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The Role of Quality Bearings in Automotive Pumps

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SM
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Photo by Andrea Piacquadio

The world of automotive engineering is complex and fascinating, with each component playing a crucial role in the efficient functioning of a vehicle. Among these components, automotive pumps stand out as indispensable. But what often goes unnoticed is the significance of quality bearings in these pumps. Bearings are the unsung heroes that keep the machinery running smoothly, ensuring performance and longevity. This blog post dives into the role quality bearings play in automotive pumps and why they are critical for optimal vehicle performance.

The Science Behind Bearings

Bearings are not just simple metal rings; they are marvels of engineering designed to handle immense loads and extreme conditions. At their core, bearings consist of rolling elements, such as balls or rollers, placed between inner and outer rings. These elements reduce friction by rolling rather than sliding, which minimizes energy loss and wear. Bearings in automotive pumps must be made from materials that can withstand high pressures, temperatures, and corrosive fluids, often involving advanced metallurgy and precision manufacturing.

Why Bearings Matter in Automotive Pumps

Bearing is a critical component in automotive pumps, serving as the intermediary that allows the pump components to rotate with minimal friction. Imagine the pump as the heart of the vehicle, circulating fluids to keep the engine cool and lubricated. The bearings in the pump are analogous to valves in the human heart, ensuring the smooth and efficient flow of fluids. Without high-quality bearings, the pump wouldn’t function properly, leading to increased wear and tear, overheating, and potential engine failure.

Advancements in Bearing Technology

Driven by the need for increased efficiency and performance, innovation in bearing technology continues to evolve. Modern bearings now incorporate advanced materials like composites and ceramics, which offer reduced weight and superior strength. Additionally, innovations in coatings and lubrication systems are enhancing the durability and performance of bearings, making them more reliable and efficient. For those looking to extend the life of their pumps, it might be beneficial to consider options to replace your pump bearings as part of routine maintenance.

Types of Bearings Used in Automotive Pumps

Several types of bearings are used in automotive pumps, each suited to specific applications.

  • Ball Bearings: These are the most common type, known for their ability to handle both radial and axial loads. They are ideal for water pumps.
  • Roller Bearings: Roller bearings are designed to handle heavier loads and are often used in fuel pumps.
  • Thrust Bearings: These are specialized to handle axial loads and are typically used in high-pressure applications such as oil pumps.
  • Needle Bearings: These bearings have a high load-carrying capacity and are used in applications where space is limited.

The Impact of Quality on Performance

The quality of bearings directly impacts the performance and durability of automotive pumps. High-quality bearings reduce friction, which enhances the efficiency of the pump and minimizes heat generation. This leads to improved fuel efficiency and lower emissions, contributing to the vehicle’s overall performance. Moreover, high-quality bearings have better resistance to wear and corrosion, extending the pump’s lifespan and reducing maintenance costs.

The Importance of Regular Maintenance

Regular maintenance of automotive pumps and their bearings cannot be overstated. Even the highest quality bearings can suffer from wear and tear over time. Routine inspections can help identify potential issues before they escalate into serious problems. Replacing worn-out bearings promptly and ensuring they are well-lubricated can extend the life of the pump and the vehicle.

The Role of Lubrication

Lubrication is vital for the optimal functioning of bearings. It reduces friction and wear, but also helps in dissipating heat and protecting against corrosion. Quality bearings often come with advanced lubrication systems that ensure consistent performance even under extreme conditions. Depending on the application and operating environment, the type of lubricant used can vary.

Bearings in Electric Vehicles

The role of quality bearings is becoming even more critical as the automotive industry transitions toward electric vehicles(EVs). EVs often demand higher efficiency and lower maintenance and different performance requirements. Advanced bearings designed for EV applications help reduce energy loss and ensure the smooth operation of electric motors and other components.

Environmental Benefits

Using high-quality bearings in automotive pumps also has environmental benefits. By enhancing pump efficiency and reducing the need for frequent replacements, they contribute to lower resource consumption and waste. Improved fuel efficiency in traditional combustion vehicles also means reduced greenhouse gas emissions, making quality bearings an eco-friendly choice.

Quality bearings are undeniably critical in the seamless operation of automotive pumps. They are pivotal in ensuring efficiency, longevity, and overall performance. From the science behind their design to the materials and lubrication that keep them running, bearings deserve more recognition for their contribution to automotive engineering. Understanding the importance of quality bearings can lead to more informed vehicle maintenance and performance optimization decisions.

Stewart-Haas Racing: Pocono NXS Advance (Cole Custer | Riley Herbst)

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Official Release
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COLE CUSTER | RILEY HERBST
Pocono NASCAR Xfinity Series Advance
NASCAR Xfinity Series Overview

  • Event: Explore the Pocono Mountains 225 (Round 19 of 33)
  • Date: Saturday, July 13
  • Location: Pocono (Pa.) Raceway
  • Layout: 2.5-mile oval
  • Time/TV/Radio: 3 p.m. EDT on USA/MRN/SiriusXM NASCAR Radio

Cole Custer Notes of Interest

  • Cole Custer and the No. 00 Haas Automation team roll into Saturday’s Explore the Pocono Mountains 225 at Pocono (Pa.) Raceway ready for a change of scenery. After last weekend’s bad luck in the second running of the Chicago Street Race, the 2023 NASCAR Xfinity Series champion has high hopes for a track where he’s enjoyed a good bit of success. Last Saturday on the streets of downtown Chicago, Custer started 10th for the 50-lap race and used his savvy driving and road-course experience to climb to sixth by the start of the second lap en route to a fifth-place finish in the opening stage. But a pit-road penalty during the stage break sent him to the back of the field for the start of Stage 2. From there, he worked his way back into the top-20 in the closing laps of the stage. His progress during the final stage was hindered, however, by a spin and power steering issues. He was able to survive chaos in the final laps to earn an 18th-place finish, his 17th top-20 in the 18 races run so far this season. In addition, he was able to keep his points lead in the regular-season standings.
  • Saturday’s Explore the Pocono Mountains 225 will mark Custer’s sixth Xfinity Series start at Pocono. In his four starts from 2017 to 2019, he never finished outside the top-10, a run highlighted by his June 2019 victory from the pole with a race-high 58 laps led. Bad luck in last year’s race at Pocono forced Custer to settle for a 33rd-place finish after going five laps down. He started 10th and led two laps prior to an accident on lap 46 with the No. 20 car of John Hunter Nemechek. Still, Custer’s previous success on the 2.5-mile track nicknamed “The Tricky Triangle” gives him and the No. 00 team confidence heading into the weekend. His June 2019 victory came by a .226-of-a-second margin over Tyler Reddick. Custer also has nine Pocono starts outside of the Xfinity Series – six in the NASCAR Cup Series, one in the NASCAR Truck Series, and two in the ARCA Menards Series. His June 2015 ARCA start resulted in a victory after starting fifth and leading 18 laps. He finished 4.991 seconds ahead of runner-up Grant Enfinger.
  • Eight races remain until the NASCAR Xfinity Series Playoffs kick off Sept. 28 at Kansas Speedway in Kansas City, and Custer continues to be the driver to beat. He leads the regular-season Xfinity Series standing by a 38-point margin over second-place Justin Allgaier. Custer has held the points lead since his sixth-place finish June 1 at Portland (Ore.) International Raceway. Despite having yet to score his first win of the 2024 season, he has been consistent and fast, finishing outside the top-16 just twice this season and earning a total of 155 stage points in 18 races. If Custer was to hold onto the points lead through the regular-season finale on Sept. 20 at Bristol (Tenn.) Motor Speedway, he will not only take home the regular-season championship trophy, but a hefty 15 bonus points to start the playoffs. Custer finished fourth in the regular-season standings last season on his way to the championship.

Riley Herbst Notes of Interest

  • Riley Herbst heads to Saturday’s Explore the Pocono Mountains 225 at Pocono (Pa.) Raceway ready to put some bad luck of his own at last weekend’s Chicago Street Race behind him. He arrives in the Pocono Mountains with high hopes as a previous Pocono winner in the ARCA Menards Series. In his first race at the 2.5-mile triangle in June 2017, the then-18-year-old Herbst scored his first career ARCA victory. He led a race-high 45 laps to beat runner-up Brandon Jones with a 1.735-second margin. It was a prelude of more potent Pocono runs. In Herbst’s return to Pocono two months later for the August ARCA race, he finished second. Back-to-back fifth-place finishes were earned in his two Pocono ARCA races in 2018. And in his last ARCA start at Pocono in May 2019, Herbst finished second after leading a race-high 68 laps. Herbst has never finished outside the top-five in an ARCA race at Pocono.
  • Saturday’s race at the “Tricky Triangle” will mark the fifth Xfinity Series start at the track for the driver of the No. 98 Monster Energy Ford Mustang Dark Horse. In his four prior races, he earned a best finish of fourth in his most recent start at the track, using savvy driving and tire strategy to lead three laps en route to his fourth top-five of 2023. In the 2022 race, the No. 98 Monster Energy team opted to keep Herbst on track during a caution early in the final stage to put him in the lead. He fought hard to lead four laps on worn tires and gained valuable experience defending the lead from Josh Berry. Ultimately, drivers on new tires prevailed, but Herbst was able to hold on for a top-12 finish as the race stayed green all the way to the checkered flag.
  • With eight races remaining before the Xfinity Series Playoffs kick off Sept. 28 at Kansas Speedway in Kansas City, Herbst still looks to be in a good position to make the 12-driver postseason field despite the bad luck last weekend at Chicago. While a win would lock him into the playoff field, his consistency and stage points scored thus far have put him sixth in the regular-season standings, 91 points above the top-12 cutline, 134 points behind his first-place teammate Cole Custer, and 25 points behind fifth-place Jesse Love. After missing the playoffs last season due to a string of bad luck during the summer months, Herbst not only went on to score his first career victory during the Round of 8 at his home track of Las Vegas Motor Speedway, but score more points than any other driver during that round, in which he followed his Las Vegas win with a runner-up finish at Homestead-Miami Speedway and fourth-place finish at Martinsville (Va.) Speedway.

Cole Custer, Driver of the No. 00 Haas Automation Ford Mustang Dark Horse

You’ve had a lot of special moments at Pocono, including your first NASCAR Cup Series start, a NASCAR Xfinity Series win in 2019, and an ARCA Menards Series win in 2015. What would it mean to make another memory and park the No. 00 Haas Automation Ford Mustang Dark Horse in victory lane this weekend for your first win of the 2024 season?

“I think Pocono ranks highest on the list for a lot of drivers, just because the track itself is so unique and so difficult to get around, but it’s also one of those tracks that holds a lot of good memories for me. I had a lot of good moments there despite some bud luck last year. The track itself is a challenge. The corners are so flat, it’s hard to get your car to work just right there. It’s hard as a driver to really be aggressive and really get your lines right, but also not put yourself in a bad spot. There’s a lot that goes into it when you’re trying to be fast at Pocono. A lot of shifting is involved, and as a driver you have to be on your game at all times. With all of those challenges, it makes it mean that much more to win at Pocono in any series. Hopefully, we can have a strong weekend in our No. 00 Haas Automation Ford Mustang Dark Horse and find our way back to victory lane there”

With Pocono being such an unusual track on the circuit with only three turns, all of which are very different, how do you navigate the track as a driver?

“As a driver, you have to look at it and almost reset your mindset going into every single corner, which is unlike most tracks on the schedule. Each turn at Pocono is completely different, so how you work the brake and the throttle, are you shifting or are you not shifting, what’s your line in that turn – it’s all unique in each of the three corners. There are so many different things you can do as a driver at Pocono, so you really have to reset and adapt to your car as best as you can. It’s a challenge, for sure. It can get difficult to not put yourself in a bad spot at times, but if you can run up front and survive to be there at the end, you’ll have a good shot to win.”

Riley Herbst, Driver of the No. 98 Monster Energy Ford Mustang Dark Horse

Pocono was the site of your first career ARCA Menards Series victory in 2017. How significant is this track to your racing career?

“That win was big for me and my career. To be able to come to Pocono and score the win, even if it was on fuel mileage, was a big moment for me. I got a shot to drive good equipment, and I drove the car to victory lane. It’s one of those moments that I’ve always thought about since I started my NASCAR career. It’s been a long journey for me, but the growth I’ve experienced from that moment has still been a lot. I’m proud of how far I’ve come. I’ve proved a lot of people wrong – those who said I couldn’t do it. Pocono holds a special place in my heart, so it would mean a lot to be able to go back to victory lane there in the NASCAR Xfinity Series.”

You’ve mentioned Pocono being one of your favorite tracks on the circuit, but it’s also a difficult one. Walk us through how you navigate the three turns as a driver.

“Pocono’s a tricky one, hence its nickname. Each turn is different, so you have to approach them with different strategies. We’ll do our best, but myself and the No. 98 Monster Energy team are ready after that strong run last year. Turn one is super fast and high-banked. Then, you go to the Long Pond straightaway, and into the Tunnel Turn. That’s just like the Indianapolis big track – super flat, tight radius, and very bumpy. Then you go down the short shoot into a long turn three, which is the most important corner of the track in my opinion. It’s extremely flat and high-speed, but you have to come off it well to get a good run for the longest straightaway in NASCAR. Hopefully, we can successfully tackle each corner and get a good run after some bad luck at Chicago.”

Thad Moffit Joins Young’s Motorsports for Second Half of NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series Season

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Official Release
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MOORESVILLE, N.C. (July 9, 2024) — Thad Moffitt will have a fresh start to the remainder of the NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series season, beginning immediately.

The rookie driver will race for Young’s Motorsports in a No. 46 Chevrolet Silverado this weekend at the Pocono Raceway and throughout the remainder of the season.

Moffitt has amicably split with Lane Moore, owner of Faction46.

Moffitt will retain his familiar No. 46 livery with Young’s Motorsports and is looking forward to the remainder of the season.

“This is the reset that I need,” said Moffitt. “I have raced for Tyler and Young’s Motorsports in the past and we have a great relationship. He has made this transition easy for us, and he has the team and equipment for us to go to Pocono and immediately have a great race. This was a quick move for everyone, but I feel good about it.”

Moffitt will also continue his strong marketing program and partnerships with Clean Harbors, Safety-Kleen, Customers Bank, Pristine Auction, Joe Jurgielewicz and Son – America’s Tastiest Duck, Induction Innovations, LEER, Window World and more.

“Our partners are the true people powering my racing,” continued Moffitt. “We have a responsibility to them to have the best program possible and we needed a change to make that happen. We are going to continue to work with all our partners for the remainder of this year and continue to grow with them next year.”

Moffitt and Young’s Motorsports will debut this Friday night at the Pocono Raceway.

Moffitt will have Joe Jurgielewicz and Son – America’s Tastiest Duck as his primary partner on the truck and is looking forward to the new challenge.

“This will feel a little bit like Daytona this weekend,” mentioned Moffitt. “Everything will be a little bit new for us as a team with new people. But it’s exciting, too. We have a great program and now it’s time to really show what we can do. The new team gives me a lot of hope of some great finishes for the rest of the season.

For more on Young’s Motorsports, please visit YoungsMotorsports.com, like them on Facebook (Young’s Motorsports), and follow them on Instagram (@youngsmotorsports) and X |Twitter (@youngsmtrsports).

You can follow Moffitt online at thadmoffitt.com and on social media on X (@thadmoffitt), Instagram (@thadmoffitt46), and on Facebook (facebook.com/thadmoffittracing).

Layne Riggs and the No. 38 Infinity Communications Group Ford F-150

By
Official Release
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Pocono (Pa.) Raceway Competition Notes

MOORESVILLE, N.C. (July 9, 2024) – Layne Riggs reunites with Infinity Communications Group as the duo looks to make their debut at the Pocono (Pa.) Raceway.

After a short break from the NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series action, Riggs and the team look to bounce back after a difficult Nashville (Tenn.) Superspeedway race. Riggs, who is making his debut at the 2.5-mile track, will also debut a new Patriotic paint scheme on the No. 38 Infinity Communications Group Ford F-150.

Riggs leads the Sunoco Rookie of the Year standings, sitting 16th in Driver Points and just 80 points below the playoff cutline.

It will be a one-day show for the Truck Series with practice and qualifying on Friday, July 12th at 2:00 pm ET. The CRC Brakleen 175 is schedule for later that evening at 5:30 pm ET. Fans can watch the race live on FS1 or listen in from the Motor Racing Network and Sirius XM channel 90.

No. 38 Infinity Communications Group Ford F-150:

DRIVER LAYNE RIGGS:

“I’m looking forward to the challenge of Pocono. It’s another one of those tracks that I have never raced at before, so sim time and studying film has been extra important. We have shown a lot of speed these past couple of races, we just haven’t been able to get the finishes we deserve, but I have a good feeling about Pocono. We’re actually bringing the same chassis that we had at Darlington. I know it will be fast, we just have to execute and run a clean race.

“Infinity Communications brought the heat with this paint scheme. It’s awesome. As an American company, Fourth of July is an important holiday for them and it’s an honor to carry this scheme. Hopefully I can show it off with a solid performance and result.”

CREW CHIEF DYLAN CAPPELLO:

“Pocono will definitely be a challenge, they don’t call it The Tricky Triangle for nothing. We’re prepared though. We had a week in between Nashville and Pocono to double check everything and make sure we’re bringing our best to the track. I’m confident we’ll have speed, we just have to execute and stay out of trouble.”

ABOUT FRONT ROW MOTORSPORTS

Front Row Motorsports (FRM) is a winning organization in the NASCAR Cup and CRAFTSMAN Truck Series. The team is the 2021 Daytona 500 and 2022 CRAFTSMAN Truck Series champions. The team was founded in 2004 and is owned by successful entrepreneur, Bob Jenkins. FRM fields the No. 34 and the No. 38 NASCAR Cup Series teams along with the No. 38 CRAFTSMAN Truck Series team from its Mooresville, N.C. headquarters. Visit teamfrm.com and follow FRM on social media: Twitter at @Team_FRM, Instagram at @team_frm and Facebook at facebook.com/FrontRowMotorsports.

RAFA Racing by JDX’s Ian Porter Returns To Wining Ways As Team Sweeps Porsche Sprint Challenge Cayman at Watkins Glen

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Official Release
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Porter’s Point-Leading Sunday Victory Follows Saturday’s Win by Caroline Candas, Gives RAFA Racing Team Four of Top Seven Point Positions With Two Weekends Remaining

WATKINS GLEN, New York (July 9, 2024) – RAFA Racing by JDX and driver Ian Porter compiled a list of lessons learned on his way to a bittersweet third-place finish during Saturday’s Porsche Sprint Challenge race at Watkins Glen International, then spun those into his seventh win of the season on Sunday with a near flawless performance in upstate New York.

Porter’s Saturday began on pole position, but he lost the lead with a poor start that resulted in contact, a penalty, and a damaged car during the remainder of the race. He eliminated every single issue on Sunday morning, pulling away at the start in a race that went caution free and won by 11.387 seconds in the No. 86 Grid Finder Porsche 718 Cayman GT4 RS Clubsport.

The win is the seventh of the season in 10 races in Porter’s first season of racing following a career in eSports as the most decorated Call of Duty player of all time, where he was known as CrimSix. Saturday’s third-place finish was the lowest of the season for Porter, making the rebound extra sweet.

Taking the sting out of Saturday’s finish was watching his teammate Caroline Candas’ first victory. The French driver followed that up with a runner-up finish to Porter in her No. 84 8Twelve Wheels Porsche Cayman on Sunday, but it didn’t come easy.

Candas started on the outside of row one, but dropped to third when Porter’s inside line had the preferred position through the first sequence of corners. She kept the pressure on for the opening 15 minutes, completing a clean pass to second place in “the boot” to gain the place.

In front, she opened the gap to third place and had eyes forward but couldn’t catch Porter. The podium finish is her ninth of the season and the fifth runner-up finish.

Paige Morales and Rafael Martinez each reached their goals of continued improvement through the weekend. Martinez left the weekend with a fifth and sixth-place finish in the Cayman Pro-Am class, while Morales finished sixth and seventh on Saturday and Sunday.

Both drivers found increased pace during Sunday morning’s cool race. Martinez drove his No. 85 RAFA Racing Club Porsche Cayman to a best lap of 1:58.657 around the tricky 11-turn, 3.45-mile circuit. Even in race conditions, that lap time was nearly a second faster than his best qualifying lap a day earlier as his comfort level grew in his first time at the track.

Morales’ improvement was even more dramatic. She posted a best lap in Sunday’s race of 1:59.055 in her No. 87 RAFA Racing Club Porsche Cayman, besting her top qualifying time of 2:00.435 by 1.38 seconds. Morales’ first eight flying laps of the race, in traffic, were quicker than her qualifying mark and proved her hard work in her rookie season of racing, at any level, is paying off.

The team leaves Watkins Glen with only races at Road America and Sonoma remaining on the 2024 calendar. The team will be back in action at Road America for a doubleheader the weekend of August 9-11 before the season finale at the end of September.

RAFA Racing by JDX Quote Board

Rafael Martinez, Driver, No. 85 Porsche Cayman: “Watkins Glen for the fifth round of Porsche Spring Challenge North America was incredible! The RAFA Racing Team by JDX had an great result, taking P1 and P3 on Saturday and P1 and P2 on Sunday. Personally, it was the best I have felt in this car. I didn’t have a great qualifying as I was still working on the feel and set up plus getting comfortable with the incredibly high-risk track. But I managed to get on pace with the leaders in middle of the pack by race two which is what I have been chasing. I didn’t do a good enough job managing through traffic so results didn’t show how well I actually drove but that’s ok. I’ll get another crack at it Road America next month!”

Ian Porter, Driver, No. 86 Porsche Cayman: “I finished third and first in the two races last weekend at Watkins Glen. Huge shoutout to RAFA Racing by JDX, my driver coach Alec Udell, and my entire crew but especially Alex Phelps on fielding a magnificent car to drive through the weekend. Watkins Glen is a beautiful place and an even more amazing track and is a test of courage at times. The car was perfect on Sunday compared to how bad it was after my contact on Saturday. I don’t know why I didn’t defend the inside at the start on Saturday, and it was the root cause of everything, but I made sure to cover it on Sunday and brake a little bit later. Then I just drove a clean race. I’m so proud of my teammate Caroline Candas for getting her first win this weekend as well! I had the fastest lap of the weekend, so that was a cool moment for me. I’m looking forward to racing here again!”

Caroline Candas, Driver, No. 84 Porsche Cayman: “This first victory means a lot! First of all, I’d like to thank the entire Rafa Racing Team by JDX for a great car. We had a discovery of the track on Thursday and a win and fastest lap in race one on Saturday! Race two was a big battle and I took second place, which scored some good points for the championship. I’m delighted to be able to say that my first victory in a car took place on the iconic Watkins Glen track, but now we want more! I can’t wait to get to Road America in one month.”

About RAFA Racing Club:

RAFA Racing, utilizing the motto “Race As Family Always,” is a motorsports club and race team founded by and made for high-performance auto drivers, supporters, and fans of all types. Started by Rafael Martinez, the Club aims to create a space for high-performance car enthusiasts to enjoy like-minded individuals, network and share ideas on and off the track, and bond as one team with a common interest. The RAFA Racing Team made its debut in 2023 with a runner-up finish in the McLaren Trophy Europe Series, and expands that footprint to include Porsche Sprint Challenge North America and SRO GT4 Europe in 2024. The Club’s off-track presence can be felt on social media and beyond, including YouTube, Instagram and Facebook and at RafaRacing.Club.

HaasTooling.com Racing: Ryan Preece Pocono Advance

By
Official Release
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RYAN PREECE
Pocono Advance
No. 41 HaasTooling.com Ford Mustang Dark Horse

Event Overview

● Event: The Great American Getaway 400 presented by VisitPA.com (Round 21 of 36)
● Time/Date: 2:30 p.m. EDT on Sunday, July 14
● Location: Pocono (Pa.) Raceway
● Layout: 2.5-mile triangle
● Laps/Miles: 160 laps/400 miles
● Stage Lengths: Stage 1: 30 laps / Stage 2: 65 laps / Final Stage: 65 laps
● TV/Radio: USA / MRN / SiriusXM NASCAR Radio

Notes of Interest

● Ryan Preece heads back to Pocono (Pa.) Raceway for Sunday’s The Great American Getaway 400 presented by VisitPA.com. The 2.5-mile oval, known as “The Tricky Triangle,” sits some 185 miles west of Preece’s hometown of Berlin, Connecticut, about a three-hour drive. It’s the second-closest racetrack on the NASCAR Cup Series schedule to Preece’s hometown by just a scant 5 miles, as New Hampshire Motor Speedway in Loudon sits about 180 miles to the east and north of Berlin.

● Across the 11 NASCAR national series races at Pocono during which he was running at the finish, Preece has completed all but three laps. He has seven starts in the Cup Series at Pocono with just one DNF and a best finish of eighth for JTG Daugherty Racing in June 2021. He has two Pocono starts apiece in the NASCAR Xfinity Series and NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series. Best of his Xfinity Series finishes was fourth in June 2019 for JR Motorsports. Both of his Truck Series starts resulted in top-10 finishes for David Gilliland Racing, best of which was his runner-up finish to Chandler Smith in the July 2022 race after leading six laps. He was ninth in the June 2021 Truck Series race.

● Preece scored his best finish of the year with his fourth-place run at Nashville (Tenn.) Superspeedway two weekends ago. He has two top-10s and six top-15s this season. Preece has also finished better than he’s qualified in 16 of the 20 points-paying events this year.

● Joining Preece and the No. 41 Ford Mustang at Pocono is HaasTooling.com, the cutting tool division of Haas Automation. HaasTooling.com allows CNC machinists to purchase high-quality cutting tools at great prices. Haas cutting tools are sold exclusively online at HaasTooling.com and shipped directly to end users. Haas Automation, founded in 1983, is America’s leading builder of CNC machine tools. The company manufactures a complete line of vertical and horizontal machining centers, turning centers, rotaries and indexers, and automation solutions.

Ryan Preece, Driver of the No. 41 HaasTooling.com Ford Mustang Dark Horse

Pocono is known as the “Tricky Triangle.” Is it really that tricky? What’s it like racing there?

“It’s a lot of fun. I think Pocono is right up my alley when it comes to driving style, and it’s a racetrack where I enjoy racing. You can really carry a lot of speed on the straights before getting hard onto the brakes in the turns. The Tunnel Turn is different, because it’s really all about entry and exit, and carrying speed through there without using a lot of braking. You have to be quick through that part of the racetrack to have a fast lap and gain spots.”

Pocono is the second-closest racetrack on the Cup Series schedule to your hometown of Berlin, Connecticut. Does this race sort of feel like another home event for you?

“It does. I grew up going to races at Pocono, so it’s one of my favorite racetracks on the schedule. It’s a special place for me, and I’ve had success there. We’re putting a lot of emphasis on Pocono because it’s a place where we feel like we can have a good run. I’m looking forward to being back in the Northeast, and I’m excited to be back at Pocono in our No. 41 HaasTooling.com Ford Mustang Dark Horse.”

You’ve had success at Pocono in each of NASCAR’s top-tier series. What will it take to have speed there in the No. 41 car?

“We’ve been working really hard to be a step further from where we’ve been on speed rolling off the truck. Rolling into the weekend with speed is more important than it’s ever been with limited practice. We want to show that we’re here to contend this weekend and every weekend. We need to find a good starting spot for Pocono, and hopefully we will end up with another top-15 or top-10 at the end of the race on Sunday.”

You’ve mentioned that you want to race in more events, in addition to your current schedule in the Cup Series. Why?

“I want to race more, and do what I used to do, and race all the time, because it puts you in the mindset of all or nothing. I’m not saying that I’m not in that mindset, but when you race all the time, you never leave or mentally step away. It’s different. I want to win. Winning builds confidence.”

No. 41 HaasTooling.com Team Roster

Primary Team Members

Driver: Ryan Preece

Hometown: Berlin, Connecticut

Crew Chief: Chad Johnston

Hometown: Cayuga, Indiana

Car Chief: Jeremy West

Hometown: Gardena, California

Engineer: Marc Hendricksen

Hometown: Clinton, New Jersey

Spotter: Tony Raines

Hometown: LaPorte, Indiana

Over-The-Wall Members

Front Tire Changer: Devin Lester

Hometown: Bluefield, West Virginia

Rear Tire Changer: Austin Chrismon

Hometown: China Grove, North Carolina

Tire Carrier: Chad Emmons

Hometown: Tyler, Texas

Jack Man: Sherman Timbs

Hometown: Indianola, Mississippi

Fuel Man: Dwayne Moore

Hometown: Griffin, Georgia

Road Crew Members

Front End Mechanic: Joe Zanolini

Hometown: Sybertsville, Pennsylvania

Interior Mechanic: Robert Dalby

Hometown: Anaheim, California

Tire Specialist: Matt Ridgeway

Hometown: Carrollton, Georgia

Engine Tuner: Jimmy Fife

Hometown: Orange County, California

Transporter Co-Driver: David Rodrigues

Hometown: Santa Clarita, California

Transporter Co-Driver: Charlie Schleyer

Hometown: Youngsville, Pennsylvania

Todd Gilliland and the No. 38 C.H. Reed Ford Mustang Dark Horse

By
Official Release
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Pocono (Pa.) Raceway Competition Notes

 MOORESVILLE, N.C. (July 9, 2024) – Todd Gilliland returns to the east coast as the NASCAR Cup Series makes the trip to the Pocono (Pa.) Raceway for The Great American Getaway 400.

Making his third Cup Series start at the Tricky Triangle, Gilliland looks to improve on his 15th place finish last year. He will also bring a new partner to his No. 38 Ford Mustang Dark Horse, partnering with C.H. Reed for the 160-lap event.

A mid-Atlantic distributor of Chicago Pneumatic Compressors with 75+ years of experience, C.H. Reed is an industrial distribution and service provider for compressed air systems and equipment, paint and powder finishing systems, and fluid handling and process equipment. C.H. Reed has helped industrial businesses and manufacturing companies throughout PA, MD, DE, VA, WV, OH, MI, and NY find value-adding opportunities that enhance processes, increase energy savings, lessen environmental impacts, increase equipment reliability & quality, decrease maintenance spend, and help boost worker safety.

The Cup Series will kick off their weekend with practice and qualifying on Saturday, July 13th at 12:00 pm ET. Sunday’s 400-mile event is scheduled for 2:30 pm ET and will be televised live on USA Network. Fans can also listen in on the action from the Motor Racing Network and Sirius XM channel 90.

No. 38 C.H. Reed Ford Mustang Dark Horse:

DRIVER TODD GILLILAND:

“I have always liked the challenge of Pocono, the track is so different than anything else we race at. I have a couple starts at Pocono in the NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series and have had some good results there, I just need to take those experiences and put them into the Cup car. I think I can do that this weekend.

“I’m excited to carry the C.H. Reed brand this weekend, they are a significant distributer and great ambassador for Chicago Pneumatic Compressors and it’s an honor to represent them at Pocono. Hopefully I can give them a good showing.”

CREW CHIEF RYAN BERGENTY:

“We’re really excited about our Top-10 finish in Chicago. The Summer stretch gets tough and it’s easy to get burnt out, but the team has been hammering away to bring speed to the track and the results show. Todd (Gilliland) did great in Chicago, we just have to build on that momentum and capitalize on it.”

“It’s cool to see Chicago Pneumatic Compressors bring in another one of their distributors this year to highlight the strong partnerships they have together. They brought an awesome scheme to Charlotte with Warthog and doubled down to bring a sleek one to Pocono. Hopefully we can get them in Victory Lane.”

ABOUT FRONT ROW MOTORSPORTS

Front Row Motorsports (FRM) is a winning organization in the NASCAR Cup and CRAFTSMAN Truck Series. The team is the 2021 Daytona 500 and 2022 CRAFTSMAN Truck Series champions. The team was founded in 2004 and is owned by successful entrepreneur, Bob Jenkins. FRM fields the No. 34 and the No. 38 NASCAR Cup Series teams along with the No. 38 CRAFTSMAN Truck Series team from its Mooresville, N.C. headquarters. Visit teamfrm.com and follow FRM on social media: Twitter at @Team_FRM, Instagram at @team_frm and Facebook at facebook.com/FrontRowMotorsports.

7 DECADES OF THE BIG GO: DON “THE SNAKE” PRUDHOMME CARVES OUT LEGACY WITH IMPRESSIVE INDY RUN

By
Official Release
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Prudhomme enjoyed plenty of Indy success in the 70s, getting four victories and winning in both nitro categories, while Pro Stock debuted in 1970

INDIANAPOLIS (July 9, 2024) – The NHRA U.S. Nationals is an event rich in legendary history, celebrating 70 years of incredible memories at this year’s race, which takes place Aug. 28-Sept. 2 at Lucas Oil Indianapolis Raceway Park.

It’s the world’s biggest drag race on the sport’s grandest stage and a win at the NHRA U.S. Nationals simply means more. A victory at The Big Go has helped make careers legendary, created unforgettable legacies and provided the backdrop for some of the sport’s most spectacular moments.

Simply put, it’s a race no fan should miss and it’s also an event rich in legendary history. Exploring seven decades of The Big Go takes us to the 1970s, which featured big names, explosive rivalries and the introduction of Pro Stock in a wild decade of racing.

Don “The Snake” Prudhomme put his name on the Indy map in the previous decade, but he really left his mark during an incredible run in the 1970s. He opened the decade with his third Top Fuel victory at The Big Go, winning a wild and explosive final round in 1970 after Jim Nicoll’s car exploded in the traps. His front-engine dragster was cut in two at his feet, while Prudhomme was visibly shaken during his emotional winner’s interview on ABC’s “Wide World of Sports.”

That powerful moment stuck with Prudhomme, who eventually moved to Funny Car in 1973. He went right back to his winning ways, getting back-to-back Indy victories to become the first driver in NHRA history to win The Big Go in both nitro categories. He advanced to the next two finals as well, losing to Raymond Beadle and the Blue Max in 1975 and then Gary Burgin in 1976, ending an incredible streak of 30 straight round wins.

A year later, Prudhomme won again, getting his fourth Indy win of the decade in 1977, a memorable stretch that helped carve out Prudhomme’s legendary status. It was also the height of the Snake and Mongoose rivalry with Prudhomme and Tom McEwen, and they faced off in one of the most memorable moments in Indy history in 1978. McEwen was mourning the loss of his teenage son, Jamie, who also was close friends with Prudhomme. Prudhomme had the performance advantage throughout the event but hazed the tires in the final round, as McEwen scored an emotional victory in what was his lone Indy victory.

While Prudhomme won in Top Fuel to open the decade, another soon-to-be-legendary Don won in Funny Car, as Don Schumacher started the 70s with his lone U.S. Nationals victory. Other noteworthy winners in the nitro ranks in the 1970s included Funny Car’s Ed McCulloch, who won in back-to-back seasons in 1971 and 1972 before going nearly 10 years between Indy wins, Top Fuel’s Don Garlits, who added a pair of Indy victories, and Top Fuel’s Gary Beck, who also won twice in the 70s at the legendary facility.

Pro Stock also got its start in 1970, becoming an official category that year and opening the door for more Indy legacies to be made. It was a legend-filled decade, as Herb McCandless won the first U.S. Nationals in Pro Stock, Ronnie Sox grabbed the victory in 1971 and Bob Glidden, who ruled The Big Go for nearly 20 years, made his first appearance in the winner’s circle in 1973.

He repeated that win the following year and then picked up two more victories in the decade, closing it out strong with wins in 1978 and 1979. As good as the 70s were to Glidden in Indy, the 1980s were about to get even better for the iconic driver who will be the focus of the next decade of Indy lore. Other drivers who left their mark at The Big Go in the 1980s included Lee Shepherd, Garlits, Joe Amato, Kenny Bernstein and Shirley Muldowney.

This year, the 70th annual NHRA U.S. Nationals promises to be one of the biggest in the illustrious history of The Big Go. It features everything from the final Mission #2Fast2Tasty Challenge of the year to the Pep Boys Funny Car All-Star Callout, as well as the special Sox & Martin Hemi Challenge presented by the McCandless Collection and racing in the Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series, Congruity NHRA Pro Mod Drag Racing Series presented by LearnEV+, NHRA Flexjet Factory Stock Showdown™ and NHRA Holley EFI Factory X, plus special items like:

  • A special 70th anniversary NHRA U.S. Nationals pennant for the first 8,000 fans in attendance for eliminations on Monday, Sept. 2.
  • Free parking for all fans and children 12-under admitted free.
  • An unforgettable Top Eliminator Club experience, including NHRA driver appearances, food and drink, TEC gift bag, starting line seats and much more.
  • The biggest field in drag racing. Last year, more than 900 cars competed in Indy.

All the greats have forged their legacies through their Indy success, including iconic drivers like Garlits, Prudhomme, Bernstein, McCulloch, Muldowney, Amato, Glidden, Warren Johnson and many more. It’s a list that also includes current stars like Tony Schumacher, John Force, Antron Brown, Ron Capps, Greg Anderson, Erica Enders, Doug Kalitta and Matt Hagan.

Top Fuel’s Schumacher has an amazing 10 victories at The Big Go, the most of any driver in NHRA history, while Force’s five Funny Car wins are tied with McCulloch for the most in class history. Anderson’s 100th career win in 2022 gave the five-time champ seven overall wins in Pro Stock at the world’s biggest drag race, while Brown has five career wins across two classes at the U.S. Nationals.

Last year, Brown (Top Fuel), Capps (Funny Car), Matt Hartford (Pro Stock), and Matt Smith (Pro Stock Motorcycle) all won, with Brown, Capps and Smith winning at Indy for the second straight year. This year’s race will again be broadcast on FOX and FS1, including live eliminations on FOX on Monday, Sept. 2.

Doug Kalitta currently leads the Top Fuel ranks, while Austin Prock’s debut season in Funny Car has been a huge success as he leads the way. Dallas Glenn is the Pro Stock points leader, while Gaige Herrera remains undefeated in 2024 with six wins to his credit in Pro Stock Motorcycle. Other stars to watch include Top Fuel’s Justin Ashley, Shawn Langdon and racing legend Tony Stewart, who will make his Indy Top Fuel debut, Funny Car’s Bob Tasca III and J.R. Todd, Pro Stock’s Aaron Stanfield and Troy Coughlin Jr., and Pro Stock Motorcycle’s Angie Smith and Richard Gadson.

To purchase tickets to the 70th annual NHRA U.S. Nationals, fans can visit www.NHRA.com/tickets. All children 12 and under will be admitted free in the general admission area with a paid adult. For more information about NHRA, visit www.NHRA.com.

About Mission Foods

MISSION®, owned by GRUMA, S.A.B. de C.V., is the world’s leading brand for tortillas and wraps. MISSION® is also globally renowned for flatbreads, dips, salsas and Mexican food products. With presence in over 112 countries, MISSION® products are suited to the lifestyles and the local tastes of each country. With innovation and customer needs in mind, MISSION® focuses on the highest quality, authentic flavors, and providing healthy options that families and friends can enjoy together. For more information, please visit https://www.missionfoods.com/

About NHRA

NHRA is the primary sanctioning body for the sport of drag racing in the United States. NHRA presents 20 national events featuring the NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series and NHRA Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series, as well as the Congruity NHRA Pro Mod Drag Racing Series presented by LearnEV+, NHRA Flexjet Factory Stock Showdown™, NHRA Holley EFI Factory X and Johnson’s Horsepowered Garage NHRA Mountain Motor Pro Stock at select national events. NHRA provides competition opportunities for drivers of all levels in the NHRA Summit Racing Series and NHRA Street Legal™. NHRA also offers the NHRA Jr. Street® program for teens and the Summit Racing Jr. Drag Racing League® for youth ages 5 to 17. With 110 Member Tracks, NHRA allows racers to compete at a variety of locations nationally and internationally. NHRA’s Youth and Education Services® (YES) Program reaches over 30,000 students annually to ignite their interest in automotive and racing related careers. NHRA’s streaming service, NHRA.tv®, allows fans to view all NHRA national events as well as exclusive features of the sport. In addition, NHRA owns and operates three racing facilities: Gainesville Raceway in Florida; Lucas Oil Indianapolis Raceway Park; and In-N-Out Burger Pomona Dragstrip in Southern California. For more information, log on to www.NHRA.com, or visit the official NHRA pages on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and YouTube.

CORVETTE RACING AT CTMP: On the Doorstep?

By
Official Release
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Chevrolet Grand Prix offers up strong chance for Z06 GT3.R’s first IMSA win

DETROIT (July 9, 2024) – The Corvette Racing by Pratt Miller Motorsports and AWA teams are both back on familiar ground this weekend and will give the Corvette Z06 GT3.R its racing debut north of the border this weekend: the Chevrolet Grand Prix and the only Canadian stop for the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship.

Historic and challenging Canadian Tire Motorsport Park – the 2.459-mile, 10-turn road course circuit outside Toronto – has been a playground for Corvettes over the years. The program has recorded 12 class victories at the track formerly known as Mosport, including last year for returning Corvette star Antonio Garcia in a Corvette C8.R.

This year’s Chevrolet Grand Prix will feature three of the first-year Corvette Z06 GT3.Rs: No. 3 and No. 4 from factory-supported Corvette Racing by Pratt Miller Motorsports in GTD PRO, and the No. 13 customer entry for AWA, which will contest its home race in a Corvette for the first time. The lineups are:

· Antonio Garcia and Alexander Sims in the No. 3 Corvette
· Tommy Milner and Nicky Catsburg in the No. 4 Z06 GT3.R
· Matt Bell and Ontario’s Orey Fidani in AWA’s No. 13 Corvette

The Pratt Miller-crewed squad enters Canadian Tire Motorsport Park as defending GTD PRO winner with Garcia victorious a year ago in the No. 3 Corvette C8.R with Jordan Taylor. This time around, Garcia and Sims – also a past winner at the track – will arrive in Canada coming off a third-place finish at Watkins Glen for their first podium finish of the year.

Milner and Catsburg hope to break through after nearly winning at The Glen. They were third in their Z06 GT3.R at Laguna Seca in May. Of note, this will be Catsburg’s first race at CTMP and Milner hasn’t raced there since 2018; he won there in 2013 in a Corvette C6.R.

For AWA, there are two goals: one is a podium finish at its home track, which is realistic given a very positive recent test session at CTMP for Bell and Fidani. The second is to grow Fidani’s lead in the Bob Akin Award standings, with the highest points-scoring Bronze driver at the end of the year earning an automatic entry to the following year’s 24 Hours of Le Mans.

The AWA Corvette has finished in the GTD top-10 in three of the last four races going back to Sebring in March. Bell and Fidani were seventh in class at Watkins Glen to solidify the Akin Award lead.

In addition to the extensive success and following at CTMP, Corvette Racing legend Ron Fellows is part-owner of the circuit and is largely responsible for operations at the facility. In his Corvette Racing driving career – spanning 1999-2008 – Fellows won 30 races (three times at CTMP) and three championships in the American Le Mans Series. He also was one of the founding members of the team and a key development driver starting in 1997.

The Chevrolet Grand Prix at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park is scheduled for 11:05 a.m. ET on Sunday, July 14. The race will air live on the USA Network plus stream live on Peacock inside the United States and IMSA.com outside the U.S. IMSA Radio will air all on-track sessions beginning with Friday afternoon’s opening practice at IMSA.com with the race call also on XM 206 and SiriusXM Online 996.

CORVETTE RACING BY PRATT MILLER MOTORSPORTS PRE-EVENT DRIVER QUOTES

ANTONIO GARCIA, NO. 3 CHEVROLET CORVETTE Z06 GT3.R: “I’m hopeful for this weekend. We had the chance to test the Z06 GT3.R at CTMP just after Watkins Glen, and already the car is pretty amazing around there. I’m not surprised considering how well each of our past Corvettes have been at Mosport. Given the strengths of our car, we are confident but we still need to go there and execute the classic Corvette race with great strategy and good work by the crew and us as drivers. If we can do all those things, I think we can have a really good weekend and hopefully get the first IMSA win for the Z06 GT3.R.”

ALEXANDER SIMS, NO. 3 CHEVROLET CORVETTE Z06 GT3.R: “It’s always a pleasure to return to place where you’ve had success. It’s even better when it is a place like Canadian Tire Motorsport Park. The track is very fast, very daunting and very old-school. It’s really one of the things I like about IMSA – the circuits and places where we race are phenomenal. The racing I had in the past in GTLM with the Corvettes around CTMP and Mosport were really hard, tough fights, and so was GTP last year. I suspect GTD PRO could be a level or two greater with the competition we have seen so far this year. It should make for a pretty spectacular weekend and hopefully a successful one for us. I’m looking forward to it.”

TOMMY MILNER, NO. 4 CHEVROLET CORVETTE Z06 GT3.R: “We’ve been close, we feel like, for many of the races this year. For one reason or not, we haven’t quite finished the job so we’re trying to make that happen this weekend at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park. It’s an awesome racetrack. I had to go back and look; I haven’t raced there since 2018 so it’s been quite awhile. I missed the 2019 race with a broken hand. It’s been a little bit for me to be at CTMP but I was just there recently for testing. It reminded me of how awesome the track is and how much fun it is to drive. Even in our GT cars, the rhythm there is like no other racetrack in the world. It’s super-fast and a lot of fun.”

NICKY CATSBURG, NO. 4 CHEVROLET CORVETTE Z06 GT3.R: “Before the start of the season, there were a few tracks that I circled in my head because I have never experienced them. Canadian Tire Motorsport Park – or Mosport – was one of those. I’m really excited to race there after hearing so much from my teammates and friends about the track, how fast it is and how challenging it is. Knowing that the circuit hasn’t changed much in so many years makes me appreciate it even more. It’s a proper, historic and old-school track that hopefully is as good for our Corvette as I hope it will.”

AWA PRE-EVENT DRIVER QUOTES

MATT BELL, NO. 13 CHEVROLET CORVETTE Z06 GT3.R: “Canadian Tire Motorsport Park is on my list of top five circuits in the world. It’s only a short lap and looks like a tiny little place on a map. You see the grand circuits of the world like Le Mans and Spa, but you get to Mosport and it’s mega. The topography of the track, the commitment required, the bumps… it’s a recipe for an absolute addiction to racing. I’ve always found that one of my strengths is learning circuits and getting straight back on it when I get to a place where I haven’t been in awhile. But this is one of those places that just takes that little bit more respect and that little bit more time to get back in sync with the place. It takes a huge commitment, and I love the place.

“This is a race every year that AWA targets. Standing on the podium would mean that much more with it being the home race for the team. There will be a lot of thought and lot of effort going into that one.”

OREY FIDANI, NO. 13 CHEVROLET CORVETTE Z06 GT3.R: “Canadian Tire Motorsport Park is my home track. I honestly couldn’t tell you how many laps I’ve done here. I feel like I could probably drive it with my eyes closed. It’s high-speed, very technical, and requires all your concentration from start to finish. It’s a challenging layout, and no matter how many times I drive it, it never gets old. It’s so special to race in front of the home crowd, it just means so much to have that extra support. We want to do well at each event, but stepping on the podium here would be a dream come true for us all.”

2024 WeatherTech SportsCar Championship Points

GTD PRO Drivers Standings

  1. Laurin Heinrich/Seb Priaulx – 1632
  2. Ben Barnicoat/Jack Hawksworth – 1583
  3. Ross Gunn – 1572
  4. Bryan Sellers/Madison Snow – 1423
  5. Marvin Kirchhofer/Oliver Jarvis – 1394
  6. Alexander Sims/Antonio Garcia – 1389
  7. Nicky Catsburg/Tommy Milner – 1326

GTD PRO Teams Standings

  1. No. 77 AO Racing – 1632
  2. No. 14 Vasser Sullivan – 1583
  3. No. 23 Heart of Racing Team – 1572
  4. No. 1 Paul Miller Racing – 1423
  5. No. 9 Pfaff Motorsports – 1394
  6. No. 3 Corvette Racing by Pratt Miller Motorsports – 1389
  7. No. 4 Corvette Racing by Pratt Miller Motorsports – 1326

GTD PRO Manufacturers Standings

  1. Porsche – 1657
  2. Lexus – 1607
  3. Aston Martin – 1586
  4. Chevrolet – 1474
  5. McLaren – 1458

GTD Drivers Standings

  1. Philip Ellis/Russell Ward – 1745
  2. Patrick Gallagher/Robby Foley – 1440
  3. Parker Thompson – 1353
  4. Albert Costa Balboa/Manny Franco – 1290
  5. Mikael Grenier/Mike Skeen – 1263
  6. Matthew Bell/Orey Fidani – 1083

GTD Teams Standings

  1. No. 57 Windward Racing – 1745
  2. No. 96 Turner Motorsport – 1440
  3. No. 34 Conquest Racing – 1290
  4. No. 32 Korthoff/Preston Motorsport – 1263
  5. No. 120 Wright Motorsports – 1198
  6. No. 13 AWA – 1083

GTD Manufacturers Standings

  1. Mercedes-AMG – 1837
  2. Lexus – 1493
  3. Porsche – 1470
  4. Lamborghini – 1454
  5. Aston Martin – 1383
  6. Chevrolet – 1296

CORVETTE RACING AT CTMP: By the Numbers

  • 4: Generations of Corvette Racing entries at CTMP since 2000 – Corvette C5-R (2004), Corvette C6.R (2005-13) and Corvette C7.R (2016-2019). The Corvette C8.R raced at the track for the first time in 2002
  • 7: Pole positions for Corvette Racing drivers at CTMP. Oliver Gavin leads with three with Antonio Garcia (2016) being the most recent
  • 8: Number of drivers who have won races at CTMP for Corvette Racing. Johnny O’Connell (six), Jan Magnussen (five), Oliver Gavin (four), Ron Fellows (three), and Antonio Garcia and Olivier Beretta (two) each have multiple wins there with the team
  • 12: Class victories at Corvette Racing at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park – all since 2001.
  • 14: Manufacturer Championships for Chevrolet and Corvette Racing since 2001
  • 27: Tracks at which Corvette Racing has won races – Baltimore, Charlotte Motor Speedway, COTA, Canadian Tire Motorsport Park/Mosport, Daytona, Detroit, Houston, Laguna Seca, Le Mans, Lime Rock, Long Beach, Miami, Mid-Ohio, Monza, Portimão, Portland, Road America, Road Atlanta, Sebring, Sonoma, St. Petersburg, Texas, Trois Rivieres, Utah, VIR, Washington DC and Watkins Glen
  • 48: Number of drivers in Corvette Racing entries since 1999 – DXDT Racing’s Alec Udell being the latest in GT World Challenge America at Circuit of The Americas
  • 71: Years since Corvette was introduced to the world on Jan. 17, 1953 in New York City. A total of 300 cars were produced that year
  • 129: Victories worldwide for Corvette Racing – 115 in North America, nine at Le Mans, three in the FIA WEC and two in GT World Challenge America
  • 296: Event starts by Corvette Racing since 1999
  • 11,626.15: Number of racing miles completed by Corvette Racing in its 20 previous trips to Canadian Tire Motorsport Park. That represents 4,728 laps
  • 384,461.62: Total number of racing miles completed by Corvette Racing entries since 1999. To put that in perspective, Corvette Racing is more than halfway to the distance traveled by Apollo 13 – the longest manned spaceflight in history: 622,268 miles

Corvette Racing at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park (wins in bold)

2000

No. 3 Corvette C5-R: Ron Fellows/Andy Pilgrim – 2nd in GTS (Fellows pole, fastest race lap)

2001

No. 3 Corvette C5-R: Ron Fellows/Johnny O’Connell – 1st in GTS

No. 4 Corvette C5-R: Andy Pilgrim/Kelly Collins – 3rd in GTS

2002

No. 3 Corvette C5-R: Ron Fellows/Johnny O’Connell – 1st in GTS

No. 4 Corvette C5-R: Andy Pilgrim/Kelly Collins – 2nd in GTS (Pilgrim fastest race lap)

2003

No. 3 Corvette C5-R: Ron Fellows/Johnny O’Connell – 1st in GTS

No. 4 Corvette C5-R: Oliver Gavin/Kelly Collins – 7th in GTS (Gavin pole)

2004

No. 3 Corvette C5-R: Ron Fellows/Johnny O’Connell – 2nd in GTS

No. 4 Corvette C5-R: Olivier Beretta/Oliver Gavin – 1st in GTS (Gavin pole, fastest race lap)

2005

No. 3 Corvette C6.R: Ron Fellows/Johnny O’Connell – 2nd in GT1

No. 4 Corvette C6.R: Olivier Beretta/Oliver Gavin – 1st in GT1

2006

No. 3 Corvette C6.R: Ron Fellows/Johnny O’Connell – 4th in GT1

No. 4 Corvette C6.R: Olivier Beretta/Oliver Gavin – 2nd in GT1

2007

No. 3 Corvette C6.R: Jan Magnussen/Johnny O’Connell – 1st in GT1

No. 4 Corvette C6.R: Olivier Beretta/Oliver Gavin – 2nd in GT1 (Gavin pole, fastest race lap)

No. 33 Corvette C6.R: Ron Fellows/Andy Pilgrim – 3rd in GT1

2008

No. 3 Corvette C6.R: Johnny O’Connell/Jan Magnussen – 1st in GT1 (O’Connell pole)

No. 4 Corvette C6.R: Olivier Beretta/Oliver Gavin – 2nd in GT1 (Beretta fastest race lap)

2009

No. 3 Corvette C6.R: Jan Magnussen/Johnny O’Connell – 1st in GT2

No. 4 Corvette C6.R: Olivier Beretta/Oliver Gavin – 3rd in GT2

2010

No. 3 Corvette C6.R: Olivier Beretta/Johnny O’Connell – 5th in GT2

No. 4 Corvette C6.R: Oliver Gavin/Jan Magnussen – 4th in GT2

2011

No. 3 Corvette C6.R: Olivier Beretta/Tommy Milner – 6th in GT

No. 4 Corvette C6.R: Oliver Gavin/Jan Magnussen – 1st in GT

2012

No. 3 Corvette C6.R: Jan Magnussen/Antonio Garcia – 2nd in GT (Magnussen pole)

No. 4 Corvette C6.R: Oliver Gavin/Tommy Milner – 10th in GT

2013

No. 3 Corvette C6.R: Jan Magnussen/Antonio Garcia – 4th in GT

No. 4 Corvette C6.R: Oliver Gavin/Tommy Milner – 1st in GT

2014

No. 3 Corvette C7.R: Jan Magnussen/Antonio Garcia – 1st in GTLM

No. 4 Corvette C7.R: Oliver Gavin/Tommy Milner – 7th in GTLM

2015

No. 3 Corvette C7.R: Jan Magnussen/Antonio Garcia – 3rd in GTLM (Garcia fastest race lap)

No. 4 Corvette C7.R: Oliver Gavin/Tommy Milner – 5th in GTLM

2016

No. 3 Corvette C7.R: Jan Magnussen/Antonio Garcia – 3rd in GTLM (Garcia pole)

No. 4 Corvette C7.R: Oliver Gavin/Tommy Milner – 2nd in GTLM

2017

No. 3 Corvette C7.R: Jan Magnussen/Antonio Garcia – 4th in GTLM

No. 4 Corvette C7.R: Oliver Gavin/Tommy Milner – 8th in GTLM

2018

No. 3 Corvette C7.R: Jan Magnussen/Antonio Garcia – 2nd in GTLM

No. 4 Corvette C7.R: Oliver Gavin/Tommy Milner – 3rd in GTLM

2019

No. 3 Corvette C7.R: Jan Magnussen/Antonio Garcia – 7th in GTLM

No. 4 Corvette C7.R: Oliver Gavin/Marcel Fässler – 8th in GTLM

2022

No. 3 Corvette C8.R: Antonio Garcia/Jordan Taylor – 2nd in GTD PRO

2023

No. 3 Corvette C8.R: Antonio Garcia/Jordan Taylor – 1st in GTD PRO

Team Chevy high-resolution racing photos are available for editorial use.

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.

Ford Performance NASCAR – Pocono Raceway Advance

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Official Release
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POCONO

Friday, July 12 – NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series, 5:30 p.m. ET (FS1)
Saturday, July 13 – NASCAR XFINITY Series, 3 p.m. ET (USA)
Sunday, July 14 – NASCAR Cup Series, 2:30 p.m. ET (USA)

Pocono Raceway will host a NASCAR tripleheader this weekend, which will be led off by the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series event on Friday evening. The series has only three races remaining in the regular season and currently Ty Majeski and Ben Rhodes are in playoff positions. The NASCAR Xfinity Series will run Saturday with the Cup Series main event set for Sunday afternoon.

BUESCHER ON THE BUBBLE

With six races to go in the NASCAR Cup Series regular season, four Ford drivers find themselves in the playoffs while another, Chris Buescher, is squarely on the bubble. Race winners Brad Keselowski, Austin Cindric, Ryan Blaney and Joey Logano have secured their spots while Buescher holds the 16th and final position, 45 points above the cut line.

CINDRIC MAKING 100TH CUP START

Austin Cindric will be making his 100th career NASCAR Cup Series start this weekend at Pocono Raceway. The Team Penske driver, who got behind the wheel of the famed No. 2 Ford at the start of the 2022 season, has qualified for the playoffs in two of his three years. He won the 2022 Daytona 500 in his rookie season and then captured his first pole one week later in Fontana, CA. Overall, Cindric has eight top-5 and 17 top-10 finishes.

BLANEY GETS FIRST CUP VICTORY

Ryan Blaney earned his first NASCAR Cup Series victory in 2017 at Pocono Raceway, giving the Wood Brothers their 99th all-time series win. Blaney held off Kevin Harvick over the final seven laps to win the Pocono 400 after overcoming a loose wheel only 19 laps into the event. He found himself in position to win after the caution came out with 19 laps to go. Kyle Busch opted to stay out while all of the other contenders behind him pitted, including Blaney who got four fresh tires and restarted fourth. A major battle between Busch and Blaney resulted, but the newer tires proved to be too much as Blaney eventually got by with nine laps to go. He couldn’t breathe easily, however, as Harvick started to reel him in, but could never pull alongside to challenge.

BUESCHER JOINS FIRST-TIME WINNERS CLUB AT POCONO

Chris Buescher is another Ford driver who posted his first NASCAR Cup Series win at Pocono when he won the rain-shortened Pennsylvania 400 in 2016. Buescher led the final 12 laps and qualified for the playoffs as the scheduled 160-lap race was called after 138 circuits. It represented the second series win and first playoff qualification for Front Row Motorsports, which Buescher drove for in 2016 after the organization entered into an alliance with what was then Roush Fenway Racing.

ELLIOTT SWEEPS IN 1985

Ford reached victory lane at Pocono Raceway in the NASCAR Cup Series for the first time on June 9, 1985 when Bill Elliott beat Harry Gant to win the Van Scoy Diamond Mine 500. Elliott was able to pass Gant with 11 laps remaining, shortly after a restart, to claim Ford’s first win at the facility. Elliott, who also started on the pole, was helped by four cautions over the final 25 laps and won for the sixth time as he led 32 of the 200 circuits. It marked the front end of what would eventually be a season sweep for Elliott at Pocono as he won a few weeks later on July 21.

KULWICKI’S FINAL WIN

When Alan Kulwicki won the Champion Spark Plug 500 on June 14, 1992 it marked the final victory of his NASCAR Hall of Fame career. Kulwicki, who was voted into the Hall in 2019, passed Bill Elliott with 11 laps remaining to cap a day that saw 15 cars drop out before the checkered flag flew, including 11 engine failures. In a precursor to what happened a few months later at Atlanta Motor Speedway, Kulwicki and Elliott battled down the stretch as they exchanged the lead multiple times over the final 25 laps. Kulwicki passed Elliott for the top spot on lap 181, but traffic slowed him down to the point that five laps later the two swapped positions. Mark Martin made it a three-way battle, but Kulwicki ultimately prevailed as he got by both drivers on lap 190 and never looked back. Kulwicki, who won five series races overall, went on to win the championship later that year over fellow Ford drivers Elliott and Davey Allison.

CUSTER EXTENDS POINTS LEAD

Cole Custer may still be looking for his first NASCAR Xfinity Series victory of the season, but the defending champion’s consistency has resulted in him owning the top spot in the point standings with eight races to go in the regular season. Custer saw his streak of five straight top-10 finishes come to an end in Chicago last weekend, but he was still able to increase his points lead from 15 to 38.

BLANEY MULTI-CLASS WINNER

As previously mentioned, Ryan Blaney earned his first Cup Series victory in 2017 at Pocono. He is also the only Ford driver to win in multiple classes at Pocono, as he earned his second career Truck Series victory there in 2013. Blaney overtook the field during a chaotic restart going into Turn 1 with two laps remaining and held on to take the checkered flag.

FORD’S NASCAR CUP SERIES WINNERS AT POCONO

1985 – Bill Elliott (Sweep)

1988 – Bill Elliott (2)

1989 – Terry Labonte and Bill Elliott

1990 – Geoffrey Bodine (2)

1992 – Alan Kulwicki (1)

1994 – Rusty Wallace and Geoffrey Bodine

1995 – Dale Jarrett (2)

1996 – Rusty Wallace (2)

1997 – Dale Jarrett (2)

1998 – Jeremy Mayfield (1)

2000 – Jeremy Mayfield and Rusty Wallace

2001 – Ricky Rudd (1)

2002 – Dale Jarrett (1)

2005 – Carl Edwards and Kurt Busch

2008 – Carl Edwards (2)

2010 – Greg Biffle (2)

2016 – Chris Buescher (2)

2017 – Ryan Blaney (1)

2020 – Kevin Harvick (1)

FORD’S NASCAR Xfinity Series WINNERS AT POCONO

2017 – Brad Keselowski

2019 – Cole Custer

2020 – Chase Briscoe

2021 – Austin Cindric

FORD’S NASCAR CRAFTSMAN TRUCK SERIES WINNERS AT POCONO

2013 – Ryan Blaney

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