back up there to them. Maybe I had a little more than them with the tires or made some good choices. With two or three laps left, that’s it. It’s time to go! It was either a podium, fourth or fifth. I went for it, and it worked. It would have been nice to win, but I’m happy with where we finished.”

ALEXANDER SIMS, NO. 3 CHEVROLET CORVETTE Z06 GT3.R: “I was very happy that Antonio was in the car! He did a really, really good job. I really enjoyed the wet laps at the start of the race, so it was probably the right way around for the both of us. Antonio did a great job to keep in the fight. From the outside, I thought once Antonio got held up and passed by the Aston, I thought it would be hard for him to get back past with the pace situation as it was. Thankfully he stayed with them and kept fighting with them to the end… quite literally! It was great to watch.”

TOMMY MILNER, NO. 4 CHEVROLET CORVETTE Z06 GT3.R: “I think parts of the race we did things really well. Nicky did a great job at the start to keep us in the lead. There were some tricky conditions that were tough for both of us. The class interactions with the prototype cars weren’t ideal for us. He had an incident, and so did I with a P2 car. I don’t know what happened there. It’s one of those days where you feel like sometimes things are going your way. The cautions were getting us back into it, but there were just too many ups and down for us today. It’s unfortunate. It was a good little fight for the 3 guys to get on the podium there at the end. So now we’ll go to Petit Le Mans and try again.”

AWA POST-RACE DRIVER QUOTES

MATT BELL, NO. 13 CHEVROLET CORVETTE Z06 GT3.R: “I have absolutely no idea what happened in my three hours! I got updates every now and again from the guys on the pitbox, so I was trying to get by every GT car I could. We had a really, really good car especially early in the stints. I was able to be pretty aggressive, attack and go forward early in the stints. That put us in a great place for the team to be able to call some great strategy, and they called this race perfectly again. There’s been such good teamwork all year in the pitlane. There’s been so much hard work that’s gone into that. My two teammates did a great job in the first part of the race. An insane race! I absolutely love IMSA racing and GTD. It’s always so hard. I had some great fights out there and won more than we lost. We made great progress, and I’m really happy with the result.”

OREY FIDANI, NO. 13 CHEVROLET CORVETTE Z06 GT3.R: “That was the first time I’ve driven the Corvette in wet race conditions. We did a little bit of wet-weather testing earlier this year at Carolina Motorsports Park. It actually handles pretty well in the rain. It was awesome, and I think we’re in a good spot. At the start, there were a couple of cars in front of me that as the track came in, they were a little in the way a little and holding me and the cars behind me up. I needed to find my way around those guys but didn’t get to do that with the rain. But it’s fine. I’m pretty happy with things.”

LARS KERN, NO. 13 CHEVROLET CORVETTE Z06 GT3.R: “At the end of the day, we can be happy with the result. The team did a mega job. In my stint, I was struggling a lot when there was still a lot of water on the track. Once it dried, the car was rapid but we couldn’t really recover from this loss. So we could have finished better but I couldn’t activate the tires in my middle stint. I’m super-happy with what Matt did at the end. At one point I don’t think we really believed we could win the Akin Award today. Orey did great at the beginning and kept it clean. This was a big step toward our target of getting to Le Mans next year.”

About Chevrolet

Founded in 1911 in Detroit, Chevrolet is now one of the world’s largest car brands. Chevrolet models include electric and fuel-efficient vehicles that feature engaging performance, design that makes the heart beat, passive and active safety features and easy-to-use technology, all at a value. More information on Chevrolet models can be found at www.chevrolet.com.

No. 45 DEX Imaging Lamborghini Huracán GT3 EVO2 Earns Top Ten Finish in GTD at Indianapolis Motor Speedway

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INDIANAPOLIS, Indiana (September 22, 2024) – The Wayne Taylor Racing with Andretti (WTRAndretti) No. 45 DEX Imaging Lamborghini Huracán GT3 EVO2 team earned its first top ten finish at an endurance event after a hectic six-hour TireRack.com Battle on the Bricks at Indianapolis Motor Speedway (IMS).

Danny Formal started the six-hour race in sixth after a strong qualifying session placed the team toward the front of the 22-car GTD grid. He quickly made positions on track, maneuvering the car into third before steady rain caused continuous cautions, preventing progress for a large part of his double stint. The cautions also disrupted the team’s strategy, changing driver order and forcing the team onto the back foot in the early stages of the race. However, Formal kept the car out of trouble and ran in the podium positions before handing the car over to Kyle Marcelli from second position.

Marcelli continued to battle with adverse weather and cautions before the rain eventually cleared, and the black and red team was once again able to make progress through the field. Marcelli’s pace and strategy allowed the team to run at the front of the GTD field despite a plethora of yellow flags. Marcelli continued his strong pace and handed over the driver’s seat to Graham Doyle to take over for his first IWSC racing laps at IMS.

Doyle drove an impressive stint in changing conditions as he navigated the difficult field and lap traffic. He drove with impressive pace, managing to keep the No. 45 car on the lead lap throughout his stint before returning the car to Marcelli for the final hour of the race. However, an issue during the pitstop hindered the team’s further forward momentum. Marcelli still quickly found blistering pace, putting up similar lap times to the race leaders. He brought the car home in tenth after a challenging six hours for the WTRAndretti GTD team’s best endurance finish of 2024.

“It was an up-and-down day, but all-in-all, the car is getting better,” said Wayne Taylor, Team Principal of WTRAndretti. “Kyle and Danny drove really well and I am equally proud of Graham. For his first time here driving this GTD car on a racetrack with varying conditions, I just told him to keep it on the track, and that will be good enough, and everyone on the team told me how awesome he drove. I’m very happy for DEX Imaging, the drivers and the WTRAndretti team.”

Next up, the No. 45 DEX Imaging Lamborghini Huracán GT3 EVO2 team will take on Road Atlanta for the iconic Petit Le Mans on October 10-12, 2024.

No. 45 DEX Imaging Lamborghini Huracán GT3 EVO2 Drivers:
Kyle Marcelli: “We need to be really happy with the result today. We finished in tenth and on the lead lap. We got on our back foot early in terms of strategy, and driving line up if you will. We didn’t get Graham until just over two hours remaining, and he finished his drive time with just an hour left. So, all things considered, we had things happen to us early that hurt our strategy, but also a couple that helped us out toward the end. On our final pit stop, there was some kind of an issue, some kind of fuel rig problem. That really took us out of contention from trying to move forward in the last hour, but the pace was good. We were able to match the pace of the leaders. In the wet today we were quick. The No. 45 car passed a lot of cars today and we led multiple times but had to drop back for various reasons. I think a really good day for the team’s spirit, and I think the car is in good shape for Petit Le Mans.”

Danny Formal: “It was a great weekend. We got our best endurance qualifying in sixth. The race pace was very good for us three. I had a really interesting stint. I got taken out in Turn 7, went back to eighth and worked my way back up to third. There were some really good passes, and the car felt awesome. It started raining, and that disrupted our strategy because we couldn’t pit for Graham to do his drive time. When we did pit, we went back to last. I made my way back to ninth in the rain, and the car felt amazing in the rain. Kyle and Graham both had great stints. It was definitely Graham’s best endurance stint of the season. He drove fantastically, and so did Kyle. Tenth at the end and our first endurance finish on the lead lap for the team. Graham is a very new driver in the IMSA paddock, so for him to finish in the top ten at this six-hour event just shows how much our team has grown, and the No. 45 DEX Imaging Lamborghini Huracán was just fantastic this weekend. I’m very grateful to be a part of this team, and we’re ready for Petit Le Mans next month.”

Graham Doyle: “It was a pretty crazy race from start to finish. It started out dry but quickly went wet in the first stint. Danny did a great job throughout that; he did a double through the majority of the rain. Then Kyle hopped in for a bit when the rain started to fade out. He was able to run the car from wet to dry. That’s when I was able to get in, do a double and keep us on the lead lap, and Kyle finished it out for our first top ten finish in an endurance event this year. Altogether, great weekend, great work by the team, and I’m super happy for everybody and excited for the team.”

ABOUT WTRANDRETTI
Andretti Global and Wayne Taylor Racing announced a new, long-term partnership in 2023 that combines the resources of the two championship-caliber teams to compete in IMSA’s top classes. In 2024, Wayne Taylor Racing with Andretti (WTRAndretti) has expanded to a two-car GTP program as well as competes in the GTD class. Coming off its 2023 championship winning effort, WTRAndretti continues its Driver Development Program competing in the Lamborghini Super Trofeo North America series with a full stable.

WTRAndretti’s global motorsports enterprise boasts two IMSA driver championships (2013 and 2017), and back-to-back IMSA Michelin Endurance Cup Championships (2020, 2021) which contributed to nine IMSA manufacturer championships for Acura, Pontiac, Corvette and Cadillac. In its brief 17-year history, WTRAndretti has accumulated multiple victories in sportscar racing’s most iconic events: Rolex 24 At Daytona, Twelve Hours of Sebring, Petit Le Mans, Mid-Ohio, Road America and the Six Hours of The Glen. With its back-to-back PRO Class Championship wins (2022, 2023), WTR also has ten North America Lamborghini Super Trofeo Championship titles and a Lamborghini World Finals title.

Andretti Global, a Championship-winning motorsports organization, competes in additional racing categories worldwide, including the NTT INDYCAR SERIES, ABB FIA Formula E World Championship, Extreme E, Australian Supercars and the Mexico SuperCopa Championship. Additionally, the racing enterprise commits to driver development through competition in INDY NXT by Firestone and through support of Sebastian and Oliver Wheldon’s racing careers.

NHRA AT CHARLOTTE 2: Team Chevy Race Report | Notes & Quotes

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Official Release
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CHEVROLET IN NHRA
2024 NHRA CAROLINA NATIONALS
zMAX DRAGWAY
CONCORD, NORTH CAROLINA
TEAM CHEVY RACE REPORT | NOTES & STATS
SEPTEMBER 22, 2024

AUSTIN PROCK AND JOHN FORCE RACING TAKE CHEVROLET TO THE WINNER’S CIRCLE FOR THE SEVENTH TIME THIS SEASON AT zMAX DRAGWAY

Chevrolet Captured Two Top Wally Trophies, with Prock in Funny Car and Dallas Glenn of KB Titan Racing in Pro Stock

Notes:

  • Austin Prock, driver of the Cornwell Tools/HendrickCars.com Chevrolet Camaro SS Funny Car, captured his seventh victory of the 2024 season and 11th career NHRA win while earning Team Chevy their 168th in the NHRA Funny Car category. His win Sunday is his third in a row after winning the U.S. Nationals in Indianapolis, Reading last weekend, and now Charlotte 2.
  • Prock, who maintained an 86-point lead heading into Charlotte 2 over Bob Tasca, III, leaves the NHRA Carolina Nationals still maintaining the Championship standings lead unofficially by 129 points over Tasca, III in second.
  • Prock qualified No. 2 heading into Sunday’s race day, with his run of 3.833 seconds E.T. at 332.84 mph qualifying him behind Hagan. Prock defeated Alexis DeJoria in Round 1, Ron Capps in Round 2, and teammate Jack Beckman in the semifinals on his way to winning the NHRA Carolina Nationals by defeating Hagan in the finals.
  • After qualifying No. 3 this weekend at zMAX Dragway, Jack Beckman, driver of the PEAK Antifreeze and Coolant Chevrolet Camaro SS Funny Car and competing on behalf of 16-time champion John Force, fell to teammate Prock in the semifinals after defeating Buddy Hall in Round 1 and Daniel Wilkerson in Round 2.
  • Sunday’s semifinal appearance is his second in four events after returning to the Funny Car seat for the first time in four years and being tapped to drive on behalf of Force after being sidelined while competing for his potential 17th career championship.
  • Capturing her 49th No. 1 qualifier in NHRA, Brittany Force, driver of the HendrickCars.com Chevrolet Top Fuel dragster for John Force Racing, also earned her third of the season.
  • Force set fast time on the first day of qualifying, taking the provisional pole position on the leaderboard with her and her team’s Q2 run of 3.690 seconds E.T. at 334.24 mph.
  • Facing off against Clay Millican in Round 2 after defeating Ida Zetterstrom in Round 1, Force fell to her opponent with her run of 3.909 seconds E.T. at 314.53 mph to Millican’s 3.796 seconds E.T. at 323.04 mph.
  • In a tight final race to the win light, Dallas Glenn, driver of the RAD Torque Chevrolet Camaro SS Pro Stock for KB Titan Racing, captured his 13th career NHRA victory and Chevrolet’s 397th in the category, the 278th in the Camaro, after defeating Elite Motorsports’ Aaron Stanfield with his run of 6.626 seconds E.T. at 207.18 mph to Stanfield’s 5.549 seconds E.T. at 207.75 mph.
  • Erica Enders, driver of the Johnson’s Horsepowered Garage Melling Performance Chevrolet Camaro SS Pro Stock, captured her 40th career No. 1 qualifier and sixth of 2024, with her fastest run of four rounds at 6.557 seconds E.T. at 208.20 mph. Separated by .023 seconds, Greg Anderson, driver of the HenrickCars.com Chevrolet Camaro SS Pro Stock for KB Titan Racing, qualified No. 2 heading into Sunday’s race day.

Quotes:

AUSTIN PROCK, DRIVER OF THE CORNWELL TOOLS/HENDRICKCARS.COM CHEVROLET CAMARO SS FUNNY CAR, JOHN FORCE RACING:

You said you made big changes ahead of the semifinal. How much trust is in this team?

‘All of it. My dad (Jimmy Prock), Thomas (Prock), Nate HIldahl, all of these Cornwell Tools guys are just so incredibly smart. They study their craft every single day and it shows on the racetrack, and it sure is fun. This trophy right here is going to Rick Hendrick. I know he’s out there watching. He’s in Europe right now and wanted to be out here watching and couldn’t. HendrickCars.com doubled up this weekend with Kyle Larson (winning NASCAR in Bristol). What a weekend right in his hometown. I’m so proud to drive this Chevrolet Camaro SS Funny Car. This is a dream come true.”

JACK BECKMAN, DRIVER OF THE PEAK ANTIFREEZE AND COOLANT CHEVROLET CAMARO SS FUNNY CAR, JOHN FORCE RACING:

“It was another solid weekend for us, but frustrating. Our PEAK Chevy team has all of the resources and talent to put our Camaro back into the Winner’s Circle. It’s time to get it done next weekend in St. Louis.”

BRITTANY FORCE, DRIVER OF THE HENDRICKCARS.COM CHEVROLET TOP FUEL DRAGSTER, JOHN FORCE RACING:

“Charlotte was a special weekend for us running HendrickCars.com. I’m very proud to represent Hendrick, especially here in Charlotte, North Carolina, their back yard. We had an incredibly strong car all weekend, taking the number one qualifier spot.

Even though we didn’t get the result we wanted in the second round, I’m proud of how fast we were and the progress we’re making. I am proud that we put on a good drag race next to Clay Millican. We’re staying positive and confident that bigger results are just around the corner.”

DALLAS GLENN, DRIVER OF THE RAD TORQUE SYSTEMS CHEVROLET CAMARO SS FUNNY CAR, KB TITAN RACING:

“A lot (of pride in this Wally). I had to work really hard for this. I’m really tired. Aaron (Stanfield) and I always have really good races. He’s super tough. Super great racer. I don’t feel like I drove as good as I was in Reading, but I definitely drove a lot better there in the final. I had to earn that one. That thing went hard left, and I had to drive it out of the wall. Everybody at KB Titan Racing is here, and hey, we got the points lead back!”

AUSTIN PROCK, driver of the Cornwell Tools/HendrickCars.com Chevrolet Camaro SS Funny Car – Winner’s Circle Transcript:

“We’ve got a great team behind us, and I try not to mess it up. I just stab and steer, and this Chevrolet Camaro has won me a lot of rounds this year.”

You were just on the phone with (team owner) John (Force)…

“He sounds great. Love hearing from him. I know he’s really proud of everything that’s going on and he thinks it’s really cool our family gets to work together, and the success we’ve had. It’s all good at John Force Racing.”

Coming into this team and taking over for Robert (Hight) as the driver this year, you had high expectations. Even you have to be going wow…

“I’ve just been trying my best. I’ve been more focused this year than I ever have in any category I’ve ever driven. I just feel so comfortable, and I love racing with my family. I know how good this team is and how great it was when they told me I was going to get put in the seat. I had high expectations for myself because you don’t want to be the guy who lets them down. I’ve done that a couple of times this year, and it’s the worst feeling in the world. They work so hard; they study so much to produce the results we have. I’m trying to put the same work in and just be a machine. It’s been working out. Missed the tree there. Had a lot of glare there on the tree, and had me a little nervous. I stuttered my foot and had a 70-light. I think that was the worst light of mine in three or four races.”

Are you thinking far enough ahead yet that you legitimately have a shot at standing on the stage at the end of the year celebrating a championship?

“No. I just look at it one round at a time. The only way we’re going to win this championship is if we’re perfect every time we drag it up there. Just one round at a time, and if we do that and everybody does their best, we’ll be up on that stage. Working hard, we’re trying to get that 348-point lead back.”

How to Watch:

The NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series continues the Countdown to the Championship at World Wide Technology Raceway near St. Louis Sept. 27-29 for the NHRA Midwest Nationals. Eliminations air Sunday at 3 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.

About Chevrolet

Founded in 1911 in Detroit, Chevrolet is now one of the world’s largest car brands. Chevrolet models include electric and fuel-efficient vehicles that feature engaging performance, design that makes the heart beat, passive and active safety features and easy-to-use technology, all at a value. More information on Chevrolet models can be found at www.chevrolet.com.

TRAVIS HARVEY WINS CONGRUITY NHRA PRO MOD SERIES DEBUT IN CHARLOTTE AT RACE POWERED BY CULP LUMBER

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CONCORD, N.C. (Sept. 22, 2024) – Filling in for Khalid Al Balooshi, Travis Harvey made the most of his debut in the Congruity NHRA Pro Mod Drag Racing Series presented by LearnEV+, winning his first career start after defeating Dmitry Samorukov in the final round as part of this weekend’s NHRA Carolina Nationals at zMAX Dragway.

The event was the second in the category’s four-race “Road to the Championship” playoffs and was powered by Culp Lumber.

It was a matchup featuring two first-time finalists, but it was “The Carolina Kid” who prevailed in the Bahrain 1 Racing Camaro, going 5.786-seconds at 247.61 mph to get past Samorukov’s 5.949 at 245.18.

After qualifying in the No. 14 position, Harvey beat a trio of standouts, defeating world champions in Rickie Smith, Mike Janis and reigning world champ Mike Castellana. He was terrific on the starting line on raceday, going .029 in the final round and saving his best performance of the weekend for the finals.

With his performance, Harvey helped push Al Balooshi to second in points, as the former world champion now trails leader and Indy winner Ken Quartuccio by just 19 points with two races remaining in the “Road to the Championship.” Thorne is third in points, 38 out of first.

“It’s awesome. I can’t even believe it,” Harvey said. “I just want to thank Bahrain 1 Racing and Khalid Al Balooshi and all the guys on the team that helped me get here. I’m just thankful for all the support and this is just awesome.

“It’s crazy. I ran three world champs. I was growing up watching them and I was just glad to be able to race them. I’m glad I was able to get some points for (Al Balooshi).”

Samorukov reached the championship round for the first time in his 18th NHRA Pro Mod start, defeating Jason Scruggs, Jordan Lazic and Thorne.

The Congruity NHRA Pro Mod Drag Racing Series presented by LearnEV+ returns to action Sept. 27-29 as part of the 13th annual NHRA Midwest Nationals at World Wide Technology Raceway in St. Louis.

CONCORD, N.C. — Final finish order (1-16) at the 16th annual NHRA Carolina Nationals at zMax Dragway. The race is the eighth of 10 events in the Congruity NHRA Pro Mod Drag Racing Series presented by LearnEV+.

PRO MODIFIED:

  1. Travis Harvey; 2. Dmitry Samorukov; 3. Kris Thorne; 4. Mike Castellana; 5. Mike Janis; 6. Jordan Lazic; 7. Steve Jackson; 8. Justin Bond; 9. Ken Quartuccio; 10. Billy Banaka; 11. Kevin Rivenbark; 12. Mason Wright; 13. Jose Gonzalez; 14. Jason Scruggs; 15. Rickie Smith; 16. Chip King.

CONCORD, N.C. — Sunday’s final results from the 16th annual NHRA Carolina Nationals at zMax Dragway. The race is the eighth of 10 events in the Congruity NHRA Pro Mod Drag Racing Series presented by LearnEV+.

Pro Modified — Travis Harvey, Chevy Camaro, 5.786, 247.61 def. Dmitry Samorukov, Camaro, 5.949, 245.18.

CONCORD, N.C. — Final round-by-round results from the 16th annual NHRA Carolina Nationals at zMax Dragway. The race is the eighth of 10 events in the Congruity NHRA Pro Mod Drag Racing Series presented by LearnEV+.

PRO MODIFIED:

ROUND ONE — Jordan Lazic, Chevy Camaro, 5.752, 249.44 def. Ken Quartuccio, Camaro, 5.808, 245.72; Dmitry Samorukov, Camaro, 5.856, 244.56 def. Jason Scruggs, Camaro, 7.361, 132.22; Travis Harvey, Camaro, 5.787, 246.44 def. Rickie Smith, Ford Mustang, 9.089, 101.58; Steve Jackson, Camaro, 5.972, 206.01 def. Jose Gonzalez, Camaro, 6.280, 223.95; Mike Janis, Mustang, 5.814, 245.67 def. Kevin Rivenbark, Mustang, 5.846, 245.67; Mike Castellana, Camaro, 5.791, 249.07 def. Billy Banaka, Camaro, 5.827, 247.66; Justin Bond, Camaro, 5.770, 246.44 def. Chip King, Dodge Charger, 9.120, 98.94; Kris Thorne, Camaro, 5.845, 242.23 def. Mason Wright, Camaro, 6.191, 212.76;

QUARTERFINALS — Samorukov, 5.807, 245.36 def. Lazic, 10.369, 98.79; Thorne, 5.845, 248.52 def. Jackson, Broke – No Show; Castellana, 6.653, 242.41 def. Bond, Foul – Outer Boundary; Harvey, 5.801, 247.34 def. Janis, 5.840, 245.99;

SEMIFINALS — Samorukov, 5.800, 245.76 def. Thorne, 5.823, 249.72; Harvey, 5.811, 247.38 def. Castellana, 5.877, 248.66;

FINAL — Harvey, 5.786, 247.61 def. Samorukov, 5.949, 245.18.

CONCORD, N.C. — Point standings (top 10) following the 16th annual NHRA Carolina Nationals at zMax Dragway. The race is the eighth of 10 events in the Congruity NHRA Pro Mod Drag Racing Series presented by LearnEV+.

Pro Modified

  1. Ken Quartuccio, 920; 2. Khalid alBalooshi, 901; 3. Kris Thorne, 882; 4. Jose Gonzalez, 875; 5. Kevin Rivenbark, 874; 6. Justin Bond, 872; 7. Jordan Lazic, 855; 8. Billy Banaka, 852; 9. Dmitry Samorukov, 846; 10. Mason Wright, 830.

Toyota Gazoo Racing North America NHRA Carolina Nationals Post-Race Report – 09.22.24

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Official Release
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Antron Brown claims second straight victory to start Countdown to the Championship
Toyota now has 15 victories in last 17 Top Fuel races

CONCORD, N.C. (Sept. 22, 2024) – Antron Brown captured his fifth win of the 2024 season and his second straight to begin the Countdown to the Championship by taking home the Wally Trophy in the NHRA Carolina Nationals at zMAX Dragway. Brown now has 79 wins in his historic NHRA career and 63 in Top Fuel, which puts him second all-time in Top Fuel history. He now holds the category points lead heading to St. Louis next weekend.

The triumph for Brown is also Toyota’s 15th Top Fuel win in the last 17 races, and by him making the finals on Sunday, Toyota has now reached 39 consecutive NHRA event final rounds in either Top Fuel and/or Funny Car.

Brown defeated Toyota teammate, Doug Kalitta, in the semifinals, as well as Steve and Billy Torrence on his way to victory today. Justin Ashley and Shawn Langdon were the other Toyota dragsters to advance out of round one, both falling in the second round.

In Funny Car, Ron Capps advanced to the second round in his NAPA Auto Care GR Supra Funny Car but fell in the quarterfinals. Alexis DeJoria and J.R. Todd were both eliminated in round one on Sunday.

The NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series heads to World Wide Technology Raceway outside of St. Louis for the Midwest Nationals next weekend, with eliminations next Sunday, September 29.

Toyota Post-Race Recap
NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series
zMAX Dragway
NHRA Carolina Nationals
Race 16 of 20

TOYOTA TOP FUEL FINISHING POSITIONS 

NameCarFinal ResultRound-by-Round
Antron BrownMatco Tools Toyota Top Fuel DragsterWinnerW (3.829 – holeshot) v. S. Torrence (3.817) W (3.869) v. B. Torrence (3.892) W (3.873) v. D. Kalitta (3.876) W (3.848) v. D. Foley (3.862)
Doug KalittaMac Tools Toyota Top Fuel DragsterSemi-finalsW (3.894) v. T. Stewart (4.299) W (3.905) v. S. Langdon (4.364) L (3.876) v. A. Brown (3.873)
Shawn LangdonKalitta Air Careers Toyota Top Fuel DragsterSecond RoundW (3.775) v. J. Hart (4.923) L (4.364) v. D. Kalitta (3.775)
Justin AshleySCAG Power Equipment Toyota Top Fuel DragsterSecond RoundW (4.498 – holeshot) v. D. Foley (4.411) L (5.203) v. D. Foley (4.709)
Billy TorrenceCAPCO Contractors Toyota Top Fuel DragsterSecond RoundW (3.884) v. S. Reed (6.993) L (3.892) v. A. Brown (3.869)
Steve TorrenceCAPCO Contractors Toyota Top Fuel DragsterFirst RoundL (3.817) v. A. Brown (3.829 – holeshot)

TOYOTA FUNNY CAR FINISHING POSITIONS 

NameCarFinal ResultRound-by-Round
Ron CappsNAPA Auto Care Army Tribute Toyota GR Supra Funny CarSecond RoundW (3.933) v. C. Green (7.770) L (6.772) v. A. Prock (4.029)
J.R. ToddDHL Toyota GR Supra Funny CarFirst RoundL (3.945) v. D. Wilkerson (3.984 – holeshot)
Alexis DeJoriaBandero CaféToyota GR Supra Funny CarFirst RoundL (4.994) v. A. Prock (3.965)

*= Non-Toyota driver

TOYOTA QUOTES

ANTRON BROWN, Matco Tools Toyota Top Fuel Dragster, AB Motorsports

TF Final Result: Winner

Describe this win and how you’re feeling so far in the Countdown.

“I feel like we have some momentum going our way and we’re just finding ourselves in the right situation and we’re capitalizing on it. We’re doing the right things at the right time, and no matter what blows come our way, as we’ve had some struggles, I see Brian (Corradi, co-crew chief), Mark (Oswald, co-crew chief), Brad (Mason, car chief) and these Matco Tools guys make the car do what they want it to do. And we’re really, really close to where we need to be, but the good part is, we’re working and we’re getting better and we’re in the right spot, in the right time, to capitalize to make the runs we need to make to win the rounds and that’s the main thing. Our guys know how to race and I’m super proud, super blessed to be on this team and to bring these wins home means something, but the work is not done yet. Not at all. We have to keep going until the job’s finished.”

DOUG KALITTA, Mac Tools Toyota Top Fuel Dragster, Kalitta Motorsports

TF Final Result: Semifinalist

Take us through your day here in Charlotte.

“It was nice to go a couple rounds today. We were right there in the semifinals, it was really close, but we came up a little bit short. We’re figuring out a hot-track tune-up, and I think the guys are doing a good job figuring it out for Mac Tools, Revchem, Toyota, SealMaster and all the great people who help is make all this happen.”

About Toyota

Toyota (NYSE:TM) has been a part of the cultural fabric in North America for more than 65 years, and is committed to advancing sustainable, next-generation mobility through our Toyota and Lexus brands, plus our more than 1,800 dealerships. 

Toyota directly employs more than 63,000 people in North America who have contributed to the design, engineering, and assembly of nearly 47 million cars and trucks at our 12 manufacturing plants. By 2025, Toyota’s 13th plant in North Carolina will begin to manufacture automotive batteries for electrified vehicles. With more electrified vehicles on the road than any other automaker, Toyota currently offers 29 electrified options.

For more information about Toyota, visit www.ToyotaNewsroom.com.

BROWN, PROCK, GLENN & M. SMITH PICK UP PLAYOFF WINS AT NHRA CAROLINA NATIONALS

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Official Release
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  • Brown takes over lead with second straight TF triumph
  • Prock keeps rolling, wins third straight FC race
  • Glenn goes back into PS lead after duel with Stanfield
  • Smith nabs 40th career win, moves into PSM points lead

CONCORD, N.C. (Sept. 22, 2024) – Three-time Top Fuel world champion Antron Brown moved into the points lead for the first time since 2017, winning his second straight playoff race on Sunday at zMAX Dragway after defeating Doug Foley in the final round of the 16th annual NHRA Carolina Nationals.

Austin Prock (Funny Car), Dallas Glenn (Pro Stock) and Matt Smith (Pro Stock Motorcycle) also won the 16th of 20 races during the 2024 NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series season and the second of six races in the Countdown to the Championship playoffs.

In the final round, Brown went 3.848-seconds at 319.90 mph in his 11,000-horsepower Matco Tools/Toyota dragster to beat Foley’s 3.862 at 316.08, powering to his fifth victory this season and 79th in his career. It was also his 63rd Top Fuel win, as Brown passed Larry Dixon for the second-most Top Fuel wins in NHRA history.

After qualifying 10th, Brown put together a workmanlike Sunday, defeating Steve Torrence, Billy Torrence and reigning world champion Doug Kalitta to reach the final round. He then led wire-to-wire against Foley, taking over the points lead for the first time in more than seven years. His points lead stands at 53 and 62 points over Justin Ashley and Shawn Langdon, respectively. Kalitta is 67 points behind.

“When you race somebody like Doug Foley, you don’t falter and say, ‘Well, I can’t mess up.’ That’s when you set yourself up for failure,” Brown said. “We go out there and run what we can run, and give it all we got, and it fell our way. We just keep working hard and digging, no matter what. You’ve got to show up on raceday and we have that mindset to stay humble and stay hungry.

“We still have four races left. Drag racing’s math. There’s 16 rounds left on table to win and our goal is go out there wins many of those rounds as possible. We won the first eight, so we’ve got a third of them.”

Foley reached his second career final round after beating Tony Schumacher, Ashley and Clay Millican.

Funny Car’s Austin Prock continued his absolute dominant run in the loaded category, winning his third straight race and seventh overall in an incredible 2024 campaign, racing past defending world champion Matt Hagan in the final round with a run of 3.924 at 326.48 in his 11,000-horsepower Cornwell Tools Chevrolet Camaro SS. There appears to be no stopping Prock, who has opened up a commanding 129-point lead in the Funny Car ranks through the first two playoff races after delivering his 11th career win.

He reached the championship round on Sunday thanks to wins against Alexis DeJoria, Ron Capps and John Force Racing teammate Jack Beckman. Hagan and Prock then delivered a thriller in the finals, with Hagan leaving first and going 3.958 at 324.98. But Prock was able to track the reigning champ down, adding another monumental performance in a season filled with spectacular runs and victories.

“We left the door open to get beat today a couple times and then my team made wholesale changes going into the semifinals, stuff I would say 95 percent of the crew chiefs wouldn’t change going into a round, and it went up there and flew,” Prock said. “It stuck. It was on a mission, and I did the same thing in the final round.

“I’m just trying to take it one moment at a time, one round at a time. And if you do that, you don’t get caught up in being the leader, being the chaser, just go up there and do the best that you can do, because each person on the team has a specific job to do, and they have to do it perfect to have the success. We’ll celebrate tonight and then get my head back in the game and go and try again, one run at a time.”

Hagan, who qualified No. 1, reached the finals for the ffith time this year and 92nd time in his career with round wins against Dave Richards and Bob Tasca III. Hagan was looking for a sweep of both Charlotte races this year. Tasca is second in points, while Beckman trails his teammate by 136 points.

Pro Stock’s Dallas Glenn, who was the points leader for most of the regular season, jumped back to the top spot on Sunday, slipping past Aaron Stanfield in the finals after going 6.626 at 207.18 in his RAD Torque Systems Camaro. It’s the fourth win of the season in eight trips to the finals for Glenn, who now leads Stanfield by just eight points with four races remaining this season.

To reach the finals, Glenn had to get past Mason McGaha, Matt Hartford and reigning world champion Erica Enders. That set up a marquee duel with two of the category’s top young standouts, with Glenn posting a .026 reaction time and holding off Stanfield at the finish line.

“Aaron has a fast car and he’s a great driver and doesn’t make mistakes,” Glenn said. “So, it’s a deal where you can’t make a mistake against him. The crew chiefs have to do their job and give me the best car they can. I’m glad that Aaron and I put on a good show for the fans in the final. I hate not having a close race against him.

“In the Countdown, every lap I go up there in eliminations, I’m on kill. I’m trying to do everything I can. I can’t make any mistakes. I’ve got to try to make sure I get every last bit in case it does shake a little bit and I lose whatever performance advantage I have. I’m on kill 100 percent of the time.”

Stanfield, who had won back-to-back races, knocked off Chris McGaha, Jeg Coughlin Jr. and Greg Anderson to reach the finals for the eighth time in 2024 and 23rd time overall. Enders is 53 points back in third, while Anderson trails his KB Titan Racing teammate Glenn by 74 points.

In Pro Stock Motorcycle, Matt Smith took a big step towards a possible seventh world championship, picking up his second win of the year on his Denso Auto Parts Buell when rookie Richard Gadson went red in the final round. Smith rolled to a run of 6.846 at 199.35, scooping up his 40th career win and moving into the points lead for the first time this year in the process.

To get to the final round, Smith defeated his wife, Angie, and Matt Smith Racing teammate Jianna Evaristo, clinching the home track win when Gadson left the starting line a touch too soon. He now leads defending world champion Gaige Herrera by 25 points, finishing off a hugely-rewarding weekend that saw Smith also qualify No. 1. He’s now laser-focused on trying to become the first rider in NHRA history to win seven Pro Stock Motorcycle championships.

“I was just trying to stay good and tough against Richard and when I went through the lights, I didn’t see my win light and I didn’t know if I won or not,” Smith said. “It’s never a good feeling when you can’t see a win light because you thought you had a good deal, but you don’t ever know. But all in all, what a weekend, what a day.

“I like being under pressure. It doesn’t matter what you do in the regular season. You always have to be good the last six races, and I’ve always been pretty good last six races, and that’s how I won my championships, and that’s how we’re going to continue to race.”

Gadson reached his second straight final round after defeating Ron Tornow, Chase Van Sant and Herrera. He remains third in points, 27 back of Smith.

The NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series returns to action Sept. 27-29 with the 13th annual NHRA Midwest Nationals at World Wide Technology Raceway in St. Louis.

CONCORD, N.C. — Final finish order (1-16) at the 16th annual NHRA Carolina Nationals at zMax Dragway. The race is the 16th of 20 events in the NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series.

TOP FUEL:

  1. Antron Brown; 2. Doug Foley; 3. Doug Kalitta; 4. Clay Millican; 5. Billy Torrence; 6.

Brittany Force; 7. Shawn Langdon; 8. Justin Ashley; 9. Jasmine Salinas; 10. Steve Torrence; 11. Tony Schumacher; 12. Tony Stewart; 13. Dan Mercier; 14. Ida Zetterstrom; 15. Josh Hart; 16. Shawn Reed.

FUNNY CAR:

  1. Austin Prock; 2. Matt Hagan; 3. Bob Tasca III; 4. Jack Beckman; 5. Daniel Wilkerson; 6. John Smith; 7. Ron Capps; 8. J.R. Todd; 9. Dave Richards; 10. Cruz Pedregon; 11. Buddy Hull; 12. Alexis DeJoria; 13. Chad Green; 14. Blake Alexander.

PRO STOCK:

  1. Dallas Glenn; 2. Aaron Stanfield; 3. Greg Anderson; 4. Erica Enders; 5. Matt Hartford; 6. Cristian Cuadra; 7. Jerry Tucker; 8. Jeg Coughlin; 9. Mason McGaha; 10. Chris McGaha; 11. Derrick Reese; 12. Eric Latino; 13. Kenny Delco; 14. Cory Reed; 15. Troy Coughlin Jr.; 16. Camrie Caruso.

PRO STOCK MOTORCYCLE:

  1. Matt Smith; 2. Richard Gadson; 3. Jianna Evaristo; 4. Gaige Herrera; 5. Angie Smith; 6. Chase Van Sant; 7. John Hall; 8. Hector Arana Jr; 9. Marc Ingwersen; 10. Chris Bostick; 11. Geno Scali; 12. Kelly Clontz; 13. Steve Johnson; 14. Ron Tornow; 15. Marcus Hylton.

CONCORD, N.C. — Sunday’s final results from the 16th annual NHRA Carolina Nationals at zMax Dragway. The race is the 16th of 20 in the NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series:

Top Fuel — Antron Brown, 3.848 seconds, 319.90 mph def. Doug Foley, 3.862 seconds, 316.08 mph.

Funny Car — Austin Prock, Chevy Camaro, 3.924, 326.48 def. Matt Hagan, Dodge Charger, 3.958, 324.98.

Pro Stock — Dallas Glenn, Chevy Camaro, 6.626, 207.18 def. Aaron Stanfield, Camaro, 6.630, 207.75.

Pro Stock Motorcycle — Matt Smith, Buell, 6.846, 199.35 def. Richard Gadson, Suzuki, Foul – Red Light.

Top Alcohol Dragster — Joe Maynard, 5.272, 273.05 def. Julie Nataas, 6.679, 152.97.

Top Alcohol Funny Car — Sean Bellemeur, Chevy Camaro, 5.513, 265.22 def. Bob McCosh, Chevy Camero, 5.529, 261.83.

Competition Eliminator — Larry Pritchett, Pontiac Sunfire, 7.982, 154.92 def. Jared Kimbrough, Dragster, Foul – Red Light.

Super Stock — Logan Belanger, Pontiac Firebird, 10.284, 117.92 def. Monty Bogan, Chevy Camaro, Foul – Red Light.

Stock Eliminator — Tim Barrett, Chevy Camaro, 10.925, 119.47 def. Kenny Anderson, Chevy Nova, 11.094, 117.49.

Super Comp — Ray Miller III, Dragster, 8.934, 173.92 def. Jack Sepanek, Dragster, 8.945, 170.19.

Super Gas — David Morris, Chevy Camaro, 9.915, 165.64 def. Tim Powell, Chevy Corvette, 9.989, 155.74.

Top Sportsman — Tyler Caheely, Chevy Cavalier, 6.955, 199.11 def. Sandy Wilkins, Chevy Camaro, 6.441, 204.35.

Top Dragster — Chad Taylor, Dragster, 7.157, 182.45 def. Chuck Krepela, Dragster, 6.968, 187.99.

Pro Modified — Travis Harvey, Chevy Camaro, 5.786, 247.61 def. Dmitry Samorukov, Camaro, 5.949, 245.18.

Top Fuel Motorcycle — Larry McBride, Suzuki, 4.875, 238.38 def. Mitch Brown, Suzuki, Broke.

CONCORD, N.C. — Final round-by-round results from the 16th annual NHRA Carolina Nationals at zMax Dragway, the 16th of 20 events in the NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series:

TOP FUEL:

ROUND ONE — Clay Millican, 3.814, 326.87 def. Jasmine Salinas, 3.798, 329.42; Doug Foley, 3.780, 325.92 def. Tony Schumacher, 3.834, 320.28; Billy Torrence, 3.884, 302.01 def. Shawn Reed, 6.993, 105.27; Doug Kalitta, 3.894, 306.67 def. Tony Stewart, 4.299, 220.48; Brittany Force, 4.789, 203.58 def. Ida Zetterstrom, 4.896, 147.13; Justin Ashley, 4.498, 306.74 def. Dan Mercier, 4.411, 253.52; Shawn Langdon, 3.775, 327.98 def. Josh Hart, 4.923, 165.97; Antron Brown, 3.829, 325.30 def. Steve Torrence, 3.817, 326.08;

QUARTERFINALS — Brown, 3.869, 321.12 def. B. Torrence, 3.892, 323.97; Foley, 4.709, 227.15 def. Ashley, 5.203, 137.36; Millican, 3.796, 323.04 def. Force, 3.909, 314.53; Kalitta, 3.905, 317.64 def. Langdon, 4.364, 242.19;

SEMIFINALS — Brown, 3.873, 319.07 def. Kalitta, 3.876, 300.73; Foley, 5.314, 127.56 def. Millican, Broke – No Show;

FINAL — Brown, 3.848, 319.90 def. Foley, 3.862, 316.08.

FUNNY CAR:

ROUND ONE — John Smith, Dodge Charger, 5.196, 152.90 def. Blake Alexander, Ford Mustang, 10.110, 76.32; Matt Hagan, Charger, 3.976, 320.97 def. Dave Richards, Mustang, 4.095, 305.36; Austin Prock, Chevy Camaro, 3.965, 319.07 def. Alexis DeJoria, Toyota GR Supra, 4.994, 197.74; Jack Beckman, Camaro, 3.934, 322.81 def. Buddy Hull, Charger, 4.597, 191.95; Bob Tasca III, Mustang, 3.988, 316.15 def. Cruz Pedregon, Charger, 4.361, 209.95; Daniel Wilkerson, Mustang, 3.984, 314.46 def. J.R. Todd, GR Supra, 3.945, 321.50; Ron Capps, GR Supra, 3.933, 319.37 def. Chad Green, Mustang, 7.770, 122.31;

QUARTERFINALS — Tasca III, 4.003, 314.97 def. Smith, 4.149, 281.54; Beckman, 3.937, 323.35 def. Wilkerson, 4.004, 317.64; Prock, 4.029, 292.20 def. Capps, 6.772, 107.92; Hagan, 3.978, 318.77 was unopposed;

SEMIFINALS — Hagan, 4.002, 316.38 def. Tasca III, 4.009, 319.60; Prock, 3.962, 324.36

def. Beckman, 4.016, 320.97;

FINAL — Prock, 3.924, 326.48 def. Hagan, 3.958, 324.98.

PRO STOCK:

ROUND ONE — Jerry Tucker, Chevy Camaro, 6.689, 205.76 def. Troy Coughlin Jr., Camaro, 8.540, 130.94; Cristian Cuadra, Ford Mustang, 6.675, 206.07 def. Cory Reed, Camaro, Foul – Red Light; Jeg Coughlin, Camaro, 6.617, 207.11 def. Eric Latino, Camaro, 6.686, 206.32; Matt Hartford, Camaro, 6.676, 206.57 def. Camrie Caruso, Camaro, 15.994, 52.60; Dallas Glenn, Camaro, 6.596, 206.29 def. Mason McGaha, Camaro, 6.640, 207.53; Greg Anderson, Camaro, 6.596, 207.69 def. Kenny Delco, Camaro, 6.692, 206.61; Aaron Stanfield, Camaro, 6.599, 206.16 def. Chris McGaha, Camaro, 6.661, 207.85; Erica Enders, Camaro, 6.602, 208.42 def. Derrick Reese, Mustang, Foul – Red Light;

QUARTERFINALS — Enders, 6.626, 208.04 def. Tucker, 6.685, 206.10; Stanfield, 6.625, 206.16 def. Coughlin, Foul – Red Light; Glenn, 6.609, 206.42 def. Hartford, 6.644, 206.80; Anderson, 6.603, 207.69 def. Cuadra, 6.664, 206.99;

SEMIFINALS — Glenn, 6.643, 207.27 def. Enders, 6.924, 207.98; Stanfield, 6.622, 207.53 def. Anderson, 6.629, 207.75;

FINAL — Glenn, 6.626, 207.18 def. Stanfield, 6.630, 207.75.

PRO STOCK MOTORCYCLE:

ROUND ONE — Angie Smith, Buell, 6.907, 197.88 def. Geno Scali, Suzuki, Foul – Red Light; John Hall, 6.971, 194.86 def. Kelly Clontz, Suzuki, 6.969, 192.82; Chase Van Sant, Suzuki, 6.900, 195.68 def. Marc Ingwersen, 6.922, 194.02; Hector Arana Jr, 6.899, 196.90 def. Chris Bostick, Suzuki, 6.947, 193.60; Jianna Evaristo, Buell, 6.960, 194.10 def. Steve Johnson, Suzuki, 7.002, 190.86; Richard Gadson, Suzuki, 6.846, 197.94 def. Ron Tornow, 7.182, 193.40; Gaige Herrera, Suzuki, 6.852, 197.83 def. Marcus Hylton, 7.189, 184.25; Matt Smith, Buell, 6.833, 199.02 was unopposed;

QUARTERFINALS — Evaristo, 6.996, 194.83 def. Arana Jr, Broke; Herrera, 6.874, 196.73 def. Hall, Foul – Red Light; Gadson, 6.887, 197.39 def. Van Sant, 6.942, 194.91; M. Smith, 6.863, 198.29 def. A. Smith, 6.893, 198.55;

SEMIFINALS — Gadson, 6.890, 196.36 def. Herrera, 8.746, 100.40; M. Smith, 6.903, 196.85 def. Evaristo, 7.046, 192.58;

FINAL — M. Smith, 6.846, 199.35 def. Gadson, Foul – Red Light.

CONCORD, N.C. — Point standings (top 10) following the 16th annual NHRA Carolina Nationals at zMax Dragway, the 16th of 20 events in the NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series –

Top Fuel

  1. Antron Brown, 2,292; 2. Justin Ashley, 2,239; 3. Shawn Langdon, 2,230; 4. Doug Kalitta, 2,225; 5. Clay Millican, 2,174; 6. Steve Torrence, 2,162; 7. Tony Schumacher, 2,119; 8. Tony Stewart, 2,118; 9. Brittany Force, 2,114; 10. Billy Torrence, 2,082.

Funny Car

  1. Austin Prock, 2,370; 2. Bob Tasca III, 2,241; 3. John Force/Jack Beckman, 2,234; 4. Matt Hagan, 2,217; 5. Ron Capps, 2,163; 6. J.R. Todd, 2,160; 7. Alexis DeJoria, 2,113; 8. Daniel Wilkerson, 2,108; 9. Blake Alexander, 2,103; 10. Chad Green, 2,100.

Pro Stock

  1. Dallas Glenn, 2,317; 2. Aaron Stanfield, 2,309; 3. Erica Enders, 2,264; 4. Greg Anderson, 2,243; 5. Jeg Coughlin, 2,151; 6. Cristian Cuadra, 2,125; 7. Jerry Tucker, 2,118; 8. Troy Coughlin Jr., 2,111; 9. Matt Hartford, 2,088; 10. Eric Latino, 2,074.

Pro Stock Motorcycle

  1. Matt Smith, 2,308; 2. Gaige Herrera, 2,283; 3. Richard Gadson, 2,281; 4. Hector Arana Jr, 2,193; 5. Chase Van Sant, 2,154; 6. John Hall, 2,152; 7. Angie Smith, 2,149; 8. Jianna Evaristo, 2,137; 9. Steve Johnson, 2,095; 10. Chris Bostick, 2,064.

Promising start, tough finish at Brickyard

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Official Release
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Cadillac Racing GTP entries encounter unforced issues in six-hour race

INDIANAPOLIS (Sept. 22, 2024) – A promising start to the TireRack.com Battle on the Bricks ended in double disappointment for the Cadillac Racing Grand Touring Prototype (GTP) entries in the six-hour race Sunday.

Contending with the 56-car, four-class field and dramatic changing weather and track conditions that included a long full-course yellow in the opening hours on the 2.439-mile, 14-turn Indianapolis Motor Speedway road course, the No. 01 Cadillac V-Series.R and No. 31 Whelen Cadillac V-Series.R were poised to challenge for podium positions.

Sebastien Bourdais, who earned the second pole of the season for the No. 01 Cadillac V-Series.R and fifth in the eight IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship races for Cadillac Racing, traded the point multiple times with the No. 6 Porsche 963. And with Renger van der Zande in the seat and holding the lead, the No. 01 Cadillac V-Series.R gained maximum points at the halfway mark in the IMSA Michelin Endurance Cup standings.

The No. 31 Whelen Cadillac V-Series.R qualified fourth and Jack Aitken moved to second on Lap 8 and briefly took the lead on the first pit stop for Michelin wet tires.

But unforced issues negated the strong start for both racecars powered by the purpose-built Cadillac 5.5-liter V8. While running seventh later in the race, driver Pipo Derani was alerted to an issue and was called onto pit lane.

Cadillac statement: With 3 hours, 50 minutes left in the race, the No. 31 Whelen Cadillac lost oil pressure. After inspecting the vehicle in the garage, the decision was made to retire the car. We will regroup to diagnose the root cause of the issue and prepare to race again in the season finale at Road Atlanta.

It was the first mechanical DNF for the No. 31 Whelen Cadillac V-Series.R in the GTP era.

With 1 hour, 27 minutes left and running second, van der Zande rolled onto pit lane for regular service and a switch to Bourdais for the close. A lap later, however, the right-rear tire on the No. 01 Cadillac V-Series.R went flat, and Bourdais had to make a full tour of the course before limping into the pit. An extended stop, which included untangled tire chord from the driveshaft, cost the team three laps.

Bourdais soldiered on, overtook the No. 7 Porsche 963 and drove the No. 01 Cadillac V-Series.R to eighth place overall. The No. 24 BMW M Hybrid V8 won the race.

The IMSA GTP season concludes Oct. 12 with the 10-hour Motul Petit Le Mans at 2.54-mile, 12-turn Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta. The No. 01 Cadillac V-Series.R was runner-up in the 2023, clinching the GTP and IMSA Michelin Endurance Cup manufacturer championships for Cadillac Racing. Peacock will stream flag-to-flag coverage, with USA telecasting the race from 6-10:30 p.m.

What they’re saying

No. 01 Cadillac V-Series.R

Sebastien Bourdais: “I think pace-wise we were OK, but the competition was stronger again. … Unfortunately, we probably didn’t have what we needed to fight. But it turned into a very weird race at the end with the BMW winning. I jumped in the car. I did the out lap. I didn’t hit anyone, but something cut the right rear tire. Debris, or someone when they got by when I was crawling around on cold tires, I have no idea. I didn’t feel anything at all. Just another really disappointing race because it definitely feels like we did everything we could to give ourselves a chance, then we get nothing at the end.”

Renger van der Zande: “I’m very disappointed with where we ended up because we had good speed in the car, we worked really hard on the setup and to get it done. The team did a fantastic job. I think we extracted everything we could out of the car. Seb did a good job; I did a good job. At the end, a blown tire ended our fight today. I’m not happy, but we’ll move forward from here, and we’ll see what we can do at Petit Le Mans and hopefully win that race.”

No. 31 Whelen Cadillac V-Series.R

Jack Aitken: “The first stint went great for us. The car was working really well and managed to move up from P4 to second and even were closing in on the No. 6 Porsche. Then the rain started to come and we managed that pretty well, too, getting out of the pits in first place. But a bit of bad luck and the race unraveled for us. It was an encouraging race start and we’ll take that to Petit Le Mans.”

Larson dominates Bass Pro Shops Night Race at iconic Bristol Motor Speedway to advance in Playoffs

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Official Release
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Kyle Larson and his son Owen celebrate on top of Larson's Chevy Camaro Saturday night in Bristol Motor Speedway Victory Lane after Larson won his second Bass Pro Shops Night Race title. With the victory Larson advanced to the NASCAR Playoffs Round of 12.

BRISTOL, Tenn.— It was a story of absolute domination on the part of Kyle Larson, who led 462 of 500 laps at Bristol Motor Speedway and won Saturday’s Bass Pro Shops Night Race by 7.088 seconds over Hendrick Motorsports teammate Chase Elliott.

Larson’s advance to the Round of 12 in the NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs was hardly in doubt, but the vicissitudes of the elimination race were unkind to Ty Gibbs, Martin Truex Jr., Brad Keselowski and Harrison Burton, who are no longer eligible to compete for the series championship.

Sweeping both stages in front of a massive crowd on a near-perfect night, Larson set a record for laps led in a single race by a Hendrick Motorsports driver. He has now led 1,351 laps at Bristol, his most at a single track.

No driver has led as many laps in a victory at Bristol since Cale Yarborough led 495 in 1977.

The victory was Larson’s second at the 0.533-mile track, his series-best fifth of the season and the 28th of the career. He enters the Round of 12 as the top seed, as the series moves to Kansas Speedway for the Sept. 29 Hollywood Casino 400.

“Man, that was just great execution all weekend by the team,” Larson said. “Practiced good. You’ve got to qualify good; we did that. Yeah, just had a great car. Thanks to the whole 5 team. They’re the best in the business.

“We dominate a lot of races, but we might not close them all out, so it feels really good to close one out here in this HENDRICKCARS.COM Chevy. We’ve got (team owner) Rick Hendrick here today, too. He hasn’t been to many races this year…

“Just a phenomenal car, could kind of manage my stuff and then really pass some cars there at the end.”

Unfortunately for Gibbs and Truex, Saturday night’s race also was the story of crippling penalties. Gibbs was flagged for speeding on pit road during the first stage break and spent the rest of the race fighting his way toward the front.

By Lap 500, however, Gibbs had worn out his right rear tire, finished 15th and lost the final Round of 12 position to Daniel Suarez and Chase Briscoe by 11 points.

“Speeding penalty is on me,” Gibbs said. “You run the lights so close … it’s my fault. Unfortunate.”

Entering the race 14 points below the cut line, Truex ran fourth in the first stage and second in Stage 2, but the driver of the No. 19 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota sped on pit road during the fifth and final caution and finished 24th, 21 points short of advancing to the Round of 12.

“We did good in the first two stages—we got a lot of points,” said Truex, who will retire from full-time Cup racing at the end of the season. “I guess we would have had to run second or third to make it through. Who knows if we would have been able to? I wish we could have seen if we could have done that.

“I’m just gutted for my team. We worked so hard this week. We all put in a lot all season long, and in the last three weeks, just snake-bit. Can’t do anything right … .09 mph (over the pit road speed tolerance) hurts really bad to take the chance away to know if we even could have done it. I don’t know if we could have run second … maybe. We were close to it all day, but in the end, it doesn’t matter. I feel terrible for my guys.”

Non-Playoff driver Bubba Wallace finished third on Saturday night, followed by Denny Hamlin, Christopher Bell and defending series champion Ryan Blaney, all of whom secured spots in the Round of 12.

Hamlin entered the race six points below the cut line but maintained a presence in the top five all race long. The driver of the No. 11 Joe Gibbs Racing machine, who won the last two Bristol races, came up a bit short tonight of adding another Bristol trophy and sword to his collection.

“My aspirations were to win it, but it looked like the 5 (Larson) there was better than all of us,” Hamlin said. “Solid car. I thought we were really good towards the middle of the stages, and then at the end, got too loose and couldn’t hang onto what we had.

“Overall, top-five day, good stage points, kind of in the mix, just not really as good as we’ve been here the last few times. But overall, I want to thank this whole FedEx Toyota team for giving me something I can move on with.”

Ryan Preece ran seventh, trailed by Briscoe and pole winner Alex Bowman, who was locked into the next Playoff round after finishing seventh in Stage 2. Austin Cindric (13th Saturday), William Byron (17th), Tyler Reddick (20th) and Joey Logano (28th) also were among the 12 drivers to advance.

Logano already had secured his spot with a victory in the Playoff opener at Atlanta Motor Speedway.

Larson took charge early, passing Bowman for the lead on Lap 33. Adroitly working traffic as the first 125-lap stage progressed, Larson lapped three Playoff drivers in succession—Suarez on Lap 64, Burton on Lap 86 and Keselowski of Lap 104.

Bowman led a lap under caution during the first stage break, but Larson had the top spot back out of the pits one circuit later and continued to assert his authority in Stage 2. Suarez lost a second lap to the leader on Lap 194, putting his Playoff future in dire peril—temporarily.

Burton suffered the same fate on Lap 207, all but assuring his elimination. His fate was sealed when he took his No. 21 Wood Brothers Racing Ford to the garage on Lap 235 to repair a power steering issue.

Gibbs’ penalty was the saving grace for Suarez, who finished 31st, four laps down but was able to move on.

“It was a struggle,” Suarez acknowledged. “Since yesterday when we unloaded the car for first practice, we just didn’t have the speed. As you know, with a short amount of practice, qualifying, and going to the race, if you don’t have speed out of the trailer, it’s very, very difficult to bring it back to speed.

“We made it better, but it wasn’t good enough. We were running 30th, 28th, 32nd all night long, and that’s what we had. Luckily, we had a great Atlanta (a runner-up finish), decent Watkins Glen after a broken wheel, and we were able to build a cushion, and we definitely used every single point out of that cushion.”

Interestingly, the rapid tire fall-off that exerted a profound influence over this year’s spring race at Thunder Valley was a non-factor on Saturday. Before the race, after consultation with the drivers, NASCAR opted to spray PJ1 traction compound on the bottom two feet of the track.

Story by NASCAR Newswire

NASCAR Cup Series Race – Bass Pro Shops Night Race
Bristol Motor Speedway
Bristol, Tennessee
Saturday, September 21, 2024

(2) Kyle Larson (P), Chevrolet, 500.
(10) Chase Elliott (P), Chevrolet, 500.
(11) Bubba Wallace, Toyota, 500.
(8) Denny Hamlin (P), Toyota, 500.
(6) Christopher Bell (P), Toyota, 500.
(22) Ryan Blaney (P), Ford, 500.
(14) Ryan Preece, Ford, 500.
(5) Chase Briscoe (P), Ford, 500.
(1) Alex Bowman (P), Chevrolet, 500.
(12) Ross Chastain, Chevrolet, 500.
(18) Michael McDowell, Ford, 499.
(16) Noah Gragson, Ford, 499.
(27) Austin Cindric (P), Ford, 499.
(17) Chris Buescher, Ford, 499.
(13) Ty Gibbs (P), Toyota, 499.
(33) Zane Smith #, Chevrolet, 499.
(3) William Byron (P), Chevrolet, 499.
(7) Carson Hocevar #, Chevrolet, 499.
(21) Daniel Hemric, Chevrolet, 499.
(15) Tyler Reddick (P), Toyota, 499.
(30) Austin Dillon, Chevrolet, 499.
(26) Justin Haley, Ford, 499.
(19) AJ Allmendinger(i), Chevrolet, 499.
(4) Martin Truex Jr. (P), Toyota, 499.
(29) Kyle Busch, Chevrolet, 498.
(23) Brad Keselowski (P), Ford, 497.
(31) Ricky Stenhouse Jr., Chevrolet, 497.
(20) Joey Logano (P), Ford, 496.
(25) Josh Berry #, Ford, 496.
(32) Erik Jones, Toyota, 496.
(35) Daniel Suarez (P), Chevrolet, 496.
(24) Todd Gilliland, Ford, 496.
(28) John Hunter Nemechek, Toyota, 491.
(37) Josh Bilicki(i), Ford, 467.
(34) Harrison Burton (P), Ford, 422.
(9) Corey LaJoie, Chevrolet, Accident, 330.
(36) Kaz Grala #, Ford, Steering, 296.

Average Speed of Race Winner: 101.277 mph.

Time of Race: 2 Hrs, 37 Mins, 53 Secs. Margin of Victory: 7.088 Seconds.

Caution Flags: 5 for 36 laps.

Lead Changes: 8 among 4 drivers.

Lap Leaders: A. Bowman (P) 1-32;K. Larson (P) 33-129;A. Bowman (P) 130;K. Larson (P) 131-244;A. Bowman (P) 245;T. Reddick (P) 246-248;K. Larson (P) 249-332;B. Wallace 333;K. Larson (P) 334-500.

Leaders Summary (Driver, Times Lead, Laps Led): Kyle Larson (P) 4 times for 462 laps; Alex Bowman (P) 3 times for 34 laps; Tyler Reddick (P) 1 time for 3 laps; Bubba Wallace 1 time for 1 lap.

Stage #1 Top Ten: 5,48,20,19,24,11,14,54,9,23

Stage #2 Top Ten: 5,19,11,45,20,23,48,14,12,9

Team Penske NASCAR Cup Series Race Report – Bristol 2

By
Official Release
-

Bass Pro Shops Night Race: Bristol Motor Speedway
Bristol, Tenn. – September 21, 2024

AUSTIN CINDRIC No. 2 MENARDS/MONSTER ENERGY FORD MUSTANG

START: 27TH STAGE ONE: 21ST STAGE TWO: 16TH FINISH: 13TH POINTS: 9TH

RACE RUNDOWN: Austin Cindric executed a solid performance in the Bass Pro Shops Night Race at Bristol Motor Speedway, finishing 13th in the No. 2 Menards/Monster Energy Ford Mustang to clinch a spot in the Round of 12 in the NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs. Despite an unfavorable starting spot at the half-mile, concrete oval where track position is key, Cindric maintained great momentum through the opening segment, finishing Stage 1 in the 21st position on the lead lap. He informed his team that he started to lose rear grip as the first stint winded down, and headed to pit road for service. The 26-year-old driver restarted 17th and reported early on that the car was freer in that run. On Lap 242, a caution slowed the field just shy of the conclusion of the second break, and Cindric reported a right-front chatter and said the car was too free to fire off. He was scored 16th when Stage 2 officially ended and received four fresh tires, fuel and adjustments in preparation for the final dash to the checkers in the Round of 16 finale. As the third stint played out, Cindric gained ground, climbing to the 13th position by the time the 500-lap race reached its end. The performance advanced him to the next round of the postseason, where Team Penske teammates Ryan Blaney and Joey Logano will also be represented as the elite drivers vie for the coveted Cup Series championship.

CINDRIC’S THOUGHTS: “It was a solid night from starting as far back as we did and staying on the lead lap for as long as we did. Our car was really strong. Thank you to Menards and everyone at Team Penske. I’m proud of the effort to bring really solid race cars the first three races and how we were able to do the right things with them. We had three solid finishes, the worst finish being 13th – that’s what we needed in this round, racing within our limits, and no reason why we can’t do the same thing in the next. I think that’s what it’s going to take to move on to the Round of 8.”

RYAN BLANEY No. 12 WURTH FORD MUSTANG

START: 22ND STAGE ONE: 11TH STAGE TWO: 9TH FINISH: 6TH POINTS: 5TH

RACE RUNDOWN: Ryan Blaney turned in a sixth-place finish Saturday night at Bristol to advance to the Round of 12 in the NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs. The No. 12 Wurth Ford Mustang started from 22nd and worked methodically through the field during the opening run of the night to come away with an 11th-place finish in Stage 1. Following a four tire stop and a round of adjustments under caution, Blaney continued to work between the top and bottom lanes and made his way up to eighth in the running order early on Stage 2. Blaney was scored sixth when the caution flag flew with eight to go in the segment, prompting a trip to pit road for fresh tires before eventually racing to a ninth-place result in the stage. After taking the green flag on the restart from eighth, Blaney saw the balance start to even out over the long run as he battled his way into the top-five. Blaney settled into sixth in the running order as the longest green flag run of the night ensued while managing his tires to make it to the end. Ultimately, the Wurth Ford took the checkered flag sixth as the 12-team heads into the opening race of the next round 11 points above the cut line. The top-10 finish marks Blaney’s 13th of the 2024 season as he takes his title defense into the Round of 12.

BLANEY’S THOUGHTS: “It was a good night overall. We came from not qualifying great and got up to the top 10 that second stage. I thought we had a really good long run car and the long run at the end was so many laps that we were guarding against blowing a tire, so I just kind of rode around the last 100 laps or so for that run and wound up with a decent finish. It was a good effort from not qualifying well. The speed in our car was pretty decent. It’s something to learn from and nice to go to the next round.”

JOEY LOGANO No. 22 SHELL-PENNZOIL FORD MUSTANG

START: 20TH STAGE ONE: 14TH STAGE TWO: 33RD FINISH: 28TH POINTS: 8TH

RACE RUNDOWN: Joey Logano and the No. 22 Shell-Pennzoil team saw their night at Bristol derailed in the closing laps of Stage 2 as Logano was involved in an incident that resulted in a 28th-place finish to cap off the Round of 16. Despite the result, Logano heads into the next round of the NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs eighth in the standings, four points above the cut line. After starting 20th Saturday night, Logano quickly made his way into the top-15 despite a tight handling condition in the early going before coming away with a 14th-place finish in Stage 1. Following a four tire stop and a round of adjustments, Logano took the restart from 11th and worked his way into the top-10 during the opening laps of the second segment. On lap 242, the No. 7 made contact with Logano’s rear bumper on the exit of turn four and sent the Shell-Pennzoil Ford sliding down the frontstretch, causing damage to the right front. Logano brought his Ford Mustang to pit road for four tires and repairs under caution but went a lap down in the process. The No. 22 team continued to make adjustments to assist with Logano’s handling due to the damage sustained in the incident and was ultimately scored 28th when the checkered flag flew.

LOGANO’S THOUGHTS: “It’s just the same stuff. You’ve got to get some points to survive. Kansas will be important. You’ve still got Talladega in there, which is quite the wild card, and then the Roval. It’s a fairly similar round to what we just went through, so you’ve got to be able to score some points. We just have to go back to Kansas this weekend and run good. We need to go up there and run in the top five and score stage points and position ourselves solid into the next two races after that.”

The NASCAR Cup Series opens the Round of 12 at Kansas Speedway on Sunday, September 29. Coverage of the Hollywood Casino 400 begins at 3:00 p.m. ET on USA, MRN, and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Channel 90.

RCR NCS Race Recap: Bristol Motor Speedway

By
Official Release
-

Austin Dillon and The No. 3 Bass Pro Shops/TRACKER Off Road Chevrolet Team Fight Hard in Bass Pro Shops Night Race at Bristol Motor Speedway

Finish: 21st
Start: 30th
Points: 28th

“Our No. 3 Bass Pro Shops / TRACKER Off Road Chevrolet team fought hard tonight at Bristol Motor Speedway. We lacked forward drive all night but we caught some early cautions that allowed us to pit and work on our car. The track changed a lot, which made for a challenging night. Proud of the effort the Richard Childress Racing team put in this weekend. We will head back to Welcome and get ready for Kansas Speedway.” -Austin Dillon

Kyle Busch and The No. 8 Cheddar’s Scratch Kitchen Chevrolet Team Survive Bristol Motor Speedway with Top-25 Finish

Finish: 25th
Start: 29th
Points: 20th

“I’m really proud of crew chief Randall Burnett and all the guys on the Cheddar’s Scratch Kitchen Chevrolet team for never giving up during a tough race. The balance on our Chevrolet was loose in, tight in the middle and too tight off the corners all night. We also lacked grip. We kept making changes during every pit stop but we didn’t hit on anything that worked. The handling issues coupled with an early speeding penalty made for a disappointing night, but we’ll get to work and be better when we come back to Bristol next season.” -Kyle Busch

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