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Patrick Woods-Toth Clinches FR Americas Championship with Win in Race 2 at CTMP

By
Official Release
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Photo by Gavin Baker Photography.

BOWMANVILLE, Ontario, Canada (August 31, 2024) – Patrick Woods-Toth clinched the 2024 title for Formula Regional Americas Championship presented by Mosport Karting Centre (FR Americas). Driving to victory lane in Race 2 at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park (CTMP) on Saturday, Woods-Toth once again led from lights to checkers in an all-green race.

Notes of Interest:

  • With just another 75 points available between today’s Race 2 and the final checkered flag of the season, Patrick Woods-Toth needed to leave Canadian Tire Motorsport Park with at least a 50-point lead. After today’s win, the 20-year-old has clinched the 2024 FR Americas championship, making him the first driver in five years to win back-to-back championships in Formula 4 United States Championship (F4 U.S.) and FR Americas.
  • Three drivers have now won back-to-back titles in F4 U.S. and FR Americas – INDYCAR driver Kyle Kirkwood, sportscar racer Dakota Dickerson and Patrick Woods-Toth.
  • Titus Sherlock recorded his seventh podium of the season with his runner-up finish.
  • Jett Bowling stood on the podium for the sixth time this year after finishing third in today’s race.
  • James Lawley recorded a career-best finish in his home country of Canada after finishing fourth in Round 16 on Saturday.
  • With his sixth-place result, Ricco Shlaimoun recorded his career-best finish. Previously, his best finish was seventh, recorded twice at New Jersey Motorsports Park.
  • Another Canadian, Kevin Janzen, tied his career-best finish with his seventh-place result. Previously, Janzen finished seventh in Round 2 at NOLA Motorsports Park during the 2023 season.
  • For the seventh time this season, Crosslink Kiwi Motorsport swept the podium with all three drivers competing for the Dallas-based organization.
  • After setting the fastest lap in yesterday’s race, Woods-Toth (No. 27 Crosslink Kiwi Motorsport Ligier JS F3) led the field down the starting grid and got a clean jump when the lights went out to take control of the race. Titus Sherlock (No. 31 Crosslink Kiwi Motorsport Ligier JS F3) had lined up in second and fell in behind Woods-Toth, with Jett Bowling (No. 02 Crosslink Kiwi Motorsport Ligier JS F3) settling into third, just a few car lengths behind. Behind them, Halifax, Nova Scotia-native James Lawley (No. 77 Kartbahn Racing Ligier JS F3) had climbed to fourth after the fourth- and fifth-place qualifiers Landan Matriano Lim (No. 73 739Racing Ligier JS F3) and Hayden Bowlsbey (No. 22 Save22 Ligier JS F3) were sidelined by mechanical issues. Also climbing in the running order were Ricco Shlaimoun (No. 25 Crosslink Kiwi Motorsport Ligier JS F3), Nicole Havrda (No. 6 Valley Kitchens Ltd / Colonial Countertops Ltd Ligier JS F3) and Kevin Janzen (No. 24 US Power Group / Data Center Solutions Ligier JS F3). Havrda pulled ahead on the initial start to overtake fifth, while Shlaimoun and Janzen engaged in a tight battle just behind her. Janzen initially held the position throughout the first half of the race, but as the clock ticked down, Shlaimoun pulled ahead to overtake sixth and claim his career-best finish.

When they took the checkered flag, Woods-Toth led the field across the finish line, with Sherlock in second and Bowling in third.

“What an amazing feeling, especially here at home with all my family, my friends, all the fans,” said Woods-Toth following the race. “There couldn’t be a better place to finish this off. What a season it’s been; I’m so glad we’ve come away with the championship. We wouldn’t be here without Orlando—Carlo is our number one supporter—so thank you to them, as well as Ron Fellows and his family. Then, of course, I have to thank my Crosslink Kiwi Motorsport team—my mechanic, Glen and my engineer, Steven. We’ve had a great year so far!”

FR Americas wraps up Labor Day weekend at CTMP tomorrow, with Race 3 scheduled for 10:40 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.

DAMS LUCAS OIL SCORE POINTS IN BOTH RACES AT MONZA

By
Barry Albert
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DAMS Lucas Oil showed solid pace as Jak Crawford picked up points in both races in Round 11 of the 2024 FIA Formula 2 Championship at Monza.

Crawford battled into the top-10 from 13th on the grid during an exhilarating Sprint Race, making numerous overtakes to secure sixth, while Juan Manuel Correa finished in 17th.

In Sunday’s Feature Race, Crawford navigated his way through a chaotic start to gain seven places on the opening tour, pitting on Lap 8, just before a Safety Car. The intervention allowed drivers from behind to jump the Aston Martin Driver Development Programme member, although he showed great determination to make his way back through the field to finish ninth.

In the #8 car, Correa was third of the alternate strategy runners, fighting hard with those around him, but retired on Lap 17 with a technical issue.

#7 Jack Crawford

“I’m pleased to score points in both races across the weekend and happy we could turn it around after a tricky Friday. The race pace was strong again, especially on Saturday, allowing me to battle my way up to P6. On Sunday, we got unlucky pitting a lap before the Safety Car, meaning we lost a handful of places, but P9 was still a respectable result.”

Results
Qualifying: 14th
Sprint Race: 6th (+3 points)
Feature Race: 9th (+2 points)

#8 Juan Manuel Correa

“It was a tough weekend from the outset as we’ve been managing a straight-line speed issue. Due to this, the pace wasn’t there and alongside damage suffered in the Feature Race it led to the retirement. I’m hopeful that we can fix this problem before Baku and enjoy a more successful round there.”

Results
Qualifying: 18th
Sprint Race: 17th
Feature Race: DNF

Charles Pic

“I’m happy that we achieved points finishes in both races with Jak, but we know that there are still improvements to be made. Qualifying was tricky, however, Jak showed strong race pace to be in the top-10, and without a poorly timed Safety Car today it could’ve produced an even better finish. With JM, we were managing a straight-line speed issue throughout the round, which affected his performance and with the front-wing damage picked up on Sunday it was safer to retire the car. We’ll analyse and look to come back even stronger for Baku in two weeks time.”

Drivers’ Championship

  1. Isack Hadjar 165
  2. Gabriel Bortoleto 154.5
  3. Zane Maloney 135

-5. Jak Crawford 105
-17. Juan Manuel Correa 31

    Teams’ Championship

    1. Invicta Racing 228.5
    2. Campos Racing 208
    3. MP Motorsport 179.5
    4. Rodin Motorsport 164

    -7. DAMS Lucas Oil 136

    About DAMS
    DAMS is a professional racing team founded in 1988 by Jean-Paul Driot, currently competing in FIA Formula 2, F1’s main feeder series. Ahead of the 2022 season, ex-F1 driver Charles Pic took control of the team. So far, 33 DAMS drivers have reached F1, with many more going on to become professional racing drivers. In its history, DAMS has won 15 drivers’ titles, 16 teams’ championships and has scored over 170 race victories.

    Christopher Bell claims hard-fought victory in Xfinity Series race at Darlington

    By
    Angie Campbell
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    Christopher Bell won Saturday’s NASCAR Xfinity Series Sport Clips Haircuts VFW Help a Hero 200 in an overtime finish at Darlington Raceway.

    He was dominant during the race, starting on the pole and leading 108 laps of 150, but Bell was passed by his Joe Gibbs racing teammate, Sheldon Creed, who led 30 laps. But, with only three laps remaining, a caution came out when AJ Allmendinger hit the outside wall on Lap 143.

    Bell was first off pit road and maintained the lead to score his 19th Xfinity Series victory as Creed finished third due to a slow pit stop.

    “That was wild, for sure,” Bell said. “I thought I was headed nose-first into the inside wall… It’s a tough race track, and off of (Turn) 2, whether you’re on the bottom of the top, it flushes you to the wall, and then you kind of get a little bit of a wiggle coming down.

    “Once again, I feel terrible for Sheldon, to essentially win the race on the long run there and then lose it on pit road. It’s a big bummer … It seemed like our car was really good on the short runs. Obviously, the 18, Sheldon, was really good on the long runs.

    “Unfortunately for him, the race played out differently, and fortunately for us, we got another shot at it.”

    Creed was understandably disappointed.

    “I lost one the same way a few years ago here,” he said. “This has been a really good place for me. I’ve always loved racing here. Man, I don’t know if we could be any better than that.

    “I felt like I put in one of my best performances today, man, it’s a bummer. I’m so proud of everyone at Joe Gibbs Racing on this 18 team. I took a chance on myself and brought all the money we could. I’m literally not even making a dollar this year.”

    Cole Custer finished in second place, Chase Elliott was third and Sammy Smith rounded out the top 5. Jesse Love, Shane van Gisbergen, Chandler Smith, Austin Hill and Justin Allgaier finished in the top 10.

    The Xfinity Series heads to Atlanta Motor Speedway next Saturday for the Focused Health 250 at 3 p.m. ET on USA Network with radio coverage provided by PRN Radio and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.

    Mixed Results for Silver Hare Racing at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park

    By
    Official Release
    -

    Solid Sixth-Place Finish for Jake Drew; Rear-End Issue Ends Boris Said Jr.’s Day

    Overview:
    Date: Aug. 31, 2024
    Event: CTMP SpeedTour (Round 10 of 12)
    Series: Trans Am Series presented by Pirelli
    Division: Cube 3 Architecture TA2 Series
    Location: Canadian Tire Motorsport Park in Bowmanville, Ontario
    Layout: 2.459-mile, 10-turn road course
    Format: 41 laps or 75 minutes
    Weather: Sunny, mid-70s
    TA2 Winner: Rafa Matos

    Silver Hare Racing:

    ● Jake Drew – Started 8th, Finished 6th (Running, completed 41/41 laps)
    ● Boris Said Jr. – Started 10th, Finished 12th (Rear end, completed 18/41 laps)

    Noteworthy:

    ● Drew’s sixth-place finish was his seventh top-six in nine races this season.

    Jake Drew, Driver, No. 7 Silver Hare Racing/Franklin Road Apparel Chevrolet Camaro:

    “This track tested all of us, for sure. We all worked really, really hard to find some speed. We came out of the gates really good on Thursday and just kind of seemed to lose touch with some of the cars out there on Friday. Looking at the times we were running during the race, it looked like the speed was there by the end of it. But starting where we did and not many opportunities to pass, it made it difficult to fight our way up there. Nonetheless, it was a good race. It seemed like fourth through about seventh or eighth we were all stacked right on top of each other the whole time. I want to thank Laura and Maurice (Hull) and the whole Silver Hare team, Nik Middleton at Cube 3 Architecture, and Ken Thwaits with Franklin Road Apparel for making everything happen, and of course my family and friends and this whole crew for all the hard work and support and everything else that goes with living this dream. Now we get a little break, get a little reset, and we’ll have two more chances.”

    Boris Said Jr., Driver, No. 75 HendrickCars.com/Silver Hare Racing Chevrolet Camaro:

    “I really like this racetrack. I was really looking forward to coming here and it was a blast to get to learn it in practice and qualifying. Obviously disappointed the rear-end issue ended our day so early in the race. But it is what it is. The team worked really hard to give us a solid HendrickCars.com Chevrolet that would work for us on the long run. But things happen and we’ll learn from it and move on to the next one.”

    Laura Hull, Co-Owner, Team Manager, Silver Hare Racing:

    “First, I want to thank all the fans here at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park. I can’t believe all the people from Canada who came out to watch us race. The fans are friendly and I’ve got to say everybody’s been extraordinarily nice. We really appreciate that. It was a little frustrating. There are some teams that showed some incredible speed, and we did all we could to bring good, clean, fair cars to run. We may have missed the setup a little bit. We were plagued by rear-end issues in Boris Said Jr.’s car but he gave it every effort that he could. Jake Drew drove probably one of the best races he has all season. Toward the end, his car was coming in and he was running some of the fastest laps of the race. We’re very proud of him.”

    Next Up:

    Next up for the 2024 Cube 3 Architecture TA2 Series competitors is the VIR SpeedTour, round 11 of 12 on the season set for Oct. 3-5 at High Point, North Carolina-based Silver Hare Racing’s home track, Virginia International Raceway in Alton. The three-day weekend kicks off with a pair of TA2 test sessions Thursday (Oct. 3) at 12:20 and 4:20 p.m., EDT. Official TA2 practice is set for 11 a.m. Friday (Oct. 4), followed by TA2 qualifying at 4:30 p.m. Race time Saturday (Oct. 5) for the 31-lap, 75-minute race around the 3.27-mile, 17-turn circuit is 12:35 p.m. Series partner MAVTV will provide live television coverage augmented via live video stream on the Trans Am channel on YouTube.

    About Silver Hare Racing:

    Silver Hare Racing is a fulltime competitor in the Trans Am Series presented by Pirelli’s Cube 3 Architecture TA2 Series. The multicar team has won the TA2 Masters class championship three times (2018, 2019 and 2020) with driver and team co-owner Maurice Hull. Under the leadership of Hull’s wife, co-owner and team manager Laura Hull, Silver Hare Racing provides a variety of services that includes private testing and arrive-and-drive programs. The team offers six professionally built and maintained TA2 chassis from Howe Racing and operates from a state-of-the-art facility in High Point, North Carolina. For more information, call 336-870-5151, or visit SilverHareRacing.com.

    ASHLEY, TODD, GLENN & HALL WIN FINAL MISSION #2FAST2TASTY CHALLENGE OF SEASON IN INDY

    By
    Official Release
    -

    Ashley, Prock, Enders and Herrera claim season-long titles in bonus race

    INDIANAPOLIS (Aug. 31, 2024) – Justin Ashley picked up his fourth victory in the Mission #2Fast2Tasty NHRA Challenge on Saturday at Lucas Oil Indianapolis Raceway Park, defeating Ida Zetterstrom in the Top Fuel final of the bonus race as part of this weekend’s 70th annual Toyota NHRA U.S. Nationals.

    J.R. Todd (Funny Car), Dallas Glenn (Pro Stock) and John Hall (Pro Stock Motorcycle) also won the final Mission #2Fast2Tasty Challenge at the 14th of 20 races during the 2024 NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series season.

    In the final round against Zetterstrom, Ashley went 4.085-seconds at 260.01 mph in his 11,000-horsepower Scag Power Equipment/Toyota dragster, also clinching the overall season title in the bonus race for a second straight year. Ashley has enjoyed a stellar 10 wins in the Mission #2Fast2Tasty Challenge over the past two seasons, earning 13 bonus points for the Countdown to the Championship playoffs this year.

    “We feel good. We take the Mission Foods Challenge very seriously,” Ashley said. “It’s important for a number of reasons. Obviously, we want to run well because it’s a part of qualifying and help position ourselves well for raceday, but it’s also points that are going to be added on before the Countdown starts, which is super important to us.

    “Anything that we could win, we want to see win lights whether it’s the Mission Challenge or even in qualifying then of course on raceday. I’m super happy for the team, happy for the guys and everybody at Scag Power Equipment. We’ll enjoy it, but then we have to shift our focus to tomorrow.”

    Funny Car’s J.R. Todd made the first step in what he hopes is a huge weekend, getting his third Mission #2Fast2Tasty Challenge win of the year after defeating Chad Green in the final round with a run of 3.953 at 325.22 in his 11,000-horsepower DHL Toyota GR Supra. Todd is also in the Pep Boys Funny Car All-Star Callout on Sunday, giving the former world champion a rare opportunity to win three times in one weekend.

    “We have to thank Mission Foods for allowing us to have the opportunity to race for those bonus points – they’ll come in handy when the Countdown comes around,” Todd said. “We’re already spotting (Austin) Prock over a full round with all the points that he’s racked up, so it’s nice to add to our reset, whatever that may be after Monday. Hopefully, we can put ourselves in a good position to maybe finish second in the regular season going into the Countdown and see where we stack up.”

    Prock was the dominant overall champion of the bonus race thanks to an incredible seven victories this year. In the two-year existence of the Mission #2Fast2Tasty Challenge, it’s the most wins anyone has picked up in a single season, giving Prock a whopping 23 bonus points for the playoffs.

    In Pro Stock, Dallas Glenn claimed his second Mission #2Fast2Tasty victory of the year, going 6.621 at 206.83 in his RAD Torque Systems Chevrolet Camaro, defeating a red-lighting Mason McGaha in the final round of the bonus race. Glenn has enjoyed a strong season in the bonus race and the points leader in the category will also take 12 bonus points into the Countdown to the Championship playoffs.

    “This feels good. I don’t have the greatest track record in these bonus races, so it was good to seal another #2Fast2Tasty win,” Glenn said. “I think we have good momentum going into raceday even though we have another day of qualifying ahead of us. It’s going to be pretty interesting.

    “We’re figuring stuff out, we’re getting better, I’m getting the car figured out better and trying to cut better lights. I had a great light against Aaron first round, and If I was .017 on the tree I would have lost. We’re coming into a stride right at the right time.”

    Erica Enders won the overall Mission #2Fast2Tasty Challenge championship in the category on the strength of three wins and two runner-up finishes in the bonus race. She’ll take 13 bonus points into the Countdown to the Championship.

    Pro Stock Motorcycle’s John Hall earned his first-ever win in the Mission #2Fast2Tasty Challenge on Saturday, getting the victory when teammate Matt Smith went red in the final round of the bonus race. Hall, a former U.S. Nationals winner, has come on strong at the right time on his Denso Auto Parts Buell, making a pair of impressive runs on Saturday.

    “Today was a great day. I honestly didn’t know what to expect because we didn’t get to make a run on Friday night,” Hall said. “Normally, missing the first run wouldn’t be a big deal but when you have to go right into the Mission Challenge, you don’t know what the bike will run or what kind of a light you’ll have. I did just fine in the first run with a .011 light and I’m not sure what happened in the second, but I have to thank Matt for going red because I was way off.”

    Gaige Herrera claimed the overall title in the category, slipping past Matt Smith on a tiebreaker. Both standouts finished with 12 bonus points for the playoffs, but Herrera won the tiebreaker by virtue of his three overall Challenge wins to Smith’s two.

    Final qualifying begins at 12 p.m. ET on Sunday at the Toyota NHRA U.S. Nationals at Lucas Oil Indianapolis Raceway Park.

    INDIANAPOLIS — Saturday’s Mission #2Fast2Tasty NHRA Challenge final results from the 70th annual Toyota NHRA U.S. Nationals at Lucas Oil Indianapolis Raceway Park.

    Top Fuel Challenge — Justin Ashley, 4.085 seconds, 260.01 mph def. Ida Zetterstrom, 4.541 seconds, 171.55 mph.

    Funny Car Challenge — J.R. Todd, Toyota GR Supra, 3.953, 325.22 def. Chad Green, Ford Mustang, 4.151, 301.87.

    Pro Stock Challenge — Dallas Glenn, Chevy Camaro, 6.621, 206.83 def. Mason McGaha, Camaro, Foul – Red Light.

    Pro Stock Motorcycle Challenge — John Hall, Buell, 6.846, 198.09 def. Matt Smith, Buell, Foul – Red Light.

    INDIANAPOLIS — Final Mission #2Fast2Tasty NHRA Challenge round-by-round results from the 70th annual Toyota NHRA U.S. Nationals at Lucas Oil Indianapolis Raceway Park.

    MISSION #2FAST2TASTY NHRA TOP FUEL CHALLENGE:

    ROUND ONE — Ida Zetterstrom, 3.776, 327.51 def. Shawn Langdon, 3.849, 284.87; Justin Ashley, 3.738, 332.84 def. Josh Hart, 4.482, 174.48;

    FINAL — J. Ashley, 4.085, 260.01 def. I. Zetterstrom, 4.541, 171.55.

    MISSION #2FAST2TASTY NHRA FUNNY CAR CHALLENGE:

    ROUND ONE — Chad Green, Ford Mustang, 4.090, 283.85 def. Blake Alexander, Mustang, 4.262, 212.36; J.R. Todd, Toyota GR Supra, 3.918, 323.12 def. Matt Hagan, Dodge Charger, 3.918, 329.50;

    FINAL — J. Todd, 3.953, 325.22 def. C. Green, 4.151, 301.87.

    MISSION #2FAST2TASTY NHRA PRO STOCK CHALLENGE:

    ROUND ONE — Mason McGaha, Chevy Camaro, 6.616, 206.39 def. Fernando Cuadra Jr., Camaro, 6.616, 205.51; Dallas Glenn, Camaro, 6.609, 206.92 def. Aaron Stanfield, Camaro, 6.601, 206.23;

    FINAL — D. Glenn, 6.621, 206.83 def. M. McGaha, Foul – Red Light.

    MISSION #2FAST2TASTY NHRA PRO STOCK MOTORCYCLE CHALLENGE:

    ROUND ONE — John Hall, 6.830, 198.76 def. Hector Arana Jr, Foul – Red Light; Matt Smith, Buell, 6.836, 199.35 def. Jianna Evaristo, Buell, 6.856, 199.29;

    FINAL — J. Hall, 6.846, 198.09 def. M. Smith, Foul – Red Light.

    PROCK, FORCE, ANDERSON & HALL LEAD THE WAY AT TOYOTA NHRA U.S. NATIONALS

    By
    Official Release
    -

    INDIANAPOLIS (Aug. 31, 2024) – Funny Car’s Austin Prock moved into the No. 1 position on Saturday at Lucas Oil Indianapolis Raceway Park, taking over the provisional top spot at the 70th annual Toyota NHRA U.S. Nationals.

    Brittany Force (Top Fuel), Greg Anderson (Pro Stock) and John Hall (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.

    Prock made the quickest run in both qualifying sessions, including a weekend-best run of 3.855-seconds at 328.38 mph in his 11,000-horsepower Cornwell Tools Chevrolet Camaro SS. If that holds, Prock, who is looking to win for the first time at the U.S. Nationals, would pick up his 10th No. 1 qualifier of the season in the first 14 races of the 2024 season.

    “It’s been an outstanding weekend so far,” Prock said. “Everybody has just been having fun in this Cornwell Tools pit this weekend and I feel like we have a good attitude about the U.S. Nationals and going into the playoffs. It’s been an exciting weekend so far, and to lock up that Mission #2Fast2Tasty Championship says a lot about this race team and how consistent this racecar is with the job that they’re doing.

    “Through life you have your ups and downs, but after (Brainerd), I feel like I have a brand new attitude and new mindset that can’t be shook. I’ve been annihilating the Christmas Tree this weekend which makes me feel really good and the hard work that I’ve been putting in is paying off. It’s a great start to the weekend. I’m just so proud of my family and this whole Cornwell Tools team and all of John Force Racing. We’ve been outstanding all weekend, all three racecars are just flying and it’s a great time to be doing it.”

    Bob Tasca took over the second spot with a 3.871 at 336.23 and Jack Beckman is in third after going 3.877 at 329.10.

    Selections were also made for the opening round of the Pep Boys Funny Car All-Star Callout. Top seed Tasca selected Cruz Pedregon, while Ron Capps picked Paul Lee and Matt Hagan chose Alexis DeJoria, setting J.R. Todd and Chad Green as the final first-round matchup.

    After a strong start to her weekend, Top Fuel’s Brittany Force enjoyed another standout day, improving on Friday’s time and staying as the provisional No. 1 qualifier with a run of 3.693 at 333.08 in her 11,000-horsepower Chevrolet Accessories dragster. Needing a big weekend after coming into Indy 10th in points, Force has done that so far, accumulating some much-needed qualifying bonus points in the process. She remains in prime position to pick up her second top qualifier of the season and the 48th in her career.

    “There is a lot on the line this weekend, so to be able to improve and step up – our No. 1 spot was taken from us in Q2, and we knew we had to step it up. That was already David Grubnic’s plan, so to go from a .74 to a .69 was pretty awesome for this team,” Force said. “We’re very proud of that and very happy. We’re moving ahead, and we’re going to try to grasp as many points as we can get.

    “The momentum is building for the entire team. We’re excited to be here, it’s the biggest race of the season. We’re sitting 10th and there is so much coming this weekend, so much pressure, but having three good runs down the racetrack really amps us up that much more. We’re excited to be here, but we’re waiting to get to Monday.”

    Tony Stewart made a strong improvement as well, racing to the second spot with a pass of 3.707 at 331.04, while T.J. Zizzo is third with a 3.716 at 332.67.

    Greg Anderson believed there was more in his car and that proved to be true on Saturday at Lucas Oil Indianapolis Raceway Park, making a major improvement with a run of 6.588 at 206.20 in his HendrickCars.com Chevrolet Camaro. He stays in the No. 1 spot for a second straight day and there was plenty for the five-time champion to like. Anderson, who has won the U.S. Nationals seven times, made the quickest run during both sessions on Saturday, putting him on a strong path to collect his fifth No. 1 qualifier of the season.

    “I knew if we didn’t do something like that, we wouldn’t be No. 1,” Anderson said. “The guys did a fantastic job. My car was No. 1 to 60-foot, I didn’t quite expect that, and that’s what got us the provisional pole. Everything has to go perfect for you to get a No. 1 spot and win rounds anymore. We did a great job but we’re only halfway through the weekend, still have another whole day of qualifying left and it looks like tomorrow is going to be a tick better again.

    “The pole is not safe. You’ll have to find a way to do a better job again. They’re all nipping at my heels, without a doubt, and anybody can get that pole. There are a lot of people capable of taking it, so we’ll have to give it all we’ve got and try to be perfect. We’re three for three so far, it’ll be quite a feather in the cap if we can go five for five in qualifying and bring momentum into Monday.”

    Erica Enders remained in second, improving to a 6.592 at 207.11, while Jerry Tucker nearly dipped into the 6.50s as well, moving to third with a 6.600 at 207.59.

    In Pro Stock Motorcycle, Matt Smith Racing continued to have a strong weekend at Indy, with John Hall making a big move to the No. 1 position with a run of 6.830 at 198.76 on his Denso Auto Parts Buell. Hall made the best run of both sessions on Saturday, putting him in a great position to earn his first career No. 1 qualifier. Hall is a previous U.S. Nationals winner and knows full well what success at this race means.

    “In this weather, I think a 6.83 is pretty good,” Hall said. “Normally, the Friday run would have been the best, but it was hot yesterday, so we had an opportunity to pick up today. I was in a similar spot in 2013 but this time I have more confidence than ever and that’s the No. 1 thing you can have. This is the biggest race of the year and the one you really want. We want to win all of them, but this is the one that sticks with you for life. I was fortunate to win once but I’d love to have two.”

    Matt Smith is currently second after going 6.836 at 199.35, while points leader Gaige Herrera moved up to third thanks to a 6.850 at 196.64.

    Final qualifying begins at 12 p.m. ET on Sunday at the Toyota NHRA U.S. Nationals at Lucas Oil Indianapolis Raceway Park.

    INDIANAPOLIS — Saturday’s results after the first three 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 Sunday for Monday’s final eliminations.

    Top Fuel — 1. Brittany Force, 3.693 seconds, 333.08 mph; 2. Tony Stewart, 3.707, 331.04; 3. T.J. Zizzo, 3.716, 332.67; 4. Antron Brown, 3.723, 331.94; 5. Tripp Tatum, 3.729, 328.54; 6. Steve Torrence, 3.736, 332.84; 7. Justin Ashley, 3.738, 332.84; 8. Tony Schumacher, 3.739, 326.32; 9. Shawn Reed, 3.755, 325.53; 10. Dan Mercier, 3.763, 319.75; 11. Billy Torrence, 3.764, 332.34; 12. Josh Hart, 3.772, 326.63; 13. Clay Millican, 3.774, 331.12; 14. Ida Zetterstrom, 3.776, 327.51; 15. Doug Foley, 3.776, 313.80; 16. Jasmine Salinas, 3.814, 317.64. Not Qualified: 17. Doug Kalitta, 3.823, 317.34; 18. Shawn Langdon, 3.849, 284.87; 19. Krista Baldwin, 3.863, 285.29; 20. Lex Joon, 3.927, 313.95.

    Funny Car — 1. Austin Prock, Chevy Camaro, 3.855, 328.38; 2. Bob Tasca III, Ford Mustang, 3.871, 336.23; 3. Jack Beckman, Camaro, 3.877, 329.10; 4. Blake Alexander, Mustang, 3.890, 327.82; 5. Cruz Pedregon, Dodge Charger, 3.901, 325.53; 6. Ron Capps, Toyota GR Supra, 3.901, 313.37; 7. Alexis DeJoria, GR Supra, 3.911, 323.50; 8. Matt Hagan, Charger, 3.918, 329.50; 9. J.R. Todd, GR Supra, 3.918, 323.12; 10. Paul Lee, Charger, 3.931, 315.49; 11. Bobby Bode, Mustang, 3.986, 292.58; 12. Daniel Wilkerson, Mustang, 3.987, 324.75; 13. Chad Green, Mustang, 4.025, 300.00; 14. Dale Creasy Jr., Charger, 4.055, 315.27; 15. Chris King, Charger, 4.079, 302.21; 16. Buddy Hull, Charger, 4.093, 313.51. Not Qualified: 17. Dave Richards, 4.105, 297.94; 18. Justin Schriefer, 6.801, 99.59.

    Pro Stock — 1. Greg Anderson, Chevy Camaro, 6.588, 206.20; 2. Erica Enders, Camaro, 6.592, 207.11; 3. Jerry Tucker, Camaro, 6.600, 207.59; 4. Aaron Stanfield, Camaro, 6.601, 206.23; 5. David Cuadra, Camaro, 6.607, 207.24; 6. Dallas Glenn, Camaro, 6.609, 206.92; 7. Mason McGaha, Camaro, 6.616, 206.39; 8. Fernando Cuadra Jr., Camaro, 6.616, 205.51; 9. Jeg Coughlin, Camaro, 6.619, 207.56; 10. Matt Hartford, Camaro, 6.623, 205.94; 11. Sienna Wildgust, Camaro, 6.625, 205.88; 12. Cory Reed, Camaro, 6.627, 205.91; 13. Camrie Caruso, Camaro, 6.628, 205.72; 14. Cristian Cuadra, Ford Mustang, 6.630, 205.76; 15. Troy Coughlin Jr., Camaro, 6.639, 207.40; 16. Deric Kramer, Camaro, 6.640, 205.13. Not Qualified: 17. Eric Latino, 6.652, 206.04; 18. Derrick Reese, 6.668, 206.54; 19. Larry Morgan, 6.670, 206.67; 20. Chris McGaha, 6.671, 206.32; 21. Kenny Delco, 6.705, 205.76.

    Pro Stock Motorcycle — 1. John Hall, Beull, 6.830, 198.76; 2. Matt Smith, Buell, 6.836, 199.35; 3. Gaige Herrera, Suzuki, 6.850, 196.64; 4. Jianna Evaristo, Buell, 6.856, 199.29; 5. Angie Smith, Buell, 6.859, 197.94; 6. Hector Arana Jr, EBR, 6.878, 196.62; 7. Richard Gadson, Suzuki, 6.887, 195.45; 8. Chase Van Sant, Suzuki, 6.912, 195.90; 9. Kelly Clontz, Suzuki, 6.935, 194.60; 10. Chris Bostick, Suzuki, 6.944, 195.34; 11. Steve Johnson, Suzuki, 6.963, 192.36; 12. Geno Scali, Suzuki, 6.998, 193.54; 13. Ryan Oehler, EBR, 7.008, 191.59; 14. Marc Ingwersen, EBR, 7.012, 191.73; 15. Ron Tornow, Victory, 7.058, 190.46; 16. Wesley Wells, Suzuki, 7.479, 178.90.

    Toyota Racing – NXS Darlington Post-Race Report – 08.31.24

    By
    Official Release
    -

    BELL SCORES XFINITY SERIES WIN AT DARLINGTON
    Leads Race-High 108 Laps En Route to Second NXS Win this Season

    DARLINGTON, S.C. (August 31, 2024) – Christopher Bell won Saturday’s NASCAR Xfinity Series (NXS) race from the pole at Darlington Raceway after leading a race-high 108 laps (of 150) in the Joe Gibbs Racing No. 20 GR Supra. Joe Gibbs Racing teammate Sheldon Creed passed Bell late in the race and was leading before a caution came out with three laps to go. Bell won the race off pit road, battling competitors in the overtime finish to earn his 19th Xfinity Series victory and the second this season. Creed led 30 laps in Saturday’s race at Darlington to earn his 11th top-five of the year.

    Chandler Smith also finished in the top-10 for Toyota with a ninth-place result in the JGR No. 81 GR Supra.

    Toyota Racing Post-Race Recap
    NASCAR Xfinity Series
    Darlington Raceway
    Race 23 of 33 – 200.802 Miles, 147 Laps

    TOYOTA FINISHING POSITIONS
    1st, CHRISTOPHER BELL
    2nd, Cole Custer*
    3rd, SHELDON CREED
    4th, Chase Elliott*
    5th, Sammy Smith*
    8th, CHANDLER SMITH
    11th, JOE GRAF JR.
    25th, COREY HEIM
    *non-Toyota driver

    TOYOTA QUOTES

    CHRISTOPHER BELL, No. 20 Sport Clips Haircuts Toyota GR Supra, Joe Gibbs Racing

    Finishing Position: 1st

    How did you keep your car in line after the contact with Cole Custer?

    “I don’t know. I need to see a replay of it. That was wild for sure. Darlington is just such a tough race track and off of (turn) two whether you’re on the bottom or the top, it like flushes you toward the wall and you kind of get a wiggle coming down. Once again, I feel terrible for Sheldon (Creed) to essentially win the race. He passed me on the long run there and then then to lose the lead on pit road is a big bummer. Really, really happy to win in this Sport Clips Supra. Tyler Allen (crew chief), what can I say, man. He’s been killing it this year and I’m just lucky I get to drive for him.”

    How rewarding is the win today knowing all you had to overcome today?

    “Yeah, I don’t know. It seemed like our car was really good on the short run. Obviously, the 18 (Sheldon Creed) was really good on the long run. Unfortunately, for him, the race played out differently and fortunately for us we got another shot at it.”

    How important was that final pit stop?

    “Those guys won us the race and without them I’m not going to win the race so thank you to the pit crew as well.”

    Did your pit crew win this race for the 20 team today?

    “Yeah, this one is on the pit crew. Those guys did amazing all day long. Just kept us in the game and then obviously kept us in position with the lead there on that last pit stop. You win some, you lose some and I’m glad we won it that way.”

    How technical of a race was it today?

    “It’s Darlington. You’ve got to really drift the car around this place. I might have been drifting a bit too much today, but this thing was really good on the short run and a little bit loose on the long run. That’s what it’s all about. It was a lot of fun.”

    What’s the biggest thing you learn from a run like today for tomorrow’s Southern 500?

    “Take care of the car and be there at the end, that’s for sure. You’re never out of it until the checkered flag falls.”

    SHELDON CREED, No. 18 Friends of Jaclyn Foundation Toyota GR Supra, Joe Gibbs Racing

    Finishing Position: 3rd

    You’re shaking your head. You can’t believe it, can you?

    “No. I lost one the same way a few years ago here. Just this has always been a really good place for me. I’ve always loved racing here. Just, man, I don’t know what to do to be any better than that. I felt like I put in one of my best performances today. I love my pit crew, and they do a great job for us. I can’t blame that on them, we just got beat on pit road today so bummer.”

    About Toyota

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

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

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

    Cole Custer Finishes 2nd to Pace Ford at Darlington (NXS Post Race Quotes)

    By
    Official Release
    -

    Ford Performance Notes and Quotes
    NASCAR Xfinity Series
    Sport Clips Haircuts VFW Help A Hero 200 | Darlington Raceway
    Saturday, August 31, 2024

    FORD FINISHING RESULTS (UNOFFICIAL)
    2nd – Cole Custer
    15th – Noah Gragson
    18th – Ryan Sieg
    19th – Matt DiBenedetto
    22nd – Kyle Sieg
    33rd – Chad Finchum
    34th – Blaine Perkins
    35th – Riley Herbst
    38th – Joey Logano

    COLE CUSTER, No. 00 Haas Automation Ford Mustang Dark Horse (Finished 2nd)

    DESCRIBE THAT OVERTIME RESTART BETWEEN YOU AND CHRISTOPHER BELL: “We were both going for it. We were just trying to carry as much throttle as possible, and Christopher had the momentum there. I need to see a replay of the exit of Turn 2. It just got tight. I don’t know if he came down or if I came up, but that was just hard racing. I am so proud of our team. We were in trouble after qualifying 21st, so for us to get this Haas Automation Ford Mustang in second place and really have a car so good throughout the day means a lot to what this team can do.”

    YOU GUYS GOT TOGETHER THERE: “Yeah, it was just really tight racing. It is always fun to race with Christopher. We were both just trying to stay in the throttle off of Turn 2. I couldn’t tell if he came down or I came up a little bit. it was a hard decision to make because he was coming down and I didn’t know if I should lift or stay in it and let him wreck himself. I think if I had stayed in it, I would have wrecked myself. It was a great race by everyone on our team. To come from 21st to second is a huge accomplishment. I can’t thank everyone enough, especially the pit crew. The pit crew did a great job.”

    HOW DO YOU CHARACTERIZE YOUR DAY IN TERMS OF HOW YOU WERE ABLE TO COME UP THROUGH THE FIELD AND MAKE A GO OF IT? “It is a testament to what this team is. We really put a good day together. We were really confused and in trouble after qualifying but we looked at all the notes and figured out how to make it better and we did a great job coming back.”

    Dominant Foster Wins at Milwaukee To Clinch Championship

    By
    Official Release
    -

    WEST ALLIS, Wis. (Saturday, Aug. 31, 2024) – Louis Foster left no doubt, clinching the INDY NXT by Firestone championship with his series-leading seventh victory of the season Saturday at the Milwaukee Mile.

    Foster, 21, from Odiham, England, locked up the title for Andretti Global in the INDYCAR development series with one race to spare. His seventh win of 2024 was the most by any driver in INDY NXT since current NTT INDYCAR SERIES star Kyle Kirkwood won a series record-tying 10 races en route to the title in 2021, the last championship for Andretti Global.

    “It’s amazing,” second-year INDY NXT driver Foster said. “I’m just speechless. I’ve got to thank the team. They’ve been behind me the last two years. Massive thanks to everyone on the 26 crew, my sponsors. It’s been a crazy two years, and I’m super happy to cap it with a win.”

    Foster started from the pole and led all 90 laps in the No. 26 Copart/Novara Technologies car fielded by Andretti Global, beating Jacob Abel in the No. 51 Abel Construction machine of Abel Motorsports to the finish by 4.3602 seconds. Salvador de Alba Jr. finished third in the No. 2 Grupo Indi entry of Andretti Cape INDY NXT, his second podium result of his rookie season.

    Bryce Aron placed fourth in the No. 27 Jaguar Land Rover Chesterfield car of Andretti Global. Jamie Chadwick was fifth in the No. 28 VEXT machine as Andretti Global and its partner teams put four drivers in the top five at the checkered flag.

    Foster needed to finish only sixth or better to seal the title and a financial benefits package to aid in the advancement to the NTT INDYCAR SERIES, but he never looked back from the green flag. Abel, who entered this race 79 points behind in second, fell from second to sixth at the start after contact from other cars in Turn 1, effectively ending his faint title hopes.

    Abel still fought back from the early trouble to pass de Alba for second place with an outside move in Turn 1 with three laps remaining. He is 93 points behind champion Foster with just the Music City Grand Prix on Sunday, Sept. 15 at Nashville Superspeedway remaining this season.

    There was no such drama for Foster.

    He held steady with a lead of about a second over teammate Chadwick for the first 35 laps of the race, including pulling away from her on the only restart, on Lap 33. Foster then expanded that margin to 1.5 seconds over de Alba with 30 laps remaining.

    About the only tricky trap that Foster needed to escape was lapped traffic for the last 15 trips around the historic oval, where the series was racing for the first time since 2015. But he navigated the slower cars with ease and strutted to victory over the final 10 laps.

    Caio Collet finished ninth in the No. 18 HMD Motorsports entry, but that was enough to clinch third in the standings and honors as the top-finishing rookie in the series this season.

    INDY NXT by Firestone at Milwaukee Mile Race Results

    WEST ALLIS, Wis – Results Saturday of the INDY NXT by Firestone at Milwaukee Mile INDY NXT by Firestone event on the 1.015-mile Milwaukee Mile, with order of finish, starting position in parentheses, driver, laps completed and reason out (if any):

    1. (1) Louis Foster, 90, Running
    2. (2) Jacob Abel, 90, Running
    3. (6) Salvador de Alba Jr, 90, Running
    4. (7) Bryce Aron, 90, Running
    5. (3) Jamie Chadwick, 90, Running
    6. (8) James Roe, 90, Running
    7. (9) Yuven Sundaramoorthy, 90, Running
    8. (5) Caio Collet, 90, Running
    9. (14) Jonathan Browne, 90, Running
    10. (4) Christian Brooks, 90, Running
    11. (10) Callum Hedge, 89, Running
    12. (12) Josh Pierson, 89, Running
    13. (18) Ricardo Escotto, 89, Running
    14. (11) Christian Bogle, 89, Running
    15. (15) Myles Rowe, 88, Running
    16. (13) Jack William Miller, 14, Mechanical
    17. (16) Reece Gold, 0, Did not start
    18. (17) Taylor Ferns, 0 Did not start

    Race Statistics
    Winner’s average speed: 133.375 mph
    Time of Race: 00:41:05.6760
    Margin of victory: 4.3602 seconds
    Cautions: 1 for 3 laps
    Lead changes: 0
    Lap Leaders: Foster, Louis 1 – 90

    Toyota Racing – NCS Darlington Pole Quotes – Bubba Wallace – 08.31.24

    By
    Official Release
    -

    Toyota Racing – Bubba Wallace
    NASCAR Cup Series Quotes

    DARLINGTON, S.C. (August 31, 2024) – 23XI Racing driver Bubba Wallace was made available to the media on Saturday after winning the pole for Sunday’s NASCAR Cup Series Southern 500 race at Darlington Raceway.

    BUBBA WALLACE, No. 23 U.S. Air Force Toyota Camry XSE, 23XI Racing

    How much confidence do you have for tomorrow’s race after getting the pole for Sunday’s Southern 500?

    “Yeah, you look at us coming in and being on the bubble – 21 points out with a ton of pressure and I think the pressure just switched. We’re not here to mess around. I showed up with a more open and calmer demeanor – more free and relaxing demeanor, but at the same time I don’t want to be messed with. So, it’s a fine balance you’re got to walk. I appreciate the team. We unloaded – we did some changes to the car in the spring race, and it just wouldn’t give me the right read going into qualifying. So, I told Booty (Barker, crew chief), ‘Hey, I need to be this to have a good qualifying run’ and here we are. Just everybody on the 23 car and everybody back at AirSpeed. Both cars just showing up with speed at Darlington for the Southern 500 is super cool. I’ve been close here I think once or twice in qualifying, so to finally pull it out, it’s like ‘Wow! We’ve got it!’ With all that being said, the elephant in the room — tomorrow is a whole different day and I’m excited to see what tomorrow offers.”

    What kind of confidence does checking the first box give you to having a good run to make the Playoffs?

    “Yeah, for sure. To be honest with you, I was pretty mad after practice and not being on top. I set the expectations pretty high, and we were sixth and I was like ‘God almighty! Alright, I wanted to make a statement,’ and I didn’t do that. So, I had to make that up in qualifying. It’s good to be where we’re at. It’s so hard at this level, right? 17, I don’t know where he qualified – he’s top 10. But there’s no free lunch. That’s one of Bootie’s (Barker, crew chief) many sayings – one of his favorites. Everything you do, there’s no free lunch. There’s nothing guaranteed on the other side. I’ve said this a couple weeks ago after Richmond, it’s going to be a dog fight to the very end. And I think that’s what makes us drivers all great is we’re excited to show up and compete and put it all on the line for our team, our sponsors, our people that work on these cars. We get to do that tomorrow here in Darlington. Yeah, the confidence is there. I get to get humbled here in next few hours going back to racing Legends cars here against Keelan (Harvick). So, yeah, I’ll tell him I got a Southern 500 pole, and he doesn’t.”

    Is there a rhythm here that you’ve started to pick-up on here?

    “Hell no. I pounded it off the fence in round one and two. It just so happened to work. Where we’re at now is so data driven. Denny (Hamlin) talks about that a lot. How much we dive into data. It took me a while just to get onboard with that, but knowing how much vital information there is inside of all that data – now you can get a little too much into the weeds and so you’ve got to pick and choose. We’ve been really good here in qualifying and we’ve also given up a really good race car trying too hard from what I’m hearing from data and just not getting back to the basics. So today, I’ve determined that Darlington is probably one of the, if not the hardest places to qualify. Just the way you have to approach practice to the qualifying trim, it’s totally different. For example, Kansas the first couple laps in practice you’re damn near wide open. In qualifying, you’re wide open, so it’s close. Here you’re finessing and practicing and then hey, good luck. It all goes back to JR and our analytics group. They do a really good job of feeding us the right information that translates to on-track performance.”

    What was the battle between the head and the throttle pedal there?

    “So, I’m sitting there, and I remember coming here a year ago, right and we were pretty good in practice and JR is like, ‘Hey, you need to be deeper on entry.’ And I’m like, okay, and I went out in qualifying, and I said, ‘Here’s deeper’ and we were 18th or whatever and that’s not what I meant. You have to understand, and you have to dive into what that actually means. We came here in the spring and my car was okay and I made a move to the bottom in (turns) three and four – not the bottom but the middle and that gave up our pole time. So, here we had a goal to make sure you run the fence in (turns) three and four and right before qualifying I looked over an email with our analytics stuff and I said, ‘Okay, I got on the gas right here in the spring so I’m going to do that.’ It’s a little bit hotter. Track temps up, grip’s not like it is in the spring, and it caught me by surprise. It’s tough. It’s tough to go out – I mean, (Kyle) Larson ran a 43 or 44. I don’t know – it was close. And so, I thought I definitely gave some up especially through (turns) one and two in the second round, but the first round was just perfect.”

    Do you think you’ll gain enough stage points to make it a battle on points?

    “Yeah, anything can happen we’ve seen. Look at last week, right. Anything can happen so we have to run our own race. It makes it a lot easier for us. Having that first pit stall and as long as long as we execute and make the right calls, be great on pit road then — all I want is every single person a part of this team, including myself, is to go to bed tomorrow night saying, ‘We did whatever we could. We did all we could.’ And maybe it was good enough, maybe it wasn’t so that’s the lottery ticket we’ll find out tomorrow after the race.”

    Is racing a Legends car doing all that you can or just a distraction to keep your mind off Sunday’s race?

    “Hell, I got my ass kicked. You were there. It was bad. I didn’t need you to confirm that. I love racing Legends cars. I haven’t been in one in over five years and it’s totally different now. It’s more frustrating not being able to jump back into it and being as competitive as I was, but on the other side of that I’m a competitor. I’ll make everything a competition, right. I bet I can write a better article than you. It’s just a competition thing – it’s kind of a joke but I’m going to make it a competition. But it’s just that side of it is just competing and having fun with it all and being around the kids there. It was funny, we were talking about qualifying in the Legend car and I said, ‘Y’all ain’t got nothing on qualifying at Darlington.’ And I was giving them just a little flavor of the difference between groups what you have to do in the car and I’m glad I told them somewhat of the truth because it ended up working out today. Just going over there and racing Legends cars and having fun. When is our writing competition (laughter)?”

    About Toyota

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

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

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

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