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Christian Eckes Joins Kaulig Racing in 2025

By
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)

By
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

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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

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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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#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

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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.

Canadian Patrick Woods-Toth Takes Pole, Leads Practice in FR Americas at CTMP

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#27 Patrick Woods-Toth, Crosslink Kiwi Motorsport,

BOWMANVILLE, Ontario, Canada (August 30, 2024) – Canadian Patrick Woods-Toth took the pole in Formula Regional Americas Championship presented by Mosport Karting Centre (FR Americas) competition on Friday afternoon after leading practice at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park (CTMP). Posting a 1:14.846 lap during qualifying, Woods-Toth (No. 27 Crosslink Kiwi Motorsport Ligier JS F3) led his Crosslink Kiwi Motorsport teammates, with the powerhouse organization taking the top-four qualifying spots. After each topping the speed charts during yesterday’s test sessions, Titus Sherlock (No. 31 Crosslink Kiwi Motorsport Ligier JS F3) and Jett Bowling (No. 02 Crosslink Kiwi Motorsport Ligier JS F3) rounded out the top three—both within a half second of Woods-Toth. Landan Matriano Lim (No. 73 739Racing Ligier JS F3) was fourth, with Nova Scotia-native James Lawley (No. 77 Kartbahn Racing Ligier JS F3) completing the top five, just 1.203-seconds behind the leader.

Earlier today, Woods-Toth topped the leaderboard for the lone FR Americas practice session at CTMP. A native of Saint-Lazare, Quebec, Woods-Toth recorded a 1:14.598 lap, beating Bowling by more than a half second. Lawley, the only driver in the field with previous experience at CTMP after competing in a first-generation Ligier JS F4 at the track last year, rounded out the top three.

Lights out for Race 1 at CTMP is scheduled for today at 4:30 p.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.

CTMP – Round 15 Official Grid
1 27 Patrick Woods-Toth/St-Lazare CAN Crosslink Kiwi Motorsport 1:14.846 118.275 –
2 31 Titus Sherlock/Prosper Texas Crosslink Kiwi Motorsport 1:15.130 117.828 0.284
3 02 Jett Bowling/Dallas Texas Crosslink Kiwi Motorsport 1:15.266 117.615 0.420
4 73 Landan Matriano Lim/Shreveport La. 739Racing 1:16.022 116.445 1.176
5 77 James Lawley/Halifax CAN KartBahn Racing 1:16.049 116.404 1.203
6 25 Ricco Shlaimoun/Los Angeles Calif. Crosslink Kiwi Motorsport 1:16.610 115.551 1.764
7 3 Hayden Bowlsbey/Folson La. IGY6 Motorsports/Save22 1:17.043 114.902 2.197
8 24 Kevin Janzen/Deerfield Beach Fla. US Power Group/ Data Center Solutions 1:17.052 114.889 2.206
9 6 Nicole Havrda/Courtenay CAN Valley Kitchens /Colonial Countertops 1:17.354 114.44 2.508
10 07 Anthony Autiello/Cranston R.I. Momentum Motorsports 1:22.147 107.763 7.301

Dale Earnhardt Jr. returns to compete in Food City 300 during 20th anniversary of ‘It’s Bristol, baby!’ at BMS

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NASCAR Hall of Famer gave life to phrase in BMS victory lane after winning the 2004 Night Race

BRISTOL, Tenn. (Aug. 30, 2024) – It’s hard to believe that more than two decades ago three simple words were said in Bristol Motor Speedway’s Victory Lane that would catch fire and ignite a proud mantra.

It’s. Bristol. Baby.

The buzz from that statement continues to connect with NASCAR Nation. Many of them flock to BMS’s North Lot at Entrance No. 1 and take social media selfies with the large historic monument dedicated to that singular moment that proudly welcomes visitors to the venue.

It was a wild scene in that victory lane.

As Dale Earnhardt Jr. emerged from his red No. 8 Chevy one hot night in August 2004 he was asked by television reporter Bill Weber why winning the crown jewel Night Race was so special. The third-generation driver didn’t hesitate. He quickly uttered the memorable phrase like it was on a script.

“It’s Bristol, baby!” a jubilant Earnhardt said.

Since then that phrase has taken on a life of its own. Today it remains as meaningful and powerful as it was that night. It has become synonymous with Bristol Motor Speedway and the amazing experience it offers to fans.

“I’m just really, really, really, glad that I won tonight, because this is like the Daytona 500,” Earnhardt Jr. said at the time. “This is like winning at Charlotte, or like winning in Atlanta. These are the tracks, the historic tracks that have been around for years that are at the top of my list (of places) I want to win.”

As BMS celebrates the 20th anniversary of that momentous occasion, the legend himself is returning to suit up and compete on the storied high banks once again.

Earnhardt Jr. is entered in the Food City 300 NASCAR Xfinity Series Race on Friday night, Sept. 20. It is the second consecutive year that he will race in that event, which is also the Xfinity Series regular season finale.

Last year Earnhardt Jr. had fans on the edges of their seats as he was in contention for most of the night. He led 47 laps and appeared to be heading to Victory Lane. A faulty wire ultimately ended his night and he finished 30th overall.

“Somehow the shift control caught on fire,” Earnhardt Jr. told the media following the race. “Saw some smoke in the car. I smelt it, and I said, ‘I hope that’s not me,’ but that last lap, I saw a big fire ball down in the tunnel, in the car. I felt it, obviously. My uniform was burning up. I was like, I can’t keep going. I’ve got to stop. Usually when you stop, the fires get bigger. So I pulled over by the pit stall, and some of those guys are pretty alert, and they helped me out.

“I hate it. We were going to finish in the top 10, maybe top-five. Had a shot at winning it, if the car was going to run good at the end. But trying not to mess nobody’s night up at the same time, it was hard. But I had fun.”

After the dejected Earnhardt pulled off his racing helmet last year, he was able to immediately put on his team owner hat from JR Motorsports and with a big smile go celebrate in Bristol’s victory lane anyway. One of his team drivers, Justin Allgaier, ultimately won the race in the No. 7 JRM Chevy.

“I was happy about our car winning,” Earnhardt continued during his post-race interview in the BMS Media Center. “I couldn’t wait to see Justin. Couldn’t wait to tell him how proud and happy I was.”

Earnhardt Jr. will once again be at the controls of his popular blue and yellow No. 88 Hellmann’s Mayonnaise Chevy Camaro as he puts his focus on grabbing another Bristol Motor Speedway victory.

A full-feature story about Earnhardt Jr.’s Food City 300 race and the 20th anniversary of “It’s Bristol, baby!” written by veteran NASCAR journalist Mike Hembree will be included in the souvenir program for the Bass Pro Shops Night Race. The program, in Playbill format, will be available to fans in both print and digital versions. The limited print edition will only be available at the track in multiple locations throughout the stadium concourses, including entry gates, ticket stands and guest service locations. The digital version can be viewed or downloaded via the BMS website or BMS social media channels.

America’s Night Race weekend kicks off Thursday, Sept. 19 with Ben Rhodes and defending winner Corey Heim battling for the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series victory in the UNOH 200 presented by Ohio Logistics (8 p.m., FS1, MRN Radio). The rising stars in the ARCA Menards Series, including rising stars William Sawalich and Connor Zilisch and former IndyCar racer Marco Andretti, also will take on the challenging half-mile bullring in the Bush’s Beans 200 as part of a titan Thursday night doubleheader (5 p.m., FS1, MRN Radio).

On Friday, Sparks are sure to fly in the Food City 300, as NASCAR Xfinity Series favorites Justin Allgaier, Austin Hill, Cole Custer, Sheldon Creed and Riley Herbst will be fighting hard alongside Earnhardt Jr. in the Xfinity Series regular season finale (Sept. 20, 7:30 p.m., The CW, PRN Radio).

Finally, the stars of the NASCAR Cup Series will take to the track on Saturday for the Bass Pro Shops Night Race (Sept. 21, 7:30 p.m., USA Network, PRN Radio), you’ll get to see all of your favorite drivers like Kyle Larson, Chase Elliott, Ryan Blaney, Joey Logano and Denny Hamlin to name a few, racing hard in the Round of 16 to advance in the first elimination race of the Playoffs.

To purchase tickets, please visit www.bristolmotorspeedway.com or call the BMS Ticket Sales Center at (866) 415-4158. Fans can also purchase tickets at any Food City location through Sept. 13.

About Bristol Motor Speedway
Forged amid the scenic mountains of Northeast Tennessee near the Virginia state line, Bristol Motor Speedway is The Last Great Colosseum, a versatile multi-use venue that hosts major auto races, football games, concerts and many other captivating events, including an upcoming Major League Baseball game. The facility features a 0.533-mile concrete oval race track with 28-degree corner banking and 650-feet straightaways that offers racing in several NASCAR touring series, highlighted by two major Cup Series weekends each year. In 2025, the venue will transform into a baseball stadium to host the MLB Speedway Classic featuring the Atlanta Braves vs. the Cincinnati Reds on Aug. 2nd. In 2020, the track also served as host of the prestigious NASCAR All-Star Race, and from 2021-2023 the track converted to a temporary dirt track each spring to take the Cup Series back to its racing roots. While at the track, fans are offered a unique viewing experience courtesy of Colossus TV, the world’s largest outdoor center-hung four-sided video screen with a 540,000-watt audio system. The adjacent quarter-mile dragstrip, Bristol Dragway, offers more than 50 events annually, including the marquee NHRA Super Grip Thunder Valley Nationals. The Thunder Valley Amphitheatre presented by Ballad Health transforms Bristol Dragway into a premier outdoor concert venue for the world’s greatest music performers. Three football games have kicked-off inside the oval, most notably the 2016 Pilot Flying J Battle at Bristol, where border rivals the University of Tennessee and Virginia Tech met before an NCAA-record crowd of 156,990. In existence since 1961, Bristol Motor Speedway was purchased in 1996 by Speedway Motorsports, a leading marketer and promoter of motorsports entertainment in the United States. For more information, please visit www.bristolmotorspeedway.com.

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