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CHEVROLET INDYCAR AT TORONTO: Team Chevy Qualifying Report

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Official Release
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CHEVROLET IN NTT INDYCAR SERIES
ONTARIO HONDA DEALERS INDY TORONTO
STREETS OF TORONTO
TORONTO, ONTARIO, CANADA
TEAM CHEVY QUALIFYING REPORT
JULY 20, 2024

TEAM PENSKE’S SCOTT MCLAUGHLIN AND JUNCOS HOLLINGER RACING’S ROMAIN GROSJEAN LED TEAM CHEVY IN QUALIFYING ON THE STREETS OF TORONTO

  • Chevrolet will have five drivers representing the Bowtie brand starting in the top-10 of Sunday’s 85-lap Ontario Honda Dealers Indy Toronto after the conclusion of qualifying Saturday on the Streets of Toronto.
  • Team Penske’s Scott McLaughlin (fourth) and Juncos Hollinger Racing’s Romain Grosjean (fifth) represented the Bowtie brand in Saturday’s Firestone Fast Six qualifying.
  • Grosjean (third) and Team Penske’s Scott McLaughlin (fifth) represented Chevrolet in the Firestone Fast Six after transferring from the Fast 12 and finishing in the top six.
  • Will Power (first) of Team Penske, and Grosjean (fifth) and Agustin Canapino (sixth) of Juncos Hollinger Racing, finished in the top six of Group 2 and transferred to represent Team Chevy in the Fast 12.
  • Making his first appearance in the Fast 12 in the NTT INDYCAR SERIES, Canapino’s starting position of 10th is career-best in the series so far.
  • McLaughlin (second), Ed Carpenter Racing’s Christian Rasmussen (third), Team Penske’s Josef Newgarden (sixth) finished in the top six of Group 1 and transferred to represent Chevrolet in the Fast 12.
  • Will Power of Team Penske led second practice for Team Chevy, finishing third with his fastest lap of 1:00.8014 and only 0.2251 seconds behind the leader.
  • Race day Sunday sees a warm-up for the NTT INDYCAR SERIES starting at 10 a.m. ET, with the green flag dropping on the 85-lap, 151.81-mile Ontario Honda Dealers Indy Toronto live on Peacock at 1 p.m. ET. Additional coverage is broadcast via INDYCAR Radio and SiriusXM Channel 218.

TEAM CHEVY TOP-10 QUALIFYING RESULT:
Pos. Driver
4th Scott McLaughlin (0:59.9082)
5th Romain Grosjean (1:00.0012)
7th Josef Newgarden (0:59.8796)
9th Will Power (1:00.1310)
10th Agustin Canapino (1:00.2873)

TEAM CHEVY TOP-10 SECOND PRACTICE RESULT:
Pos. Driver
3rd Will Power (1:00.8014)
6th Scott McLaughlin (1:00.8696)
7th Rinus VeeKay (1:00.9607)
8th Josef Newgarden (1:00.9636)

WHAT THEY’RE SAYING (Quotes):

Santino Ferrucci, No. 14 AJ Foyt Racing Chevrolet:

“Just mistimed it. It was just an error in our calculations. Just a bit unfortunate. We were out way too long on reds [greens], way too heavy with fuel when the tires were at their optimum and ended up running three laps at the same pace. But you know when you’re out there on reds [greens] and people are coming out on sticker tires and you’re just catching traffic, there’s nothing you can do. So, it’s kind of just terrible for us because now we start buried in the pack and that’s never good here but we’ll make due for tomorrow.”

“Obviously, we’ve had great race pace all year long, I don’t think that’s going to change, we’re fighting some balance issues here this weekend. We’ve been on the back foot since FP1 And we were just trying to get some things changed but to be honest that’s how it goes on some street courses, so we’ll get it all tuned up and we’ll be good to go.”

Sting Ray Robb, No. 41 AJ Foyt Racing Chevrolet:

“Just speed, we didn’t have any speed. I don’t really know what it is that we’re struggling with — something that we just haven’t figured out yet. We’ve been trying different setups the last two days and this one didn’t work for us. So, we’ll probably unwind that a little bit and hopefully figure out something in the warm up tomorrow because right now we’re missing a lot.”

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

“It’s been a tough weekend. Obviously, qualifying was really frustrating with cars getting in the way right in the peak of the window of the tires to be able to transfer. We were less than a tenth and a half to transfer, so I think we would have been okay without those implications. It is frustrating, knowing that we could have started further up, but we will be rolling off P14. Historically, this hasn’t been one of our best tracks. It will be a tough one, but we will give it our best and see what the No. 5 Arrow McLaren Chevrolet can do.”

Nolan Siegel, No. 6 Arrow McLaren Chevrolet:

“We’ve been working to get it to a more comfortable window all weekend. The car actually felt quite good there, we just didn’t have the pace, so we will look into it. Not exactly sure where we are losing everything yet. A little bit of a confusing session to be honest.

“It is tough without Alex (Rossi). He is a huge resource for me as a new driver for the team. We miss him a lot. Wishing Alex all the best. Ultimately, our group is still moving forward, as normal. We are doing our best to put the No. 6 car as far up the grid as possible. That doesn’t change.”

“Difficult qualifying session for us. It’s not where we wanted to be, but we’re getting the car into a happy window and we’re getting there. We’re making progress, so we’ll continue to look into what we need to improve and see what we can do tomorrow. I think we’ll be stronger in the race. We’ve always been able to move forward, and I have faith in the No. 6 SmartStop Arrow McLaren Chevrolet and the crew. I’m looking forward to Sunday.”

Théo Pourchaire, No. 7 Arrow McLaren Chevrolet:

“I was obviously not expecting to be here, so I am dealing with a good amount of jet lag. It was a bit of a stressful situation to get here, but we made it and I think we did okay. The No. 7 Ryde Arrow McLaren Chevrolet was good, and I adapted quickly. We only did nine laps, and I worked to try to learn the track the first time out with the new hybrid system, as well. I think we can be confident for tomorrow because the package looks pretty strong. It is not going to be easy, but I think we can grab some positions and complete every lap. I want to get this car as close to the front as I can for Alex (Rossi).”

Gavin Ward, Team Principal at Arrow McLaren:

“It was just a huge effort from the team and from Théo (Pourchaire) to get here in time for qualifying. It was important to get those laps in, and they will help us throughout the rest of the weekend. We’ll try to get him up to speed filling in on the No. 7 Ryde Arrow McLaren Chevrolet for Alex (Rossi), who we are hoping has a speedy recovery. We’re obviously thinking about him, too. It has been a weekend of adversity, and then to have Pato’s (O’Ward) qualifying spoiled by being blocked was obviously disappointing. He will line up next to his championship rival, so we’re going to try to beat him from there. I’m not sure if we had the pace to take it to the Andretti cars today. We’ll be looking into ways to improve our street course package coming here next year but also for the rest of this weekend.”

Zak Brown, CEO of McLaren Racing:

“We thought (Théo Pourchaire) was the best driver, simple as that. He’s done an excellent job driving for us. He knows the team, obviously. We’re throwing him into the deep end here learning a new circuit in qualifying. But he’s a pro. We enjoy our time with him. Looking forward to getting him back in the car.”

He has been good on street courses this year, but what kind of challenges and what expectations are fair for him given the challenge:

“I think expectations have got to be pretty low. He’s going to be going out there and in ten minutes he has to learn a track and try and put a lap time down. I think he’ll get there in the race. He’ll learn quickly, and we’ll see. It’s unfortunate what happened to Alex (Ross) and hopefully he has a speedy recovery.”

Christian Rasmussen, No. 20 Ed Carpenter Racing Chevrolet:

“I am obviously very happy with that qualifying, second Fast 12 in a row for me! Super positive and just shows the direction we are headed, both myself as a driver and also the team as well. I am very proud of the GuyCare Chevy boys and what they have been able to do for me! We knew going into the Fast 12 we were going to be at a disadvantage as we used an extra set of greens in the first round, but we are still happy with 12th on the grid. We’ll see what we can do tomorrow during the race!”

Rinus VeeKay, No. 21 Ed Carpenter Racing Chevrolet:

“That was a really messy qualifying session, so many cars in the same place on track. I am upset with where we are starting because we had a solid weekend leading up to qualifying and were quick in both practices. The positive is we know we have a good car, we just have to make sure we make the most of it tomorrow.”

Romain Grosjean, No. 77 Juncos Hollinger Racing Chevrolet:

“I think we can be very proud of what we’re doing. It’s changed a lot. (The hybrid) has changed the car a lot. We reacted very well from a tough Friday and tough Saturday morning, but I’m proud of what we did. I wanted more. I wanted to be in the Fast Six. I wanted to hunt for pole. I made a mistake on my first set, and the second set of tires kind of went off at the end of the lap. It is what it is. I think we can be proud of that. With four Andrettis and Meyers Shank (Racing), one Penske and us, so I think Juncos can be very proud of everything we’ve been doing and now we just work towards a good race tomorrow.”

You talk about a good race tomorrow, when you came in today you chugged a whole bottle of Gatorade, you have ice packs down your suit. Tomorrow is going to be fairly similar conditions, and physical. How draining could we expect this race to be inside the racecar?

“It’s a tough one. It’s bumpy. It’s hot. It’s a lot of different tarmacs. I guess the winter can be harder (on the streets), at least that’s what they say. It makes the roads quite tricky, but we should be good tomorrow.”

Agustin Canapino, No. 78 Juncos Hollinger Racing Chevrolet:

“Thankful for the team, for Team Chevy. We were really close many, many times. Finally, we did it, so really happy. We are going to start in P9, P8. Maybe, two more and I’d go the Fast Six!”

What are the street courses like for you in year two? Are you enjoying the challenge?

“Yes, of course I am improving a lot. I remember one year and a half ago was my first open wheel race, so this year I feel much more comfortable. The team is growing a lot. I think we are having a really good year. The pace is there. Hopefully, tomorrow we can do a good race and achieve a good result.”

Josef Newgarden, No. 2 Team Penske Chevrolet:

“It’s just tight. You’ve got to be perfect. The team had a really good car. Definitely had a super fast car. I think they could have been higher up. So, it’s a shame to be seventh. That’s not a bad spot. I think we can win from there. It’s definitely up close to the front enough, so I’m excited to drive this Hitachi Chevy car with this team.”

Scott McLaughlin, No. 3 Team Penske Chevrolet:

“The car was pretty good. I don’t think we’ve been the quickest car all weekend, but I think we didn’t overachieve, we just did a solid qualifying run. For us to be in the Fast Six, top Chevy, that’s a great achievement, but we’ve got a lot going for tomorrow. I’m sure with this Gallagher pit stop crew and strategy team, we’ll be up front tomorrow.”

Will Power, No. 12 Team Penske Chevrolet:

“It’s so tight, qualifying is so tight in INDYCAR. A few tenths or hundredths of a second can be the difference in two to three positions on the grid. Very happy with the Verizon Chevrolet. This is a tough race to win but I think we have the race pace to where, if we get a few breaks on strategy, we can be right in the game.”

THÉO POURCHAIRE, DRIVER OF THE NO. 7 ARROW MCLAREN CHEVROLET – Qualifying End of Day Press Conference:

THE MODERATOR: Also joined by Theo Pourchaire. Welcome back.

THEO POURCHAIRE: That was crazy. I want one thing right now, a bed with air conditioner and sleep (laughter).

THE MODERATOR: Obviously preparing for his sixth career start in the NTT INDYCAR SERIES. Nine total laps in the qualifying session. Tell us about the last 24 hours you’ve been through.

THEO POURCHAIRE: Sure, I would say the last 15 or 18 hours maybe is crazy. It was about midnight in France when Tony Kanaan called me. Of course, I saw practice one. I’m watching INDYCAR every session. I saw the crash of Alex. I didn’t know he was injured. I was like, yeah, he was getting out of the car. I was at the restaurant. I told my girlfriend, Maybe McLaren is going to call me if he’s injured. Half an hour later, Tony is calling me. This is strange.

Theo, can you come as quick as possible? We need you right now in Toronto.

It’s midnight in France, Tony. I’m not sure I can find a flight and come quick.

But yeah, I’m here. Nine laps in quali. I wish Alex a speedy recovery. I know he broke a thumb. It’s not easy to come here straight in quali, but it’s fine. I’m happy.

THE MODERATOR: We’ll take a couple more questions.

Q. Theo, can you take us through your flight over here. Were you watching video, onboard cameras? First time at this track.

THEO POURCHAIRE: It’s a very difficult track, very bumpy. Tony called me and I told him, I’m fine, I want to race, of course. I told him, If the race engineers can send me as quick as possible onboards, data, that would be good. That’s what they did.

In the plane — actually not in the plane. I just didn’t sleep in France. I went at 5 in the morning at the airport, was watching all night the onboard data. In the plane I decided to sleep a little bit. That was not easy. Still, I could sleep maybe like four hours, five hours.

Yeah, I mean, that’s crazy because I was still in Indianapolis three days ago. Decided to come back to France because it’s summer in France and I was not racing in Indy any more.

But then, yeah, it’s unfortunate what happened to Alex (Rossi). As I said, I wish him a speedy recovery. I think his broken thumb is painful, but it’s not a big, big injury. Maybe he will be back soon, so it’s good.

Q. You’re feeling when you left pit lane, what’s going through your mind at that moment?

THEO POURCHAIRE: I mean, I just tried to learn again a bit everything. I know there’s now the hybrid system, which I could try in Milwaukee, but it’s an oval. The steering wheel layout is a bit different on the No. 7 car from Alex. I had to learn a bit the new steering wheel.

It was fine. I think I adapted pretty quickly. Tomorrow the warm-up will be very important for me to do again as much laps as possible, and in the race try to learn, try to come back and gain some positions.

I don’t expect much. I just want to race and bring the car home.

Q. Looking ahead, you had a test on an oval. Would you welcome the idea if it was needed to replace Rossi at the Gateway race?

THEO POURCHAIRE: Of course, of course. I mean, I’m here for the team. They gave me the opportunity to show myself in INDYCAR. Of course, I was disappointed when I learned that they were replacing me. But it’s part of the game, part of the sport.

I know them very well. When I came back today, everybody was happy. It was good also to see all the people in the team, the mechanics, the engineers, everybody. So it’s a bit like my family in INDYCAR. I know them very well.

In case Alex is not ready, will be still here waiting. If the team calls me, of course. I’m not going to refuse racing. I love INDYCAR. It’s a great championship. I was home waiting for more than probably four, five weeks. So right now I’m just super happy to drive. It feels like a dream.

Q. Did you get any chance to use the hybrid at all in the nine laps you did?

THEO POURCHAIRE: Sure, sure, I used it. I mean, it gives more power, for sure. It can change a little bit the balance of the car. I had so much to learn from the track, especially the track is very tough. It’s quite warm. Physically it’s not going to be easy for me tomorrow. I will give my best.

The hybrid system, it’s fun. It’s fun to play with. I think in the race it’s going to be important to be smart with it, with the push to pass as well. Yeah, let’s see. Really can’t wait to be tomorrow starting the race. I just love INDYCAR, I love racing.

Q. You’ve only had the hybrid assist in testing a very limited time. Now you’re expected to go out there tomorrow and use it in a race. How big a challenge is that? There’s still a lot of veteran drivers that haven’t figured out the right way to use it yet.

THEO POURCHAIRE: Yeah, it’s going to be tough to be able to use it properly, yeah, to be consistent during the race. But I think Arrow McLaren did a great job on that side. We have a pretty strong procedure. I think the team will help me a lot on that side.

I will just have to follow what they are telling me to do. I think the most important from my side is also the driving, to drive well, do a good strategy and it will be fine.

Q. What was the most challenging part of the all-night trip?

THEO POURCHAIRE: The most challenging part is the stress first. It’s very stressful. I didn’t drive a race car since before Laguna Seca. I knew it was going to be tight to drive in quali. It’s quali. quali, you have 10 minutes and you have to do the job. You have to be really quick, learn the track. I knew there was a hybrid system in the car I had to manage.

It was very stressful. The jet lag. I just came back from Indy to France, and now France to Toronto. I don’t really know where I am actually. I mean, it’s part of the life of a racing driver. I enjoy it. I’m super happy to be here. Even if I’m tired, I’m super happy.

About Chevrolet

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Herta Again on Pole in Toronto, Eyes First Race Win Since 2022

By
Official Release
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Toronto, CA - during the Ontario Honda Dealers Indy Toronto in Toronto, Ontario, Canada on the streets of Toronto. (Photo by Joe Skibinski | IMS Photo)

TORONTO (Saturday, July 20, 2024) – All Colton Herta needs to do now is complete the weekend sweep of the Ontario Honda Dealers Indy Toronto.

Herta has been the fastest NTT INDYCAR SERIES driver in each of this weekend’s sessions so far at Exhibition Place, capping Saturday with a pole-winning run in the No. 26 Gainbridge Honda of Andretti Global with Curb-Agajanian.

Herta bested Andretti Global teammate Kyle Kirkwood by just over a tenth of a second to take the 14th NTT P1 Award of his career. Herta’s lap of 59.5431 seconds earned him his second pole in this event, the other coming in 2022. He finished second in that race.

This was Herta’s third pole of the season, but he has yet to convert one into a race win. In fact, the last time Herta went to victory lane was on the Indianapolis Motor Speedway road course race in May 2022. For a driver of his caliber, that’s too long of a drought.

“We just need to (do) the same,” Herta said of maintaining his advantage on the 11-turn, 1.786-mile temporary street circuit. “This (car) has been a rocket ship all weekend (and) really has (been) the past few races. Luck hasn’t turned our way for a win yet, and I’m hoping it’s here tomorrow.”

The 85-lap race is set for 1 p.m. ET (Peacock (United States, TSN4/TSN+ (Canada), INDYCAR Radio Network). Herta has finished second and third in the past two Toronto races and finished seventh as a rookie in 2019.

Kirkwood gave Andretti Global a sweep of the front row with a lap of 59.6735 seconds in the No. 27 AutoNation Honda. Meyer Shank Racing’s Felix Rosenqvist earned the third starting position to give Honda a 1-2-3 look at the green flag. Given the technical alliance between Andretti Global and Meyer Shank Racing, that’s also a top-three sweep for that group.

MSR’s David Malukas also earned a spot in the Firestone Fast Six, and he will start sixth in the No. 66 AutoNation/Arctic Wolf Honda.

Theo Pourchaire had an even more dramatic day, replacing the injured Alexander Rossi (broken right thumb) despite having never competed on the track being used this weekend. Pourchaire was in his native France when Rossi’s car hit the tire barrier in Turn 8 in Friday’s practice, and he had to make a quick trans-Atlantic trip. He boarded the first of two flights shortly after midnight ET and arrived in the paddock about an hour before qualifying. Remarkably, his best lap (of nine) was less than 1.1 seconds from transferring to the second round.

Another happy driver was Agustin Canapino, who qualified the No. 78 Juncos Hollinger Racing Chevrolet in the highest position – 10th – of his two-year career. Canapino had never reached the second round of qualifying.

Series leader Alex Palou (No. 10 DHL Chip Ganassi Racing Honda) will start 18th in the 27-car field after being penalized in qualifying for impeding Pato O’Ward and his No. 5 Arrow McLaren Chevrolet in the second group. The Chip Ganassi Racing driver disagreed with the penalty, insisting there were “three cars in front of me – I couldn’t really go anywhere.”

Palou won’t be the only championship contender starting the race in deep in the pack. O’Ward stands third in the standings, and he will start 14th. Scott Dixon, a four-time winner of this event who is fourth in points, will line up 15th in the No. 9 PNC Bank Chip Ganassi Racing Honda. That makes three of the top four in the standings starting in the back half of the field. Will Power, who trails Palou by 35 points, will start ninth in the No. 12 Verizon Business Team Penske Chevrolet. He is a three-time Toronto winner.

Hunter McElrea’s first series qualifying effort ended just minutes into the session when his No. 18 Courtesy Corporation Honda of Dale Coyne Racing went into the Turn 8 tire barrier. Last year’s runner-up in INDY NXT by Firestone will start Sunday’s race from the 25th position – he had been 16th in the morning practice.

This is the last of the series’ four street circuit races this season. O’Ward won the season-opening Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg presented by RP Funding while Dixon won the Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach and the Chevrolet Detroit Grand Prix presented by Lear. After this weekend, five races remain to determine the series champion, and four of them will be on oval tracks.

For the first time this weekend, drivers are allowed to regenerate and deploy stored energy after INDYCAR updated hybrid unit procedures. The energy recovery system that adds up to 60 additional horsepower in spurts was introduced earlier in the month and has been used on a road course at the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course and on an oval at Iowa Speedway. This is the first time the hybrid technology has been used on a street circuit.

Ontario Honda Dealers Indy Toronto Qualifying Results

TORONTO – Qualifying Saturday for the Ontario Honda Dealers Indy Toronto NTT INDYCAR SERIES event on the 1.786-mile Streets of Toronto’s Exhibition Place, with qualifying position, car number in parentheses, driver, engine, time and speed in parentheses:

  1. (26) Colton Herta, Honda, 59.5431 (107.982 mph)
  2. (27) Kyle Kirkwood, Honda, 59.6735 (107.746)
  3. (60) Felix Rosenqvist, Honda, 59.8252 (107.473)
  4. (3) Scott McLaughlin, Chevrolet, 59.9082 (107.324)
  5. (77) Romain Grosjean, Chevrolet, 01:00.0012 (107.158)
  6. (66) David Malukas, Honda, 01:00.2109 (106.785)
  7. (2) Josef Newgarden, Chevrolet, 59.8796 (107.375)
  8. (15) Graham Rahal, Honda, 01:00.0323 (107.102)
  9. (12) Will Power, Chevrolet, 01:00.1310 (106.927)
  10. (78) Agustin Canapino, Chevrolet, 01:00.2873 (106.649)
  11. (28) Marcus Ericsson, Honda, 01:00.3364 (106.563)
  12. (20) Christian Rasmussen, Chevrolet, 01:00.4336 (106.391)
  13. (11) Marcus Armstrong, Honda, 01:00.5732 (106.146)
  14. (5) Pato O’Ward, Chevrolet, 01:00.6435 (106.023)
  15. (9) Scott Dixon, Honda, 01:00.7389 (105.856)
  16. (45) Christian Lundgaard, Honda, 01:00.7510 (105.835)
  17. (14) Santino Ferrucci, Chevrolet, 01:01.0072 (105.391)
  18. (10) Alex Palou, Honda, 01:00.8337 (105.691)
  19. (6) Nolan Siegel, Chevrolet, 01:01.2409 (104.989)
  20. (4) Kyffin Simpson, Honda, 01:00.9502 (105.489)
  21. (51) Toby Sowery, Honda, 01:01.3367 (104.825)
  22. (21) Rinus VeeKay, Chevrolet, 01:01.0846 (105.257)
  23. (30) Pietro Fittipaldi, Honda, 01:01.3791 (104.752)
  24. (8) Linus Lundqvist, Honda, 01:01.2099 (105.042)
  25. (18) Hunter McElrea, Honda, No Time (No Speed)
  26. (7) Theo Pourchaire, Chevrolet, 01:01.6071 (104.365)
  27. (41) Sting Ray Robb, Chevrolet, 01:01.7355 (104.148)

Tyler Reddick roars to thrilling Brickyard 400 pole at Indianapolis

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

Tyler Reddick raced his way to a monstrous Busch Light Pole Award for the return of the Brickyard 400 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway on Saturday, July 20.

The two-time NASCAR Xfinity Series champion from Corning, California, made early head waves by being the fastest during the first round of on-track qualifying and within his Group A qualifying group, where he was one of 10 overall to transfer into the final round and contend for the pole position.

Once in the final round, Reddick, who was the 10th and final competitor to post a qualifying lap, managed to post the fastest-qualifying lap at 181.932 mph in 49.469 seconds. The qualifying lap was enough to knock off team owner Denny Hamlin off the top of the chart by 0.012 seconds.

With his accomplishment, Reddick, driver of the No. 45 The Beast Unleashed Toyota Camry XSE for 23XI Racing and who was the fastest during Friday’s practice session, clinched his eighth NASCAR Cup Series career pole, his second of the season, his first since doing so at Darlington Raceway in May and his second overall at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

Ironically, Reddick’s first Indianapolis pole occurred in 2022 when the Cup Series’ competitors were racing on the venue’s road-course circuit. During the main event, Reddick would proceed to win and emerge as one of three competitors overall to win a Cup event on Indy’s road-course circuit as he attempts to become the first competitor to win at Indianapolis both on the road course and oval overall.

“I feel like [today’s pole]’s equal of importance, for sure,” Reddick, who compared his first pole at Indy in 2022 to today, said in the media center. “I knew we had to be really close to perfect today. I still wasn’t, honestly, but we did a good enough job the rest of the other three corners to be able to capture [the pole]. I feel like both [poles] are just as important as the other in regards to the race the following day. It’s a great thing that we were able to accomplish today.”

Despite being guaranteed a spot into the 2024 Cup Series Playoffs based off of winning at Talladega Superspeedway in April, Reddick, who is currently ranked in third place in this year’s regular-season standings and trails points leader Chase Elliott by 15 points, continues to keep his eyes squared on the prize and against his fellow competitors for the remaining regular-season events on the schedule, starting with a potential crown-jewel victory on Indy’s oval-shaped circuit.

“We got a good opportunity in front of us, but we know that a lot of the guys that are right there behind us are really good at making adjustments and doing what they need to do,” Reddick added. “We have to be mindful of all potentials of how the race unfolds.”

Reddick will share the front row with Denny Hamlin, Reddick’s owner at 23XI Racing who ended up with the second-fastest qualifying lap at 181.492 mph in 49.589 seconds.

Chase Elliott, the 2020 Cup Series champion, will line up in third place and he will share the second row with teammate William Byron. Kyle Larson, who attempted the Memorial Day double duty role in May and finished 18th in this year’s 108th running of the Indianapolis 500, will start in fifth place and line up next to Ty Gibbs on the third row. Ironically, Larson also qualified in fifth place during his Indy 500 bid.

Ryan Blaney, Michael McDowell, Ricky Stenhouse Jr. and John Hunter Nemechek, all of whom transferred into the final round of qualifying, will line up from seventh to 10th, respectively, while Austin Dillon and Joey Logano will follow suit on the starting grid in the top 12.

Notably, Austin Cindric ended up in 38th place on the starting grid due to making significant contact with the outside wall during his qualifying lap.

All 39 Cup competitors entered for this weekend’s main event made the show.

Qualifying position, best speed, best time:

1. Tyler Reddick, 181.932 mph, 49.469 seconds

2. Denny Hamlin, 181.492 mph, 49.589 seconds

3. Chase Elliott, 181.803 mph, 49.504 seconds

4. William Byron, 180.155 mph, 49.957 seconds

5. Kyle Larson, 181.298 mph, 49.642 seconds

6. Ty Gibbs, 180.043 mph, 49.988 seconds

7. Ryan Blaney, 179.849 mph, 50.042 seconds

8. Michael McDowell, 178.898 mph, 50.308 seconds

9. Ricky Stenhouse Jr., 173.859 mph, 51.766 seconds

10. John Hunter Nemechek, 178.462 mph, 50.431 seconds

11. Austin Dillon, 180.912 mph, 49.748 seconds

12. Joey Logano, 180.270 mph, 49.925 seconds

13. Alex Bowman, 180.777 mph, 49.785 seconds

14. Martin Truex Jr., 180.076 mph, 49.979 seconds

15. AJ Allmendinger, 180.643 mph, 49.822 seconds

16. Harrison Burton, 179.946 mph, 50.015 seconds

17. Bubba Wallace, 180.592 mph, 49.836 seconds

18. Christopher Bell, 179.759 mph, 50.067 seconds

19. Corey LaJoie, 180.476 mph, 49.868 seconds

20. Chase Briscoe, 179.734 mph, 50.074 seconds

21. Noah Gragson, 180.159 mph, 49.956 seconds

22. Ty Dillon, 179.669 mph, 50.092 seconds

23. Chris Buescher, 180.025 mph, 49.993 seconds

24. Todd Gilliland, 179.630 mph, 50.103 seconds

25. Daniel Suarez, 179.165 mph, 50.233 seconds

26. Brad Keselowski, 179.097 mph, 50.252 seconds

27. Zane Smith, 178.962 mph, 50.290 seconds

28. Ross Chastain, 178.973 mph, 50.287 seconds

29. Erik Jones, 178.816 mph, 50.331 seconds

30. Carson Hocevar, 178.451 mph, 50.434 seconds

31. Ryan Preece, 178.713 mph, 50.360 seconds

32. Daniel Hemric, 178.366 mph, 50.458 seconds

33. Jimmie Johnson, 178.444 mph, 50.436 seconds

34. Kyle Busch, 178.338 mph, 50.466 seconds

35. Justin Haley, 177.508 mph, 50.702 seconds

36. Cody Ware, 176.737 mph, 50.923 seconds

37. Josh Berry, 176.578 mph, 50.969 seconds

38. Austin Cindric, 161.091 mph, 55.869 seconds

39. Timmy Hill, 169.773 mph, 53.012 seconds

The 2024 Brickyard 400 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway is set to occur on Sunday, July 21, and air at 2:30 p.m. ET on NBC.

Cole Custer wins Xfinity pole position for 2024 Pennzoil 250 at Indianapolis

By
Andrew Kim
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Photo by Ron Olds for SpeedwayMedia.com.

Cole Custer picked up right where he left off from last weekend in first place as he claimed the pole position for the return of the Pennzoil 250 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway on Saturday, July 20.

The reigning NASCAR Xfinity Series champion from Ladera Ranch, California, saved his best qualifying lap for last as he was the last of 38 competitors to post a qualifying lap, which he achieved the top starting spot and bested teammate Riley Herbst with a pole-winning lap at 167.582 mph in 53.705 seconds, with Custer being the only competitor to post a qualifying lap within the 167-mile range.

With his accomplishment, Custer, driver of the No. 00 Haas Automation Ford Mustang for Stewart-Haas Racing, notched his 21st career pole in the Xfinity Series, his third of the 2024 season, his first since doing so at Phoenix Raceway in March and his first at Indianapolis.

Custer’s current best result on Indy’s oval-shaped circuit in three total starts is a fifth-place result he posted in 2017 during his rookie Xfinity campaign as he strives to be four spots better for Saturday’s main event.

Custer’s pole comes a week after he scored his first Xfinity victory of the 2024 season at Pocono Raceway as he leads this year’s regular-season standings. It also comes hours after it was announced that he will be returning to a full-time Cup Series campaign in 2025 for Haas Factory Team in the No. 41 Ford, a team that is rebranded from Stewart-Haas Racing.

Saturday’s Xfinity event and return to the oval-shaped circuit at Indianapolis will feature a front row sweep of Stewart-Haas Racing competitors as Riley Herbst, driver of the No. 98 Monster Energy Ford Mustang, will start alongside Custer with his best qualifying lap occurring at 166.942 mph in 53.911 seconds.

Aric Almirola, who makes his return to the Xfinity Series for the first time since Darlington Raceway in May, qualified in a strong third place and he will share the second row with Sam Mayer while Anthony Alfredo piloted his No. 5 Our Motorsports Chevrolet Camaro to a fifth-place starting spot as he will share the third row with Brandon Jones.

Carson Kvapil, AJ Allmendinger, Justin Allgaier and Josh Berry will start in the top 10 while Jeb Burton and Sheldon Creed round out the top-12 starting spots.

Notably, Xfinity Series regulars Chandler Smith, Austin Hill and rookie Jesse Love will start 13th to 15th, respectively, while Conor Daly will start in 16th place. In addition, Joe Graf Jr. will start 17th in his first Xfinity start of the season with Joe Gibbs Racing, Sammy Smith will line up in 21st place alongside Daniel Dye, rookie Shane van Gisbergen will start 23rd and Parker Kligerman will line up in 38th place, dead last, as he was the only competitor who did not post a qualifying lap.

All 38 Xfinity competitors entered for this weekend’s main event made the show.

Qualifying position, best speed, best time:

1. Cole Custer, 167.582 mph, 53.705 seconds

2. Riley Herbst, 166.942 mph, 53.911 seconds

3. Aric Almirola, 166.765 mph, 53.968 seconds

4. Sam Mayer, 166.725 mph, 53.981 seconds

5. Anthony Alfredo, 166.593 mph, 54.024 seconds

6. Brandon Jones, 166.439 mph, 54.074 seconds

7. Carson Kvapil, 166.352 mph, 54.102 seconds

8. AJ Allmendinger, 166.343 mph, 54.105 seconds

9. Justin Allgaier, 166.316 mph, 54.114 seconds

10. Josh Berry, 166.095 mph, 54.186 seconds

11. Jeb Burton, 165.865 mph, 54.261 seconds

12. Sheldon Creed, 165.844 mph, 54.268 seconds

13. Chandler Smith, 165.837 mph, 54.270 seconds

14. Austin Hill, 165.792 mph, 54.285 seconds

15. Jesse Love, 165.758 mph, 54.296 seconds

16. Conor Daly, 165.731 mph, 54.305 seconds

17. Joe Graf Jr., 165.216 mph, 54.474 seconds

18. Jeremy Clements, 165.041 mph, 54.532 seconds

19. Josh Williams, 165.001 mph, 54.545 seconds

20. Parker Retzlaff, 164.721 mph, 54.638 seconds

21. Sammy Smith, 164.675 mph, 54.653 seconds

22. Daniel Dye, 164.204 mph, 54.810 seconds

23. Shane van Gisbergen, 164.108 mph, 54.842 seconds

24. Blaine Perkins, 163.818 mph, 54.939 seconds

25. Leland Honeyman, 163.488 mph, 55.050 seconds

26. Garrett Smithley, 163.339 mph, 55.100 seconds

27. Ryan Sieg, 163.280 mph, 55.120 seconds

28. Kyle Weatherman, 163.236 mph, 55.135 seconds

29. Matt DiBenedetto, 162.970 mph, 55.225 seconds

30. Brennan Poole, 162.566 mph, 55.362 seconds

31. Kyle Sieg, 162.113 mph, 55.517 seconds

32. Josh Bilicki, 161.943 mph, 55.575 seconds

33. BJ McLeod, 161.681 mph, 55.665 seconds

34. Ryan Ellis, 160.625 mph, 55.031 seconds

35. Joey Gase, 160.194 mph, 56.182 seconds

36. David Starr, 159.730 mph, 56.345 seconds

37. Greg Van Alst, 157.649 mph, 57.089 seconds

38. Parker Kligerman, 0.000 mph, 0.000 seconds

The 2024 Pennzoil 250 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway is set to occur on Saturday, July 20, and air at 3:30 p.m. ET on USA Network.

Toyota Racing – NCS Indianapolis Quotes – Tyler Reddick – 07.20.24

By
Official Release
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Toyota Racing – Tyler Reddick
NASCAR Cup Series Quotes

INDIANAPOLIS (July 20, 2024) – 23XI Racing driver Tyler Reddick was made available to the media on Saturday after earning the pole position for the NASCAR Cup Series race at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. It is Reddick’s second pole position of the season (Darlington) and eighth overall. Reddick also won the pole on the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Road Course in 2022, before winning the race that same season.

TYLER REDDICK, No. 45 The Beast Unleashed Toyota Camry XSE, 23XI Racing

Can you tell us more about that lap and what it means to be racing on the oval this weekend?

“I was one of the last cars to go in Group B, so I watched a lot of drivers in round one have issues in turn four and a couple of other areas on the race track. It definitely seemed like it was easy to overstep the boundaries. I wanted to put down a good lap in that first round – and it was a very solid lap. We knew we had a solid car, and it was going to be important to make the right adjustments and back it up in round two. We had a little bit of pace fall off in round two from round one at first, but nevertheless, I thought we did a good job with the adjustments, and we were able to lay a lap down good enough to claim the pole.”

How excited are you to race on the oval this season?

“I have been excited to return and race on this oval, but I’ve been torn, naturally, because we’ve ran the road course here and have been very strong. I got my second career win here, so I was a little conflicted, but certainly I could see it in my team and at the shop – a lot of individuals that have ran the Brickyard for a lot of years, on the team, are really excited to return. You could see it in the fans, and in some ways, myself. It was a different feeling coming here and running the road course than it is when you run the oval, so I’m glad we are able to come back and give it another shot, especially on the 30th year of running here. There is a lot of huge moments that have happened here, so I’m glad to be back on the oval and excited for what the day may hold for us tomorrow.”

Would it be different for you to win on the oval?

“I feel like I celebrated pretty hard when I won here in 2022, so I just hope to match it again.”

Are you expecting to be able to pass tomorrow or not?

“I think when cars have kind of stacked up with one another – there will be opportunities to pass, but what we had in practice was cars were pretty strung out, and not really running in tight traffic for long periods of time. The tires hold on better. These tires have shown more to be sensitive to heat more so than wear. It is kind of a peak of what it could look like, but I expect when we are more packed up – like we saw in qualifying today – it is easy to make mistakes, when those mistakes happen, drivers will have opportunities to pass. That’s how I’m looking at, but certainly, if you take five of the strongest cars and line them up, it will be really hard for the guy in fifth to make a charge to get through all of them. You are really counting on somebody to make a mistake and get too aggressive, lose the nose or get loose to really be able to make a move.”

How important is it to start on the pole?

“It’s a big deal. Just starting towards the front is huge, but any additional spots we can get, once we got inside the seventh/eighth window is going to be huge for stage points in the beginning if it plays out, somewhat naturally, but also pit road here is narrow. These cars are wider than the gen 6 car, and the gen 6 race here that I was a part of, pit road was sketchy already, so expect pit road to be pretty chaotic already for the majority of the field and us having the option to choose first is going to really help us, I feel.”

When Denny Hamlin is starting next to you, does it make you race any differently?

“Well, if I tear it up, he’s paying for it (laughs). It’s his car. I try not to use that against him. I honestly feel like we race each other very fair, but hard. I’ve learned a lot about racing from him as well. I feel like we have a good level of trust and respect for one another, but obviously, when we come to a place like this (Indianapolis Motor Speedway), I know how badly he wants to win here. And I know how bad I want to win here. It’ll just be something we’ll have to manage throughout the day, and we’ll just see how it goes. Obviously, he and the 11 team are stout. The 5 (Kyle Larson), the 9 (Chase Elliott), those are guys that have been good all year long. But yeah, I wonder if that’s something he thinks about while we’re racing. Like ‘man, if he uses me up?’ Is he thinking about fixing up his race car or worried about his race?”

Did you know you had the pole at the end of the lap?

“Yeah, the last I heard is we needed to run a 49.50 at least, so I don’t know what Chase (Elliott)’s exact time was, but that was our target. I knew turn one was pretty bad on my behalf and knew I was going to have to hit it perfect the remainder of the lap and we did.”

How does this pole compare to the pole you earned on the road course in 2022?

“I feel like it’s equal of importance, for sure. But it certainly felt like in 2022, we were very strong and the margin of error to lose the pole was greater. So, I knew we had to be close to perfect today. I still wasn’t, honestly. But we did a good enough job in the rest of the three corners to be able to capture it. I feel like both are just as important as the other in regard to your race the following day. It’s just a great thing we were able to accomplish today.”

After being the fastest in practice and today, what perspective do you have going into the race tomorrow?

“Yeah, we have a good opportunity in front of us. But we know a lot of the guys right there behind us are really good at making overnight adjustments and doing what they need to do. I mean you look at guys like the 12 (Ryan Blaney) and what they did at Pocono this past weekend. Jumping under a different strategy put him in position to be able to win the race at Pocono. So, we have to be mindful of all potentials for how the race unfolds tomorrow. But certainly, having track position in the beginning can get you stage points.”

About Toyota

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

Toyota directly employs more than 63,000 people in North America who have contributed to the design, engineering, and assembly of nearly 45 million cars and trucks at our 13 manufacturing plants. By 2025, Toyota’s 14th 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 26 electrified options.

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

Ford Performance Notes and Quotes – Brickyard 400 Cup Qualifying

By
Official Release
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Ford Performance Notes and Quotes
NASCAR Cup Series
Brickyard 400 Qualifying | Indianapolis Motor Speedway
Saturday, July 20, 2024

FORD QUALIFYING RESULTS
7th – Ryan Blaney
8th – Michael McDowell
12th – Joey Logano
16th – Harrison Burton
20th – Chase Briscoe
21st – Noah Gragson
23rd – Chris Buescher
24th – Todd Gilliland
26th – Brad Keselowski
31st – Ryan Preece
35th – Justin Haley
36th – Cody Ware
37th – Josh Berry
38th – Austin Cindric
39th – BJ McLeod

RYAN BLANEY, No. 12 Menards/Atlas Ford Mustang Dark Horse (Qualified 7th)

“I thought on my first run I left some out there because didn’t want to overdrive it. You saw some guys miss 4 or 2, so I kind of left some out there. I thought we had more speed in it and we adjusted on it a little bit but I didn’t get as clean of a lap my last one as I did the first one. Overall I am proud of the 12 Menards/Atlas Ford Mustang. I feel like we had good race pace yesterday, especially the longer run. Hopefully that comes into play tomorrow. It is nice to be back out here. A big weekend for us and Mr. Penske and everyone at Team Penske. We will try to get a Mustang in victory lane. We can see the front, we just have to figure out how to get a few spots further up.”

How much extra pressure are you putting on yourself knowing how much this place means to Roger (Penske)?

“I think everybody knows in our camp how important this place is. It is so well known that it isn’t even talked about, it is just a given when you sign up to drive or work at Team Penske. You know this place means a lot. We are going to try to do it. We have to try to match the IndyCar folks and Joseph (Newgarden) this year giving Roger his 20th. It would be cool to sweep Indianapolis with the IndyCar and NASCAR teams. Hopefully we can have a shot tomorrow with one of our cars and I think we have a decent shot.”

Ford Performance Notes and Quotes – Brickyard 400 Media Availability (Justin Haley)

By
Official Release
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Ford Performance Notes and Quotes
NASCAR Cup Series
Brickyard 400 Media Availability | Indianapolis Motor Speedway
Saturday, July 20, 2024

Justin Haley, an Indiana native, returns to his home track in the middle of a highly successfucl season. Haley talked about what it means to race on the oval at Indianapolis in the Brickyard 400 for the first time and more.

JUSTIN HALEY, No. 51 Fraternal Order of Eagles Ford Mustang Dark Horse

Justin, what is it like coming home to Indianapolist and running on the oval at IMS?

“Great opening question there, I really appreciate that. It’s obviously cool. Being from Indiana, me and Chase Briscoe, obviously are from here, and racing at the Brickyard for the first time is obviously cool. Yesterday in practice, it’s definitely tricky in this car. I’m just trying to get everything worked out. I spent a lot of summers here watching the Brickyard, a lot of springs in May coming here watching the Indy 500 and things like that. I have spent a lot of time here. Now I live in North Carolina but it is always good to be back home and I appreciate the fans that come out and know that you are from Indiana. I feel like there are a lot of fans that respect that too so it’s always cool.”

Justin, with your move to Rick Ware Racing this year, what are some things that have happened there that surprised you or maybe caught you off guard that you had not anticipated?

“It’s definitely been a big transition for me, probably bigger at the start of the year than what I realized it was going to be. Robbie Benton, Rick Ware, made the transition as smooth as possible. Just from the aspect of being with a new manufacturer like Ford and the transition and their their sim software and their people working with them, their engineering side of things, to Roush Yates engines, it’s completely different procedures and different engine operations than what I was used to at my previous race team. So I think we’ve surprised ourselves at some places and ran really good and in other places. I think we’ve shown some weak spots and worked hard to improve those. The truth is we’re still the smallest Cup team, right? We have no direct manufacturer support and we’re trying as hard as we can with what we have. At the end of the day, we’re racing against teams that have a lot more resources than we do and I think we’re fighting hard and when we do have good days it’s definitely rewarding.”

Do you have some kind of alliance with RFK?

“Yeah, we do have an alliance with RFK. I think probably people think that’s more than what it is. We still build the race cars ourselves. We still mount the bodies ourselves. RFK gives us general setup info. And then I personally do simulator work with RFK every once in a while to help them. But yeah, RFK with their relationship with Ford is limited to what they’re available to give us, right? We definitely get plenty, and I’m appreciative of Brad Keselowski and everyone at RFK. It’s still not like getting direct information from Ford, right? I mean, it’s still going through the processes. I feel like we do a lot with what we can, and definitely our relationship with RFK helps a lot. Without that we would have nothing, right? We wouldn’t even know where to start. So, yeah, it’s just part of the business.”

You mentioned just how it’s tricky getting back out there on the oval. How would you describe those challenges going back to the oval?

“It is difficult. The cars are kind of in between gears from fourth to fifth gear, so that’s a challenge. It’s just a tough track with our aero package and how much we’re lifting and things like that. It definitely took a lot, right? It’s not like as easy as you think it would be for how big of a track it is and how the corners seem the same. We struggled a little bit in practice yesterday but starting to get the hang of it.”

When you look over the next five races, where do you feel like over those five your team is best to have your best performance and why?

“I’m not sure. Every week I feel like we’re good at one place and bad at another. I mean honestly it’s just how close do you unload or not. Especially with the short practices, you can’t really do much with your race car. I feel like we’ll be strong at Richmond and Darlington. Obviously, we were really quick in the spring, finished ninth. So it kind of seems like the more mechanical grip, low grip racetracks are where we’ve been strongest at. We’re really strong at Iowa and Nashville and Darlington. We’re just kind of taking it week by week. The past two weeks, Pocono and the practice yesterday haven’t obviously been the greatest for us. We really struggled last week with the high-speed racetrack. This week, we seemed to struggle in practice. We’re working hard. We’re definitely in the depth of the season now and trying to pull from all our resources. So yeah we just got to take it week by week. Obviously we have two weeks off here after tomorrow and try to get ahead as much as possible.”

Some guys go in dirt race over the break, some guys go on vacation. What’s your plan for the Olympic break?

“I have no plans. I’m doing sponsor appearances the whole time so not a day off for me. No vacations, no anything planned, nothing cool. So yeah, I haven’t been dirt racing in a while, unfortunately. I’d like to get back to it. Just too busy right now on the Cup side.”

Now that you’ve looked back at what Rick Ware has done this first half the season, what are those next steps? What are those next goals, those next milestones that you’re hoping to achieve with the team the rest of this season and then even in 2025? What are you hoping to contribute? What are you hoping the team can kind of figure out to get those next steps for you guys?

“We just have to acquire more resources, more people, just keep building. At the end of the day, it’s just how many engineers you have on the pit box. I mean, that’s all it is now. I’d like to be better. Without our COTA DQ I think we’d be 26 in points, which is stellar. That’s ahead of a lot of teams that have a heck of a lot more than we do. It’s literally just giving it everything you have every week. I really appreciate the guys on the 51 team and the 15 team. They work harder than anyone. I’m sure every driver would say that but we don’t have a lot. We don’t have a lot of people at the shop right now building our cars for what would be next week if we were racing next week. My road crew is pretty much the guys that also build the car at home and they stay a long amount of hours to get prepared for the next week to even get a car to the racetrack. We’re just trying to do everything we can. Obviously when you get into the depths of the season you always feel like you’re behind and you’re trying to catch up and get to a good place. We’ve been bringing cars home in one piece, which is obviously helpful, but we’re just working hard every week trying to get our race cars to the track. I think our hauler for Pocono left Thursday evening and the garage was open Friday morning. So it’s just a lot of hard work. I don’t think people probably appreciate or realize how hard we are working to be competitive.”

You’re an Indiana native. Any memories of coming here and where did you sit and everything?

“I have one memory. My grandfather, before he passed away, had sponsored Sam Schmidt’s IndyCar with Townsend Bell, I believe, was the driver in one of the Indy 500s. That was kind of like his last hoorah. So yeah, Brown Ability sponsored Townsend Bell and Sam Schmidt’s car. My whole family was up in the Pagoda watching the Indy 500. I’m not sure what year that was, but that was probably my coolest memory of coming here. I don’t even know if I was really racing yet. I think I was doing quarter midgets or maybe mini sprints somewhere or something like that. But that is definitely my coolest Indianapolis Motor Speedway memory for sure.”

Brickyard 400 Media Availability (Haas Factory Team Announcement)

By
Official Release
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AVONDALE, ARIZONA - NOVEMBER 04: Cole Custer, driver of the #00 Haas Automation Ford, celebrates in victory lane after winning the NASCAR Xfinity Series Championship at Phoenix Raceway on November 04, 2023 in Avondale, Arizona. (Photo by Chris Graythen/Getty Images)

Ford Performance Notes and Quotes
NASCAR Cup Series
Brickyard 400 Media Availability | Indianapolis Motor Speedway
Saturday, July 20, 2024

In a press conference Saturday at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, Cole Custer announced his return to the NASCAR Cup Series in 2025 with Haas Factory Team. The 26-year-old racer from Ladera Ranch, California, will drive the No. 41 Ford Mustang Dark Horse with sponsorship from Haas Automation and HaasTooling.com. Below is a full transcript from the announcement.

MODERATOR: Thank you very much for joining us today on a great day for racing here at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Featured here today on the middle of the desk is reigning NASCAR XFINITY Series champion and the current XFINITY Series points leader, Cole Custer. Besides Cole, it’s Haas Automation Director of Motorsports, Carl Cline, and Haas Factory Team President, Joe Custer.

Cole, I guess I need to start off with an apology. When I sent out the media alert earlier this week, it was on a Haas Automation letterhead and I think everyone had to figure out if you were announcing your NASCAR plans or if you were replacing Kevin Magnussen over at Haas F1 Team. So, the floor is yours. Please clear the air for us.

COLE CUSTER: “This is really exciting. Ever since me going back to the Xfinity Series, to get the opportunity back at the Cup level again was the biggest goal. So, to have this opportunity to get to drive for Haas Factory team next year is huge for me. I think we can do some really special things with the resources that we have as a team. We’re ready to just get to work and get some great people. I think we’ll be able to compete with the best.”

Carl Cline, Haas Automation Director of Motorsports. There’s a significant history with Cole representing Haas Automation. Can you shed some light on his tenure with the team and why Gene Haas, the founder and president of Haas Automation, wanted him in, not just his brand of race cars, but his race cars and Haas factory team.

CARL CLINE: “Absolutely. Cole’s been around Haas Automation and Haas Racing since he was born. I remember back in the day we were living in California, Joe and I, him and my brother Troy, we had a race team out there and off-road trucks, sprint cars, things of that nature. Joe would bring Cole to the shop every now and then when he was two or three years old and we had a bunch of tires hanging out over in the corner over there, sprint car tires, very big, and we’d lose him every now and then. We’d have to go try to find him and we’d find him trapped in one of those tires, hanging out in there. So he’s been around the Haas culture for his whole life. He’s been around Haas Automation his whole life. He understands what Haas Automation’s goals are. And their goal is selling machine tools. They’re the largest machine tool manufacturer in the United States already. They launched Haastooling.com. They’ve sold over 3 million bits and tools to customers already. Cole fits that bill for us. Cole understands what his job is for Haas Automation. Gene has weighed it heavily and understands that Cole is a winner. He has won at every level. He’s won in the Truck Series, he’s won in the Xfinity Series, and obviously the champion, Mike has pointed out, Cup Series as well. Gene is expecting him to be very competitive, and believes in him wholeheartedly that he’ll be a winner in the Cup Series. So for Haas Automation and Gene, he was the right pick. And we’re very happy to have him on.”

Joe Custer, president of Haas Factory Team, beyond Cole driving for the team in 2025. You secured some pretty crucial components from the competition side. Tell us a little bit about that as this team gets ready for next year.

JOE CUSTER: “Yeah, we’re excited. So, we made our announcement that Haas Factory team was formed and since that moment we’ve been focused on the future, obviously finishing strong at Stuart-Haas, but also putting together the resources necessary to compete for wins and a championship. So I can tell you today we’ve secured an agreement with RFK as a technical alliance between the two of us. Taking all the resources that we bring to the table and combining it with their success and the resources they have, we look forward to RFK and Haas Factory team competing for wins and championships shoulder to shoulder. So along with Ford as a partner, we’re lacking no resources going into next year. People-wise, human capital, I’m happy to say we’re well on the way there to putting together the team capable of competing for wins, and we’re focused on everything related to human capital, from the pit crew to engineering resources. We’re there for next year prepared. So we won’t have any excuses going into next year. We’ve got the driver, we’ve got the team, we’ve got the relationship, we’ve got the OEM. We’re all set. We will continue to run our Xfinity program at the highest level. There are things that we’re going to add to the program for next year that will make it even more competitive. We appreciate what NASCAR’s doing to make that series thrive, and so we’re excited about that as well. My job is to provide the resources necessary for the team to be successful and we’re well on its way.”

Cole, there aren’t a lot of drivers who get second opportunities at the top level in NASCAR. I know you’ve talked before about some of the things you’ve learned in your return to the Xfinity Series. What makes this the opportunity that you think will make your stay more permanent?

COLE CUSTER CONTINUED: “I think just what you said, going back down to the Xfinity Series and really learning what I need to do better. I think one of the biggest things is just how you work with your team, because at the end of the day, every single driver in the Cup Series can probably go out there and go fast. But it’s a matter of how you consistently get that speed and how you can work with your team to get the feel that you need in the car consistently. So I think being able to have those skills more polished now, and I think, obviously, just like my dad said, I think having the resources to go out there and compete with the best out there. I’m really excited. I think we can do some great things.”

And for Joe, you talked about having the resources and the alliance with RFK. Doing this in the NextGen model, is it a little easier or maybe less difficult step for a single-car operation now than maybe what had been in the past?

JOE CUSTER CONTINUED: “It’s quite a bit different for sure. The resources necessary are different. Gene’s committed to it. I think the future is more things like software development, sim, a different set of tools in the toolbox. We can check the box on the physical parts and pieces and capital investment that we had and the successes we enjoyed at Stewart-Haas were using a different set of tools than the NextGen is offering. So candidly, we’re leaning on Brad (Keselowski) and his group at RFK to add to what our knowledge base is and help us evolve. We’re really excited about the leadership Brad’s taken at RFK and the group they’ve got. We’re a fit. We’ve had a number of meetings and we’re aligned. Strategically, we feel what they feel and we feel there’s resources that we can offer that can make their program stronger and vice versa. So, yep, that’s where we’re at.”

Can any of you walk me through the process of, from the time you guys announced that you would be forming Haas Factory team to compete in Cup, what the driver search was like? Was it pretty cut and dry that it was gonna be Cole in the car, or did you have any other conversations? What was that like?

CARL CLINE CONTINUED: “It wasn’t cut and dry. There were a lot of drivers put on the list and quite frankly, Gene didn’t make the decision until not very long ago. And he apologized for not being here. He’s in Europe on business. But it wasn’t cut and dry. There were pros and cons and drivers and who would represent Haas Automation and their growth with their product and their new company, HaasTooling.com. So there was a lot that went into it and it was a couple of months of trying to figure that out. At the end of the day, Cole’s pedigree, if you will, from winning, Gene wants to compete and he expects the team to be put in place, to put Cole in place to win races, that is the goal. Joe’s job is to build that team and get those people in place to make Cole competitive and at that point, it’s Cole’s job to get the job done. Gene wholeheartedly believes that he can do that and he has proven he can do that. The Xfinity champion, he’s won everything he’s driven. So we don’t expect anything different from that side, but it wasn’t cut and dry for sure.”

Joe, you mentioned the Xfinity Series program, obviously with Cole going to Cup next year. Riley Herbst not having announced anything yet, have you initiated any conversations on who’s going to drive for the Xfinity teams next year? Where does that stand?

JOE CUSTER CONTINUED: “Thank you, yeah, we have. Riley, we would love for him to come back and we’ve made him an offer to do so, but they’re looking at the whole sport. I’m pretty excited about our Xfinity program. I’m going to brag on it a little bit. We started a few years ago, naturally, and Kevin Harvick and Cole, that first year helped us build it, and Richard Boswell and there’s a number of people that were instrumental. But when you look at what it has produced, three people, maybe four in the Cup Series. I’m not sure statistically since we started that there’s a more successful program that’s delivered more drivers to the Cup Series. That has resulted in no lack of interest in our cars next year. Candidly, there was concern about stability and whether we were going to be here at the same level as Stewart-Haas operated. I can tell you we are, if not a bit higher level. Ford is a big supporter of the program, the Xfinity program, and there was no lack of interest in drivers. We’re getting close to announcing where we’re at on drivers for Xfinity and I think you’ll see that we intend to run for the same goals this year. Put both our drivers into the Final 4 and compete for the championship in Phoenix both this year and next year and the year after. We are focused on the CW relationship, a seven-year program. We started that a year ago when the CW was announced, that whole program, and we are building parts and pieces, working with NASCAR to find efficiencies so that we can compete at the highest level with our eight teams, our two cars and our technical partners. We’re super thrilled with what the 39 car has done this year, and that’s also driven interest in our program, because that’s a family-run operation out of Georgia that has had a chance to win week in and week out. We’re very excited that Rod Sieg has believed in our program and has looked to the future. So that’s driving interest, that there’s more to it than just our two drivers that are killing it. There’s also the resources behind the program. So we’re pretty excited about Xfinity you can tell.”

Cole, have you had any discussions with Brad Keselowski or anything about maybe a third running any of their Cup cars this year or any other additional cup races just to prepare for next year?

COLE CUSTER CONTINUED: “I haven’t. I mean obviously that’s not a bad idea, but at the moment no, nothing for sure on that.”

Joe, as far as the alliance with RFK, will you all still be assembling your own cars? Will this be like your Hendrick relationship that you had early on, more or less? Can you give us maybe a little bit of perspective on it?

JOE CUSTER CONTINUED: “There are elements similar, but we don’t manufacture as much anymore, naturally. So, we’re working more towards, with them — it’s an open book, 100%. And we’re focused on software, sim, things of that nature with those folks for next year. There’s already a relationship on the aero side, but what we plan on bringing to the table is some of the systems and dynos and things of that nature, the capital investment items that we have in our shop, and they’re looking at some of the human capital and engineering resources from them. So it’s a little different than the Hendrick model but the willingness and the open book is there, and again Brad’s really stepped up and we’re excited about that relationship.”

Cole, returning to the Cup Series a second time, what did you learn from your first go-round in the Cup Series that you can now apply and maybe you’ll look better on the second round?

COLE CUSTER CONTINUED: “Well, I think at the end of the day, it’s as competitive as it’s ever been. You see 30 guys out there that can probably legitimately go win any given weekend. So you have to be very smart about how you navigate a weekend and through a season because there’s going to be times where you’re not where you want to be. You have to lead your team in the right direction. So it’s a very tough level right now and I think having that experience of knowing how to get back on track, knowing what to really look for and how to fix your problems. At the end of the day there are very few weekends that go perfectly. So, if you can figure out how to fix your problems and fix them better than other teams, you will find yourself at the front.”

Joe, SHR has four charters, they’re selling three. We know that the car number is 41, but I’m curious what charter is Haas keeping then that’s going to apply to the 41 car?

JOE CUSTER CONTINUED: “It’s the 41. It’ll be the 41 all around.”

Joe, how important was this relationship with Ford and RFK, and also, are you gonna keep the entire Haas campus?

JOE CUSTER CONTINUED: “Yes to the Haas campus. There won’t be any resource that’s not retained on the property. Naturally, some cars, by rule, and some haulers will go away, but the rest of all the infrastructure, all the IP, everything, servers, data, let alone the equipment, is all retained. As far as the relationship with RFK, we looked at several, candidly, different ways to go. Just candidly, like Carl said, we looked at different drivers, because Gene has no intention of being part of something that’s not successful or isn’t pointed toward success. He has built a company over the years that takes time, he understands that, but he wants to see improvement and people held accountable. So I think we’ve got that culture right now. I think we’ve had it in the Xfinity program and I think we’re focused on that same culture in the Cup program. RFK has that same program. I was impressed with how Brad started that. It didn’t go well at the start with RFK, but you didn’t see wholesale firing of crew chiefs and thrashing and unstable. He held the tiller firm, and now look at what they’re doing. And that impressed me, candidly because it’s not easy. This stuff is easy to start blaming and pointing fingers. You better dig deep, and you better be willing to be part of the solution and not point the finger or this deal goes south pretty quick. We’ve been able to do that in the Xfinity program and we’re headed towards that with the Cup program for next year.”

Cole, the Cole Custer from 2020 who went to the Cup series and the Cole Custer that’s going to go back in 2025. How would you describe yourself as a driver and a person through that time period?

COLE CUSTER CONTINUED: “I just probably definitely matured a lot. I’ve always been the quieter guy, but I think that was kind of where I needed to grow a little bit is how you work with your people and how you get the car, how you need it every weekend. I think working on that was a big thing. And obviously now having a wife and a kid on the way, everything’s calmed down a little bit. Not that I was crazy before, I don’t think, but it’s just a little bit more solidified of who I am and what we’re looking for and what I need to look for also in the sport and in the cars.”

Cole, with you driving both the 00 and 41 extensively with Haas, was there a difficult decision in trying to choose one number over the other for the Cup team?

COLE CUSTER CONTINUED: “I mean, at the end of the day, for me, I’ll drive whatever number it is. Obviously had a lot of success in the 00, but we won a Cup race in the 41, so it’s up to Gene and whoever wants it. It doesn’t matter to me.”

CARL CLINE CONTINUED: “I can tell you that Gene picked the 41. He wanted to stay with the 41. And there’s a lot of equity for Haas-Automation and their distributors and his company in the 41.”

Joe, as you referenced, a lot of success with the Xfinity program. And brought up a lot of young drivers. Ford probably doesn’t have as robust of a development program compared to the other OEMs. With your Xfinity program, is that what you’re looking at? I know you talk about wanting to be in the championship next year but are you setting up as more of a development program in the Xfinity Series?

JOE CUSTER CONTINUED: “I would argue Ford does have it. I know that’s a common thing, but again, look at the facts. We put a lot of drivers into the Cup Series, and I think the definition, in my mind, the definition of a successful development program is, is Ford part of putting Cup drivers, new drivers into the Cup Series? And if you look at the facts, I think we’ve been successful at that. So yes we want to continue. Now the situation with us at Haas Factory Team is we have to win at that level. So we are willing to look at all options as far as drivers go. Maybe somebody that’s already in the sport. Maybe somebody that’s a Cup driver that comes down. Because we’ve got to put cars in the winner’s circle, we’ve got to sort out our equipment because our business model is reliant on having technical partners to keep the program healthy. If we don’t win, and if we are not a leader at the track, then our other teammates, you know, the Sieg’s, the etc., they find it hard to believe that we can deliver the kind of data and leadership that’s necessary for them. So it’s a different model. Candidly, part of our game plan is for drivers to come in to those teams as well as ours. Whether they go from theirs to ours, maybe, maybe not. All options are open. But we envision eight successful car Xfinity teams showing up to every race next year and the year after with a high level of competency and the ability to win. If you look at the statistics, it’s been almost 10 years since a non-Cup team won. Yes, you can argue at certain tracks, Daytona or Talladega after a wreckfest. But I look back to Kurt Busch winning with KBM as the last time a non-affiliated team won an Xfinity race. I don’t think that’s in CW’s best interest. I think it’s in the best interest if there’s more winners in the mid-pack, and we’re trying to be part of that solution in offering resources and whatnot for folks like the Siegs to compete for wins. I think that’s compelling.”

Among the drivers that potentially could be available for you in the Xfinity Series would be somebody like Hailie Deegan. Now, she does not have the success, but you just talked about the CW and promotion and marketing and things like that. Is she somebody that is a candidate or somebody who could fit into a role with what you’re trying to do, because it seems like there’s some things there that would fit well.

JOE CUSTER CONTINUED: “Yes, we’ve spoken with her. Obviously, she was with one of our technical partners. So that’s a challenge, right, to see what the future is with her. We believe there’s more in her, and we want to be part of that, but that’s for future conversations. I’ve challenged Cole with being a leader, and we need leaders in the Xfinity series. He may not want to hear it, but I’ve told him before, the proudest day I would have is if he shoved one of our technical partners across the finish line. I think that’s what differs our program from other Xfinity teams. You see them wrecking each other and having drama within their camp. We’re not part of that. We don’t tolerate that. We know it happens, but we have to hold our drivers and our teams accountable for our group and we want to have a leader that can do that. I think he’s done a decent job at that. We still need to shove somebody across the finish line.”

Cole, if you don’t know, your Pocono win was the 100th win in the Xfinity series for NASCAR Next Alumni. So what has that program meant to you?

COLE CUSTER CONTINUED: “Yeah, that was a really cool program. I don’t think they have anything like it right now, it doesn’t seem like, but there’s a lot of guys that are in that deal. You know, even Brandon McReynolds, I was teammates with him over there, he’s standing over there. But he works at a high level in the sport now. It’s cool to see people that you’ve been around for — that was 10 years ago, and seeing how that’s progressed and seeing those same guys have success. It’s really cool that that program was around. It just gave people something to strive for, I think, too, when you’re a younger guy, to be a part of that program.”

Joe, we’ve asked Cole this multiple different ways, and you just touched on it a moment ago, but what have you seen in him? I know you have a bit of a biased view, but from his first stint in Cup to where he is today, how would you describe that transformation?

JOE CUSTER CONTINUED: “Yeah, it’s tough on me, or tough on us because of the conflict. But probably the biggest thing is leadership and understanding how to hold himself and the team accountable. I think he’s done a good job of that in the Xfinity program. He’s been on record, we didn’t start out the way we wanted. We thought we’d maybe have double-digit wins last year. And we didn’t. So what are you going to do about it, right? What are you gonna do about it? And so he held himself accountable, and he worked with his team, and he worked with himself, and I think that’s the next step that we look for is the leadership piece of it, and that’s coming along. He’s done a great job with our technical partners working with their drivers, and whether it’s tire fitting and doing stuff for the simulator, and showing up early when they’re not there to get the simulator sorted, so when they show up, the thing’s badass and competitive. And so things like that, I think he’s grown and accepted the challenge of how can he make himself better. As a single car team, there’s gonna be elements of it that are a challenge, but Barney Visser didn’t do so bad with that challenge. I know where RFK stands as a partner, so I think he’s going to be asked to be a leader, but also fit in with the RFK folks and help get every ounce of speed we can out of that program into his car and be held accountable for that. We have to be held accountable as well on the team side. So that’s where we’re at.”

Cole Custer Returns to NASCAR Cup Series in 2025

By
Official Release
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AVONDALE, ARIZONA - NOVEMBER 04: Cole Custer, driver of the #00 Haas Automation Ford, celebrates in victory lane after winning the NASCAR Xfinity Series Championship at Phoenix Raceway on November 04, 2023 in Avondale, Arizona. (Photo by Chris Graythen/Getty Images)

Reigning NASCAR Xfinity Series Champion Will Drive No. 41 Ford Mustang with Sponsorship from Haas Automation and Technical Support From RFK Racing

SPEEDWAY, Ind. (July 20, 2024) – In a press conference Saturday at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, Cole Custer announced his return to the NASCAR Cup Series in 2025 with Haas Factory Team.

The 26-year-old racer from Ladera Ranch, California, will drive the No. 41 Ford Mustang Dark Horse with sponsorship from Haas Automation and HaasTooling.com. It was also announced that Haas Factory Team will have a technical alliance with RFK Racing and receive additional support from Ford Performance.

Custer is the reigning NASCAR Xfinity Series champion and current Xfinity Series point leader who secured his spot in the NASCAR Playoffs with a victory last Saturday at Pocono (Pa.) Raceway. His move to Haas Factory Team in 2025 brings Custer back to the NASCAR Cup Series, where he was the 2020 Rookie of the Year and a race winner in just his 20th career start – July 12, 2020 at Kentucky Speedway in Sparta.

“Cole has represented Haas Automation for more than half his life and he’s delivered results every step of the way. He just wins, and he’s proven that repeatedly,” said Gene Haas, founder and president of Haas Automation and the owner of Haas Factory Team.

“On his way to winning the Xfinity Series championship last year, Cole really carved out an identity for himself, on the track and off. He brings home trophies and he races people clean. He’s earned a lot of respect from his peers, and he’s a genuine personality whose hard work resonates with our customers.

“The NASCAR Cup Series is tough, but Cole is coming back wiser and tougher. We’re very happy to have him in our colors and in our racecar.”

Custer first won for Haas Automation nearly 13 years ago when he earned the 2011 USAC National Focus Young Guns Championship. In the 22 victories he has earned since across the NASCAR K&N Pro Series, ARCA Menards Series, NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series, Xfinity Series and Cup Series, all have come while representing Haas Automation.

“I’ve grown up with Haas Automation, and having their name on my firesuit is something I take a tremendous amount of pride in. I’m driven to win for Gene and everyone at Haas Automation because they’ve been such a big part of my career,” Custer said.

“Haas Factory Team will essentially be a new race team next year, and it’s going to take all of us to build it into an organization that can go out and win races. I want this opportunity and I’m ready for this challenge.”

Before Custer sets his sights on 2025, he will continue his title defense in the Xfinity Series. Fourteen races still remain this season, with Saturday afternoon’s 62-lap race around Indianapolis’ 2.5-mile rectangular oval next up for Custer and his Xfinity Series counterparts. Live coverage begins at 3:30 p.m. EDT on USA and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.

S. TORRENCE, PROCK, ENDERS & HERRERA GET PROVISIONAL NO. 1 SPOTS UNDER THE LIGHTS AT NHRA NORTHWEST NATIONALS

By
Official Release
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SEATTLE (July 19, 2024) – Four-time Top Fuel world champion Steve Torrence made the fastest run in Pacific Raceways history on Friday, powering to the provisional No. 1 position at the 35th annual NHRA Northwest Nationals.

Austin Prock (Funny Car), Erica Enders (Pro Stock) and Gaige Herrera (Pro Stock Motorcycle) are also the provisional No. 1 qualifiers at the 11th of 20 races during the 2024 NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series season.

In the first-ever night session at Pacific Raceways, Torrence, the defending event winner in Seattle, went 3.688-seconds at 335.32 mph in his 11,000-horsepower Capco Contractors/Toyota dragster under the lights. If that holds, Torrence, who is looking for his first win since his Seattle triumph last year, would earn his second top qualifier of the season and 39th in his career.

“To go out and run 335 [mph], that’s a stout run,” Torrence said. “Tonight’s a hero run for all of us, and not really going to be relevant for anything tomorrow or race day, but you kind of get to pound your chest a little bit and say, ‘Hey, we’re low E.T., we’re No. 1. I think that that’ll stay safe for the rest of the weekend so we’ll get ready for our race day tune up now.

“It was really cool. There were are a lot of fans here and to race in front of at night was special. The people here at Pacific Raceway did a great job trying to put on a good show for the fans, and that’s what it’s about.”

Justin Ashley is currently second after going 3.694 at 331.04 and Brittany Force is third with a 3.701 at 333.08.

Funny Car points leader Austin Prock continued his absolute domination in qualifying on Friday, making the best run of both sessions and just missing the track record under the lights, going 3.838 at 328.62 in his 11,000-horsepower Cornwell Tools Chevrolet Camaro SS. It was an incredible run that easily put him atop the field, which could cement his eighth No. 1 qualifier in the first 11 races of the season. Prock was thrilled to put together a standout run in the first night session in Pacific Raceways history, putting him on track for what he hopes is another stellar weekend.

“It was another great day for this Cornwell Tools Chevrolet Camaro SS. These guys are just animals,” Prock said. “I know I keep saying that, but they impress me every weekend. They were making adjustments up until we fired the race car in the water box, just fine tuning, reading the racetrack, reading the competition, and they obviously made a really good call. I believe it will hold [as No. 1] because it’s going to be pretty hot tomorrow.”

Ron Capps jumped to second with a 3.886 at 331.53 and Paul Lee sits third after going 3.917 at 327.03.

In Pro Stock, reigning world champion Erica Enders made the most of her run under the lights at Pacific Raceways, going 6.500 at 209.98 in her Johnson’s Horsepowered Garage/Melling Performance/Elite Performance to take over the top spot in Seattle. Enders struggled during the first run of the day but came back with a vengeance as she looks to claim her fifth No. 1 qualifier of the season and the 39th in her career. Pro Stock didn’t race at Pacific Raceways in 2023 and Enders would love to be in the winner’s circle as the category returns this weekend, as it would also mean her 50th national event win.

“Our first run, by no means was anything that we were proud of, and it was just super frustrating when something like that happens, but my team continues to prove over and over that really doesn’t matter,” Enders said. “When their backs are against the wall, when the pressure’s on them, they always seem to do really great, so I’m very proud of them. They gave me a good race car and we threw a really nice number out there. It would have been cool to go a thousandth faster and be in the .40s but we’re just super happy to turn it around.”

Eric Latino took the second spot after a run of 6.518 at 209.82, while Mason McGaha’s 6.520 at 209.85 puts him third.

Pro Stock Motorcycle debuted at Pacific Raceways a year ago and on Friday, Gaige Herrera continued to dominate at the facility, setting the track speed record and taking the provisional No. 1 spot with an impressive run of 6.734 at 201.22 on his RevZilla/Mission Foods/Vance & Hines Suzuki. Herrera has quickly taken a liking to the Pacific Northwest, making the quickest run of both sessions as he looks to pick up his fourth No. 1 qualifier in 2024 and 18th in his career.

Of course, Herrera is also undefeated in 2024 and his past 11 races, looking to continue his dominant run this weekend at Pacific Raceways.

“I feel like me and the bike are one at this point, so we came in there very confident on what we’re going to run,” Herrera said. “If we didn’t bog on the starting line in Q2, we probably would have run a .68. We just didn’t accommodate for the track tightening up that quick as the sun went down, the track dropped quite a bit on the temperature. and it hurt us. Hopefully, we’ll hold on to one spot, but there’s a lot of good bikes out there.”

Chase Van Sant is currently second after going 6.742 at 199.44 and Richard Gadson is third with a run of 6.756 at 199.35.

Qualifying continues at 1:30 p.m. PT on Saturday at the NHRA Northwest Nationals at Pacific Raceways.

KENT, Wash. — Friday’s results after the first two of four rounds of qualifying for the 35th annual NHRA Northwest Nationals at Pacific Raceways, 11th of 20 events in the NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series.

Qualifying will continue Saturday for Sunday’s final eliminations.

Top Fuel — 1. Steve Torrence, 3.688 seconds, 335.32 mph; 2. Justin Ashley, 3.694, 331.04; 3. Brittany Force, 3.701, 333.08; 4. Doug Kalitta, 3.710, 326.40; 5. Jasmine Salinas, 3.734, 332.43; 6. Shawn Reed, 3.736, 325.61; 7. Antron Brown, 3.746, 329.42; 8. Josh Hart, 3.748, 329.99; 9. Clay Millican, 3.768, 319.60; 10. Tony Stewart, 3.778, 319.90; 11. Billy Torrence, 3.872, 315.19; 12. Tony Schumacher, 4.389, 186.46; 13. Ron Smith, 5.184, 207.18; 14. Shawn Langdon, 6.734, 96.33.

Funny Car — 1. Austin Prock, Chevy Camaro, 3.838, 328.62; 2. Ron Capps, Toyota GR Supra, 3.886, 331.53; 3. Paul Lee, Dodge Charger, 3.917, 327.03; 4. J.R. Todd, GR Supra, 3.919, 326.48; 5. Chad Green, Ford Mustang, 3.975, 319.52; 6. Matt Hagan, Charger, 4.055, 312.42; 7. Dave Richards, Toyota Camry, 4.072, 315.27; 8. Buddy Hull, Charger, 4.076, 312.57; 9. Bob Tasca III, Mustang, 4.114, 247.16; 10. Alexis DeJoria, GR Supra, 4.429, 196.16; 11. Blake Alexander, Mustang, 4.553, 183.97; 12. Daniel Wilkerson,

Mustang, 4.572, 182.55; 13. Gary Densham, Mustang, 5.114, 153.14; 14. Cruz Pedregon, Charger, 5.484, 128.89; 15. Jeff Diehl, Camry, broke.

Pro Stock — 1. Erica Enders, Chevy Camaro, 6.500, 209.98; 2. Eric Latino, Camaro, 6.518, 209.92; 3. Mason McGaha, Camaro, 6.520, 209.85; 4. Greg Anderson, Camaro, 6.521, 210.93; 5. Matt Hartford, Camaro, 6.527, 209.59; 6. Chris McGaha, Camaro, 6.532, 211.13; 7. Jerry Tucker, Camaro, 6.532, 209.69; 8. Cory Reed, Camaro, 6.533, 209.82; 9. Troy Coughlin Jr., Camaro, 6.534, 211.00; 10. Jeg Coughlin, Camaro, 6.534, 209.69; 11. Deric Kramer, Camaro, 6.537, 210.14; 12. Aaron Stanfield, Camaro, 6.548, 211.06; 13. Dallas Glenn, Camaro, 6.556, 210.28; 14. Kenny Delco, Camaro, 6.573, 209.65; 15. Sienna Wildgust, Camaro, 6.583, 209.85; 16. Val Smeland, Camaro, 6.610, 209.33.

Not Qualified: 17. Joey Grose, 6.790, 205.07.

Pro Stock Motorcycle — 1. Gaige Herrera, Suzuki, 6.734, 201.22; 2. Chase Van Sant, Suzuki, 6.742, 199.94; 3. Richard Gadson, Suzuki, 6.756, 199.35; 4. Steve Johnson, Suzuki, 6.804, 197.33; 5. John Hall, Beull, 6.807, 199.73; 6. Chris Bostick, Suzuki, 6.812, 197.19; 7. Matt Smith, Buell, 6.822, 200.56; 8. Jianna Evaristo, Buell, 6.835, 199.52; 9. Angie Smith, Buell, 6.836, 200.62; 10. Hector Arana Jr, EBR, 6.872, 199.02; 11. Brandon Litten, EBR, 7.073, 182.50; 12. Eiji Kawakami, Suzuki, 7.122, 183.44.

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