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Ford Performance NASCAR Cup Series Southern 500 Media Availability (Chris Buescher)

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Official Release
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Ford Performance Notes and Quotes
NASCAR Cup Series
Southern 500 Media Availability | Darlington
Saturday, August 31, 2024

Chris Buescher, driver of the No. 17 BuildSubmarines.com Ford Mustang Dark Horse for RFK Racing met with media members ahead of on-track activity at Darlington Raceway for the Southern 500. One of NASCAR’s crown jewel races, it also serves as the regular season finale with Buescher holding onto the final playoff spot by 21 points.

CHRIS BUESCHER, No. 17 BuildSubmarines.com Ford Mustang Dark Horse

WHEN YOU’RE IN THIS POSITION COMING INTO IT, ARE YOU LOOKING BACK THROUGHOUT THE YEAR ON THE WOULDA, SHOULDA, COULDAS, WHETHER IT WAS LAS VEGAS WITH THE WHEEL, KANSAS, DARLINGTON, ARE YOU FOCUSED FORWARD?

“We’re on this weekend. All that is stuff that hurts and will when you do stop to look back at it, but ultimately it’s not anything that’s changing our situation right now and would really be a distraction at this point. There’s no changing it, right? So definitely things that you look back on, and we’ll clean up as a team. Things I can clean up as a driver and do differently. And then just situations that certainly could have gone better. We’re focused on this weekend now.”

HOW MUCH ARE YOU PLAYING OFFENSE VERSUS DEFENSE BECAUSE YOU HAVE ENOUGH OF A POINTS MARGIN THAT’S SOMEWHAT COMFORTABLE? HOW ARE YOU GOING TO GO ABOUT THINGS THIS WEEK?

“For me, this is one of my favorite racetracks. I absolutely love coming to Darlington. I had a chance to win this race last time we were here, and ended up in one of my less highlight-worthy moments. For us it’s how do we come in and win this race? How do we be in contention to win this race? I think I just don’t like to be a points racer. I’m aware of our situation. I feel like we can come out here and do what we’ve been doing every week, bringing fast racecars to the track. But a lot of times I feel like we’ve had speed to compete for wins and then days that we need to execute a little bit better all around. For us, that’s kind of the same thing we’ve got looking at us for this go. We’ll pay attention. It’s something we started probably around Pocono time, just aware of the cars we’re racing if they have catastrophic or bad days. Just know what that means for us. And if you do have to be a little more aware of your situation, we can pay attention to that. But ultimately I want to be in contention to win this race and close the deal out that way and not worry about any of the rest.”

AS WELL AS YOU RAN LAST YEAR, THE WINS, AND ALL THE SPEED YOU GUYS HAD AT THE BEGINNING OF THE SEASON, ARE YOU SURPRISED TO BE SITTING HERE COMING INTO THE LAST RACE IN SUCH A PRECARIOUS POSITION?

“In a way, I guess. We’re third of the cars without a win on points. I think that’s probably the biggest surprise is that there have been as many different winners this year as there have been. On the flip side, we’ve had a lot of speed this year. We’ve been really close at a lot of races. We just haven’t sealed the deal. That’s been very frustrating at times because that was one of the the bigger goals we had on this season was to make sure that we fired off with the potential that we had around this time last year. And we did. It was good to go to a race track and have speed at types of race tracks that, honestly, we just haven’t been very good at in the past. And we were good at short tracks and intermediates and road courses are still really strong for us. All those things were going well. We just had a couple of runner-ups and very near misses. So I think that it’s been a great year, we just don’t have any trophies on it yet. We didn’t expect to be in this position and unfortunately, it’s where we’re at, but I am pretty confident in what we’re able to do at Darlington and what we’ve had as an organization this year at RFK that as long as we do everything we need to, we’re going to be in good shape.”

DURING THE RACE, DO YOU WANT TO KNOW WHERE BUBBA IS RUNNING, WHERE ROSS IS RUNNING, WHAT THE POINT SITUATION IS? DO YOU ASK NOT TO BE UPDATED? WHAT DO YOU LIKE AS A DRIVER?

“I’m not going to ask for silence, but no, I don’t need the updates either if it’s not significant. Ultimately, it’s just a distraction from what we need to do to go race. It’s just a different mindset going into these scenarios as we look at playoffs here. I feel like every year, we talk about points a little bit earlier in the season, and to the point where I feel like it comes up at Daytona now. So for us we need to go to these things and do our own deal in our own race. But no, it’s not something I’m going to ask for constant updates. When you’re in the car, you’re not, I guess I’m not, I’ll speak for myself, I’m not completely aware of the race scenarios and everything that’s playing out, and I don’t really need to be if it’s not something that I can affect the outcome of. There will be a time and place for that and maybe that’s towards the end. It’s been a scenario where some of the cars we’re racing have had bad days. If we have a day or we are involved in an accident, it’s kind of updating on that situation and what we need to do to make sure we recover, but no, you’re certainly not going to hear it from my side of the radio asking for updates.”

SO, WHEN YOU COME TO THIS TRACK WITH SO MUCH ON THE LINE FOR SO MANY DRIVERS, MOST OF THEM SAY THEY LOVE THIS RACE TRACK, WHETHER THEY’VE HAD SUCCESS HERE OR NOT, AND HAVE A LOT OF CONFIDENCE HERE, BUT EVERYBODY CAN’T DO WELL HERE, RIGHT? WHY DOES EVERYBODY FEEL SO CONFIDENT HERE, AND WHAT IS IT ABOUT THIS TRACK?

“Because we have composite bodies now. There’s not a big penalty for big misses, I think. It gives a lot of people confidence that they did not have a couple of years ago. It’s such a cool racetrack. There’s so much history here. It’s a place that drivers love. Me being one of them, that wasn’t very good here for a long time and took a lot of learning, but I always loved it. It was always one of my favorites, regardless. The speed we’ve been able to have in the last couple of years has certainly helped me enjoy it more. It’s just a cool racetrack that’s unlike anything else that we go to. I think everybody has an appreciation for that as drivers and enjoy the challenge of it. We all want to be better at it, but ultimately it’s just such a fun race track that you can get behind it quite easily.”

SO HOW MUCH DID THIS TRACK FRUSTRATE YOU AT FIRST? AND THEN HOW WERE YOU ABLE TO LEARN IT? WHAT DID YOU DO IN GENERAL?

“It wasn’t so frustrating coming to this racetrack. It’s just a little bit of bad luck along the way. A couple of tire issues earlier in my career here that felt like ended days that were gonna be okay. After that, just kind of got rolling in the right direction to the point where it was always just a little bit better as we went. I had a lot of hard lessons here with metal body cars as well. That was completely on me. As we’ve gone into it, as the lanes moved around with the repave many years ago now, but as it started to age aggressively, it’s constantly changing too. It’s something that requires a lot of focus, a lot of attention leading up to the weekend, and a lot of effort to break down at the end of it. It’s just one that’s progressively gotten better through the years. Our team’s done a great job. RFK has obviously turned a great corner in the last couple of years. And being faster at the race track certainly helps you like race tracks that weren’t your best in previous years. So that’s made a massive difference from where I’m sitting and certainly helps my head space.”

DO YOU THINK DARLINGTON IS A GOOD PLACE TO END THE REGULAR SEASON? AND WOULD YOU EVER WANT TO HEAD TO A TRACK THAT ISN’T DAYTONA AND MAYBE A LITTLE LESS UNPREDICTABLE FOR THIS RACE IN THE FUTURE?

“I like this one. It’s hard. It’s a 500-mile race. It’s going to be 90-something degrees on race day. It’s a fantastic challenge for all the drivers, the teams, everybody out here, and I think that’s a great way to head off into our playoffs is to make everybody work for it. I’m not saying Daytona doesn’t have its own challenges. I wouldn’t say there’s a whole lot more predictability here, but maybe a little bit more of controlling your own destiny and understanding that it’s going to be very difficult as well. So many things can happen in Daytona like we continue to see, and it can throw a massive curve right at the end that you just can’t plan for in any way. We haven’t done a good enough job not to be on this bubble right now. I like the fact that we have this race, and I certainly enjoy Darlington being the cutoff this year and it would be my vote not to be at Daytona in the future. I don’t think I submitted my vote early enough to get that one to count.”

CHEVROLET NCS AT DARLINGTON 2: Ross Chastain Media Availability Quotes

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Official Release
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NASCAR CUP SERIES
DARLINGTON RACEWAY
TEAM CHEVY PRESS CONF. TRANSCRIPT
AUGUST 31, 2024

 Ross Chastain, driver of the No. 1 Busch Retro Camaro ZL1 and No. 92 Protect Your Melon Camaro SS, met with the media in advance of racing double duty in the NASCAR Cup Series and NASCAR Xfinity Series at Darlington Raceway.

Media Availability Quotes:

Obviously a big weekend for your team. Tell us a little bit about how you guys prepared for this weekend, and what your thoughts are heading into tomorrow’s race.

“Just prepared for the Southern 500. I can’t tell you all my secrets. But yeah, it’s been a fairly normal week. We stuck to our same processes that we normally do with the DiL simulator; talking through some options there of different setups and different things we’ve run in the past. We did fit in some extra time. Been doing some work with SVG and just leaning on each other to learn and lay some groundwork for how we each interact and things. We just have such a great tool with GM and their simulators there in Concord that we try to just lean into that thing and use it as a tool. It doesn’t tell us all the answers, but it’ll give us a lot of questions to ponder.

Pretty normal. Yeah, just talking through it. A few bike rides, a few runs. And then ate some good food yesterday to catch up and recover from the week. We’re ready to rip this morning.”

When you’re in the position that you are coming into this race, how much time do you spend reflecting on the ‘woulda, shoulda, couldas’ throughout the year? The races that you had good runs, you were in contention and it didn’t materialize..

“I don’t think those races cross my mind. The races that did have been the past Darlington races. As I look through and look through the weekends since 2021, when I got with Phil Surgen and the Gen-7 car; looking through those four years now, three-and-a-half years of races, and all of the nuances of each weekend and what I was saying and all that.. that’s the ‘shoulda, woulda, couldas’ of the past Southern 500’s and the past spring races. As I daydream a little bit throughout the weekend, it was those races that were popping up in my head.”

So there’s no race where you look back and go ‘I wish I had that one back’?

“Well there’s definitely races.. yes, there’s a long list. Nashville is obviously at the top of that list. I felt like we could win there. Texas, I was going to run second and would be really happy coming out of there. Those two stand out the most. Pocono, I just crashed. Not at the end of the race and not up front.. we were not up front at all, but that’s one where I just flat spun out. Trying to go too fast for the amount of grip I had and broke traction. So yes, there is a list. But when I was thinking this week, when I would kind of daydream and lose focus, it was Darlington races that were playing in my mind.”

Are you surprised to be in this position with the way you ran last year and the way you ended last year?

“Yeah, I am. Yeah, yeah it is. This stuff is so hard. I knew that.. I knew that whenever I ran my first truck race in 2011 and as I stepped up through the ranks and was in Cup cars here at Darlington, ones that we were just there to run the laps and go single-digit number of laps down.. nine or less was the goal. I knew how challenging it was. I also had this dream that it would be a whole lot easier when I had all the funding, the tires, the pit crew, everything. And it has.. definitely. I don’t expect to go laps down anymore. It still happens every now and then, but yeah – I’d say right now, it’s real that we’re in this position.

So yeah, I’d say surprised. If you would have had me fill out a bingo card at the start of the season, I wouldn’t have dabbed this block, for sure.”

When you are daydreaming, is there a scenario where you can get in on points or is this a ‘must win’ situation?

“I just know the best way that we can ensure it is to win. We’ve had opportunities to win the Southern 500. We’ve had opportunities to win a couple of races in the spring and fall here in a different series. That’s my goal. The math says we can do it either way, but my preparation and my mentality – and it’s been this way in Cup since the very first spring race that I came here in 2021. I left here that weekend and thought we can win a Cup race at Darlington one day and that thought hasn’t left my mind since.”

Are you running the Xfinity race to have more laps here? Are you doing it as a nice distraction to all the pressure? Are you doing it because you are committed to it and if the situation was different, maybe you wouldn’t?

“I love Darlington, so I want to race all of the races that I can here. I would still run tripleheaders if I thought it was going to be beneficial. I don’t think tripleheaders are the best thing for me in today’s climate of everything. But no, there’s never been a thought about backing out or asking Mario to let me out of the car. I see the benefit. I mean, yes – it’s a H-pattern shifter versus a sequential. It’s independent rear suspension. Truck arms versus not. So there’s a lot of differences, but ripping some laps for 20 minutes this morning; I can’t think of anything better to help me be faster Sunday night than getting laps on track here. It’s only my third Xfinity race of the year, so it’s not like I’ve loaded up on them. I have hit that five-race limit rule, which is a badge of honor too. And I don’t even think I’m going to hit five races this year.. I think I’m only going to do four.”

Do you feel at all that you don’t have the speed that you’ve had against the competition in the past? I’m looking at your laps led, I’m looking at your stage wins, and it just doesn’t seem to be where you’ve been the last two seasons..

“Yeah, I think the stages is the big, easy thing to point at. You look at finishing position and I don’t think it’s as bad as it would seem right now. But the stage points are way down. So yeah, we’ve just not been up there as consistently. There’s been times where we’ve been up there, but just haven’t been able to put together enough points. They give out the same amount of points for every race, except the Coca-Cola 600. Do I think that I’ve had the consistent speed? No, but do I think at Darlington that we’ll have the speed? I do. When I pull on track, I want to go and be as fast as I can in our practice session. And that hasn’t always been the case. Some of our goals in the past – we’ve been fine with not being very fast in practice here, but this weekend is about speed and calibrating up to what the lap times are going to be today. So, I think that here, it’s one of our measuring tools of where we’re at as a team, and if we can come here to Darlington and show speed and be competitive, then we’re not doing everything so wrong, as it would seem because we’re in this situation. As there’s been with this generation car, there’s been a lot of different winners and we needed to be one of those.”

We’re expecting an announcement about Christian Eckes taking the next step in his progression. A guy like you that’s raced trucks a lot, what have you seen from him, as far as his growth over the last couple of years?

“Yeah, I’ve seen him step through a few different teams and then land with Bill McAnally; take a team that’s never won in the Truck Series, win and be a consistent lap leader and race winner. I think him, Charles and Bill have built something special there. I’m biased because I’m over at Niece Motorsports, so I see them as a key partner Chevy truck team and as a teammate. Phil Gould and Charles work together, and they’re more similar than they are different. Yeah, I’ve seen what they’ve done. I’ve seen him pass me a lot in truck races. I don’t know what his announcement is or what he’s doing, but the next step.. I don’t know, got a good thing there. That No. 19 truck has obviously been so competitive and so fast.”

Aside from the consistent speed that you mentioned you don’t have.. when you look at the points, you were 93 points above the cutline leaving New Hampshire. So aside from the speed, what has this team fought that you guys just aren’t where you were last year?

“I didn’t crash on my own at Pocono in years past, so that one stands out, for sure. You could go down the list and you could dissect it over a four hour media availability. But ultimately, it just comes back to how fast you can go and can you finish those benchmark moments of Stage One, Two and the end of the race and collect the points. Don’t really have anything to point out, for sure. But it just adds up to points.. I don’t really know how else to answer that.”

Where is it on this race track that you can be aggressive when you’re trying to dance with the ‘Lady in Black’, has that changed? And has the day-to-night handling of the car made a real big difference on this track?

“The day-to-night definitely makes a difference. But no, I’ve only been on this track since its current paving configuration and asphalt that’s on it now. So as I’ve stepped through Xfinity races, Truck and Cup races, I’ve definitely pulled out of here more disappointed than I’ve ever been excited. But I’ve always pulled in here excited just to be here. The drive down is awesome. We’ve just had so many opportunities to pull out of here winners and we haven’t accomplished it, except the one time, which was this year. It was just so cool, and it really made it more special because of all the failures. I’ve failed here so many times with cars and trucks capable of winning. We were coming back from Covid and having the opportunity to win the second Xfinity race here that year.. just moments like that where it was right there in front of us. We did so many things right, but ultimately didn’t win. Putting together 500 miles from daylight to dark, and how these Cup cars drive off turn two; you’re either really fast and going forward, or you’re wondering if you’re going to crash every lap. When I step out of the car and watch it back, it’s awesome to watch. But in the moment, it gets my heartrate up pretty high.”

The aggressiveness you’re going to have to have at this track, matched with just hanging onto the car, how aggressive are you going to have to be?

“I don’t know.. nothing preconceived. Preparation for that, it’s more lap-by-lap. Trying to keep an understanding of what’s going on in the race; what stage of the race we’re at, what point and what lap. And yeah, how my car is. If I’m tight or if I’m loose. If I’ve been bottoming out off the bump in turn two, or if I’m really tight for three laps. It all leads kind of a natural thing for me as a driver to naturally drive and kind of adjust to how aggressive I can be. It could be that I’m limited by how hard I’m hitting the ground or something like that.”

 
 
 

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.

Christian Eckes Joins Kaulig Racing in 2025

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Official Release
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Christian Eckes to Drive the No. 16 Chevrolet Camaro in the 2025 NASCAR Xfinity Series

 Lexington, N.C. (August 31, 2024) – Kaulig Racing announces NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series (NCTS) Regular Season Champion and playoff contender, Christian Eckes, will join the team’s NASCAR Xfinity Series (NXS) driver lineup starting in 2025.

The 23-year-old will take over the No. 16 Chevrolet, after the team announced AJ Allmendinger’s full-time return to the NASCAR Cup Series (NCS) earlier this month. In addition to competing for the NXS Championship, Eckes will compete for the NXS Rookie of the Year title.

“Matt Kaulig and I have invested a lot of time thinking and planning for what the future of Kaulig Racing looks like,” said team president, Chris Rice. “We’re continuing to improve our Xfinity program, and we are making decisions to help us do that. Christian [Eckes] has proven himself in the Truck Series and we’re excited to have him take the next step in his career and be a part of our program beginning in 2025.”

Eckes, currently scored second in NCTS driver standings, has earned three wins in the 2024 season, including a dominant victory at Nashville Superspeedway where he led all 150 laps.

“Christian [Eckes] is one of the brightest young stars in our sport,” said team owner, Matt Kaulig. “He has shown over the last two years that he is ready to take the next step and we’re looking forward to seeing him grow into the future of Kaulig Racing.”

“I’m extremely thankful and grateful for Matt Kaulig, Chris Rice and everyone involved for the opportunity to be a part of Kaulig Racing,” said Christian Eckes. “What they have been able to do as a company in just a few short years has been incredible. I’m looking forward to adding to that success in 2025 and beyond.”

Partnership details for Eckes and the No. 16 Chevrolet will be announced at a later date.
 
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.

NASCAR Cup Series – Southern 500 Media Availability (Joey Logano)

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Official Release
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Ford Performance Notes and Quotes
NASCAR Cup Series
Southern 500 Media Availability | Darlington
Saturday, August 31, 2024

Joey Logano, driver of the No. 22 Shell Pennzoil Ford Mustang Dark Horse for Team Penske, met with media members Saturday morning ahead of on-track activity at Darlington Speedway Saturday. Logano spoke about the regular season finale and more.

JOEY LOGANO, No. 22 Shell Pennzoil Ford Mustang Dark Horse

THIS RACE WILL BE THE END OF THE REGULAR SEASON. NEXT WEEK WE’LL OFFICIALLY KICK OFF THE PLAYOFFS. YOU’VE BEEN IN THIS POSITION MANY TIMES. IF YOU DON’T MIND, JUST SHARE WITH US A LITTLE BIT OF HOW MUCH, YOU KNOW, THIS ENDS ONE PART OF THE SEASON AND NEXT WEEK STARTS ANOTHER PART FOR YOUR TEAM.

“Yeah, in a way it’s kind of a welcoming end of this part of the season as you look forward to the playoffs. Everyone is always excited about the playoffs. There’s so much opportunity to reach the ultimate goal, which is the championship. There’s 16 teams that have earned the right to be there. We’ll figure out the last one or two here this weekend obviously. It’ll be an exciting 10 weeks as it always is. There’s a lot of stories for you guys to talk about. Lord knows what they’ll be, but I’m sure there will be stories as there always is. It’ll be fun and interesting and hopefully at the end of the 10 weeks in Phoenix we’re celebrating.”

WHEN YOU THINK ABOUT THAT RUN BLANEY WENT ON LAST YEAR, WHICH CAME OUT OF NOWHERE, HOW DO YOU AND PAUL LOOK AT THOSE LAST TEN RACES AND SAY OKAY THIS MIGHT BE OUR CHANCE OR IS YOUR STRATEGY DIFFERENT?

“I don’t know if our strategy changes much. It kind of depends on what your position is as you go into the next race. What do you have to do to accomplish the ultimate goal, which is always getting to the next round first. How do we get to the next round? I think the strategy at this point is pretty apparent to most and it’s easy to say, hard to do. The first round has a lot of interesting racetracks in it, but a lot of times if you just have races without issue, you usually can get through that one. You know, it gets a little harder each time. And we’re not going in with a lot of playoff points like I’d like to have, but we have a few. There’s really not anyone that has a whole bunch more outside of the first few cars and obviously the 15 that the regular season champion will get. But yeah, it doesn’t mean that that’s a cakewalk for them either. We’ve seen that team get knocked out before, as well. So yeah, we just got to keep our heads down and dig and do our own thing, focus on what makes the 22 teamwork. We’ve gone on those runs before during the playoffs and it’s something that we’ve kind of become accustomed to for the most part at Team Penske. So hopefully we can bring a little bit more to the table and it seems like our cars are getting faster here recently, so I’m excited about that part. It seems like our cars are getting more and more competitive and we’re starting to peak at the right time. So it seems like it’s a little sooner than last year, which is good. I hope that’s the case. If you look at the 12 last year, it really wasn’t in the first round that they looked any better. It was really as they got to the second, the third round when it really started to show that their speed picked up and we were just too late. We were already knocked out at that point. So you just got to survive long enough to make sure the speed’s there if it matters.”

IN HIS THREE YEARS IN CUP SO FAR, HOW MUCH HAVE YOU SEEN HARRISON BURTON GROW AS A DRIVER AND DOES HE REMIND YOU OF YOUR EARLY DAYS?

“In some ways, yes and no. I definitely see some similarities there. I think everyone has said a lot of good things about Harrison this week, but I’d say, as a person probably what stands out the most to me about his character throughout the last three years. I get to witness it firsthand, not many people get to see that. I sit next to him on the airplane when we get done with every race, if we’re not driving like this weekend, but most of the time I sit next to him. There’s a lot of emotions after a race. Typically I have a hard time dealing with a lot of them, trying to get over it quickly. He always seems to have an upbeat attitude. It always impresses me. He’s happy. I’m sure it affects him. He just has a way of dealing with these things really, really well. He really lets that attitude go through his whole team. As a leader, it’s hard to do because you care so much and you get frustrated. It’s hard to keep a positive attitude on everything you do. I’m sure a lot of people can relate to that. But as a driver, your emotions, your reactions radiate through the whole team. He does an amazing job at staying positive and upbeat and keeping everybody ready for the next weekend. I think that’s why everyone was so excited to see him win last week. Not many times in my career can I say I was brought to tears of joy for watching someone else win. And actually seeing that last week and seeing Jeff in there with him, that was one of the coolest things I’ve seen in our sport.”

JOEY, STARTING THE PLAYOFF AT ATLANTA, IS THAT A START WITH A WILD CARD RACE? AND HOW DO YOU FEEL ABOUT THAT TO KICK THINGS OFF?

“Yes, it is. I’m honestly not a huge fan of superspeedways in the playoffs. I get we got to have a variety of all the race tracks within our playoff schedule. I think one is plenty just because we know what speedway racing is. I mean, look at last week. I mean, just things could be going well and then everyone ends up in a wad. And you say look at the last 20 of them. Okay, they all look the same. Guys run up front, have a chance to win, all of a sudden they’re in the infield center and you guys are talking to us there. It just happens over and over and over again. So I don’t like that that can ruin someone’s championship run because of something someone else did. Look at our situation last week, there is nothing I could have done. If that is in the playoffs and that keeps you from winning a championship, that is pretty frustrating. You put your self in that position and you think abou that. I can’t think of anything I’d rather have done. I’m leaving the bottom lane with 7 or 8 to go. Where else would I rather be? I don’t really know how to handle that better and it will happen again when we go to Talladega. The same things are going to happen when we go to Atlanta possibly. Maybe not Atlanta as much as a wild card, but it still can be. We have seen some big wrecks there recently. So yeah, it is interesting.

YOU TALKED ABOUT THE VARIETY OF THE FIRST ROUND, WHAT DO YOU THINK OF THAT THREE RACE PACKAGE TO BEING THE PLAYOFFS IN ROUND ONE?

“Bristol sounds like the one that is the most predictable but it is not now. If you guys remember last time we went there, tires wore out really fast and nothing’s gonna be different, so you gotta assume it’s gonna look the same with a lot of tire wear and when you think of it from that lens they’re all kind of wild cards to that first round. Watkins Glen is gonna be a lot different than what it was last time we were there with the rumble strips through the bus stop being different and you know it’s gonna take something different from your car, the tire sounds like it’s going to wear out there too. So a lot of unknowns and things that we’ll have to figure out as a team really fast with no practice essentially, limited amounts of practice where you can’t adjust anything to your car substantially to try to combat some of the things you may be fighting with a tire wear scenario at both Watkins Glen and Bristol. So I hope you make the right decisions before you get there and then try to figure out how to execute with it once you get there.”

HAVE YOU TALKED TO NASCAR AT ALL ABOUT CARS GETTING AIRBORNE THIS WEEK? HAVE YOU HEARD ANYTHING AND DO YOU HAVE ANY THOUGHTS OR THINGS THAT THEY CAN DO?

“I didn’t talk to them about it. I don’t really know what you do. To me, I don’t have an engineering degree, I just have an RCD. I would say that the floor underneath the car that we have a big pan, when it catches wind, it’s like a kite. And we’ve seen that happen a lot with this car. Until that comes off, I don’t think there’s a way to keep them on the ground. So I think one of the best options would probably be to put a splitter back on the thing and take the underbodies off and go back to where they were. Not that we had great success keeping the old car on the ground all the time, but gosh, it seems like we’ve seen more cars go up here recently than ever. So I got to think that that’s kind of the only thing you can do to fix it. You can’t put more weight in the car. That’s not going to be the answer. Then the wrecks would be bigger. So you don’t want to do that. So I think kind of the only option is to take that diffuser off.”

ONLY THREE TIMES IN THE PAST 15 YEARS HAS A CHAMPION BEEN THE WINNINGEST DRIVER OF THAT SEASON. THE OTHER 12 CHAMPIONS DID NOT WIN THE MOST RACES. DOES THAT SEEM ODD TO YOU? DO YOU THINK THE SYSTEM COULD BE TWEAKED OR CHANGED A LITTLE BIT TO REWARD WINNING MORE OR IS IT OKAY LIKE IT IS?

“I mean it already is really biased towards winning already. You think about the old, even the Chase back in the day or even before that, it’s about consistency as much as winning. Now, yeah consistency pays and for your reasons you said, but winning in the playoffs is a must. You have to win. So I think it’s already really biased towards winning more than ever. It’s kind of odd that it’s like that with such a long season though. I’d like to see how many championships have been won with the most wins in the 10-week span, right, in the last 10 weeks of the season. Because I would assume that the majority of the champions have the most wins in those last 10 weeks because you got to win one, right, you’re going to have to win Phoenix, right, for the most part, I mean it seems like all but one time, so most likely that. And you’re probably going to have to win another one throughout that to get to the next round maybe if your back is up against the wall. It is pretty biased toward winning in my opinion.”

DO YOU FEEL LIKE YOU AND YOUR TEAM HAVE INSTALLED A PRETTY GOOD PLAN HEADING INTO THE PLAYOFFS SINCE YOUR WIN? WHAT IS YOUR MINDSET HERE AT DARLINGTON? BECAUSE IT IS THE LAST RACE OF THE REGULAR SEASON, DO YOU STAY OUT OF THE FRAY BECAUSE IT CAN GET CRAZY AT THE END OR BECAUSE IT IS THE SOUTHERN 500, IS THAT THE GOAL?

“It is the Southern 500. This one is on the bucket list, man. This is the one you want to win. Darlington is a place you always want to win no matter what it is, but the Southern 500 adds a little bit to it. One of the three to four crown jewel events of the year. So yeah, you go for it. It doesn’t matter to me if it wasn’t the Southern 500, I’m still going out there to win. That’s our goal. So you’re in it, you’re out there going for it no matter what. So it doesn’t really change much, you know, considering it’s the playoffs next week and all that type of thing. You still race to win every week.”

THERE’S BEEN SOME TALK LATELY ABOUT THE RELATIVE DRIVING TALENTS OF GUYS LIKE KYLE LARSON, MAX VERSTAPPEN. HOW DO YOU FEEL ABOUT WHAT WOULD HAPPEN IF A TOP NASCAR GUY WENT TO F1 OR A TOP F1 GUY CAME TO NASCAR? DO YOU THINK ONE WOULD DO BETTER THAN THE OTHER?

“I don’t know if I can answer that without doing it. The cars are so different and the racing is so different. It’s going to be one thing making speed and I think either one will eventually figure out how to make speed out of the car. But you look at the discipline of what F1 is, and the way they race, their strategy, and even the way they communicate is so different. The cars, the little nuances, the little things, so different than our cars. But then you think of, put them in the draft at Daytona, or put them at a restart here at Darlington and they’re racing so differently that it would take a long time to learn that. Outside of just making a car go fast and knowing how the car changes throughout a run and those type of things. It’s not that one’s more talented than the other. I’m sure there are amazing race car drivers in both series 100%, but they’ve been doing that for so long that it’s unfair to think that either one of us can switch and be competitive automatically. Like no way. On a road course it might be the closest for them to have a chance to be in the hunt, but you put one of them on an oval, they’re not going to have a clue what to do. That’s not a dig to F1 in any way, I’m just saying it’s so different that it would take years to try to convert. We’ve seen that. We’ve seen a few F1 guys try to convert into NASCAR drivers, and a few of them were successful, but it took a long time to do that. It wasn’t long. Juan Pablo, right, maybe the first one that comes to mind, it took him a while to become competitive in NASCAR and he’s an amazing talent, right? So, it’s just different. It’s what did you do growing up and what did you do for the last 15 years? Probably gonna be better at it.”

WOULD YOU LIKE TO TRY IT?

“I would try it, sure. Yeah, sign me up. Let’s go. I’d love to.”

IN TERMS OF TALKING ABOUT THE UPCOMING PLAYOFFS FOR THE CHANGES TO THE TRACKS, BUT ALSO THE TIRE CHANGES AND THINGS LIKE THAT. HOW MUCH IS LESS IN A DRIVER’S HAND OR IS IT PUTTING MORE IN A DRIVER’S HAND IN THESE PLAYOFFS WITH ALL THESE CHANGES?

“I don’t think it’s any different more or less. It’s not more or less, it is different though is what I guess I should say. Just because you have to be kind of ready for the unknown more than ever this year going into the playoffs. It’s just a lot of things that can happen that we can’t call yet. I feel like in the past, the playoffs were a little bit more predictable. But this first round is very unpredictable. I don’t know how it’s gonna work out. So you just gotta be quick and ready to adapt. Because we don’t really know exactly how the first three are really gonna play out. Especially outside of Atlanta, those other two, you really have no idea how they’re going to play out. You just got to be ready.”

LAST WEEK, THE END OF THE RACE, WE SAW A SITUATION WHERE A REALLY YOUNG DRIVER IN A DIFFERENT MANUFACTURER PUSHES ANOTHER MANUFACTURER TO THE VICTORY. AS A VETERAN, IS THERE ADVICE YOU WOULD GIVE TO SOMEBODY LIKE THAT WHO HAS GONE THROUGH A SITUATION, A VERY UNIQUE SITUATION AND KIND OF FACING SOME DIFFERENT QUESTIONS?

“I’m too far removed from that organization to know what they talk about, right? Like, did they have a pre-race meeting? Did they specifically talk about that stuff? Like coming to the end of a race, is that how that works over there? I don’t know, I just know how Ford works out things. I don’t know what, there are a couple of people back there that maybe can answer it, but they’re looking at me like, say the right thing, I don’t know what you guys do over there, okay, I don’t know what you guys do. What do we do behind closed doors, it’s your deal, man. But for us, we try to talk about as many things as possible, but you just never can call exactly how these races are going to play out. I don’t know if he was put in a tough spot or not, but obviously, there are questions afterward. You have to talk to him, I can’t really speak to it.”

NEXT YEAR’S SCHEDULE CAME OUT THIS WEEK, NOW WITH MORE TRACKS IN NORTH CAROLINA, INCLUDING ROCKINGHAM. DO YOU THINK THE SCHEDULE DOES A GOOD JOB OF APPEALING TO MORE TRADITIONAL FANS, OR IS THERE ANY WAY YOU’D LIKE TO SEE THE SERIES GO IN THE FUTURE?

“Well, when you think of the racetracks that we’ve resurrected here recently, North Wilkesboro, Rockingham now and Bowman Gray next year. It is cool. I think the Truck Series is perfect for that. You can think about when the Truck Series started or even the Xfinity Series, right? They raced at Hickory and they raced at some of these really old, cool tracks. I think it’s neat that they can bring those tracks back to life. I mean, Rockingham is awesome. It’s one of the best race tracks we’ve ever had. I’ve always enjoyed racing there. So, it definitely looks like a fun event and anything we can do to bring those tracks back and not let them just grow weeds through them anymore. I mean, that’s the cool part.”

THE TRUCKS ARE GOING TO GO TO LIME ROCK PARK NEXT YEAR. AS A CONNECTICUT NATIVE, IS IT COOL TO SEE THAT ON THE SCHEDULE AND WOULD YOU CONSIDER RUNNING THERE?

“I’d like to. I think it would be cool to race in Connecticut. I don’t even know where it lines up to where the Cup stuff is. I didn’t go over to schedule that great. But yeah, outside of me running it, it’s awesome that NASCAR is going back to Connecticut and even at the Truck level. I mean, there’s a lot of race fans up there. I grew up there and I remember going to so many different garages and there’s always NASCAR calendars and NASCAR memorabilia of some sort. Modified racing up there is huge. There are a ton of race fans in New England that I feel like get overlooked a lot because our sport sometimes is looked at as a Southeastern sport but it’s so nationwide at this point and New England has some die-hard race fans. It’s cool to have some more racing up there for them for sure.”

Eckes joins Kaulig Racing for first Xfinity Series campaign in 2025

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

Christian Eckes will be etching a new chapter to his racing career by campaigning on a full-time basis in the NASCAR Xfinity Series with Kaulig Racing in 2025.

The news comes as the 23-year-old Eckes from Greenville, New York, is campaigning in his fourth full-time season in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series division and his second in recent seasons with McAnally-Hilgemann Racing. Through 17 of 23 scheduled Truck starts in 2024, Eckes has recorded three victories, three poles, 11 top-five results, 16 top-10 results and an average-finishing result of 5.8. He also claimed this year’s Truck Series Regular Season Championship as he is competing in the series Playoffs and pursuing his first series drivers’ championship.

“I’m extremely thankful and grateful for [owner] Matt Kaulig, [team president] Chris Rice and everyone involved for the opportunity to be a part of Kaulig Racing,” Eckes said in a press release. “What they have been able to do as a company in just a few short years has been incredible. I’m looking forward to adding to that success in 2025 and beyond.”

Eckes, who grew up competing in Legends Cars and late models, made his inaugural presence within NASCAR’s top three national touring series at Iowa Speedway, where he finished an impressive eighth place while driving for Kyle Busch Motorsports (KBM) in the Truck Series. Since then, the New York native has made 108 Truck starts and has driven for KBM, ThorSport Racing and McAnally-Hilgemann Racing. During the span, he accumulated eight victories, 67 top-10 results and four Playoff appearances, including this season. He also won the 2019 ARCA Menards Series championship while driving for Venturini Motorsports.

Eckes, who will campaign in the Xfinity circuit for the first time in 2025, will pilot the No. 16 Chevrolet Camaro that is currently being piloted by veteran AJ Allmendinger. With Allmendinger set to move back up to the Cup Series next season, Eckes will be paired with Josh Williams and Daniel Dye. Dye was announced as a 2025 full-time competitor of Kaulig’s No. 10 Chevrolet entry last weekend at Daytona International Speedway.

“Matt Kaulig and I have invested a lot of time thinking and planning for what the future of Kaulig Racing looks like,” Chris Rice said. “We’re continuing to improve our Xfinity program, and we are making decisions to help us do that. Christian [Eckes] has proven himself in the Truck Series and we’re excited to have him take the next step in his career and be a part of our program beginning in 2025.”

“Christian [Eckes] is one of the brightest young stars in our sport,” Matt Kaulig added. “He has shown over the last two years that he is ready to take the next step and we’re looking forward to seeing him grow into the future of Kaulig Racing.”

Christian Eckes’ 2025 NASCAR Xfinity Series campaign with Kaulig Racing is set to commence at Daytona International Speedway on February 15th. The event’s broadcast station will be aired through the CW Network.

FORCE, ALEXANDER, ANDERSON & A. SMITH GRAB PROVISIONAL NO. 1 SPOTS AT TOYOTA NHRA U.S. NATIONALS

By
Official Release
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INDIANAPOLIS (Aug. 30, 2024) – Looking to stay in the top 10, Top Fuel’s Brittany Force made the quickest run of Friday at the 70th annual Toyota NHRA U.S. Nationals, powering to the provisional No. 1 position at Lucas Oil Indianapolis Raceway Park.

Blake Alexander (Funny Car), Greg Anderson (Pro Stock) and Angie Smith (Pro Stock Motorcycle) are also the provisional No. 1 qualifiers at the 14th of 20 races during the 2024 NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series season.

Force, who is currently an uncharacteristic 10th in points, went 3.740-seconds at 334.32 mph in her 11,000-horsepower Chevrolet Accessories dragster to kick off the race weekend. If it holds, the two-time world champion would pick up her second No. 1 this season and the 48th in her career. More importantly, Force needs to stay in the top 10 to secure a spot in the Countdown to the Championship playoffs. A win at the world’s biggest drag race would clinch that for Force, who is after her first win since her 2022 championship season.

“I haven’t been in a position like this for a long time, especially coming from this David Grubnic-led championship team,” said Force, a two-time U.S. Nationals runner-up. “We never thought we’d be here, but we had a hard season last year, same as this season. We’re really going to fight all weekend long. That 3.74 run down the dragstrip on the first qualifying run, four bonus points, currently No. 1, that’s everything we could have asked for. Our first goal of the weekend is accomplished.

“This is such a special event and an historic race. It’s a big event, but that means a lot of pressure and a lot on the line. This is the race you want to win and our motivation hasn’t gone away.”

Antron Brown is right behind in second thanks to a 3.759 at 330.63. Brown has won the U.S. Nationals in back-to-back years. Billy Torrence sits in the third spot after a run of 3.792 at 331.45.

Coming off an impressive performance in Brainerd, Funny Car’s Blake Alexander continued his strong performance in Indy, racing to the No. 1 spot with a run of 3.890 at 327.82 in his 11,000-horsepower Pronto Auto Service Center Ford Mustang. Alexander won in Brainerd with a string of standout performances and now has a chance to earn his first career No. 1 qualifier. That was the case in Brainerd, too, when Alexander was the provisional top qualifier. He didn’t end up in the top spot there, but Alexander has another great opportunity in Indy, feeling confident about what the Head Racing team continues to deliver.

“We feel good about this,” Alexander said. “I think we thought it was going to be a little slower out there at first, and then we got up there and quite frankly I think we saw Cruz run 3.90 and then we opened it up a little bit. Every race team out here needed to do well today and the ones who excelled like we did will be in a much better position Monday morning, which is ultimately what we come here for.

“If you want to win Indy, you need to put yourself in a good position. This isn’t an easy drag race to win, it never has been and never will be. We’re in a good spot right now, that really doesn’t mean much because there are a lot of good race cars out here and people can eclipse you.”

Cruz Pedregon performed well on Friday, going to second with a 3.901 at 325.53 and Jack Beckman is right behind in third after a run of 3.903 at 322.81.

Greg Anderson is used to plenty success at The Big Go and he’s off to a good start at the 70th annual race, taking over the No. 1 spot after going 6.621 at 206.23 in his HendrickCars.com Chevrolet Camaro. No current driver in Pro Stock has won in Indy as much as Anderson, with his seventh victory coming in 2022. It also happened to be his 100th career win and the five-time world champion continues to go strong, with Friday’s run putting him in line for a fifth No. 1 this season and the 129th in his career. Anderson, though, is well aware a lot can change between now and Monday.

“Normally when we come here, the Friday night run sets the field,” Anderson said. ‘You get your Friday night shot under the lights, the track cools down, everybody goes out there and throws down. Nine times out of 10 it ends up holding up throughout the weekend, but it doesn’t look like that’s going to be the case. It’s going to cool down quite a bit the next couple of days, but we wanted to come here tonight and just get some data. This was a bonus. There’s a lot of room left, it wasn’t really a clean run, so I was shocked when they told me I got the No. 1 spot.

“I can’t wait to get here every year. I have a lot of favorite tracks, a lot of tracks I love to race at and feel good at, but this is still the one that means the most to me.”

Enders took second with a 6.621 at 206.13 and Aaron Stanfield is currently third on the strength of his 6.630 at 204.88.

In Pro Stock Motorcycle, Angie Smith made the biggest move to kick off qualifying at the Toyota NHRA U.S. Nationals, going 6.883 at 197.10 on her Denso Auto Parts Buell to grab the provisional No. 1 spot. Should that hold, Smith would pick up her first No. 1 qualifier of the season and third in her career and it would certainly come at the perfect time. Entering Indy sixth in points, Smith lost in the first round in back-to-back races leading into Indy. But after a strong test session, Smith feels good about where the bike is now at heading into a crucial part of the season – and at the world’s biggest drag race.

“We got rid of my other bike, that’s what happened,” Smith said. “I got a brand-new bike. Every single part of that motorcycle is brand new except for me. I was glad to get a new bike. Coming to Indy without a full run on a brand-new motorcycle is kind of nerve-wracking but it all worked out.

“My mindset coming into this race, I just wanted to do well and make good laps to prepare me for the Countdown. The middle of the season has not been a stellar performance for me and I have expected a lot better performance for myself and from the bike and we weren’t getting it. The boys have been working extremely hard back in the shop, and for me to get a No. 1, I feel like it kind of repays them a little bit for all the hard work.”

Her husband, Matt, who has won the last two races at The Big Go – and the most recent race in Sonoma – is currently second after going 6.895 at 197.74 and Gaige Herrera grabbed the third position on Friday thanks to a run of 6.929 at 195.90.

Qualifying continues at 12 p.m. ET on Saturday at the Toyota NHRA U.S. Nationals at Lucas Oil Indianapolis Raceway Park.

INDIANAPOLIS — Friday’s results after the first one of five rounds of qualifying for the 70th annual Toyota NHRA U.S. Nationals at Lucas Oil Indianapolis Raceway Park, 14th of 20 events in the NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series. Qualifying will continue Saturday for Monday’s final eliminations.

Top Fuel — 1. Brittany Force, 3.740 seconds, 334.32 mph; 2. Antron Brown, 3.759, 330.63; 3. Billy Torrence, 3.792, 331.45; 4. Shawn Reed, 3.795, 326.63; 5. Ida Zetterstrom, 3.801, 326.00; 6. Jasmine Salinas, 3.814, 317.64; 7. Clay Millican, 3.816, 293.54; 8. Tony Stewart, 3.839, 319.52; 9. Dan Mercier, 3.847, 309.27; 10. Krista Baldwin, 3.863, 285.29; 11. T.J. Zizzo, 3.902, 266.32; 12. Lex Joon, 4.026, 259.96; 13. Tripp Tatum, 4.473, 174.21; 14. Doug Kalitta, 4.609, 165.84; 15. Shawn Langdon, 4.773, 152.11; 16. Tony Schumacher, 4.896, 146.77. Not Qualified: 17. Josh Hart, 5.502, 120.20; 18. Doug Foley, 5.863, 108.32; 19. Steve Torrence, 5.984, 107.15; 20. Justin Ashley, 6.016, 103.77.

Funny Car — 1. Blake Alexander, Ford Mustang, 3.890, 327.82; 2. Cruz Pedregon, Dodge Charger, 3.901, 325.53; 3. Jack Beckman, Chevy Camaro, 3.903, 322.81; 4. Austin Prock, Camaro, 3.926, 320.36; 5. J.R. Todd, Toyota GR Supra, 3.969, 320.28; 6. Bobby Bode, Mustang, 3.986, 292.58; 7. Alexis DeJoria, GR Supra, 3.987, 324.05; 8. Ron Capps, GR Supra, 3.997, 300.73; 9. Paul Lee, Charger, 4.004, 293.28; 10. Chad Green, Mustang, 4.025, 300.00; 11. Daniel Wilkerson, Mustang, 4.026, 313.58; 12. Dale Creasy Jr., Charger, 4.055, 315.27; 13. Chris King, Charger, 4.079, 302.21; 14. Buddy Hull, Charger, 4.140, 306.05; 15. Bob Tasca III, Mustang, 4.171, 230.96; 16. Dave Richards, Toyota Camry, 4.502, 205.72. Not Qualified: 17. Matt Hagan, 4.837, 164.59; 18. Justin Schriefer, 6.801, 99.59.

Pro Stock — 1. Greg Anderson, Chevy Camaro, 6.621, 206.23; 2. Erica Enders, Camaro, 6.621, 206.13; 3. Aaron Stanfield, Camaro, 6.630, 204.88; 4. Dallas Glenn, Camaro, 6.639, 205.98; 5. Jeg Coughlin, Camaro, 6.647, 206.83; 6. Fernando Cuadra Jr., Camaro, 6.654, 206.64; 7. Troy Coughlin Jr., Camaro, 6.657, 206.64; 8. Cristian Cuadra, Ford Mustang, 6.657, 205.88; 9. Mason McGaha, Camaro, 6.663, 205.91; 10. Jerry Tucker, Camaro, 6.665, 205.54; 11. Sienna Wildgust, Camaro, 6.678, 207.37; 12. Eric Latino, Camaro, 6.685, 206.04; 13. Deric Kramer, Camaro, 6.685, 205.26; 14. Camrie Caruso, Camaro, 6.689, 205.66; 15. Cory Reed, Camaro, 6.710, 206.13; 16. David Cuadra, Camaro, 6.710, 204.88. Not Qualified: 17. Kenny Delco, 6.724, 205.41; 18. Larry Morgan, 6.733, 205.85; 19. Derrick Reese, 6.738, 200.17; 20. Chris McGaha, 7.109, 168.62; 21. Matt Hartford, 7.342, 140.14.

Pro Stock Motorcycle — 1. Angie Smith, Buell, 6.883, 197.10; 2. Matt Smith, Buell, 6.895, 197.74; 3. Gaige Herrera, Suzuki, 6.929, 195.90; 4. Jianna Evaristo, Buell, 6.939, 198.15; 5. Richard Gadson, Suzuki, 6.964, 194.88; 6. Chase Van Sant, Suzuki, 6.970, 193.54; 7. Chris Bostick, Suzuki, 7.001, 192.82; 8. Hector Arana Jr, EBR, 7.032, 197.22; 9. Marc Ingwersen, EBR, 7.055, 186.82; 10. Ryan Oehler, EBR, 7.097, 188.28; 11. Steve Johnson, Suzuki, 7.123, 191.51; 12. Geno Scali, Suzuki, 7.134, 192.14; 13. Ron Tornow, Victory, 7.141, 188.33; 14. Wesley Wells, Suzuki, 7.479, 178.90; 15. Kelly Clontz, Suzuki, 16.315, 40.68.

Newgarden, Penske Continue Oval Mastery in Milwaukee Practice

By
Official Release
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WEST ALLIS, Wis. (Friday, Aug. 30, 2024) – The NTT INDYCAR SERIES hasn’t raced at the Milwaukee Mile since 2015, but a recent trend of oval racing in the series continued Friday during the opening practice for the Hy-Vee Milwaukee Mile 250s.

Two-time series champion Josef Newgarden led at 158.762 mph in the No. 2 PPG Team Penske Chevrolet on the 1.015-mile oval. Team Penske has won all four previous oval races this season, and two-time and reigning Indianapolis 500 presented by Gainbridge winner Newgarden has triumphed in 10 of the last 15 circle-track races in the series.

The practice was divided into two groups of 15 minutes each to work in the lower groove on the historic track, and then the circuit opened for all cars for 90 minutes. Newgarden said the challenge was interpreting how the Firestone Firehawk tires adapted to the lower and higher lines on the track.

“I think you definitely have your hands full midway through to the end of the (tire) stint,” Newgarden said. “I liked our car a lot. It was tricky in the beginning. We had two different tires we were working with. The low-line running had like one balance by itself, and then it completely flipped when we went to this weekend’s tire.

“There was some tuning that went on there. I felt like we got into a good spot. The PPG car was really comfy at the end. Everyone is going to make their own decisions on how they view the tire usage and the mileage. It’s been really interesting the last couple of ovals on how people have strategized it.”

Up next is NTT P1 Award qualifying for both races this weekend at 2:15 p.m. ET Saturday. The first 250-lap race follows later that afternoon at 5:40 p.m., with Peacock and the INDYCAR Radio Network providing exclusive live coverage of qualifying and the race. Race 2 starts at 2:30 p.m. ET Sunday (USA Network, Peacock, INDYCAR Radio Network).

Six-time series champion Scott Dixon was second in practice at 158.080 in the No. 9 PNC Bank Chip Ganassi Racing Honda. Pato O’Ward was third at 157.750 in the No. 5 Arrow McLaren Chevrolet.

Felix Rosenqvist ended up fourth at 157.628 in the No. 60 AutoNation/SiriusXM Honda of Meyer Shank Racing, and Scott McLaughlin put two Team Penske cars in the top five with his best lap of 157.581 in the No. 3 Odyssey Battery Team Penske Chevrolet.

Series leader and reigning series champion Alex Palou was ninth overall at 156.793 in the No. 10 DHL Chip Ganassi Racing Honda. His closest pursuer, two-time series champion Will Power, was 11th at 156.539 in the No. 12 Verizon Business Team Penske Chevrolet.

Palou leads Power by 54 points – a gap of exactly one race’s worth of points – with three races remaining this season as the Spaniard seeks to earn his third title in the last four seasons and become the first repeat champion since Dario Franchitti pulled off the feat for the Ganassi team in 2010-11. Franchitti also won the title in 2009, pulling off a three-peat by 2011.

Colton Herta, third in points and 67 behind Palou, was 10th at 156.647 in the No. 26 Gainbridge Honda of Andretti Global with Curb-Agajanian, as the top three drivers in the standings were sandwiched together from ninth through 11th on the speed chart.

The long session was incident-free until eight minutes remained, when rookie Christian Rasmussen crashed. 2023 INDY NXT by Firestone champion Rasmussen drifted above the racing line in Turn 2, lost grip and hit the SAFER Barrier with the right side of his No. 20 GuyCare Chevrolet of Ed Carpenter Racing. He was unhurt.

CHEVROLET INDYCAR AT MILWAUKEE: Team Chevy Practice Report

By
Official Release
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CHEVROLET IN NTT INDYCAR SERIES
HY-VEE MILWAUKEE MILE 250
MILWAUKEE MILE
WEST ALLIS, WISCONSIN
TEAM CHEVY PRACTICE REPORT
AUGUST 30, 2024

JOSEF NEWGARDEN AND TEAM PENSKE LED NTT INDYCAR SERIES PRACTICE AT THE MILWAUKEE MILE

  • Josef Newgarden, driver of the No. 2 PPG Team Penske Chevrolet, led both the field and Team Chevy with his fastest lap of 158.762 mph after a 90-minute opening practice session for the Hy-Vee Milwaukee Mile 250 doubleheader weekend.
  • Team Chevy finished with three in the top 10, including Newgarden, Pato O’Ward, driver of the No. 5 Arrow McLaren Chevrolet (third), and Scott McLaughlin, driver of the No. 3 Team Penske Chevrolet (fifth).
  • Saturday sees qualifying for the doubleheader events at Milwaukee, followed by the Hy-Vee Milwaukee Mile 250 Race 1 at 5:40 p.m. ET live on Peacock. Sunday’s Hy-Vee Milwaukee Mile 250 Race 2 airs on USA Network with the green flag dropping at 2:30 p.m. ET. Additional coverage of the twin 250-lap, 253.75-mile races broadcast via Peacock, INDYCAR Radio, and SiriusXM Channel 218.

TEAM CHEVY TOP-10 PRACTICE RESULT:
Pos. Driver
1st Josef Newgarden (158.762 mph)
3rd Pato O’Ward (157.750 mph)
5th Scott McLaughlin (157.581 mph)

WHAT THEY’RE SAYING (QUOTES):

Pato O’Ward, No. 5 Arrow McLaren Chevrolet:

“It is a pretty quick turnaround going into qualifying and the first race of the weekend tomorrow. But, I’m feeling quite content with what we’re heading into qualifying with. I would say there is a bit more of a question mark for the race, but this will be new for a lot of people so we’ll just have to see what it has in store for us.”

Nolan Siegel, No. 6 Arrow McLaren Chevrolet:

“It was a solid Practice 1. We started out with an issue at the beginning, which we worked through. I’m proud of the way the team handled it, and we ended up closer toward where we want to be. I think we will have a strong qualifying car. I think we’re where we need to be, it just took a little while to get there as we worked through things and I learned the track. We’ll look forward to qualifying and look to put the No. 6 Big Machine Music City GP Arrow McLaren Chevrolet up at the front.”

Alexander Rossi, No. 7 Arrow McLaren Chevrolet:

“There was a lot to do in 90 minutes, but I think we have a pretty decent direction. It will be important to qualify well tomorrow, and then we’ll have to group up again and determine our best path forward for the race.”

Gavin Ward, Team Principal, Arrow McLaren:

“We’re battling near the front against a couple of teams that have had some extra testing miles around here. With a limited practice window, we tried to make every run count today. I’m pleased to see Pato (O’Ward) up there in the mix, and I think Alexander (Rossi) and Nolan (Siegel) are not far off either, and can learn from him, too. We’re going to try to put our best foot forward in a very important qualifying session and go from there.”

JOSEF NEWGARDEN, No. 2 PPG Team Penske Chevrolet – Practice Press Conference:

THE MODERATOR: Wrapping up practice, we are joined by Josef Newgarden.

Josef, P1 in the practice session. What does that mean for the rest of the weekend?

JOSEF NEWGARDEN: It’s always tough these days. It’s a full grid, right? What do we have, 27 cars? A lot of people on track.

I’m sure there’s individuals that didn’t get a super clear lap, and there’s probably more to be seen from everybody. You just account for that. I think we’ve accounted for that at other ovals. You’ll see the same thing here.

It’s encouraging. Think our car was really good. I was happy. Took some tuning. The tire was very different on the low line tire that we ran, then we went to the current tire and it took a lot of work to get it where it needed to be.

When we got through the first 30 minutes, I was super happy with the car. The team did a great job feeling comfy and comfortable. Yeah, I think Team Chevy did a good job, too, at least from what I’ve seen preliminarily.

Two opportunities for us to have a nice result to end the year.

THE MODERATOR: Questions, please.

Q. Does it feel different, similar? Any of the old feel come become or does it feel like a completely new track?

JOSEF NEWGARDEN: From previous years?

Q. Yes.

JOSEF NEWGARDEN: It feels similar. It’s different compared to 2015 when we left. We had a huge aero kit, big downforce. You were pretty much just flat. Very different from 2015.

Q. (No microphone.)

JOSEF NEWGARDEN: Exactly. We’re way heavier. From that standpoint, it’s completely different.

But I think it’s still Milwaukee. Like, sort of the general traits of this track are very much there underneath the surface. It’s just a different car. A lot less downforce. It’s heavier, requires a different setup, different finesse. You got to look after things differently than you did 10 years ago.

It’s the same Milwaukee. There’s a preferred line. There’s kind of an alternate line that’s not great but usable. Yeah, it’s a very interesting track. I think if we get some dropoff, there’s going to be good racing, which I think everybody wants to see.

Q. What should we expect in race one tomorrow?

JOSEF NEWGARDEN: Yeah, I mean, he’s right. You don’t know with these sessions. Sometimes you sort of get an inkling on what you think is going to happen, then things just kind of shift as you get through the race.

I think Gateway was a very surprising result. I was super surprised the way it raced. So I don’t know. I mean, until we get through the first one, it’s really tough to predict.

I know you want an answer, you think we have more of an idea. We get through the first round, we’ll know exactly how is going to race, you know what you’re getting for race two.

Right now, it’s going to be interesting to see who is strong. I think you’ll have big separation is one thing that I will say. I think you’ll have cars that are really not good, like really not good, and you’ll have some cars that are really good, so…

That’s one thing I’d predict.

Q. Josef, Will was telling us earlier today you told him at Portland that you’d be willing to swap positions with him for points if it came down to the end?

JOSEF NEWGARDEN: Look, what I told him, I said it’s too early now. If it comes down to the finale, I’ve had great support from him in the past. Thinking about my first championship, 2017, he shadowed me the whole race. When it comes down to the very end and we’re still in position…

You got to be really careful, though. This is not me being cagey, it’s just the truth. If you start trying to orchestrate too much, you put yourself into a mess. I’m not going to do that. I don’t think as a team we’re going to try to do that.

Logically, you come down to the finale, we’re in Nashville, we have a car that can seal the championship, I’m not in it, I’m going to have his back all the way, 100%. But we’re not in Nashville yet. There’s a long way to go. If we try and get too clever about the way we run our team, I think you put yourself in a bad situation.

We need to go out and do the job we always do. We’re going to race each other hard, but we need to take care of each other, right? I don’t want to be crashing my teammates.

When it comes down to the very end, hopefully we’re in a position to seal the championship, we all want to see that happen, especially me. I’ll make sure that we get the job done then.

Q. As strong as Penske has been on the short ovals, is there more emphasis for all three of you to help Will knowing you can put gap on Palou? If he wins, that helps him a little bit more?

JOSEF NEWGARDEN: Yeah, kind of the same answer. It applies to that question, too. Me running in a normal condition is helping Will. If he’s off a little bit, I’m good today, he’s going to know exactly why I was good today. There’s nothing hidden there.

We’ll go back and have a conversation like we always do. If there’s something that he’s benefitting from this, then he will. We got to run our normal program, try to win these races. Obviously our team wants to be in a position to win the championship.

It’s not easy, though. Yeah, Palou could have an issue on one race, it closes right up, or he could just have two great races, like he normally does.

I don’t think anything’s a slam-dunk or simple. Just got to run our races and try to do a great job. Hopefully we’re in position by the time we get to Nashville to close the deal.

Q. Josef, how do you like the Josef Newgarden restart zone?

JOSEF NEWGARDEN: Didn’t change. They’re just painting it. There’s no difference. If you read the fine print, there’s no rule change.

I love it when it was brought up. That’s a great point. Just to make it non-subjective. We get a gray-out zone, it’s a little subjective of where it starts and where it finishes, right? It’s a pretty big zone. You put a line, there’s no subjectiveness. That’s great.

I don’t think the restart procedure needs to change. They’ve made some good changes this year, which were provoked by last year, the jumpiness that we’ve had this. We’ve had this for 24 months, this jumpiness on restarts.

This probably should have been done in the beginning. I just think it’s a clarification more than anything, which is good for everybody.

Q. One of the things that was discussed (in the media bullpen) is NASCAR got a race in Mexico City ahead of INDYCAR. Pato is extremely disappointed in that. That spawned a conversation about where some places that INDYCAR could race. This guy would probably say Down Under. Where would you want to go race if you had a wide-open map?

JOSEF NEWGARDEN: Yeah, I mean, you don’t want to ask me. My dream tracks would be in, like, Japan. I’d be going to Japan. I love the country. I was sad I missed that era when they were running there. That would be on my list.

Going to Spa, old school tracks like that. Brands Hatch GP. The list would go on and on. There’s a lot of legendary tracks.

I think there’s some great stuff in the pipeline. I honestly do. We have a lot of momentum. I’m excited about FOX coming onboard next year. NBC has done a great job for us, but we’re going to be turning the page and having a new chapter next year. I think we should all be excited about that. There’s more stuff to piggyback on with that deal.

I’m excited about 2025. We need to finish this year off right, but I think we got great momentum that can happen next year.

Q. (No microphone.)

JOSEF NEWGARDEN: I’ve always wanted to race there. That’s where I watched some of my very first INDYCAR races, Nashville Superspeedway.

Q. (No microphone.)

JOSEF NEWGARDEN: Nashville Superspeedway? Yeah, I do. I’ll respect their name. Not scared to do it.

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.

Patrick Woods-Toth Dominates at CTMP to Win Race 1

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Official Release
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#27 Patrick Woods-Toth, Crosslink Kiwi Motorsport, , winner, Victory Lane

Patrick Woods-Toth Dominates at CTMP to Win Race 1

BOWMANVILLE, Ontario, Canada (August 31, 2024) – Patrick Woods-Toth (No. 27 Crosslink Kiwi Motorsport Ligier JS F3) dominated in the Formula Regional Americas Championship presented by Mosport Karting Centre (FR Americas) on Friday afternoon to win Race 1 at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park (CTMP). Leading from lights to checkers, the Saint-Lazare, Quebec native drove away with the win while holding a 0.616-second margin over second-place finisher Titus Sherlock (No. 31 Crosslink Kiwi Motorsport Ligier JS F3).

Notes of Interest:

  • Patrick Woods-Toth earned his sixth win of the season with his victory in Round 15 at CTMP. The 20 year old currently leads the FR Americas field in wins this season.
  • Titus Sherlock recorded his sixth podium of the season with his runner-up finish.
  • Jett Bowling’s third-place result marked the fifth podium finish of his career.
  • Landan Matriano Lim recorded a career-best finish with his fourth-place result in today’s race. Previously, his best finish was fifth, which he’s recorded three times.
  • Nova Scotia native James Lawley earned the best finish of his career with a fifth-place result. Previously, his best finish was sixth, recorded in Round 14 at New Jersey Motorsports Park last month.
  • Crosslink Kiwi Motorsport swept the podium, with Woods-Toth winning, Titus Sherlock finishing second and Jett Bowling in third.
  • After securing the pole during this afternoon’s qualifying session, Woods-Toth led the field down the starting grid. When the lights went out, he got a solid jump off the starting block to take command of the race. With a 1.035-second gap after the first lap, Woods-Toth methodically hit his marks to slowly build his lead over second-place Sherlock. However, that lead was erased as the race neared its halfway point and the safety car deployed for a full-course caution. When racing resumed a few minutes later, Woods-Toth led the field across the restart line with just 0.230 seconds back to Sherlock. Behind them, Jett Bowling (No. 02 Crosslink Kiwi Motorsport Ligier JS F3), Landan Matriano Lim (No. 73 739Racing Ligier JS F3) and James Lawley (No. 77 Kartbahn Racing Ligier JS F3) all rode in their wake. As the clock ticked down, the field once again began to spread out, leaving them to cross the finish line in the same order they started—Woods-Toth was out front, with Sherlock in second and Bowling in third.

“Today was a battle of managing the tires,” said Woods-Toth atop the podium. “We’ve had some blistering on the rears all weekend, so we just had to keep it calm. Titus [Sherlock] was pressuring me, which was hurting my tire saving. But honestly, I think our tires are the best out of the three of us, so it was a good race for us. I have to thank Ron Fellows—thanks to him, I got my first seat in a racecar. And, of course, Orlando, who has been sponsoring us for the last two years. Those two have done the world for me, and I can’t thank them enough. My team at Crosslink Kiwi Motorsport, my friends, my family and all the fans here—thank you to everyone.”

FR Americas will contest Race 2 at CTMP tomorrow at 11:30 a.m. ET. Live timing and scoring for all of this weekend’s sessions will be available on the Race Monitor App, with additional news and updates posted on the series’ social channels: Facebook, Instagram and X.

Foster Steps on Gas with Title in View at Milwaukee

By
Official Release
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WEST ALLIS, Wis. (Friday, Aug. 30, 2024) – Louis Foster sent a clear message to the rest of the INDY NXT by Firestone field during practice Friday at the Milwaukee Mile: He wants the season championship now.

Championship leader Foster dominated with a best lap of 148.410 in the No. 26 Copart/Novara Technologies entry of Andretti Global early in the 45-minute session on the 1.015-mile oval. Foster only needs to finish fifth or better to secure the title in the penultimate race of the season and the first race at this historic track since 2015 for the INDYCAR development series.

“I think it’s good to be back here,” Foster said. “Now, we’ll go to work on the car for qualifying and also the race car. It’s going to be a tricky car to set up, so we’re going to work on that tonight and try figure it out.

“Obviously, it’s a good way to start the weekend. I’m happy with the car; we just need to fine-tune it here.”

Qualifying is next at 1 p.m. ET Saturday (INDYCAR LIVE, INDYCAR Radio Network), followed by the 90-lap INDY NXT by Firestone at the Milwaukee Mile race at 3:50 p.m. Saturday (Peacock, INDYCAR Radio Network).

Rookie Callum Hedge was second fastest in practice at 147.348 – more than 1 mph behind Foster – in the No. 17 HMD Motorsports car. Jacob Abel, who won last Sunday at Portland International Raceway to keep his faint title hopes alive, was third at 147.252 in the No. 51 Abel Construction machine of Abel Motorsports. Abel is the only driver mathematically eligible to challenge Foster for the title, 79 points behind the leader.

Another rookie, Salvador de Alba Jr., was fourth at 147.093 in the No. 2 Grupo Indi car fielded by Andretti Cape INDY NXT. De Alba scored his only podium finish of 2024 at the season’s first oval by placing third July 13 at Iowa Speedway.

Jamie Chadwick rounded out the top five at 147.067 in the No. 28 VEXT car of Andretti Global.

Two yellow flags for contact interrupted practice.

Rookie Taylor Ferns did a quarter-spin exiting Turn 2 in the No. 55 Abel Motorsports car and backed into the SAFER Barrier eight minutes into the session. Nine minutes later, Reece Gold also clipped the wall in Turn 2 with the right side of his No. 10 HMD Motorsports car. Ferns and Gold were unhurt.

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