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Kaulig Racing Race Recap | The Loop 110

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Official Release
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Van Gisbergen wins third race of the season

SHANE van GISBERGEN
No. 97 WeatherTech Chevrolet Camaro

  • Shane van Gisbergen qualified on the pole for The Loop 110.
  • Van Gisbergen battled hard to maintain the lead, searching for grip in his WeatherTech Chevrolet. The first caution of the race came out on lap nine, and the No. 97 team opted to remain on track during the yellow. This strategy positioned Van Gisbergen to secure the stage one win.
  • The No. 97 WeatherTech team chose not to pit during the stage break and began stage two in the lead. Van Gisbergen made his first pit stop of stage two on lap 25, rejoining the field in the middle of the pack. Van Gisbergen crossed the line in 10th place, finishing stage two.
  • Van Gisbergen started the final stage in eighth. Shortly after, the caution came out, and the No. 97 team opted to stay out. Van Gisbergen restarted the stage in sixth with 11 laps remaining in the race. After another quick caution, the race restarted with eight laps remaining. Van Gisbergen took the green in fifth and quickly moved his way into third. After a final wreck, the green came back out with three laps to go with Van Gisbergen restarting in third. He battled and took the lead with two laps remaining. Van Gisbergen secured his third win of the 2024 season.

“That was a fun race! It’s great to get another win in my WeatherTech Chevy in its [WeatherTech] home city. Chicago is a special place to me! It’s a really good place for street racing. Proud of my No. 97 Kaulig Racing team and thankful for Trackhouse Racing, Chevrolet, Kaulig Racing and WeatherTech for making this all possible. It’s been really cool learning, getting good results and adding [checkered flag] stickers to the side of my car. Excited to get another shot at it tomorrow!” – Shane van Gisbergen  

AJ ALLMENDINGER
No. 16 Celsius Chevrolet Camaro

  • AJ Allmendinger qualified 11th for The Loop 110.
  • Allmendinger remained quiet on the radio for the duration of the opening stage. The team stayed out under the first caution, and Allmendinger continued to make passes after the green flag waved again. The No. 16 went on to finish the stage in sixth place.
  • Allmendinger stayed out during the stage break to restart in fourth place on lap 19. On the first lap green, Allmendinger took over third place. Allmendinger maintained that position until lap 23, when the No. 16 wheel hopped into the corner and hit the tire barrier, bringing out the caution. The team made repairs, and Allmendinger finished the second stage in 33rd place.
  • The team stayed out during the stage break and restarted for the third stage in 23rd place. Allmendinger gained three positions on the restart and sat in 20th when the caution came out on lap 27. The No. 16 stayed out and continued to gain positions. On the final restart, Allmendinger restarted in 11th and was able to avoid the spinning No. 1. Allmendinger went on to finish 11th.

“It was close to being a good day until it wasn’t. Our team deserved a better finish today, but proud of the repairs my guys made to bring home a decent finish.” – AJ Allmendinger  

JOSH WILLIAMS
No. 11 Alloy Employer Services Chevrolet Camaro

  • Josh Williams qualified 30th for The Loop 110.
  • Williams took the green flag and immediately improved his position, taking 23rd by lap five. The caution came out for debris on lap nine, and he pitted for tires, fuel and a track bar adjustment. Restarting 29th on lap 11, Williams moved into 22nd on lap 14 and finished stage one there.
  • Staying out during the stage break, he restarted seventh on lap 19, and after losing one spot on the restart, he regained it by the race’s second natural caution on lap 24. Pitting under yellow for tires and fuel, Williams restarted on lap 25 from 28th place, gained four spots, and finished stage two in 24th.
  • After flipping pit strategy, Williams and the Alloy Employer Services team fired off for the final stage from 19th with 16 laps to go. After one green flag lap, a wreck brought out the caution once again, and Williams restarted 19th before another crash brought out the yellow with 10 to go. He restarted in 17th place on lap 43, lost one spot, and then the yellow flag was waved on lap 45. After restarting with three laps to go, Williams rallied to finish in 12th place.

“I’m pretty happy with how the day went. We flipped the stages on pit strategy and think we could’ve gotten a top 10 if a few things went out well. This is a pretty cool track. Hell yeah, Chicago.” – Josh Williams  
 
About Kaulig Racing

Kaulig Racing™ is a full-time, multi-car NASCAR Cup Series (NCS) and NASCAR Xfinity Series (NXS) team, owned by award winning entrepreneur, Matt Kaulig. Established in 2016, Kaulig Racing™ has earned 23 NXS wins, made the NXS Playoffs consecutively each season since the playoff system started, and won two regular-season championships. In 2021, the team competed in select NCS events, before expanding to a two-car, full-time NCS team in 2022 and adding a third, part-time entry during the 2023 season. Since its first NCS start in 2021, the team has earned two wins. Kaulig Racing is currently fielding two full-time entries in the NCS and continues to field three full-time NXS entries, with a part-time fourth entry at select events. To learn more about the team, visit kauligracing.com.

RCR NXS Race Recap: Chicago Street Race

By
Official Release
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Jesse Love’s First Outing in the Chicago Street Race Results in a Top-Five Finish for the No. 2 WAT Chevrolet Team

Finish: 5th
Start: 8th
Points: 5th

“Our No. 2 WAT Chevrolet was fast on the Chicago Street Course. While in the lead at the end, I burned my rear tires by throwing large blocks and making my corners tighter, but that was my only hope of winning the race. My goal was to keep the No. 19 behind me so I could get away on the final lap. This Richard Childress Racing team did an excellent job today though. This is our best finish on a road course this year. We’ve been really good on the road courses, both at COTA and Sonoma. This course is so much fun to drive and probably the hardest place I’ve raced at throughout my career. Overall, it was a solid points day for us. We’ve had a rough month, but I think we are back on the right track to keep pushing to the Playoffs. We are trying to get better at everything leading into those final seven races to go race for a championship. Thank you to everyone at RCR, ECR, and Whelen Engineering for all of the support.” -Jesse Love

Austin Hill and the No. 21 Dow Coatings Chevrolet Team Capture Stage Win and Top-10 Result in the Chicago Street Race

Finish: 7th
Start: 13th
Points: 4th

“Today was a solid top-10 finish for our No. 21 Dow Coatings Chevrolet. With starting 13th, I had to be patient at the beginning to not abuse the car early. We needed an adjustment to keep the car turning and allow it to cut in the center. Once we pitted in what ended up being our only stop of the day, the car came alive after three or four laps into a run. When the front end started cutting, I was able to pass and run the same pace as both the No. 17 and No. 97. We drove away and won Stage 2. It felt good to finally get stage points again. On one of the last restarts, the car got extremely loose on fire off which was odd considering the car had been on the tight side throughout the entire race. We fell back a few positions, but then were able to get a couple back in the final laps. It’s frustrating to finish seventh, but at the same point, we are starting to string together top-10 finishes again after a rough stretch. Everyone at RCR and ECR will keep digging as we push towards the Playoffs.” -Austin Hill

Connor Mosack Finishes an Impressive Sixth at Chicago

By
Official Release
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Driver of Porter Pipe & Supply Chevrolet Camaro Secures Third Top-10 After Career-Best Qualifying Effort in the NASCAR Xfinity Series

Date: Saturday, July 6
Event: The Loop 110
Series: NASCAR Xfinity Series
Location: Chicago Street Course (temporary 2.2-mile, 12-turn street circuit)
Format: 50 laps, broken into three stages (15 laps/15 laps/20 laps)
Start/Finish: 3rd / 6th (Running, completed 50 of 50 laps)
Race Winner: Shane van Gisbergen of Kaulig Racing (Chevrolet)

Overview:

Connor Mosack returned to the streets of Chicago intent on wrapping up unfinished business from a year ago. In last year’s inaugural NASCAR Xfinity Series race on the 2.2-mile, 12-turn street circuit that loops around the city’s iconic Grant Park, Mosack qualified fourth and was a top-five mainstay until a carburetor issue thwarted his effort. In the second edition of Xfinity Series racing on Chicago’s streets, Mosack qualified a career-best third and then nabbed his third career top-10 by driving his No. 88 Porter Pipe & Supply Chevrolet Camaro to an impressive sixth-place finish.

Like last year, Mosack was a regular among top-five. He held steady in fourth through the races’ first 16 laps and picked up third when he opted to stay out at the end of the first stage, leapfrogging third-place Ty Gibbs. When the race restarted on lap 19, it was three-time Australian Supercars champion Shane van Gisbergen in first and 2021 NASCAR Cup Series champion Kyle Larson in second. Mosack was third, with 17-time Xfinity Series race winner A.J. Allmendinger behind him in fourth.

Allmendinger squeezed past Mosack in turn one at the restart, forcing Mosack wide and dropping him to fourth. Three laps later, however, Allmendinger overshot turn six, nosing his car into the tire barrier and handing third back to Mosack.

When the caution flag waved on lap 24 to pull Allmendinger out of the tire barrier, it was time for Mosack to pit. With four fresh Goodyear tires and a full tank of Sunoco fuel, Mosack returned to the race in 18th, with those who had pitted at the end of the first stage now ahead of him. But Mosack was joined in this strategy by van Gisbergen and Larson, as well as others running in the top-10. This put Mosack 18th for the lap-26 restart. Undaunted, the 25-year-old racer picked up six spots to finish the second stage in 12th.

With other drivers having to pit at the stage break, Mosack lined up 10th for the restart. He passed John Hunter Nemechek and Larson to rise to eighth before a seven-car quagmire in turn 11 brought out the caution.

Cautions periods ended up consuming six of the final 13 laps, but even with the stop-start nature of the waning laps, Mosack made the most of the green-flag laps he did have, driving to sixth in his final three tours as van Gisbergen motored to a 1.287-second margin of victory over Gibbs. Larson was third, with Parker Kligerman in fourth and Jessie Love in fifth.

Connor Mosack driver of the No. 88 Porter Pipe & Supply Chevrolet Camaro for JR Motorsports:

“I felt like we were probably a third-place car all day. I rode between fourth and third there until we pitted. We kept up the speed out there, but were saving some for later and felt like we were in a really good spot. Never felt like we were quite as good as the 17 (Kyle Larson) or the 97 (Shane van Gisbergen).

“I felt like our pit strategy was the right one, but all those cautions and not having the green-flag laps really killed our strategy. That being said, the 97 was able to make it work, but we were probably in the wrong lane on a couple of restarts and just the line we were in didn’t go, and that kind of hurt our chances of getting back up there. Overall, it was a really fun race and I had a fun day, and grateful to be back on the streets of Chicago with Porter Pipe & Supply and JR Motorsports.

“This was probably one of the more stacked Xfinity Series fields on a road course in a long time, and that was part of the fun of the race. Even though we didn’t quite get the result we wanted, the showing was good and we had good speed, so I go home happy about that.”

Notes:

● This was Mosack’s 27th career NASCAR Xfinity Series start, but his first of the season.

● Mosack’s sixth-place finish was his third career top-10 in the Xfinity Series.

● Mosack finished fourth in Stage 1 and 12th in Stage 2.

● Mosack’s third-place qualifying effort was the best of his Xfinity Series career. He toured the 2.2-mile, 12-turn street course in 89.980 seconds at 88.020 mph. The only drivers to out-qualify Mosack were pole-winner and three-time Australian Supercars champion Shave van Gisbergen, and 2021 NASCAR Cup Series champion Kyle Larson

● Mosack was the sixth-fastest driver in the lone practice session prior to qualifying for The Loop 110. Mosack’s best lap in the session was 91.738 seconds at 86.333 mph.

● The Loop 110 was a hometown race for primary partner Porter Pipe & Supply. Based in Addison, Illinois, Porter Pipe & Supply is a third-generation, family-owned and operated wholesale supplier of commercial and industrial pipe, valves, fittings, plumbing supplies, HVAC and refrigeration equipment and mechanical products. In fact, the walls surrounding the track were all anchored with heavy-duty pipe from Porter Pipe & Supply.

Next Up:

Mosack in back in action on Friday, July 12 at Pocono (Pa.) Raceway in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series. He will drive the No. 7 Chevrolet Silverado for Spire Motorsports in the CRC Brakleen 175. The 70-lap race around the 2.5-mile triangle starts at 5:30 p.m. EDT with live coverage provided by FS1 and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.

Shane van Gisbergen dominates at Chicago for third Xfinity career victory

By
Andrew Kim
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CHICAGO, ILLINOIS - JULY 06: Shane Van Gisbergen, driver of the #97 WeatherTech Chevrolet, celebrates after winning the NASCAR Xfinity Series The Loop 110 at Chicago Street Course on July 06, 2024 in Chicago, Illinois. (Photo by James Gilbert/Getty Images).

Rookie Shane van Gisbergen left very little room to doubt his road-course expertise Saturday afternoon as he repeated the success that launched him to NASCAR stardom on the streets of Downtown Chicago a year ago, after winning the second annual The Loop 110 at the Chicago Street Course on Saturday, July 6. It was his third NASCAR Xfinity Series victory of the 2024 season and his career.

The three-time Supercars champion from Auckland, New Zealand, led a race-high 14 of 50 scheduled laps after starting on the pole position and withstanding a series of on-track challenges from Kyle Larson to claim the first stage victory.

Despite losing the lead to Larson at the start of the second stage period before getting shuffled before the following restart period on Lap 25 amid pit strategy, van Gisbergen methodically carved his way back to the front. He then capitalized during a three-lap shootout to overtake rookie Jesse Love and return atop the leaderboard. Once in the lead, he muscled away from runner-up Ty Gibbs to score the third Xfinity career victory in his rookie campaign.

With on-track qualifying that determined the starting lineup, rookie van Gisbergen scored his second career Xfinity pole position after posting a pole-winning lap of 88.543 mph in 89.448 seconds. Joining him on the front row was Kyle Larson, who clocked in the second-fastest qualifying lap at 88.530 mph in 89.461 seconds.

Before the event, Justin Allgaier and Sage Karam dropped to the rear of the field in backup cars. The following drivers, including Sheldon Creed, John Hunter Nemechek, Kyle Sieg and Parker Kligerman also dropped to the rear of the field due to engine changes made to their entries. Daniel Suarez and Ryan Sieg also started at the rear of the field due to unapproved adjustments made to their respective entries.

When the green flag waved and the race started, van Gisbergen rocketed ahead of Kyle Larson through the frontstretch and entering the first turn to lead. Larson then tried to make a move beneath van Gisbergen entering Turn 2 and he managed to pull even with van Gisbergen through Turns 3 to 5, just past DuSable Lake Shore Drive, before he muscled ahead with the top spot entering South Columbus Drive.

After trailing Larson through the drive, van Gisbergen pulled his No. 97 WeatherTech Chevrolet Camaro back even and reassumed the lead from Larson in Turn 6 while Ty Gibbs tried to challenge Larson for the runner-up spot. With Larson fending off Gibbs and Connor Mosack through the following six turns, van Gisbergen managed to pull away and lead the first lap.

After van Gisbergen led the second lap, Larson made an aggressive move beneath the former while almost forcing him towards the wall entering the first turn to snatch the lead. Van Gisbergen fought back through the following five turns amid a side-by-side battle, but Larson withstood the advantageous lane and retained the lead through South Columbus Drive. Despite van Gisbergen intimidating him through a series of tight turns between South Michigan Avenue and the East Congress Plaza Drive, Larson led the third lap and would continue to fend off van Gisbergen through the fifth lap mark.

Just past the fifth lap mark, van Gisbergen returned the favor as he overtook Larson entering the first turn before fending him off to retain the top spot prior to Turn 2. With van Gisbergen leading and stretching his advantage by more than a second over Larson by the seventh lap, Matt DiBenedetto was trying to rally from spinning in Turn 4 while Chandler Smith retired due to an engine issue in his No. 81 Smith General Contracting Toyota Supra.

With the event’s first caution period flying on the seventh lap due to debris spotted on the course, some of the drivers, including Josh Williams, Daniel Suarez, Jeremy Clements and Andre Castro pitted, while the rest, led by van Gisbergen remained on the track.

The start of the restart period on Lap 10 featured a tight side-by-side battle for the lead between Larson and van Gisbergen as Larson tried to make a move beneath van Gisbergen entering the first turn. Van Gisbergen, however, fended off Larson entering Turn 2 to retain the top spot momentarily before they both dueled for the lead through the following three turns and South Columbus Drive. Larson muscled ahead in Turn 6 as Gibbs, Mosack and Cole Custer trailed in the top five. With the race remaining under green flag conditions despite Josh Bilicki spinning in Turn 11 and Clements nursing a damaged No. 51 Impel Union Chevrolet Camaro to his pit stall, Larson continued to lead ahead of van Gisbergen and Gibbs.

Shortly after, notables, including Justin Allgaier, Riley Herbst and Sheldon Creed ran into issues, with Allgaier pitting under green and spinning while trying to enter pit road amid contact with Ryan Sieg while Herbst ran Creed into the Turn 2 wall as both made contact before Herbst spun his No. 98 Monster Energy Ford Mustang in the following turn. Amid the on-track chaos, Larson was leading by a slim margin over a hard-charging van Gisbergen.

Then on the final lap of the first stage period, van Gisbergen, who spent the previous five laps trailing Larson through every turn, pulled even with Larson through South Columbus Drive and through Turn 6 before he muscled ahead through Turns 7 and 8. With the clean air to his advantage for four final turns, van Gisbergen proceeded to claim his second Xfinity stage victory of the 2024 season on Lap 15. Larson settled in second as they were followed by Gibbs, Mosack, Custer, AJ Allmendinger, rookie Jesse Love, Austin Hill, Sam Mayer and Parker Kligerman.

Under the stage break, some of the drivers, led by Gibbs, pitted while the rest, led by van Gisbergen and Larson, remained on the track. Amid the pit stops, Custer was penalized for passing and bumping Gibbs’ No. 19 He Gets Us Toyota Supra on pit road and before entering his pit stall

The second stage period started on Lap 18 as van Gisbergen and Larson occupied the front row. At the start, van Gisbergen and Larson dueled for the lead through the frontstretch until Larson muscled his No. 17 HendrickCars.com Chevrolet Camaro clear with the lead entering Turn 2. As the field behind jostled for spots, Larson also stretched his advantage over van Gisbergen and Allmendinger through the next 10 series of turns as he would lead the ensuing lap.

Then on Lap 20, van Gisbergen launched another side-by-side attack on Larson for the lead through the frontstretch and just past the first turn, but Larson would fend him off in Turn 2. With van Gisbergen attempting another side-by-side battle through South Columbus Drive, Allmendinger tried to close in from third place while Mosack and Austin Green trailed in the top five. Despite van Gisbergen’s challenges through every turn and straightaway within Chicago’s avenues, Larson was not to be denied as he continued to lead.

Then on Lap 22, the caution returned when Allmendinger, who was running in third place, wheel-hopped entering Turn 6 just exiting S. Columbus Drive, slid sideways and pounded the tire barriers, which damaged the rear and right side of the No. 16 Celsius Chevrolet Camaro as Allmendinger limped his car to his pit stall. At the time of caution, Larson had fended off van Gisbergen to retain the lead while Mosack, Sammy Smith and Hill trailed in the top five.

During the caution period, which surpassed the event’s halfway mark, some led by Larson, van Gisbergen and Mosack pitted while the rest led by Sammy Smith remained on the track.

With the race restarting with five laps remaining in the second stage period, Hill overtook Sammy Smith through the frontstretch to assume the lead in his No. 21 Dow Coatings Chevrolet Camaro entering the first turn. He proceeded to lead during the following four turns while Sammy Smith, Love, Allgaier and Mayer followed suit in the top five.

With Larson and van Gisbergen mired outside the top 15 due to the mixed pit strategies, Hill retained the lead for the following lap. Larson would then return to the top-10 mark by the following lap while van Gisbergen was mired in 12th behind Joey Logano while Hill maintained the advantage by a second over Sammy Smith and teammate Love.

When the second stage period concluded on Lap 30, Hill captured his third Xfinity stage victory of the 2024 season. Sammy Smith followed suit in second along with Love, Allgaier and Creed while Gibbs, Kligerman, Mayer, Nemechek and van Gisbergen scored in the top 10 as Larson ended up in 11th place. During the stage’s conclusion, Custer, who was running in 14th place, spun his No. 00 Andy’s Frozen Custard Ford Mustang in Turn 12 and plummeted to 26th place.

During the stage break, select drivers, including Sammy Smith, Allgaier, Parker Retzlaff, Jeb Burton, Josh Bilicki, Andre Castro, Custer and DiBenedetto pitted while the rest, led by Hill, remained on the track.

With 16 laps remaining, the final stage commenced as teammates Hill and Love occupied the front row. At the start, the field fanned out entering Turn 1 as Love assumed the lead in his No. 2 WAT Chevrolet Camaro. He would fend off teammate Hill and Gibbs entering Turn 2 and navigating through Turns 3 to 5 before he made his way onto South Columbus Drive. Behind, Gibbs moved up to second over Hill while Creed and Mayer were in the top five ahead of van Gisbergen and Kligerman. Meanwhile, Larson was mired in ninth behind Mosack while Nemechek, Logano, Herbst, Brandon Jones, Green and Brennan Poole were in the top 15.

Another lap later, the caution quickly returned due to on-track calamity that struck in Turn 12 when Sage Karam ran into the rear of Josh Bilicki, who also made contact with Kyle Sieg as Andre Castro and Parker Retzlaff, whose hood came flying up, were all involved.

The start of the next restart period with 11 laps remaining did not last long due to Preston Pardus stalling his car in the middle of Turn 11. Prior to the caution period, Brandon Jones spun in Turn 2 after Allmendinger collided with Leland Honeyman, who then collided and sent Jones’ No. 9 Menards Chevrolet Camaro spinning in a cloud of smoke. Amid the chaos, Love had retained the lead over Gibbs and teammate, Hill. Meanwhile, van Gisbergen was up to fifth place behind Creed while Larson was still mired in ninth place behind Mosack.

Down to the final eight laps of the event, the event restarted under green. At the start, Love mirrored his start from the previous restart period to retain the lead while Gibbs navigated his way to second place. Creed and van Gisbergen would all overtake Hill through South Columbus Drive and prior to entering Turn 6 before van Gisbergen made a bold move beneath Creed to claim third place in Turn 11.

With van Gisbergen trying to fend off Mayer and Creed through the frontstretch, Gibbs then started to challenge Love for the lead during the following lap. He tried to bump and move Love out of the way in Turn 5, but Love maintained the lead through South Columbus Drive. The battle between Love and Gibbs, however, allowed van Gisbergen to close in on both entering Turn 6 as the top-five competitors on the track trailed the lead by under a second for the next six turns.

Amid the late battles, the caution returned due to Leland Honeyman locking up his front tires and slamming his No. 42 Klean Freak Chevrolet Camaro head-on into the tire barriers in Turn 1. Before Honeyman’s wreck, van Gisbergen made a bold save entering the frontstretch sliding sideways and making light contact with the wall in front of Mayer and Creed.

With the event restarting with three laps remaining, Creed muscled ahead to retain the lead while van Gisbergen bolted his way past Gibbs to move into second place. With Mayer spinning in Turn 1, the race remained under green flag conditions as van Gisbergen quickly closed in on Love’s rear bumper for the following four turns and through South Columbus Drive. Van Gisbergen then forced his way beneath Love to cycle back into the lead in Turn 7 as Gibbs capitalized on the battle to move into second entering Turn 8.

During the proceeding lap and with Creed spinning in Turn 12 amid contact with Kligerman while running in the top five, Larson navigated his way past Love and into third place through Turn 5. Meanwhile, van Gisbergen stretched his advantage to a comfortable advantage over Gibbs through South Columbus Drive and he would continue to do so entering Turn 6 and through East Balbo Drive, East Congress Plaza Drive, South Michigan Avenue and East Jackson Drive.

When the white flag waved and the final lap started, van Gisbergen remained as the leader by a second over Gibbs while Larson, Kligerman and Love trailed in the top five by under five seconds. With Gibbs unable to close the deficit for a final lap and through 12 sets of turns, van Gisbergen smoothly navigated his No. 97 WeatherTech Chevrolet Camaro through each turn before he made a hard right-hand turn to the frontstretch victorious for the third time of his career and of the 2024 season.

With the victory, van Gisbergen joined Terry Labonte and AJ Allmendinger as the only competitors to notch their first three career Xfinity Series victories on road-course events, with the New Zealander winning for the first time since Sonoma Raceway in June.

Van Gisbergen’s victory at Chicago also made him the first three-time Xfinity race winner of the 2024 season and the first competitor to win two NASCAR national touring series events on the streets of Chicago as he will attempt to sweep the weekend with Sunday’s Cup Series action at Chicago. Van Gisbergen won the inaugural Cup Series’ Chicago Street Race event in his premier series debut while driving for Trackhouse Racing.

While van Gisbergen’s victory marks the third win of the season for Kaulig Racing and the team’s No. 97 Chevrolet entry led by crew chief Bruce Schlicker, the win was the 11th of the season for the Chevrolet nameplate.

“That’s awesome! What a great race. It was pretty wild there at the end,” van Gisbergen, who kicked another rugby football into the frontstretch’s crowd, said on NBC. “I can’t thank [the] Kaulig Racing guys enough. [The] WeatherTech Camaro was amazing. Great race at the start with Kyle [Larson]. He was really good on the restarts and we made our car better for the second set of tires. That was fun at the end, passing all those guys. I had some great racing with everyone. [It was] Really cool. [I] Learnt a lot. [Larson] probably learned a lot off me, but hope to race him again for the win tomorrow [for the Cup Series event.

“It’s a privilege to race here [at Chicago],” van Gisbergen added. “This event is amazing. What NASCAR’s done here, what a show. Pretty cool feelings. Hopefully, we can repeat tomorrow.”

Ty Gibbs settled in second place for his first top-two result of the 2024 season, which occurred in his fifth start of the season, while Kyle Larson, who led 12 laps, ended up in third place for his second top-three result of the season and his first since winning at Circuit of the Americas in March.

Despite setting in third place in his second and final Xfinity Series start of the 2024 season, Larson noted the on-track benefits he gained amid his battles with van Gisbergen that would place him in an advantage to be competitive for Sunday’s Cup Series event at Chicago.

“[van Gisbergen] was obviously way faster than me and I think he was having fun, just playing with me,” Larson said. “I wanted to use this race to learn…That was big on my agenda and I felt like I learned quite a bit battling [van Gisbergen] and create different angles and all that. I think today was a success. Obviously, [I] would like to win, but our car just wasn’t quite as good as his.”

Parker Kligerman came home in fourth place while Jesse Love, who also led a race-high 14 laps with van Gisbergen, settled in fifth place for his fifth top-five result in his Xfinity rookie campaign.

Connor Mosack, Austin Hill, Joey Logano, Justin Allgaier and Austin Green completed the top 10 in the final running order.

There were nine lead changes for five different leaders. The race featured seven cautions for 16 laps. In addition, 27 of 38 starters finished on the lead lap.

Following the 18th event of the 2024 Xfinity Series season, Cole Custer leads the regular-season standings by 38 points over Justin Allgaier, 39 over Chandler Smith, 60 over Austin Hill and 109 over rookie Jesse Love.

Results.

1. Shane van Gisbergen, 14 laps led, Stage 1 winner

2. Ty Gibbs

3. Kyle Larson, 12 laps led

4. Parker Kligerman

5. Jesse Love, 14 laps led

6. Connor Mosack

7. Austin Hill, eight laps led, Stage 2 winner

8. Joey Logano

9. Justin Allgaier

10. Austin Green

11. AJ Allmendinger

12. Josh Williams

13. Sammy Smith, two laps led

14. Kyle Weatherman

15. Jeb Burton

16. Ryan Sieg

17. Brandon Jones

18. Cole Custer

19. Sam Mayer

20. Brennan Poole

21. Ryan Ellis

22. Kyle Sieg

23. Matt DiBenedetto

24. Blaine Perkins

25. John Hunter Nemechek

26. Sheldon Creed

27. Daniel Suarez

28. Riley Herbst – OUT, Overheating

29. Alex Labbe, five laps down

30. Anthony Alfredo, five laps down

31. Leland Honeyman – OUT, Accident

32. Preston Pardus – OUT, Electrical

33. Sage Karam – OUT, Accident

34. Parker Retzlaff – OUT, Accident

35. Andre Castro – OUT, Accident

36. Josh Bilicki – OUT, Accident

37. Jeremy Clements – OUT, Accident

38. Chandler Smith – OUT, Engine

Next on the 2024 NASCAR Xfinity Series schedule is Pocono Raceway in Long Pond, Pennsylvania, for the Explore the Pocono Mountains 225. The event is scheduled to occur next Saturday, July 13, and air at 3 p.m. ET on USA Network.

Stewart-Haas Racing: The Loop 110 from Chicago

By
Official Release
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STEWART-HAAS RACING
The Loop 110

Date: July 6, 2024
Event: The Loop 110 (Round 18 of 33)
Series: NASCAR Xfinity Series
Location: Chicago Street Course (2.2-mile, 12-turn street course)
Format: 50 laps, broken into three stages (15 laps/15 laps/20 laps)

Race Winner: Shane Van Gisbergen of Kaulig Racing (Chevrolet)
Stage 1 Winner: Shane Van Gisbergen of Kaulig Racing (Chevrolet)
Stage 2 Winner: Austin Hill of Richard Childress Racing (Chevrolet)

SHR Race Finish:

● Cole Custer (Started 10th / Finished 18th, Running, completed 50 of 50 laps)
● Riley Herbst (Started 20th / Finished 28th, Overheating, completed 47 of 50 laps)

SHR Points:

● Cole Custer (1st with 657 points)
● Riley Herbst (6th with 523 points, 134 out of first)

SHR Notes:

● Custer earned his 17th top-20 of the season and his second top-20 in two career NASCAR Xfinity Series starts at Chicago.
● Custer has not finished outside of the top-20 on the Chicago Street Course. He won the inaugural race last year.
● Custer finished fifth in Stage 1 to earn six bonus points.

Race Notes:

● Shane Van Gisbergen won The Loop 110 to score his third career NASCAR Xfinity Series victory, his third of the season and his first at Chicago. His margin over second-place Ty Gibbs was 1.287 seconds.
● There were seven caution periods for a total of 16 laps.
● Twenty-seven of the 38 drivers in the race finished on the lead lap.
● Cole Custer remains the championship leader after Chicago with a 38-point advantage over second-place Justin Allgaier.

Sound Bites:

“Today was just an up and down day. It’s disappointing because we were a top-five car, and that penalty killed our day. Man, I just hate it for my guys. The No. 00 Andy’s Frozen Custard Ford Mustang Dark Horse was fast despite some handling and power steering issues. Our win is coming. We just need that little bit more to get it done. A big thank you to Andy’s Frozen Custard for their support this weekend and all season. Wish we could’ve gotten them a better finish.” –Cole Custer, driver of the No. 00 Andy’s Frozen Custard Ford Mustang Dark Horse

“It just sucks. We were a top-10 car at a very difficult track for us, but the damage sustained in the first stage created issues for us. I had no water pressure near the end of the race and that ended up forcing us to come down pit road multiple times. Ultimately, we had to come down pit road on the last lap and park it. It’s a bad ending to our day, but we’ll keep our heads up and go to Pocono next weekend.” –Riley Herbst, driver of the No. 98 Monster Energy Ford Mustang Dark Horse

Next Up:

The next event on the NASCAR Xfinity Series schedule is the Explore the Pocono Mountains 225 on Saturday, July 13 at Pocono (Penn.) Raceway. The race begins at 3 p.m. EDT with live coverage provided by USA and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.

Toyota Racing NXS Post-Race Recap – Chicago 07.06.24

By
Official Release
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GIBBS POWERS GR SUPRA TO SECOND-PLACE FINISH AT CHICAGO
Earns second Xfinity Series top-five of the season

CHICAGO (July 6, 2024) – Making his Xfinity Series debut, on the Chicago Street Course, and his sixth Xfinity Series start of the season, Ty Gibbs earned a hard-fought second-place finish in Saturday afternoon’s The Loop 110. The Joe Gibbs Racing driver ran up front most of Stage 1 in his No. 19 GR Supra, finishing third by the stage’s end, before having an issue with a right rear tire gun on the ensuing pit stop, forcing him towards the mid-pack. Gibbs was able to methodically move his way back up the field through the ladder half of the race to be in contention for the victory, falling short by just over a second as the checkered flag flew.

Gibbs’ JGR teammates, Sheldon Creed and John Hunter Nemechek, also found themselves inside the top-10 in Stage 3, but on-track incidents towards the end of the race for both led to finishes in the 20s.

The Xfinity Series returns to action at Pocono Raceway next Saturday afternoon at 3 p.m. ET for the 19th race of the 2024 season.

Toyota Racing Post-Race Recap
NASCAR Xfinity Series
Chicago Street Course
Race 18 of 33 – 110 miles, 50 laps

TOYOTA FINISHING POSITIONS
1st, Shane van Gisbergen*
2nd, TY GIBBS
3rd, Kyle Larson*
4th, Parker Kligerman*
5th, Jesse Love*
25th, JOHN HUNTER NEMECHEK
26th, SHELDON CREED
33rd, SAGE KARAM
38th, CHANDLER SMITH
*non-Toyota driver

TOYOTA QUOTES

TY GIBBS, No. 19 He Gets Us Toyota GR Supra, Joe Gibbs Racing

Finishing Position: 2nd

How close were you to getting a win today?

“We had a bad pit stop that one time and got behind. We had a (tire) gun blow out, so it was nobody’s fault — just part of it. We just got behind. I had to use, I feel like, a good bit of my stuff to get back all the way to the front. Then, I was just too loose – we were kind of loose the whole time. It was just hard there at the end. The top restart is really hard because it’s super dirty up there so you’re just up in the fuzz the whole time off of (turn) 12. I don’t know what I could’ve done different there. Just needed to be a little bit better, a little tighter. I felt like we were pretty solid all day. Thank you to He Gets Us, Monster Energy, Interstate Batteries and everybody. It was a good run. We’ll wait til the next one.”

Would you classify this as a good second-place run or a frustrating one?

“There was a lot going on in that race. We came in for our pit stop and lost a ton of spots, we had a (tire) gun blow out, so unfortunate on that side. I think we were just a little too loose the whole time, whole day. Just too loose to get off, that’s what hurt us. But overall, for track time, I had a great time. I’d rather win, but appreciate the opportunity from He Gets Us, Monster Energy, Interstate Batteries, it was a great run. It’s been a fun time and hopefully ready for the next one.”

Was there anything you could’ve done to get by Jessie Love faster to take the lead?

“Yeah, I think I definitely should’ve been more aggressive and probably got around him quicker. I started on the top lane in (turn) 12 and it’s really dirty up there so you lose so much time and then you get behind so you’re already behind. I guess, I think our best bet was to just not have our (tire) gun blow up in the pit stop. I feel like I used my stuff up a lot to get back through the field and I just don’t think it helped our tires. We were really loose. I’d say yes, but it would’ve been close for sure at the end.”

If you got by Jesse Love sooner, do you think you had enough to hold off Shane van Gisbergen?

“Maybe. I just think that we were going to get by the 2 (Jesse Love) so fast anyways I don’t think it was really going to be a race at that point.”

Did you hope to shut down the narrative of Shane van Gisbergen’s success on a street course?

“I don’t really look at the news I feel like a whole lot, so I don’t really to be honest with you don’t really see it. I think there’s some people – we have access to study on SMT and stuff like that that helps for sure but I don’t really pay attention a whole lot to the news, so I don’t really see it. He’s (Shane van Gisbergen) very fast and deserves a lot of credit.”

What did you see from your perspective when Shane van Gisbergen took the lead?

“He just seemed like he set him up really well getting into (turn) 6 and had him pointed in a whole different direction. And he could cross him back over quickly and jump inside and get his nose far out enough to where (Jesse) Love is going to have to lift because at that point it doesn’t make sense to run the corner next to him. It seems like he just did a really good job setting him up.”

About Toyota

Toyota (NYSE:TM) has been a part of the cultural fabric in the U.S. for more than 65 years, and is committed to advancing sustainable, next-generation mobility through our Toyota and Lexus brands, plus our nearly 1,500 dealerships.

Toyota directly employs more than 49,000 people in the U.S. who have contributed to the design, engineering, and assembly of more than 34 million cars and trucks at our nine manufacturing plants. By 2025, Toyota’s 10th 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 28 electrified options.

Through its Driving Possibilities initiative, the Toyota USA Foundation has committed to creating innovative educational programs within, and in partnership with, historically underserved and diverse communities near the company’s U.S. operating sites.

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

RAFA Racing by JDX Driver Caroline Candas Earns First Win in Porsche Sprint Challenge at Watkins Glen

By
Official Release
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Candas Held Off Teammate Ian Porter on Track For Maiden Victory; Rafael Martinez Finishes Fifth in Pro-Am Class

WATKINS GLEN, New York (July 6, 2024) – RAFA Racing by JDX driver Caroline Candas made a long-awaited visit to victory lane on Saturday at Watkins Glen International, with the French driver earning her maiden win in Porsche Sprint Challenge North America in an action-packed race.

Candas had to hold off the Series point leader, who happens to be her RAFA Racing by JDX teammate Ian Porter, following a final full course caution period with just four minutes remaining in the 35-minute (plus one lap) race distance. For the second time, Candas led her No. 84 8Twelve Wheels Porsche 718 Cayman GT4 Clubsport RS away from the field and held on over three laps to cross the finish line 0.980 ahead of Porter.

The 22-year-old won round nine of 14 after finishing on the podium seven times in eight previous races, including four times as runner-up to Porter. With her parents visiting for this round, she started third and moved into the lead on the first lap when Porter and second-qualifying Nick Shaeffer had contact.

Out front, Candas built a 3.55-second lead that was erased with 25 minutes and 30 seconds to go for a full course caution, then built a second lead of 4.58 seconds that was erased before the final caution set up the shootout between she and Porter.

The win was her first on American soil following a successful karting and touring car career in Europe. Candas turned the fastest lap of the race in 1:56.468 in addition to leading every lap officially.

“I just had to push and stay first,” Candas said. “If he was just behind me, I had to defend, but I knew I just had to push. It’s the first one, and now I want more!”

Porter, who now has a podium finish in all nine races on the season including six wins, was assessed a drive-through penalty following the opening lap contact. He started his No. 86 Grid Finder Porsche Cayman on the pole but dropped to the rear of the field following the penalty.

Porter made up five positions to sit 13th on the first lap after rejoining the field and was 12th at the first full course caution period. He used the re-bunched field to climb all the way to fifth overall before the final yellow.

When the race restarted, Porter swept around two Caymans on the outside of Turn One and moved all the way to second-place before the bus stop to give chase to Candas. Unfortunately, Porter was assessed a post-race penalty of 10 seconds for exceeding track limits on the restart, which dropped him to fifth overall and third in the Pro-Am class. Impressively, that third-place finish is the lowest of the season for Porter, who had finished second in the two previous races that weren’t wins.

RAFA Racing by JDX teammates Rafael Martinez and Paige Morales each moved forward in their races on the challenging Watkins Glen layout. Martinez improved three positions overall through the race to finish fifth in the Pro-Am class in his No. 85 RAFA Racing Club Porsche Cayman. Morales crossed the line sixth-place in class, improving one position through the race.

All four RAFA Racing by JDX drivers will get a second chance at Watkins Glen International on Sunday morning, live on YouTube.com/@PorscheMotorsportNorthAmerica, at 8:30 a.m. ET. Like Saturday, Sunday’s race is 35 minutes plus one additional lap and is round 10 of the 14-race championship.

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.

Palou Stays Hot To Edge O’Ward for Mid-Ohio Pole

By
Official Release
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LEXINGTON, Ohio (Saturday, July 6, 2024) – The relentless pressure of Alex Palou prevailed again Saturday, as the NTT INDYCAR SERIES championship leader won the NTT P1 Award for The Honda Indy 200 at Mid-Ohio Presented by the 2025 Civic Hybrid.

Palou earned his second consecutive pole and third NTT P1 Award in the last six races this season with a top lap of 1 minute, 5.3511 seconds in the No. 10 Ridgeline Lubricants Chip Ganassi Racing Honda.

It was the sixth career pole for two-time and defending series champion Palou, whose two race victories this season have come from the top spot, on May 11 at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway road course and June 23 at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca. He also won the non-points exhibition race from the pole in March at The Thermal Club.

“It was huge,” Palou said. “We knew we had a really fast car. We also knew we were at a disadvantage with the 5 (Pato O’Ward) with the tires because he did one lap less in the Fast 12, and we didn’t want to risk it. The car has been awesome.”

Pato O’Ward qualified second at 1:05.3535 in the No. 5 Arrow McLaren Chevrolet, his best qualifying effort of the season, after leading practice Saturday morning. O’Ward fell just .0024 of a second short of Palou, the closest margin between the top two drivers in the Firestone Fast Six since INDYCAR introduced this format for road and street course qualifying in 2005.

“There’s always more, right?” O’Ward said. “That was a really clean lap, though. I thought we had it, but when I came over the line and I heard (pole) was a 35 and I saw 36 on the dash, I was like, “Urrgh.” The car has been really strong from the start. I told the guys this is the strongest car that we’ve had all year in a race weekend. I’m really excited for tomorrow.”

Live coverage of the 80-lap race starts at 1:30 p.m. ET Sunday on NBC, Peacock and the INDYCAR Radio Network. A 30-minute warmup session precedes the race at 10:25 a.m. (Peacock, INDYCAR Radio Network).

David Malukas continued his remarkable rebound from preseason wrist surgery to qualify third at 1:05.6509 in the No. 66 AutoNation/Arctic Wolf Honda fielded by Meyer Shank Racing. Malukas tied his career-best qualifying spot in just his second start this season, and this was his best-ever performance in road and street course qualifying.

Colton Herta will join Malukas on Row 2 after qualifying fourth at 1:05.7653 in the No. 26 Gainbridge Honda fielded by Andretti Global with Curb-Agajanian.

Marcus Armstrong qualified fifth at 1:05.9402 in the No. 11 Root Insurance Chip Ganassi Racing Honda but will start six positions lower Sunday due to a penalty for an unapproved engine change after the team test June 27 at Iowa Speedway.

Marcus Ericsson closed out the Firestone Fast Six qualifiers at 1:05.9592 in the No. 28 Delaware Life Honda of Andretti Global.

Christian Rasmussen was the top rookie qualifier, ninth at 1:05.6911 in the No. 20 Guy Care Chevrolet of Ed Carpenter Racing. That’s a career best, as his previous top spot was 13th in early June on the streets of Detroit.

While the debut of the new hybrid unit on all engines is a major storyline this weekend, the number of heavy hitters starting from midpack or further back also is drawing headlines. Every team not only worked to understand the change in balance to its cars due to the additional weight from the hybrid unit, but the repaving of the 13-turn, 2.258-mile roller coaster of a road course also created setup challenges due to increased grip.

Series champions Will Power and Scott Dixon, Palou’s closest pursuers in the points, have a long way to go to get to the front Sunday. Six-time Mid-Ohio winner Dixon qualified 14th in the No. 9 PNC Bank Chip Ganassi Racing Honda, while 2020 Mid-Ohio winner Power qualified 16th in the No. 12 Verizon Business Team Penske Chevrolet.

The Honda Indy 200 at Mid-Ohio Presented by the 2025 Civic Hybrid Qualifying Results

LEXINGTON, Ohio – Qualifying Saturday for The Honda Indy 200 at Mid-Ohio Presented by the 2025 Civic Hybrid NTT INDYCAR SERIES event on the 2.258 mile Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course, with qualifying position, car number in parentheses, driver, chassis-engine, time and speed in parentheses:

  1. (10) Alex Palou, Honda, 01:05.3511 (124.387 mph)
  2. (5) Pato O’Ward, Chevrolet, 01:05.3535 (124.382)
  3. (66) David Malukas, Honda, 01:05.6509 (123.819)
  4. (26) Colton Herta, Honda, 01:05.7653 (123.603)
  5. (11) Marcus Armstrong, Honda, 01:05.9402 (123.275)
  6. (28) Marcus Ericsson, Honda, 01:05.9592 (123.240)
  7. (3) Scott McLaughlin, Chevrolet, 01:05.6178 (123.881)
  8. (7) Alexander Rossi, Chevrolet, 01:05.6427 (123.834)
  9. (20) Christian Rasmussen, Chevrolet, 01:05.6911 (123.743)
  10. (45) Christian Lundgaard, Honda, 01:05.7705 (123.593)
  11. (8) Linus Lundqvist, Honda, 01:05.7805 (123.575)
  12. (77) Romain Grosjean, Chevrolet, 01:05.7822 (123.571)
  13. (60) Felix Rosenqvist, Honda, 01:05.6921 (123.741)
  14. (9) Scott Dixon, Honda, 01:05.8562 (123.433)
  15. (27) Kyle Kirkwood, Honda, 01:05.7147 (123.698)
  16. (12) Will Power, Chevrolet, 01:05.9654 (123.228)
  17. (6) Nolan Siegel, Chevrolet, 01:05.7679 (123.598)
  18. (2) Josef Newgarden, Chevrolet, 01:05.9857 (123.190)
  19. (15) Graham Rahal, Honda, 01:05.8508 (123.443)
  20. (21) Rinus VeeKay, Chevrolet, 01:06.0252 (123.117)
  21. (14) Santino Ferrucci, Chevrolet, 01:05.9414 (123.273)
  22. (78) Agustin Canapino, Chevrolet, 01:06.0550 (123.061)
  23. (30) Pietro Fittipaldi, Honda, 01:06.0973 (122.982)
  24. (4) Kyffin Simpson, Honda, 01:06.1034 (122.971)
  25. (51) Toby Sowery, Honda, 01:08.2499 (119.103)
  26. (41) Sting Ray Robb, Chevrolet, 01:06.6894 (121.890)
  27. (18) Jack Harvey, Honda, 01:06.9614 (121.395)a

Top three qualifying effort for ABEL Motorsports at Mid-Ohio

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Official Release
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LEXINGTON, Ohio. (July 6, 2024) – The ABEL Motorsports trio managed varying conditions, a constantly changing track and a rapidly updating information database after a recent repave reset the game for the INDY NXT by Firestone field this weekend at the Mid-Ohio Sport Car Course.

At the end of qualifying, Jacob Abel – second in the series point standings – was set to start third, with YuvenSundaramoorthy 15th and Jordan Missig 16th in Sunday’s INDY NXT by Firestone Grand Prix of Mid-Ohio.

All three drivers have a great deal of experience at Mid-Ohio, with Abel (No. 51 ABEL Construction), Sundaramoorthy (No. 22 S Team Motorsports) and Missig (No. 21 ABEL Motorsports) tallying 61 races between them. But that experience all but went out the window this weekend, as the track’s off-season repaving reset teams’ information databases. That gave the ABEL team two practice sessions to figure out setup and get ready for qualifying.

As is typical for a Midwest summer weekend, the pair of practice sessions saw completely different weather conditions. Friday afternoon was warm, cloudy and threatening rain as all three drivers worked on setup, posting top times early but fighting for rear grip late over Mid-Ohio’s 2.258-mile, 13-turn natural terrain road course.

Saturday morning’s session was sunny and cool, as Abel once again shot to the top of the speed charts, with Sundaramoorthy close behind and Missig just two-tenths back. All three drivers pitted for new tires with 13 minutes remaining in the 40-minute session, but a late red flag limited them to one flyer lap at the end of the session. At the checkered flag, combined session times put Abel P3, Missig P15 and Sundaramoorthy P16.

Missig took the green flag in the first of two 15-minute qualifying sessions, with Abel and Sundaramoorthy both in group two. Points leader Louis Foster set the quick time in group one, but Abel aimed for that speed and better, posting the early quick time. Quicker each lap, Abel’s predictive times were quickest on three separate laps but he could not put that perfect lap together, as 11 of the 19 drivers beat the existing track record. Missig was happy with the setup but found himself missing that last bit of pace, while Sundaramoorthy continued to look for grip.
When the final grid was set, Abel was set to start third in Sunday’s 35-lap race, with Sundaramoorthy 15th and Missig 16th – with the entire field separated by just over one second.

“We made a lot of changes to the car in the two practice sessions, and we’ve made a lot of progress,” said Abel. “The track changed a lot through those sessions, and then again in qualifying, it kind of came to us. We missed pole, just barely, but it’s super close, super competitive in this series. I know we could have gotten pole, I just had to work pretty hard to do it and unfortunately, I just didn’t put everything together there in the end. But we’ll be in a good spot at the start, on the inside, and I’m looking forward to that. It’s always a quick start here, so it’s going to be interesting.”

“The car was great,” said Sundaramoorthy. “The team obviously put together a great car, with Jacob P3, but I just didn’t have it. We need to go back and look at the data and try to put it all together. We know it’s going to be difficult, since this track is known to be rough on passing, but we’ll do the best we can. As far as the new pavement goes, I like it – I think it drives well, I just need to be faster.”

“I just don’t have the base,” said Missig. “The biggest thing right now is just trying to figure out where we’re losing the time in the critical corners and trying to work on that. The car I feel like is there and obviously we’re pretty close on times, and you see where Jacob is, so it’s just a matter of trusting the car, and putting the power down and everything and that’s one of the biggest issues. And yes, we’re re-learning the track after the repave, but at the end of the day, everyone’s on the exact same track, on the exact same tire, so we’ll go back and look at that now.”

ABEL Motorsports thanks partners ABEL Construction Company, Advance Ready Mix, Boyd Cat®, S Team Motorsports, Quest Global and OMP for their continued support.

The INDY NXT by Firestone Grand Prix at Mid-Ohio takes the green flag Sunday, July 7 at 11:15 a.m. ET. The race will be streamed live in the U.S. on Peacock, while international viewers can watch via INDYCARLIVE, with INDYCAR Radio available at indycar.com and on Sirius XM.

CHEVROLET NCS AT CHICAGO: Larson Tops Final Round of Qualifying to Claim Pole Position

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Official Release
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NASCAR CUP SERIES
CHICAGO STREET RACE
TEAM CHEVY QUALIFYING REPORT
JULY 6, 2024

Larson Tops Final Round of Qualifying to Claim Pole Position at Chicago

  • After turning the fastest lap overall in the NASCAR Cup Series’ practice session, Hendrick Motorsports’ Kyle Larson edged out Ty Gibbs on his final lap of qualifying to claim the pole position for tomorrow’s Grant Park 165 at the Chicago Street Course.
  • Larson’s pole – his fifth this season and 21st all-time in NASCAR’s top division – came at a lap time of 87.836 seconds, at 90.168 mph, in his No. 5 Valvoline Camaro ZL1 to edge out second-place Gibbs by a mere 0.010 second margin.
  • The pole win marks Chevrolet’s seventh pole of the 2024 NASCAR Cup Series season; and the manufacturer’s series-leading 750th all-time pole award in NASCAR’s premier series.
  • Larson led Chevrolet to four top-10 qualifying efforts in advance of tomorrow’s 75-lap event including last year’s Chicago Street Race winner Shane van Gisbergen in fifth; Larson’s Hendrick Motorsports teammate Alex Bowman in eighth; and Trackhouse Racing’s Daniel Suarez in ninth.
  • Pulling double-duty for the Chicago Street Race weekend, Larson also drove the No. 17 HENDRICKCARS.COM Camaro SS to a front-row starting spot for this afternoon’s NASCAR Xfinity Race at the 12-turn, 2.2-mile street course.
  • NBC will broadcast the NASCAR Cup Series Grant Park 165 at the Chicago Street Course on Sunday, July 7, at 4:30 p.m. ET. Live coverage can also be found on MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Channel 90.

TEAM CHEVY UNOFFICIAL TOP-10 STARTING LINEUP:
POS. DRIVER
1st Kyle Larson, No. 5 Valvoline Camaro ZL1
5th Shane van Gisbergen, No. 16 Wendy’s Saucy Nuggs Camaro ZL1
8th Alex Bowman, No. 48 Ally Camaro ZL1
9th Daniel Suarez, No. 99 Jockey x Folds of Honor Camaro ZL1

 
Kyle Larson, No. 5 Valvoline Camaro ZL1 – Pole Win Media Availability Quotes

Does it feel like you’re in as good of a rhythm as it looks like you are?

“I feel more in rhythm in the Cup car, for sure. I think it just has a more equal balance throughout most of the corners. The Xfinity car, it just has smaller tires and stuff, so there’s just less grip. A little more on edge in that, but yeah, two good racecars, so far. Hopefully we’ll have a good race this afternoon. Obviously the main objective is just to learn more about the track; more about where you can pass and making moves that maybe I wasn’t able to make last year. Yeah, so far so good.. just still a lot left to do.”

Broadcast was talking a lot about the bumps. Is it bumpier than last year, or is it just standing out more for some reason?

“No, it doesn’t feel any different to me than last year. It’s really rough when you’re coming around (turn) three; the break into four and kind of like between four and five and exiting five. Nowhere else, really, is that crazy bumpy.. maybe a little bit into 11. But my car seems to handle the bumps a little bit better this year than it did last year. Last year, I remember just being kind of like really, really bouncy. But this year, yeah – we seem to handle that a little bit better, which gives you some confidence to attack those areas.

I still feel like – and I’m sure a majority of us, maybe not SVG, but I feel like the majority of us have not quite found the max through four and five because it’s so bumpy and you feel like you’re hauling ass through there. By the time you get through the corner, you’re like – oh, I’m going too slow. It’s just a tough section.”

You mentioned finding the max; finding the different lines to run, the braking zones. Did you try to learn from anyone on-track, whether it be SVG, McDowell?

“Not today. I mean we’ve all obviously studied SMT of SVG, but I didn’t spend like hours. No different, really, than normal.. just kind of briefly looked at SMT compared to myself. And usually it’s just whatever team Cliff has for me. So yeah, just kind of look at a little bit of that. It was harder to study last year’s stuff because the track wasn’t like this, as far as there were some damp spots and things like that last year in the race. Hard to fully study, but there were definitely some things worth looking at. Obviously today, I had time to look at some SMT after my runs and stuff. It helps running Xfinity, as well, because I get more time to compare lines and stuff.”

It’s your fifth NASCAR Cup Series pole this season. Is there something that you and Cliff (Daniels) do when you setup the car in qualifying trim that just makes you good, week in and week out, when you go out and lay down a fast lap?

“I don’t know.. I think just probably the notebook. I think of now, we’re three years into this Next Gen car, so you hope to get better every time. I’m sure you’re getting every little detail more fine-tuned. Yeah, this year in qualifying – really racing too – has been a strong suit. But qualifying, we’ve been able to execute and get five poles to this point. That’s special. Hopefully we can keep that up and keep our speed up in races, as well.”

Given that it’s such tight corners, you’re on edge. Is there extra pride as a driver to perform well at tracks like this compared to the standard oval?

“Any road course, I think you feel like the driver means a little bit more. But I don’t feel like I’m any better of a road racer one year later. I think my team is just, like I just mentioned, it’s their second year here. They studied their notes from last year and made our car a lot better in the areas that I needed help. So I think that’s what makes me really proud, too. We have a team that’s capable of doing that. I feel like last year, in qualifying especially, the Gibbs’ cars were – gosh, I was like a second off the pace. I mean I still made the final round, but I was like close to a second off the pace. This year, I know we barely beat Ty (Gibbs), but I feel like compared to Martin (Truex Jr.), Denny (Hamlin) and (Tyler) Reddick.. guys like that, I feel like we’re now not quite a bit better, but better than we were last year. I’m mostly, for this weekend, proud of that and our team.”

Some poles, you might say are more important than others. But on the street race, how big is that? Also, you’re starting two rows ahead of SVG..

“Yeah, I mean sure, that helps. But he’ll (SVG) probably be up there right away. We keep talking about him a lot, but everyone in the Cup Series is really good, so you can’t focus too much on him.

Yeah, track position is really important, no doubt. It is at an oval, as well, that you run 30-second laps times on. Here, I think it’s important, but I think with stages and stuff like that, it honestly can mean a little bit less just because you’re always going to find yourself in traffic at some point, I feel like, with road course racing and stages. People flip the stages or whatever. Like Sonoma, for instance, like we had to restart towards the back. We just had a really good car and were able to drive to the front. We qualified good there, as well. So I mean, yes, it helps. But you also have to have a good racecar and execute good restarts to pickoff spots quickly.”

 
 

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.

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