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NHRA AT BRISTOL: Team Chevy Race Report

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Official Release
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CHEVROLET IN NHRA
2024 SUPER GRIP NHRA THUNDER VALLEY NATIONALS
BRISTOL DRAGWAY
BRISTOL, TENNESSEE
TEAM CHEVY RACE REPORT | NOTES & QUOTES
JUNE 9, 2024

CHEVROLET CAPTURES FUNNY CAR AND FACTORY STOCK SHOWDOWN VICTORIES IN TODAY’S THUNDER VALLEY NATIONALS AT BRISTOL DRAGWAY

Austin Prock Completes the Perfect Weekend for Chevrolet by Qualifying No. 1, Winning the #2Fast2Tasty Challenge and the Thunder Valley Nationals Wally

Notes:

  • Austin Prock, driver of the Cornwell Tools Chevrolet Camaro SS Funny Car, continued showcasing his natural Funny Car driving ability by winning his second Wally trophy of the year and in the category at today’s NHRA Thunder Valley Nationals at Bristol Dragway with a perfect weekend.
  • Prock collected not only the No. 1 qualifier on Saturday, but also won the Mission Foods NHRA #2Fast2Tasty Challenge as well as Sunday’s main event, the Thunder Valley Nationals at Bristol Dragway.
  • Facing off against JR Todd, Prock won with his 3.989 seconds E.T. run at 312.42 mph to Todd’s 4.022 seconds E.T. at 313.66 mph.
  • Additionally, this is Prock’s second victory in four final round appearances this season.
  • Prock’s victory marks Chevrolet’s 163rd Funny Car victory in NHRA and the 83rd in the Camaro body.
  • Prock’s win at Bristol Sunday marks his sixth career NHRA win across the Top Fuel and Funny Car categories in eight final round appearances.
  • Prock also leaves Bristol Dragway the NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series Funny Car points leader.
  • Despite qualifying No. 15 for Sunday’s Thunder Valley Nationals, Brittany Force and her Monster Energy Chevrolet Top Fuel Team powered to her 38th career semifinal round and showcased rebounding momentum.
  • John Force, driver of the PEAK Chevrolet Camaro SS Funny Car, raced to the semifinal round on a strong Sunday performance, falling to JR Todd with his run of 4.060 seconds E.T at 314.83 mph to Todd’s 4.012 seconds E.T. at 311.34 mph.
  • In today’s Thunder Valley Nationals, all three John Force Racing nitro hot rods raced to at least the semifinal round at Bristol Dragway.
  • Prock continued his Funny Car roll by qualifying No. 1 at Bristol with a 3.958 seconds E.T. at 317.34 mph in Q1 Friday and maintaining the lead position throughout four rounds of qualifying.
  • Prock’s No. 1 qualifier is his third in a row, adding to his two previous at the New England Nationals in Epping and the Route 66 Nationals at Route 66 Dragway.
  • Additionally, with his Q4 run versus owner and teammate J. Force, Prock picked up the Mission Foods NHRA #2Fast2Tasty Challenge win with his run of 4.049 seconds E.T. at 312.57 mph to Force’s 4.033 seconds E.T. at 315.27 mph.
  • Prock’s #2Fast2Tasty Challenge win was his third of the year, awarding both bonus money and bonus points toward the championship standings to the winner. John Force Racing together have won four #2Fast2Tasty Challenge victories, with Prock winning three (Pomona – tied with JR Todd, Las Vegas, Bristol) and J. Force winning one (Epping).
  • Jeg Coughlin, Jr. raced his way to the Thunder Valley Nationals victory in Pro Stock, defeating Greg Anderson, driver of the HendrickCars.com Chevrolet Camaro SS Pro Stock car, after Anderson faced trouble on the run and Coughlin, Jr. ran 6.707 seconds E.T. at 204.94 mph.
  • Anderson earned his 126th career No. 1 qualifier by running 6.615 seconds E.T. at 205.38 mph for Chevrolet in his HendrickCars.com Camaro SS Pro Stock car.
  • In an all-Chevrolet final round, David Janac and Stephen Bell squared off in the FlexJet Factory Stock Showdown category with Bell smoking the tires and Janac racing to his first career victory in just his third career final round appearance.
  • The Bowtie brand additionally had four Chevrolet COPO Camaro FlexJet Factory Stock Showdown drivers face off in an all-Chevrolet semifinal, with Janac and Bell advancing to the final round.
  • Lee Hartman, in his Hartman Racing Chevrolet COPO Camaro, captured the FlexJet Factory Stock Showdown No. 1 Qualifier, back-to-back fastest nods, with his run of 7.897 seconds E.T. at 174.21 mph.

Quotes:

BRITTANY FORCE, DRIVER OF THE MONSTER ENERGY CHEVROLET TOP FUEL DRAGSTER:

“This Monster Energy Chevrolet team is leaving Bristol in a very positive state. We made significant improvements throughout the weekend. Qualifying was rough as we qualified 15th, but on race day, we turned the car around and made a semi-final round appearance. Going rounds on race day boosted the overall morale of the team, which we really needed. We got that confidence boost, and now we’re pumped and excited, ready to go to the next one.”

AUSTIN PROCK, DRIVER OF THE CORNWELL TOOLS CHEVROLET CAMARO SS FUNNY CAR:

“I’ve been working towards this my whole life. I’m so blessed to have this opportunity. I mean, John Force taking a risk on me, and all these partners, great partners of ours that believed in me, that gave me a shot to win my dream. This is surreal. Winning these Wallys is the best feeling in the world. I hope we get many more, and man, this has been a great year. Good job to my Cornwell Tools Chevrolet team.”

ON QUALIFYING NO. 1 AND RACING AGAINST HIS TEAM OWNER AND TEAMMATE, JOHN FORCE:

“John (Force), he’s done a lot for me in my career, and I definitely want to show him I’m capable of winning. If you can beat that guy, you’re getting the job done. He’s one of the toughest competitors out here and I love racing him. Man, you should have seen us back in the staging lanes. We were grinning ear to ear, duking it out again. He was talking a little smack, and I was just laughing. I’ve been saying we’ve got to keep doing what we’ve been doing all year long – making smart decisions and I’ve got to drive well. We’ve been doing a good job of that again this weekend. I’m super proud of this Cornwell Tools Chevy Camaro team.”

JOHN FORCE, DRIVER OF THE PEAK CHEVROLET CAMARO SS FUNNY CAR:

“Coming off of the weekend we had last week, winner and runner-up, the whole world seems perfect. We love Bristol; have had a lot of success here. We did deliver because all of our sponsors, Flav-R-Pac, Cornwell Tools, Chevrolet, Peak, HendrickCars.com, and Monster. We did our job. But yet, I lost in the semis, and I had a car that, if you look at the numbers, I didn’t get the job done. I’m mad about that myself. I want to give credit to my crew chief, Daniel Hood, and Chris Cunningham and Tim Fabrisi. Looking at the numbers, backing them out, I went deep. It looks like I left on him, but actually I was deep. I’m not telling anybody that understands racing what’s going on, but this is how I make myself better. I beat myself up when things are wrong, because if I’m going to compete with these kids for a title, I got to get back in this fight. (Austin) Prock doubled up with the #2Fast2Tasty and the Wally.

“But I love driving, and I love winning, and I’ve got a car that can compete. I’ve got to get myself together. I got to the semis, should have been to the finals. All I had to do was be a little bit better on that light, and I wasn’t. Even though it shows it in the numbers, that’s because I rolled deep. I’m just honest about it.”

DAVID JANAC, DRIVER OF THE JANAC BROS. CHEVROLET COPO CAMARO FLEXJET FACTORY STOCK SHOWDOWN CAR:

“I don’t have words to describe it. This is a dream that started in the 1970s, and it came to fruition today. My wife, my brother, and all of the Stanfields and all the guys that work with Stanfields, everybody, it’s beyond words. It’s extremely special.”

Up Next:

The NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series next heads to Virginia Motorsports Park for the 2024 NHRA Virginia Nationals June 21-23, 2024. Friday qualifying airs Saturday at 1 p.m. ET, with Saturday’s qualifying sessions airing Sunday at 1 p.m. ET. Sunday’s eliminations broadcast at 5 p.m. ET. All sessions from Virginia Motorsports Park air with NHRA on FOX on FOX Sports 1 (FS1). Coverage streams live throughout the weekend on NHRA.tv, and is available via AppleTV, Android TV, and Roku devices.

AUSTIN PROCK, driver of the Cornwell Tools Chevrolet Camaro SS Funny Car – Thunder Valley Nationals Winner’s Press Conference:

YOU’RE NOW A TWO-TIME FUNNY CAR WINNER. TELL US ABOUT YOUR DAY…

“It was outstanding. The whole weekend was unbelievable. We swept the whole deal, and that’s just… all the kudos to this team. My dad (Jimmy Prock), Thomas (Prock), Nate Hildal, are just animals. They analyze this racetrack like it’s the back of their hand and made just such great decisions. This team just puts the Chevrolet together perfectly with these Cornwell Tools. I just get to stand on the gas on time and hang on and they do the rest. Great weekend, really proud. Five finals and two wins, this second one tastes good.”

YOU’VE RACED JR TODD THREE TIMES, WHOEVER WINS BETWEEN YOU TWO WINS THE RACE, WHETHER IT’S FINAL ROUNDS OR EARLIER IN THE DAY…

“That sounds good to me. We love turning win lights on against anybody. Everybody we raced today is a tough opponent. You can’t take any of them lightly. We got the job done. This place is really, really difficult to win at. It’s a tricky track for the tuners, and a very difficult course for the driver. A lot of bumps and the car wants to move inside, outside, you can feel the front end off the ground. To get it done here, you should be proud of that.”

COMPLETING THE PERFECT WEEKEND OF NO. 1 QUALIFIER, WINNING THE #2FAST2TASTY CHALLENGE, AND THE RACE, TELL US ABOUT YOUR DAY…

“Outstanding job by my team this weekend. Every time we went up there, the thing was a car to contend with. We ended up sweeping it. Super proud of that. None of these guys are easy anymore. They’re so tough, and we ended up getting it done. We had to race Matt Hagan in the semifinals, and he’s absolutely brutal. You’ve got to bring you’re a-game. My dad (Jimmy Prock) and Dickie Venables, they always try to one-up each other. They’re always going out there dropping bombs on each other and we were victorious this time, then ended up racing JR (Todd). You never know with that DHL car. It can throw some serious punches and JR (Todd) is definitely one of the best on the starting line. Ended up getting by him and walking out of here with some gold. Super proud of that.”

WHICH DO YOU PREFER?

“The Funny Car all day long. The Funny Car is such a challenge to drive. You’ve got the same amount of horsepower, and you’re missing 175 inches of wheelbase. That’s insane. This thing is rowdy. Every track you go to, they’re handling totally different. You feel every nuance in the racetrack, whether you’re pulling inside, outside, hitting bumps. So you definitely have got to be on the wheel all day. Every time you get in this thing, as you as you think you have it figured out, you don’t. I’ve definitely made my fair share of mistakes, but we’ve been able to get it done when it counts. It’s been a great year. I’m really living my dream. I really wanted to drive one of these Funny Cars my entire life. My grandfather drove them back in the 70’s, and he is so happy seeing us all work together and be behind the wheel. I think it’s making him young again. I can’t wait to get out of here and give him a ring.”

JUMPING FROM TOP FUEL TO FUNNY CAR, DID YOU THINK YOU’D BE THIS HOT THIS QUICK?

“I knew the car would be. I didn’t really know what I was getting into to be honest. I hadn’t driven one in six years. I ended up licensing in a nitro Funny Car first before the Top Fuel car, and it was a lot of thinking, a lot of nerves, a lot of pressure coming into this season. I had four weeks to stew on it, had no idea I’d be driving this thing. I was just telling myself you’ve got to believe in yourself, and you need to be there because I know the racecar is going to be there. I’ve watched my dad my entire life, I’ve watched this team for a very long time and I know the potential of it. There was no way I was going to be the weak link. I’ve been studying, I’ve been doing my homework, I’ve been more focused than I ever have been and more comfortable in this racecar. I don’t know if it’s meant to be in a Funny Car or if it’s because my dad (Jimmy Prock) knocks on the hood and walks off. I think that definitely gives me a boost of confidence.”

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

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J.R. GRAY GETS CONGRUITY NHRA PRO MOD SERIES VICTORY IN BRISTOL AT RACE POWERED BY CARDINAL INSURANCE

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Official Release
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BRISTOL, Tenn. (June 9, 2024) – J.R. Gray raced to the win in the Congruity NHRA Pro Mod Drag Racing Series presented by LearnEV+ on Sunday, defeating former world champion Kris Thorne at Bristol Dragway as part of this weekend’s 23rd annual Super Grip NHRA Thunder Valley Nationals.

It was the fifth of 10 races during the 2024 season and this weekend’s event was powered by Cardinal Insurance.

In the final round, Gray went 5.812-seconds at 247.61 mph in his Camaro, getting past Thorne’s 5.937 at 203.55 to pick up his second career win. To reach the championship round, Gray had to get past Doug Winters, Dmitry Samorukov and Mike Thielen. It was his first finals appearance of the 2024 season.

“We looked at the qualifying sheet and sometimes it’s an uphill battle, but we keep on digging,” said Gray, who qualified second with a run of 5.799 at 249.07. “We had a quite a few things come into play over the last few races, but we’ve been digging hard to come up with ways to get us a little bit more horsepower. I take it one round at a time. Every race is a different race and we up line and shoot them down, but in the back of your mind you’re thinking about it a little bit.”

Thorne, who qualified No. 1 with a spectacular 5.764 at 250.41, knocked off Rickie Smith, Ken Quartuccio and points leader Jose Gonzalez to reach the final round for the second time this season and the 10th time in his career.

The Congruity NHRA Pro Mod Drag Racing Series presented by LearnEV+ returns to action with the Virginia NHRA Nationals on June 22-23 at Virginia Motorsports Park in Richmond, Va. It is the final race of the regular season in the category.

BRISTOL, Tenn. — Final finish order (1-16) at the 23rd annual Super Grip NHRA Thunder Valley Nationals at Bristol Dragway. The race is the fifth of 10 events in the Congruity NHRA Pro Mod Drag Racing Series presented by LearnEV+.

PRO MODIFIED:

  1. JR Gray; 2. Kris Thorne; 3. Jose Gonzalez; 4. Mike Thielen; 5. Ken Quartuccio; 6. Dmitry Samorukov; 7. Billy Banaka; 8. Mike Castellana; 9. Lyle Barnett; 10. Khalid alBalooshi; 11. Kevin Rivenbark; 12. Jordan Lazic; 13. Justin Bond; 14. Doug Winters; 15. Rickie Smith; 16. Dwayne Wolfe.

BRISTOL, Tenn. — Sunday’s final results from the 23rd annual Super Grip NHRA Thunder Valley Nationals at Bristol Dragway. The race is the fifth of 10 events in the Congruity NHRA Pro Mod Drag Racing Series presented by LearnEV+.

Pro Modified — JR Gray, Chevy Camaro, 5.812, 247.61 def. Kris Thorne, Camaro, 5.937, 203.55.

BRISTOL, Tenn. — Final round-by-round results from the 23rd annual Super Grip NHRA Thunder Valley Nationals at Bristol Dragway. The race is the fifth of 10 events in the Congruity NHRA Pro Mod Drag Racing Series presented by LearnEV+.

PRO MODIFIED:

ROUND ONE — Jose Gonzalez, Chevy Camaro, 5.806, 247.79 def. Kevin Rivenbark, Ford Mustang, 5.838, 244.34; Ken Quartuccio, Camaro, 5.809, 244.60 def. Dwayne Wolfe, Camaro, 7.830, 121.54; Mike Castellana, Camaro, 5.783, 247.57 def. Lyle Barnett, Camaro, 5.803, 245.40; Billy Banaka, Camaro, 5.853, 233.44 def. Khalid alBalooshi, Camaro, 5.837, 246.62; Kris Thorne, Camaro, 5.756, 249.86 def. Rickie Smith, Mustang, 6.017, 190.67; JR Gray, Camaro, 5.868, 247.43 def. Doug Winters, Chevy Chevelle, 6.012, 227.80; Mike Thielen, Camaro, 5.857, 246.03 def. Justin Bond, Camaro, 5.957, 244.34; Dmitry Samorukov, Camaro, 5.835, 244.69 def. Jordan Lazic, Camaro, 5.844, 247.66;

QUARTERFINALS — Gonzalez, 5.815, 247.20 def. Banaka, 5.883, 239.82; Thielen, 5.866, 246.44 def. Castellana, 6.039, 196.59; Thorne, 6.147, 185.61 def. Quartuccio, Foul – Red Light; Gray, 5.808, 247.93 def. Samorukov, Foul – Red Light;

SEMIFINALS — Thorne, 5.820, 248.29 def. Gonzalez, 5.826, 247.66; Gray, 5.844, 247.38 def. Thielen, Foul – Red Light;

FINAL — Gray, 5.812, 247.61 def. Thorne, 5.937, 203.55.

SCHUMACHER, PROCK, J. COUGHLIN & HERRERA ROAR TO WINS AT SUPER GRIP NHRA THUNDER VALLEY NATIONALS

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BRISTOL, Tenn. (June 9, 2024) – Eight-time Top Fuel world champion Tony Schumacher picked up his first win in 37 races on Sunday at Bristol Dragway, defeating reigning world champ Doug Kalitta in the final round of the 23rd annual Super Grip NHRA Thunder Valley Nationals.

Austin Prock (Funny Car), Jeg Coughlin Jr. (Pro Stock) and Gaige Herrera (Pro Stock Motorcycle) also won at the eighth of 20 races during the 2024 NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series season.

Schumacher pedaled his way to a run of 4.236-seconds at 259.41 mph in his 11,000-horsepower Waltrip Brewing Co./Leatherwood Distillery dragster, getting past Kalitta’s 4.890 in the finals and claiming his first victory since July of 2022. It’s the 87th career win for the most successful driver in Top Fuel history and also his seventh win at Bristol Dragway, which is tied with Ron Capps for the most in NHRA history.

Schumacher defeated Jasmine Salinas, Shawn Langdon and Clay Millican to reach the final round before extracting some revenge on Kalitta, who beat Schumacher last weekend in the finals at New England Dragway. He moved to fifth in points with the victory as well as the team continues to make big strides in recent weeks.

“We hadn’t gotten past half-track (in qualifying), but we found some things and it’s always great when the crew chief goes, no I’m serious, this is what we found, and you listen and it truly makes sense,” Schumacher said. “When you have a year like we had last year, a lot of things are like, ‘Oh we figured it out, but it doesn’t seem to progress into anything.’ The last couple of days, the last couple of weekends, even, it truly had. We didn’t qualify great, but the tune-up we had on raceday was exactly what we needed. From the first round on, I knew we had a racecar.

“After we get the momentum going, calm and cool, it’s so easy for me to race here. I’ve had so many good moments here, so much success. It just seems like we find a way to the winner’s circle. This is everything you could ask for at the home track for the boss (team owner Joe Maynard).”

Kalitta moved into the points lead over Justin Ashley on Sunday by advancing to the final round for the third time this season and 115th time in his career, defeating Antron Brown, Steve Torrence and Brittany Force.

Funny Car’s Austin Prock finished off a flawless weekend at Thunder Valley, as the points leader picked up his second victory of the season in his 11,000-horsepower Cornwell Tools Chevrolet Camaro SS, going 3.989 at 312.42 in the finals to defeat J.R. Todd. It made it a clean sweep of the weekend for the young standout, as he qualified No. 1, won the Mission #2Fast2Tasty Challenge and the picked up the event victory all in the span of three days, extending what has been a tremendous first year in Funny Car for the former NHRA Rookie of the Year.

On Sunday, Prock and his team were ultra-consistent, as he knocked off John Smith, Cruz Pedregon and defending world champion Matt Hagan to reach the final round. He went 3.97, 3.98 and 3.98 over the final three rounds as well, driving away from Todd, who went 4.022 at 313.66 in the finals, to pick up his first career victory in Thunder Valley.

“It was just an outstanding job by my team this weekend,” said Prock, who now has six career wins. “Every time we went up there the thing was a car to contend with and we ended up sweeping it. I’m super proud of that. None of these guys are easy anymore, they’re so tough but we ended up getting it done.

“We had to race Matt Hagan in the semifinals and he’s absolutely brutal and you have to bring your A-game against him. We were victorious this time and ended up racing J.R. and you never know with that DHL car. It can throw some serious punches and J.R. is definitely one of the best on the starting line. We ended up getting by him and walking out of here with some gold, and I’m super proud of that.”

Todd, who is now third in points, reached his second final round this year and 47th in his career, getting past Terry Haddock, Ron Capps and Epping winner John Force, who remains second in points.

In Pro Stock, Jeg Coughlin Jr. added another win in his return to the category, this time dispatching longtime rival Greg Anderson in the championship round with a run of 6.707 at 204.94 in his Scag Power Equipment car. It’s already Coughlin’s second win this season and it’s back-to-back Coughlin Pro Stock wins after Troy Coughlin Jr. won last Sunday in Epping.

Jeg Coughlin Jr. followed suit in Thunder Valley, taking down Elite Motorsports teammates Jerry Tucker, Troy Coughlin Jr. and Erica Enders to reach the final round. Anderson shook the tires almost immediately on the starting line, helping give Coughlin his 67th career victory and third at Bristol Dragway. The veteran and five-time world champion also moved to fourth in points with the victory.

“It was quite a team battle as we started the day off. Pro Stock in today’s day and age reminds me a lot of the late 90s and early 2000s where fields are separated just by a couple hundredths of a second,” Coughlin said. “When the field is that tight, it does put a on the driver’s shoulders to drive well, get a good start and bang through the gears efficiently and not make any mistakes.

“Greg and I have been in so many elimination-rounds side-by-side. To see them make a mistake and have a hiccup after the stellar runs they’ve put down was amazing. I put it in fourth gear and kind of peeked over a little bit, it was spinning and shaking, got it into fifth gear and I peeked over again and I’m like, you’ve got to be kidding me. Surely, he’s going to be coming on like a freight train. Bottom line, what a great win for us today.”

Anderson, who was the No. 1 qualifier and remained second in points, reached the finals for the third time in 2024 and 179th time in his career after round wins against Larry Morgan, Cristian Cuadra and points leader Dallas Glenn.

Points leader Gaige Herrera enjoyed another record-setting day on Sunday in Pro Stock Motorcycle, winning his ninth straight race and picking up his 35th straight round win after defeating Jianna Evaristo in the final round with a run of 6.818 at 198.17 on his RevZilla/Mission Foods/Vance & Hines Suzuki. Herrera passed the great Dave Schultz for the most consecutive wins in Pro Stock Motorcycle history, while the nine straight wins and 35 consecutive round wins ties legendary Pro Stock racer Bob Glidden for the most in NHRA history.

It didn’t come easy on Sunday, as Herrera defeated defending event winner Steve Johnson, John Hall and No. 1 qualifier Matt Smith to reach the finals. The victory in a must-see matchup against Smith came on a holeshot, as Herrera’s 6.825 held off Smith’s 6.824 in the semifinals. Herrera, who now has four wins in 2024 and 15 in his career, led wire-to-wire in the finals, avenging last year’s loss at Bristol in the final round in the process.

“It was a good day, but kind of weird starting from the 5th position. We struggled a little bit here in Bristol, it’s a beautiful facility but it’s seemed to have my number,” Herrera said. “The semifinal was probably the highlight of my career so far. Matt was running well all weekend. What a day. The final against Jianna, I always love racing her, and I’m so happy for her. She’s been improving round by round and pass by pass, and to get the win over her is awesome. Not only that, to have basically two young guns in the final it’s very cool. I’m happy to go home with the Bristol win.

“To be mentioned with Dave Schultz and Bob Glidden, it’s a lot to take in. It’s obviously real, but it doesn’t feel real, what’s been accomplished in such a small time. But I’m enjoying the ride and trying to look at every little milestone that passes. As a kid, I never would have thought I would be in this position or have my name in the history. It gets emotional sometimes when I think about it.”

Evaristo advanced to her first final round of the season by knocking off Marc Ingwersen, Chase Van Sant and Richard Gadson.

The NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series returns to action with the Virginia NHRA Nationals on June 22-23 at Virginia Motorsports Park in Richmond, Va.

BRISTOL, Tenn. — Final finish order (1-16) at the 23rd annual Super Grip NHRA Thunder Valley Nationals at Bristol Dragway. The race is the eighth of 20 events in the NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series.

TOP FUEL:

  1. Tony Schumacher; 2. Doug Kalitta; 3. Clay Millican; 4. Brittany Force; 5. Steve Torrence; 6. Shawn Langdon; 7. Billy Torrence; 8. Doug Foley; 9. Justin Ashley; 10. Antron Brown; 11. Jasmine Salinas; 12. Josh Hart; 13. Cody Krohn; 14. Shawn Reed; 15. Tony Stewart; 16. Cameron Ferre.

FUNNY CAR:

  1. Austin Prock; 2. J.R. Todd; 3. John Force; 4. Matt Hagan; 5. Ron Capps; 6. Cruz Pedregon; 7. Alexis DeJoria; 8. Bob Tasca III; 9. Daniel Wilkerson; 10. Chad Green; 11. Terry Haddock; 12. Buddy Hull; 13. Bobby Bode; 14. Dave Richards; 15. John Smith; 16. Paul Lee.

PRO STOCK:

  1. Jeg Coughlin; 2. Greg Anderson; 3. Dallas Glenn; 4. Erica Enders; 5. Aaron Stanfield; 6. Cristian Cuadra; 7. Troy Coughlin Jr.; 8. David Cuadra; 9. Deric Kramer; 10. Fernando Cuadra Jr.; 11. Jerry Tucker; 12. Matt Hartford; 13. Larry Morgan; 14. Kenny Delco; 15. Brandon Foster; 16. Chris McGaha.

PRO STOCK MOTORCYCLE:

  1. Gaige Herrera; 2. Jianna Evaristo; 3. Matt Smith; 4. Richard Gadson; 5. John Hall; 6. Hector Arana Jr; 7. Chase Van Sant; 8. Angie Smith; 9. Ron Tornow; 10. Steve Johnson; 11. Chris Bostick; 12. Ryan Oehler; 13. Kelly Clontz; 14. Marc Ingwersen.

BRISTOL, Tenn. — Sunday’s final results from the 23rd annual Super Grip NHRA Thunder Valley Nationals at Bristol Dragway. The race is the eighth of 20 in the NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series:

Top Fuel — Tony Schumacher, 4.236 seconds, 259.41 mph def. Doug Kalitta, 4.890 seconds, 150.06 mph.

Funny Car — Austin Prock, Chevy Camaro, 3.989, 312.42 def. J.R. Todd, Toyota GR Supra, 4.022, 313.66.

Pro Stock — Jeg Coughlin, Chevy Camaro, 6.707, 204.94 def. Greg Anderson, Camaro, 20.530, 37.09.

Pro Stock Motorcycle — Gaige Herrera, Suzuki, 6.818, 198.17 def. Jianna Evaristo, Buell, 6.861, 197.94.

Super Stock — Byron Worner, Chevy Camaro, 9.882, 120.24 def. Jeff Adkinson, Camaro, 9.449, 140.43.

Stock Eliminator — Jimmy Hidalgo Jr., Pontiac GTO, 11.094, 113.81 def. Monty Bogan, Chevy Camaro, 10.929, 118.54.

Super Comp — Ray Miller III, Dragster, 8.931, 174.68 def. Vincent Nobile, Dragster, 8.933, 177.86.

Super Gas — Gene Brown, Chevy II, 9.906, 162.63 def. JJ Brock, Chevy Camaro, Foul – Red Light.

Top Dragster — Matt Sackman, Dragster, 6.191, 224.73 def. Vance Houston, Dragster, 6.532, 209.43.

Pro Modified — JR Gray, Chevy Camaro, 5.812, 247.61 def. Kris Thorne, Camaro, 5.937, 203.55.

Factory Stock Showdown — David Janac, Chevy Camaro, 8.037, 169.98 def. Stephen Bell, Camaro, 17.200, 60.47.

Mountain Motor Pro Stock — Bo Butner, Chevy Camaro, 6.712, 162.10 def. John DeFlorian Jr., Camaro, Foul – Red Light.

Legends Nitro Funny Car presented by Modern Warriors — Bobby Cottrell, Chevy Camaro, 4.810, 233.72 def. Geoff Monise, Pontiac Firebird, 8.510, 75.61.

BRISTOL, Tenn. — Final round-by-round results from the 23rd annual Super Grip NHRA Thunder Valley Nationals at Bristol Dragway, the eighth of 20 events in the NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series:

TOP FUEL:

ROUND ONE — Doug Foley, 3.878, 301.74 def. Tony Stewart, 5.131, 148.41; Tony Schumacher, 3.794, 325.61 def. Jasmine Salinas, 3.802, 328.78; Doug Kalitta, 3.723, 328.54 def. Antron Brown, 3.782, 327.27; Clay Millican, 4.328, 195.45 def. Cameron Ferre, 7.084, 93.18; Shawn Langdon, 3.739, 322.81 def. Shawn Reed, 5.031, 144.72; Brittany Force, 3.733, 329.42 def. Justin Ashley, 3.764, 324.36; Steve Torrence, 3.773, 329.75 def. Cody Krohn, 3.901, 311.34; Billy Torrence, 3.768, 331.45 def. Josh Hart, 3.830, 322.65;

QUARTERFINALS — Millican, 3.848, 309.42 def. Foley, 5.325, 134.62; Schumacher, 3.815, 324.05 def. Langdon, 3.835, 300.86; Force, 3.820, 320.58 def. B. Torrence, 4.228, 212.06; Kalitta, 3.767, 326.48 def. S. Torrence, 3.775, 326.08;

SEMIFINALS — Schumacher, 3.795, 326.16 def. Millican, 3.824, 322.50; Kalitta, 3.800, 318.02 def. Force, 4.204, 224.43;

FINAL — Schumacher, 4.236, 259.41 def. Kalitta, 4.890, 150.06.

FUNNY CAR:

ROUND ONE — Matt Hagan, Dodge Charger, 3.951, 321.65 def. Chad Green, Ford Mustang, 4.009, 318.39; Alexis DeJoria, Toyota GR Supra, 3.938, 318.69 def. Dave Richards, Toyota Camry, 4.242, 294.75; Austin Prock, Chevy Camaro, 3.924, 326.87 def. John Smith, Charger, 5.740, 126.84; Ron Capps, GR Supra, 3.962, 323.12 def. Buddy Hull, Charger, 4.176, 288.46; Bob Tasca III, Mustang, 4.194, 250.46 def. Bobby Bode, Mustang, 4.221, 238.55; J.R. Todd, GR Supra, 3.999, 319.14 def. Terry Haddock, Mustang, 4.097, 298.01; John Force, Camaro, 3.953, 320.97 def. Daniel Wilkerson, Mustang, 3.981, 318.69; Cruz Pedregon, Charger, 4.069, 308.00 def. Paul Lee, Charger, 6.130, 113.55;

QUARTERFINALS — Todd, 3.977, 319.75 def. Capps, 4.001, 316.45; Force, 4.010, 316.60 def. DeJoria, 4.088, 306.19; Prock, 3.976, 319.07 def. Pedregon, 4.065, 313.22; Hagan, 4.126, 279.56 def. Tasca III, 7.292, 85.62;

SEMIFINALS — Todd, 4.012, 311.34 def. Force, 4.060, 314.83; Prock, 3.982, 317.57 def. Hagan, 4.096, 296.89;

FINAL — Prock, 3.989, 312.42 def. Todd, 4.022, 313.66.

PRO STOCK:

ROUND ONE — Cristian Cuadra, Ford Mustang, 6.679, 205.16 def. Brandon Foster, Chevy Camaro, 6.971, 204.23; David Cuadra, Mustang, 6.694, 205.57 def. Matt Hartford, Camaro, 6.706, 204.57; Troy Coughlin Jr., Camaro, 6.662, 205.41 def. Kenny Delco, Camaro, 6.717, 204.11; Aaron Stanfield, Camaro, 6.661, 205.51 def. Chris McGaha, Camaro, 7.072, 158.82; Dallas Glenn, Camaro, 6.639, 205.41 def. Deric Kramer, Camaro, 6.657, 204.82; Jeg Coughlin, Camaro, 6.657, 205.04 def. Jerry Tucker, Camaro, 6.698, 205.38; Greg Anderson, Camaro, 6.633, 204.82 def. Larry Morgan, Camaro, 6.713, 202.55; Erica Enders, Camaro, 6.636, 206.80 def. Fernando Cuadra Jr., Camaro, 6.697, 204.60;

QUARTERFINALS — Coughlin, 6.690, 205.32 def. Coughlin Jr., 6.736, 204.85; Glenn, 6.665, 204.91 def. Stanfield, 6.689, 205.16; Enders, 6.665, 206.67 def. D. Cuadra, 6.776, 203.55; Anderson, 6.660, 204.35 def. C. Cuadra, 6.699, 204.01;

SEMIFINALS — Coughlin, 6.720, 204.60 def. Enders, 9.657, 104.42; Anderson, 6.658, 205.10 def. Glenn, 6.833, 179.11;

FINAL — Coughlin, 6.707, 204.94 def. Anderson, 20.530, 37.09.

PRO STOCK MOTORCYCLE:

ROUND ONE — Hector Arana Jr, 6.868, 198.17 def. Angie Smith, Buell, 6.896, 195.11; Jianna Evaristo, Buell, 6.871, 196.53 def. Marc Ingwersen, Broke – No Show; John Hall, 6.876, 195.96 def. Chris Bostick, Suzuki, Foul – Red Light; Gaige Herrera, Suzuki, 6.813, 197.91 def. Steve Johnson, Suzuki, 6.922, 192.82; Chase Van Sant, Suzuki, 6.878, 195.45 def. Ron Tornow, 6.920, 195.03; Richard Gadson, Suzuki, 6.860, 196.96 def. Kelly Clontz, Suzuki, 8.130, 119.97; Matt Smith, Buell, 6.807, 199.61 def. Ryan Oehler, 7.012, 194.24;

QUARTERFINALS — Evaristo, 7.115, 161.19 def. Van Sant, Foul – Red Light; Gadson, 6.876, 195.87 def. Arana Jr, 6.874, 197.68; Herrera, 6.829, 197.31 def. Hall, 6.866, 197.45; M. Smith, 6.817, 198.82 was unopposed;

SEMIFINALS — Evaristo, 6.898, 196.50 def. Gadson, 6.916, 194.80; Herrera, 6.825, 198.12 def. M. Smith, 6.824, 198.82;

FINAL — Herrera, 6.818, 198.17 def. Evaristo, 6.861, 197.94.

POINTS STANDINGS:

Top Fuel

Doug Kalitta 631
Justin Ashley 609
Shawn Langdon 583
Steve Torrence 522
Tony Schumacher 471
Antron Brown 465
Clay Millican 460
Billy Torrence 443
Tony Stewart 378
Brittany Force 373

Funny Car

Austin Prock 703
John Force 639
J.R. Todd 594
Matt Hagan 586
Bob Tasca III 510
Ron Capps 417
Dan Wilkerson 411
Alexis DeJoria 398
Chad Green 351
Blake Alexander 295

Pro Stock

Dallas Glenn 697
Greg Anderson 676
Erica Enders 662
Jeg Coughlin Jr. 567
Aaron Stanfield 484
Troy Coughlin Jr 441
Jerry Tucker 432
Cristian Cuadra 386
David Cuadra 307
Brandon Foster 298

Pro Stock Motorcycle

Gaige Herrera 493
Matt Smith 319
Richard Gadson 266
John Hall 258
Angie Smith 239
Chase Van Sant 238
LE Tonglet 233
Hector Arana Jr 193
Jianna Evaristo 189
Steve Johnson 153

Fifth podium of the INDY NXT season for ABEL Motorsports

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Official Release
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  • Jacob Abel retains the INDY NXT by Firestone points lead with his fifth podium in six races
  • Yuven Sundaramoorthy earns his best finish of the season to date, while Jordan Missig gets caught up in an incident ahead, ending his day early

ELKHART LAKE, Wis. (9 June 2024) — ABEL Motorsports scored its fifth podium finish of the INDY NXT by Firestone season on Sunday, as Jacob Abel finished a hard fought third in the 20-lap Grand Prix of Road America.

For teammates Yuven Sundaramoorthy and Jordan Missig, it was a tale of two different outcomes, as Wisconsin native Sundaramoorthy earned his best finish of the season while Illinois’ Jordan Missig bore the brunt of an incident between two cars ahead which knocked him out of the race.

Abel started the race in fourth position, with Sundaramoorthy 11th and Missig 15th in his second race weekend with the team. At the green flag, Abel slid to the inside and took third in turn 1, and then set his sights ahead, filling the mirrors of pole sitter Jamie Chadwick.

Sundaramoorthy was on a charge of his own, taking 10th on lap one. Forced wide in turn six, he returned the favor in the following corner to take ninth. Missig was also forced off in turn 6 but held his ground, moving into 13th when two cars ahead made contact, bringing out a yellow.

Going green on lap 6, Abel fended off a challenge from Louis Foster through the first corners, keeping the championship’s second place driver behind him. Sundaramoorthy battled hard in a group of five, holding ninth. Missig continued his charge, taking 11th just before a car off course brought out another yellow.

Restarting on lap 11, Abel got a solid run up the hill to turn 1 and made a move – but as they diced, Foster closed up the gap, getting the draft and passing Abel, putting him back to third. With five to go, Abel and Foster traded positions – and paint – through several corners. Missig made a pass for 11th but two cars ahead made contact, collecting Missig and sending him into the turn one gravel. Only three laps remained, so race control threw the red flag, bringing the field to pit lane, with Abel in third and Sundaramoorthy eighth.

At the green flag, Abel aimed for the leaders while Sundaramoorthy fought hard in the group battling for sixth, taking seventh but then finding himself freight trained back to ninth at the checkers, with Abel third and Missig scored in 20th.

Abel’s lap 14 was the race’s quickest lap, at 1:53.2301. He now leads the championship by 19 points.

Post race, both Abel and Missig were understandably disappointed, while Sundaramoorthy was appreciative – not only for his first top 10 finish, but for all the friends and family in attendance.

“First of all, big congrats to Jamie, she’s been working hard for this for a while and she did a good race there up front,” said Abel. “We had a good battle there the first half of the race, but she was able to hold on to it. Louis (Foster) and I were battling a bit there at the end, really just good hard racing. I think we made contact a couple of times, but it is what it is, we’ll take the points and move forward. But it is a bit disappointing, we had the fastest car, the car to beat today. You’re never happy when that’s the case and you finish third, but it’s a good day when you are disappointed with third. We still have the championship lead, so just keep up the consistent results and eyes forward to Laguna.”

“It was great to be back at my home track,” said Sundaramoorthy, from nearby Oconomowoc. “I had a dozen friends out here today, so I’m happy to have a pretty good race for them. I was happy with the pace – the car was incredible, I just needed to find a bit of pace myself. It was good hard racing out there; the key was just to put the car where someone else was not. I had a bunch of contact, but it was still a fun race, one of the most fun races I’ve ever done. I wish I hadn’t lost a couple positions; I made a couple of poor outside pass choices. I think if I had stayed inside, I would have P5 or better.”

“Not sure exactly what happened when we got to Myles,” said Missig. “He had gotten back by me and was on (Michael) d’Orlando so I tried to pop to the outside. I don’t think I got to the back of him, but he went spinning across me and just caught me. So a tough day. But I’m very happy with the car the ABEL team gave me today, we made some changes over night and the car was on rails, that’s how we were able to pick our way up to the field. So a really good drive here on a Sunday, plenty of positives we can take away, a lot of gains.”

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

Next up for ABEL Motorsports and the INDY NXT by Firestone will be the Grand Prix of Monterey doubleheader. The races 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.

About ABEL Motorsports: Team principal Bill Abel began racing motocross in 1972, earning numerous championship titles as he continued the family racing tradition. In 2015, ABEL Motorsports was launched, starting in the USF2000 series and building up the junior open wheel ladder. The team captured the inaugural Formula Regional Americas Championship with driver Kyle Kirkwood in 2018.

ABEL Motorsports currently competes in the INDY NXT by Firestone series, the official development series for the NTT INDYCAR SERIES, led by third-generation driver Jacob Abel. The team made its INDYCAR debut in 2023 with driver RC Enerson in the Indianapolis 500. For more information visit the official team website at abelmotorsports.com.

About Abel Construction Company: ABEL Construction is one of the largest general contractors in Kentucky, holding licenses in thirteen states. The company has offices in Lexington, Kentucky and Indianapolis, Indiana, with the corporate office in Louisville. Their expertise spans many areas, including general contracting, construction management, design-build, Integrated Project Delivery (IPD), and facilities maintenance.

Abel Construction has helped build some of the region’s most recognizable landmarks. Their projects cover diverse sectors, including automotive, healthcare, post-secondary education, commercial, food/beverage, tech, and industrial/manufacturing. They prioritize client satisfaction, focusing on efficient project delivery regardless of size or cost. The company’s skilled professionals utilize cutting-edge technology and software to ensure successful outcomes. abelconstruct.com/.

Felix Rosenqvist Battles Through Trouble To Finish 14th at Road America

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Official Release
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Castroneves puts the No. 66 AutoNation / SiriusXM Honda P19 after starting P27.

Elkhart Lake, Wise. (9 June 2024) – As he did last weekend in Detroit, Felix Rosenqvist (No. 60 AutoNation / SiriusXM Honda) fought back after a tough Saturday qualifying session and then used strong tire management and fuel save to overcome contact and lead Meyer Shank Racing (MSR) to a 14th-place finish in Sunday’s XPEL Grand Prix at Road America.

Sunday’s NTT INDYCAR SERIES battle at the 4.048-mile Road America circuit got off to a slow, choppy start as three caution periods took place in the first six laps of the 55-lap event. Getting through a first lap melee, Rosenqvist had moved up six positions before the proceeding caution flag was waived.

Rosenqvist, who started 22nd, saw his workload increased even more after the second of the three caution periods when he got shouldered off track in Turn Six by the No. 41 car, causing the Swedish racer to fall down the order. The team opted to bring him into pit lane for a fill up on fuel and tire change on Lap Seven.

The team fought hard after amending its pit strategy and took advantage of competitors’ stops to lead for the third time this season, but needed to stretch Rosenqvist’s Firestone tires for 15 and 16 laps on their final two stops on a day when most other competitors were changing tires every 12-13 laps. The tire management skill and exceptional fuel save enabled Rosenqvist to make just two stops over the second half of the race, but it also meant that he could not battle hard at the end of the race and settled for a 14th-place finish.

Helio Castroneves (No. 66 AutoNation / Arctic Wolf Honda) ran his second race after assuming driving duties in the No. 66 MSR machine, and also had a heavy workload after qualifying 27th on Saturday. He stayed on strategy with the lead group and gained eight positions on the day to finish 19th.

MSR ends a stretch of three races in as many weeks and heads right into a series test at the Milwaukee Mile on Tuesday which will see MSR newcomer, David Malukas get his first laps behind the wheel of the No. 66 car ahead of his race debut at WeatherTech Laguna Seca.

Meyer Shank Racing Driver Quotes:

Felix Rosenqvist: “It was unfortunate we got taken out at the beginning. We were kind of off strategy trying to save some fuel. We didn’t really have enough pace with the fuel save unfortunately. I honestly think that if we did it again we couldn’t have done anything different, except not getting hit. P14, a very average result but we move forward. I think we were decently quick, just not our luck today.”

Helio Castroneves: “Wow. No. 66 The AutoNation / Arctic Wolf machine was actually pretty strong, from starting 27th and finishing 19th. I have to give it up to the guys, they did a great job. Now I pass the baton to David Malukas who is going to take care of it. I’m looking forward to being in his corner. We are going to a test in Milwaukee which I really love so I’ll be there. Hopefully at Laguna we are going to collect more points.”

Second Straight Podium for TeamSLR at Pittsburgh

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Official Release
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Second Straight Podium for TeamSLR at Pittsburgh
Carson Kvapil Snatches Third on Final Lap; Barry Boes Victorious in Pro-Am

Overview:
Date: June 9, 2024
Event: Pitt Race SpeedTour (Round 6 of 12)
Series: Trans Am Series presented by Pirelli
Division: Cube 3 Architecture TA2 Series
Location: Pittsburgh International Race Complex
Layout: 2.75-mile, 19-turn road course
Format: 36 laps or 75 minutes
Weather: Sunny, mid-60s
Winner: Rafa Matos of Nitro Motorsports

TeamSLR:

● Carson Kvapil – Started 10th, Finished 3rd (Running, completed 36/36 laps)
● Barry Boes – Started 7th, Finished 9th (Running, completed 36/36 laps)

Noteworthy:

● In his first race since running back-to-back events last summer at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course in Lexington and Road America in Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin, Kvapil delivered TeamSLR and M1 Racecars a second consecutive podium finish. Even Slater finished second in the previous round May 25 at Lime Rock Park in Lakeville, Connecticut.

● Boes’ 10th-place overall finish today was best among competitors in the Pro-Am Challenge class. It was his third Pro-Am victory of the season, the first two coming back-to-back at Sebring (Fla.) International Raceway and Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta to start the season.

● Boes’ qualifying effort of seventh this weekend equaled his career- and season-best, first set in May 2019 at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca, then again at this year’s previous round two weekends ago at Lime Rock.

Carson Kvapil, Driver No. 28 Team Chevrolet/SLR-M1 Racecars Chevrolet Camaro:

“It was a really fun experience here today at Pittsburgh. We really seemed to have a pretty good car. Didn’t qualify great, I guess you would say, but I knew in the race we were just going to have a better long-run car than most of them, and fortunately we were able to keep the car on track and drive the TeamSLR Chevrolet to a good finish. We were able to catch him (the third-place car) throughout the long run there at the end and kind of ran him down. He locked up going into (turn) three and I just got a good run on him going into turn six and climbed the hill better, then got to the outside and made the pass. It was an overall great day for us, just stayed on track and learned as much as we could. Can’t thank Scott Lagasse Jr. and all the TeamSLR guys enough for giving me a great car, and Chevrolet, Scott Speed and Josh Wise for giving me this opportunity to come out here and run. It was a lot of fun.”

Barry Boes, Driver No. 27 Accio Data/SLR-M1 Racecars Ford Mustang:

“We had a good solid qualifying effort, qualified in front of a bunch of people I’m not normally in front of, guys like (defending-champion) Thomas Merrill, big names right behind me, so I was excited and a little concerned about the start. At the start, my lane was the one that didn’t go, so I ended up having to give up a few spots. But the car was fantastic and I was just steadily making up spots for the rest of the race. If it had gone on longer, I would have made up more. The car was really good at the start, and then it fell off a little bit, and then it started to come back again and it was so much better overall. I just want to thank M1 Racecars and the entire TeamSLR team, and Carson Kvapil for coming out and driving as a teammate with me and helping me out this weekend. We all work and put it together.”

Next Up:

Round seven of the 2024 Cube 3 Architecture TA2 Series takes Silver Hare Racing to the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course in Lexington for the Mid-Ohio SpeedTour, June 20-22. The three-day weekend kicks off with a pair of TA2 test sessions the afternoon of Thursday, June 20. TA2 practice is set for 12:05 p.m. Friday, June 21, followed by qualifying at 4:50 p.m. The 45-lap, 75-minute TA2 race around the 2.258-mile, 13-turn road course is set for 12:40 p.m. Saturday, June 22, with series partner MAVTV providing live television coverage augmented via live video stream on the Trans Am channel on YouTube.

About TeamSLR:

TeamSLR (Scott Lagasse Racing) competes fulltime in the Trans Am Series presented by Pirelli’s newly renamed Cube 3 Architecture TA2 Series in a multifaceted effort that includes dedicated entries in the TA2 division, customer programs, driver coaching and car construction. Its history dates back to 1985 and covers a wide spectrum of motorsports, including NASCAR, IMSA, SCCA, ARCA and ASA. TeamSLR is a family-owned organization run by Scott Lagasse Sr., and Scott Lagasse Jr., The father-and-son duo have combined to win more than 120 races and seven championships across a variety of series and styles of racecars, from paved ovals to road courses to dirt tracks. For more information, please visit us online at www.TeamSLR.com, on Facebook, on Twitter, on Instagram and on LinkedIn.

Silver Hare Racing: Trans Am Race Report from Pittsburgh

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Official Release
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Pair of Top-10s for Silver Hare at Pittsburgh
Connor Mosack Sixth, Jake Drew 10th in TA2’s Western Pennsylvania Debut

Overview:
Date: June 9, 2024
Event: Pitt Race SpeedTour (Round 6 of 12)
Series: Trans Am Series presented by Pirelli
Division: Cube 3 Architecture TA2 Series
Location: Pittsburgh International Race Complex
Layout: 2.75-mile, 19-turn road course
Format: 36 laps or 75 minutes
Weather: Sunny, mid-60s
Winner: Rafa Matos

Silver Hare Racing:

● Connor Mosack – Started 4th, Finished 6th (Running, completed 36/36 laps)
● Jake Drew – Started 2nd, Finished 10th (Running, completed 36/36 laps)

Noteworthy:

● After taking the checkered flag fourth, Drew was issued a 27-second penalty for avoidable contact during a midrace incident.

Jake Drew, Driver, No. 7 Silver Hare Racing Chevrolet Camaro:

“It was an eventful day, for sure. We had a fast Silver Hare Chevrolet. Kind of an unfortunate start with some contact with some people, which set us on our back foot and left us with a little bit of damage and made our day tougher. Still crossed the finish line in a solid fourth place, so close to that podium. Just super thankful to Maurice and Laura (Hull, team co-owners) and all the hard-working guys who work on this car every week and every weekend. We’re going to keep coming back.”

Maurice Hull, Co-Owner, Silver Hare Racing:

“I’m proud of our team. We stayed with it. We had a couple of good cars. There were just some cars that were better today, there were drivers that were more aggressive. I think our guys did a great job all the way around, drivers and crew, and I was proud of our effort.”

Next Up:

Round seven of the 2024 Cube 3 Architecture TA2 Series takes Silver Hare Racing to the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course in Lexington for the Mid-Ohio SpeedTour, June 20-22. The three-day weekend kicks off with a pair of TA2 test sessions the afternoon of Thursday, June 20. TA2 practice is set for 12:05 p.m. Friday, June 21, followed by qualifying at 4:50 p.m. The 45-lap, 75-minute TA2 race around the 2.258-mile, 13-turn road course is set for 12:40 p.m. Saturday, June 22, with series partner MAVTV providing live television coverage augmented via live video stream on the Trans Am channel on YouTube.

About Silver Hare Racing:

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

Stewart-Haas Racing: Save Mart 350k from Sonoma

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Official Release
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STEWART-HAAS RACING
Save Mart 350k

Date: June 9, 2024
Event: Save Mart 350k (Round 16 of 36)
Series: NASCAR Cup Series
Location: Sonoma (Calif.) Raceway (1.99-mile, 10-turn road course)
Format: 110 laps, broken into three stages (25 laps/30 laps/55 laps)
Race Winner: Kyle Larson of Hendrick Motorsports (Chevrolet)
Stage 1 Winner: Tyler Reddick of 23XI Racing (Toyota)
Stage 2 Winner: Chris Buescher of RFK Racing (Ford)

SHR Finish:

● Ryan Preece (Started 30th, Finished 18th / Running, completed 110 of 110 laps)
● Noah Gragson (Started 19th, Finished 26th / Running, completed 110 of 110 laps)
● Josh Berry (Started 32nd, Finished 32nd / Suspension, completed 95 of 110 laps)
● Chase Briscoe (Started 23rd, Finished 34th / Transmission, completed 73 of 110 laps)

SHR Points:

● Chase Briscoe (17th with 361 points, 200 out of first)
● Josh Berry (23rd with 269 points, 292 out of first)
● Noah Gragson (24th with 266 points, 295 out of first)
● Ryan Preece (26th with 239 points, 322 out of first)

SHR Notes:

● Preece earned his seventh top-20 of the season and his second top-20 in four career NASCAR Cup Series starts at Sonoma.
● Preece finished second in Stage 2 to earn nine bonus points.
● This was the first NASCAR Cup Series start at Sonoma for both Gragson and Berry.

Race Notes:

● Kyle Larson won the Save Mart 350k to score his 26th career NASCAR Cup Series victory, his third of the season and his second at Sonoma. His margin of victory over second-place Michael McDowell was 4.258 seconds.
● There were eight caution periods for a total of 22 laps.
● Twenty-seven of the 38 drivers in the race finished on the lead lap.
● Larson leaves Sonoma as the new championship leader with a 14-point advantage over second-place Chase Elliott.

Sound Bites:

“If we didn’t spin out there, we probably would’ve ended up with a top-10. The car was pretty good, but just lost track position at that point. One costly mistake.” – Ryan Preece, driver of the No. 41 Caymus Vineyards Ford Mustang Dark Horse

“We got wrecked.” – Noah Gragson, driver of the No. 10 Overstock.com Ford Mustang Dark Horse

“Our race was going OK, but after the incident there in (turn) 11, the car just kind of drove funny and, ultimately, we couldn’t make it to the end.” – Josh Berry, driver of the No. 4 Mobil 1 50th Anniversary Dark Horse

“It was definitely kind of wild from the get-go, just guys kind of driving through each other and everything else. It was a wild day. For us, it was anything that could go wrong kind of went wrong, between getting spun out and just not having our balance really that great, and then we had a water pressure issue and then there at the end, the rear end just blew up, so it was not a great day for us, especially when we kind of need a good one. It’s unfortunate, and now we’ll go on to Iowa, which is probably my favorite racetrack, so we’ll try to regain some of these lost points.” – Chase Briscoe, driver of the No. 14 Ford Performance Racing School Ford Mustang Dark Horse

Next Up:

The next event on the NASCAR Cup Series schedule is the Iowa Corn 350 powered by Ethanol on Sunday, June 16 at Iowa Speedway in Newton. The race begins at 7 p.m. EDT with live coverage provided by USA and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.

Toyota Racing – NCS Sonoma Post-Race Report – 06.09.24

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Official Release
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REDDICK SCORES STAGE WIN, LEADS TOYOTA IN SONOMA
Truex’s battle for the win comes up short in final laps

SONOMA, Calif. (June 9, 2024) – Tyler Reddick (eighth) and Christopher Bell (ninth) led Toyota with top-10 finishes in the Toyota/Save Mart 350 at Sonoma Raceway on Sunday.

Reddick was dominant early, as he led 35 of the 110 laps, but fell back after on-track contact. He bounced back to finish eighth, with Bell in ninth as he recovered from a mid-race spin.

Martin Truex Jr. battled for the win late, but ran out of gas in the final corners. He was scored 27th in the final finishing order.

Toyota Post-Race Recap
NASCAR Cup Series (NCS)
Sonoma Raceway
Race 16 of 36 – 218.9 miles, 110 laps

TOYOTA FINISHING POSITIONS
1st, Kyle Larson*
2nd, Michael McDowell*
3rd, Chris Buescher*
4th, Chase Elliott*
5th, Ross Chastain*
8th, TYLER REDDICK
9th, CHRISTOPHER BELL
19th, ERIK JONES
20th, BUBBA WALLACE
27th, MARTIN TRUEX JR.
29th, JOHN HUNTER NEMECHEK
37th, TY GIBBS
38th, DENNY HAMLIN
*non-Toyota driver

TOYOTA QUOTES

TYLER REDDICK, No. 45 Monster Energy Toyota Camry XSE, 23XI Racing

Finishing Position: 8th

How much did the early damage affect your finish today?

“I don’t know. Visually on the body, it doesn’t look like it much. The wheel was off a little bit – just stupid. I was on cold tires, and it was going to be really hard to hold him off anyway. I kind of just fell for it. I don’t know. I guess we will know once we go back to the shop – just weren’t as good. I didn’t have a great restart – that also played a big factor. Even when we kind of got some clean air after, we got the second set of tires on it – it didn’t seem as good. We will go back and look at it, and try to understand what got away from us, but at least we got a Playoff point out of it with the Monster Energy Toyota Camry. The 5 (Kyle Larson) was on a similar strategy to us – and he won the race, and we finished eighth. We were doing the right things; we just didn’t have the restart we needed.”

MARTIN TRUEX JR., No. 19 Bass Pro Shops Toyota Camry XSE, Joe Gibbs Racing

Finishing Position: 27th

Can you talk about your eventful race today?

“It was a tough day. Got spun out early and had to work hard to get some track position back. James (Small, crew chief) did a good job on our strategy. Our car was pretty good out front. Thought we were going to have a shot to win there and just couldn’t quite get by the 17 (Chris Buescher) quick enough. I finally cleared him; I made a mistake and the 5 (Kyle Larson) was right there to pounce and then obviously ran out of gas so it didn’t matter. I’m not sure why we didn’t try to save a little at the end. I was clearly not going to catch the 5 or pass him. It’s a shame that we went around the last corner and went from second to wherever we finished. It sucks, but it was a tough day, and we had a good car. We battled and did a good job. We were going to have a good day, but just one corner short.”

TY GIBBS, No. 54 He Gets Us Toyota Camry XSE, Joe Gibbs Racing

Finishing Position: 37th

What happened?

“Yeah, I hit the (turn 11) inside wall with our He Gets Us Camry. I was finding grip down there and was making up time, and then got too close and clipped the wall and hurt the right front.”

Was your car good before that?

“I don’t really know. We needed to make some adjustments to be a little bit tighter, I think, in the sweeping sections – but I just made a mistake and took us out of this day.”

DENNY HAMLIN, No. 11 FedEx Toyota Camry XSE, Joe Gibbs Racing

Finishing Position: 38th

Was there any indication that you had an issue?

“No. Nothing. It’s just the gearing is a little weird for the track. It’s a lot of high-end RPM stuff, but the same as everyone else and I’m just not really sure. They’ll look at it and figure it out, but certainly not ideal.”

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.

Ford Performance Notes and Quotes – McDowell and Buescher Post Top-5 Finishes at Sonoma

By
Official Release
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Ford Performance Notes and Quotes
NASCAR Cup Series
Toyota/Save Mart 350 | Sunday, June 9, 2024

Ford Performance Results:
2nd – Michael McDowell
3rd – Chris Buescher
7th – Ryan Blaney
10th – Todd Gilliland
13th – Brad Keselowski
18th – Ryan Preece
21st – Joey Logano
22nd – Austin Cindric
23rd – Kaz Grala
25th – Harrison Burton
26th – Noah Gragson
32nd – Josh Berry
33rd – Justin Haley
34th – Chase Briscoe
35th – Cam Waters

MICHAEL MCDOWELL, No. 34 Love’s Travel Stops Ford Mustang Dark Horse – “The first stage went well for us, just kind of executing our plan and our strategy, but, unfortunately, when we got towards the back on that restart and they piled up in the esses we just got drove into and into the barriers. That really hurt our track position because then we had to come back down pit road and fix the damage and that kind of killed our chances of restarting up front when it did cycle out, but, fortunately, we had a really fast Love’s Travel Stops Ford Mustang. We were able to get about half of them back before the end of Stage 2, and then the last stage we just had to fight really hard to get track position. I feel like we had the speed today, which it hurts. It hurts to finish second. We desperately need a win to make the playoffs, but I’m proud of the effort and proud of the speed we had, but just a little bit short.”

ANYTHING YOU COULD HAVE DONE TO CATCH LARSON? “I was pushing pretty hard. I don’t know how much more I could have got. I needed him to battle with the 19 a little bit more and the 17 because when he came out on new tires, he was just quicker than us. I couldn’t hold him off, but I knew in the long run we could probably balance out and have a little bit of speed. Our long run was our strength, so I don’t know. I have to go back and watch it, but it’s just a shame.”

A GOOD MOMENTUM BOOST? “Yeah, definitely. It’s great to be disappointed with second, but that’s just the way this playoff format is. A win is so important and we came up a little bit short.”

CHRIS BUESCHER, No. 17 BuildSubmarines.com Ford Mustang Dark Horse – “It was really good strategy on the day and an awesome finish. I wasn’t quite able to hold the lead there and that bums me out. I was trying. I’ve got to be better and ultimately figure out how to make that last a little bit longer, but our team did a really nice job. To start where we did and finish right here at the front with our BuildSubmarines.com Ford Mustang. I’m really proud of that. Just another close one at the end of the day.”

SO MANY DIFFERENT STRATEGIES. DID YOU FEEL YOU HAD THE RIGHT ONE? “Ultimately, we started deep in the field and it was gonna be hard to make it work, but Scott and our group did a fantastic job. They played it well and got us up front. We got a stage win, a playoff point, but ultimately there at the end I wasn’t able to hold on. If that was just a little bit of tire difference late in the run or how hard I ran at the beginning I’m not sure. It’s just a really solid day considering where we started. That’s a ton of positions gained on the day and really, really good.”

CAM WATERS, No. 60 AUKUS/BuildSubmarines.com Ford Mustang Dark Horse – “I had so much fun. This weekend and the whole experience coming to a road course in a Cup car was sensational. I had so much fun and I can’t thank everyone enough for making that happen. The start of the race, I took it easy the first couple of laps and then I pressed on and tried to pass some cars. The car was super fast. It could absolutely make some ground passing cars, which was really good. The cautions fell our way a bit and I guess effectively we were right up there somewhere. It was all looking really good.”

AND THEN THE ACCIDENT HAPPENED WITH JOSH BERRY IN TURN 11 THAT BOTTLED YOU UP. WHAT HAPPENED? “I think there were three or four cars going into one corner it just was never going to work, unfortunately. That’s part of racing and not a lot I could have done about it, I guess. It is what it is. We were looking really good and it’s a shame what happened, but I’m not going to let that put a damper on my weekend.”

WHAT ISSUE EVENTUALLY PUT YOU OUT OF THE RACE? “I had massive steering damage, which we tried to fix, and then someone else got into me in 11 and bent the right-front. It was too much to keep going.”

CAN YOU SUM UP THIS WHOLE EXPERIENCE? YOUR FAMILY IS HERE. “It’s a bucket list thing for me to come over and do one of these races. Part of it was doing the Truck stuff on the ovals and that was absolutely awesome, and then to do a road course in a Cup car, which is a car that is similar to what we race at home, was so cool. And to have all of my family and some friends here was super special. I can’t thank enough all the people that made this happen – Ford, RFK, BuildSubmarines.com, Aukus and all of our other partners.”

DO YOU WANT TO DO IT AGAIN? “I definitely want to do it again, so hopefully I can get the call up and hopefully something doesn’t clash on the track and I can come over and have another crack.”

CHASE BRISCOE, No. 14 Ford Performance Racing School Ford Mustang Dark Horse – “It was definitely kind of wild from the get-go, just guys kind of driving through each other and everything else. It was a wild day. For us, it was anything that could go wrong kind of went wrong between getting spun out and just not having our balance really that great, and then we had a water pressure issue and then there at the end the rear end just blew up, so it was not a great day for us, especially when we kind of need a good one. It’s unfortunate and now we’ll go on to Iowa, which is probably my favorite racetrack, so we’ll try to regain some of these lost points.”

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