Home Blog Page 982

Corey Heim rallies for fourth Truck victory of 2024 at Gateway

By
Andrew Kim
-
Photo by Simon Scoggins for SpeedwayMedia.com.

Corey Heim’s recent hot pursuit on the track continued after the driver of the No. 11 TRICON Garage Toyota Tundra TRD Pro raced his way to a strong, dominant victory in the Toyota 200 at World Wide Technology Raceway on Saturday, June 1.

The 21-year-old Heim from Marietta, Georgia, led twice for a race-high 65 of 160-scheduled laps in an event where he qualified ninth and settled in the top five during both stage periods before he assumed the lead for the first time at the start of the final stage period with 83 laps remaining.

Then, amid a late cycle of green flag pit stops, followed by a single-truck incident involving Vicente Salas, Heim cycled his way back into the lead for the start of the final restart period with 23 laps remaining. Despite restarting on the inside lane, which was deemed a struggling lane on restarts, Heim rocketed ahead with the lead and led the remainder of the event as he beat runner-up Christian Eckes by more than a second. It was his fourth NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series victory of the 2024 season as he also cashed in on the second Triple Truck Challenge bonus.

With on-track qualifying that determined the starting lineup occurring on Friday, May 31, Ty Majeski claimed his third Truck pole position of the 2024 season after posting a pole-winning lap at 138.568 mph in 32.475 seconds. Joining him on the front row was Christian Eckes, who clocked in the second-fastest qualifying lap at 138.041 mph in 32.599 seconds.

Prior to the event, Tanner Gray dropped to the rear of the field due to unapproved adjustments made to his TRICON Garage entry.

When the green flag waved and the race started following a three-hour delay due to on-track precipitation, the field within the middle of the pack fanned out to three lanes through the frontstretch as Ty Majeski used the outside lane to his advantage to muscle his No. 98 Road Ranger/Bucked UP Ford F-150 ahead of Christian Eckes through the first two turns and retain the lead through the backstretch. As the field behind continued to fan out through the backstretch, Majeski fended off Eckes to lead the first lap.

Through the second to fifth lap marks, Majeski retained the lead as he stretched it to as high as half a second over Eckes while Nick Sanchez, Stewart Friesen and Dean Thompson trailed in the top five. Behind, Ben Rhodes trailed in sixth place by four seconds while Corey Heim, Taylor Gray, Grant Enfinger and Daniel Dye were racing in the top 10.

Just past the Lap 10 mark, the event’s first caution period flew when newcomer Luke Fenhaus, who was racing in the mid-20s and battling both Bayley Currey and Lawless Alan amid three lanes, got loose underneath Currey before he spun his No. 66 Soda Sense Ford F-150 in Turn 1. During the event’s first caution period, select names, mainly those running within the mid-pack region, pitted, among which included Tanner Gray, Matt Mills, Connor Mosack, Bayley Currey and rookie Thad Moffitt, while the rest led by Majeski remained on the track.

When the event restarted under green on Lap 15, Majeski and Eckes battled dead even for the lead through the first two turns and through the backstretch as Sanchez pursued in third. Amid the tight battle, Eckes managed to lead the next lap from the inside lane and he would lead the following lap by a tenth of a second until Majeski reassumed the top spot by Lap 18. Not long after Eckes was fending off Sanchez for the runner-up spot, Friesen proceeded to battle Sanchez amid close-quarters racing for third place. With Friesen muscling ahead of Sanchez for third, Majeski retained the lead by half a second over Eckes while Dean Thompson occupied fifth place.

Through the first 25 scheduled laps, Majeski was leading by more than a second over Eckes followed by Sanchez, Friesen and Corey Heim while Thompson, Grant Enfinger, Ben Rhodes, Daniel Dye and Taylor Gray were running in the top 10. Behind, Rajah Caruth occupied 11th place ahead of Tyler Ankrum, Chase Purdy, Ty Dillon and Jake Garcia while rookie Layne Riggs, newcomer Andres Perez de Lara, Tanner Gray, Bayley Currey and Lawless Alan followed suit in the top 20 along with Colby Howard, Mason Massey, Matt Crafton, Matt Mills and Bret Holmes.

When the first stage period concluded on Lap 35, Majeski claimed his fourth Truck stage victory of the 2024 season. Eckes settled in second ahead of Sanchez, Friesen and Heim while Thompson, Enfinger, Rhodes, Dye and Taylor Gray were scored in the top 10. By then, all but one of 32 starters were scored on the lead lap.

Under the stage break, a majority of the field led by Majeski pitted while the rest led by Tanner Gray, including those who pitted earlier, remained on the track. Amid the pit stops, Daniel Dye was penalized for speeding on pit road as Sanchez emerged as the first competitor off of pit road.

The second stage period started on Lap 41 as Tanner Gray and Colby Howard occupied the front row. At the start, Gray muscled ahead from the outside lane to retain the lead while Mosack also retained second ahead of Sanchez and Howard as the field fanned out through the backstretch. Gray would proceed to lead by two seconds over Mosack while Sanchez, Rhodes, Howard and Majeski trailed in the top six.

Within Lap 45, the caution returned after Howard, who was in the top five, wrecked his No. 1 Coastal Sports Cards Toyota Tundra TRD Pro hard against the outside wall in Turn 3 after he lost a right-front tire. By then, Sanchez had overtaken Mosack to claim the runner-up spot while Tanner Gray was still leading. During the caution period, Crafton, who was battling electrical issues earlier in the event, pitted his No. 88 Menards Ford F-150 to have his issues further addressed. Crafton would make multiple trips to pit road but he would remain on the lead lap.

As the event restarted under green on Lap 54, Tanner Gray and Sanchez dueled for the lead entering the first two turns. They then rubbed fenders and nearly wrecked entering the backstretch, but they kept their trucks running straight. Their stalled momentum, however, enabled Ben Rhodes to go three wide in between both of them exiting the backstretch as Rhodes made the move stick and he led the following lap over both Sanchez and Tanner Gray. Amid the tight battle, Rhodes would proceed to lead in his No. 99 Bommarito Automotive Group Ford F-150 ahead of Sanchez, and Tanner Gray dropped to third as Majeski closed in and eventually overtook Gray for third place.

By Lap 60, Rhodes was leading by two-tenths of a second over Sanchez followed by Majeski, Sanchez and Tanner Gray while Heim, Enfinger, Chase Purdy, Taylor Gray and Rajah Caruth trailed in the top 10. Behind, Connor Mosack was in 11th ahead of Ty Dillon, Friesen, Tyler Ankrum and Dean Thompson as rookie Layne Riggs, Andres Perez de Lara, Daniel Dye, Jake Garcia and Bret Holmes occupied the top 20.

Six laps later, Majeski, who spent the previous six laps navigating his way into the runner-up spot and was closing in on teammate Rhodes for the lead, overtook Rhodes to reassume the lead. Not long after, Eckes navigated past Rhodes for the runner-up spot while Sanchez was trying to close in for third place. In addition, Heim trailed in fifth place by more than two seconds while Tanner Gray and Enfinger both trailed by seven seconds in the top seven.

When the second stage period concluded on Lap 70, Majeski claimed his fifth Truck stage victory of the 2024 season and completed the sweep of both stages of the event. Eckes settled in a close second followed by Sanchez, Rhodes and Heim while Enfinger, brothers Tanner and Taylor Gray, Purdy and Dillon were scored in the top 10.

During the stage break, nearly the entire lead lap field led by Majeski pitted while Kieth McGee and Thad Moffitt remained on the track. Following the pit stops, Ankrum and Dye exited first and second, respectively, after both opted for two fresh tires while Heim, who exited third, was the third competitor to have four fresh tires on his entry. Not long after, McGee and Moffitt pitted their respective entries as Ankrum assumed the lead

With 83 laps remaining, the final stage commenced as Ankrum and Heim occupied the front row. At the start, Heim muscled his No. 11 Safelite Toyota Tundra TRD Pro ahead into the lead from the inside lane. As a flurry of battles ensued within the field, Heim retained the lead by half a second over Ankrum at the halfway mark with 80 laps remaining. Meanwhile, Majeski trailed in third place and by eight-tenths of a second along with Sanchez and Dye while Rhodes, Eckes, Tanner Gray, Enfinger and Caruth were scored in the top 10.

With 70 laps remaining, Heim was leading by nine-tenths of a second over Majeski followed by Sanchez, Ankrum and Rhodes while Eckes, Dye, Enfinger, Caruth and Tanner Gray were racing in the top 10 ahead of Friesen, Purdy, Thompson, Dillon and Crafton. Meanwhile, Taylor Gray pitted his No. 17 Place of Hope Toyota Tundra TRD Pro and his pit crew raised Gray’s hood up to address a brake issue as Gray lost multiple laps on pit road.

Ten laps later, Heim extended his advantage by more than a second over Majeski as Sanchez, Rhodes and Eckes continued to follow suit in the top five. Meanwhile, Dye was in sixth and he was racing ahead of Ankrum, Enfinger, Caruth and Friesen while Heim proceeded to slightly extend his advantage to nearly two seconds over Majeski with 50 laps remaining.

Then with 45 laps remaining, green flag pit stops commenced as the leader Heim pit along with Jake Garcia. Majeski then pitted during the following lap before more names, including Rhodes, Enfinger, Caruth, Dillon, Dye and Ankrum, pit during the proceeding laps. With more names peeling off the track to pit their respective entries, Sanchez, who has yet to pit, was leading ahead of Eckes and Friesen while Tanner Gray and Purdy were scored in the top five with 40 laps remaining.

With less than 35 laps remaining, more names, including Sanchez, pitted under green while select names led by Tanner Gray, Purdy and Luke Fenhaus, all of whom have yet to pit, were running in the top-three spots.

Then with nearly 30 laps remaining, the caution flew after Vicente Salas spun in Turn 4 as Heim had to take evasive action to avoid hitting Salas. At the time of caution, Tanner Gray had pitted while Purdy, Fenhaus and Crafton, all of whom had yet to pit, were still on the track and occupying the top three spots. During the caution period, select names including Purdy, Crafton and Fenhaus pitted while the rest led by Heim remained on the track as Heim cycled back into the lead.

With 23 laps remaining, the event restarted under green as Heim and Majeski occupied the front row. At the start, Heim, who restarted on the inside lane, retained the lead by a narrow advantage over Majeski through the first two turns and back to the backstretch. With the battle for the lead intensifying, Heim retained the lead by two-tenths of a second over Majeski while third-place Eckes tried to close in from third place and as he trailed by six-tenths of a second with 20 laps remaining.

With less than 15 laps remaining, Heim extended his advantage by nearly a second over Majeski while Eckes, Sanchez and Rhodes were in the top five. Riggs, Purdy, Friesen, Andres Perez de Lara and Luke Fenhaus followed suit in the top 10 while Heim continued to lead by a second with 10 laps remaining. Behind him, Eckes and Sanchez started to pressure Majeski for second.

Down to the final five laps of the event, Heim retained the lead by a second over Eckes and Sanchez while Majeski dropped to fourth as he trailed by three seconds. Meanwhile, Layne Riggs was up into fifth place as he occupied the spot over Purdy and Rhodes.

When the white flag waved and the final lap started, Heim remained as the leader by more than a second over Eckes as Sanchez trailed by two seconds. Having a reasonable lead to his advantage, Heim was able to smoothly navigate his way around Gateway for a final time before he navigated back to the frontstretch to claim his fourth checkered flag of the 2024 Truck Series season.

With the victory, Heim, who became the first four-time race winner of this season, notched his ninth career win in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series division, his first since winning at North Wilkesboro Speedway two races ago and his second at Gateway’s World Wide Technology Raceway after he won his first in 2022.

As an added bonus, Heim, who was absent from last year’s Truck event at Gateway due to an illness, claimed the second $50,000 bonus as part of the Triple Truck Challenge, which also marks his second time claiming the prize after he achieved his first in 2022.

Photo by Simon Scoggins for SpeedwayMedia.com.

“Total team effort today,” Heim said on FS2. “We actually struggled a bit yesterday and worked overnight on [the truck]. I just have to say [that] this pit crew redeemed themselves. Last week, we felt like we could’ve won the race and admittedly they made some mistakes, but they redeemed themselves today and that’s what it’s all about. That was awesome. [I’m] On top of the world right now. We’ve got such a great race team and such a long season ahead.”

Christian Eckes settled in the runner-up position for a third consecutive event at Gateway while Nick Sanchez, Ty Majeski and rookie Layne Riggs finished in the top five.

Chase Purdy, Ben Rhodes, Stewart Friesen, and newcomers Andres Perez de Lara and Luke Fenhaus completed the top 10 in the final running order.

There were 13 lead changes for nine different leaders. The race featured five cautions for 32 laps. In addition, 20 of 32 starters finished on the lead lap.

Following the 12th event of the 2024 Craftsman Truck Series season, Christian Eckes leads the regular-season standings by 31 points over Corey Heim, 53 over Nick Sanchez and 64 over Ty Majeski.

Results.

1. Corey Heim, 65 laps led

2. Christian Eckes, two laps led

3. Nick Sanchez, 10 laps led

4. Ty Majeski, 43 laps led, Stages 1 & 2 winner

5. Layne Riggs

6. Chase Purdy, five laps led

7. Ben Rhodes, 11 laps led

8. Stewart Friesen

9. Andres Perez de Lara

10. Luke Fenhaus

11. Tanner Gray, 19 laps led

12. Daniel Dye

13. Ty Dillon

14. Dean Thompson

15. Tyler Ankrum, four laps led

16. Rajah Caruth

17. Grant Enfinger

18. Timmy Hill

19. Lawless Alan

20. Matt Crafton

21. Bret Holmes, one lap down

22. Connor Mosack, one lap down

23. Matt Mills, one lap down

24. Jake Garcia, one lap down

25. Vicente Salas, three laps down

26. Spencer Boyd, four laps down

27. Keight McGee, four laps down, one lap led

28. Thad Moffitt, five laps down

29. Bayley Currey, seven laps down

30. Taylor Gray, eight laps down

31. Mason Massey – OUT, Engine

32. Colby Howard – OUT, Accident

Next on the 2024 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series schedule is Nashville Superspeedway in Lebanon, Tennessee, for the Rackley Roofing 200. The event is scheduled to occur on June 28 and air at 8 p.m. ET on FS2.

Stewart-Haas Racing: Portland 147 from Portland

By
Official Release
-

STEWART-HAAS RACING
Portland 147
Date: June 1, 2024
Event: Portland 147 (Round 13 of 33)
Series: NASCAR Xfinity Series
Location: Portland (Ore.) International Raceway (1.967-mile, 12-turn road course)
Format: 75 laps, broken into three stages (25 laps/25 laps/25 laps)
Race Winner: Shane Van Gisbergen of Kaulig Racing (Chevrolet)
Stage 1 Winner: Justin Allgaier of JR Motorsports (Chevrolet)
Stage 2 Winner: Justin Allgaier of JR Motorsports (Chevrolet)

SHR Race Finish:

● Cole Custer (Started 4th / Finished 6th, Running, completed 75 of 75 laps)
● Riley Herbst (Started 3rd / Finished 10th, Running, completed 75 of 75 laps)

SHR Points:

● Cole Custer (1st with 475 points)
● Riley Herbst (7th with 378 points, 97 out of first)

SHR Notes:

● Custer earned his 10th top-10 of the season and his second top-10 in two career NASCAR Xfinity Series starts at Portland.
● In the past 11 races, Custer has now earned 10 top-10 finishes, including his nine-race top-10 streak from his runner-up finish March 2 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway through his third-place finish May 11 at Darlington (S.C.) Raceway.
● Custer has never finished outside the top-10 at Portland. He won in his first visit to the track last June.
● Custer finished seventh in Stage 1 to earn four bonus points and fourth in Stage 2 to earn seven more bonus points.
● Herbst earned his fifth top-10 of the season and his first top-10 in three career NASCAR Xfinity Series starts at Portland.
● Herbst’s 10th-place finish bettered his previous best finish at Portland – 32nd, earned last June.
● Herbst finished second in Stage 1 to earn nine bonus points and seventh in Stage 2 to earn four more bonus points.
● Herbst led once for 15 laps – his first laps led at Portland.

Race Notes:

● Shane Van Gisbergen won the Portland 147 to score his first career NASCAR Xfinity Series victory in 13 starts. His margin over second-place Justin Allgaier was .941 of a second.
● There were four caution periods for a total of 14 laps.
● Twenty-seven of the 38 drivers in the race finished on the lead lap.
● Custer leaves Portland as the championship leader with an 18-point advantage over second-place Austin Hill.

Sound Bites:

“Overall, it was a solid day for the No. 00 Autodesk / Haas Automation team. We had a car that could compete with the best today, but everything didn’t play out right unfortunately. We had a lug nut kind of get stuck on that last pit stop and lost a lot of track position. It was a solid day, but I wish we could’ve had that little bit more. Definitely a good day for us in the points standings, so we’ll learn from this and move on to Sonoma next week. We have to keep executing like we have been, but our time will come. Just can’t thank my guys, Stewart-Haas, Ford Performance, Autodesk, and Haas Automation enough for their support​.” –Cole Custer, driver of the No. 00 Autodesk / Haas Automation Ford Mustang Dark Horse

“Man, our No. 98 Monster Energy Ford Mustang Dark Horse was fast. We got the lead on the initial start, and I was able to hold off Justin (Allgaier) and SVG (Shane Van Gisbergen) for a while in that first stage. That was pretty awesome. I don’t consider myself a road-course ringer, but it was cool to be able to hang with those two. I locked the tires up into the chicane and had to make a choice to either wreck four cars or just go straight. I chose to go straight. That final stage got wild though. The mayhem at the end helped me recover some of those lost spots for a top-10. We made the most of today with points. My team gave me a great racecar, and I’m even more excited to head to Sonoma now for another road course. Hopefully, we’ll be contenders again.” –Riley Herbst, driver of the No. 98 Monster Energy Ford Mustang Dark Horse

Next Up:

The next event on the NASCAR Xfinity Series schedule is the Zip Buy Now, Pay Later 250 on Saturday, June 8 at Sonoma (Calif.) Raceway. The race begins at 8 p.m. EDT with live coverage provided by FS1 and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.

Toyota Racing NXS Post-Race Recap – Portland 06.01.24

By
Official Release
-

JONES LEADS TOYOTA IN CHAOTIC XFINITY SERIES RACE AT PORTLAND
Scores top-five finish in only second career start

PORTLAND, Ore. (June 1, 2024) – Sam Hunt Racing’s Ed Jones came home fifth in Saturday’s wild Xfinity Series race at Portland, leading the Toyota GR Supra contingent. The Emirati-born Brit, making his second career Xfinity Series start, started the day 17th but powered his No. 24 GR Supra through the field and around late-race chaos to a top-five finish.

The other five Toyota GR Supras ran near or inside the top-10 throughout the 75-lap race at the 1.915-mile road course but were victims of hectic late-race restarts that impeded them from stronger results. This included title contender, Chandler Smith, who suffered damage to his No. 81 GR Supra, ultimately finishing 35th and Sheldon Creed, who obtained a penalty for jumping out of line on restart with 10 laps to go but raced his way back up to the 13th finishing position.

The Xfinity Series stays out west next weekend at Sonoma Raceway for another road course duel.

Toyota Racing Post-Race Recap
NASCAR Xfinity Series
Portland International Raceway
Race 13 of 33 – 147.75 miles, 75 laps

TOYOTA FINISHING POSITIONS
1st, Shane Van Gisbergen*
2nd, Justin Allgaier*
3rd, Sammy Smith*
4th, AJ Allmendinger*
5th, ED JONES
12th, JOSH BILICKI
13th, SHELDON CREED
27th, RYAN TRUEX
34th, SAGE KARAM
35th, CHANDLER SMITH
*non-Toyota driver

TOYOTA QUOTES

ED JONES, No. 24 Synergy Modular Toyota GR Supra, Sam Hunt Racing

Finishing Position: 5th

Coming home in the top-five, what was that race like for you?

“We rolled off the truck pretty good. Obviously, practice is so short, but we got a good feel. Our car wasn’t the best for qualifying, a single-lap run, but we felt comfortable that we had a good car in the long run, and it proved its case in the race. Started mid-pack and gradually worked out way up the field every stage to inside the top-10 for the final stage. For the last two restarts, it was all about going full attack. Again, I’m still learning how to aggressive to be. It’s been an experience, it’s great to get a full race’s experience in, and even better, to be in the top-five. Just thank you to the team and Toyota for helping me prepare for the weekend. And Synergy for being in the car. Looking forward to Sonoma in a few days’ time.”

JOSH BILICKI, No. 19 Ditec Marine Products Toyota GR Supra, Joe Gibbs Racing

Finishing Position: 12th

How would you describe your day today?

“Ended up with a solid day for our DiTec/Trim Tex Supra all things considered. We really had a car capable of having a shot at the win but getting spun just set us back too far to make the ground up. Pretty disappointing that adversity got in the way of our full potential but I’m really proud of our team for rallying and getting a 12th place finish out of it.”

CHANDLER SMITH, No. 81 QuickTie Toyota GR Supra, Joe Gibbs Racing

Finishing Position: 35th

Take us through that contact at the end there.

“Had a solid day going until the end there. Really unfortunate to have something like that happen, but I feel really confident in our road course program going into Sonoma next week.”

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 Racing – NCTS Gateway Post-Race Report – 06.01.24

By
Official Release
-

HEIM REMAINS PERFECT AT GATEWAY
Corey Heim earns his fourth victory of the season, winning the Toyota 200

MADISON, ILL. (June 1, 2024) – Corey Heim earned his fourth victory of the season, as he led the final 26 laps on his way to a victory in the Toyota 200 at World Wide Technology Raceway at Gateway. It was his second victory in as many starts at the track, and ninth NASCAR Truck Series win of his career.

The Toyota Development Driver has now led the most laps in five consecutive events and has set a career-high in single season race wins – just 12 races into the season.

Stewart Friesen (eighth) picked up his third consecutive top-10 finish as he closed on the provisional Playoff field. Heim, Taylor Gray and Tanner Gray are the Toyota drivers currently qualified for the Playoffs with four races remaining in the regular season.

Toyota Racing Post-Race Recap
NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series
World Wide Technology Raceway at Gateway
Race 12 of 23 – 160 Laps, 200 Miles

TOYOTA FINISHING POSITIONS
1st, COREY HEIM
2nd, Christian Eckes*
3rd, Nick Sanchez*
4th, Ty Majeski*
5th, Layne Riggs*
8th, STEWART FRIESEN
11th, TANNER GRAY
14th, DEAN THOMPSON
18th, TIMMY HILL
31st, TAYLOR GRAY
32nd, COLBY HOWARD
*non-Toyota driver

TOYOTA QUOTES

COREY HEIM, No. 11 Safelite Toyota Tundra TRD Pro, TRICON Garage

Finishing Position: 1st

Can you talk about how much this win means to you?

“Total team effort today. We actually struggled a little bit yesterday and worked overnight on it. I just have to say this pit crew has redeemed themselves from last week. I felt like we could have won the race and admittedly they made some mistakes, but they redeemed themselves today and that is what it is all about. Total team effort on this 11 crew. Super thankful for TRICON Garage, Toyota Racing, Safelite – that was awesome.”

You have a perfect record at Gateway, what does that mean?

“That’s awesome. Just so grateful for all of my guys at TRICON Garage and Toyota Racing. Yesterday in practice, I honestly thought we were not one of the better trucks. We looked at a lot of data overnight and made it better, so super grateful for those guys for their hard work overnight. The guys back at the shop have been working hard to get this Gateway truck ready, so awesome to bring home our Tundra p1 in the Toyota 200, so that is another special event for us. This was my second ever win – and first win on a non-superspeedway, so it means everything to come back here, espeically with my illness from last year – just watching from the sidelines – just grateful to be back and healthy this year, and picking up a win.”

DAVID GILLILAND, partner, TRICON Garage

How much does this win mean to the team?

“We felt like as a team we had a couple mistakes and we had a truck capable of winning last week and obviously with what happened with the penalty and the DQ – there is two ways you can handle those situations, and we presented it with how do we learn from it, how do we make ourselves better and we were better today. This is a championship quality team, championship quality organization. Really proud of what Scott (Zipadelli, crew chief) and Corey (Heim) and TRICON Garage was able to do today. This is a huge win. When you have setbacks like we did last week, it is how a team bounces back from that stuff – to me – that makes a team, and today proves where we are at.”

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.

No. 10 Konica Minolta Acura ARX-06 Win Action Packed GTP Race at Detroit

By
Official Release
-

DETROIT, Michigan (June 1, 2024) – The No. 10 Konica Minolta Acura ARX-06 captured victory on Saturday afternoon on the streets of Detroit, with Ricky Taylor and Filipe Albuquerque handing the Wayne Taylor Racing with Andretti (WTRAndretti) the team its second win of the 2024 IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship season. Saturday’s 100-minute sprint race marked the debut of the GTP class on the streets of Detroit, and for both Taylor and Albuquerque, it was their first win since Road America in 2022.

On the tight 1.645-mile street circuit after qualifying fourth, Filipe Albuquerque knew the start of the Detroit Grand Prix would be a key moment to gain positions and the Portuguese driver did exactly that, moving up into second. From there, Albuquerque stayed in contention and eventually inherited the lead after the No. 6 Porsche received a penalty. With this being a 100-minute race, it brought the unique element of a one stop race, with fuel and driver change only being the strategy call. When coming to pit lane, the blue and black WTRAndretti crew executed what they needed to do and sent Ricky Taylor back out into second position with an hour left on the clock. Taylor knew he had a strong car and patiently waited for the perfect moment to make a stellar pass, taking the lead up the inside of Turn 3 with 26 minutes remaining. Once in the lead, despite a string of cautions, Taylor kept his head down and brought home the long overdue victory.

The No. 40 DEX Imaging Acura ARX-06 team rallied through the streets of Detroit to end the day with a top-five result. Jordan Taylor took the green flag and looked to gain positions on the start but unfortunately got shuffled back in the running order. As the opening stint played out, Taylor was able to work his way towards the front before the pit stop. With only fuel taken at the stop and a driver change to Louis Delétraz, the No. 40 WTRAndretti crew went to work and sent the No. 40 back out to stay in contention. Delétraz was able to battle all the way to the end to earn the team’s second consecutive top-five finish.

The WTRAndretti team will return to endurance racing with the Sahlen’s Six Hours of The Glen from Watkins Glen International on June 20-23, 2024.

Wayne Taylor, Team Principal, WTRAndretti: “This was a fantastic result for the entire WTRAndretti team, both the No. 10 car and the No. 40 car. The team has worked flawlessly all week. We’ve had a rough time in the last two races, but we seem to have got everything back together. I can’t say enough about all our partners: Konica Minolta, DEX Imaging and our partnership with HRC as well as Michael Andretti’s group. This has been a long time coming, and I was ecstatic. Obviously, in the championship the No. 40 car is closer to being in the front than the No. 10 car, so we were debating what to do during the race. But the No. 10 car seemed to be in a different league, so we didn’t have to figure out how we would handle things. I’m so ecstatic.”

Michael Andretti, Chairman and CEO, Andretti Global: “I’m really excited to be here. I’ve been here now for the two wins this year. It’s exciting to be part of the No. 10 win and the No. 40 win. Hopefully this is a good sign for the rest of the year, get some more wins and get the championship.”
No. 10 Konica Minolta Acura ARX-06 GTP Drivers
Ricky Taylor: “This is Filipe and I’s fourth year together, and we’ve had a lot of success together. The No. 10 Konica Minolta car was on a roll for our first three years together, and we’ve had a really rough last year and a half. We were really struggling and hadn’t had a win in a long time, and it seemed nothing could go our way. First of all, everybody at HRC and Wayne Taylor Racing with Andretti worked really hard to put us back in the game. Street courses were not our thing. This year we haven’t been fighting for wins outside of Sebring. Everybody really turned our season around and we had performance. In qualifying, it looked like Filipe and Jordan could have been fighting for a top three very easily. Starting fourth on a track that’s so difficult to pass on, we thought a podium would be a bit of a win. Filipe really set the tone of the race with his start. We were on the wrong side of the road, as the clean track is on the left, and we were on the bumpy outside, so we were going to be happy with a podium. But Filipe made the move on the outside and put us in the lead on his first stint. Fast forwarding to later in the race, we couldn’t believe we found ourselves effectively third on the road for that first restart. Nasr had a coming together which put us second, then it was a battle for the lead. The Porsche was really strong on short runs after restarts, so the longer it went, we could claw our way back. The Acura guys and the whole WTRAndretti team have made a really strong car in the braking zones, and that was where we were able to get it done. I think, had it not been for that one GT car, if we’d had all those restarts after and the way the race went, that was probably my last shot to get the Porsche, and I’m really relieved that we took advantage of it because it was still quite a long way to go. You’d have thought there’d have been more opportunities, but with how good they were on restarts, I don’t think I would have had another chance. There’s just so many people on the No. 10 car that have come around since we’ve expanded, and haven’t had any success on the No. 10 car, so happy for our group on the Konica Minolta side.”

Filipe Albuquerque: “We are happy about this weekend. We had more pace than in other races in the past, so we knew we could do well. But to be honest, after what’s been happening to us, we needed to be humble so we thought a podium would be good for us. But again, at the end of the day, we are racers. We go wherever opportunity takes us, and I think the start was a good example of that. I was just a bit worried about the hairpin there with our cars since they are bigger, but the car felt good braking down, and I was in second, so I was pretty happy about it. I could see as well that the Porsche in front of me took out a Ferrari, so I could see that penalty coming. Eventually I was leading, and as awkward as it is, I was actually nervous. It’s been a while since we were leading a sprint race with the car doing well. It was not easy; there was still a lot to go. I was a bit nervous about the pit stop since it’s so hard to get in and go tight to the right side with our cars. But the pit stop went well and made no mistakes, so I was super happy to hand the car over in first place, but there was still so much to go. I told the team to stay calm and keep going, and Ricky went in and made the pass. I’m super proud of my teammate and the No. 10 Konica Minolta Acura ARX-06 team.”

No. 40 DEX Imaging Acura ARX-06 GTP Drivers
Louis Delétraz: “Considering our speed today, P5 is very good points. First of all, a massive congratulations to the No. 10 car and WTRAndretti for the second win of the season. They deserve it, and they’ve been unlucky so far this year. I’m very happy for the whole team. For us, we didn’t have the pace today. I was sliding all over for the last hour, but to finish in fifth and get those points is very good.”

Jordan Taylor: “We didn’t have a great start, and that set the tone for the first part of the race. It was tough to pass or make moves. We had a good strategy call to make the stop in traffic and had a good driver change and execution there, so we were able to jump up a couple spots. I don’t think we had the outright pace this weekend on the No. 40 DEX Imaging car side, but I think it’s decent to at least salvage a fifth-place finish. We beat a couple of the guys in the championship hunt, but some of the others beat us. But overall, a good day for the WTRAndretti team itself. Good for the No. 10 car to get their money off their back these last couple years and get another win.”

ABOUT WTRANDRETTI
Andretti Global and Wayne Taylor Racing announced a new, long-term partnership in 2023 that combines the resources of the two championship-caliber teams to compete in IMSA’s top classes. In 2024, Wayne Taylor Racing with Andretti (WTRAndretti) has expanded to a two-car GTP program as well as competes in the GTD class. Coming off its 2023 championship winning effort, WTRAndretti continues its Driver Development Program competing in the Lamborghini Super Trofeo North America series with a full stable.

WTRAndretti’s global motorsports enterprise boasts two IMSA driver championships (2013 and 2017), and back-to-back IMSA Michelin Endurance Cup Championships (2020, 2021) which contributed to nine IMSA manufacturer championships for Acura, Pontiac, Corvette and Cadillac. In its brief 17-year history, WTRAndretti has accumulated multiple victories in sportscar racing’s most iconic events: Rolex 24 At Daytona, Twelve Hours of Sebring, Petit Le Mans, Mid-Ohio, Road America and the Six Hours of The Glen. With its back-to-back PRO Class Championship wins (2022, 2023), WTR also has ten North America Lamborghini Super Trofeo Championship titles and a Lamborghini World Finals title.

Andretti Global, a Championship-winning motorsports organization, competes in additional racing categories worldwide, including the NTT INDYCAR SERIES, ABB FIA Formula E World Championship, Extreme E, Australian Supercars and the Mexico SuperCopa Championship. Additionally, the racing enterprise commits to driver development through competition in INDY NXT by Firestone and through support of Sebastian and Oliver Wheldon’s racing careers.

WTRAndretti’s long term partnerships include Acura, Honda Racing Corporation US (HRC), Konica Minolta Business Solutions USA, DEX Imaging, Harrison Contracting Company and Gainbridge.

CORVETTE RACING AT DETROIT: Bid for Home Win Comes up Short

By
Official Release
-

DETROIT (June 1, 2024) – Corvette Racing by Pratt Miller Motorsports and its two Chevrolet Corvette Z06 GT3.Rs were dealt cruel hands Saturday as the program’s effort to post a victory on the streets of downtown Detroit came up short.

The No. 3 and No. 4 Corvettes finished 10th and ninth, respectively, in the GTD PRO class of the Chevrolet Detroit Sports Car Classic for the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship. It brought an end to what had been a fantastic weekend with the Corvettes returning to race in Detroit – and for the first time on the city’s downtown street circuit.

Tommy Milner and Nicky Catsburg in the No. 4 Corvette led the Z06 GT3.R effort, followed by class pole-sitter Antonio Garcia and Alexander Sims. The pair of yellow Corvettes began the race first and second in class with hopes of finishing that way for the Z06 GT3.R’s first win in IMSA.

Disaster struck first and at the start for the No. 3 Corvette. Garcia had to pit at the end of the first lap with an alternator problem. By the time he rejoined the race, he and Sims were well down the order and treated the rest of the race as an extended test session for the first-year Corvette.

That moved Milner to the class lead. He quickly opened a lead of more than two seconds in the opening 20 minutes and set the fastest GTD PRO race lap along the way. He made the No. 4 team’s only pit stop with a little more than hour to go and handed over to Catsburg, who rejoined after taking just fuel but under a full-course caution period.

On the restart, Catsburg was spun from the lead at the end of the Detroit circuit’s long backstretch. The Corvette suffered damage to the front-left corner but was able to continue to the end of the race.

The next IMSA event for the Corvette Z06 GT3.R is the Sahlen’s Six Hours of The Glen on Sunday, June 23.

CORVETTE RACING BY PRATT MILLER MOTORSPORTS POST-EVENT DRIVER QUOTES

ANTONIO GARCIA, NO. 3 CHEVROLET CORVETTE Z06 GT3.R: “Not the day we wanted. The most difficult part of the race was the start with all the GTPs and GTD PROs together. But we got through it 1-2 which is what we wanted. To me that was 50 percent of the race. But then to be called into the pits, I couldn’t believe it. A very tough and cruel day for us.”

ALEXANDER SIMS, NO. 3 CHEVROLET CORVETTE Z06 GT3.R: “These are never going to be easy events, but it seemed like in practice and qualifying that we were going to have a nice, sensible race at the front of the field. Not long after the start, it became obvious that this wasn’t going to be the case on our car. It was a huge disappointment and tough. Everyone is working hard but we can always find ways to get better.”

TOMMY MILNER, NO. 4 CHEVROLET CORVETTE Z06 GT3.R: “We can look at the weekend as a whole and be proud of what we showed and how good these Corvettes are. Obviously in the race you have a wildcard, especially on a street track where we are put in situations that encourage those kinds of accidents. Unfortunately we were on the wrong end of it. Every single one of the people on this team can hold their heads high for what we achieved this weekend. We showed the car is very fast, and it was really impressive how good it was on the streets here. We were just unlucky in the race.”

NICKY CATSBURG, NO. 4 CHEVROLET CORVETTE Z06 GT3.R: “I would say that we didn’t get the result we deserved. But we also have to look at ourselves and be better. In my case, I guess I should have known that the 14 was going to send it the way he did and should have anticipated it. Some other issues we had in regards to tire pressure could have been avoided as well. I think we deserved more. We had a fast car. I feel like we deserved to come away with an awesome result in our home race. It didn’t work, but it never really helps to blame everyone and everything around you. We can look in the mirror and try to be better next time.”

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

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

Ford Performance Notes and Quotes – NCTS Gateway Post-Race Quotes

By
Official Release
-

Ford Performance Notes and Quotes
NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series
Toyota 200 | Saturday, June 1, 2024

Ford Finishing Results
4th – Ty Majeski
5th – Layne Riggs
7th – Ben Rhodes
10th – Luke Fenhaus
19th – Lawless Alan
20th – Matt Crafton
24th – Jake Garcia
27th – Keith McGee

TY MAJESKI, No. 98 Road Ranger/Bucked Up Ford F-150 (Finished 4th)

“Sometimes when you are the better truck in the beginning, you get gun shy to make changes to keep up with the race track. We fell a little behind and fought tight as the run progressed. We just didn’t keep up with the race track enough and I think the 11 and 19 and some of the others were able to make changes because they were catching us and felt like they couldn’t win the way they were. We felt like maybe we could. We just didn’t keep up with the track enough. It is disappointing but we executed on all fronts today. I thought our strategy was good and the pit crew did a phenomenal job. We were just a little short with our Road Ranger/Bucked Up Ford F-150 today. It is something to build on. Thank you to Duke and Rhonda for letting us come to the race track and do what we love to do.”

LAYNE RIGGS, No. 38 Infinity Communications Group Ford F-150 (Finished 5th)

“The team did a great job, especially with pit strategy and pitted us just at the right time to stay on the lead lap there at the very end with the best tires of anybody coming to that last restart. We made the most of it. I definitely didn’t have the best truck today. I was learning a lot throughout the race. I think if I would have known at the beginning what I knew at the end we would have ended up better and made some passes. It is hard to pass here. Dirty air is so bad and it is so single run. It was a tough day but we came out with a good solid finish which is what we needed for this team, for everyone at Infinity Communications and Front Row Motorsports. They worked really hard and we just gotta keep the momentum going like this.”

PROCK, KALITTA AND ENDERS DELIVER NO. 1 QUALIFIERS IN FRONT OF SELLOUT CROWD AT NHRA NEW ENGLAND NATIONALS

By
Official Release
-

EPPING, N.H. (June 1, 2024) – Funny Car’s Austin Prock claimed his fifth No. 1 qualifier in the first seven races of the 2024 season in front of a sellout crowd on Saturday at New England Dragway, powering to the top spot at the 11th annual NHRA New England Nationals.

Doug Kalitta (Top Fuel) and Erica Enders (Pro Stock) also qualified No. 1 at the seventh of 20 races during the 2024 NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series season.

Prock’s rocket run of 3.837-seconds at 336.23 mph in his 11,000-horsepower AAA Chevrolet Camaro SS from Friday stayed on top to close out qualifying, as the first-year Funny Car continued to roll in qualifying. It’s also the eighth career top qualifier for the young standout, who is seeking his sixth career victory and second this year on Sunday. He’ll open raceday against Mike Smith on Sunday.

“It’s been great. To be low at five of seven races is unreal,” Prock said. “I really want to get the job done for AAA tomorrow. We struggled in Pomona with these colors on and I want to fix that. I’m looking forward to tomorrow.

“These [Friday] runs are a premium. When you have success it builds notebooks for the crew chiefs. Things are aligning right now. The team is working together well. I’m having so much fun driving this thing right now.”

John Force, who won the Mission #2Fast2Tasty Challenge on Saturday, is in second after Friday’s 3.865 at 333.16 and J.R. Todd took third with his 3.865 at 327.74 from Friday.

In Top Fuel, Doug Kalitta stayed on a good path to possibly grab a victory at the only track where he hasn’t won, as Friday’s 3.700 at 332.84 mph in his 11,000-horsepower Mac Tools dragster remained atop the field. It handed the reigning world champ his third No. 1 qualifier of the season and 56th in his career, and he capped off Saturday with a strong run in the warmer temperatures.

Next up is trying to go four rounds on Sunday and claim his first career victory at New England Dragway. He’ll face off with Scott Farley to open eliminations.

“My guys really have got this thing running well,” Kalitta said. “I’m just trying to do my part and go rounds on Sunday. I would love to win here at Epping. They had a great crowd here today and we’re hoping to have a great day tomorrow.

“We got info that we can use for tomorrow. The track was good. We got down on second run. On the first one we tried to find the edge and we did. Shawn [Langdon’s] car also ran well, too. [Crew chiefs] Alan Johnson and Brian Husen are working to get both cars as close together as possible.”

Steve Torrence qualified second with a 3.702 at 335.23 from Friday and also won the Mission #2Fast2Tasty Challenge on Saturday. Brittany Force finished third with Friday’s 3.715 at a track-record 335.57.

Defending and six-time Pro Stock world champion Erica Enders easily stayed atop the field on Saturday, as Friday’s run of 6.488 at 211.79 in her Johnson’s Horsepowered Garage/Melling Performance/Scag Power Equipment wasn’t challenged in Saturday’s warmer temperatures. It gives Enders her third No. 1 qualifier this season and she’ll open eliminations against Fernando Cuadra Jr., looking for her second win of the season and the 50th national event victory in her remarkable career. Enders is also the most recent Pro Stock winner at New England Dragway (2022).

“I’ve definitely got a race day tune-up for tomorrow. Our biggest challenge will be a tricky track but I’m thankful that’s the crew’s job and I can stay focused on my job,” Enders said.

“That 6.48 on Friday was really exciting. I’ve got a fast hot rod and I just need to stay focused and not allow outside influences to get in the way. This has been a great track for us. I enjoy going back to tracks where we’ve had success. I have to remain positive, visualize what we want and go get it.”

Troy Coughlin Jr. took second thanks to Friday’s 6.510 at 211.46 and points leader Dallas Glenn, who won the Mission #2Fast2Tasty Challenge, ended in third with his 6.529 at 210.57.

Eliminations for the NHRA New England Nationals begin at 11 a.m. ET on Sunday at New England Dragway.

EPPING, N.H. — Sunday’s first-round pairings for eliminations for the 11th annual NHRA New England Nationals at New England Dragway, the seventh of 20 events in the NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series. Pairings based on results in qualifying, which ended Saturday. DNQs listed below pairings.

Top Fuel — 1. Doug Kalitta, 3.700 seconds, 332.84 mph vs. 16. Scott Farley, 13.824, 69.65; 2. Steve Torrence, 3.702, 335.23 vs. 15. Smax Smith, 5.286, 127.45; 3. Brittany Force, 3.715, 335.57 vs. 14. Tony Schumacher, 4.077, 232.35; 4. Shawn Langdon, 3.722, 330.23 vs. 13. Shawn Reed, 3.820, 324.20; 5. Billy Torrence, 3.744, 332.43 vs. 12. Jasmine Salinas, 3.812, 324.20; 6. Justin Ashley, 3.754, 328.22 vs. 11. Josh Hart, 3.795, 327.98; 7. Clay Millican, 3.759, 332.43 vs. 10. Dan Mercier, 3.777, 328.38; 8. Tony Stewart, 3.762, 323.12 vs. 9. Antron Brown, 3.766, 330.80.

Funny Car — 1. Austin Prock, Chevy Camaro, 3.837, 336.23 vs. 16. Mike Smith, Ford Mustang, 4.785, 230.53; 2. John Force, Camaro, 3.865, 333.16 vs. 15. Buddy Hull, Dodge Charger, 4.466, 203.55; 3. J.R. Todd, Toyota GR Supra, 3.865, 327.74 vs. 14. Dave Richards, Toyota Camry, 4.296, 231.60; 4. Daniel Wilkerson, Mustang, 3.899, 329.91 vs. 13. Cory Lee, Mustang, 4.267, 246.21; 5. Matt Hagan, Charger, 3.910, 322.96 vs. 12. Ron Capps, GR Supra, 4.036, 319.37; 6. Bob Tasca III, Mustang, 3.923, 333.41 vs. 11. Cruz Pedregon, Charger, 3.965, 323.27; 7. Blake Alexander, Mustang, 3.945, 320.51 vs. 10. Terry Haddock, Mustang, 3.958, 315.64; 8. Chad Green, Mustang, 3.953, 323.35 vs. 9. Alexis DeJoria, GR Supra, 3.956, 325.53.

Pro Stock — 1. Erica Enders, Chevy Camaro, 6.488, 211.89 vs. 16. Fernando Cuadra Jr., Camaro, 6.607, 210.11; 2. Troy Coughlin Jr., Camaro, 6.510, 211.46 vs. 15. Brandon Miller, Dodge Dart, 6.606, 208.39; 3. Dallas Glenn, Camaro, 6.529, 210.87 vs. 14. Brandon Foster, Camaro, 6.582, 209.82; 4. Matt Hartford, Camaro, 6.530, 211.59 vs. 13. Chris McGaha, Camaro, 6.558, 209.30; 5. Jerry Tucker, Camaro, 6.530, 210.64 vs. 12. Mason McGaha, Camaro, 6.549, 210.77; 6. Kenny Delco, Camaro, 6.534, 210.67 vs. 11. Jeg Coughlin, Camaro, 6.546, 210.93; 7. Greg Anderson, Camaro, 6.537, 211.79 vs. 10. Aaron Stanfield, Camaro, 6.543, 210.24; 8. Eric Latino, Camaro, 6.540, 210.93 vs. 9. Deric Kramer, Camaro, 6.541, 209.95.

Did Not Qualify: 17. Val Smeland, 7.758, 130.32.

Cadillac Racing at Detroit: Hard-fought podium

By
Official Release
-

DETROIT (June 1, 2024) – Cadillac scored its fifth podium in as many IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship races with third place in the Chevrolet Detroit Sports Car Classic.

With the home crowd cheering on the gold No. 01 Cadillac V-Series.R and red No. 31 Whelen Cadillac V-Series.R throughout the 100-minute race, crucial points were scored by both teams in the season-long Grand Touring Prototype (GTP) championship.

Sebastien Bourdais, who qualified third in the No. 01 Cadillac V-Series.R, pitted for fuel with 72 minutes left and gave way to Renger van der Zande, who stayed out of trouble in the chaotic closing minutes on the 1.654-mile, nine-turn temporary street circuit to cross the finish line third.

“Congratulations to the Cadillac Racing team and the No. 01 Cadillac V-Series.R on their podium finish in the Chevrolet Detroit Sports Car Classic. It’s great to win on the streets of Detroit – our hometown and where Cadillac was founded more than 120 years ago,” said John Roth, global vice president of Cadillac.

“The podium today demonstrates the deep expertise and capabilities of the team, as well as the power of V-Series, which includes the V-Series.R racecar, and Cadillac’s portfolio of performance vehicles. Every member of the team can be very proud of their efforts, with the No. 01 Cadillac V-Series.R performing so well from both a technology and durability standpoint.”

Pipo Derani and Jack Aitken combined to gain four positions from qualifying to place sixth in the No. 31 Whelen. Cadillac V-Series.R. Derani, the reigning GTP champion who has recorded three pole starts, had his two quickest laps in qualifying nullified because of bringing out a red flag.

Bourdais and van der Zande moved to second in the championship standings, while Derani and Aitken are fourth (eight points out of third). Cadillac Racing GTP entries have registered one victory, four runners-up and the third-place finish.

The No. 10 Acura ARX-06 won its first race of the season.

All four Cadillac Racing drivers who competed in the Chevrolet Detroit Sports Car Classic are included in the three-car roster for the 92nd 24 Hours of Le Mans on June 15-16.

Bourdais and van der Zande will co-drive with six-time IndyCar champion Scott Dixon, while Derani and Aitken will be joined by 2022 F2 champion Felipe Drugovich.

The full-season FIA World Endurance Championship (WEC) Cadillac V-Series.R entry will have Earl Bamber, Alex Lynn and reigning IndyCar champion Alex Palou sharing the seat.

Cadillac Racing photos for editorial use from Detroit

The next IMSA race is the Sahlen’s Six Hours of The Glen on June 23 at Watkins Glen International. USA will telecast the race from 11 a.m.-2 p.m. ET, while Peacock will provide flag-to-flag streaming coverage in the U.S. and IMSA.TV will stream outside the U.S. imsaradio.com will have the race broadcast.

What they’re saying

No. 01 Cadillac V-Series.R

Sebastien Bourdais: “I had a pretty short stint. With a short format, you pit so early in the window to try and prevent yourself from getting caught out with yellows. We had a really, really late call and to get the cockpit ready for pitstop was almost impossible. Then, the earlier you pit the quicker you need the pitstop to be. So, it didn’t turn out the way we wanted but we salvaged a starting position at the end, which is not a bad day at all.”

Renger van der Zande: “I think we should be very happy with P3. For the championship, it’s good points. I think we’re second in the championship now and closed the gap to the first ones. I would have liked a bit more speed in the car. We just lacked top speed to really attack him. It was four or five car lengths in the back straight. We were strong on the brakes, strong on the corners, but didn’t have the top speed to attack. So, third was maximum possible and I think it’s so exciting here and so exciting to be racing in front of General Motors. There was new street track learning; how to get fast here. It was good fun. I’m really enjoyed that.”

No. 31 Whelen Cadillac V-Series.R

Pipo Derani: “It’s a day that was damage limitation for us. When we knew how qualifying went, we said we had to do something different to try to fight for the win. We did it but it wasn’t enough because we were then depending on a yellow to come out on top. We finished P6 and during the race I thought we were going to be last because of how the strategy worked and the yellow didn’t come our way. With a little chaotic race here and there, we finished P6, so we’ll take it. Obviously, not a fantastic weekend for us, but when you talk about a long championship when you take P6 when you most likely would have finished 10th, it’s a good day.”

Jack Aitken: “With the nature of these sprint races, if you want to be competitive and everyone today was being super aggressive. I think, generally, to come in P6 after qualifying P10 we’ll take that because it’s some decent points in the bank and we’ll move forward to the next race where hopefully we’ll have a better week.”

J. FORCE, TORRENCE AND GLENN GRAB BONUS WINS IN MISSION #2FAST2TASTY CHALLENGE AT EPPING

By
Official Release
-

EPPING, N.H. (June 1, 2024) – John Force powered to the win in the Mission #2Fast2Tasty Challenge on Saturday at New England Dragway, claiming the bonus event win in front of a sellout crowd as part of this weekend’s 11th annual NHRA New England Nationals.

Steve Torrence (Top Fuel) and Dallas Glenn (Pro Stock) also won the Mission #2Fast2Tasty Challenge at the seventh of 20 races during the 2024 NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series season.

Force went 4.048-seconds at 320.81 mph in his 11,000-horsepower PEAK Chevrolet Camaro SS to defeat Blake Alexander’s 3.994 at 320.51 on a holeshot in the final round, giving the 16-time world champion his first specialty event win of the season. It’s another impressive moment in what has been a standout season for Force, who is currently third in points. He’ll get a chance for an event win on Sunday and a double-up weekend, looking to continue his strong 2024 campaign.

“I love racing these kids,” Force said. “They make get me out of bed every day. I just know [car owner] Jim Head, he’s tricky and Alexander can drive so I rolled it in deep. I knew I needed to get a few inches on him and evidently it helped me. The numbers look deceiving, but it was a good race. Blake has a big future out here.

“So far, it’s been a good weekend, and it’s nice just to win. Tomorrow is a big day, so let’s go get some more tomorrow. I love being up here. The fans are great.”

Top Fuel’s Steve Torrence rolled to his first win of 2024 in the Mission #2Fast2Tasty Challenge, taking down Dan Mercier in the final round with a run of 3.866 at 327.43 in his 11,000-horsepower Capco Contractors dragster. Mercier went 3.897 at 298.27, but Torrence led wire-to-wire en route to the victory, his fourth career win in the specialty race dating back to last year.

He knocked off Antron Brown earlier in the day, making a pair of solid runs in the 3.80s in the heat. That bodes well tomorrow for the four-time world champion, who is after his third career victory at New England Dragway.

“Our semifinal match-up with Antron Brown in Chicago was a great race and we had the same thing today. We also had a great race in the final with Mercier,” Torrence said. “Those guys have come out and started running well this year. I’m proud to see that. We need more guys like that out here. He’s a super nice guy and it’s an honor to race them in the final.

“Thanks to Mission Foods for all they do. It changes the way you look at qualifying and it adds something. Fans enjoy it when they get to see someone crowned as a champion. Mission is doing a lot of good for our spot and I’m happy to be a part of it.”

In Pro Stock, Dallas Glenn slipped by Aaron Stanfield in the final round of the Mission #2Fast2Tasty Challenge, going 6.545 at 210.80 in his RAD Torque Systems Chevrolet Camaro to get the win over Stanfield’s 6.551 at 210.24. It’s Glenn’s first win in the bonus event this season and second in his career, and he was thrilled with how his car performed on Saturday in the heat. The Pro Stock points leader and former NHRA Rookie of the Year made a pair of strong runs, giving him plenty of momentum for what he hopes is his first career double-up weekend.

“It was a great preparation for tomorrow,” Glenn said. “I’m trying to stay a little more relaxed and it’s definitely helped. These are hard to come by. I don’t tend to do very well in bonus races, but we were able to get it done. We’ve got a great hot rod in the heat and it’s going to be warm tomorrow, so I feel like we’ve got something for them. We did a fantastic job today and I’ve got a good hot rod for tomorrow.

“I’m very happy with my Saturday. We got bonus points on both runs and I had two good races. We should have similar conditions for tomorrow so feel good that we can compete with anyone out there.”

Eliminations for the NHRA New England Nationals begin at 11 a.m. ET on Sunday at New England Dragway.

EPPING, N.H. — Saturday’s final results from the Mission #2Fast2Tasty NHRA Challenge at the 11th annual NHRA New England Nationals at New England Dragway.

Top Fuel Challenge — Steve Torrence, 3.866 seconds, 327.43 mph def. Dan Mercier, 3.897 seconds, 298.27 mph.

Funny Car Challenge — John Force, Chevy Camaro, 4.048, 320.81 def. Blake Alexander, Ford Mustang, 3.994, 320.51.

Pro Stock Challenge — Dallas Glenn, Chevy Camaro, 6.545, 210.80 def. Aaron Stanfield, Camaro, 6.551, 210.24.

EPPING, N.H. — Final round-by-round results from the Mission #2Fast2Tasty NHRA Challenge at the 11th annual NHRA New England Nationals at New England Dragway.

MISSION #2FAST2TASTY NHRA TOP FUEL CHALLENGE:

ROUND ONE — Steve Torrence, 3.897, 270.64 def. Antron Brown, 4.400, 185.46; Dan Mercier, 3.857, 319.98 def. Shawn Langdon, 3.896, 313.15;

FINAL — S. Torrence, 3.866, 327.43 def. D. Mercier, 3.897, 298.27.

MISSION #2FAST2TASTY NHRA FUNNY CAR CHALLENGE:

ROUND ONE — Blake Alexander, Ford Mustang, 4.026, 311.41 def. Matt Hagan, Dodge Charger, 4.104, 308.71; John Force, Chevy Camaro, 4.133, 281.36 def. Daniel Wilkerson, Mustang, 6.676, 94.81;

FINAL — J. Force, 4.048, 320.81 def. B. Alexander, 3.994, 320.51.

MISSION #2FAST2TASTY NHRA PRO STOCK CHALLENGE:

ROUND ONE — Aaron Stanfield, Chevy Camaro, 6.573, 210.01 def. Jerry Tucker, Camaro, 6.591, 209.88; Dallas Glenn, Camaro, 6.540, 210.87 def. Greg Anderson, Camaro, 6.537, 211.79;

FINAL — D. Glenn, 6.545, 210.80 def. A. Stanfield, 6.551, 210.24.

1...981982983...6,687Page 982 of 6,687