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Kaulig Racing Race Recap | Enjoy Illinois 300

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Official Release
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DANIEL HEMRIC
No. 31 Poppy Bank Camaro ZL1

  • Daniel Hemric and the No. 31 Poppy Bank Camaro ZL1 qualified 28th for the Enjoy Illinois 300 at World Wide Technology Raceway.
  • The first caution of the day came early on lap four, and Hemric pitted for a left-rear adjustment. Falling to 36th when the next caution came out on lap 18, Hemric radioed that he needed rear lateral in his No. 31 Poppy Bank Chevy. Crew Chief Trent Owens made the call for a major adjustment under caution, before Hemric went on to finish 35th in the opening stage.
  • Continuing to make more adjustments to the No. 31 Poppy Bank Chevy, Owens made the call for ride-height adjustments for the start of the second stage. By lap 89, Hemric radioed that he lacked grip in his No. 31 Poppy Bank Chevy. As green-flag pit stops began, he made it as high as 10th place. A caution on lap 113 gave Hemric a lucky break, as he had not made his green-flag stop. During the caution, Hemric pitted for four tires and fuel, with the intention of staying out during the second stage break. He restarted 14th on lap 118. Just before the stage end, a caution came out, ending the second stage under caution. Hemric was scored 12th.
  • Continuing with Owens’ plan, Hemric elected to stay out during the stage break and started the final stage from ninth place. He made it up to the eighth place, before cars with fresher tires put him back to 14th. As the final green-flag stops began, Hemric made it as high as seventh, before pitting on lap 184 for tires and fuel. The final stage stayed caution-free until the end, and Hemric finished 18th.

“I think we learned a lot collectively as a team today. Our Poppy Bank Chevy struggled early on, but Trent [Owens] kept plugging away and made great changes. We caught a lucky break during stage two, which gave us great track position to start the final stage. I’m proud of how much we improved throughout the day.” – Daniel Hemric  

DEREK KRAUS
No. 16 Kafka Conveyors Camaro ZL1

  • Derek Kraus and the No. 16 Kafka Conveyors Camaro ZL1 qualified 25th for the Enjoy Illinois 300 at World Wide Technology Raceway.
  • Kraus and his No. 16 Kafka Camaro saw the first early caution of the day on lap four where he reported his car was handling well in turns three and four. Electing to stay out and restarting from the top row in 26th, Kraus would lose seven positions within a few short laps before bringing out the caution as the 15 car spun Kraus on lap 18 in the corner of turn three and four. Kraus reported his Chevrolet could not run the top line, as he was free and lacked grip. Kraus came down pit road for four tires, fuel, and damage assessment. Finding no significant damage, the No. 16 came down pit road a second time for a final check before restarting 35th. Kraus closed out the stage in 34th.
  • During the stage break, Kraus reported his car was still free and lacked the grip to run the top line. Crew Chief Travis Mack elected to keep the No. 16 out to gain track position that saw Kraus restart sixth. On older tires than the majority of the field, the No. 16 lost 24 spots, as Kraus managed the car the best he could. Kraus pitted on lap 93 for fresh tires and fuel, putting the No. 16 one lap down in 35th. The third caution fell on lap 113, as Kraus reported his car was firing off better but loose on entry. He brought the Kafka Camaro down pit road for four tires and fuel, restarting 34th and one lap down. Kraus finished stage two under caution in 34th, earning the free pass to put him back on the lead lap.
  • Settling into the final stage, the 16 would take 4 tires and fuel during the break, restarting 31st and on the lead lap. Running the final stage long, Kraus climbed as high as 10th while the field cycled under green flag stops. The No. 16 pitted with 18 laps to go for four tires and much needed fuel, falling to 32nd and one lap down. As the field took the checkard flag, Kraus finished 30th.

“It was a long day here at Gateway. I felt we had a better car than our results, however, I was never able to get the track position we needed or keep it when we did have it. I’m thankful for Kafka Conveyors and Kaulig Racing for the opportunity, and I look forward to having another shot towards the end of the year.” – Derek Kraus  
 
About Kaulig Racing

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

Ford Performance Notes and Quotes – Austin Cindric Wins at Gateway (Post Race Quotes)

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Official Release
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Ford Performance Notes and Quotes
NASCAR Cup Series
Enjoy Illinois 300 Post Race | Sunday, June 2, 2024

Unofficial Ford Performance Results:
1st – Austin Cindric
3rd – Brad Keselowski
5th – Joey Logano
9th – Justin Haley
14th – Chris Buescher
16th – Todd Gilliland
17th – Chase Briscoe
22nd – Noah Gragson
24th – Ryan Blaney
25th – Michael McDowell
29th – Ryan Preece
31st – Harrison Burton
33rd – Cody Ware
36th – Josh Berry

AUSTIN CINDRIC, No. 2 Freightliner Ford Mustang Dark Horse (Finished 1st)

VICTORY LANE INTERVIEW – WHAT IS GOING THROUGH YOUR MIND? “Honestly, I’m heartbroken for the 12 team. I don’t know what happened to them at the end of the race, but they deserved to win this race. Ryan has been a hell of a leader on this team. This weekend was a great weekend for everybody involved. To have two cars in the fight and an eventual one-two there, like I said, I’m heartbroken for those guys, but this is huge for me. This is huge for this team. I’m so glad I was able to get a win with Brian as my crew chief in the Cup Series. You never know when it’s gonna happen again. I just drove my butt off and hoped for the best.”

THIS IS ALL YOU DO. YOU WORK SO HARD, BUT IT’S BEEN A STRUGGLE. WHAT DOES A WIN LIKE THIS DO FOR YOU AND YOUR TEAM? “It’s everything. It’s absolutely everything and the funny thing about it is this Freightliner Ford Mustang is probably one of the best-looking cars at the racetrack and I’ve had terrible races every single time with this car and it’s great to win with a great paint scheme. It’s great to win in front of an amazing crowd. This racetrack does an amazing job putting on events and I’m just proud to be able to do it and proud to be able to bring it home for these guys. They deserve it.”

RYAN BLANEY, No. 12 Menards Ford Mustang Dark Horse (Finished 24th)

WAS THERE ANY THOUGHT YOU WERE GOING TO GET LOW ON FUEL? “No, I didn’t think so. I never thought in my mind we were short. It’s one of those things. I’m proud of the 12 boys. The Menards/Richmond Ford was fast. I had my work cut out for me holding off Christopher. That was fun. I don’t know what happened to him, but just one lap short. That stinks, but congrats to the 2 team. They did a good job all day. Props to them, Austin. I’m proud for Team Penske and Ford. I’m really happy with our showing today. I don’t know what I’ve got to do to get some luck on our side. I’ve wrecked the last two points races and thought we had a great shot to win today and I ended up bad, so I just appreciate the effort. We just have to keep sticking with it.”

JOEY LOGANO, No. 22 Shell/Pennzoil Mustang Dark Horse (Finished 5th) – “We weren’t too far off. We were just a few adjustments away of getting our Shell/Pennzoil Mustang as good as our teammates were, but not too bad. We were able to grab some points, which we need to do, and a Penske car got in Victory Lane, so you’ve got to be happy about that. Obviously, we’d rather it be us, but that momentum goes through the whole shop. It’s still a good day. We still scored a bunch of points today with stage points in both stages. A poor qualifying effort, which probably hurt us a little bit on tuning the car and just a little too loose off.”

BRAD KESELOWSKI, No. 6 Solomon Plumbing Ford Mustang Dark Horse (Finished 3rd)

“That was strategy. We got behind early for sure but we kept putting ourselves in position to keep moving forward and I wish I could have gotten second but it was a really hard-fought day for everyone on the Solomon Plumbing Ford Mustang. We will take a lot of good momentum from this one for sure.”

WHAT CAN YOU SAY ABOUT THAT RUN? “It was hot in the there, but it was good for our whole effort. We were in position early and we had the issue there on pit road. The guys kept their heads down and recovered. We had some good strategy and made some good passes on that last restart to start stage three and on the long run we were really strong, so just making it all count where we can.”

YOU STAYED OUT AT ONE POINT. BEING A TEAM OWNER, WHAT KIND OF CONFIDENCE DOES THAT GIVE YOU TO MAKE THOSE CALLS? “Ultimately, I have the steering wheel, so I can always make the call (laughing), but I just felt confident. Our car wasn’t falling off and I just wanted to keep going and see it out and see if maybe we could catch a yellow. If not, I felt more good things would happen for us.”

JOSH BERRY, No. 4 Overstock.com Ford Mustang Dark Horse (Retired Early – Single Car Incident on Lap 109)

WHAT HAPPENED? “I really don’t know what happened. Obviously with what our past has been with the rotors here it kind of makes you think that. I went over and looked at the rotors and it looked like they were still on it so it is either that or a tire.”

YOU WERE HAVING A GREAT DAY UNTIL THE SPEEDING PENALTY, CAN YOU TAKE US THROUGH THAT? “Yeah, for where we started we moved up into the top 15 pretty quick. The car was pretty good and I was learning a lot. We pushed the exit on the last section a little too hard and got the penalty there. We were still passing cars though and it would have been another good day.”

DID YOU HAVE ANY WARNING BEFORE YOU HIT THE WALL? “Not really. That is what I mean. I don’t know. I looked at it and the rotors look like they are pretty intact. So I don’t know. When we get it back to the garage we will look. I am sure it is either that or just the tire went flat.”

Toyota Racing – NCS Gateway Post-Race Report – 06.02.24

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Official Release
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HAMLIN, REDDICK SCORE TOP-FIVES AT GATEWAY
Bell’s dominate Camry suffers issues late, survives for a top-10 finish

MADISON, Ill. (June 2, 2024) – Denny Hamlin (second) and Tyler Reddick (fourth) earned top-five finishes to lead Toyota in the NASCAR Cup Series race at World Wide Technology Raceway at Gateway on Sunday evening.

Hamlin earned his fifth straight top-five finish and retained the points lead, while Reddick scored his sixth top-five finish of the season.

For the second straight race, Christopher Bell led the most laps and was battling for the win late before encountering mechanical issues. He was able to take a conservative approach to the final few laps to salvage a top-10 finish.

With Hamlin’s runner-up finish, Toyota has taken over the lead in the manufacturer’s championship for the first time this season.

Toyota Post-Race Recap
NASCAR Cup Series (NCS)
World Wide Technology Raceway at Gateway
Race 15 of 36 – 300 miles, 240 laps

TOYOTA FINISHING POSITIONS
1st, Austin Cindric*
2nd, DENNY HAMLIN
3rd, Brad Keselowski*
4th, TYLER REDDICK
5th, Joey Logano*
7th, CHRISTOPHER BELL
11th, TY GIBBS
21st, BUBBA WALLACE
26th, ERIK JONES
27th, JOHN HUNTER NEMECHEK
34th, MARTIN TRUEX JR.
*non-Toyota driver

TOYOTA QUOTES

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

Finishing Position: 2nd

Seemed like a decent day for you Denny. Did you just not have the raw speed to compete for the lead?

“No, definitely not. We had a top-five car – we didn’t have the best today, but the Yahoo Camry was in the mix, and was able to capitalize on some others misfortune there. We were going to have a top-five day regardless, but proud of the team. They did a great job on pit road – Chris (Gabehart, crew chief) and the team brought a great car, just wasn’t quite enough.”

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

Finishing Position: 4th

Can you talk about your finish?

“Yeah, we a rough first stop there. I slid a little long, and just slowed everyone down on the 45 pit crew. We came in eighth and came out in 28th. It took the entire race to claw back from that – just a great effort by the guys. I feel like we were right there with the 2 (Austin Cindric) to start the race, so obviously, it is a little bit of a bummer that we had that issue, but that is kind of the name of the game when you come to World Wide Technology Raceway – you have to have a clean race, and unfortunately, we didn’t. I’m really glad we were able to get a fourth place finish out of our SiriusXM Camry.”

CHRISTOPHER BELL, No. 20 DEWALT Toyota Camry XSE, Joe Gibbs Racing

Finishing Position: 7th

What exactly happened and what did you feel?

“I have no idea what happened with our DEWALT Camry – some sort of motor issue, and I’m surprised that it made it to the end. Glad we were able to salvage something out of it – but you don’t get race cars like that very often – whenever you do, you need to take advantage of them, so that is disappointing.”

Can you talk about Martin Truex Jr. pushing you trying to help you finish this race?

“Yeah, that was awesome. He probably saved us a top-10 today – Martin (Truex) is a stand-up guy.”

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.

Toyota Gazoo Racing North America NHRA Epping Post-Race Report – 06.02.24

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Official Release
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KALITTA CLAIMS LONG-AWAITED EPPING VICTORY; SECOND TRIUMPH IN 2024
Toyota extends Top Fuel win streak to eight

EPPING, N.H. (June 2, 2024) – Following his No. 1 qualifier run earlier in the weekend, Doug Kalitta captured his second Wally Trophy of 2024 by defeating Tony Schumacher in Sunday afternoon’s New England Nationals finals. Kalitta’s triumph is the 54th of his legendary career, his first at New England Dragway, and extends Toyota’s Top Fuel win streak to eight. The reigning champion has now won on every track currently on the NHRA tour. With Kalitta making the Top Fuel finals, Toyota has also reached the final round in 30 consecutive NHRA events in either Top Fuel or Funny Car.

Shawn Langdon, one of those defeated by Kalitta on the way to victory, made the semifinals for the fourth time this season. Billy Torrence, along with his son, Steve, both reached the second round. 

In Funny Car, J.R. Todd was the lead GR Supra, making his fourth semifinals of the 2024 season, ultimately defeated by event winner, John Force. His Toyota teammates, Ron Capps and Alexis DeJoria, bowed out in the early rounds on Sunday.

The NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series is right back in action next weekend at Bristol Dragway for the NHRA Thunder Valley Nationals.

Toyota Post-Race Recap
NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series
NHRA New England Nationals
New England Dragway
Race 7 of 20

TOYOTA TOP FUEL FINISHING POSITIONS 

NameCarFinal ResultRound-by-Round
Doug KalittaMac Tools Toyota Top Fuel DragsterWinnerW (4.254) v. S. Farley (No Time) W (3.841) v. T. Stewart (3.848) W (3.848) v. S. Langdon (3.884) W (3.802) v. T. Schumacher (4.307)
Shawn LangdonKalitta Air Careers Toyota Top Fuel DragsterSemi-finalsW (3.780) v. S. Reed (4.605) W (3.953 – holeshot) v. B. Torrence (3.942) L (3.884) v. D. Kalitta (3.848)
Billy TorrenceCAPCO Contractors Toyota Top Fuel DragsterSecond RoundW (3.793 – holeshot) v. J. Salinas (3.790) L (3.942) v. S. Langdon (3.953 – holeshot)
Steve TorrenceCAPCO Contractors Toyota Top Fuel DragsterSecond RoundW (3.882) v. S. Smith (4.796) L (3.835) v. C. Millican (3.841 – holeshot)
Justin AshleySCAG Power Equipment Toyota Top Fuel DragsterFirst RoundL (5.202) v. J. Hart (3.848)
Antron BrownMatco Tools Toyota Top Fuel DragsterFirst RoundL (4.436) v. T. Stewart (3.973)

TOYOTA FUNNY CAR FINISHING POSITIONS 

NameCarFinal ResultRound-by-Round
J.R. ToddDHL Toyota GR Supra Funny CarSemi-finalsW (4.224) v. D. Richards (9.933) W (4.079) v. B. Tasca III (4.325) L (3.994) v. J. Force (4.050)
Ron CappsNAPA Auto Care Toyota GR Supra Funny CarSecond RoundW (4.045) v. M. Hagan (4.185) L (7.690) v. D. Wilkerson (4.022)
Alexis DeJoriaBandero Tequila Toyota GR Supra Funny CarFirst RoundL (4.060) v. C. Green (3.976)

*= Non-Toyota driver

TOYOTA QUOTES

DOUG KALITTA, Mac Tools Toyota Top Fuel Dragster, Kalitta Motorsports

TF Final Result: Winner

How does it feel to sweep the weekend and get this victory at Epping?

“Yeah, no, it’s incredible. We had a tribute to my cousin, Scott, yesterday and this was definitely true to him. Connie (Kalitta, team owner), Alan (Johnson, crew chief), Mac (Savage, assistant crew chief), the whole Mac Tools, Toyota, Revchem team. We’ve been digging hard. I’m just making sure I don’t screw up, up there. They give me such a good car. Awesome weekend and super excited!”  

J.R. TODD, DHL Toyota GR Supra Funny Car, Kalitta Motorsports

FC Final Result: Semi-finals

Can you describe your day and weekend?

“It was a good weekend for the DHL GR Supra team. We qualified well and made it to the semis which means we get to race in the 2Fast2Tasty deal (Mission #2Fast2Tasty Challenge) at Bristol which is always the goal. We’re still behind those Force (John Force Racing) cars quite a bit so we have some work to do going into Bristol, but at the end of the day, it’s nice to be going rounds and earning points for DHL, Revchem and SealMaster.”

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.

Dixon Emerges from Chaos To Win on Streets of Detroit

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Official Release
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Detroit, MI - during the Chevrolet Detroit Grand Prix on the streets of Detroit. (Photo by Joe Skibinski | IMS Photo)

DETROIT (Sunday, June 2, 2024) – Yet again, Scott Dixon created clarity from chaos to win an NTT INDYCAR SERIES race.

Dixon provided another master class in devising tactics on the fly with strategist Mike Hull and saving fuel in his No. 9 PNC Bank Chip Ganassi Racing Honda, prevailing in a caution-strewn Chevrolet Detroit Grand Prix presented by Lear on Sunday on the streets of Detroit.

Six-time NTT INDYCAR SERIES champion Dixon beat fellow Indianapolis 500 presented by Gainbridge winner Marcus Ericsson by .8567 of a second in Ericsson’s best result of the season in the No. 28 Delaware Life Honda fielded by Andretti Global. Marcus Armstrong finished third in the No. 11 Root Insurance Chip Ganassi Racing Honda for his first career podium finish.

“The team called it perfectly,” Dixon said. “We were on the right strategy. We won, man. How cool is that?

“It’s just always the variables. Trying to stay out of trouble, trying to keep your car on track. We had rain. It was all over the shop out there. You had no idea how the transitions were going to fall or even the strategy. So stoked for everyone on the team. That was cool.”

Dixon took the championship lead by 18 points from teammate Alex Palou with his second victory of the season, joining his win in April at the Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach. Dixon earned his 58th career victory, pulling him within nine wins of tying A.J. Foyt’s record of 67 career wins.

“For sure; I think it always is,” Dixon said when asked if he’s focusing on tying Foyt’s record of seven series championships. “Until you’re out of it, you’re going to keep chasing it. It’s a team effort.”

Kyle Kirkwood finished a season-best fourth in the No. 28 AutoNation Honda fielded by Andretti Global, while Alexander Rossi continued his strong recent form by rounding out the top five in the No. 7 Arrow McLaren Chevrolet. 2016 Indianapolis 500 winner Rossi has finished eighth or better in his last three starts.

Dixon and Hull once again made magic, electing to make their final pit stop under caution at the end of Lap 56 and hope enough yellow flags continued to fly to stretch fuel until the finish at Lap 100. The strategy worked to perfection, as there were two more caution periods after Dixon’s last stop to let him save just enough Shell 100% Renewable Race Fuel to reach the finish while parrying the charging Ericsson.

We’ve seen this movie before in Dixon’s legendary career – many times and recently.

Dixon pulled off an improbable fuel save to win in April at Long Beach and did the same last August at World Wide Technology Raceway, making one fewer stop than any other driver to win. That oval victory came one race after Dixon won on the Indianapolis Motor Speedway road course despite being punted into the grass and falling to the back of the field in Turn 1, using Hull’s strategy to get to the front and his trained right foot to stay there despite dwindling fuel.

Today in downtown Detroit, it appeared Dixon might cruise to Victory Lane until the last 13 laps of the race on the nine-turn, 1.645-mile temporary street circuit. Then Ericsson passed Kirkwood for third place and then set his sights on Armstrong while lapping nearly a second quicker per circuit than the fuel-sipping Dixon.

Meanwhile, Dixon was dealing with the turbulence and slower pace of the No. 26 Gainbridge Honda of NTT P1 Award winner Colton Herta, directly ahead of him on the tail end of the lead lap. Just 1.6 seconds separated the top three on Lap 94.

Dixon finally got under Herta on Lap 95 for clean track and air. Ericsson had taken a look under Armstrong a few times but couldn’t complete that pass for second until Lap 99, falling 2.1 seconds behind Dixon at the white flag.

Still, Ericsson made the most of his final lap, cutting Dixon’s margin more than in half. Still, it wasn’t enough to catch “The Iceman” although Ericsson was thrilled to rebound from the Indianapolis 500, in which he was eliminated on Lap 1 after being caught in Tom Blomqvist’s spin.

“After the Month of May we had, it was really, really tough mentally,” Ericsson said. “I’m new in this team. I want to show myself as a top driver, as they hired me as. It was really important.

“We had so much pace. One more lap, and we might have been able to get that win. But great day.”

The first three-quarters of the race were pure chaos, with all eight caution periods and 47 caution laps in the first 73 laps. The longest stretch of green-flag racing during that span was 13 laps, making strategists’ heads spin on the pit wall as they mulled options on the fly while on the radio with drivers.

Add in a rapid change in tire strategy in the first 15 laps when the prevailing wisdom of the Firestone Firehawk alternate tire being the quicker rubber was proven wrong when Palou, who started on used alternates, lost grip far earlier than expected and to pit at the end of Lap 11.

Then toss the arrival of a passing rain shower on Lap 34, which caused strategists and pit crews to scramble up and down pit road as drivers and teams decided whether to pit for rain tires or stay out and gamble that the rain – which didn’t even appear on team radar screens – would leave the area quickly.

Dixon, Ericsson and Kirkwood were among the eight drivers in the 27-car field who never stopped for rain tires. That helped move them higher in the running order and get into position to earn top-five finishes, as their dice roll worked when the light shower left the area in a hurry.

That trio only made two stops the entire race. Dixon took the lead for the first time and for good on Lap 66 when 2023 Detroit winner Palou made the last of his five stops in the No. 10 DHL Chip Ganassi Racing Honda. Two-time and reigning series champion Palou finished 16th, snapping his streak of 23 consecutive finishes in the top eight in points-paying events.

The next NTT INDYCAR SERIES event is next Sunday, June 9, with the XPEL Grand Prix at Road America in Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin. Live coverage starts at 3:30 p.m. ET on NBC, Peacock and the INDYCAR Radio Network.

Chevrolet Detroit Grand Prix Race Results

DETROIT – Results Sunday of the Chevrolet Detroit Grand Prix presented by Lear NTT INDYCAR SERIES event on the 1.645-mile streets of Detroit circuit, with order of finish, starting position in parentheses, driver, engine, laps completed and reason out (if any):

  1. (5) Scott Dixon, Honda, 100, Running
  2. (9) Marcus Ericsson, Honda, 100, Running
  3. (19) Marcus Armstrong, Honda, 100, Running
  4. (6) Kyle Kirkwood, Honda, 100, Running
  5. (16) Alexander Rossi, Chevrolet, 100, Running
  6. (8) Will Power, Chevrolet, 100, Running
  7. (12) Pato O’Ward, Chevrolet, 100, Running
  8. (22) Felix Rosenqvist, Honda, 100, Running
  9. (10) Santino Ferrucci, Chevrolet, 100, Running
  10. (7) Theo Pourchaire, Chevrolet, 100, Running
  11. (11) Christian Lundgaard, Honda, 100, Running
  12. (17) Agustin Canapino, Chevrolet, 100, Running
  13. (15) Pietro Fittipaldi, Honda, 100, Running
  14. (18) Rinus VeeKay, Chevrolet, 100, Running
  15. (20) Graham Rahal, Honda, 100, Running
  16. (2) Alex Palou, Honda, 100, Running
  17. (26) Jack Harvey, Honda, 100, Running
  18. (24) Tristan Vautier, Honda, 99, Running
  19. (1) Colton Herta, Honda, 99, Running
  20. (4) Scott McLaughlin, Chevrolet, 99, Running
  21. (23) Sting Ray Robb, Chevrolet, 99, Running
  22. (21) Linus Lundqvist, Honda, 99, Running
  23. (14) Romain Grosjean, Chevrolet, 97, Running
  24. (27) Kyffin Simpson, Honda, 96, Running
  25. (25) Helio Castroneves, Honda, 95, Running
  26. (3) Josef Newgarden, Chevrolet, 94, Running
  27. (13) Christian Rasmussen, Chevrolet, 23, Mechanical

Race Statistics
Winner’s average speed: 78.251 mph
Time of Race: 02:06:07.9684
Margin of victory: 0.8567 of a second
Cautions: 8 for 47 laps
Lead changes: 5 among 6 drivers

Lap Leaders:
Herta, Colton 1 – 33
Newgarden, Josef 34
Lundgaard, Christian 35 – 40
Kirkwood, Kyle 41 – 64
Palou, Alex 65
Dixon, Scott 66 – 100

NTT INDYCAR SERIES Point Standings:
Dixon 216, Palou 198, Power 185, O’Ward 160, Rossi 150, Kirkwood 148, Herta 147, McLaughlin 141, Rosenqvist 140, Newgarden 128, Lundgaard 122, Ferrucci 117, Armstrong 116, Ericsson 108, VeeKay 103, Rahal 101, Grosjean 86, Lundqvist 81, Simpson 76, Canapino 74, Fittipaldi 67, Harvey 60, Pourchaire 58, Rasmussen 55, Robb 46, Tom Blomqvist 46, Callum Ilott 39, Conor Daly 21, Kyle Larson 21, Takuma Sato 19, Castroneves 15, Ed Carpenter 14, Luca Ghiotto 14, Vautier 12, Nolan Siegel 10, Colin Braun 10, Ryan Hunter-Reay 6, Marco Andretti 5, Katherine Legge 5

CHEVROLET INDYCAR AT DETROIT: Team Chevy Race Report

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Official Release
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CHEVROLET IN NTT INDYCAR SERIES
CHEVROLET DETROIT GRAND PRIX
DETROIT, MICHIGAN
TEAM CHEVY RACE REPORT
JUNE 2, 2024

ALEXANDER ROSSI LEADS TEAM CHEVY WITH A FIFTH-PLACE FINISH AT THE CHEVROLET DETROIT GRAND PRIX

  • Alexander Rossi, driver of the No. 7 Arrow McLaren Chevrolet, finished fifth in Sunday’s Chevrolet Detroit Grand Prix, the highest Team Chevy finisher after a chaotic 100-lap event.
  • Five drivers representing the Bowtie brand finished in the top-10 at Sunday’s checkered flag on the streets of downtown Detroit, Michigan, including Rossi, Will Power of Team Penske (sixth), Pato O’Ward of Arrow McLaren (seventh), Santino Ferrucci of AJ Foyt Racing (ninth), and Théo Pourchaire of Arrow McLaren (10th).
  • All three Arrow McLaren Chevrolets finished in the top-10.
  • Power, driver of the No. 12 Team Penske Chevrolet, leaves Detroit 31 points behind the leader in third of the NTT INDYCAR SERIES Championship points standings.
  • Race day started with the NTT INDYCAR SERIES warming up on the streets of Detroit, with Josef Newgarden and the No. 2 Team Penske Chevrolet topping the leaderboard with his fastest lap of 1:02.0463.
  • The NTT INDYCAR SERIES and Team Chevy next head north to Road America in the heart of Wisconsin for the seventh round of the season. The XPEL Grand Prix at Road America takes the green flag live Sunday on NBC at 3:30 p.m. Additional coverage is available through Peacock, INDYCAR Radio, and SiriusXM Channel 218 all weekend long.

TEAM CHEVY RACE RESULT:
Pos. Driver
5th Alexander Rossi
6th Will Power
7th Pato O’Ward
9th Santino Ferrucci
10th Théo Pourchaire

WHAT THEY’RE SAYING (QUOTES):

Santino Ferrucci, No. 14 AJ Foyt Racing:

“First off, really want to apologize to Helio (Castroneves). That’s one of my closest friends in racing and we blatantly got into the back of him and ruined his day for all of those guys, so I’m sorry for that. For us, hell of a rebound getting wrecked at the start, to a stop and go penalty, back to last twice, the rain. I mean, helluva strategy on the stand from the boys to put us back into ninth. I’m just really proud of this Sexton Properties Chevrolet team. It was a solid race day considering all of the emotions of this weekend, and can’t wait to get on to Road America.”

Sting Ray Robb, No. 41 AJ Foyt Racing:

“Wow! That was a crazy race! I don’t know if you could ask for more craziness in one event. We went to the front, to the back, to the front, to the back. Unfortunately, our race was hampered by not necessarily a miss-call, but a hindsight call. We should have stayed out when it rained. Then we had contact with the wall with a little help from another car didn’t help us. I couldn’t get it restarted fast enough to get back on the lead lap. So, if we had done that, we would have finished top-12/top-10. Look where our teammate was, we weren’t far behind. So, it’s really unfortunate about what could have been, but I’m really proud of the pace we had, and we had really good pit stops. I’m really looking forward to Road America in the Goodheart.vet Chevrolet.”

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

“Survival was the name of the game today. We had to nurse the car home ever since Lap 1 where we had a lot of damage. Considering the fact that we were a bit handcuffed in terms of performance, I think it was a really strong day for us and the Arrow McLaren Chevrolet team. I have to say I’m pretty happy with seventh place.”

Théo Pourchaire, No. 6 Arrow McLaren Chevrolet:

“Today was the first top-10 finish in my NTT INDYCAR SERIES career. It’s not a bad result, but I am frustrated because I think I could have competed for a win or a podium. I was right there on pace, or even quicker, than the No. 9 through the first part of the race. Then, we were not lucky with the strategy and I made a mistake on a restart. I am sure that we will bounce back in Road America. The first podium and the first win is close to me and the No. 6 onsemi Arrow McLaren Chevrolet crew. We will do an even better job next week.”

Alexander Rossi, No. 7 Arrow McLaren Chevrolet:

“It’s been a really hard weekend, so there’s a lot of relief from that one because it’s been really hard so far. The team did an amazing job with the strategy. We made some strong changes overnight and were able to weather everything. I think we had good pace as well as good strategy. I’m just thankful for being able to bounce back and everyone sticking with it this weekend.”

Christian Rasmussen, No. 20 Ed Carpenter Racing Chevrolet:

“We were caught out by an unforeseen engine issue. It is unfortunate because we were sitting pretty good, and I felt like I had a good racecar. We were in a good spot, so it’s hard when these things happen. It’s part of racing, but it’s extra frustrating when it hits on a good day.”

Rinus VeeKay, No. 21 Ed Carpenter Racing Chevrolet:

“Long race, tough race. We made the right decision on tires when it started kind of raining, so that was a good call. We stayed out of all of the drama until someone inserted us into the drama. That was disappointing because it put us to the back in all of the chaos. We stayed out of it the best we could, but I couldn’t really move forward because of the damage to the car. I had to just hold on to it and that was all I could do. Great work by the team to give me a good car, wish we could have had more than P14 to show for it and have a higher result for Team Chevy.”

Romain Grosjean, No. 77 Juncos Hollinger Racing Chevrolet:

“We had a fast car, second fastest lap of the race and got wrecked. Not much we can do.”

Agustin Canapino, No. 78 Juncos Hollinger Racing Chevrolet:

“We finished P12 after a very, very tricky race, honestly. We did a really good job. I was P10 since the beginning of the race. We were P3 before the rain, but after that, everything happened. Unfortunately, I received a pretty big hit from (Théo) Pourchaire and my car was destroyed. The good thing was is we finished the race in a good situation despite the problem with the hit. We are happy. We had a strong weekend in practice. The qualifying not bad. We had a good race. P12 is a good result for us. Now, we are looking forward to Road America.”

Josef Newgarden, No. 2 Team Penske Chevrolet:

“It is crazy how races in this series can turn on a dime. We were in a great position to capitalize on some of the drama going on around us to possibly win today. Unfortunately, Scott (McLaughlin) had his incident just before halfway and that helped us into second before we hit pit road. That’s kind of where our day went south when the fuel probe valve wouldn’t open initially, costing us a ton of track position. After restarting 19th, it just seemed our day went downhill. Definitely a wild afternoon for not just the Astemo Chevrolet team but for most of the field.”

Will Power, No. 12 Team Penske Chevrolet:

“That’s a good day. It was very tough, really. All sorts of stuff going on. Felt like Nashville. That’s, I mean, you’ve got everything in there. Rain, everything. Happy to get back to sixth, and go from there, and see what we could do. That is a good points day, man. I knew when it was that sort of race, (Scott) Dixon was going to win it somehow. We just wanted to salvage something.”

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

About Chevrolet

Founded in 1911 in Detroit, Chevrolet is now one of the world’s largest car brands. Chevrolet models include electric and fuel-efficient vehicles that feature engaging performance, design that makes the heart beat, passive and active safety features and easy-to-use technology, all at a value. More information on Chevrolet models can be found at www.chevrolet.com.

Meyer Shank Racing’s Rosenqvist Takes Hard-Earned Top-10 in Detroit IndyCar Race

By
Official Release
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#60: Felix Rosenqvist, Meyer Shank Racing Honda

Detroit, Mich. (2 June 2024) – Meyer Shank Racing (MSR) made Sunday lemonade out of a bushel of Saturday’s lemons as Felix Rosenqvist (No. 60 AutoNation / SiriusXM Honda) came from 22nd on the grid to finish a hard-fought eighth in today’s Chevrolet Detroit Grand Prix.

After sustaining damage from contact early on in the race, Helio Castroneves (No. 66 AutoNation / SiriusXM Honda) held on to finish 25th.

Rosenqvist overcame his first rough qualifying session of the 2024 NTT INDYCAR SERIES season to score his fifth top-10 result of the campaign, gaining 14 spots over 100 trips around the 1.645-mile, nine-turn street course located in downtown Detroit.

The Swedish veteran made his way through the field by avoiding the maelstrom that swirled around the first 50 laps of the day. Seven caution periods and a brief rain shower scrambled pit strategies and upended track position all day, but Rosenqvist dodged the numerous incidents to claw his way through the field. His charge was helped by strong tire management and a key strategy call as MSR eschewed a tire change to make up ground on his last pit stop, and Rosenqvist made his Firestone primary tires last over the final 56 laps.

Castroneves made his first non-oval start of the season after taking over for rookie Tom Blomqvist for the next two races and had some good fortune early, climbing seven positions to 18th by skirting a first-lap accident. The optimistic outlook didn’t last long however as Castroneves spun after being hit from behind by the No. 14 car on Lap 17, causing a broken right-rear tow link that cost the No. 66 MSR team five laps to repair. He returned to the track and finished five laps down in 25th.

Rosenqvist’s workmanlike effort made him one of just six drivers to have as many as five top-10 results over the year’s first six points-paying races. The driver of the No. 60 car that carried the livery of SiriusXM channel Smokey’s Soul Town (SiriusXM Channel 74) honoring Motown legend Smokey Robinson, is provisionally ninth in the points, but is now just 10 markers out of a berth in the top five.

MSR was fortunate to have Smokey Robinson on-site on Sunday, with the Motown legend seeing his personalized livery in person in addition to serving as Detroit Grand Prix Grand Marshal.

MSR will wrap up a spate of three races in three weeks next Sunday as it travels to Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin for the XPEL Grand Prix at Road America.

Meyer Shank Racing Driver Quotes:

Felix Rosenqvist – Started 22nd, finished 8th: “We finished P8 which I’ll take. We had a puncture on the first lap and then we were actually really quick on the reds and then the tires just went off [pace], and then it started raining. Everyone kind of ended up on the same program and we were around P8, P9. We just kind of hung there. We didn’t have great pace and we trimmed a lot, so we were good on the straights. We got hit a couple of times so we had damage so I was just focused on bringing it home. It was a great points day for the team overall.”

Helio Castroneves – Started 26th, finished 25th: “Wow, what a race. It was unfortunate that we got hit toward the beginning of the race and we had some damage in the rear. But good work from the guys to get it fixed and send me back out. Unfortunately after that we were just kind of running in the back and since we were a few laps down, we were just focusing on bringing the car home at the end. I don’t think we necessarily had the car to win today, but I think we could have hung around the top 12.”

Foster’s Victory in Detroit Shakes Up INDY NXT Standings

By
Official Release
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DETROIT (Sunday, June 2, 2024) – Louis Foster led all 45 laps to win the Detroit Grand Prix on Sunday, moving closer to the INDY NXT by Firestone championship lead after misfortune struck his two closest title rivals.

Pole sitter Foster drove his No. 26 Copart/Novara Technologies car of Andretti Global to victory under caution. It was his second victory of the season and second in a row, as he won the second race of the doubleheader last month on the Indianapolis Motor Speedway road course.

Foster’s fourth career victory helped him jump from third to second in the standings, 25 points behind leader Jacob Abel. He entered this race 44 points behind Abel.

Abel finished fifth in the No. 51 Abel Construction entry fielded by Abel Motorsports. Nolan Siegel, who entered this race second in points, 25 behind Abel, finished 18th after sitting in the pits for the first three laps of the race due to a half-shaft problem in his No. 39 HMD Motorsports car. Siegel dropped to third in points, 44 behind leader Abel.

“We’re second in points now,” Foster said. “Unfortunate for Nolan, he didn’t start the race. That’s a shame. But it’s good for us. Abel didn’t have a great race, either. We’re just continuing our pace throughout the season. Hopefully we just keep getting decent luck, not any more bad luck, and I’ll be happy.”

Two rookies from HMD Motorsports shared the podium with Foster. Caio Collet pressured Foster for nearly the entire race before ending up a career-best second with his second consecutive podium finish in the No. 18 machine. Callum Hedge earned his first podium finish with a career-best result of third in the No. 17 car.

Rookie Myles Rowe produced an inspired drive to a career-best fourth after starting 19th in the 21-car field in the No. 99 HMD Motorsports with Force Indy car.

While Foster led every lap around the nine-turn, 1.645-mile temporary street circuit, this race was far from a parade. Foster stayed out front on three restarts despite constant pressure from Collet, and there were multiple jousts for position throughout the field.

Collet stayed within about a second of Foster for most of the race, with Foster only extending that gap to two-plus seconds before a caution flag flew on Lap 39 due to a spin by the No. 7 HMD Motorsports car driven by Christian Bogle.

Brazilian rookie Collet stayed within about one-half second of Foster on the restart on Lap 41 before James Roe spun in his No. 29 Topcon car fielded by Andretti Autosport on Lap 42, collecting the cars of Nolan Allaer, Christian Bogle and Niels Koolen in the incident, which triggered the race-ending caution period.

“At the start, I was just managing the gap,” Foster said. “About midway through, I pulled quite a gap on him (Collet), thinking it killed his tires. But to be fair to him, he came back at me quite hard in the late stages of race. It was getting close, but I think we had enough Push to Pass to keep him off.”

One of the most spirited duels of the race also came in the closing laps, between Hedge and Rowe for third. It appeared Rowe had barged past Hedge for his first career podium finish, but that move came just after the race-ending caution period started. So, Hedge was credited with third.

The next race is the Grand Prix at Road America on Sunday, June 9. Live coverage starts at 1:05 p.m. ET on Peacock and the INDYCAR Radio Network.

INDY NXT by Firestone Detroit Grand Prix Race Results

DETROIT – Results Sunday of the INDY NXT by Firestone Detroit Grand Prix INDY NXT by Firestone event on the 1.645-mile streets of Detroit circuit, with order of finish, starting position in parentheses, driver, laps completed and reason out (if any):

  1. (1) Louis Foster, 45, Running
  2. (3) Caio Collet, 45, Running
  3. (6) Callum Hedge, 45, Running
  4. (19) Myles Rowe, 45, Running
  5. (2) Jacob Abel, 45, Running
  6. (16) Reece Gold, 45, Running
  7. (18) Salvador de Alba Jr., 45, Running
  8. (14) Josh Pierson, 45, Running
  9. (13) Jonathan Browne, 45, Running
  10. (5) Michael d’Orlando, 45, Running
  11. (20) Christian Bogle, 45, Running
  12. (4) Jamie Chadwick, 45, Running
  13. (15) Niels Koolen, 44, Running
  14. (9) Yuven Sundaramoorthy, 44, Running
  15. (8) Jack William Miller, 43, Running
  16. (10) James Roe, 41, Contact
  17. (17) Nolan Allaer, 41, Contact
  18. (7) Nolan Siegel, 41, Running
  19. (21) Lindsay Brewer, 38, Running
  20. (11) Bryce Aron, 2, Contact
  21. (12) Ricardo Escotto, 0, DQ

Race Statistics
Winner’s average speed: 79.206 mph
Time of Race: 00:56:04.5065
Margin of victory: Under caution
Cautions: 4 for 13 laps
Lead changes: 0

Lap Leaders:
Foster, Louis 1 – 45

INDY NXT by Firestone Point Standings: Abel 221, Foster 196, Siegel 177, Collet 149, Rowe 140, Hedge 128, d’Orlando 124, Gold 124, Browne 114, Roe 110, de Alba 109, Bogle 93. Chadwick 87, Pierson 81, Koolen 77, Aron 72, Miller 71, Allaer 71, Sundaramoorthy 62, Brewer 60, Jordan Missig 29, Josh Mason 27, Ricardo Escotto 0.

HEIM WINS NASCAR CRAFTSMAN TRUCK SERIES TOYOTA 200

By
Official Release
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Corey Heim of TRICON Garage crosses the finish line to win Saturday’s Toyota 200 NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series race at World Wide Technology Raceway. Photo credit: World Wide Technology Raceway.

TRICON Garage’s Corey Heim earns his fourth win of the season and second at World Wide Technology Raceway.

MADISON, Ill. (June 1, 2024) – TRICON Garage driver Corey Heim remained perfect at World Wide Technology Raceway.

Heim collected his second NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series win in as many starts at the 1.25-mile oval, leading a race-high 65 laps in his No. 11 Toyota for a series-leading fourth win of the season. The 21-year-old Georgia native won in his inaugural visit in 2022 with Kyle Busch Motorsports, but missed last season’s event due to illness.

“I’m just on top of the world right now,” Heim said. “We’ve got such a great race team and such a long season ahead. We’re the team to beat right now. I feel like the last five weeks we should have won them all.

“Today, we came and we probably didn’t have the best truck, by far, by any means. We were definitely top three. To have our pit crew step up like that and fix their mistakes from the past couple weeks is a big statement from those guys.”

The win was Heim’s fourth in the last eight races – the others came at Circuit of The Americas, Kansas and North Wilkesboro – but early on it was shaping up to be a great race for polesitter Ty Majeski after an approximate three-hour rain delay.

The ThorSport Racing driver, chasing his first win of the season, dominated the first stage by leading 33 of the 35 laps. He then took Stage 2 honors as well. But it was Heim who began to emerge as the favorite in the third and final stage after not leading a lap in the first two.

Heim enjoyed a 38-lap stint at the point from Laps 78-115 with Majeski in tow. Majeski would lead his only lap of the final stage on the next lap when Heim pitted and then would do the same himself. It was setting up to be a potential shootout between the two and Majeski’s best opportunity came on a restart following a caution with 23 laps to go. Majeski closed the gap to .795 of a second with 15 laps to go. Heim, however, remained in control as Majeski began to fade and also was dealing with pressure from Christian Eckes of McAnally Hilgemann Racing and Nick Sanchez of Rev Racing.

Eckes moved to second with nine to go, but never challenged Heim and finished 1.854 seconds back in second. Sanchez took third, Majeski fourth and rookie Layne Riggs rounded out the top five.

World Wide Technology Raceway was the second leg of the three-race Triple Truck Challenge. Sanchez won the first leg last week at Charlotte Motor Speedway for a $50,000 bonus and Heim pocketed the same amount for his victory. Should either driver win the final leg of “The Trip,” they will earn a $150,000 bonus for winning two of the three designated races.

The weekend culminates Sunday at World Wide Technology Raceway with the NASCAR Cup Series Enjoy Illinois 300 beginning at 2:30 p.m. CT (TV: FS1, Radio: MRN, SiriusXM, WNOI 103.9 FM locally).

For more information on the NASCAR race weekend, please visit www.wwtraceway.com.

Shane van Gisbergen scores first Xfinity career victory at Portland

By
Andrew Kim
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PORTLAND, OREGON - JUNE 01: (L-R) Matt Kaulig, owner of Kaulig Racing, Shane Van Gisbergen, driver of the #97 Quad Lock Chevrolet, and Chris Rice, President of Kaulig Racing celebrate in victory lane after winning the NASCAR Xfinity Series Pacific Office Automation 147 at Portland International Raceway on June 01, 2024 in Portland, Oregon. (Photo by Meg Oliphant/Getty Images).

Nearly a year after making his inaugural presence in NASCAR quickly known with his first Cup Series career victory at Chicago, rookie Shane van Gisbergen checked off another accomplishment by clinching his first Xfinity Series career win in the third annual running of the Pacific Office Automation 147 at Portland International Raceway on Saturday, June 1.

The three-time Supercars champion from Auckland, New Zealand, led three times for 12 of 75 scheduled laps in an event where he started on the front row and quickly endured a wild start by sending pole-sitter Sam Mayer for a spin. Despite struggling to launch on restarts and after slipping off the course during the second stage period, van Gisbergen managed to keep himself running towards the front in the closing stages. Amid two late-race restarts, van Gisbergen then managed to overtake and fend off Justin Allgaier during a four-lap shootout to the finish to claim his first Xfinity career win in his 13th series start.

With on-track qualifying that determined the starting lineup occurring on Saturday, Sam Mayer claimed his first Xfinity pole position of the 2024 season and the second of his career after posting a pole-winning lap at 96.654 mph in 73.375 seconds. Joining him on the front row was rookie Shane van Gisbergen, who clocked in the second-fastest qualifying lap at 96.596 mph in 73.419 seconds.

Prior to the event, AJ Allmendinger dropped to the rear of the field in a backup car after he wrecked his primary car during the event’s qualifying session earlier in the day. The following names that included rookie Jesse Love, Patrick Gallagher, Brandon Jones, Hailie Deegan, ED Jones, Sage Karam, Austin Green, Chandler Smith, Kyle Weatherman and Logan Bearden also dropped to the rear of the field due to unapproved adjustments made to their respective entries.

When the green flag waved and the race started, Sam Mayer launched ahead with a brief lead over Shane van Gisbergen as the field fanned out entering the first set of turns. Then in Turn 1, van Gisbergen hit Mayer as Mayer was sent spinning backwards through the course’s first three tight turns. Amid the early contact with the field scattering to avoid Mayer as Mayer plummeted below the leaderboard, Riley Herbst navigated his No. 98 Monster Energy Ford Mustang into the lead as Justin Allgaier overtook van Gisbergen for the runner-up spot. As Cole Custer, Sheldon Creed and Parker Kligerman followed suit in the top six while Sammy Smith and Josh Bilicki battled for seventh, Herbst proceeded to lead the first lap.

Over the next four laps, Herbst stabilized his advantage within four-tenths of a second over Allgaier while van Gisbergen trailed by a second in third place. Behind, Custer and Creed continued to trail in the top five along with Kligerman, Bilicki and Sammy Smith while Ryan Truex and Jeb Burton followed suit in the top 10. Meanwhile, Kyle Weatherman was trying to regain his momentum back on the course after he was sideways off the course in Turn 12 while AJ Allmendinger was mired in the top 30.

Through the first 10 scheduled laps, Herbst was leading by four-tenths of a second over a hard-charging Allgaier followed by van Gisbergen, Custer and Creed while Kligerman, Bilicki, Sammy Smith, Truex and Burton continued to follow suit in the top 10. Behind, Austin Hill trailed in 11th place ahead of Parker Retzlaff, Anthony Alfredo, Josh Williams and Jeremy Clements while Sage Karam, Ryan Sieg, Jesse Love, Chandler Smith and Sam Mayer trailed in the top 20, with AJ Allmendinger and Brandon Jones occupying 21st and 24th, respectively.

Five laps later and as Logan Bearden was trying to rally from getting sideways off the course entering Turn 12, Herbst continued to lead by half a second over van Gisbergen while Allgaier dropped to third place. Behind, Custer and Creed continued to run in the top five while Kligerman was trying to fend off Bilicki for sixth place and with Sammy Smith, Truex and Hill racing in the top 10.

Another lap later, van Gisbergen, who got to Herbst’s rear bumper through the frontstretch, pulled a crossover move on Herbst through three turns to move into the lead. Van Gisbergen would maintain the lead for the following lap while Allgaier was trying to find a way to overtake Herbst for the runner-up spot.

Just past the Lap 20 mark, van Gisbergen stretched his advantage to more than a second and a half over Allgaier while Herbst, Custer, Creed, Kligerman and Bilicki continued to follow suit in the top seven and by within less than five seconds. Behind, Sammy Smith trailed by more than seven seconds in eighth place and ahead of Truex and Hill while Retzlaff, Karam, Chandler Smith, Mayer and Alfredo occupied the top 15.

Then on Lap 22, Custer went for a spin entering the first turn after he locked the brakes and got loose while trying to avoid hitting teammate Herbst. Amid Custer’s issues, the race remained under green flag conditions as Custer proceeded despite dropping to eighth place. Another lap later, van Gisbergen surrendered the lead to pit his No. 97 Quad Lock Chevrolet Camaro under green. This enabled Allgaier to cycle into the lead over Herbst and Creed while Bilicki and Kligerman trailed in the top five and within less than four seconds.

When the first stage period concluded on Lap 25, Allgaier, who navigated past a spinning Retzlaff in Turn 12, captured his ninth Xfinity stage victory of the 2024 season. Herbst settled in second followed Creed, Bilicki and Kligerman while Sammy Smith, Custer, Truex, Hill and Sage Karam were scored in the top 10.

Under the stage break, the field led by Allgaier pitted for a unique, competitive pit sequence for this event, where the pit stops were to last a minimum of 63 seconds from the pit road entrance to exit. Amid the pit sequence, all competitors could either gain or lose positions on pit road, with the lineup for the next stage being determined by the order of exit from pit road. Following the pit stops, Allgaier retained the lead after he exited pit road first followed by Creed, Bilicki, Custer, Truex, Herbst, Chandler Smith, Hill, Sage Karam and Jesse Love.

The second stage period started on Lap 29 as Allgaier and van Gisbergen occupied the front row. At the start, van Gisbergen struggled to launch and he was being pinned in a three-wide Joe Gibbs Racing sandwich in between Creed and Bilicki while Allgaier launched ahead through the frontstretch. As Allgaier led Creed through the first three turns, van Gisbergen made contact with Custer, which stalled their momentum as Bilicki and Ryan Truex overtook them to move up to third and fourth. As the field navigated through the next turns amid two tight lanes, Chandler Smith then passed van Gisbergen to claim sixth place. Amid the battles over the next sets of turns, Allgaier retained the lead by eight-tenths of a second by the Lap 30 mark.

By Lap 35, Allgaier was out in front by more than a second over Creed and more than three seconds over Bilicki as van Gisbergen and Custer trailed in the top five ahead of Truex. Behind, Chandler Smith trailed in seventh ahead of Herbst and Sage Karam while AJ Allmendinger was scored in 10th.

A lap later, van Gisbergen, who was racing with a damaged left-front fender amid his earlier contact with Custer, slipped off the course after he hopped the curbs in Turns 10 and 11. He then slid sideways and went off the course in Turn 12, all while battling Bilicki for third, but he managed to quickly blend back onto the racing surface as he dropped to seventh place.

At the Lap 40 mark, Allgaier extended his advantage by more than over Creed as Bilicki, Custer and Chandler Smith occupied the top five. Meanwhile, van Gisbergen was mired back in sixth while Herbst, Truex, Karam and Allmendinger were in the top 10.

Then on the final lap of the second stage period, Lap 49, the caution flew after Matt DiBenedetto stalled his RSS Racing entry on the course. DiBenedetto’s stalled incident was enough for the second stage period scheduled to conclude on Lap 50 to conclude under caution as Allgaier proceeded to capture his 10th Xfinity stage victory of the 2024 season and sweep both stages of the event. Creed settled in second followed by Bilicki, Custer and van Gisbergen while Chandler Smith, Herbst, Karam, Mayer and Ed Jones were scored in the top 10.

During the stage break, the field led by Allgaier returned to pit road for service. Following the pit stops, Allgaier retained lead after exiting ahead of Creed, Bilicki, Chandler Smith, Truex, Herbst, Karam, Ed Jones, Mayer and van Gisbergen.

With 20 laps remaining, the final stage commenced as Allgaier and Creed occupied the front row. At the start and as the field fanned out through the frontstretch, Allgaier and Creed dueled for the lead entering the first turn. Then as Bilicki was sent for a spin while three competitors led by Herbst missed the first turn, Creed muscled his No. 18 Friends of Jaclyn Foundation Toyota Supra ahead of Allgaier to move into the lead. Despite receiving numerous bumps into the rear by Allgaier for a series of turns, Creed retained the top spot when he led Allgaier back to the frontstretch.

A lap later, however, Allgaier and Creed dueled through the frontstretch. Both competitors then proceed to hit and rub fenders against one another past the first three turns, with Allgaier reassuming the lead prior to entering Turn 4. Amid their contact, Chandler Smith tried to close in from third place while Truex and van Gisbergen were in the top five. Meanwhile, Jesse Love pitted with a crumbled hood after he T-boned into the rear of Mayer prior to the latest restart period.

With 15 laps remaining, Allgaier was leading ahead of a side-by-side battle between Creed and van Gisbergen for second place while Mayer and Chandler Smith followed suit in the top five. Behind, Truex was in sixth ahead of Sammy Smith, Herbst, Ed Jones and Kligerman while Williams, Allmendinger, Weatherman, Retzlaff and Hill were in the top 15. With Allgaier maintaining a reasonable advantage of three seconds during the following lap, van Gisbergen bumped, rubbed and overtook Creed for the runner-up spot before Mayer seized third place from Creed during the next lap.

Following another late caution period with 13 laps remaining after Hailie Deegan lost a right front tire in Turn 9, the race restarted under green with nine laps remaining as Allgaier and van Gisbergen occupied the front row for a second time. At the start, Allgaier muscled his No. 7 Brandt Chevrolet Camaro ahead of a four-wide battle for second place entering the first turn. With the field tightly navigating through the first three turns, Allgaier maintained the top spot over Creed, who moved back into second place, as van Gisbergen, Mayer and Sammy Smith followed suit in the top five.

As Chandler Smith, who was running sixth, pulled his car off the course in Turn 12 with a damaged front nose, the caution quickly returned during the following lap for a multi-car wreck that ensued in Turn 12 when Brennan Poole and Blaine Perkins got turned sideways separately, with the latter getting spun into the path of Bilicki and Brandon Jones as Jones went head-on into the tire barriers while Andre Castro, Ryan Ellis, Kyle Sieg and Herbst were also involved. By then, Creed was assessed a drive-through penalty through pit road due to being penalized for a restart violation.

During the next restart period with four laps remaining, Allgaier fended off van Gisbergen and teammate Sammy Smith through the frontstretch to retain the lead and through the first three turns. With the field behind navigating through the turns, the battle for the lead ignited as van Gisbergen attempted to make a move beneath Allgaier entering Turn 4. Despite sliding sideways through the next two turns, van Gisbergen managed to keep his car pointing straight while also keeping Allgaier next to him as he avoided spinning Allgaier through the turns. Then as Allgaier also got loose in between Turns 5 and 6, van Gisbergen seized an opportunity to move into the lead. As Allgaier was getting pressured by teammate Mayer for the runner-up spot, van Gisbergen retained the lead through the frontstretch and with three laps remaining.

Then with two laps remaining, Mayer’s strong rally back to the front evaporated after he scrubbed the wall entering the frontstretch, which cut his left-rear tire as Mayer had to keep his No. 1 RTIC Outdoors Chevrolet Camaro running straight while going off the course. Amid Mayer’s incident, the race remained under green flag conditions as Allgaier was slowly closing in on van Gisbergen for the lead through each set of turns.

When the white flag waved and the final lap started, van Gisbergen remained as the leader by four-tenths of a second over Allgaier while third-place Sammy Smith trailed by two seconds. As van Gisbergen retained the lead through the first three turns before he made his way to Turn 4, he started to extend his advantage by more than a second as Allgaier was losing ground. With Allgaier unable to close the deficit for the final nine sets of corners, van Gisbergen was able to keep his car running straight on the course and cycle back to the frontstretch victorious as he claimed his first checkered flag of the season and of his career.

With the victory, van Gisbergen, who drifted his race-winning car through the turns while performing his victory burnouts and kicked a rugby ball into the frontstretch’s crowd, became the 178th competitor overall to win in the Xfinity Series as he joined rookie rival Jesse Love as first-time Xfinity race winners of the 2024 season. He also became the seventh foreign-born competitor to win in the Xfinity level and the first since Daniel Suarez made the last accomplishment at Homestead-Miami Speedway in November 2016. As an added bonus, van Gisbergen notched the first victory of the season for Kaulig Racing.

“Firstly, I’m very sorry to Sam Mayer and the No. 1 team for [hitting them in the] first corner,” van Gisbergen said on FS1. “I just mucked up there and just clipped him. He got back well, but year, Quad Lock Chevy. Thanks Kaulig Racing, Trackhouse [Racing] guys. What a day. It was really cool. Had some great racing. I need to get better at my restarts and learn how to position, but man, that was so much fun. Really cool racing. I love these cars. They’re great.”

Justin Allgaier, who led a race-high 46 laps, settled in the runner-up spot for a second consecutive season in Portland while teammate Sammy Smith, AJ Allmendinger and Ed Jones finished in the top five.

Cole Custer, the winner of last year’s Xfinity event at Portland, rallied for sixth place while Josh Williams, Parker Kligerman, Parker Retzlaff and Riley Herbst finished in the top 10.

Notably, Josh Bilicki piloted the No. 19 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota Supra to a 12th-place result behind Austin Hill, Sheldon Creed rallied for 13th, Jesse Love ended up 19th, Ryan Truex dropped to 27th after he spun on the final lap and Sam Mayer plummeted to 28th.  

There were nine lead changes for four different leaders. The race featured four cautions for 14 laps. In addition, 27 of 38 starters finished on the lead lap.

Following the 13th event of the 2024 Xfinity Series season, Cole Custer leads the regular-season standings by 18 points over both Austin Hill and Chandler Smith, with Justin Allgaier trailing by 23 points and rookie Jesse Love trailing by 73 points.

Results.

1. Shane van Gisbergen, 12 laps led

2. Justin Allgaier, 45 laps led, Stages 1 & 2 winner

3. Sammy Smith

4. AJ Allmendinger

5. Ed Jones

6. Cole Custer

7. Josh Williams

8. Parker Kligerman

9. Parker Retzlaff

10. Riley Herbst, 15 laps led

11. Austin Hill

12. Josh Bilicki

13. Sheldon Creed, two laps led

14. Ryan Sieg

15. Austin Green

16. Brennan Poole

17. Ryan Ellis

18. Kyle Sieg

19. Jesse Love

20. Blaine Perkins

21. Nathan Byrd

22. Garrett Smithley

23. Andre Castro

24. Patrick Gallagher

25. Kyle Weatherman

26. Leland Honeyman

27. Ryan Truex

28. Sam Mayer, one lap down

29. Logan Bearden, one lap down

30. Jeremy Clements, two laps down

31. Matt DiBenedetto, two laps down

32. Anthony Alfredo, three laps down

33. Hailie Deegan, four laps down

34. Sage Karam, six laps down

35. Chandler Smith – OUT, Accident

36. Brandon Jones – OUT, Accident

37. Jeb Burton, 14 laps down

38. Preston Pardus – OUT, Track Bar

Next on the 2024 NASCAR Xfinity Series schedule is the series’ second annual event at Sonoma Raceway in Sonoma, California, for the Zip Buy Now, Pay Later 250. The event is scheduled to occur next Saturday, June 8, and air at 8 p.m. ET on FS1.

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